Robin Williams’ suicide saddens nation
Comedian and Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams was found dead at the age of 63 on Monday, according to CNN. According to law enforcement officials, Williams apparently committed suicide.
Officials reported that Williams hanged himself in his home in Northern California. Williams’ publicist, Mara Buxbaum, told reporters that the actor had recently been suffering from severe depression.
Williams became a household name in the 1970’s with his role as the extraterrestrial Mork in “Mork & Mindy,” and has been heralded ever since for both his comedic genius and his heartwarming dramatic performances. He has played memorable starring roles in many films over the past four decades, including “Aladdin,” “Dead Poets Society,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Good Will Hunting” and “Jumanji.” This winter, Williams will appear in theaters as Teddy Roosevelt in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.
CNN also reported that Williams contributed to over 50 charities and causes. He had participated in fundraising drives and events for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital consistently since 2004 and served on the board of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which raises money for spinal cord injury research, for four years. Williams was also involved with the United Service Organizations (USO), which provides morale-boosting performances to U.S. troops, for 12 years, travelling to 13 countries with the organization.
While his death shocked millions, the tragedy has called national attention to the fact that depression manifests itself in a variety of ways and is an increasingly pressing national issue. According to NBC News, Williams’ suicide helped make public a “silent epidemic;” in the United States, suicide deaths now outnumber deaths by automobile accident.
USC Incubator graduates seven local businesses
Seven startup companies that received guidance through the USC Columbia Technology Incubator graduated from the organization Thursday, officially becoming independent members of the Columbia business community.
The startups launched Thursday included: Advanced Care Management, which helps local families maximize opportunities available in the health care system; the Weathers Group, a business consulting firm; Midlands Biofuels, which produces clean biofuel with recycled vegetable oil; Transfer Point, a biotechnology company that distributes natural dietary supplements; Varna International, a music event management company; A&Q Nano, which develops biosensing, bioimaging and labeling agents for science and medicine; and IMCS, or Integrated Micro-Chromatography Systems, a biotechnology firm that makes products for the health care industry.
The USC Columbia Technology Incubator is a nonprofit organization sponsored by the University of South Carolina and the City of Columbia, along with other local governments. The incubator is partnered with USC’s Office of Economic Engagement and, according to its own website, has created hundreds of jobs in the Columbia area. It is currently helping nearly 50 startups work to build their businesses.
Experimental Ebola drugs sent to West Africa
According to CNN, the World Health Organization approved the use of experimental drugs in West Africa for the treatment of the Ebola virus. International governments and pharmaceutical companies are now scrambling to provide treatment as the death toll rises.
The WHO issued the sanction Tuesday after a group of ethicists met to discuss whether the unproven medications should be issued despite the uncertainty regarding their effectiveness or potential side effects. The organization’s decision was swayed by the severity of the outbreak.
The WHO estimates that the virus has infected 1,848 and killed 1,013, making this the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.
After the WHO issued its decision, the Canadian government announced Tuesday that the nation will donate between 800 and 1,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine called VSV-EBOV, a Canadian-made product that has shown promise in animal testing.
Sample doses of another experimental drug, ZMapp, are on the way to Liberia to treat local doctors who contracted the virus.
ZMapp was also used earlier this month to treat two infected American missionary workers who had been evacuated, causing some controversy in light of the escalating tolls in Africa. The payment source for the workers’ treatment is not yet clear. The treatment appears to have saved the missionaries’ lives. However, Miguel Pajares, a Spanish priest who also received the drug, died Tuesday morning.
Mapp Biopharmaceutical, which produces ZMapp, has told reporters that its supply is nearly exhausted.
Though several experimental Ebola treatments have been created, none have been through the trials necessary to assure safety and none are currently available in an unlimited supply. WHO’s assistant director-general, Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, told CNN, “The fact that there is no drug for Ebola is a market failure. This is typically a disease of poor people in poor countries where there is no market.”
