Roundabout Oxford Podcast Episode 9: The Secret Side of Sports

This episode of Roundabout Oxford has a ball as we take a fresh look at local sports from a new angle. First is an interview with Jessica Lynch from Visit Oxford, who speaks to Brooke Gross about fun sporting opportunities around town accessible even to those who aren\u27t in NCAA shape. Then, Taylor Fields talks to Micah Ginn about a seldom-seen side of Ole Miss sports: the dedicated team that films and edits sports videos highlighting the teams on and off the field. During the interview, Ginn references two of his favorite projects: his documentary Undefeated: The Chucky Mullins Story, and The Hanging of Big Todd Wade, produced for the Oxford Film Festival

Legislators and Religious-Based Reasoning

In a secular, multicultural, liberal democratic society founded on the rule of law, is it appropriate for legislators (or political candidates) to refer to religious beliefs or texts when discussing a government initiative or urging action on a particular issue? Such references might be used for various purposes: to explain the speakers’ own beliefs; to emphasize that an issue has been around for a long time and therefore should be taken seriously; to elucidate historical influences on a particular law; or to give weight to a particular argument by buttressing it with religious authority. In Canada today, do ethics, law, or political theory offer persuasive reasons to limit any such references to religion in parliamentary debate or political campaigning

Legislators and Religious-Based Reasoning

In a secular, multicultural, liberal democratic society founded on the rule of law, is it appropriate for legislators (or political candidates) to refer to religious beliefs or texts when discussing a government initiative or urging action on a particular issue? Such references might be used for various purposes: to explain the speakers’ own beliefs; to emphasize that an issue has been around for a long time and therefore should be taken seriously; to elucidate historical influences on a particular law; or to give weight to a particular argument by buttressing it with religious authority. In Canada today, do ethics, law, or political theory offer persuasive reasons to limit any such references to religion in parliamentary debate or political campaigning

Saving History: Preserving recordings in the University of Mississippi\u27s Modern Political Archive

The Modern Political Archives at the University of Mississippi contains over 3,800 audio and audiovisual recordings among its holdings. Formats include audio reel-to-reels, 78 rpm discs, 16 millimeter and 35 millimeter films, Umatic ¾ inch tapes, Beta tapes, VHS tapes, microcassette and cassette tapes, DVDs and CDs, as well as MP3 audio files. For decades, most of these recordings were inaccessible to researchers due to condition and the lack of appropriate equipment. In 2010, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded the Modern Political Archives a $450,000 grant to preserve and digitize these recordings. Researchers are the true beneficiaries of this project. Conservation measures will prolong the lifespan of the recordings and new digital conversions offer user-friendly access to this treasure trove of Mississippi and American political history. Many of these collections represent the public careers of Mississippians who served in the U.S. Congress or the state legislature. Other collections contain oral histories on the politics of Mississippi, the South, and the nation. Over the course of one year from June 2010 to May 2011, the Modern Political Archives worked with the university’s Media & Documentary Projects to produce digital copies of all analog recordings. Archives staff then reviewed recordings in open collections to create extensive descriptions of their content. The grant also provided the necessary supplies and equipment to help preserve the originals as well as their digital counterparts, and it enhanced the archives’ ability to provide researchers with internet access to the recordings and their descriptions

Debate Starts Here : the Presidential Debate Comes to Ole Miss

This film documents the 2008 Presidential Debate at the University of Mississippi between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain and celebrates the enormous efforts of thousands of individuals to make this historic debate a success from the University\u27s decision to apply for the debate through the infrastructure and construction concerns, ticketing lottery, and the threat of last-minute cancellation. With interviews from University officials, Oxford residents, national journalists, and politicians, the film covers the exciting events leading up to the debate and explores the tremendous effort involved behind the scenes to bring a Presidential debate to life. Includes footage from the national media and the Rock the Debate festival on campus. Includes interviews with: Andy Mullins, Curtis Wilkie, Tom Oliphant, Robert Khayat, Thad Cochran, Tom Brokaw, Bob Schieffer, James Meredith, Gloria Kellum, Sparky Reardon, Shepard Smith, Richard Howorth, Kathy Gates, Larry Sparks, Ashton Pearson, Haley Barbour, Noel Wilkin, Norman Easterbrook, Matthew Zerangue, Mario Hilliard, James Windham, Artair Rogers, Maury Breazeale, Jim Morrison, Ray Hawkins, and David Drewery

Therapeutic targeting of prenatal pontine ID1 signaling in diffuse midline glioma.

BACKGROUND: Diffuse midline gliomas (DMG) are highly invasive brain tumors with rare survival beyond two years past diagnosis and limited understanding of the mechanism behind tumor invasion. Previous reports demonstrate upregulation of the protein ID1 with H3K27M and ACVR1 mutations in DMG, but this has not been confirmed in human tumors or therapeutically targeted. METHODS: Whole exome, RNA, and ChIP-sequencing was performed on the ID1 locus in DMG tissue. Scratch-assay migration and transwell invasion assays of cultured cells were performed following shRNA-mediated ID1-knockdown. In vitro and in vivo genetic and pharmacologic [cannabidiol (CBD)] inhibition of ID1 on DMG tumor growth was assessed. Patient-reported CBD dosing information was collected. RESULTS: Increased ID1 expression in human DMG and in utero electroporation (IUE) murine tumors is associated with H3K27M mutation and brainstem location. ChIP-sequencing indicates ID1 regulatory regions are epigenetically active in human H3K27M-DMG tumors and prenatal pontine cells. Higher ID1-expressing astrocyte-like DMG cells share a transcriptional program with oligo/astrocyte-precursor cells (OAPCs) from the developing human brain and demonstrate upregulation of the migration regulatory protein SPARCL1. Genetic and pharmacologic (CBD) suppression of ID1 decreases tumor cell invasion/migration and tumor growth in H3.3/H3.1K27M PPK-IUE and human DIPGXIIIP* in vivo models of pHGG. The effect of CBD on cell proliferation appears to be non-ID1 mediated. Finally, we collected patient-reported CBD treatment data, finding that a clinical trial to standardize dosing may be beneficial. CONCLUSIONS: H3K27M-mediated re-activation of ID1 in DMG results in a SPARCL1+ migratory transcriptional program that is therapeutically targetable with CBD