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Time and again the UMass administration has proven they only care about themselves and whats good for them, especially when systemic racism is involved.

While I am proud of the longstanding commitment to social justice at UMass, even here, the barriers to racial equity and justice are real, whether subtle or overtly threatening. We can break down these barriers: each one of us has the power to become an agent of change. By working to see our own biases, by undoing structural barriers, by identifying our shared humanity, we strengthen our ability to challenge racism in ourselves, our university, and beyond. As we begin Black History Month, let us use this time of celebration to reaffirm our continued commitment to creating a campus, a country, and a world defined by racial justice for all.

This quote comes from an email Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy sent to the UMass community on February 2nd. On the second day of Black History Month, the face of this institution chose language that on the surface reflects progress, but the reality is something different. UMass has never shown this much interest in addressing institutional racism beforehand, and it is only because of the pressure they received last semester and the previous ones that they do so. Put simply, UMass does not, never has, nor ever will care about Black people.

I have said it repeatedly, and I will continue to say it. Time and again the Chancellor has had the opportunity to go after the systemic issues that disproportionately affect Black people, yet he refuses to. What continued commitment? In my almost four years here I havent seen any sustained efforts from the administration to not only prevent racist acts from occurring, but also to ensure that students have access to the resources necessary in the aftermath of these acts. Where is the mentioning of the Black Advisory Council, one of its goals being to make campus truly equitable for Black people? What about the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of African-American Studies, that has had its resources cut by the administration year after year and continues to be a space for Black students on campus? Why not highlight the work various Black orgs have been doing to support each other? What about the RJC demands that remain largely on paper, waiting to be implemented? If he truly cared about Black people the chancellor would take action and ensure there are things in place that are built to last, instead of giving lip service every year that goes nowhere.

Pay Black student workers what we deserve. Implement the RJC demands. Give Black RSOs the funds and spaces necessary to host community-building events. Hire Black faculty and staff across the board, reinvest in African-American Studies. There are so many things that can be done, and yet they wont because Black Lives dont Matter at UMass. Have they ever? Honestly, no. Black people have had to constantly fight (still do) to be heard, respected, seen, and more. Yet those in power refuse to come to the table, choosing to allow racist incidents to happen in order to protect their bottom lines.

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When Will Black Lives Matter? Amherst Wire - Amherst Wire

The official account for the "Black Lives Matter" movement and many of its supporters lashed out at President Joe Biden after he proclaimed that Democrats would help fund the police in his State of the Union speech.

Biden emphatically renounced the "Defund the Police" movement in his speech and most Democrats applauded his statement.

"Proven strategies like community violence interruption, trusted messengers, breaking the cycle of violence and trauma, and giving young people some hope," said Biden.

"We should all agree the answer is not to defund the police, it's to fund the police!" he added.

"Fund them! Fund them!" Biden continued during the applause. "Fund them with resources and training! Resources and training they need to protect our communities!"

Not all were pleased at the policy announcement.

The official BLM account posted a frowning photograph of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) in response to Biden's statement.

Others were far more strident in their excoriation of Biden.

"Fund the police? F*** you, Joe Biden. I f***ing hate this s***hole country," tweeted one user who identified himself as a communist.

"Love how Biden listed a bunch of bipartisan things he signed for many groups and then for black ppl was like, 'F*** YOUR MARCHES, More money for the police! Suck it blacks!' Real cool stuff," replied another commenter.

"lmao mask off ig this geriatric republican lite f***" read another tweet.

"Dude says we need to fund the police. He's an enemy of the people. Simple as that," replied Albert Corado, a candidate for the Los Angeles City Council.

"F*** off, Joe. The police are a corrupt, racist, transphobic, queerphobic institution. All cops are bastards," said another detractor.

Establishment centrist Democrats have blamed progressives and the "Defund the Police" movement for their relative losses in congressional and state races in the 2020 election. In one memorable incident, Democratic House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina said on MSNBC that the defund the police movement was "non-starter," even among black Americans, and called it a "chokehold around the Democratic party."

President Biden calls to fund the police, talks gun controlwww.youtube.com

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Black Lives Matter and its supporters are ripping into Biden for police remark in his State of the Union speech - TheBlaze

You know a show has made it when its prepared to say no to its main backer, especially when that backer is a megastar rapper who is singlehandedly responsible for the show even being on TV. When we first met Drake to talk to him about helping us to revive the series, he said, Look, Id love to be in it! says Top Boy creator Ronan Bennett, but this offer gave him a problem. If Drake were to appear, it would have been a distraction. It would be hard to maintain Top Boys level of authenticity so it didnt happen.

