#milken institute

[fans4wga]

SNOOP DOGG goes off-script in a conversation with Larry Jackson, formerly of Apple Music and current Co-Founder and CEO of Gamma, moderated by Shirley Halperin, Executive Editor of Variety Magazine at The Milken Institute. (May 3, 2023)

[covid-safer-hotties]

also preserved on our archive

By Korin Miller

Many COVID-19 variants have come and gone since the pandemic began, but some get more buzz than others. Now, there’s another new variant getting attention from the infectious disease community. It’s called XEC, and it’s currently spreading in Europe.

XEC is an Omicron variant that descended from subvariants KS.1.1 and FLiRT variant KP.3.3, according to Scripps Research’s Outbreak.info. XEC has several spike mutations, which is what the virus uses to infect you—and it might be more infectious that previous strains because of it.

So, will the new variant hit the U.S.? What symptoms should be on your radar? Here’s the deal.

Meet the experts: Amy Edwards, MD, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University and director of the Pediatric COVID Recovery Clinic at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital; Mark Cameron, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Emily Smith, ScD, MPH, is an epidemiologist and an assistant professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

What symptoms should I watch for? XEC is a pretty new variant and, with that, there isn’t a ton of information right now on symptoms people have experienced with it. However, early reports don’t suggest that it causes dramatically different symptoms from other strains of COVID-19.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms may include:

Fever or chills

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Sore throat

Congestion or runny nose

New loss of taste or smell

Fatigue

Muscle or body aches

Headache

Nausea or vomiting

Diarrhea

When will the new variant hit the U.S.? While the XEC variant is getting a lot of attention in Europe, it’s already hit the U.S. As of Sept. 3, data show that there have been 23 cases of COVID-19 caused by the XEC variant in the U.S., with three happening in California.

The virus was first detected here on July 14, but hasn’t been detected since Aug. 16. That doesn’t mean it’s no longer here, though. Because so many people do home tests (or don’t test at all) when they have symptoms of COVID-19, it can be tricky to get information on different strains of COVID-19.

Will it become the dominant COVID variant? That’s not clear. As of this second, XEC isn’t even a blip on the CDC’s radar. The CDC’s variant surveillance system shows that KP.3.1.1 is the dominant strain in the U.S., followed by KP.2.3, and LB.1. XEC isn’t even listed on the surveillance.

That doesn’t mean it won’t spread, though.

“Just like JN.1 emerged from BA.2.86 late last year to drive new COVID infections through last fall and winter, XEC may have similar potential,” says Mark Cameron, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “But we need to know more about the XEC variant and perhaps those still to come.”

But lately we’ve seen several variants circulate heavily at the same time, points out Amy Edwards, MD, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University and director of the Pediatric COVID Recovery Clinic at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. “Dominant is a strong word,” she says. “With so many very contagious variants, I think the days of having one dominant variant is gone.”

How can I protect myself? The CDC currently recommends that everyone aged 6 months and up get the updated COVID-19 vaccine, making that a good place to start. “As yet another Omicron family member, being up to date on the latest COVID-19 booster is a protective measure we can take right now,” Cameron says.

"The main thing we can do to slow a new variant or new wave is to get our booster shots this fall," says Emily Smith, ScD, MPH, an epidemiologist and an assistant professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. "Generally, we find the boosters give us broad protection, even against new variants."

It’s also a good idea to wear a mask in crowded indoor areas when levels of COVID-19 are high in your area, especially if you’re consider high risk for complications of the virus. And, of course, if you develop symptoms of the virus, it’s a good idea to test yourself to see if you have the virus so you can lower the odds you’ll spread it to others.

If you do, in fact, have COVID-19 and are considered high risk for serious complications from the virus, you may want to contact your primary care physician about taking an antiviral medication like Paxlovid.

