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OIOpublisher The Results of the CIS Excellence Awards 2019 in partnership with The Employee of the Year Award, sponsored by Fresh Food Company WINNER: Stephen King, Uisge Bar and Restaurant, Tag "CIS Excellence Award sponsors" CIS Excellence Awards principal sponsor, Caterer.com, has released the findings of its survey of 21,000 hospitality workers from across the EU, and found that up to 16% of workers cited the UK as Fishers Laundry Group has opened a new head office in Cupar. The CIS Excellence Awards supporting sponsors who provide laundering and rental services to the hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors, The CIS Excellence Awards 2018: The Results! in partnership with The Employee of the Year Award, sponsored by Fresh Food Company Winner: Samantha Wright, The Dunstane Houses, Edinburgh Finalists: Stephanie Baxter, A not-for-profit enterprise has teamed up with CIS Excellence Young Chef of the Year sponsor, Brakes Scotland, and the Achieve More charity CIS Excellence Awards sponsors CH&CO Group have launched a simplified corporate structure that will operate across the UK with a new With over 40 individuals and operators in the running for the 15th annual CIS Excellence Awards later this month, it’s worth CIS Excellence Award-winning Hickory have swept the board at last night’s inaugural Scottish Women in Hospitality and Tourism Awards in Entries opened yesterday for the 2017 Caterer.com People Awards. Aimed at recognising and celebrating the finest employer initiatives and innovations The CIS Excellence Awards has launched its revamped Facebook page, complete with category & sponsor information, plus full pics of winners

Russian Economic Crisis Offers Opportunity for Integration with West, Argues New CFR Report The Russian Economic Crisis by Jeffrey Mankoff. April 9, 2010 10:51 am (EST) - News Releases The economic crisis in Russia and its aftermath present the West with “an opportunity it has not had over the past decade to enmesh Russia more deeply into the liberal economic order,…which can provide the capital and access to international institutions that Russia needs to boost its competitiveness,” writes Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Adjunct Fellow Jeffrey Mankoff in a new Council Special Report. He argues that although the worst of the economic crisis seems to be over, Russia will continue to feel the ill effects longer than other industrialized nations because of its “rigid economy burdened with an overweening state role.” This has led to Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and others calling for major economic restructuring in areas such as property rights, corporate governance standards, and efforts to tackle corruption. “If successful, their economic policies could undermine the semi-authoritarian, state-capitalist model developed under Prime Minister and former president Vladimir Putin,” posits Mankoff in The Russian Economic Crisis. More on: However, he warns, “the speed of Russia’s recovery and obstacles along the way will play a major role in determining both the success of Medvedev’s call for modernization and the course of Russia’s foreign policy: a quicker recovery would diminish the pressure for fundamental reform and lessen the need for caution internationally.” To pursue a path of economic integration with Russia, Mankoff offers the following options for Western policy “in this window of opportunity.” - Leverage Russia’s need for foreign investment to promote economic reform, particularly a greater commitment to transparency and the rule of law, as well as reduced tension over energy. - Deepen bilateral U.S.-Russian economic ties, including civilian nuclear cooperation. “Allowing Russia to become a major center for uranium reprocessing would go some way toward alleviating [its] financial concerns and increase U.S. leverage with Moscow, especially if packaged as part of a deal to end Russia’s involvement in the Iranian nuclear program and support sanctions against Tehran at the UN Security Council.” - Encourage Russia to remain on the path to World Trade Organization membership. “While WTO membership would boost the Russian economy, having Russia in the WTO also benefits the West. It provides a legal framework and recourse for foreign investors, and enhances the legitimacy of the liberal international economic order.” More on: - Promote reform and development in Russia’s post-Soviet neighbors. “Because some Russian leaders regard regional autarky as an alternative to participation in the global economy, a secondary aim of U.S. policy in the wake of the crisis should be to enhance the resilience of Russia’s post-Soviet neighbors at a moment when Moscow is focused on getting its own house in order.” For the full text, visit:. Jeffrey Mankoff, a specialist in Eurasian/Russian affairs, is an adjunct fellow for Russia studies at CFR. He is also associate director of International Security Studies, Yale University. Previously, he was a John M. Olin National Security fellow at Harvard University, and a fellow at Moscow State University. Mankoff has written articles and op-eds on a range of topics connected to Russian foreign policy past and present, including continuity and change in the post-Soviet era, U.S.-Russian relations, the role of political parties, the Balkan crisis, and the diplomacy of Tsarist Russia. He is the author of Russian Foreign Policy, a book on the evolution of Russian foreign policy in the Putin years. In addition to research, he teaches classes at Yale on modern diplomatic and military history..

Known for his brief cameos in his directorial ventures—à la Alfred Hitchcock—director, producer and screenwriter, Subhash Ghai has myriad successful films to his credit. Dubbed the Showman of Hindi films by the media, he followed in the wake of the original Showman Raj Kapoor, who was legendary for his big musical films and grand celebrations. He was one of the top producer-directors of 80’s Hindi cinema. Ghai’s repertoire of hits includes Kalicharan (1976), Maeri (1976), Vishwanath (1978), Karz (1980), Vidhaata (1982), Hero (1983), Meri Jung (1985), Karma (1986), Ram Lakhan (1989), Saudagar (1991), Khalnayak (1993), Pardes (1997), and Taal (1999). Founder of Mukta Arts Private Limited in 1982 which went public in 2000, Ghai has also established the Whistling Woods International film and media institution in Mumbai. Recipient of the IIFA Award for outstanding contribution to Indian cinema, he has also received the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues for Iqbal (2005), the Filmfare award for Best Director for Saudagar, Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay for Pardes, and the IIFA Award for outstanding contribution to Indian Cinema, among other awards. Born 24 January, 1945 in Nagpur, Ghai graduated in Commerce from Rohtak, Haryana, before he went on to graduate in Cinema from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He started his career in Hindi cinema as an actor in Taqdeer (1967) and Aradhana (1969). Films such as Umang (1971), Bharat Ke Shaheed (1972), Sherni (1973), and Gumraah (1973) with Reena Roy and Danny saw him playing the male lead. Turning film writer in 1973, he would trade his stories and scripts with leading directors like Prakash Mehra and Dulal Guha in partnership with B Bhalla. His directorial debut came with Kalicharan which was written by him and starred Shatrughan Sinha and Reena Roy. The film became a blockbuster. He went on to direct three films -Vishwanath, Gautam Govinda (1977) and Krodhi (1979), before turning film producer with his musical classic Karz (1980). A thriller about a murderous wife from a past life, starring Rishi Kapoor, Simi Garewal and Tina Munim, the film was a roaring success. Ghai went on to direct the hit action drama Vidhata (1982), his first film with Dilip Kumar and Sanjay Dutt. He then formed his own company Mukta Arts Pvt Ltd. Under the Mukta banner he made several musical blockbusters such as Hero, which introduced Jackie Shroff, followed by hits such as Meri Jung, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Saudagar, Khalnayak, Pardes, Taal, and Yaadein (2001). Khalnayak invited some controversy for the provocative nature of the song Choli ke peeche. He also produced Mukul Anand’s last film Trimurti (1995). In more recent times, he made Kisna (2004), Black and White and Yuvraaj (2008), also producing Aitraaz (2004), 36 China Town (2006), Apna Sapna Money Money (2006), Joggers Park (2003) and the much-acclaimed Iqbal. Besides Hindi cinema, Ghai also produced regional films like Nauka Dubi (2011) in Bengali, Shehnai Chogde and Samhita (2013) in Marathi and Double Di Trouble (2014) in Punjabi. Ghai’s contributions to the film industry are wide-ranging. While both Pardes and Taal were released internationally, the films also featured in the top 20 movies in the US box office charts for several weeks. He introduced a film insurance policy in the Hindi film industry for the first time with his film production, Taal. He was also the first to initiate banks to finance films. His company, Mukta Arts Limited came out with a public issue in the year 2000, becoming the first company from the Mumbai film industry to go corporate in 2001. He expanded the business of Mukta Arts Pvt Ltd to include film exhibition and multi-media. Promoting new technology in production and exhibition sectors, he also promoted new talent, grooming and launching new faces such as Madhuri Dixit, Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Mahima Chowdhary, and Aishwarya Rai. He is also known for extracting great music from various composers and acting performances from the actors he worked with. Ghai also set up an international film school, Whistling Woods International in Mumbai, the campus attracts national and international students also exporting education to countries like UK and Nigeria. Winner of several national and international awards, Subhash Ghai has also been honoured by the United States senate. Former chairman of the entertainment committee of trade body CII and a member of FICCI, NASSCOM and TIE global and its alliances, he has also served on the jury of Emmy awards for three years and on the international panel on film piracy at Cannes film festival in 2008. Ghai also directed a short film on communal harmony, Pyar Ki Ganga Bahe (1990) with Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, and Tiger Shroff. In 1991, he also conceived and directed a grand audio-visual stage show celebrating 100 years of world cinema with 42 Hindi film stars, 200 musicians, and 250 dancers on an 180-feet stage at NSCI, Mumbai. Image courtesy: IMDB

Southern orientation that allows for passive solar lighting Ceiling and floor truss materials made from waste lumber Yard sod consisting of 80 percent drought-tolerant fescue Low-flow plumbing fixtures, including 1.5 gallon-flush toilets Building designed for a thermal chimney, which circulates air vertically through the house in the summer, eliminating the need for air conditioners Photovoltaic panels on both houses and a solar thermal system on the duplex Ground-source geothermal heat pump in the single-family home For more information on the Paradigm Pilot Project, visit bouldercounty.org/hhs/pilot.htm When the cranes showed up at the property on Avalon Avenue last summer in Lafayette, they wrenched 13 giant boxes off the back of five semi-trucks and stacked them like Lego blocks. When the cranes left, the connected boxes — which were already fitted with wood floors, cabinets, countertops and porches — had become the modern-looking Paradigm Pilot Project, a near-zero-energy, low-income pair of buildings owned by Boulder County. The tiny project can only house three low-income families, but it’s just a test run for the much larger green-building aspirations held by the county’s housing authority. The Paradigm Pilot Project is made up of just one duplex and one single-family ranch home, both of which are heavily insulated, oriented to maximize passive solar gain and outfitted with photovoltaic panels. And the boxes used to create the homes were built in a controlled environment inside a factory, which allows for an economy of scale that drives prices down. “This was an experiment to see how well this comes together,” said Scott Simkus, housing developer for the county’s department of Housing and Human Services. “This is the first time the factory has built a near-zero-energy project.” The boxes were set on a foundation laid by people in the county’s Workforce program, which has made training for new green jobs a priority. The workers also did the finishing work, which included sealing the boxes together, adding the finishing exterior details and setting up the photovoltaic panels. The experiment is working, and Simkus now plans to use what he’s learned building the Paradigm houses to create a much larger green-building project on land the housing authority owns a little farther east in Lafayette. Pending permit approvals by the city, the county hopes to break ground late next year on a 153-unit, mixed-income community called the Josephine Commons. The new neighborhood would also use the innovative block-stacking building method and would create about as much energy as it uses, taking advantage of solar power, a clear south-facing exposure and ground-source heating and cooling. “We’re building it over the old Excelsior coal mine,” Simkus said. “You think about the history, and we’re building over a fossil fuel bed. We’re building a near-zero-energy community right on top of it. Now that’s a new paradigm.” Over the last several years, Boulder County has become a hotbed for new zero-energy development. But much of it is being built in a price range that’s out of reach of even the middle class. And that’s what sets the county’s new building plans apart, Simkus said. The new houses will be built for people who are, perhaps, most in need of getting a break on their energy bills. “It should be people in the workforce who get the benefit of this,” he said. “Not just the elite — the people who can afford solar panels and geothermal.” Danielle McCarthy, a single working mother of two, moved into one side of the Paradigm Pilot’s duplex in mid-October. McCarthy qualified through her involvement with the county’s five-year Family Self- Sufficiency program, which strives to help low-income families become economically independent. Before moving into her new house, McCarthy was sharing a cramped two-bedroom apartment with her two kids. McCarthy was sleeping in the living room so her 6-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter wouldn’t have to keep sharing a bedroom. “This was a blessing that we got this place,” she said. “A three-bedroom apartment would have been heaven, but this is beyond.” Contact Camera Staff Writer Laura Snider at 303-473-1327 or sniderl@dailycamera.com.

No two dancers' career paths are exactly alike...which is actually pretty great! Equally great: New kinds of opportunities are constantly cropping up in the dance world, along with new skills necessary to book them. (Did anyone really know how to make a self-tape before 2020?) But in an industry that seems to quick-change faster than you did at your last recital, how can you be certain which skills will be the most important for you to have on your unique dance journey? The short answer: You can't. Luckily, though, with the right foundation, you can feel confident in any environment, whatever road you dance down. Enter Marymount Manhattan College, a liberal arts school in the heart of NYC. From Broadway to ballet to the big screen, if you can dream of doing it, Marymount's BA and BFA dance programs provide the tool kit you'll need to get there. Dance Spirit caught up with four Marymount Manhattan alumni to hear how the diversity of their training has helped them navigate postgrad life. Samantha Butts Samantha Butts (front left) in rehearsal with the Rockettes Courtesy Butts Hailing from a competition-dance background in Columbus, OH, Samantha Butts knew she wanted a career in dance, especially one in NYC. "I wanted to explore Broadway, as well as contemporary and concert work, but also get a strong education," she shares. "Doing my research, I discovered Marymount and knew it was the perfect place to prepare for all of those avenues." Settling on a modern dance concentration while also taking classes in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and commercial jazz, Butts was surprised not only by the amount of dancing, but of learning about dance, as well. "I went into school thinking that it was going to be all physical. But Marymount exposed me to so much of the history and background of dance that I hadn't even considered before." Particularly, Butts' professors challenged her to communicate as strongly with words as with her movement. "I had always hated public speaking, but I came to realize that being able to speak up, explain your movement and communicate how it feels is so important as a professional," she says. Aside from dancing every day, Butts had the opportunity to flex other creative muscles. "I got to take graphic design and fashion classes, which I loved connecting to my favorite dance brands, and eventually led to me designing my own dance website," she explains. When it came to her senior year, Butts still wasn't dead-set on a specific career path, but she was confident she had the tools necessary to succeed in dance. "I was exposed to so many different styles, ideas and people at Marymount. It was overwhelming at times, but by the end, I was confidently audition-ready," she says. After auditioning for several different opportunities, Butts performed as a Radio City Rockette in the 2019 Christmas season. When the pandemic hit, she took up teaching virtually and at her hometown dance studio, and has since expanded her teaching to include dance cardio with Body by Simone. "I never thought I would develop such a love for teaching," she says. "But Marymount gave me all of these tools, like knowing my anatomy, how to present myself professionally and how to communicate concepts, and navigate outside my comfort zone. All the boxes I needed were ticked to feel prepared to step into something totally new." Jacob Larsen Jacob Larsen Courtesy Larsen Martha Graham Dance Company member Jacob Larsen transferred to Marymount Manhattan after completing a year at community college, and immediately immersed himself in the college's vibrant student body. "Marymount is the best place to meet a ton of dancers, but you also meet actors, students working in production and costumes, future physical therapists—all these people who also have one foot in the dance world," he says. "I was enamored with NYC, and the people around me made me fall even more in love with dance." For his ballet concentration, Larsen took classes in men's technique and partnering, but soon also found himself gravitating towards extra modern technique classes. "Learning the history behind dance, I was fascinated by modern-dance pioneers like Martha Graham," Larsen explains. "I loved how she wasn't afraid to make bold statements and break the rules." After graduating in 2015, Larsen attended Springboard Danse Montréal, where he performed works by Alexander Ekman and Banning Bouldin. Then, he was accepted into Graham 2, and joined Graham's main company a year later. "Graham technique is extremely physical and challenging," Larsen says. "But Marymount helped me develop such a strong technical foundation and awareness of my own body. As I like to say, anatomy is forever!" What else is on his dance bucket list? Larsen envisions anything from Broadway to touring to performing with a pop star, in part because he's seen his fellow alumni succeed at all of the above. "Marymount is a very close-knit community on the Upper East Side," he says. "But once you leave, you realize, 'Oh, my gosh, there are MMC alumni all over, doing every kind of job.' " Lauryn Hayes Lauryn Hayes Effy Grey Photography, Courtesy Hayes Growing up in League City, TX, Lauryn Hayes trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary and hip hop, and spent summers dancing at The Ailey School in NYC. "It was my dream to move to NYC and dance, and I wanted a college program where I could get really great ballet training as well as dive into modern and other styles," she says. "It was that curiosity that brought me to Marymount." At school, Hayes immediately felt like a small fish in a big pond. "Marymount's program was humbling at first," she says. "All my classmates and I were probably the best back at their home studio, but the intensity of training and exposure to so many different dance styles at Marymount is definitely a big wake-up call to what dancing on a professional level is like." Hayes started off with a jazz concentration in the BFA program, but by her junior year, she had switched to ballet, as well as added a second major, in business. Marymount Manhattan's dance curriculum revealed other new interests, as well. "It was such a happy accident that certain academic dance courses are required," Hayes says. "In Cultural History of Dance and Critical Approaches to Dance, I discovered my love for cultural anthropology and the politics of art." After graduating earlier this year, Hayes is already #BookedAndBusy, thanks to the connections she made in school—but not in the ways you'd think. "The jobs I've had so far have actually all come from professors I didn't necessarily take from at Marymount, but still had the chance to learn from and network with, since it's such a tight-knit community," Hayes explains. Those opportunities have included joining Andrea Miller's renowned company, Gallim, for a two-month commission at Lincoln Center, as well as dancing in Deep Blue Sea, a work by Bill T. Jones, which just wrapped up a run at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC. "My professors at Marymount were constantly pushing me and were invested in my success," Hayes shares. "Performing in such an iconic NYC venue as Lincoln Center with three of them in the front row cheering me on was a full-circle moment." Moving forward, Hayes hopes to further explore all of the doors that Marymount opened up for her. "I really enjoy modern and postmodern dance, and also academia," she says. "Down the road, I would love to become a professor of African-American studies or gender studies, alongside my dancing." Lexi Garcia Lexi Garcia backstage at Hamilton, with Lin-Manuel Miranda Courtesy Garcia Florida native Lexi Garcia still vividly remembers the first time she walked into Marymount Manhattan for her BFA dance audition. "From taking in the beautiful campus to the professors leading my audition, the energy and encouragement felt completely aligned with what I wanted out of my college experience," she recounts. What Garcia didn't quite expect was for Marymount to completely flip her idea of technique on its head. "Coming from a competition background, I quickly realized I had to rewire my brain to focus on longevity," she says. "If I wanted to dance professionally, I couldn't just crank my leg up or jam my turnout. My training at Marymount was a lesson in working with and celebrating what I've got." The ultimate payoff of rebuilding her technique on a college level, according to Garcia, was consistency. "When you truly understand your technique, there's no more 'good' and 'bad' turn days. You know that whenever a choreographer asks for something, you're able to deliver." Although Garcia pursued the modern concentration at Marymount Manhattan, after graduating in only three years, she was happy to discover how her training equipped her to grand-jeté in a new direction: musical theater. "When I started going to open calls, I realized it was a very similar environment to all of the times I worked with guest choreographers in school," she explains. "Your adrenaline is pumping, and you want to impress everyone in the room and stay open to whatever they're throwing at you. Knowing I had done that before definitely helped my confidence." After contracts with Norwegian Cruise Lines and regional theaters, Garcia got the call she'd been dreaming of. "I had auditioned for the Philip cast of Hamilton 's North American tour before, but they explained that someone in the Broadway cast was pregnant and they needed a replacement," she says. In 2017, she made her Broadway debut. Nowadays, Garcia is passing on all of the valuable lessons she's learned to her students at East Coast Performing Arts, while plotting yet another career switch-up, this time as a performer at Disney World in Orlando, FL. "My family lives in Florida, and it's my dream to be able to perform for them and be a part of such a magical place for entertainment," she says. Overall, Garcia's time at Marymount planted seeds of insight that she's continued to develop across the span of her dance journey. "When I first came to Marymount, I had this perspective of making everything happen all by myself," Garcia says. "But Marymount introduced me to the ideas of community and balance. I realized that if I'm going to survive in this industry, I need other people to help keep me going, and at Marymount, I found those people."

