Morning Mix: Florida professor fired over Harvey comments, 'Despacito' and tailgating tips

By Uloop Staff on August 31, 2017
Thursday: The long weekend so close we can almost touch it. But you’ve got a couple of days to get through first. Start be getting caught up on what’s happening in the world outside of your classroom, including tailgating tips, the song of the summer and more. Here’s the big stuff:

 

CANCER TREATMENT BREAKTHROUGH BRINGS HOPE

CAR-T therapy is providing hope to many people touched by Lukemia (Image: YouTube/Sloan Kettering)

The Food and Drug Administration called the approval of a treatment that genetically alters the white blood cells of a cancer patient to battle a form of leukemia “a historic action.”

Forbes reports that “The decision is a milestone for new technologies aimed at fighting disease, but is also likely to deepen the controversy over the cost of new medicines. Novartis, a Swiss drug giant, said on a conference call that it would charge $475,000 per patient.”

“We’re entering a new frontier in medical innovation with the ability to reprogram a patient’s own cells to attack a deadly cancer,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in a prepared statement, according to Forbes. “New technologies such as gene and cell therapies hold out the potential to transform medicine and create an inflection point in our ability to treat and even cure many intractable illnesses. At the FDA, we’re committed to helping expedite the development and review of groundbreaking treatments that have the potential to be life-saving.”

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UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA PROFESSOR FIRED OVER REMARKS ABOUT HURRICANE HARVEY

Harvey’s floodwaters contain a toxic stew (Image: YouTube screenshot/BBC)

Kenneth Storey, a visiting assistant professor of sociology at the University of Tampa, was dismissed after he sent a tweet that implied that Hurricane Harvey was “karma” for the state voting Republican, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that “The University first distanced itself from sociology professor Kenneth L. Storey on Monday. But a tide of online outrage continued. A #FireKenStorey hashtag spread far beyond the university. Angry Facebook comments piled up.”

Storey was fired on Tuesday. Storey apologized for his actions: “What they see in those tweets is not who I am,” he told the Times. “How I worded it was wrong. I care about people. I love this country. I would never want to wish harm upon anyone.”
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A IS ‘DESPACITO’ THE SONG OF THE SUMMER?

Is Luis Fonsi’s hit the biggest song of the summer? (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Welp, yeah, it might be. And maybe that’s because of Justin Bieber.

Business Insider comes in with the news that “in July, the combined plays of “Despacito” and its remix made the track the most-streamed song of all time, across all streaming platforms. This week, the song also tied Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” for the most weeks at No. 1 in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.”

Here’s the original video, which has been streamed over 3 billion times. Wow.

What was your song of the summer?
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AND FINALLY FOR THURSDAY, 7 TAILGATING TIPS

Vtmiami

Going wild at Va. Tech (Image: Wworkman via Wikimedia Commons)

Allie Caton from Boston University checks in with seven tips for first-time tailgaters.

As she says, “Watching college football on television and attending a real college football game are two totally different experiences. Both have their pros, but one thing that you can’t do in front of your TV is tailgate.”

Get all the tips right here. Pay attention, Freshies!

Now you’re caught up on the news. Only thing left – have a super Thursday. Easy enough.

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