[furiousfinnstan]

god ✋😭

also here's the full livestream:

[jordanianroyals]

Queen Rania of Jordan with her daughter Princess Salma in a candid moment during the former's speech at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles on 6 May 2024

“The highlight of my trip! Love spending time with my Salma”

[fyeahusheraymond]

USHER

Milken Institute’s Unleashing Creativity in the 21st Century: Tech’s Transformation of Modern Music and Media panel (May 8, 2024)

[simply-ivanka]

“The Biden family and its associates received more than $24 million over an approximately five-year period beginning in 2014 and ending in 2019, according to a memo put forward in September by House Republicans. The Biden family itself and affiliated companies hauled in $15 million of that sum, the memo says.

Bobulinski was involved with Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC and its negotiations with Hunter Biden and his business associates over a joint venture known as “SinoHawk” that ended up falling through.

He previously told the FBI he met with Joe Biden in Beverly Hills, California and the pair discussed business, according to FBI notes turned over to the House Ways and Means Committee by IRS whistleblower Joseph Ziegler. Joe Biden and Bobulinski met during the Milken Institute Global Conference where Joe Biden gave a speech, Bobulinski told federal agents.

“

[mermaidinthecity]

2023 Milken Institute Global Conference at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills California - May 3, 2023

[lboogie1906]

Amanda S. C. Gorman (born March 7, 1998) is a poet and activist. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. She was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. She published the poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015. In 2021, she delivered her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

Her inauguration poem generated international acclaim, two of her books achieved best-seller status, and she obtained a professional management contract. She was highlighted in Time magazine’s 100 Next list under the category of “Phenoms”. She became the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl when she delivered her poem “Chorus of the Captains” at Super Bowl LV.

Born in Los Angeles, she was raised by her single mother, Joan Wicks, a 6th-grade English teacher in Watts with her two siblings. Her twin sister, Gabrielle, is an activist and filmmaker.

As a senior, she received a Milken Family Foundation college scholarship. She studied sociology at Harvard, graduating cum laude as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She spent a semester studying in Madrid.

She was inspired to become a youth delegate for the UN in 2013 after watching a speech by Pakistani Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. She was chosen as the first youth poet laureate of Los Angeles in 2014. She published the poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015.

In 2016, she founded the nonprofit organization One Pen One Page, a youth writing and leadership program. In 2017, she became the first author to be featured on XQ Institute’s Book of the Month, a monthly giveaway to share inspiring Gen Z’s favorite books. She wrote a tribute for African American athletes for Nike and has a book deal with Viking Children’s Books to write two children’s picture books. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenhistorymonth

[gyhrabs]

demi at the milken institute global conference

like or reblog if you use/save

[holycolorfulpig]

US actor Edward Norton speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on May 2, 2023.

[f1archives]

James Vowles speaking at Milken Institute this week - 20/09/24

[evoldir]

