Latest news with #Traynor
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
50 years later, Air Force pilot recalls Operation Babylift flight that killed 138
SAIGON, Vietnam — As the Vietnam War continued into the 1970s, pressure to get U.S. troops out of the fray was mounting. By 1973, troops finally began withdrawing from one of the most unpopular conflicts in American history. But what remained in Vietnam was a population of the most vulnerable, innocent bystanders: babies and young children. Refusing to comply with the guidelines of the Paris Peace Accords, the North Vietnamese Army continued its onslaught in the South as it worked its way to the nation's capital of Saigon. As the situation became more dire, President Gerald Ford ordered the evacuation of nearly 3,000 Vietnamese orphans, known as Operation Babylift. The first flight was scheduled for April 4, 1975. At the time, Dennis 'Bud' Traynor was an Air Force captain, tasked with flying his C5-A Galaxy aircraft into Saigon with a type of cargo he was unfamiliar with. 'We're used to working in tons not in people,' said the now-retired Air Force colonel. 'Upstairs in the troop compartment in the 73 seats we would put two kids, a pillow, a juice and a seatbelt. Next seat.' The older, more facile children were placed in the cargo department underneath the aircraft. With no seating, they lined the bottom of the aircraft with a blanket to shield them from the metal surface beneath them. There were 314 people on board, 250 of them were children. Just minutes into the flight, the aircraft experienced a rapid decompression. 'There was a loud bang, the cockpit filled with condensation, and I remember I didn't have my feet on the rudder pedals and they went BAM,' Traynor said. It was Traynor's first experience with a crisis of this magnitude while flying the C5. 'I sent a scanner,' Traynor said. 'He described the back of the airplane as a big gaping hole with the flight control cables hanging out the back like spaghetti.' As Traynor wrestled with the crippled aircraft, he decided to guide it to a nearby rice paddy just miles from Tan Son Nhut airport. The C5 bounced on the ground, crushing the cargo department below it as it glided to a stop hundreds of yards from where it first made contact with the remote land. 'I cranked open the window, and normally it would be 33-feet in the air but of course, I'm just stepping out onto the ground,' Traynor said. 'I got out and I look back toward the side of the flight deck and the wings were burning.' Despite the devastation and scattered debris, Traynor began looking for any survivors. With the help of local farmers, they were able to help two crew members trapped in the wreckage. But there was plenty of horror left to be uncovered. 'I was hoping to find live kids, but I did not,' Traynor said. 'Other people had gone out towards the fire and looked out, [at] what a hundred yards away was the troop compartment.' That compartment is where the youngest passengers were stowed. As Traynor got closer to the wreckage, he could see survivors being pulled out. Of the 250 children who took off on the flight, 78 died in the crash. But his skills as a pilot saved 176 people. He received the Air Force Cross for extraordinary heroism and airmanship. 'I don't think the crew took ownership of the deaths,' Traynor said. 'They took ownership of the lives.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hamilton Spectator
09-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Canadian researchers reach ‘major milestone' in search for ALS treatment
TORONTO - Standing in an MRI control room packed with fellow ALS researchers, Dr. Lorne Zinman excitedly points to the brain scan on his phone. There's a white spot on the image, right where Bill Traynor's motor cortex is. The 70-year-old patient is lying on the MRI bed with his head inside a dome that sends focused ultrasound waves to his head in the experimental trial. The white spot signals that the immunoglobulin Traynor received intravenously has crossed the blood-brain barrier into the precise area the researchers wanted it to go. In an interview just before the procedure, Zinman talked about how significant this result would be in the search for treatment of the devastating neurological disorder. 'This is a major milestone,' the neurologist and director of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre's ALS clinic said Wednesday. 'Now that we have the capability of opening up the blood-brain barrier to exactly target where ALS starts, I'm really excited about the future.' Traynor is the first of six patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial to determine the safety of administering drugs through non-invasive ultrasound waves to ALS patients. He's the world's first ALS patient to receive a drug this way, said Zinman, who is co-lead investigator of the trial. Sunnybrook researchers have previously studied the experimental procedure, called focused ultrasound, for patients with Alzheimer's disease, and those with essential tremor, a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable shaking. 