Big Data and the Race To Be President (Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com) The how big data analytics and social media could impact a political race in 2008, when Barack Obama’s campaign team wielded the combination to great effect. Four years later the Obama campaign refined its approach, and used the system (codenamed Narwhal) to win a much closer race against Mitt Romney. The Republican challenger had a big data strategy, but the technology didn’t pan out as expected. In fact, the system (codenamed Orca) crashed on Election Day, according to the Washington Post. This year, each presidential hopeful is aware of the importance of having an effective data analytics strategy, and all the data science and IT expertise that entails. In that respect, one could argue that big data will be less of a factor than in 2008 or 2012, when it was still fairly new and novel. But that would overlook differences in the quality of the approaches. EMC‘s Bill Schmarzo, who is following the use of big data in the presidential election, sees big data playing a bigger role in the election compared to any previous years. It all comes down to effective targeting and listening to the constituents, he says “The candidate who has a better grasp of who their target constituents are, who the strong ones and who the fence sitters are, and is able to craft the message and speeches to win the people over–I think big data drives all of that,” Schmarzo tells Datanami. President Obama set the standard for data analytics in elections with his 2008 and 2012 campaigns. Much of the big data in the election cycle will go towards leveraging Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other popular social networks. The winning candidate will be a passive listener to social media and use it strategically to get in front of people’s changing stances on hot-button topics. But the winner will also use social media tactically, to help with registration drives and to get the vote out on Election Day. “I think Obama really set the standard for this, when they started mining all this wealth of social media data out there to try to figure out what people’s interests and passions are,” says Schmarzo, who’s been called the Dean of Big Data. “But there’s a lot more data to ingest [compared to 2008 and 2012] and we have better tools. If I was a candidate, I’d have a data lake underneath this, all my data sitting there, so my data science team can start doing that clustering and segmentation work.” While Schmarzo doesn’t have any inside information about the candidate’s individual big data strategies (they’re held very closely to the vest), he expects the campaigns to employ a lot of the same techniques and strategies that are being used in today’s cutting-edge marketing campaigns. That means using all available information to create micro-segments of small groups of voters, or what Schmarzo calls “The Internet of One.” “It’s all about individual behavioral analytics,” he continues. “You talk about interests, passions, affiliations, and associations. That’s what I can get out of their social media. If I have that kind of information, now all of a sudden I can take a laser-like approach to make sure I’m reaching the right people with the right message and carrying that message to a larger group of people.” Social media will play a big part in the 2016 election One of the firms at the leading edge of big data in politics is Cambridge Analytica. According to a recent story in AdAge, the UK-based firm, which has done work for the campaigns of Ted Cruz and Ben Carson, uses responses from online surveys that it conducts to build psychological models of every American voter along five traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. As of December, the Cruz campaign had spent $3 million on services from Cambridge Analytica, which has supplied two data scientists who have been embedded into the Cruz campaign. It appears to be money well-spent, as the work done by Cambridge Analytica is widely viewed as playing an important role in Cruz’s victory in Iowa last week. (Cruz also heavily invested in traditional campaigning techniques in Iowa.) According to Cruz’s campaign manager, Jeff Roe, data is providing the Cruz campaign a competitive advantage in a year when the old rules seem to no longer apply. “There is no handbook for this,” Roe told the Washington Post in December. “The conventional wisdom has been destroyed. What you can do is rely on data.” But an indiscriminate reliance on big data will not be enough to get into the White House. Republican candidates especially will be careful not to make the same mistakes that Romney made four years ago, when his internal polling was skewed, leading the campaign to poorly allocate resources. The winning candidate will combine common sense with big data, because at the end of the day, political calculus is not linear, and the electoral college demands that candidates invest intelligently. But anything the presidential hopefuls can do to identify undecided voters in swing states will be put to use. “We all know that California is going to vote Democratic and Texas is going to vote Republican. Ignore those states,” EMC’s Schmarzo says. “But the states like Ohio and Florida and Iowa and Oregon–those are the ones where the data scientists really have to figure out who are the people in those states that I can swing over to me, and get very targeted.” Ted Cruz’s campaign has aggressively pursued big data analytics for competitive advantage ( Rich Koele/Shutterstock.com) If the candidate is smart, they’ll listen to their constituents instead of talking all the time. That may be harder for some candidates to do than others. “The successful candidates are going to be as much of a follower as a leader,” Schmarzo predicts. “They’re going to have to follow a bunch of people. Big data can play a huge role in that because it gives you the ability to listen like we could never listen before. We can hear every individual and group speak and understand what the message is, what the positons are, and how best do I serve it.” Politicians may let the algorithms do some of the listening. An IBM (NYSE: IBM) business partner is rolling out a Watson-based service called Adaptive Listening’ (AL) that’s designed to help organizations automatically capture and act on social media signals. Developed by MutualMind, the cloud-based service is based on the Watson Personality Insights API and could be used to help campaigns automatically capture and respond to social media posts of a political nature. According to a 2015 Forbes article, IBM is working with MutualMind to adapt the service for political campaigns. “Watson could proactively and intelligently test, measure, and optimize digital content, ads, website pages even a series of messaging to a small group to efficiently maximize voter response,” writes Forbes contributor Mark Fidelman. “Once the most effective content was determined, Watson and the AL solution could be used to sway undecided voters and previous non-voters through an optimized content campaign.” It’s clear that what Obama did with big data and social media analytics in 2008 and 2012 were game changing and created a new baseline for national and state-wide campaigns. But the game is changing very fast now, and it’s set to have a big impact on our democratic processes, for better or for worse. Related Items: How Data Analytics Shaped Election Day 2014 Big Data Analytics Give Electoral Edge How Data Analytics is Shifting Politics

Moderna starts testing COVID-19 vaccine on young children, infants Moderna is doing the tests to see if the vaccine protects children from getting sick if they come into contact with coronavirus Moderna has begun testing its COVID-19 vaccine on children and infants between the ages of six months and 12 years old in a study, as the pharmaceutical company seeks to expand approval for its vaccine to children, the company said on Tuesday. The company said that that the first participants in the KidCOVE study on pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations had been dosed. Moderna is the first of the companies with vaccines authorized in the U.S. to launch testing among infants. “The first participants have been dosed in the Phase 2/3 study, called the KidCOVE study, of mRNA-1273, the Company’s vaccine candidate against COVID-19, in children ages 6 months to less than 12 years,” the company said. According to CNN, the clinical trial, called the KidCOVE study, will enrol approximately 6,750 children in the US and Canada between the ages of 6 months and 11 years old. The trial is divided into two parts: In the first the second part, the trial will expand to include children who are given a saline placebo, which does nothing. The children will be followed for 12 months after their second injection, as per the company’s statement.,” Bancel added CNN reported that. According to Sputnik, Few children under age 18 have died of COVID-19, less than 300. But the group accounted for more than 10 per cent of positive tests for coronavirus infection, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Studies attempting to gauge how readily children spread the virus to adults have yielded conflicting results. In addition, some infected children develop a related disease known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome which typically requires hospitalization, although most victims recover, researchers say.

New hospital facilities unveiled. Following a £100,000 extension project the centre will also serve people living in the Blyth Valley. The centre, given the Community Hospital Association award for innovation and joint working in 2002, is jointly funded by Waveney Primary Care Trust and Suffolk Social Care Services. It provides users with vital support and management in their home environment, including one-to-one advice and consultation. The new extension will give residents increased access to the centre, its support team and facilities, including walk-in shower units, a fully equipped sensory room, and a larger therapy room for use by health and social care Patricia Kelly, whose husband Michael has been attending the centre for the past two years, cut the ribbon to officially unveil the new facilities yesterday. "This is such an important centre for so many people and it is wonderful to see it extended and improved in this way. Everyone connected with the project deserves the highest praise," she said. Acting service manager for the resource centre and the neighbouring Patrick Stead Hospital, Ingrid Phinn, said the centre was a lifeline for a large number of Waveney residents. "The Friends of the Patrick Stead Hospital deserve a great deal of the credit for this extension. They raised a large percentage of the funds needed to build it and without them it would have taken a lot longer for the project to be completed," she said.

Alicia Wright to leave the Electoral Commission in the New Year Chief Electoral Officer Alicia Wright has announced she will leave the Electoral Commission at the end of her 5-year term. Alicia Wright joined the Commission in 2017 and led the organisation through the delivery of the 2017 and 2020 general elections, the 2020 referendums, by-elections in Mt Albert and Northcote in 2017 and 2018, the 2018 Māori Electoral Option, and the 2019 local elections enrolment update campaign. Alicia Wright says it has been a privilege to lead the Commission and she is proud of what has been achieved during her tenure. “I am especially proud that we delivered two general elections with increases in enrolment, turnout and voter satisfaction, including for Māori and young people. “The 2020 general election was like no other. We flexed and adapted our services to put COVID-19 health measures in place for our staff and voters, we managed a change in election date, and ran two referendums on important social issues, all while introducing enrolment on election day and extended prisoner voting. “We have achieved a lot over five years and with my term coming to an end, it feels like the right time to move on. Now is a good time in the election cycle to make the transition to a new Chief Electoral Officer, to give them time to settle into the role before the next general election,” says Alicia Wright. Alicia Wright’s term ends on 31 December, and she will stay on at the Commission into the New Year to assist with the transition. Electoral Commission Board Chair Marie Shroff thanked Alicia Wright for her excellent work. “Being the Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Executive at the Commission is a big job, and Alicia has always delivered. Her remarkable organisational skills were fully tested as she guided the Commission through last year’s election during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Marie Shroff. The Ministry of Justice will provide support for the recruitment of a new Chief Electoral Officer.

Browse by title Edited by Rainer Grote, Mariela Morales Antoniazzi and Davide Paris Edited by Rainer Grote, Mariela Morales Antoniazzi and Davide Paris Anna Chadwick In April 2020, just two months after the coronavirus crisis first broke out, the World Bank estimated that an additional 40-60 million people worldwide had already been pushed into extreme poverty as a result of the pandemic. Studies suggest that up to 400 million people will be forced below the poverty line of $1.90 a day when the immediate impact of the pandemic is combined with the effects of the profound global economic slowdown that many economists are forecasting. Some governments, including those of Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and New Zealand, took action early, and, in doing so, reduced the impact of the virus among their populations. Others, including Brazil, the UK and the US, received international condemnation for their negligent, reckless and in some cases inhumane handling of the pandemic. When this Afterword was authored, in June 2020, governments around the world were in the position of having to make urgent and life-threatening trade-offs: continue to keep populations under lockdown in order to save lives, all the while enhancing the prospect of a severe economic crisis; or ‘save’ the economy by removing lockdown restrictions sooner, meanwhile risking a second wave of infections, health system collapse and further deaths. Poverty and Human Rights Multidisciplinary Perspectives Edited by Suzanne Egan and Anna Chadwick Jesse Tomalty Severe poverty is one of the foremost moral issues of our time. The fact that around one in ten people worldwide lack access to the resources necessary to meet many of their most basic needs is egregious in light of the vast wealth possessed by the world’s economic elite. In his provocative contribution to this volume, Vittorio Bufacchi rightly characterises this situation as unjust, but he argues that we should resist calling it a human rights violation. In his view, characterising poverty as a human rights violation is empty rhetoric that not only fails to serve its purpose of motivating action in the fight against poverty, but potentially undermines this purpose and threatens support for human rights in general. In what follows, I challenge Bufacchi’s arguments for this view. His concerns about the rhetorical disvalue of characterizing poverty as a human rights violation rest on his claim that this characterisation cannot be substantiated. While I call into question the latter, I do think that Bufacchi is right to be wary of some of the ways in which the rhetoric of human rights is used in the discourse on global poverty. State Sponsored Cyber Surveillance The Right to Privacy of Communications and International Law Eliza Watt Edited by Malcolm D. Evans and Jens Modvig Research Handbook on Torture Legal and Medical Perspectives on Prohibition and Prevention Edited by Malcolm D. Evans and Jens Modvig Human Rights in Times of Transition Liberal Democracies and Challenges of National Security Edited by Kasey McCall-Smith, Andrea Birdsall and Elisenda Casanas Adam Mark Goodale This.