Ferguson police respond forcefully to protests
Wednesday marked the fourth night of tension in Ferguson, Missouri as the protests following the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer continue, according to The Guardian. Police efforts to contain the unrest have escalated, causing national controversy as images of the small town’s tear gas-clouded streets circulate.
There are conflicting accounts of 18-year-old Michael Brown’s death Saturday; the officer claims that Brown attacked him and struggled for his weapon, while a witness and friend of Brown claims that the officer initiated the assault after ordering the two off the street. Details of the officer’s account remain unclear, and officials told reporters that the investigation could take weeks to complete. Despite media pressure, the police force has refused to release the name of the officer, citing fears for his safety.
The protests have been influenced by longstanding racial tensions in the town, which are fueled in part by the demographics of the Ferguson police force. According to the Associated Press, while two-thirds of the town’s population of 21,000 is black, all but 3 of the police force’s 53 officers are white. Many demonstrators felt they had been subjected to discriminatory police practices, including years of racially disproportionate traffic stops.
Police have responded forcefully to the protests; The Guardian described the force has “heavily armed” and “militarized.” On Wednesday night, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas into crowds after two glass bottles were thrown at law enforcement during an otherwise peaceful demonstration. Police snipers also trained weapons on protestors for hours. Most demonstrators, The Guardian reported, protested with their hands raised.
After police clearing the town center arrested two reporters, including one from the Washington post, and a camera crew from Al-Jazeera America reported that they were shot by rubber bullets, media outlets and some Missouri politicians have criticized the “militant aggression” of the force, saying that efforts to maintain order must not encroach on the right to peaceably assemble.
SEC Network launched Thursday night
The Southeastern Conference and ESPN launched the SEC Network, a new multiplatform national television channel, at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
The network is owned and operated by ESPN and features content licensed by the SEC, providing a new outlet to deliver an unprecedented amount of SEC content. Selected events will be exclusively available on the channel, and SEC TV, which previously aired SEC football and basketball games on local channels, will be discontinued.
The new channel will be available via cable or satellite television. Fans may visit GetSECNetwork.com to alert their cable or satellite distributors if they are interested in receiving the network.
The SEC Network will televise around 45 SEC football games, 100 men’s basketball games, 60 women’s basketball games, and 75 baseball games, along with other events from across the SEC’s 21 sports.
According to AL.com, programming will also include studio shows with original content such as an “SEC in 60” recap show, a segment featuring analysis from SEC coaches, “SEC Rewind” features on past games, and the “SEC Storied” documentary series.
Both current ESPN commentators and newly signed analysts will appear on the network. ESPN veteran Joe Tessitore will host the pregame show “SEC Nation” and Tim Tebow will serve as one of the show’s football analysts. Brent Musberger, Jesse Palmer, Greg McElroy, Marcus Spears, Paul Finebaum, Maria Taylor, Booger McFarland, Matt Stinchcomb, Tony Barnhart and Dari Nowkhah will also be featured on the channel.
The network has an accompanying live digital platform. Each member campus will have the ability to produce and deliver local content on the SEC Network’s digital outlets and potentially on the television channel itself.
Pastides receives pay supplement increase
The University of South Carolina Board of Trustees voted Friday to recommend a $108,800 increase in university president Harris Pastides’ supplement from the USC Foundations. The supplement is privately funded and does not draw from state tax or tuition dollars.
According to WIS, Pastides’ supplement is comparable to those offered to presidents at other public institutions and signifies only a fraction of the money given to the school by the private USC Foundations. In 2013, the foundations gave over $9 million in individual scholarships and $20 million to offset academic expenses.
Pastides is now entering his seventh year in office, making him the fourth longest serving president in the SEC. The Board noted the achievements reached during his tenure, including the creation of the Palmetto College online degree program, the growth in the size and quality of the university system’s student body and the On Your Time initiative designed to facilitate graduation in less than four years by adjusting the university’s academic calendar. Board members also considered Pastides’ dual role as both president of the university system and president of the Columbia campus.