'The blood-brain barrier is there to protect us, so it keeps viruses, bacteria (and) toxins outside the brain,' said Dr. Agessandro Abrahao, co-lead investigator of the clinical trial and Traynor's neurologist at the Sunnybrook ALS clinic. The problem is that it also blocks access to the brain for drugs that could potentially treat ALS. Temporarily opening the barrier to let those drugs through is a solution, Abrahao said, noting that it's critical that the barrier closes after the therapy is delivered. Traynor's day began with an intravenous infusion of immunoglobulin, an antibody therapy. He also received an injection of microbubbles. Researchers then placed a helmet, invented by Sunnybrook scientist Dr. Kullervo Hynynen, on Traynor's head. The helmet has 4,000 transducers that deliver focused ultrasound waves that cause the microbubbles to expand and contract in the small blood vessels in a targeted area. Those expansions and contractions open the blood-brain barrier in the precise spot where the immunoglobulin circulating in the blood needs to get through. Traynor laid down with his helmeted head inside an MRI machine so that the research team could see in real time that the focused ultrasound targeted the correct part of the brain. In future trials, they hope to eliminate the need for the MRI by personalizing a focused ultrasound helmet for each patient's brain where the target points are pre-set and the MRI imaging isn't needed during the procedure. 'MRIs sometimes are limited resources. They're (also) difficult for patients. Imagine being in a tiny tunnel for a long period of time,' said Abrahao. Traynor tolerated the whole procedure beautifully, both Abrahao and Zinman said. Afterward, his blood-brain barrier closed as hoped and he was expected to be discharged from hospital Friday. The researchers emphasized that this was a very early-stage trial and will not result in a treatment for ALS. Later stage trials, with more participants, will be needed. But it's an important step, they say, because it will allow them to start testing different drugs that show promise. Zinman and Abrahao are constantly reminded of the urgent need to find a drug. Their ALS clinic cares for about 700 patients. They're expected to survive about three to five years after their first symptom. 'ALS is a horrible, terminal, incurable neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive decline of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord,' Zinman said. 'Sadly, we have about three or four deaths a week in our clinic alone, and it's awful. Literally, thousands of patients have died on my watch. And I think about that every day and how we haven't yet had major interventions to change that,' Zinman said. For this trial, they decided to use immunoglobulin because it suppresses inflammation, he said. 'We know that the immune system is not normal in ALS. We know that it shifts to sort of a pro-inflammatory state where the immune system is assisting in the destruction of these motor neurons,' he said. Researchers actually tried immunoglobulin in the 1990s as a possible treatment for ALS, but it showed no effect, he said. But it wasn't given a fair shot, he said, because less than 0.01 per cent of a dose can cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the motor cortex. The researchers will be looking for biomarkers of inflammation in Traynor's blood and cerebrospinal fluid to see if the immunoglobulin had any effect, Abrahao said. They've cautioned Traynor that this trial is not expected to result in any form of treatment. But Traynor still sees the study as a source of hope. 'It's kind of exciting to be a guinea pig,' he said. He said his first symptom appeared about 10 months ago while walking down the street with his ex-wife. 'She said, 'Bill, your right foot is kind of like slapping the ground.' And being a guy, I said, 'Nah, it's nothing. It'll go away.'' 'It didn't go away,' he said, noting that he now uses canes to walk. Getting an ALS diagnosis felt like a 'death sentence,' Traynor said. But he's determined to continue living his active life and not give up. 'I'm one of these kinds of guys that I'm super positive.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025. Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Winnipeg Free Press
09-05-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian researchers reach ‘major milestone' in search for ALS treatment
TORONTO – Standing in an MRI control room packed with fellow ALS researchers, Dr. Lorne Zinman excitedly points to the brain scan on his phone. There's a white spot on the image, right where Bill Traynor's motor cortex is. The 70-year-old patient is lying on the MRI bed with his head inside a dome that sends focused ultrasound waves to his head in the experimental trial. The white spot signals that the immunoglobulin Traynor received intravenously has crossed the blood-brain barrier into the precise area the researchers wanted it to go. In an interview just before the procedure, Zinman talked about how significant this result would be in the search for treatment of the devastating neurological disorder. 'This is a major milestone,' the neurologist and director of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre's ALS clinic said Wednesday. 'Now that we have the capability of opening up the blood-brain barrier to exactly target where ALS starts, I'm really excited about the future.' Traynor is the first of six patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial to determine the safety of administering drugs through non-invasive ultrasound waves to ALS patients. He's the world's first ALS patient to receive a drug this way, said Zinman, who is co-lead investigator of the trial. Sunnybrook researchers have previously studied the experimental procedure, called focused ultrasound, for patients with Alzheimer's disease, and those with essential tremor, a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable shaking. 