Is China's government set to make changes in its laws and regulations governing the pharmaceutical industry? An op-ed piece by one of the government's leading health-reform advisers suggests that may be the case. Writing in the China Daily, Zhiwu Zack Fang, a member of the State Council's Health Reform Expert Advisory Committee, said the industry was a "a showcase for legislation whose execution has failed." The article's timing is noteworthy as it comes in the middle of the annual National People's Council legislative meeting that helps set broad governance agendas for the Middle Kingdom. At the end of a long column titled, "Healthcare's for-profit non-profit balancing act," Fang said "massive uncertainty and fast-changing regulations" have hurt the industry badly, leading to a reluctance by drugmakers to invest in quality and innovation. Earlier in the opinion piece, he wrote of comprehensive legislation needed in other healthcare sectors, such as the nation's hospital system. Fang was involved in the recent designs to reform the hospital evaluation system. He noted that pharma was the only healthcare sector "that is mainly privatized and commercialized." Fang concluded by talking about legislation covering several healthcare sectors by well-organizing the flow of "people, goods, data and money." He said, "Legislation covering reforms based on these four flows will cover the core processes." The opinion piece offered no details, but in his role on a government cabinet's advisory committee, he has led several national health-reform studies, including hospital performance evaluation systems, pharmaceutical distribution and pharmacy benefit management. A U.S.-education physician, he also once served as vice president of international business development for Express Scripts ($ESRX). - here the op-ed from China Daily

[tag: science] Pesticide toxicity to invertebrates and pollinators increasing in GM crops Newly published research in the journal Science demolishes claims that the impact of pesticides is declining and that GM crops are contributing to this positive trend. The study using US government data found that the toxic impact of pesticides on bees and other pollinators has doubled in a decade and GM crops have been contributing to that trend. According to the lead researcher Prof Ralf Schulz, of the University of Koblenz and Landau in Germany: “GM crops were introduced using the argument that they would reduce the dependency of agriculture on chemical pesticides. This is obviously not true if you look at toxicity levels.” The future of agricultural gene editing: More herbicide-tolerant crops sooner A new scientific paper. This will help more multi-herbicide tolerant crops hit the market "years earlier", the scientists say. The myth of a food crisis Will food systems continue to be able to provide for human needs? Or do we face looming insufficiency and a calamitous mismatch between human population growth and agricultural productivity? A new peer-reviewed paper by Dr Jonathan Latham resolves this dispute by examining the global food system models, created by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and others, that are the primary evidence base for predictions of global shortages. The paper shows that predictions of future global scarcity are entirely due to flawed modelling. It has important implications for the future direction of world agriculture. Historians rethink the Green Revolution Today the agbiotech industry and its allies zealously promote the legend of the so-called Green Revolution as a flattering framing for the spread of GM crops. So how many lives were saved in India due to the so-called Green Revolution? Try zero, writes anthropologist and commentator on GM crops, Glenn Davis Stone, who is based at Washington University in St Louis. New analytical tool reveals massive DNA damage caused by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing Research from Chinese scientists shows that CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing causes massive damage to the genome, much of which would have been missed by the analytical tools used so far. The researchers describe a new computer program, which enabled them to analyse data to greater depth than previous programs had allowed. They found what they call "tremendous deleterious DSB [double-strand break] repair byproducts of CRISPR/Cas9 editing". "Small" changes made with gene editing cause severe deformities in plants Gene editing causes drastic unwanted effects in gene-edited plants including severe deformities, a new scientific publication in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe shows. This is the case even when the changes are intended by the gene editor to be small tweaks to existing genes rather than, for example, the introduction of new genetic material. More broadly, the study provides an overview of the negative effects on ecosystems that can result from the release of gene-edited plants. Researchers call for greater awareness of unintended consequences of CRISPR gene editing CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can lead to unintended mutations (DNA damage) at the targeted section of DNA in early human embryos, researchers have revealed. This highlights the need for further research into the effects of CRISPR gene editing, especially when used to edit human DNA in laboratory research. The findings also have relevance to gene-edited plants and farm animals. But advocates for the deregulation of plant and livestock gene editing remain silent on the potential consequences. In the case of gene-edited plants, these could include the production of novel toxins or allergens or raised levels of existing toxins or allergens. CRISPR/Cas gene editing found to cause heritable changes in gene regulation in mice A scientific publication shows that CRISPR/Cas gene editing in mice can lead to unintentional epigenomic changes (changes in gene expression not caused by changes in DNA sequence), which persist over many generations. Besides intended changes in DNA in the target region, researchers found unintended changes in epigenetic markers. Epigenetic markers determine which genes are activated or silenced in certain cells and tissues, so they influence gene expression. Does gene editing belong in a sustainable food system? (video) In March, Sustainable Food Trust CEO Patrick Holden led an online discussion about gene editing, asking if it belongs in a sustainable food system. He was joined by Defra Chief Scientist Gideon Henderson, Founder of Beyond GM and Co-founder of Whole Health Agriculture Lawrence Woodward OBE, Founder of Riverford Organic Guy Singh-Watson, and King's College London's Reader in Molecular Genetics Dr Michael Antoniou. Why new genetic techniques need to be stringently regulated – study Worldwide, governments are under pressure from the biotechnology and agrichemical industries to deregulate products developed using the so-called “new” genetic engineering techniques such as genome editing and gene silencing. Efforts to deregulate new techniques use terminology and metaphors such as “like nature”, “precise”, and “no foreign genes”. The language implies familiarity and safety by association with what occurs in nature or by breeding. In a new study, researchers demonstrate how these terms are being misapplied to the new techniques. New pesticides will modify insect genes: What could go wrong? A new type of pesticide. Gene editing to be covered by Switzerland’s extended GMO moratorium Critical Scientists Switzerland have welcomed the planned extension of the Swiss moratorium on genetic engineering. In particular, they agree that organisms produced using newer genetic engineering techniques should fall under the current Gene Technology Act (GTG) and that they should be regulated according to the requirements therein (precautionary principle, risk assessment, step-by-step procedures, labelling, monitoring). GM waxy maize: The gene-edited Trojan Horse is moving through the gates According to an article by GRAIN, authorities in at least five countries – Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile and the US – have approved a variety of maize genetically modified with the CRISPR gene-editing technique, without subjecting the crop to the risk assessments and regulations for GM crops. Other countries could soon follow. The GM maize is produced by US-based Corteva, the world's second largest seed company and fourth largest pesticides company. GMWatch points out that in the USA, the maize has been exempted from regulation by the ag department, the USDA, but the food safety authority, the FDA, has not yet weighed in with any decision on the food safety of the maize. So it's unlikely that it will be commercialised there until the FDA has reviewed the crop. Product profile of Corteva's gene-edited waxy maize The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) has published a product profile of Corteva's gene-edited waxy maize. In Corteva’s initial target markets of North America and Latin America, waxy corn is a minor crop used for food starch and some industrial products. However, it is a major food crop in East and Southeast Asia, where it originates. This is the first GM waxy corn. Gene editing is a marketing term (video) Crop genetics and virology expert Dr Jonathan Latham says gene "editing is a marketing term that conceals more than it reveals". It implies micro changes to the genome and precision — but the term was created BEFORE anyone knew what the actual effects were in cells of using these technologies. His talk, "Gene 'Editing' or Genome Scrambling", starts at 45:00 minutes. CANADA TAKE ACTION: Act now to stop unregulated GMOs! Health Canada has launched a public consultation on a proposal to remove government oversight for some GM foods, particularly gene-edited ones. That would mean no government safety assessments – and the government would potentially not even know that these GMOs exist. Anyone living in Canada who is concerned about their health and the integrity of the food supply should take part in this consultation. CBAN has produced a guide on how to respond, available as a downloadable pdf or web text. There's a quick and easy option, or guidance on how to send a more detailed response. UK targeted for experimental gene-edited tomato An article on Japan's gene-edited tomato specifically mentions the post-Brexit UK as a possible target for the experimental product. The article also mentions the developer Sanatech Seed's commercialisation plan, which centres on deliberate contamination via free distribution of the seeds to home gardeners in Japan. Such free distribution of GM seeds is a time-honoured tactic by GMO developers. It was used to spread illegal GM flax in Canada, leading to market collapse for Canadian flax exports to Europe. Vice-President Timmermans, don't deregulate GM crops and animals A large coalition of 162 civil society, farmers and business organisations, including GMWatch, is calling on Vice-President of the Commission Frans Timmermans to ensure all organisms derived from new genetic engineering techniques continue to be regulated in accordance with existing EU GMO standards. Majority of Europeans want GM foods – including gene-edited ones – to be labelled The Greens/EFA Group have released data that finds that the vast majority (86%) of Europeans that have heard of GM crops want food containing genetically modified plants to be labelled as GMOs. Additionally, the study finds that the majority (68%) of respondents that have heard of new genetic engineering techniques demand that food produced with new techniques, such as CRISPR, to be labelled as GMOs. Only 3% agree with the industry’s proposal to exempt these products from GMO safety testing and labelling. 73% of Welsh voters do not support any weakening of GM regulations Some 73% of Welsh voters do not support any weakening of GM regulations, according to a survey released by Unchecked UK. Only 9% wanted to remove or weaken them. GMWatch publishes its response to UK government consultation on deregulation of gene editing GMWatch submitted a response to the UK government consultation on the deregulation of gene editing in food and farming and published it on our website. The consultation is now closed. New scholarly briefing raises tough questions about gene editing in agriculture The STEPS Centre, a global research and policy engagement centre funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), has published a new briefing discussing the governance of genome editing applications in agriculture, especially in crop breeding. The briefing raises tough policy and regulatory questions for the EU and UK in the context of their trade relationships with each other and with third countries. How do genetically engineered crops speed up the spread of plant pests? Chinese and Brazilian studies strongly indicate that the cultivation of transgenic insecticidal plants can speed up the spread of specific plant pests. Unexpected and complex environmental interactions play a crucial role in this context. The research was carried out with genetically engineered cotton and soybeans that produce Bt toxins. Bayer's vision for future ag: Herbicides and more herbicides Bayer has laid out its plans for Midwest row crop agriculture: "By [2030] the company expects to offer tolerance to six herbicides. 4th generation with five herbicide tolerances (glyphosate, dicamba, glufosinate, HPPD, 2,4-D), Fifth generation adds PPOs [PPO Inhibitors, also called contact herbicides]" to 4th. Dr Charles Benbrook commented, "What will these 'modern ag' technologies do? Increase farmer seed costs, double herbicide acre treatments, again, set back efforts to grow cover crops and diversify ag, and hasten the pace toward the weed resistance cliff. Not to mention the public health impacts." Bayer, Corteva in "two-dog battle" over US soy market Bayer is launching a new GM soybean in the US, striking back against rival Corteva in a bid to retain its dominant position supplying seeds to the $40 billion US soy industry. Bayer’s new XtendFlex soybeans and Corteva’s Enlist E3 soy tolerate three chemical herbicides. Call to restore ban on GM crops and neonics in wildlife refuges Neither genetically modified (GM) crops nor powerful neonicotinoid insecticides have a place in any National Wildlife Refuge, according to a letter from 19 conservation organizations to the US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS). The coalition seeks to reinstitute a FWS ban on these farming practices that the Trump administration rescinded in 2018. GMO risk assessment standards: Pressure growing on EU Commission and EFSA The EU Parliament has again voted with a huge majority against further market approvals for GM plants. Gaps in the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) risk assessment were identified. In earlier votes, EU member states also voted overwhelmingly against market approvals. Consequently, there is growing pressure on the EU Commission for closer scrutiny of EFSA findings and applications for market approval. Ban on patenting conventional breeding is being circumvented A new report shows Europe’s ban on patenting conventionally bred crops and animals is being circumvented by corporations such as BASF, Bayer-Monsanto, DowDupont (Corteva), and Syngenta, who are seeking to exploit legal loopholes in European patent law by systematically blurring the boundaries between conventional breeding and genetic engineering. Seed monopolies: Who controls the world's food supply? For thousands of years, the intrinsic nature of a seed — the capacity to reproduce itself — has prevented it from being easily commodified. Grown and resown by farmers, seeds were freely exchanged and shared. All that changed in the 1990s when laws were introduced to protect new GM crops. Today, four corporations — Bayer, Corteva, ChemChina and Limagrain — control more than 50% of the world's seeds. These monopolies dominate the global food supply. Now seed laws criminalizing farmers for using diverse crops that stand a better chance of adapting to climate change are threatening food security. Bayer won’t ask US Supreme Court to reverse Roundup loss Bayer won’t seek US Supreme Court review of the first verdict finding its Roundup herbicide caused cancer. The company said that the decision not to pursue a further appeal of the verdict won by a school groundskeeper after a state appeals court reduced it to $20.5 million was made after “careful and extensive consideration”. Ten UN rapporteurs ask Colombian govt not to resume spraying with glyphosate herbicide Ten UN special rapporteurs sent a letter to the President of Colombia asking the government not to resume the aerial spraying of illicit coca crops with the herbicide glyphosate, a plan that the Ministry of Defence wants to undertake in the coming months. These sprays, they consider, are carried out in “a context of systematic violence against indigenous and Afro-Colombian peoples and human rights defenders who work to protect the right to health and the environment in the country.” France: Demonstration in support of 21 glyphosate protesters A demonstration took place in France in support of 21 protesters on trial for defacing glyphosate containers. The charges arise from protests in which the accused took over stores and garden centres and covered cans of glyphosate in paint to make them unsellable. Lung inflammation from exposure to glyphosate Exposure to glyphosate has been associated with respiratory dysfunctions in agricultural workers. A new study shows how repeated exposure to glyphosate at an agriculturally relevant dose can cause inflammation in the lungs of laboratory animals. By changing plant biochemistry, glyphosate residues in soil can disrupt pest and disease resistance – study Glyphosate residues in soils can substantially interfere with plant resistance to pests and pathogens, as well as disrupting both fungal and insect biological control – which are all essential elements in integrated pest management and healthy ecosystems, a new study shows. Glyphosate-based herbicides affect behavioural patterns of fish A study on fish has found that Roundup formulations are extremely harmful at an environmentally relevant concentration. One formulation negatively affected swimming performance, thigmotaxia (motion in response to touch stimulus) and long-term memory consolidation. Another formulation reduced the sexual performance of males. In The Monsanto Papers, Carey Gillam goes deep on Roundup legal battles In an interview, Carey Gillam talks about her new book, The Monsanto Papers – the story of Roundup weedkiller, cancer, and the corruption of science. You can download the first chapter for free here. Some excerpts have been published here and here. And a review of the book is here. GMWatch can confirm that the book is a great read – and would make a fascinating film! Roundup surfactants measured in urine, paving the way for biomonitoring in people An important new step has been taken towards measuring glyphosate herbicide surfactants (a type of additive) in the urine of people exposed to Roundup, with the publication of a new study in rats. Many surfactants are known to be toxic in their own right and to increase the toxicity of the declared active ingredient (in the case of Roundup, that's glyphosate). But industry hides the toxicity of surfactants by listing them as “inert”, with regulators going along with this assertion. Now there is no longer any excuse for ignoring this potential source of toxicity, as a new study by Drs Michael Antoniou and Robin Mesnage at King's College London describes a method for measuring surfactants in urine. This opens the door for biomonitoring of exposure to surfactants in people. Austria bans glyphosate herbicides for private use Austria has introduced a ban on all private use of glyphosate herbicides. But environmental group Global2000 says a total ban, like Luxembourg's, is needed. French mayors impose stricter rules for pesticides on farms Mayors in 10 communes have introduced new regulations against pesticide use under local laws against the disposing of dangerous waste and neighbourhood disturbance. One of the three articles in the decree says farmers cannot use pesticides if they cannot guarantee that chemicals will not spread onto neighbouring land. "A sip can kill": Did a chemical company misrepresent data to avoid making a safer product? Internal corporate documents obtained by a US law firm detail how the need for a safer formulation of Syngenta’s popular Gramoxone paraquat-based product has been the subject of in-depth company discussions for decades. The documents, which date back to 1968, show that Syngenta and its predecessor corporate entities resisted options for changes to the formulations of Gramoxone, due, at least in part, to a desire to protect profits. Scientist tells of relief after speaking out over weedkiller fears A. UK Environment Agency pension fund invested in manufacturers of toxic weedkillers The Environment Agency, the body charged with protecting the English countryside from pollution, has millions of pounds invested in agrochemical giants – among them, Bayer – that make toxic chemicals, including banned pesticides. Gardeners and farmers urged to consider "whether they need to use pesticides at all" In Ireland, Fianna Fáil Senator Eugene Murphy has urged gardeners, farmers and groundskeepers to consider the environment and whether the use of pesticides is necessary. There were 81 pesticide exceedances in public drinking water supplies in Ireland in 2020, an increase of five from 2019. The next neocolonial gold rush? Planning documents for the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit shed new light on the agenda behind the controversial food summit that hundreds of farmers’ and human rights groups are boycotting. The groups say agribusiness interests and elite foundations are dominating the process to push through an agenda that would enable the exploitation of global food systems, and especially Africa. What problems does organic cotton solve? Although India’s organic cotton farmers can take a hit on yields, giving up GM cotton and the pesticides used with it can give them multiple other benefits, says Purdue University anthropologist Andrew Flachs, who has made an in-depth study of GM and organic cotton production in India. India: Govt junks plan to allow trials of Bt brinjal, other GM crops The Indian government has scrapped its decision to allow field trials of GM crops, including GM Bt brinjal (aubergine). The central regulator, GEAC, last year allowed field trials of two GM varieties of brinjal in 8 states during 2020-23. But the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) and other farmer groups submitted representations to the central and state governments, urging them not to give a "no objection certificate" for the trials. Alternatives to GMO golden rice (video) In a webinar about food and seed sovereignty, Cid Ryan Manalo from Searice in the Philippines explains the strong farmer opposition to GMO golden rice and talks about safe and sustainable alternatives (37 minutes into the video). Cid's presentation is in English, in an otherwise Norwegian language webinar. Feeding cattle seaweed reduces their greenhouse gas emissions by 82% A bit of seaweed in cattle feed could reduce methane emissions from beef cattle as much as 82%, according to new findings from researchers at the University of California, Davis. The results could pave the way for the sustainable production of livestock throughout the world. However, in GMWatch's view we won't see as much media excitement over this research as claims that GM cows could cut methane emissions by 50%. Lawsuit challenges FDA approval of genetically engineered ingredient that makes Impossible Burger "bleed" On April 14, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard arguments in Center for Food Safety's (CFS) ongoing lawsuit challenging the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of soy leghemoglobin, the novel genetically engineered colour additive that makes Impossible Foods' plant-based burger, the Impossible Burger, appear to "bleed" like real meat. Gates-funded GM mosquito project announces "results" The Gates-funded Target Malaria project has announced the "results" of phase I of its GM "sterile" mosquito release that was performed in 2019 in Burkina Faso. Thus far they have failed to publish the results in a journal, but instead announced them on their website, with no data on safety or efficacy. LOBBYWATCH Bill Gates finances lobby for "new GMOs" in Europe Research by Corporate Europe Observatory shows that in order to influence the political decision-making process, Bill Gates, via his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, paid a large sum – 1.3 million euros – "for a dialogue with a wide range of European stakeholders on genome editing” to Re-Imagine Europa, a European think tank. A few months after this payment, the organization created an ad hoc working group, "the task force on sustainable agriculture and innovation", chaired by a former Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Carlos Moedas. Its objective: "Work on how new technologies could help us realize this vision of a new, more sustainable agricultural system." But above all, to influence the European institutions to weaken regulations around new gene editing technologies. The pro-deregulation lobby groups ALLEA and EU-SAGE (a lobby platform set up by the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, VIB) are sub-awardees to the Re-Imagine Europa project on gene editing. French media article on the Gates lobbying story The French daily Reporterre published a detailed article on the Gates lobbying story (see above), taking in the lobbying activities of groups such as EPSO, ALLEA and EU-SAGE, all focused on deregulating new GMOs. GMWatch has provided an unofficial English translation. Lobbyists use climate-friendly narratives to push new GM techniques Corporate Europe Observatory's research (see above) has uncovered how fresh lobbying strategies aimed at deregulating modern genetic techniques are driven by various academic and biotech research institutes with corporate interests – using "climate-friendly" narratives. The investigation has revealed that 74% of the input into the EU Commission's forthcoming study on new GM comes from agri-industry bodies. European Group on Ethics presents biased and inaccurate report on new genetic engineering The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE), which advises the EU Commission, has published its report on New Genetic Engineering (or gene editing) in humans, animals and plants. While the report makes thoughtful points on gene editing in humans and livestock animals, the chapter on plants is another matter. Separate analyses by GMWatch and Testbiotech found that this section lacks balance and scientific accuracy. Hence Testbiotech is questioning the independence of the experts involved. Julian Kinderlerer is the leading (and presumably only) expert of the EGE group dealing with New GE applications in plants. He is a long time promoter of light regulation for GM crops and has acted as a leading member of organisations funded by the biotech industry. Sunday Times GMO promotional veers wildly off-target The Sunday Times has published a GMO promotional arguing for the deregulation of gene editing. But the article's claims are as wildly off-target as some of the errors caused by gene editing itself. The problems start with the title and subtitle: "You’ve had the GM jab, so what’s wrong with GM food? After decades of concern about the risks of genetic modification, the success of the Covid-19 vaccines should prompt a rethink on ‘Frankenfoods’." GMWatch believes that only people who have had a logic bypass could compare regulated medicines (where the risk is taken in exchange for expected benefit in an informed consent situation) with deregulated GM foods (where the consumer would take the risk in return for no benefit, without having given their informed consent). Tim Schwab wins award for investigative reporting on Gates Foundation Investigative report Tim Schwab, writing in The Nation, uncovered the Gates Foundation’s striking conflicts of interest, complicated web of influence, and troubling monopoly power in the field of global health. Based on this work, the Park Center for Independent Media (PCIM) at Ithaca College has announced that he will be joint winner of this year’s Izzy Award “for outstanding achievement in independent media”. COVID-19 Could an accident have caused COVID-19?. But that rhetoric needs to be separated from legitimate questions about lab safety that are deserving of investigation. The Covid dissidents taking on China and the scientific establishment Drastic is an informal guerilla group of internet sleuths, scientists and data experts who have spent the past year scouring a multitude of digital sources for vital pieces of evidence that SARS-CoV-2 could have escaped from a lab. Some members have expertise in areas such as microbiology, genetics and virology. Others are data specialists, engineers or simply obsessed with discovering the truth about the origin of this wretched pandemic. Some hide their identities; others are open. Their collective efforts — and some of the illuminating evidence they have uncovered — have been crucial in challenging efforts to stop the lab leak hypothesis being properly investigated. The journalist Ian Birrell has published a good piece on the impressive work done by Drastic. And check out the Drastic website, which has lots of useful info, reports, and papers. Apparent evidence of novel unpublished lab viruses being worked on in Wuhan with poor biosecurity Drastic researchers examined public sequencing data from Wuhan and discovered contamination of agricultural datasets by viral sequences. Their findings suggest there was a lot of work going on on multiple viruses in Wuhan – including novel coronaviruses and viral backbones that remain unpublished. This directly contradicts claims that any manipulation of SARS-CoV-2 “would have used a known backbone” and thus could not have been created in a lab. The findings also indicate that biosafety guidelines were breached. Interview with Richard Ebright: How Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins "systematically thwarted" the US Gain-of-Function research pause Prof Richard Ebright, the long-time critic of risky pathogen research, speaks on the merits (or otherwise) of the WHO investigation into the origins of COVID-19. The interview also covers Gain-of-Function (GoF) research. Dr Ebright describes how US scientific leaders deliberately circumvented the GoF research pause placed on them. The directors of NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) and NIH (National Institutes of Health) even stymied risk-benefit assessment of such research.

Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery , Fraud Management & Cybercrime , Governance & Risk Management New Orleans' Mission: Clean 4,000 Computers in 48 HoursCity Sprints to Restore Services After Ransomware, Mayor Says New Orleans is setting an aggressive pace to restore services after a ransomware attack crippled the city’s IT systems: fixing more than 450 servers and 3,500 endpoints in just 48 hours. See Also: Live Discussion | Securing Business Growth: The Road to 24/7 Threat Detection and Response In a press conference Thursday, Mayor Latoya Cantrell says the race is on to get IT systems working ahead of special events – Mardi Gras takes place in February - as well as ensure payments to vendors and employees go out on time. She says the attack has been damaging, but maintained the outlook isn’t entirely gloomy. “We’ve been hit pretty hard,” Cantrell says at a press briefing posted on Facebook. “But based on other municipalities through the country, we can see it could have been much worse.” Local broadcaster WWL reported Thursday that the cost of the ransomware attack will exceed the city’s $3 million cyberinsurance policy. Cantrell says she plans to increase the coverage to $10 million, the station reported. New Zealand security vendor Emsisoft, which makes tools to help ransomware victims, released statistics on Thursday on ransomware in the U.S. this year. The company counted infections at 948 government agencies, 759 health care providers and 86 universities, colleges and school districts. Louisiana: Battered By Ransomware New Orleans’ fight against ransomware is the latest incident affect Louisiana, which has seen local governments and schools infected throughout this year. In July, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency. At least four school systems were infected with ransomware in the northern part of the state in parishes including Sabine, Morehouse, and Ouachita (see: Louisiana Declares Emergency After Malware Attacks). Just last month, the state’s Office of Technology Services found that several state agencies, including the state's Office of Motor Vehicles, were infected with ransomware (see: Louisiana Government Recovering From Ransomware Attack). Cantrell says the infection was launched by attackers with a phishing email, which someone clicked on. From there, the attackers “gained access to credentials that has gotten us to where we are now,” she says. “Based on what we have seen and also the actions that were taken by staff, it did not get to the point that our data has been held or we are being asked to pay a ransom,” Cantrell says. The state has not yet identified the particular type of ransomware, although a forensic investigation is underway. The infection was detected early on Dec. 13. However, files uploaded to VirusTotal and noticed by Colin Cowie of Red Flare Security point to the Ryuk ransomware, which has been pervasive throughout this year (see: Ryuk Eyed as Culprit in New Orleans Ransomware Outbreak). Reimaging and Scanning New Orleans IT Director Kimberly LaGrue says the city is taking a thoughtful and methodical approach to bringing systems back online, as the city must ensure that all machines are free of the infection. “Despite all the measures we took to avert this attack, we do know that our detection, the immediate actions and our well-orchestrated response plan put the city in the best and most resilient position to recover from our attack with the best possible outcomes,” LaGrue says. The first priority is ensuring public safety while bringing systems online, she says. The next step is restoring access to its cloud-based financial system, which will allow the city to start doing normal functions such as issuing permits. “Right now, it’s manual,” LaGrue says. “We want to return that to an electronic process so that we speed that up.” . We are accomplishing that in a little bit over a week." —Louisiana National Guard New Orleans’ IT environment is complex, Cantrell says. The cloud-based financial system brings together four independent systems. Its payroll system is electronic, and the city is aiming to ensure it can make its payments to vendors on time so services aren’t disrupted, she says. Louisiana’s National Guard is helping with the recovery as well as volunteers. The state so far as 35 guardsmen on the job, and additional volunteers will bring that number up to 70, according to a National Guard colonel who spoke at the press briefing. Also, the city has 20 industry partners aiding in recovery. The goal is to either reimage or scan for malware more than 450 servers and 3,500 endpoints. ,” the National Guard officer says. “We are accomplishing that in a little bit over a week.” LaGrue says that about 10 percent of those 4,000 machines have been reimaged, which involved reinstalling all software and data. New Orleans: Still Open for Business City officials emphasized that while the incident has had a large impact, many services are still running. For example, the New Orleans Police Department is functioning as normal, including officers’ body cams and in-car cameras. One inhibited function – and perhaps not quite as essential, is that the department can’t process public records requests. For local business, monthly sales tax revenues are due on Friday, but the city’s financial systems aren’t working. Perhaps unfortunately for some taxpayers, they can still make payments. Taxpayers can file their forms through Parish EFile or Sales Tax Online, as well as make manual payments, the city says. “The Department of Revenue will service taxpayers in person at City Hall and will accept payments by cashier or personal check and money order,” according to the city’s website. “This can be done in person or by mail. City Hall employees will be paid on time.”

Public Works to get new building Published 3:27 pm Tuesday, January 17, 2012 A new Public Works facility was approved at the Planning Commission meeting Jan. 10. Public Works Director Milton Luckie said the building will be 100 by 80 square feet, and the metal building will also have 16-foot eves. “We’re proposing to put a new building on Luverne Highway,” Luckie said at the meeting. Completion of the building is not set, but Luckie said he predicts it will take a couple of months to complete. “It gives us more storage,” Luckie said. “We’ll keep lawn mowers, trucks, Christmas decorations and just whatever we need to put in there from time to time. It won’t be occupied 8 hours a day, because it’s just a storage.” Richard Branum was elected as chairman of the Planning Commission for another year while Tommy Ryan was elected vice chairman for another year. The board also decided to keep its meeting on the first Monday of every month at 5:05 p.m. except for Labor Day and the swearing in of the mayor and council. Those meetings will be on Sept. 4 and Nov. 6. In Other Business: *The Building and Planning Department issued a certificate of occupancy for Waffle House Tuesday. “They’re getting ready to open,” said Eddie Anderson, building official for Department of Community Development & Planning “We’re probably still looking at a couple of weeks.” *The high school expansion is construction is complete and equipment and machines are being moved into place at this time. *The Building and Planning Department issued Greenville Pediatrics a permanent power. *The Building and Planning Department issued two permits for November and one for December for new houses.

What is the social 50 on Billboard? What is the social 50 on Billboard? The Billboard Social 50 is a popularity chart which ranks the most active musical artists on the world’s leading social networking services. Is SB19 in Billboard Social 50? Filipino idol group SB19 has made it to Billboard’s Top Social 50 Artists of 2020, ranking 6th on the highly-anticipated year-end list, followed by artists like Blackpink and Billie Eilish. The Korean agency-trained, P-pop (K-pop inspired Pinoy pop) quintet is the only Filipino act to enter this year’s top 10 list. Who Will Win Top Social Artist 2021? BTS Sweeps Billboard Music Awards: Wins Top Social Artist For The Fifth Consecutive Year. BTS also won the Top Duo Group Award while its Dynamite won the Top Selling Award of the year. What does the Billboard Social 50 chart mean? The Billboard Social 50 is a popularity chart which ranks the most active musical artists on the world’s leading social networking services. Who was the first artist to reach number one on the Billboard Social 50? The Billboard Social 50 was launched on December 11, 2010. The first artist to reach number one on the chart was Barbadian singer Rihanna. Since debuting, she has spent a total of 21 weeks at the top of the chart. What makes a song number one on the Billboard Hot 100? This is a list of songs that have peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the magazine’s national singles charts that preceded it. Introduced in 1958, the Hot 100 is the pre-eminent singles chart in the United States, currently monitoring the most popular singles in terms of popular radio play, single purchases and online streaming . What kind of music is on the Billboard charts? Billboard publishes many different charts, with the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 being the most famous. Billboard also has charts for these music styles: rock, country, dance, bluegrass, jazz, classical, R&B, rap, electronic, pop, Latin, Christian music, comedy albums, catalog albums, and even ringtones for mobile (cell) phones.