Fwd: Postdoc: GeorgeWashingtonU.BranacleSystematics

Begin forwarded message: > From: evoldir@evol.biology.mcmaster.ca > Subject: Postdoc: GeorgeWashingtonU.BranacleSystematics > Date: 4 September 2024 at 06:49:21 BST > To: rdmpage@gmail.com > > > > Postdoc in Barnacle Molecular Systematics at George Washington University > (GWU) > > About the Project > The Computational Biology Institute, at the Milken Institute School of > Public Health’s Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, GWU, > is offering a Postdoc position to develop a comprehensive phylogeny of > the barnacles (Crustacea: Thecostraca) and study the evolution of sexual > systems.Barnacles rank among the most biologically diverse, ubiquitous and > ecologically important marine metazoans. They exhibit a fascinating and > unique range of sexual systems, including hermaphroditism (both sexes), > dioecy (separate sexes) and androdioecy (hermaphrodites and males).We want > to apply exon probes for targeted capture sequencing to ~1,200 barnacle > species to build a robust phylogeny of the Thecostraca. Then coupling this > barnacle tree with fossil, morphological and ecological information in > a comparative analysis framework, we will test long-standing theoretical > predictions about the evolution of sexual systems and its diversification > across broad spatial, temporal and ecological scales. > > About the Postdoc > > The postdoc candidate will conduct research in phylogenomics and > evolutionary biology of barnacles and work together with the PI (Pérez- > Losada), collaborators and graduate students. Responsibilities: > + Compilation, generation and curation of genomic and other >  (e.g., morphological and ecological) trait data for selected >  barnacle species. > + Bioinformatic analysis of genomic data to infer phylogenies and >  perform comparative analyses on traits to test hypotheses. > + Preparation and submission of manuscripts to scientific journals. > + Availability to travel to other institutions and work abroad for short >  periods of time. > + Training of graduate and undergraduate students in the lab on the above- >  mentioned duties. > + Delivering guest lectures or short workshops for relevant courses and >  related topics offered at GW in the disciplines involved in the >  research program. > > Qualifications > > PhD and expertise in molecular systematics, bioinformatics, comparative > phylogenetic methods, genomics and ideally barnacle taxonomy. > > Hiring Range > 61,008 - 65,000 > > Expected duration of appointment > Up to 3 years renewable every year upon performance > > Starting date > October 1, 2024 > > Healthcare Benefits > GWU offers a comprehensive benefit package for Postdoc Associates and > Scholars that includes medical, dental, vision, life & disability > insurance, time off & leave, well-being and various voluntary > benefits. Postdoc Scholars may also be eligible for retirement savings > and tuition programs. For program details and eligibility, please visit > https://ift.tt/gBUfdQr. > > Applicant Documents to Submit > Cover Letter > Curriculum Vitae > Statement of Research Interest > Two Letters of Recommendation > > Online Application > > All candidates must apply online via the following GWU link > https://ift.tt/WlhZPdC > > Contact > If you have further questions regarding this position you can email > Marcos Perez-Losada at mlosada@gwu.edu > > Marcos Perez-Losada, PhD > > Marcos Perez-Losada

[warningsine]

Increasing participation of Mexican women in the country’s workforce has the potential to add hundreds of billions of dollars annually to Mexico’s economy, according to a new report.

If Mexican women participated in the workforce at the same rate as Mexican men, Mexico’s annual economic activity would increase by 26.6% or US $390.5 billion, the Milken Institute said.

Lifting the female labor force participation (LFP) rate to levels comparable to Nordic countries would add over $200 billion per year to the Mexican economy, while reaching the U.S. rate would increase GDP by well over $100 billion, the California-based think tank found.

The numbers are part of the report “Women Powering Growth: The Potential of Female Workers in Latin America,” published on Tuesday by the Milken Institute.

The think tank also outlined a range of strategies that could help increase the number of women in the workplace in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

What is Mexico’s female labor force participation rate?

According to World Bank Data cited in the report, 46.5% of all working-age Mexican women worked in the formal or informal sectors in Mexico at the end of 2023.

The figure for men was more than 30 points higher at 77.5%.

The Milken Institute noted that Mexico has the lowest female LFP of Latin America’s five biggest economies: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.

It also said that Mexico has the third lowest rate across Latin America.

The think tank highlighted that 21 million working-age Mexican women, or 40.1% of the total, have completed intermediate or higher education. However, 8.9 million of “these highly skilled women remain outside the labor force,” the Milken Institute said.

“This is despite a large demand for human capital in Mexico,” it added.

“The vast pool of untapped highly skilled female labor, combined with the size of its economy and growing demand for workers, makes Mexico a perfect example of the latent income gains within Latin America’s female population.”

The potential gains from increasing Mexican women’s workforce participation

The Milken institute used methodology outlined in a 2017 International Monetary Fund working paper to calculate potential economic gains from increasing the number of women in the Mexican workforce.

If female LFP increased by just over 16 points to the 62.6% average of Nordic countries, the annual gain for the Mexican economy would be US $208.2 billion, according to the think tank’s analysis.

That amount would increase per capita GDP by $1,633, or 14.2%, the Milken Institute said.

Mexico’s per capita GDP was $13,926 last year, according to the World Bank.

Increasing female LFP to the United States level of 56.5% would add $132 billion annually to the Mexican Economy, the Milken Institute found.

The $390.5 billion estimated gain from gender parity in the Mexican workplace would increase per capita GDP by around $3,000.