Since its launch in 2011, Top Boy has had a reputation for an unblinking depiction of the drug trade rife on inner-London estates. Soon, viewers will be treated to its second, hyper-realistic season on Netflix, nine years after it was cancelled by Channel 4 following two runs. Longtime fan Drake helped convince Netflix to commission the series, becoming executive producer along the way. It was also helped by calls from fans including famous ones. When Kane Kano Robinson, the grime musician who plays gang leader Sully in the show, met Noel Gallagher, the first thing Gallagher said was: Whens Top Boy coming back?

It got annoying sometimes, laughs Ashley Walters, who has played Dushane, another gang leader, since the start. I love the fans and I love how much they love the show. But you kind of get drowned by it sometimes. Its like you cant exist as any other character. Its like: All right, thats good. But whens Top Boy coming back? It was a relief to have it return.

This time round, the show is much bigger in scope. We follow the drug route into London from Morocco through Spain prompting scenes of sun-dappled ocean waves gently lapping a yachts bow. Naturally, this being Top Boy, these scenes are followed by a naked man being shot in the head and dumped overboard. We also see into the police investigation of the various London crews, which is actually a first, even though the show has been dubbed the UKs version of The Wire. (Bennett is quick to point out that this story has not remotely been influenced by comparisons to The Wire.) Plus, we see Top Boy do something it has certainly never done before have a grime MC hang out in a bush with a fox called Roy, fork-feeding it from a tin while chuckling: Here comes the plane!

Ronan had been showing us videos of him feeding a fox that was living in his garden, says Robinson. So when I saw that in the script, I thought: Oh God, youve stitched me up. This is a result of his character retreating into a less urban lifestyle after the climax of the previous series. I was a bit nervous. I dont like foxes. I dont think anyone likes foxes. You normally avoid them, dont you?

But some things have stayed the same. Just like the previous two series, this new season begins with Sully and Dushane falling out. Its an ongoing battle, says Walters. Every time we get scripts, Kane and I are like: Ah man, again? But were always creatively trying to find ways to make it feel different. Robinson adds: It does blow my mind how long the show has been running, especially when I get a young person saying: When the first series came out, I wasnt allowed to watch it. I was 11 and my mum wouldnt let me.

Its not just Top Boy fans who have grown up with the show. Its actors have, too. I just remember everyone in school talking about it, says Brit award-winning MC Little Simz, AKA Simbi Ajikawo, who plays Dushanes girlfriend Shelley. Jasmine Jobson, who plays Dushanes deputy Jaq, chips into our group Zoom call: Everyone in class would be like: Oh my God, did you see what happened in Top Boy last night?

In the past, the show has been very male-dominated. But last month, a giant poster was unveiled in London featuring Jobson and Ajikawo. There we are, faces as big as satellite dishes! says Jobson. Our boats are right there! Im so gassed! Ajikawo gets her own storyline, too, running a nail bar and being visited by a shadowy figure from her past. Meanwhile, as Jaq becomes a major player in the Summerhouse gang, we step into her love life and see her in the grip of a family drama that introduces a Liverpool-based crew.

So is there more of a spotlight on female characters this season? One hundred per cent, says Jobson. The women who live in this world arent often spoken about. And the female perspective was something we were lacking, but now were opening doors. Ajikawo adds: Yeah, the earlier seasons were really male-led, but were pushing the narrative forward now. Not just in showing that these men have sisters, girlfriends and mothers, but also that they work with women who are leading their field.

Top Boy has always been unflinching in tackling broader social issues, such as the county lines phenomenon, in which inner-city kids briefly decamp to small towns to sell drugs. Series four showcases the post-Windrush threat of deportation faced by older African-Caribbean immigrants, as well as homing in on gentrification and furious residents meetings whose attendees face rehousing in different cities. However, due to the series already being in production at the time of George Floyds murder, the Black Lives Matter movement didnt make it in. Does that feel weird?

You have to remember what type of people the characters are, says Robinson. Theyre violent drug dealers who come from a place that has made them that way. Are they going to Black Lives Matter marches? I doubt it. I doubt most people out there selling drugs are.