We’ve been down this aisle before... and again, and again. But panic buying is not the answer. Please do not hoard that toilet roll. Stockpiling was all the rage a few lockdowns ago (now there’s a sentence we never thought we’d write), and with some popular items going out of stock once more, shoppers are starting to supermarket sweep all over again. HGV lorry driver shortages, all that Brexit kerfuffle, the summer pingdemic and the current carbon dioxide shortage (yes, really) haven’t helped along the way. Tesco recently told government officials that the dearth of truck drivers would lead to panic-buying in the run-up to Christmas if no action was taken. Supermarket shelves of carbonated drinks and water were left empty in some places and turkey producers have warned families could be left without their traditional turkey lunch on December 25 if the carbon dioxide shortage continues. In a further sign of worsening supply chain issues, BP temporarily closed some of its 1,200 UK petrol stations due to a lack of both unleaded and diesel grades, which it also blamed on driver shortages. ExxonMobil’s Esso said a small number of its 200 Tesco Alliance retail sites had also been impacted. Now with Christmas not too far off, supermarkets are issuing warnings asking people not to stockpile ahead of the festive period. Tesco and Iceland have both issued warnings against panic buying, while promising to hire more people to deal with staff shortages, while M&S is making emergency provisions such as potentially operating on reduced hours. Despite their warnings, supermarkets are urging their customers to stay calm. Richard Walker, Iceland’s managing director, told Sky News: “We’re fortunate, we’re obviously frozen experts, we’ve got lots and lots of stock, we’re fully available. I’m not overly concerned and certainly there’s no need for customers to panic buy. We certainly don’t want to go back to those dark days.” And Tesco has since assured customers it is equipped to deal with shortages, relaxing its HGV training and the hours its staff work to deal with them. “We have good availability, with deliveries arriving at our stores and distribution centres across the UK every day,” a spokesperson said. “While the industry-wide shortage of HGV drivers has led to some distribution challenges, we’re working hard to address these and to plan for the months ahead, so that customers can get everything they need.” The government has extended emergency state support to avert a shortage of poultry and meat and small business minister Paul Scully said Britain was not heading back into a 1970s-style “winter of discontent”. “There is no need for people to go out and panic buy,” Scully told Times Radio. “Look, this isn’t a 1970s thing at all,” he added, referencing the 1978-79 winter when inflation and strike action left the economy and power supply in chaos. “The people who should be panicking are the government.”- Richard Walker, managing director, Iceland Others say the government need to do more. “The dramatic pictures that you might have seen in the media are isolated incidents and not widespread,” Iceland’s boss, Walker, told customers. “But the people who should be panicking are the government, and I believe that the sooner they clear up this mess, and get retail workers and HGV drivers on to the key worker list, the better.” Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed a “very narrow” list of sectors whose workers will be exempt from isolation rules will be published on Thursday afternoon. He would not confirm if this list will include the food sector, but he also urged the public not to panic buy. Why panic buying doesn’t help the situation While panic-buying is an understandable reaction to an uncertain situation, it could have a profound impact on supply chains – and people’s lives. HuffPost UK previously spoke to therapists about how to resist the urge to panic buy and the message was clear: focus on alleviating your anxiety, not filling your shopping basket. Panic buying only perpetuates further shortages, leaving some of the most vulnerable people without. Ratula Chakraborty, professor of business management at the University of East Anglia, told HuffPost UK that stocking up on supplies is really only advised for elderly people or families with members who have underlying health conditions. Amid the panic buying of the pandemic lockdowns, she said: “People are just taking whatever they can lay their hands on – that’s not a very sensible reaction at all. In the process, they’re making other people anxious that they won’t find their stuff, so it leads to a domino effect.” Why actually makes us panic buy? Psychotherapist Nick Blackburn said people are trying to “solve” their anxiety by buying supplies, but when they get to the shops, they’re likely to experience more anxiety because items are running low. Then there’s the added stress of being criticised or hearing snarky comments by others for doing it – in the supermarket or all over social media. “That’s not the way to make fearful people feel better,” Blackburn told HuffPost UK. Hansa Pankhania, a therapist of 25 years and member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), believes panic buying is also driven by helplessness, fear and loss of control. When people panic-buy it’s a “gesture”, she said – they’re doing something to help themselves in an otherwise helpless situation. When we have no control over the bigger picture, we crave control in our “micro world” – our home and daily routines. And in this case, people are doing it by buying up supplies. That’s not to say you shouldn’t plan ahead. “I suppose if you’ve planned the panic-buying then it isn’t panic-buying,” Blackburn told HuffPost UK. “It might not be possible to plan as far ahead as we might like to, but try to focus on what’s practical to get now.” Having a plan already lessens the anxiety. So, the message: avoid panic buying but try not to scroll or share scaremongering posts on social media either. And remember, if your local supermarket is out of a certain item, you can always try independent corner shops which are often well-stocked with goods, as well as local suppliers, farms and wholesalers, many of whom will deliver to your door.

For international students seeking degrees at Indiana universities and hoping either to gain employment with domestic firms or start their own U.S.-based companies, the next four years promise to be far less angst-ridden and uncertain than the previous. That’s because President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has promised to undo—and has already started undoing—many of the restrictions former President Donald Trump, a Republican, imposed on both international students and foreign workers in the United States. That’s good news for universities and employers. Arnold Chen, managing director of the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship at Purdue University, said his office sends out a weekly memo related to visas, which are official documents that permit citizens of foreign countries—including international students—to enter this country. “Every week, the students were dying to read it because they don’t know what’s going to happen,” Chen said. “Over the last couple of years, we have had so many students who said, ‘I’m not going to go home for Christmas because I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get back in the country. I’m here to study and I just can’t take that risk.’” That sentiment reflects the crackdown on immigration that occurred during Trump’s four years in the White House. At one point last summer, the administration threatened to send home students whose classes had moved online, a decision it ultimately reversed. And this fall, the administration proposed a rule to limit the time students could stay in the country. The Trump changes didn’t affect only students. In June, it suspended the nation’s H-1B program, which allows companies to hire international workers with hard-to-find skills. And in October, the administration sharply limited who would qualify for those visas in the future. Both moves frustrated tech companies who say they need talented international workers to fuel growth. They appear to have an advocate in Biden, who said repeatedly during his campaign that he supported expanding the number of visas for highly skilled international students and ending limits on employment-based visas by country. He also proposed to streamline the naturalization process by making visas simpler to obtain and exempting recent STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and doctoral grads from annual caps on the availability of green cards, which offer permanent residency status to immigrants. But such measures could face stiff opposition in Congress from those who fear highly qualified foreign candidates will take jobs from Americans. “It’s no secret that the Biden administration plans to put Americans last by pushing for the most radical immigration policy in U.S. history,” Mike Howell, a senior adviser at The Heritage Foundation, wrote in a recent editorial. “In fact, with its self-proclaimed ‘first order of business,’ this administration will be the first and only administration in U.S. history to announce that its top priority is not for U.S. citizens, but for non-U.S. citizens.” In addition, even with more lenient systems in place, obtaining visas, green cards and citizenship could still be a long, enervating process. Complex system “If you fix one aspect of the issue, then you’re missing out if you don’t fix another aspect,” said Jenny Bowen, director of international student advising at Indiana University. “I can’t imagine how that would ultimately look. It would certainly require a lot of cooperation.” That means, no matter the reforms, even students who possess valuable STEM degrees could still face complex immigration policies and caps on the number of workers allowed in the country—and odds of success that can depend on such ephemera as your U.S. employer’s tolerance for paperwork, and what nation you hail from. Consider that the U.S. grants just 85,000 H-1B visas annually, even though more than 200,000 people applied last year. Recipients are chosen through a lottery, something the Biden administration had planned to change to a system based on the wages companies were willing to pay. Now, federal officials say they will delay that change until the end of the year to give the administration time to develop and test planned modifications to the system. And take green cards for people from India. While currently the government can process only about 100,000 green cards a year for Indian applicants, the backlog of applicants runs into the millions. “If you are an Indian national, you were born in the wrong country,” Chen said. “It’s because the wait for Indian immigrants to get a green card is something like 60 years.” Indiana tech companies, for their part, welcome both larger numbers of green cards for STEM students and greater leeway on immigration in general. Many say a more diverse employee pool is a key to 21st century success. “U.S. immigration policy the last several years has negatively impacted our company’s ability to consider the world’s talent for our U.S. workforce,” said Jared Adams, senior vice president of project engineering for the Indy-based applicant-tracking and recruiting software startup Jobvite. “The lack of clarity and planning in the introduction of policy change introduced fear and uncertainty into the lives of our employees and their families who leverage U.S. visa programs. This, in our view, is unkind and unacceptable.” “We view diversity and inclusion as important factors to technological innovation,” added Jon Mills, director of external communications for Cummins. “And from a values perspective, reforming immigration policy is the right thing to do.” Big impacts One of the arguments regularly made by companies seeking to put more international students on the payroll is that, in the long run, they create jobs rather than take them. According to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the Hoosier state’s 28,136 international students make an annual financial contribution to the state of $920.7 million, supporting 10,084 jobs. NAFSA also calculates that international students contribute $38.7 billion to the U.S. economy annually, supporting some 415,996 domestic jobs. In other words, for every eight international students, three domestic jobs are created, in everything from retail to transportation to higher education—not to mention the gains from students who start their own domestic companies. Indiana University and Purdue University both host large contingents of international students. However, that number at IU has dwindled over the last four years, from 9,004 across the school’s statewide system of 90,000 students in 2016, to 6,234 in fall of 2020. The biggest portion come from China and India, followed by South Korea. The most popular major is business, followed by computer sciences and engineering. “There are international students and scholars who are quietly going about their business, studying, researching and teaching around the U.S.,” Bowen said. “And they are also working on patent teams, cancer research and medications, and working on COVID vaccine creation and distribution. There’s a lot of amazing things out there that are rather unsung.” When it comes to attracting international students, however, Purdue University is in a class by itself. For years, it’s been a fixture on national top 10 lists of universities with the largest proportion of internationals. About 23% of the entire undergraduate enrollment is international students, as is about 17% of graduate enrollment. U.S. News and World Report even named Purdue the top pick on its list of destinations for international students in STEM disciplines in the United States. In 2016, Purdue hosted 9,303 such scholars, out of a total 40,000 students. But by 2020, the international-student count had dropped to 8,158. As with IU, most of Purdue’s international students come from China, followed by India and South Korea. The most popular fields of study are engineering and science. Increasing competition For decades, studying in the United States and then possibly (probably) staying here either to work or begin a business was the holy grail of much of the world’s best and brightest. And it’s paid spectacular dividends. As Chen points out, more than half of all Silicon Valley startups have one immigrant co-founder, 50% of startups worth at least $1 billion have an immigrant co-founder, and 45% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. That highlights a new problem that reared its head during the Trump administration. While the U.S. busily tossed up barriers to international students, nations such as Germany and Canada, sensing a huge opportunity, made it markedly easier for high-value scholars to enter their countries. The immigration consulting firm Envoy Global recently reported that 51% of international employers now consider Canada an expansion target, thanks to its streamlined application and permanent residency processes. While the United States remains a top destination for international students, there’s no denying that what was once very much a seller’s market is now a highly competitive buyer’s market. In the minds of universities and many employers, valuable STEM students should have a green card stapled to their diplomas. But don’t hold your breath for that. Given the difficulty of comprehensively reforming anything these days, and the amount of nativist ire such an effort would likely stir up, creating a logical, efficient highway to residency and citizenship for STEM candidates would be tricky. Perhaps the best that can be hoped for is to make the current Rube Goldberg-ian labyrinth a bit more palatable and a bit less off-putting. “The current process for gaining permanent residence in the United States is definitely not an elementary one to understand, or engage in,” Bowen said. “It can be a very anxiety-ridden time for people going through this process, and it shouldn’t be,” Mills said. “They go to school here or perhaps have grown up here, and they just want to be able to create a life, get a job and be part of the American fabric.”• Please enable JavaScript to view this content. 3 thoughts on “International students, workers see hope in Biden administration” Less opportunities for Americans, so exciting!! Right, Chris. This is in keeping with a statement about something else shortly after Biden took office, wherein we heard the reporter say, “This is part of the new Biden Administration’s pivoting away from Trump’s ‘America First’ policies.” Such great news, eh? ‘Makes a person all tingly inside….or is that from higher blood pressure due to hearing such an anti-America rhetoric? The entire ethos of capitalism is that people create value. The more people in a country, the better off we all are. Being anti-immigration is like being anti-reproduction. And it’s anti-capitalist.

October 19, 2021 Elizabeth Lee Wins Data Science for Social Good Award UCI data science major Elizabeth Lee is the 2021 recipient of the Richard and Patricia Utts Data Science for Social Good Award. First established in 2019 by Statistics Professor Emerita Jessica Utts, the award comes with a $5,000 scholarship in support of leveraging data science to make the world a better place. Elizabeth Lee with her certificate for the Richard and Patricia Utts Data Science for Social Good Award. “I am super grateful for this award and opportunity,” says Lee, who first learned about data science from an alumnus of her high school who went on to major in data science. “He explained to me that it was like a combination of statistics and computer science, and having enjoyed taking AP Statistics previously, I became interested in the field.” She later learned more about how data science is used in real-world applications. “It really amazed me how it influences so much of what we see through a Google search, for example, and the choices that we make.” Today, Lee is a sophomore in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) who plans to start a career in data science before possibly returning for graduate school. “I hope that data science can be used as a tool to improve statistical literacy in students through the education system,” she says. “So much of what shapes the opinions and thoughts of our current society come from the internet, and with this comes the high chance of misinformation through misleading graphics and data.” Lee first realized the potential for misinformation back in high school. “After reading How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff in my AP Statistics class, it really opened my eyes to how easily we all can be deceived,” she says. “I hope data science’s incorporation into education helps combat the subtle but dangerous effects of misinformation [and] leads to more productive conversations, help[ing] our society feel comfortable in investigating the information we are presented with.” Lee’s goal of better incorporating data science into education to combat misinformation sits well with the award’s founder. “Her focus on improving statistical literacy aligns with what I spent my career promoting,” says Utts (who in August earned the 2021 George Cobb Lifetime Achievement Award in Statistics Education). “And statistical literacy now plays a major role in the careers pursued by both of my parents, for whom this scholarship is named, with one in journalism and the other in social work,” she adds. “I’m delighted that Elizabeth is the recipient of this scholarship.” — Shani Murray Elizabeth Lee Wins Data Science for Social Good Award< Previous ICSSC Hosts Annual WebJam Competition to Teach Web Development