The Milken Institute noted that its economic gain estimates “do not account for the effects of increasing female employment on men’s work.”

“Two offsetting effects might arise. On the one hand, male workers might be displaced by the entry of female workers. This might be especially true among high-income households where men can afford to increase leisure time due to additional income, which in turn might decrease the supply of highly skilled male workers (who tend to earn higher wages),” the think tank said.

“On the other hand, male and female labor are complementary, and the new skills that women bring into the workforce can boost the productivity of male workers. Therefore, productivity gains could offset the decrease in the labor supply of highly skilled men.”

How can Mexico get more women in the workforce?

The report states that “Latin American women who are not currently in the workforce consistently express a desire to work, suggesting that the low LFP rates throughout the region are the result of constraints on women’s paid employment.”

“… In every one of Latin America’s five major economies, an overwhelming majority (64% or more) of women express a preference for paid work, either exclusively or in tandem with housekeeping duties,” the Milken Institute said.

Maggie Switek, a senior director at the think tank and lead author of the report, said that “the number one thing that keeps women out of the workforce is infant care and childcare.”

The report says that “strategies that have successfully increased female LFP include public provision of childcare services, investments in female education, and policies aimed at narrowing gender pay differentials and promoting inclusive hiring.”

However, it adds that “the relative effectiveness” of the strategies “depends on the context in which they are implemented.”

The Milken Institute detailed the prevailing situation in Mexico and the four other major Latin America economies, and offered recommendations to increase female LFP under the three subheadings that appear below.

1. Increase availability of high-quality and low-cost childcare

The report states that Mexico has “the most severe child penalties” among Latin America’s major economies.

Child penalties, also known as motherhood penalties, “are defined as the average effect of the first child on the male-to-female employment ratio, with positive child penalties implying an amplification in the gender gap in LFP,” the report says.

The Milken Institute said that “the obstacle represented by childcare can be effectively overcome.”

“Policies such as childcare subsidies, public preschools, and other cost remedies that result in access to free or low-cost childcare have been consistently identified as successful in increasing the levels of women’s work,” it said.

Switek said that “the expansion of high-quality, low-cost childcare remains a clear public policy in which Mexico needs to invest.”

The report states that childcare enrollment rates in Mexico are less than 10% of the eligible population.

That could change during the term of the next federal government, as President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to bring back public “early education centers.”

As part of austerity measures, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ended a government-subsidized childcare program early in his six-year term.

2. Decrease gender pay gaps by combating workplace discrimination

The Milken Institute said that “gender-based social inequities” can prevent women from advancing to more senior, higher paid positions.

It also said that the opportunities for women to remain at work are “particularly low in Mexico.”

“… Gender pay gaps and workplace discrimination are closely linked. Stereotypes impact employers’ hiring decisions and wages, which in turn affect the incentives for women to seek employment and remain in the workplace,” the think tank said.

“… While shifting social norms is a lengthy and complex process, policies such as enforcing flexible working conditions help to drive change in the right direction,” the Milken Institute said.

“… Overall, narrowing the gender pay gap and fighting gender biases that lead to workplace discrimination could promote female LFP, and thereby increase family wealth, across Latin America’s major economies,” the think tank added.

3. Increase formal employment opportunities for highly educated women

The report notes that more than 50% of both male and female workers in Mexico have jobs in the country’s vast informal economy. As a result they don’t have access to benefits such as health care, sick pay and paid vacations.

“Female workers are especially exposed to the vulnerabilities of unregulated work because informal employment often serves as a fallback for women otherwise excluded from paid work due to household duties,” the Milken Institute said.

It said that policies promoting formal employment “should strike a balance between creating formal job opportunities and structuring incentives to make these jobs attractive to women.”

“Because [economic] growth fosters job creation, policies that promote growth play a crucial role in reducing informality,” the think tank said.

“Measures to streamline registration of businesses and improvements in oversight also tend to increase formal job creation. To ensure that women can access these newly created formal jobs, such policies need to be accompanied by measures that support women’s ability to work,” the Milken Institute added.

