Hot off the press. Editor’s note: mentions of suicide and antisemitism.

Happening in the World: A Russian court has rejected the appeal by US basketball star Brittney Griner on her nine-year jail term for drugs charges. Griner was convicted in August for smuggling and possessing cannabis oil after being detailed near Moscow. Her lawyer, Alexander Boykov, said in court that her nine-year sentence is not in line with Russian criminal law. After releasing this decision, the Russian state prosecutor has called the sentence “fair”. (BBC)

Happening in the US: After recent antisemitic remarks, sneaker brand Adidas has cut ties with Kanye West. The decade-long partnership brought West’s Yeezy branded sneakers to a global audience. In a statement, Adidas has said that “[West’s] recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.” Adidas has been reviewing this partnership since West wore a “White Lives Matter” shirt at Paris Fashion Week, citing it as a symbol of hate speech not in line with their values. (NPR)

Happening in NYC: Parents of students in a Prospect Heights elementary school say that an anti-bullying presentation has left children in fear of jail time and a mistrust in the police. Children were told stories about suicide, murder, and shown inappropriate images for their age. A school safety agent even lifted a child to “demonstrate” bullying. In response, the Department of Education said that the school safety agent’s actions were unacceptable. This incident is part of a larger, ongoing discussion about police in schools. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Join Professor and Nobel laureate Richard Axel, MD, in From Memory to the Senses: Celebrating a Decade of Discovery. This discussion features the ongoing research at Columbia’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, and features Ishmail Abdus-Saboor, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Dmitriy Aronov, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, and Rudy Behnia, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience. This event will take place today at The Forum, 601 W. 125th Street, from 6 to 7:15 pm. Contact Lisa Glynn at lg2779@columbia.edu for more information.

Oohhhh Brain Cells via Bwog Archives