Florida: Gateway to America, Pathway to Global Trade For logistics and manufacturing companies, the Sunshine State is the place to grow. Recite the first words that come to mind when you think of Florida. Sun? Fun? Relaxation? Retirement? All good. But if you don't think transportation and logistics, you miss the mark. Florida's geographic location makes it one of the primary logistics sites for any business seeking to access either the East Coast or Gulf Coast of the United States. Florida is the only state with seaport access in both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, Florida's location allows for cost-efficient access to the Caribbean and South America. Florida also is the country's third-largest state, with almost 21 million residents. With nearly 120 million visitors annually, Florida is one of the largest consumer markets in the United States. Florida seaports provide the most cost-efficient means to access this and other discretionary markets in the United States and Latin America. Florida seaports, along with their federal and state partners, have invested more than $2 billion in seaport infrastructure to ensure cargo and passengers can move efficiently in and out of the state and to their final destinations. These investments include infrastructure and capacity to handle larger post-Panamax cargo vessels transiting through the expanded Panama Canal and the Suez Canal. Building Economic Strength On land, on sea, and in the air—Florida's airports are skyways to the world—the Sunshine State provides the perfect pathways to business success. And Florida's leaders are continually focused on attracting new businesses and enhancing those already in place. "We should invest in our people." That was the message earlier in 2018 from Dr. Jerry Parrish, chief economist and director of research for the Florida Chamber Foundation. There is no doubt that Florida has followed precisely that directive. Florida's Gross Domestic Product topped $1 trillion in 2018. The state also is on track to add 180,200 new jobs this year, accounting for one in every 14 new jobs created nationwide. This is good—no, great—news not only for those who live in Florida but for logistics professionals and everyone else who does business in the state where jobs are nearly as plentiful as oranges. No wonder Florida is viewed as a prime site for manufacturing and distribution facilities. Florida accounts for 5 percent of the U.S. economy, but creates 10 percent of the nation's new jobs. With an estimated 898 people per day moving into Florida, the Chamber Foundation's Florida 2030 research initiative predicts the state's population will grow to 26 million by 2030. "Population growth will continue to drive Florida's economy," the Chamber Foundation says in its report. Tourism continues to generate solid economic gains—more tourists visited Florida in 2017 than any other year—so it is not surprising that tourism-related commerce continues to fuel job growth. But tourism is just one chapter in the story of the state's prosperity. Ports and Progress Navigating the Sunshine State's seaport resources is the Florida Ports Council (FPC), a nonprofit corporation that serves as the professional association for Florida's 15 public seaports and their management. "The Florida Ports Council partners with our seaports to communicate that Florida offers definitive advantages to consumers and producers by delivering state-of-the-art infrastructure, services, and connectivity to move freight and passengers with ever-increasing speed and efficiency," says Doug Wheeler, the FPC's president and CEO. To prepare for new growth, improve efficiency, and minimize costs to port users over the long term, Florida's seaports have identified $3.3 billion in capital improvements over the next five years. In general, these projects will automate processes, decrease costs, add capacity, attract cargo, and expedite movement, with an emphasis on using as few resources as possible, Wheeler says. Capital projects vary substantially by port and by year. Here are several examples: Port Canaveral is focused on replacing its Cruise Terminal 3, currently used for single-day port calls, with an expanded facility to serve multi-day vessels with up to 8,000 passengers. Port Everglades is also enhancing cruise capacity, upgrading Cruise Terminal 25 just in time to welcome the futuristic Celebrity Edge in December 2018. On the cargo side, the port is modernizing Petroleum Slip 1, working with petroleum partners that are developing improved offloading infrastructure. Northeast Florida's Port of Fernandina is one of several ports focused on distribution and logistics centers. A logistics center situated at the 200-acre Crawford Diamond Industrial Park will help Northeast Florida capture a portion of the discretionary cargo currently moving through out-of-state ports. Deepening the harbor at JAXPORT sets up the region for massive growth. A 47-foot channel will accommodate more cargo aboard the largest ships. Forecasts are for up to two million new 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs). And, along with a wide range of ongoing infrastructure upgrades at the Blount Island and Talleyrand terminals, the port is constructing a new automobile processing terminal at Dame's Point to increase vehicle-handling capacity by 25 percent. The Port of Key West has finished fine-tuning its Mallory Square Pier with a mooring dolphin upgrade. A 33-acre urban park, being developed by the city nearby, will serve cruise passengers. Port Manatee has a broad slate of capital projects, including expansion of cold storage, gate upgrades, and inner-harbor dredging. PortMiami is planning for cruise and cargo terminal expansion, additional intermodal and parking facilities, ferry terminals, an additional cargo laydown area, warehouse consolidation, roadway realignments, a new modern gate system, inland terminal area, bulkhead improvements, and other upgrades. In addition to redeveloping Berth 1 and Berth 17, and expanding on-port intermodal rail, the Port of Palm Beach will redevelop 3.5 acres as a refrigerated container laydown area with a 140-percent increase in reefer plugs over the current installation. Port Panama City is increasing capacity at its wood pellet terminal and constructing a modern forest products terminal. It has plans to deepen its east channel, too. In a non-traditional use of port facilities that will stimulate private sector job growth, the Port of Pensacola is modifying Warehouse #1 to give it a "high hat" bay to support overhead bridge and low bay cranes. It is also rehabilitating Berth 6, and expects to complete new ferry docks in 2018. Port Tampa Bay has multi-phased developments underway at its Channelside properties, East Port, Port Redwing, and Hooker's Point to address rapid consumption growth in West Central Florida. In addition to new tenants, acreage, cargo yards, and cranes, it has completed the Berth 150 finger pier and is putting in place new on-dock cold storage. Among emerging ports, the Port of Fort Pierce is moving forward on plans to rehabilitate Fisherman's Wharf and the Black Pearl Boat Ramp. It has almost completed reconstruction of the primary port entrance, and is considering development options on numerous parcels, including Harbour Pointe. The Port of Port St. Joe and a private partner, The St. Joe Company, are aligning capital projects with demand.The port is improving roadworks and rail connections, developing dredging projects for the ship turning basin and the shipping channel, and planning for a new dry dock. The Port St. Pete's marine science/research niche is dictating investment, which includes a wharf renovation to better serve visiting vessels and an educationally focused partnership initiative, "Port Discovery." Florida's deep-water seaport officials are well versed in not only the advantages the ports provide, but also in the rich overall environment the state offers for those seeking to locate or expand their presence in this logistics mecca. "Florida's seaports can handle almost any type of cargo or business that is out there," says Jim Pyburn, director of business development for Port Everglades. "Florida also has access to a diverse, well-educated workforce as the South Florida area grows in both logistics and the technology sector." Charting a Course Access also is key to the state's success. "South Florida has great highway connections between major regions of the state as well as rail connections, including the new Brightline commuter rail that continues to link the major workforce hubs of Florida," Pyburn points out. Indeed, the state's enviable location goes well beyond U.S. borders. "Proximity to the Latin American and Caribbean markets is a huge logistics advantage," Pyburn says. "We see manufacturing moving away from rising wages in Far East labor markets into Latin America and the Caribbean. Florida—in particular, Port Everglades—has the most direct ship-line services to these Latin American and Caribbean markets. "These markets require services to transport raw materials and finished goods to and from manufacturing facilities," he adds. "Because Port Everglades has the best connections and most frequent services to these markets, companies will look to our Foreign Trade Zone (No. 25), the third-largest in the United States, and other distribution facilities to supplement their logistics networks." Domestically, Port Everglades boasts a premier near-port rail service with the Florida East Coast Railroad Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, which can quickly and efficiently transport goods to and from the U.S. hinterland. Enterprise Florida, the official economic development organization for the state, provides support to local businesses. It also helps them develop business abroad through trade missions all over the world. In addition, to develop and promote business, Port Everglades works closely with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, Port Everglades Association, the Office of Economic and Small Business Development, Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association, and other local and state organizations. The port also collaborates with the Florida East Coast Railroad (FECR) to maintain an efficient and cost-effective way of transporting goods. One-Stop Shop In short, Port Everglades is a one-stop shop for logistics professionals. "We are the number-one port in the state of Florida for perishable/refrigerated cargo volume, and number five in the United States," Pyburn notes. "We are one of the biggest ports in the country for trade between Latin America and the Caribbean, handling more than 15 percent of all U.S. trade with Latin America. "We are the administrators for Foreign Trade Zone No. 25, which allows companies to do business locally and more cost effectively," Pyburn says. "It also potentially can reduce tariffs—depending upon a particular product's portion of U.S.-made components—which is becoming increasingly important in world trade in light of new government policies." With all its current assets, Port Everglades is hardly floating on idle. Among other enhancements, the port embarked on a project to extend the Southport Turning Notch from 900 to 2,400 feet, with the potential to add five berths. Additional projects include widening/deepening the major shipping channel, acquiring up to six new super post-Panamax cranes, improving crane rail and terminals, and relocating and constructing a new FTZ facility. Providing easy and efficient access to central Florida, the 10th-largest market in the United States, is Port Canaveral. "Port Canaveral's deep-water container and multi-purpose cargo berths provide an economical and convenient ocean gateway into Central Florida and beyond," says Capt. John Murray, chief executive officer of the Canaveral Port Authority. "The port is ideally suited for short sea shipping with its location directly on the main shipping lanes along the East Coast of Florida," he says. "Port Canaveral's harbor is just one hour from sea buoy to dock, and an easy, deep draft and unencumbered transit for carriers, which allows for highly efficient routing and reduced vessel costs." Going Non-stop The port's location offers uncongested non-stop highway connections that allow all types of cargo to reach high-demand consumer markets such as the Greater Orlando area, as well as the southeastern United States. There is just one stoplight to State Route 528 (Beachline Expressway) as well as I-4 and I-95, Murray notes. "Port Canaveral makes it easy for domestic and international shippers to take full advantage of the port's strategic location to reach the fast-growing Central Florida market," he adds. Another logistics asset is the Port Canaveral Logistics Center, located about 15 miles from Port Canaveral in Titusville, near the Kennedy Space Center. The logistics center is a 246,240-square-foot facility next to the Space Coast Regional Airport and 37 miles from Orlando International Airport. From the site, transit times are 121 miles to Tampa, 144 miles to Jacksonville, 208 miles to Miami, and 482 miles to Atlanta. Port Canaveral leverages its location assets with more than 370,000 square feet of enclosed, dry and secure dockside warehousing, plus 280,000 square feet of refrigerated warehouse space. Port Canaveral is the grantee for FTZ 136, administered by American Cruise-Aid Logistics, which operates a 15,000-square-foot warehouse at the port. Meanwhile, SeaPort Canaveral, an operator within the FTZ, supplies a significant amount of transportation fuel for Central Florida, as well as jet fuel for international flights from four Florida airports: Orlando International, Orlando Sanford International, Orlando Melbourne International, and Daytona International. Port Canaveral recently signed a contract to purchase a mobile harbor crane with an 18-container reach. "The crane will be able to handle oversized cargo and heavy space components," Murray says. The $5.8-million Liebherr crane is expected to be delivered in early 2019. Giving Berth In addition, work is underway on a multi-purpose cargo berth that will accommodate facilities for diverse cargo operations including the commercial space industry. Scheduled for completion in mid-2019, North Cargo Berth 8 on Port Canaveral's north side will provide the infrastructure and capabilities to handle a growing portfolio of heavy and oversized cargo, including commercial spacecraft components. The berth is designed and engineered as a multimodal/intermodal berth that will provide flexible capacity and capability to accommodate more diverse commerce at the port. "With the port experiencing unprecedented demand for bulkhead space, coupled with rapid economic growth in central Florida and a growing commercial space industry on the Space Coast, North Cargo Berth 8 will ensure we have the ability to meet the increased demand for diversified cargo-handling capabilities," Murray says. Crews from Orion Marine Group of Tampa are currently installing 413 concrete relieving piles, each about 90 feet long. Once the piles have been placed, construction will start on a seawall with a concrete cap. The 900-foot seawall and planned 100-foot pier extension will be capable of handling an 850-foot ship. Connecting the Dots With all its logistics assets, along with economic advantages that include a favorable tax climate, business-friendly government policies, and competitive costs, Florida clearly makes a strong case to win business. Still, locating or relocating a business remains an exhaustive and research-intensive process. But the state's welcoming environment translates into plentiful resources designed to help ease that process, and to offer continued assistance throughout the journey to success. "Our job is to ensure that we present the big picture and drill down when necessary," says Jake Austin, CEO of the Plant City Economic Development Corporation. Plant City's location in the heart of the I-4 Corridor connecting Tampa to Daytona makes it a magnet for business. The EDC exists to make sure all resources are engaged to maximum benefit. "Sometimes, whether it be new or established companies, employers may not know that they qualify for certain financial incentives that are used to attract jobs and capital investment to our community," Austin says. "We make sure we present all the relevant information—no detail is too big or too small." It's all about connecting the dots. "The Plant City EDC has excellent working relationships with our regional airports, rail lines, utility providers, schools and, most importantly, our city government," Austin says. "We work to ensure that businesses within our community have the information they need to make well-informed decisions regarding their businesses and future growth." Plant City's location allows logistics service providers such as Star Distribution Systems and Patterson Companies to guarantee next-day delivery anywhere in the state. Access to two international airports—Tampa and Orlando—as well as Port Tampa Bay increase Plant City's appeal. Moreover, the region's transportation infrastructure includes extensive rail and highway systems. "These are incredible assets for both logistics and manufacturing companies that are in the business of producing and/or moving product quickly and efficiently," Austin says. Advocates for Business The EDC aggressively markets Plant City and, in turn, promotes the businesses that thrive there. "We do so by engaging with real estate brokers and developers in our region and abroad," Austin says. "We also attend trade shows and conferences that convene corporate decisionmakers in the logistics and manufacturing industries. The goal is to plant the seed for Plant City. "We strive to be a single point of contact for any matter related to locating or expanding your business in our region," he adds. "That remains true for a brand new business or a rapidly expanding one. We help navigate local government processes and become advocates for your specific needs." It helps that local government is focused on economic development. "Fortunately, we have an engaged and proactive city commission that fully supports our mission," Austin says. "The city's approach to business is to be welcoming and efficient and provide all the necessary tools to foster growth, rather than being looked at as a barrier to entry." What developments are on the horizon? There has been "increasing talk," Austin says, of a privately funded high-speed rail along I-4 that would connect Tampa and Orlando, and then eventually link into Brightline, which is already operating in South Florida. "An interconnected rail line opens up opportunities for tourism and business travelers and reduces stress along congested highways," he explains. Meanwhile, downtown Water Street Tampa is another project that will benefit Plant City. With more than 50 acres to be developed, the space will include residential, retail, hotel, and entertainment facilities. "This change in landscape will add selling features for both residents and businesses, providing a host of easily accessible features all within 30 minutes of Plant City," Austin says. Looking Up In a very real sense, the sky is the limit for Florida business. In addition to its shipping ports, extensive highway and rail networks, and multiple hubs that allow for high-speed data transmission from around the United States to Europe, Latin America, and Africa, Florida features numerous international airports offering commercial and cargo service to points around the globe. "Florida continues to grow in international trade and commerce," says Chris Mangos, director of marketing for Miami International Airport. Mangos cites the high-tech, biomedical, agriculture, international banking, and finance sectors as fields that are particularly soaring across the state. His perspective is from America's third-busiest airport for international passengers. Miami International Airport, also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the Miami area. Located on 3,230 acres of land near downtown Miami, MIA is operated by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department and is the property of Miami-Dade County government. Founded in 1928, the airport offers more flights to Latin America and the Caribbean than any other U.S. airport. It boasts a lineup of more than 100 air carriers and is the top U.S. airport for international freight. MIA also is the leading economic engine for Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida, generating business revenue of $30.9 billion annually and approximately 60 percent of all international visitors to Florida. Mangos says MIA's vision is to grow from a recognized hemispheric hub to a global airport of choice that offers customers a world-class experience and an expanded route network with direct cargo and passenger access to all world regions. The airport and related aviation industries contribute 270,681 jobs directly and indirectly to the local economy. That equates to one out of 4.1 jobs. MIA, one of 19 commercial airports in the state, is an International Air Transport Association (IATA) designated Pharma Hub. The airport's pharmaceutical imports and exports totaled $3.7 billion in 2017. In February 2018, MIA gained final approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce to designate the airport as a Foreign Trade Zone magnet site. "The FTZ will create new synergies for on-aiport businesses," Mangos says. In addition, the airport's Ocean-to-Air Transshipment Program saves cargo shippers time and money through expedited air transport of perishable products. The program permits perishables to arrive from Latin America by sea, and then to be flown from MIA to international markets. Meanwhile, the airport is implementing the Cargo, Optimization, Redevelopment, and Expansion Program. This comprehensive, long-term initiative will maximize existing cargo operations and double capacity by optimizing current use of facilities, demolishing and replacing aged and costly structures, and developing new cargo facilities for the future. MIA recently tweeted: "When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top." It is this view that business leaders throughout Florida have enjoyed—and will continue to enjoy for the foreseeable future.

New areas of England will be placed into tier 4 restrictions on 30 December, Matt Hancock has confirmed. On Boxing Day, Sussex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, including Portsmouth and Southampton but excluding the New Forest, and the remainder of Essex, all moved to tier 4, meaning closure of non-essential shops and no indoor mixing. But as coronavirus cases grow across the country, and hospitals struggle to cope with demand for beds, the government has decided to make more people subject to the harshest restrictions in a bid to curb the spread. The exact details of the tier transitions will be outlined in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon, after MPs have finished voting on the Brexit trade bill. England returned to a three-tier system of restrictions after the national lockdown ended on 2 December, this was extended to include a fourth tier shortly before Christmas. The system is being updated on a fortnightly basis (although new rules have been introduced sooner). How does a four-tier lockdown work? England has once again been divided into different tiers based on local infection rates, which will dictate the severity of restrictions in each area. The four alert levels span from the minimum level of restrictions applicable to all of England, including the rule of six and 11pm hospitality curfews, to the most strict measures reserved for the highest level. Medium Tier (1)– People are expected to follow basic restrictions that are in place across the country, such as the rule of six, an 11pm hospitality curfew and social distancing. High Tier (2)– All of the rules for medium tier, plus households are banned from mixing indoors but can still mix outside as long as there are six people or fewer. Very High Tier (3)– People must not have any social contact with anyone outside their household (unless you are a support bubble) indoors but can still meet outdoors in parks and other public spaces in groups of six or fewer. Pubs and bars will be closed unless they can operate as delivery or takeaway services. Stay at Home Tier (4) – People must stay at home and not have any social contact with anyone outside their household (unless you are in a support bubble) but can still meet one person from another household outdoors. Non-essential retail will close. Click here for the full list of restrictions in each tier. How will I know what tier my local area falls under? If you want to find out what tier your local area falls under there are a number of ways you can check. There is a postcode search available on the government website, while the NHS Covid 19 app will show which local alert level applies in which area. You could also refer to a full list of which areas have been allocated to which tiers here. The government is also providing additional guidance to those who are for clinically, extremely vulnerable.