Those measures include the provision of low-cost childcare as well as policies aimed at closing the gender pay gap and reducing workplace discrimination.

[mccareer]

143rd Interagency Institute for Federal Health Leaders

Who:  Senior Medical Officers tracking toward Executive Medicine (O6 preferred, senior O5 acceptable) What:  143rd Interagency Institute for Federal Health Leaders (Medical Corps is limited to 2-3 seats) When:  Sept 16-27, 2024 (In-person). Sessions are scheduled from 0800-1700 daily. Where:  Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, 950 New Hampshire Avenue…

[jordanianroyals]

Royal Fashion → Milken Institute Global Conference, Los Angeles (7 May 2024)

Jacquemus La Veste Croissant Cropped Jacket in Off-White (€840)

Simkhai “Blossom” Pant in Natural White ($545)

Fendi “Baguette” Interlaced Leather Bag in Sand & Beige ($4400)

Dior Cream Abstract-Print Canvas Pumps (£744)

Wempe “Tidedrops” Earrings in 18K Yellow Gold, Pearls & Diamonds (€3375)

[bllsbailey]

CNN's Van Jones Explains Why the Obama Coalition Is Collapsing Right Now

He might have shot his mouth off during the Obama administration, which cost him his job, but Van Jones

does have his moments of clarity. He’s another unabashed liberal who can give reasonable analyses on the political landscape much better than any clown at MSNBC. Again, I know that’s not challenging, but Jones has said the Russian collusion story was a nothing burger. What isn’t a ‘nothing burger’ is the Obama coalition collapsing before our eyes, much like Joe Biden’s mental health. 

At the Milken Institute’s Global Conference, Jones gave a damning assessment of the health of this coalition that was, by all intents and purposes, unbeatable at the time. Yet, as Republicans and Democrats have learned under the Bush and Obama presidencies, there is no permanent political majority. Liberals may scoff, and Jones admits he gets beaten up over it, but the evidence is clear that the core voter groups that overwhelmingly back Democrats aren’t going to be as strong this year. 

It’s all about the margins.

Jones admits that the vast majority of black people are going to vote for Biden, but that’s not the point: there is a segment that is “hurtin’ and uncertain” about their place in the party. The white working class has defected en masse—that’s over. Now, black and Latino working-class voters are following. Jones isn’t the only one to make this point. James Carville has already conceded that Democrats are going to lose Hispanic men this year. And both men pointed to the same reason: they’re tired of the woke lectures.

 “They're just tired of being lectured, tired of being wrong, tired of being criticized, tired of being called toxic; tired of, frankly, a lot of other groups getting more out of the Biden administration than black folks got,” added Jones. 

Biden’s support among blacks under 50 has been more than halved, falling from an 80-point advantage in 2020 to just 37. Trump is on pace for a historic performance among black voters. If it holds, this election is over. 

And it goes beyond black and Latino voters; Biden does not enthuse young people. One pollster noted how, in less than a generation, the ‘yes we can’ brigades have de-mobilized to levels where Democrats should be nervous. Labor union support is fractured. The front office of the United Auto Workers’ union might be pro-Biden, but even its president conceded that a majority of UAW members won’t be voting for Biden in 2024. Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, will speak at the Republican Convention this summer. You can’t look at that other than it’s a soft endorsement of Trump. 

Jones has been a canary in the coal mine of sorts for Democrats in the past. In 2016, he warned that his party was grossly overlooking their footing along the so-called blue wall. He was right; Trump shattered that Democratic stronghold in his upset win over Hillary.

The cracks in the Democratic Party base are evident, and a visible, vibrant, and pugnacious Democrat with elite political skills, like Obama, is a candidate who could resolve many of these issues. That’s not the case: Democrats have Biden, who is a brain cell shy of being a drooling vegetable and who cannot be in public as often due to his repeated mental collapses. Once the sun goes down, forget it. Biden is also a beer league-style politician in a world of heavyweights. Even Democrats agree that Biden didn’t win the 2020 election; Trump just lost it—a tacit acknowledgment that COVID is what got Biden over the top. It wasn’t precisely his skills as a politician.

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