'The blood-brain barrier is there to protect us, so it keeps viruses, bacteria (and) toxins outside the brain,' said Dr. Agessandro Abrahao, co-lead investigator of the clinical trial and Traynor's neurologist at the Sunnybrook ALS clinic. The problem is that it also blocks access to the brain for drugs that could potentially treat ALS. Temporarily opening the barrier to let those drugs through is a solution, Abrahao said, noting that it's critical that the barrier closes after the therapy is delivered. Traynor's day began with an intravenous infusion of immunoglobulin, an antibody therapy. He also received an injection of microbubbles. Researchers then placed a helmet, invented by Sunnybrook scientist Dr. Kullervo Hynynen, on Traynor's head. The helmet has 4,000 transducers that deliver focused ultrasound waves that cause the microbubbles to expand and contract in the small blood vessels in a targeted area. Those expansions and contractions open the blood-brain barrier in the precise spot where the immunoglobulin circulating in the blood needs to get through. Traynor laid down with his helmeted head inside an MRI machine so that the research team could see in real time that the focused ultrasound targeted the correct part of the brain. In future trials, they hope to eliminate the need for the MRI by personalizing a focused ultrasound helmet for each patient's brain where the target points are pre-set and the MRI imaging isn't needed during the procedure. 'MRIs sometimes are limited resources. They're (also) difficult for patients. Imagine being in a tiny tunnel for a long period of time,' said Abrahao. Traynor tolerated the whole procedure beautifully, both Abrahao and Zinman said. Afterward, his blood-brain barrier closed as hoped and he was expected to be discharged from hospital Friday. The researchers emphasized that this was a very early-stage trial and will not result in a treatment for ALS. Later stage trials, with more participants, will be needed. But it's an important step, they say, because it will allow them to start testing different drugs that show promise. Zinman and Abrahao are constantly reminded of the urgent need to find a drug. Their ALS clinic cares for about 700 patients. They're expected to survive about three to five years after their first symptom. 'ALS is a horrible, terminal, incurable neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive decline of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord,' Zinman said. 'Sadly, we have about three or four deaths a week in our clinic alone, and it's awful. Literally, thousands of patients have died on my watch. And I think about that every day and how we haven't yet had major interventions to change that,' Zinman said. For this trial, they decided to use immunoglobulin because it suppresses inflammation, he said. 'We know that the immune system is not normal in ALS. We know that it shifts to sort of a pro-inflammatory state where the immune system is assisting in the destruction of these motor neurons,' he said. Researchers actually tried immunoglobulin in the 1990s as a possible treatment for ALS, but it showed no effect, he said. But it wasn't given a fair shot, he said, because less than 0.01 per cent of a dose can cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the motor cortex. The researchers will be looking for biomarkers of inflammation in Traynor's blood and cerebrospinal fluid to see if the immunoglobulin had any effect, Abrahao said. They've cautioned Traynor that this trial is not expected to result in any form of treatment. But Traynor still sees the study as a source of hope. 'It's kind of exciting to be a guinea pig,' he said. He said his first symptom appeared about 10 months ago while walking down the street with his ex-wife. 'She said, 'Bill, your right foot is kind of like slapping the ground.' And being a guy, I said, 'Nah, it's nothing. It'll go away.'' 'It didn't go away,' he said, noting that he now uses canes to walk. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Getting an ALS diagnosis felt like a 'death sentence,' Traynor said. But he's determined to continue living his active life and not give up. 'I'm one of these kinds of guys that I'm super positive.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025. Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Epoch Times
05-05-2025
- Epoch Times
The Businesses and Charities Ignoring UK Supreme Court Ruling on Single-Sex Spaces
Businesses and public services, including a rape crisis centre, have vowed to ignore the Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman and continue admitting transgender-identifying men into single-sex spaces meant for females. The CEO of the Tyneside and Northumberland Rape Crisis Centre, which receives government funding, was warned by a barrister that the charity would be opening itself up to lawsuits after she put out a statement declaring her support for trans-identifying males to continue to access its facilities. Abby Traynor shared a statement on 'At Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland, we continue to support all women – including trans women and those who identify as non binary,' she said, adding that the full impact of the ruling is 'still unfolding.' Traynor said that the charity had been offering services to trans-identifying males for two decades, appearing to suggest that the charity will disregard the law around single-sex spaces even after the clarification from the Supreme Court. 'Expensive Legal Challenges' Her post drew immediate objections, including from family law barrister Sarah Phillmore, who told Traynor: 'You need to be clear to female users of your service that you are not a single sex service. That you offer services also for men and women need to be told this up front so they can make an informed decision as to whether or not they use your services. I imagine many female victims of male sexual violence will not. 