[tag: science] The Origins Space Telescope featured in a special section of journal on astronomical telescopes, instruments and systems (JATIS) A proposed far-infrared telescope with key IPAC involvement and expertise is described in the leading space systems journal JATIS, including 20 technical articles on the design and capabilities of this breakthrough-enabling giant infrared space telescope. Origins Space telescope, one of the four major new space telescopes currently being evaluated by the Decadal Survey Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics of the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, is now featured in special sections of JATIS, the Journal for Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments and Systems (JATIS volume 6, No. 4, 2020 and JATIS volume 7, No. 1, 2021). Origins packs a punch with technology within reach The 20 articles featured in the two latest issues of JATIS describe in detail the thermal and optical designs, cryocooler technology development, digital signal processing, materials, instruments, detectors, and integration and testing of the telescope. Additional papers address the traceability of science drivers, and the trades and decisions leading to the baseline concept. More specifically, the papers in the special JATIS sections highlight how the number of deployable parts in orbit was minimized, the use of cryocooler technology instead of a cryogen, how cryocooling takes place at several stages, how the cold and hot zone elements would be tested separately, how the extreme stability of the mid-IR detector (down to 5 parts per million over a several hour time scale) is achievable using new technologies, the development of superconducting single photon detection devices, the development of transition-edge sensor and kinetic inductance technologies for far-infrared detectors, a possible fourth instrument with a heterodyne receiver, and new efficient readout electronics advances. From origins of life to the secrets of the Universe The Origins Space Telescope aims at addressing a myriad of questions about the emergence of today’s Universe based on a telescope architecture that is similar to that of the Spitzer Space Telescope and requires very few deployments after the launch. Origins will build on the legacy of the Spitzer and Herschel Space Telescopes, but will be 1000 times more sensitive than any predecessor in the infrared at wavelengths greater than 30 µm. The science goals for Origins align themselves with the three themes of NASA’s astrophysics program. Origins will pursue many scientific questions, including: The telescope time would be allocated through a peer review process much like the ones used for NASA’s Great Observatories Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra. The Origins observatory will resemble the highly successful Spitzer Space Telescope in its thermal design, and like Spitzer, it will take advantage of passive cooling in space in addition to active cooling of the telescope and its three instruments down to 4.5 K. For its optical design, Origins adopts a segmented primary and a three-mirror anastigmat in a departure from Spitzer’s conventional Ritchey-Chrétien design. The instruments are conceived to consist of: The goal is a ten-year mission, with a minimum requirement of five years. The launch is tentatively planned for 2035, and the total cost of the mission would be in the seven billion dollar range. Broad participation by the science community was key during the concept study of Origins’ mission. The study was led by the Goddard Space Flight Center with support by IPAC and JPL (instruments), together with international participation (instruments) and industrial partnerships. For more information about Origins, see: and .

Fact check: ADA does not provide blanket exemption from face mask requirements The claim: The Americans with Disabilities Act exempts people from face mask requirements imposed by governments and retailers Face mask use has been a source of confusion and contention amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As new outbreaks of the coronavirus grow across the country, some anti-mask activists have claimed that policies mandating mask-wearing infringe on disability rights. “According to ADA Mask Not Required Anywhere in America!” reads one flyer shared hundreds of times on Facebook. The graphic cites the Americans with Disabilities Act’s requirement for “reasonable accommodation to anyone who cannot wear a mask due a medical condition,” as explanation for why mask wearing is optional under the law. Similar images and claims have been circulating online for weeks. Images of laminated “Face Mask Exempt Cards” from the fictitious “Freedom to Breath Agency” went viral after some attempted to use the cards to enter stores across the country. Another viral incident occurred at a California Trader Joe’s, where a woman yelled that she “Had a breathing problem” at store managers requesting that she leave for violating the state’s mask requirement. Others claim businesses that refuse to allow nonmask wearers entry are punishable with fines and other legal action.. Government policy on the ADA and COVID-19 “The ADA does not provide a blanket exemption to people with disabilities from complying with legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operations,” the Department of Justice Department, which helps enforce the ADA, said in a June 30 press release. The denunciation follows up on an earlier statement in which the agency said it had “been made aware of postings or flyers on the internet regarding the ADA and the use of face masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of which include the Department of Justice’s seal.” Fact check:Masks are effective against COVID-19; OSHA doesn't say they offer no protection “These postings were not issued by the Department and are not endorsed by the Department,” the agency emphasized.. Fact check:Disposable masks should always be worn colored-side-out While new guidelines have been crafted given the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, the underlying law of the ADA has not changed. That law has never allowed for blanket exemptions of disabled people from anything. The ADA and reasonable accommodations The ADA is an anti-discrimination law meant to provide similar legal protections to disabled Americans as other groups protected under federal civil rights law because of their color, race, sex, religion and national origin. “When you offer something to the public – a job, a restaurant – it’s not that people with disabilities are the first in line; it’s that they can get in line,” Peter Blanck, a professor of disability law at Syracuse University, told USA TODAY. More:'Wearing a mask is not about fear': Retailer group urges governors to require everyone to wear a mask “You must provide reasonable accommodations to allow people to participate, though there is a ceiling to make sure you aren’t causing others undue burden." “A person must have a legally recognized disability to enjoy the protections of the ADA," professor Jessica Roberts, the director of the Health Law & Policy Institute at the University of Houston, told USA TODAY. "So, the individual would have to establish that she is a person with a disability under the law, which has specific legal standards and is not always an easy or straightforward thing to do.” The ADA doesn't protect everyone What constitutes a disability is highly case-specific, according to Jasmine Harris, a professor law at University of California, Davis. “How the law is currently getting described is that everybody has protections under the ADA, and that is certainly not true,” Harris said. “For disability rights to be meaningful, individual assessment and analysis was made key to the law.” This means that there is no blanket protection the ADA provides people; each disabled person receives unique accommodations according to their needs, contradicting the central claim of the viral posts and cards. More:The 10 best cloth face masks you can buy online “And to add to the misinformation, there is no right not to be asked about your health conditions. HIPAA covers only a limited number of entities, which does not include employers or businesses,” Roberts also told USA TODAY. HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. “The ADA limits when an employer can ask for health information, but it expressly allows it,” she emphasized. Coronavirus and 'direct threat' Even if a person could identify their disability and prove that not wearing a mask without any other precaution was a reasonable request, “the business could still turn that person away based on the direct threat” that they posed to others, according to Roberts.. “Remember no shirt, no shoes, no service? What was the legal basis for that? Yes, there have may been some bias against surfers in the state of California, but fundamentally it was about health,” Harris explained. More:Face mask requirements: Can stores make you wear a mask? Do kids have to wear masks? . One such example may include Air Force veteran Israel del Toro, who was mistakenly barred from entering a commissary on Peterson Air Force Base. “I don’t have ears, I can’t loop them,” del Toro told KKTV, also citing his breathing condition as another issue. “Trust us, if we could, we would wear masks,” he said, referring to disabled veterans and other vulnerable populations. The Air Force’s mistake in the del Toro case was not providing any accommodation that would allow him to follow the spirit of the public health order, instead kicking del Toro out of the store. “Say you have a person with an extraordinary respiratory risk and putting a mask on them would give them trouble breathing. Is there not a way to give them an accommodation that can align with the spirit of the mask? In my view, yes: a face shield or perhaps curbside pickup,” Blanck said of the scenario. Disabled Americans and COVID-19 Many disabled people, who are at especially high risk of experiencing severe cases of COVID-19, are largely adopting measures to avoid in-person interaction entirely, opting for the delivery of groceries and other goods rather than risk exposure. “In my experience, people with disabilities are not the ones rushing to stores looking for accommodations because they know they are the ones who are most likely to get COVID-19,” Doron Dorfman, a professor of law at Syracuse University who has researched misconceptions of disability rights, told USA TODAY. “Often, disabled people will ask for other accommodations like curbside pickup or delivery for their groceries and other needs,” he said. “I think this co-optation of disabilities is dangerous for the disability rights movement and physical health of disabled people,” said Harris, from UC Davis. “There’s something of a pendulum here,” she said of disability rights during the pandemic. “At first, there was complete disregard for the lives of disabled people with ventilator rationing policies that were blatantly discriminatory against disabled people.” “Now, people are saying, ‘oh gosh it’s a disability, we can’t touch it!’ and a lot of that has to do with people’s lack of understanding about the nuance and complexity of who has a disability in society." In addition to greater complications from the virus, advocates have warned that it's often harder for disabled Americans to receive information about COVID-19, and that the social and economic fallout from the coronavirus is disproportionately affecting disabled populations. Fact check:Ear loop masks, homemade cloth masks, offer protection against COVID-19 Our ruling: False The Americans with Disabilities Act does not allow anyone, disabled or otherwise, to ignore mask requirements without other precautions being taken. The ADA does not offer blanket protections; accommodations are specific to individuals. Viral claims stating otherwise are not based in any government guidance or law and have been denounced by the Justice Department. We rate this claim FALSE because it is not supported by our research. Our fact-check sources: - Department of Justice, June 30 Press Release - Department of Justice, COVID-19 Alert on Fraudulent Face Mask Flyers - EEOC, Coronavirus and COVID-19 - EEOC, What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws - Department of Justice, Introduction to the ADA - Military Times, "Wounded veteran Israel Del Toro gets apology after being refused entry to Peterson commissary" - KKTV, "Wounded Warrior refused service over mask policy at Peterson AFB" - Centers for Disease Control, People with Disabilities - CNBC, "The hidden struggles America’s disabled are facing during the coronavirus pandemic" - 42 U.S.C. §12111, Definition of "direct threat" - Interview with Peter Blanck, professor of law at Syracuse University - Interview with Jasmine Harris, professor of law at the University of California, Davis - Interview with Jessica Roberts, professor of law and health at the University of Houston - Interview with Doron Dorfman, professor of law and psychology at Syracuse University - Interview with Stephen Befort, professor of law at University of the Minnesota Law School Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

Parents, students glad to be back cheering in full voice at high school football games At Seacrest Field, not a lack of Lincoln North Star fans cheering on their team. LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — At Seacrest Field, not a lack of Lincoln North Star fans cheering on their team. Two sisters, who cheer, say it makes a big difference after last year when limitations of who could come dwindled the crowds. “It changed a lot because the whole season to start really like dead for the cheerleaders or trying to keep us more spirited and we can have our parents in the student section so it made it better, knowing my mom is there watching me,” said Amya Brown with her sister Alexa. “I wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Amy Brown, mom of Alexa and Amya. “They’ve been doing cheer for about seven years. It’s just fun to be here and cheer on the team.” Their mom adds during the heart of the pandemic, it kept many from attending, so she’s glad to see her girls cheer and be normal teens. “It’s amazing that they actually have this drive and they’re getting good grades and getting out here and supporting their team and their school,” said Amy. “I love it and it is a big change and how we cheer how it affects us, it just makes us more spirited and filled more school spirit,” said Amya. “With all the crowd being loud and just there to respond to our cheers,” said Alexa. Other students chimed in. “I like to go to football games,” said Antallah Sandlinel. “They’re fun to hang out with people.” “ A lot of yelling and losing my voice and cheering the team on,” said Kenmauri Singleton. Homecoming for their school is also tonight, another event students are glad to have back. The students all agree having pride together is what makes high school football fun.

SAN MARCOS, Texas – As Texas State University students head to class — in person, online, and in hybrid courses — the university has created a plan to mitigate the spread of the virus for residents in on-campus dorm rooms. Sandra Pantlik, the university’s assistant vice president of university advancement, said the university is reporting that no students at Texas State who have tested positive for COVID-19 are currently living in residence halls. According to Pantlik, positive cases reported to the university are immediately moved out of residence halls and if they are not able to leave campus, they are moved into isolation at a university-owned single apartment, not a residence hall. Pantlik said that residents who show no symptoms but are reported to have had close contact with a COVID-19 person are moved to a single room on an empty floor in one of four residence halls. “These are not positive cases, they are asymptomatic close contacts,” Pantlik said in an email. “They are moved to the empty floors to be separated from the rest of the residence hall population. Their meals are delivered to their rooms.” Since the beginning of the virus’ outbreak in Texas, the university has reported 206 cases of COVID-19 between students and staff members on campus. Hays County, where San Marcos is located, has reported 5,361 total cases since March. San Marcos makes up 2,630 of the total number of cases. RELATED: Texas State University to begin in-person, online classes this week

Some Kool-Aid and Country Time drink mixes recalled due to glass and metal in powder Kraft Heinz says it is recalling Country Time Lemonade and Kool-Aid Tropical Punch powdered drink mixes that might contain tiny pieces of metal and glass. The recall includes some powdered drink mixes sold in 19-ounce, 82-ounce and on-the-go sticks because of small particles that may have been present during production, said Kraft Heinz director of public relations Jenna Thorton in a statement sent to NPR. Because of the small particle size, accidentally ingesting the affected product is unlikely to result in injury or illness, according to Kraft Heinz which cited third-party medical experts. The company urges customers who purchased the items to not consume them but to return them to the store for a refund or throw them out. The recalled products involve some "best when used by" dates between June 13, 2023, and Oct. 3, 2023, Thorton said. However, not all products in the date range are being recalled. Consumers should contact Kraft Heinz to see if the UPC code on their product is included in the recall. So far, there have been no reports of illness or consumer complaints related to the recall. "We are committed to upholding the highest safety and quality standards in all of our products," Thorton said. Last week, Costco issued a warning to customers about the recall, as the drink mixes were sold in some of its warehouses. The warehouse chain says the recall was announced by Kraft Heinz and the Food and Drug Administration. But as of Tuesday, the FDA had not posted the recall on its website.

Health officials have quickly set up two new coronavirus test centres in areas of Leeds where infection rates are rapidly increasing. Leeds City Council announced yesterday (Thursday) that there had been a sharp jump in the number of positive cases in both Kirkstall and Harehills, with Cllr Judith Blake stating "further steps may need to be considered" if the numbers continue to rise. Although Leeds is still some way off the sky-high infection rates in nearby Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees, it was revealed earlier this week that coronavirus rates across the city had trebled in the space of a week. In a bid to have more people tested in Kirkstall and Harehills - and therefore isolate those who have contracted coronavirus - two new mobile test centres have been set up in the affected areas. Where are the new test centres? The first mobile testing unit is at Kirkstall Leisure Centre, Kirkstall Lane, LS5 3BE. The temporary station is open from Friday, August 7 to Tuesday, August 11. The second test centre has been erected on the eastern edge of Harehills at Fearnville Leisure Centre, Oakwood Lane, LS8 3LF. This site will be open from Friday, August 7 to Monday, August 10. Do I need to book a test? People do not need to book a test at the mobile testing units in Kirkstall and Harehills - although the council is encouraging people to make an appointment before they visit if possible by visiting nhs.uk/coronavirus. Anyone who thinks they may have symptoms is urged to attend their nearest site in a safe manner. Mobile testing units are often supported by The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and as they can be set up in less than 20 minutes, they are being used across the country in areas where sudden rises in cases have been noticed. Speaking about the clusters in Kirkstall and Harehills, leader of the council Cllr Blake.”