Still, its hard not to look at Top Boy at least through the prism of BLM. For years, it has been depicting a side of the inner-city British Black experience often overlooked by the mainstream media. And it does so by casting actors from the community it represents, initially holding open castings for kids whod never acted before, until by season two of its Channel 4 run they were swamped by thousands of applicants. Casting agent Des Hamiltons dedication to giving roles to actors with no previous experience saw him win the first ever Bafta for scripted casting.

Thats what Im proudest of, says Walters. Top Boy is creating careers for people who wouldnt otherwise have had that opportunity. You get to see new actors coming into the show, watch them flourish. Thats always been important to us.

Top Boy has launched the careers of Letitia Wright, Michaela Coel and last seasons breakout, Bafta Rising Star award-winner Micheal Ward, who has since worked with Steve McQueen on Small Axe and acted with Sharon Stone. This season, it looks set to do the same for Jobson. Top Boy has opened so many doors for me, she says. But I didnt get into acting to win awards. Its so important that were showing issues like gentrification because I honestly couldnt tell you how many estates from areas I grew up in are no longer there. Its heartbreaking. Sometimes thats all people know its where theyve lived their whole lives, where their whole family grew up.

Jobsons journey to acting via her background in care was not only made possible by Top Boy but also inspired by it, in particular Wrights shift into the Marvel universe. Letitia is definitely a big inspiration for me. She comes from nothing. She was the lead girl in Top Boy and now shes smashing it.

And what about Robinson and Walters, who have been with the show from the start when will they get their Hollywood break? I dont know, man, says Robinson. I just want to do what I believe in. Top Boy suits me artistically. If I come across another project I believe in, Ill give it a look. But its not something Im chasing.

Shunning Hollywood? Perhaps we shouldnt be too surprised. After all, Robinson does star in Top Boy, the show that refused Drake a cameo.

Top Boy returns to Netflix on 18 March

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The stars of Top Boy: Are drug dealers going to Black Lives Matter marches? I doubt it - The Guardian

The project is also a way for the Hutch to help lead social and scientific change in the Pacific Northwest, he said.

As an important Seattle employer, our support of social justice in our city is critical to our role as citizens of Seattle and [the] Puget Sound [region], Lynch said.

The initiatives leaders envision the Public Art and Community Dialogue Program as a new avenue for the Hutch to connect with people who may feel that sciences doors are closed against them, and to further break down the barriers that can cut science off from the broader community.

Engaging in this dialogue is a way to sustain the change that we need to make as society as we work toward greater inclusion and equity, Buckley said.

The Hutch raised its Black Lives Matter banner and flag in June 2020 in support of racial justice and equality, and the first commissioned piece to go on display will feature a message of solidarity created by a Black artist.

We are remaining committed to that effort. We recognize that in raising the [Black Lives Matter] flag, it is also raising someone elses message. This is an opportunity for us to explore our message and communicate our message with as much strength and power as the Black Lives Matter flag communicates, in solidarity with the Black community and with careful reflection on our mission and purpose, Buckley said.

The new initiative is a chance to send a message that will resonate within the Fred Hutch and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance communities, and beyond, said SCCA patient navigator John Masembe, who works with Black and African American patients, and is a member of the committee slated to review submissions from Black artists.

We want to let you know that we do hear you and see you. We're embracing your culture, embracing your background and respecting your values, said Masembe, who is the son of Ugandan immigrants, and envisions a message that embraces the interconnectedness of Black, African American and African immigrant communities.

Participating artists will draw inspiration from their own experiences, from their communities, and from exchanges with Hutch researchers. As part of their creative process, selected artists will meet and engage with scientists and science supporters in all areas of the centers administration. Buckley, Masembe and other project leaders, including Hutch diversity, equity and inclusion educator and learning specialist Nikkita McPherson, hope that this exchange of perspectives will inspire new insights for everyone involved enhancing both artistic and scientific aims. The effort will be a collaboration between the artist and the scientific community at the Hutch.

The beautiful part of this is we're creating it together, right? said McPherson, who will be facilitating the dialogues between artist and Hutch employees. And we're not making any assumptions. We have no preconceived ideas about what will come out of it. This is putting into practice what we've been talking about for over a year in terms of our anti-racist work and doing so through a medium I love, which is art.

McPherson, who is also a member of the committee slated to review submissions from Black artists, noted that the programs ideals have deep roots at the Hutch. The Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortiums Office of Community Outreach & Engagement, or OCOE, conducts and facilitates research that connects with underrepresented and underserved communities throughout Washington to reduce inequities in cancer care and research. The HIV Vaccine Trials Network, headquartered at the Hutch, helped spearhead inclusive HIV vaccine science and was the model for inclusive studies of COVID-19 vaccines. Several of the Hutchs high school and undergraduate internships are designed to foster young scientists from underrepresented backgrounds.