'The Supreme Court was very clear. You may not pretend to be a single sex service if you invite men in,' going on to warn that the centre will be opening itself up to 'expensive legal challenges.' Related Stories 4/23/2025 4/16/2025 Traynor made a follow-up statement, reflecting on her 'somewhat naive' post, and saying that the charity's website makes clear that it supports trans-identifying people. She said: 'We offer single sex spaces, and we also offer mixed spaces – it's not an either/or situation. We can do both!' The ruling, made two weeks ago by the UK's highest court, found that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' refer to biological females and biological sex only, for the purposes of the 2010 Equality Act, meaning that businesses and public services that have allowed people to use single-sex facilities meant for the opposite sex have been acting unlawfully for 15 years. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has issued There is no obligation on private businesses to provide single-sex toilets, so having just one or two gender neutral facilities in a cafe or a small office, for example, is lawful, just as on trains, but where there are single-sex facilities, there is now an obligation to make clear to customers and employees that these should be used in line with biological sex. 'Clarity' or Confusion? The ruling says that transgender-identifying people can be excluded from using the facilities intended for the opposite sex 'if proportionate.' The government has said it accepts the unanimous verdict of the five Supreme Court justices, and welcomes the 'clarity' that it brings. But there appears to be considerable confusion among businesses. Susan Smith (L) and Marion Calder, co-directors of For Women Scotland, outside the Supreme Court in London on April 16, 2025. Lucy North/PA While bigger businesses, including financial institutions such as Barclays, moved swiftly to make clear they would immediately start complying with the existing law by telling employees to use the toilets in line with their birth sex, some smaller organisations appeared confused. Some have said they are awaiting the publication of new government guidelines, although interim guidance was swiftly administered, and both the equalities minister Bridget Phillipson and head of the EHRC, Baroness Kishwer Falkner, gave unequivocal direction that the provision of single-sex spaces must be based on biology. In spite of the ruling, the organisers of the London Marathon allowed trans-identifying males to compete in the women's mass participation event last Sunday. As per World Athletics rules, biological males were not allowed in the women's elite races. A number of arts and culture venues have announced their intention to ignore the law on the use of single-sex facilities, including the famous Bristol Old Vic theatre. Sharing a statement to 'In light of the recent supreme court ruling ... we want to reassure our trans and non-binary visitors, staff and artists that you are welcome here. 'We continue to welcome everyone to use the facilities that are most appropriate for them ... We have gendered loos alongside fully enclosed non-gendered cubicles and accessible toilets. We will only ever intervene if people are behaving inappropriately in any of our spaces.' Vagina Museum Challenges 'Normative Assumptions' The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds put out a 'As a museum family, we believe that sex and gender are a spectrum; this a position supported by science. Where people choose to sit on that is their choice and it should be respected. The Thackray is not here to provide authoritative definitions but we are here to provide an open, respectful, safe and inclusive platform for conversation, where trans people are represented in our collection and through our activities. 'The trans community have been excluded from consultation around the Supreme Court's decision which in our eyes has increased ambiguity and not offered clarity. We will not exclude the trans community and our building and our facilities remain open to all.' The five justices of the Supreme Court made clear that transgender-identifying people have the same human rights as everyone else, are protected from discrimination under the Equality Act as a minority group, and made no suggestion that trans people should be excluded from anywhere other than single-sex facilities designed for the opposite sex. Other smaller museums appeared to signal their support for trans-identifying men to carry on using the women's loos, regardless of the law, while some issued statements signalling their support for transgender customers. The Vagina Museum in London said in a Although it made no mention of toilets, the statement said that part of the museum's mission was 'spreading knowledge and raising awareness of gynaecological anatomy and health ... to challenge normative assumptions around our bodies and how they may or may not be connected to experiences of gender, gender expression and broader sexuality. ' Another small venue, the Crab Museum in Margate, shared a 'Their ruling centred on the word 'biology', with the judge stating that biological sex is 'assumed to be self-explanatory and to require no further explanation.' Speaking in a professional capacity as museum of biology: this is not how biology works. 'There are no binaries in nature, and biology, like all sciences, should never be taken for granted or assumed to be 'self-explanatory'. Even worse, it should never be used to justify weaponised culture war issues. This ruling is an abuse of science.' A swimmer paddles in the water at the Hampstead Heath ponds in London on March 30, 2021. Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images Hampstead Ladies' Pond The historic Kenwood Ladies' Pond on north London's sprawling Hampstead Heath became a flashpoint when owners, the City of London (CoL) Corporation, announced a self-ID policy in 2019. Th controversial policy allowed any male to enter the bathing pool meant for women, in spite of the fact there is a men's pond and a mixed pond alongside the female facility. It also meant that any woman could enter the men's pond, although this has not proven to be an issue. A series of protests ensued, led by the Let Women Swim group, with counter-protests by transgender activists, including TV presenter India Willoughby. On Wednesday, C0L confirmed its self-ID policy would 'remain in effect at this time' while it considered the implications of the Supreme Court judgment. In an internal memo to staff who work at the ponds, sent on the day of the ruling and seen by The Epoch Times, a manager wrote: 'As yet we don't know the impact of this ruling on our single-sex ponds. Until further notice from CoL senior managers, we must not get drawn into any conversations with swimmers/visitors about this ruling. 'If asked, we must respond with: 'We are continuing as we are until we hear further notice from our managers.' The memo goes on to tell staff to refer concerned swimmers to an email address for CoL, adding, 'We understand this ruling will be distressing to many in our team – please reach out to colleagues and team leaders for support.' An employee who wished to remain anonymous told The Epoch Times: 'I don't know what [the manager] is on about. The judgment is not distressing to anybody. We all think it's ridiculous that men have been using the women's pond, but we're the ones who get the grief for it from the public. 'What are we supposed to do about it? Get into a fight with a bloke who says he's a woman? We're not security guards. Honestly, we're not paid enough for the hassle. It should never have been allowed in the first place, and now the chickens are coming home to roost.' A gender neutral toilet in an office building in the City of London on Jan. 11, 2024. Yui Mok/PA A spokesperson for CoL told The Epoch Times: 'In line with many other affected organisations we are carefully considering the judgment and awaiting statutory guidance from the EHRC which, by law, service providers must take into account. 'It is completely false to suggest that the City Corporation is not compliant with existing UK law. We take our obligations very seriously and a carefully considered decision in this complex matter will be taken in due course. 'We remain committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for all.' 'Not Optional' A number of leading barristers, including KCs, have pointed out that while the EHRC has issued interim guidance, the Supreme Court judgment has clarified the existing law, meaning that businesses which describe themselves as single-sex spaces are breaking the law by knowingly allowing a self-ID policy. On Thursday, following the Football Association's announcement that trans-identifying males will no longer be allowed to play in girls' and women's football, lobby group Stonewall put out an erroneous post on social media platform BlueSky, stating, 'It is important to remember that the ruling is not law as yet and organisations should wait to see how statutory guidance is changed before making policy changes.' Akua Reindorf, KC told Stonewall in response: 'No, the judgment of the Supreme Court is the law. It has immediate effect. It is not optional.' Stonewall has now deleted the post.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge rules U.S. owes North Dakota $28M over oil pipeline protests
April 24 (UPI) -- A federal judge has ruled the U.S. government must pay North Dakota nearly $28 million in damages stemming from the Dakota Access oil pipeline protests in 2016 and 2017. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor issued his ruling Wednesday, siding with North Dakota's claims of negligence, gross negligence, civil trespass and public nuisance against the United States in connection with the protests. "This is a major win for North Dakota taxpayers and the rule of law," North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Attorney General Drew Wrigley, both Republicans, said in a statement in response to the ruling. "As outlined in the trial testimony and Judge Traynor's ruling, decisions made by the Obama administration emboldened protesters and ultimately caused millions of dollars in damage to North Dakota, while endangering the health and safety of North Dakota communities, families and law enforcement officers who responded to the protests." The protests by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against the pipeline garnered wide public and political attention from August 2016 through March 2017, as they erected encampments on land near the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers. The state's claims focused on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers use of a Special Use Permit to allow the protesters to demonstrate on Corps land. In his ruling on Wednesday, the President Donald Trump appointee said the Corps had not officially granted the SUP despite saying one had been issued, and this so-called de factor permit prevented law enforcement from taking action against the protesters. Traynor described this action as the Corps having "invited and encouraged the DAPL Protesters and their violent and tumultuous behavior," leaving North Dakota to clean up the mess. "The State of North Dakota needed the power of the federal government to protect its citizens from danger. The federal government abandoned its duty," he said. He added that the damage caused by the protests was "unfathomable," highlighting there human excrement pits, makeshift housing structures and violent clashes with law enforcement. "The bottom line: United States had a mandatory procedure, it did not follow that procedure, and harm occurred to the state of North Dakota," Traynor said.
