Page 2 April 9, 2015 TORRANCE TRIBUNE TerriAnn in Torrance See TerriAnn, page 8 Crushing Malaria By TerriAnn Ferren Photos by TerriAnn Ferren Malaria is one of those sicknesses I only hear about in the movies or when a friend travels to an exotic place, like Africa and has to take along malaria pills. I imagine Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in John Huston’s African Queen worrying about malaria, but that is about it. Webster New College Dictionary defines malaria as “Unwholesome or poisonous air, as from marshy ground, miasma. (From the former notion that it was caused by the bad air of swamps.) An infectious disease, generally intermittent and recurrent, caused by any of various protozoans (genus Plasmodium) that are parasitic in the red blood corpuscles and are transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected anopheles mosquito: it is characterized by severe chills and fever.” After reading the definition, I was glad we don’t have malaria in Torrance. You might ask why this interest in malaria? Well, first of all there are millions of people who die needlessly from this awful disease transmitted by mosquitos. This disease is very preventable. The problem comes with the cost of making the medication. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 584,000 people died from malaria in 2013, and 90 percent of the deaths were in Africa. Right here in Torrance, the seeds of inspiration were inadvertently planted, that in the end, highlighted a discovery to fight this deadly disease. You may remember the Torrance Tribune story “Phenomenal Phenomenex,” October 24, 2013, about Phenomenex, the company here in Torrance that is a global leader in the research and manufacture of advanced technologies for the separation sciences. They help keep everything in your refrigerator safe to consume with the filters they produce through (chromatography). How does this tie into finding a less expensive way to produce a malaria medication? A couple weeks ago, I read about an award launched in 2014 by Phenomenex and The Analytical Scientist (a scientific journal), recognizing Alex Gharagozlow, Executive Director, Operations; Fasha Mahjoor, President and CEO of Phenomenex; and Kari Kelly, Manager, Fasha Mahjoor, President and CEO of Phenomenex. Corporate Marketing. breakthroughs in analytical science that has truly changed lives for the better. This award was presented to two men who had found a way to produce cheaper antimalarial medications, thereby making them available to everyone on the planet. This perked my interest and I wanted to find out more so I met with Kari Kelly, Manager, Corporate Marketing, Alex Gharagozlow, Executive Director, Operations, and Fasha Mahjoor, President and CEO of Phenomenex. As it turns out, it all began with the dynamic President and CEO of Phenomenex, Fasha Mahjoor. In business for thirty-three years Fasha observed all the dry scientific journals Community Briefs NAMI South Bay Practices Mindfulness At the NAMI South Bay general meeting, Monday, April 20, 2015 p.m., 7:30 p.m., First Lutheran Church, 2900 West Carson Street, Torrance, CA 90503, NAMI members will review what mindfulness is and guide a few simple practices. NAMI South Bay has regular monthly meetings on the third Monday of the month, unless there is a legal holiday. The Caring and Sharing Family support group will meet, in English, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by the general meeting, First Lutheran Church, 2900 West Carson Street, Torrance, CA 90503. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. For more information on NAMI South Bay call 310-533-0705, or visit our website at www.namisouthbay.com. Wyland Foundation Water Challenge Mayor Furey and the Torrance City Council invite you to the Wyland Foundation Mayor’s Challenge! On March 24, the City Council accepted this challenge, which is a friendly competition among cities in Southern California to see which city can achieve the highest pledge participation in water conservation among its residents and businesses. The city recording the highest percentage of pledges during “Earth Month” from April 1 to April 30 will be declared the winner, and participants of the winning city will receive valuable prizes. The pledge is online at MyWaterPledge. com, and the City encourages all to take this challenge. South Bay Bar’s Ask-A-Lawyer Day The South Bay Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service will sponsor annual “ASKA LAWYER” program, in celebration of Law Day. The program will be held on Friday, May 1, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Torrance Superior Court, 825 Maple Avenue in Torrance. Tables and chairs will be set up in the common area on the first floor to accommodate the public. Attorneys of varying specialties will be on hand to provide legal assistance to the public at no charge. For more information, please contact Nicole at The South Bay Bar Association (310) 325-4200. • Jefferson Middle School Teacher Wins Contest Barnes & Noble, Inc. today announced that Amy Argento from Jefferson Middle School in Torrance has been named the local winner of the Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest. Ms. Argento was chosen from the entries at the Barnes & Noble on 21400 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, CA Ms. Argento was nominated by one of her students, Eshani Talwar. Ms. Argento will be recognized at an event at the Torrance Barnes & Noble where they will receive a special award acknowledging their achievement, and additional recognition and praise from the community. Eshani Talwar, who wrote the winning essay will receive a certificate of recognition and will be honored at the Torrance store during a ceremony for the winning teacher. Ms. Argento will then be entered into the regional competition where five winners will be chosen. From the pool of five regional winners, Barnes & Noble will name one teacher the Barnes & Noble National Teacher of the Year. Amy Argento was honored by Barnes & Noble as the local winner of the My Favorite Teacher contest at Torrance’s B&N bookstore. Photo provided by Barnes & Noble.
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