To say we're anti-racist is to say that we're willing to be in community together, McPherson said. We have to be willing to be in dialogue, which is different than debate, which is different than conversation, which is different than discussion. And to be in dialogue with each other means that we are saying that we are going to address [injustice] and also create something together to move forward with. [With this new project,] Im joyous about what could happen, and optimistic about what could happen.

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New Fred Hutch initiative to foster inclusivity in science and health via art and dialogue - Fred Hutch News Service

Some might view games as merely entertainment but for Prof. Emanuele Dalla Torre at Bar-Ilan University in Israel and his team, playing games is useful for measuring the effectiveness of todays commercial quantum computers.

In a recent study published in Advanced Quantum Technologies, Dalla Torre and two of his students, Meron Sheffer and Daniel Azses, describe how they ran a collaborative, mathematical game on different technologies to evaluate 1) whether the systems demonstrated quantum mechanical properties and 2) how often the machines delivered the correct results. The team then compared the results to those generated by a classical computer.

Of the technologies tested, only the Quantinuum System Model H1-1, Powered by Honeywell, outperformed the classical results. Dalla Torre said classical computers return the correct answer only 87.5 percent of the time. The H1-1 returned the correct answer 97 percent of the time. (The team also tested the game on the now-retired System Model H0, which achieved 85 percent.)

What we see in the H1 is that the probability is not 100 percent, so its not a perfect machine, but it is still significantly above the classical threshold. Its behaving quantum mechanically, Dalla Torre said.

The mathematical game Dalla Torre and his team played requires non-local correlations. In other words, its a collaborative game in which parts of the system cant communicate to solve challenges or score points.

Its a collaborative game based on some mathematical rules, and the players score a point if they can satisfy all of them, said Dalla Torre. The key challenge is that during the game, the players cannot communicate among themselves. If they could communicate, it would be easy but they cant. Think of building something without being able to talk to each other. So, there is a limit to how much you can do. For the machines in this game, this is the classical threshold.

Quantum computers are uniquely suited to solve such problems because they follow quantum mechanical properties, which allow for non-local effects. According to quantum mechanics, something that is in one place can instantaneously affect something else that is in a different place.

What this experiment demonstrates is that there is a non-local effect, meaning that when you measure one of the qubits, you are actually affecting the others instantaneously, Dalla Torre said.

Dalla Torre attributes the performance of the Quantinuum technology to their low level of noise.

All commercial quantum computers operating today experience noise or interference from a variety of sources. Eliminating or suppressing such noise is essential to scaling the technology and achieving fault tolerant systems, a design principle that prevents errors from cascading throughout a system and corrupting circuits.

Noise in this context just means an imperfection its like a typo, Dalla Torre said So, a quantum computer does a computation and sometimes it gives you the wrong answer. The technical term is NISQ, noisy intermediate scale quantum computing. This is the general name of all the devices that we have right now. These are devices that are quantum, but they are not perfect ones. They make some mistakes.

For Dr. Brian Neyenhuis, Commercial Operations Group Leader at Quantinuum, projects such as Dalla Torres are useful benchmarks of early quantum computers and, also help demonstrate and more clearly understand the difference between classical and quantum computation.

After seeing the initial results from the H0 system, he worked with Dalla Torre to run it again on the upgraded H1 system (still only using six qubits).

We knew from a large number of standard benchmarks that the H1 system was a big step forward for us, but it was still nice to see such a clear signal that the improvements that we had made translated directly to better performance on this non-local game, Dr. Neyenhuis said.

Dalla Torre and his students completed the experiment through the Microsoft Azure Quantum platform. Being able to do this kind of work on the cloud is vital for the growth of quantum experimentation, he said. The fact that I was sitting in Israel at Bar-Ilan University and I could connect to the computers and use them using on the internet, thats something amazing.

Dalla Torre and his team would like to expand this sort of research in the future, especially as commercial quantum computers add qubits and reduce noise.

Reference: Playing Quantum Nonlocal Games with Six Noisy Qubits on the Cloud by Meron Sheffer, Daniel Azses and Emanuele G. Dalla Torre, 22 January 2022, Advanced Quantum Technologies.DOI: 10.1002/qute.202100081

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Quantinuum H1 Quantum Computer Beats Classical System at ...