OBP lists 3 priority areas NGO prioritises areas to be tackled. Oceans Beyond Piracy Lists 3 Priority Areas By Aiswarya Lakshmi Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) remains committed to three priority areas that will guide our efforts in the coming year, says a press release from the company. First – a comprehensive solution to maritime piracy requires an inclusive, long-term approach. We believe that the transparent, cross-sector approach, demonstrated by the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, has proven successful. To continue reading, please click here. Source: marinelink.com

How do you stick a satellite tracker on a polar bear? Polar bear glue, of course Updated: 3:47 p.m. Here’s the problem. Polar bears live in some of the most inhospitable and inaccessible habitat on Earth — tough for humans and practically anything people make. “They’re in the Arctic. They’re in and out of the sea that is sometimes frozen,” says Geoff York, senior director of conservation for Polar Bears International, based in Montana and Winnipeg. He and his colleagues try to track bears. “And they’re just rough on things.” Researchers who study the bears have relied on radio and satellite tracking to monitor bear habitat and populations for decades. Location is one of the key metrics in studying the bears. But there’s a second problem. “Male adult polar bears have necks that are larger than their heads,” York says. “So, they’re cone shaped. And physiologically, collars fall off of them. They won’t keep them on.” So researchers have had to settle for collaring and tracking adult female bears — bears that have a more collar-friendly shape. Researchers have also tried ear tags, but they’re sensitive to potential injuries to bears' ears with permanent tags. Enter BJ Kirschhoffer, who runs field operations for Polar Bear International. (He grew up, as it happens, in White Bear Lake). It also just so happens that his dad, Jon, is an advanced research specialist at Maplewood-based 3M. So BJ Kirschhoffer asked his dad to come up with a better way to deploy battery powered transmitters, which are about the size of a back of gum. It just made sense: researchers turning to the company that makes Scotch tape and Post-it notes to stick GPS trackers to bears. Jon Kirschhoffer and a group of 3M scientists met recently for a brainstorming session — part of an initiative that gives researchers a little time each year to work on, well, stuff. Ideas that may not immediately, or ever, turn into products. “We called it the tag-a-bear challenge,” the senior Kirschhoffer says. Ideas quickly focused on polar bear fur. It’s a pretty daunting surface, but has one distinct advantage — bears get rid of it when they molt. In theory, a radio tracker could be stuck on a bear, transmit until it runs out of batteries, then the bear sheds its fur and the tracker, and the bears and researchers go their separate ways. The 3M scientists came up with a whole series of ideas. Some of them look like sticky plastic starfish. Another is like a little three-way hair roller, but industrial strength. Kirschhoffer says they use a combination of friction and waterproof (and snow and ice proof) glue to stick the tracker to the bear. They tested them on bear pelts. This fall, sent them to Canada, where researchers put them on bears that wandered into Churchill, Manitoba, and had to be relocated away from people. Jon Kirschhoffer says they’re now stuck on bears wandering around Hudson Bay — or at least the prototypes that worked. The bears scraped some off right away . “We attach them just above their shoulders on the back of their neck,” Kirschhoffer says. “We want to put it in a place that doesn’t bother the bear much and that they can’t roll or have, you know, get up there with a paw and scratch this thing off.” Bear researchers hope it’ll be a new era in polar bear tracking — particularly for bears that they haven’t been able to track well using existing technology. “The interesting part will come with younger animals, both males and females,” York says. “They tend to be the ones that disperse , the ones that move more frequently, and the ones that might be higher risk takers, because they’re in that age when they’re not established yet.” The new systems are likely to cost a fraction of conventional tracking collars which can run $5,000 or more, and make it more affordable to keep tabs on polar bears, although the initial 3M prototypes were free. And even more importantly, researchers are hoping to get an even better idea how bears are responding to climate change, as the animals’ habitat changes around them. Correction (Dec. 8, 2020): A previous version of this article misspelled Jon Kirschhoffer’s name..

World News Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo And John Mahama Signs Peace Deal Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo and opposition candidate John Mahama signed a peace deal before voting in Monday’s presidential election. The agreement was signed to ensure that the conflict did not erupt especially between the supporters of the two main candidates during the election and after. The candidates were drawn from the National Peace Council in collaboration with IDEG BE. President Nana Akufo-Addo, who is running for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is seeking a second term in office. John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress [NDC] is also seeking a second term after leading Ghana from 2012 to 2017, replacing President John Atta Mills after his death as vice president. >

NRL 2020: Russell Crowe solution to NRL crisis As the NRL grapples with doomsday scenarios because of coronavirus, Russell Crowe believes he has a solution to save the league. Australian actor and South Sydney co-owner Russell Crowe has urged the NRL to consider radical options to ensure the 2020 season goes ahead. Round 1 was played as normal last weekend and Round 2 begins tonight in front of empty stadiums. Fan lockouts will be the norm for at least the next six months after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced strict new measures banning outdoor gatherings of 500 people or more. Crowe wants the NRL to consider basing all teams in regional towns in northern NSW and Queensland, with warmer temperatures than urban centres, if it is proven coronavirus is less potent in hot weather. The Hollywood icon and diehard Rabbitohs fan believes basing players in less populated rural areas and having them take buses rather than planes is a possible solution to keeping the footy season running. “If it can be proven correct, I like Wayne Bennett’s idea — based on the information that this particular strain seems to be less potent in warmer climates — to move all teams and coaching squads to northern regional centres,” Crowe told The Daily Telegraph. “It is worth examining. “There are a lot of little towns with well-lit sports grounds and motel and hotel accommodation, gyms and war memorial pools. “Bus teams around, no planes, even billet with local families. “We could relocate two teams to each of the eight towns, giving the broadcasters a modest headache of how to broadcast in four regional places across each weekend with two matches in each town.” Crowe said the money banked by the NSWRL and QRL during from State of Origin series could be used to fund the initiative, but acknowledged not every player might be on board with such a move. Crowe’s advice comes with the NRL desperate not to hit pause on its season because it relies so heavily on getting paid by its TV broadcast partners. Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) chairman Peter V’landys said suspending the season would have “catastrophic” financial impacts. It’s been reported the game only has the funds to survive for three months if the season goes on hiatus and the money stops rolling in because the NRL can no longer fulfil its obligations to provide content for Channel 9 and Fox Sports. PAY RUMOURS NOT CUTTING IT WITH LEILUA Earlier in the week Manly’s Addin Fonua-Blake said if players are fit and healthy, then they shouldn’t be forced to take a pay cut, even if the season stops because of coronavirus. Now Wests Tigers recruit Joey Leilua has echoed his rival’s thoughts, saying there’s no way players should be forced to sacrifice part of their salary if drastic steps need to be taken in this unprecedented crisis. Leilua, who joined the Tigers from Canberra this season, suggested if the NRL finds itself in dire straits financially then it should look in the mirror and ask how it’s been handling its money in recent years. “I thought they were handling their money better but if they say it’s only going to last three months, then we are in trouble,” Leilua said. “All the boys were like, ‘I better not be getting cut short because we have mortgages to pay and bills to pay’. “I don’t know what is going to happen but I’m not all for that if we have to get a pay cut. We’d rather keep playing. “But I’m sure there is some money in there with the revenue we’ve got, they should be saving money for when these things happen.”

News Release Tuesday 28 July 2020 The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has today published a new report, based on data from before the Covid-19 pandemic, looking at the issues facing the teacher workforce in Wales. NFER’s first annual report on the teacher labour market in Wales, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, shows that, up to 2018/19, the Welsh school system was facing a substantial and growing challenge of ensuring there were sufficient numbers of teachers. Using Welsh Government school census data on teacher recruitment and retention, from before the Covid-19 pandemic, it highlights that the recruitment and retention challenge is most acute in secondary schools, in shortage subjects (such as Welsh, maths, science and modern foreign languages), in Welsh medium schools and in schools in areas with high levels of disadvantage. Headline findings in the report include: Primary and secondary pupil-teacher ratios rose in Wales in 2018/19: The number of teachers in Welsh primary and secondary schools has declined compared to 2009/10 levels, in line with pupil numbers at secondary level but while primary pupil numbers have increased. The secondary school sector faces a substantial challenge in light of an expected increase in pupil numbers over the next five years. A continued decline in teacher numbers could lead to increasing pupil-teacher ratios, and potentially teacher shortages, in the future. In contrast, the number of primary school pupils is projected to fall. Entries to initial teacher education (ITE) have been below target for three years in a row: The number of trainees recruited to secondary ITE has fallen steadily between 2010/11 and 2018/19, and has increasingly been below target since 2013/14. Recruitment to ITE has worsened across most secondary subjects, including modern foreign languages (MFL), Welsh, science and maths. Recruitment to English and Geography ITE, subjects that usually have high entries to ITE, was just below half of the target in 2018/19. The number of primary ITE entrants has also fallen slightly below target since 2015/16, with a further decline in 2018/19. Secondary schools appear to be finding recruitment increasingly challenging: The average number of applicants per vacancy in secondary schools has fallen from more than 12 in 2011/12 to less than seven in 2018/19. Over the same period the proportion of vacancies that are unfilled has increased from two to 11 per cent. A lower number of applicants is likely to adversely affect the chances of senior leaders receiving suitable candidates, and of making an appointment. Welsh and bilingual schools face a greater teacher recruitment challenge than English medium [1] schools: English medium schools had a higher average number of applicants per vacancy than Welsh and bilingual schools between 2009/10 and 2018/19. For primary schools, the rate of teachers leaving the profession has also been slightly higher for bilingual and Welsh medium schools relative to English medium schools. A challenging recruitment environment for bilingual and Welsh medium schools is likely to be hindering the Welsh Government’s ambition to expand Welsh medium education (Welsh in education, Action plan 2017-21). However, this may change in the years ahead as a result of the actions set out by the Government’s strategy. Schools in disadvantaged areas find it more challenging to fill vacancies: Between 2009/10 and 2018/19, schools in disadvantaged areas had higher proportions of vacancies that were unfilled compared to those in less disadvantaged areas. Further, secondary schools in more disadvantaged areas experienced a higher teacher leaving rate. This suggests that the teacher shortages faced by schools in disadvantaged areas are more acute, particularly for secondary schools. Persistent disparities in teacher recruitment and retention may exacerbate existing inequalities in educational outcomes between children from different backgrounds. This calls for government action that supports schools in disadvantaged areas to attract and retain high-quality teachers. Report author and School Workforce Lead at NFER, Jack Worth, said: “Ensuring there are enough high-quality teachers in schools across Wales is crucial for delivering a first-class education for young people. The findings raise concern that a continued decline in teacher numbers could lead to increasing pupil-teacher ratios, and potentially teacher shortages, in the future. “While the Covid-19 pandemic may help to ease teacher supply in future, as more people decide to enter teaching and more teachers decide to remain in the profession, this report highlights the underlying challenge facing schools.” Cheryl Lloyd, Education Programme Head at the Nuffield Foundation, added: “Whilst we welcome the Welsh Government’s recent commitment to recruiting 600 teachers during the next academic year, this new research from NFER highlights the challenge of recruiting teachers to shortage subjects in Welsh speaking, bilingual schools and those in disadvantaged areas. “To avoid exacerbating existing inequalities in student attainment, teaching staff must be recruited to schools where they are needed most. An additional challenge is the retention of existing teachers. As previous research from NFER has shown, incentives such as shorter working hours and part-time working may help retain teaching staff.”

Montrose Center to Break Ground on 1st LGBTQ Senior Housing Center in the Southwest Organization secures $13.8M in federal subsidies for 112-unit complex in Houston’s Third Ward. The Montrose Center says it will soon construction on the nation’s second-largest LGBTQ-affirming housing project for low-income seniors. After securing $13.8 million in federal housing subsidies, which will cover more than half the cost of the project, the Center plans to host a groundbreaking at 2222 Cleburne Street in the near future. With 112 independent living units spread across two main four-story buildings, the facility will be the first LGBTQ-affirming housing complex for low-income seniors in the Southwest. It is tentatively scheduled to open in the summer of 2020. “We have been working on this project for five years, and it is very rewarding that we are able to put all the pieces together in order to serve seniors with a comprehensive program that includes housing,” said Montrose Center Executive Director Ann Robison. The facility is designed to alleviate the problem of housing discrimination against LGBTQ seniors, a demographic that is expected to triple in size—to more than 7 million—by 2030. According to the national nonprofit SAGE, 48 percent of older same-sex couples have experienced housing discrimination, and one-third of LGBTQ seniors live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Many of them are being priced out of LGBTQ-affirming neighborhoods. “Culturally competent housing options for our LGBTQ seniors is a problem in Houston, and a facility of this kind is long overdue,” said Brittany Burch, coordinator of the Montrose Center’s LIFE Counseling Program. “We are so grateful to all the community members who are contributing to make this happen.” In addition to federal subsidies, the center has raised more than $3 million from the community. And it will continue to raise money for the senior housing project through its “There’s No Place Like Home” campaign, co-chaired by former Mayor Annise Parker and state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston. The city of Houston kicked in $2.5 million in Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) funds for the facility, and the Midtown Redevelopment Authority donated the 2.87-acre lot, valued at more than $3.26 million. The final major fundraising hurdle was cleared earlier this month, when the Center secured a letter of commitment for federal low-income housing tax credits, following a three-year process in partnership with the city. The project scored highest out of all applicants for the credits in Region 6, and the subsidies would not have been possible without the local contributions. In addition to one- and two-bedroom apartments, the facility will house the Montrose Center’s growing Seniors Preparing for Rainbow Years (SPRY) Program. “I am continually moved by the history that our SPRY seniors share and what they have gone through to establish Houston’s queer community as one of the best in the nation,” Montrose Center Development Director Kennedy Loftin said. “They deserve a place to call home.” The facility will be about a mile-and-a-half east of the Montrose Center, in the historic Third Ward. The outside staircases of the two buildings will be covered in mesh bearing the colors of the LGBTQ Pride rainbow. Additional features will include a primary-care clinic, a group dining area, meeting and game rooms, a fitness center, a dog park, a vegetable garden and outdoor recreational spaces. Two Metro bus lines have stops across the street from the north end of the facility, and MetroRail’s planned University Line would include a station on the complex’s west side. “It will be so nice to actually have a place large enough for the needs of our seniors,” said Fred Reninger, manager of the Center’s SPRY Montrose Diner. “The new home for SPRY will be bigger, all in one place, and will include hiring more staff so that we can serve more people. Transportation is such a struggle for our seniors, and having more than 100 seniors on site will be incredible.” The Center will begin accepting applications three months before the facility opens. Applicants must be 62 years of age or older, and rates will be on a sliding scale, with rent being no more than 30 percent of residents’ income. Pioneering gay activist Ray Hill, a senior who has struggled to afford housing in recent years, says he is looking forward to moving into the facility when the doors open. “The whole concept of senior citizens having a safe place to live is a very good idea,” Hill said. “It’s a nice thing to live with one’s peers.”

While Rivian is best known for its fancy electric pickup truck, a “significant” portion of its near-term revenue will come from an exclusive deal with Amazon. The small startup is set to build up to 100,000 electric delivery vans for Amazon by 2024, but there’s something weird going on—Rivian now says it will take electric delivery van orders for non-Amazon companies. On November 5th, Rivian added a new “Fleet” page to its website. This page encourages businesses to purchase large numbers of “commercial vans,” with orders beginning in 2022 and deliveries starting the year after. But offering delivery vehicles to random businesses should violate Rivian’s deal with Amazon. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the companies state that Amazon holds four years of exclusive rights to Rivian’s delivery van, starting after the first batch is produced. The company also gets first dibs (right to refusal) on Rivian delivery van sales for two years after its four-year exclusivity period ends. It seems that Rivian has found an interesting workaround for its exclusive deal with Amazon. Either that, or the companies have reached an agreement—this is the more reasonable explanation, by the way. Amazon says that it owns 20% of Rivian, so it could benefit by expanding the company’s sales portfolio and market share. Not to mention, Rivian is about to go public. Investors may be more excited about the company if it comes to market with a real sales plan that doesn’t rely too heavily on Amazon. (Or the consumer market, for that matter. Early reports indicate that Rivian’s manufacturing volume is very low; it’s only producing a handful of consumer EVs per day.) Still, there may be a hint of exclusivity here. Rivian isn’t offering businesses its “delivery vehicles;” it’s offering “commercial vehicles” that just happen to look the Amazon van. Maybe Rivian will sell these electric vans to non-delivery businesses and cut out Amazon competitors, like UPS or FedEx. If Rivian and Amazon have reached some kind of agreement here, we’ll probably learn about it when the company goes public (reportedly) next week. Either way, we may see a lot more Rivian EVs driving around in the mid-2020s than we previously expected. Source: Rivian via The Verge

Senedd Member for Ynys Môn, Rhun ap Iorwerth has welcomed Welsh Government’s decision to seek funding to build the case for reintroducing a passenger rail service across the island from Amlwch to Gaerwen, and on to Bangor. Mr ap Iorwerth says he’s pleased that the study proposed includes incorporating a multi-use path alongside, something he’s long advocated. Responding to a letter from Mr ap Iorwerth seeking an update on the Government’s position, an official in the Transport Department confirmed that a formal request has been made to UK Government’s railways ‘ideas fund’ looking at how a rail service initially from Amlwch, through Llangefni, Gaerwen and Bangor, could eventually go on to Llandudno as part of the rail network. “This is an important step forward, and it’s this kind of serious study that we need to consider the opportunities and challenges for this line.” Mr ap Iorwerth said. “I particularly welcome the fact that the Government specifies the need to look at the options for active travel alongside the railway, and how to incorporate ‘Heritage Railway’ use, too. I’ve long been eager to bring together groups that have opposing visions for the line. “At the same time, I’ve been corresponding with the local authority and others recently about various options that could be investigated for active travel paths. There are many opportunities on that front, but only one option on the island for developing rail as public transport. “Professor Mark Barry of Cardiff University recently outlined how he saw potential for including the Amlwch line as part of expansion of rail across the north west. “There has been significant underfunding of rail infrastructure in Wales over the years, with Wales getting less than 2% of rail improvement spending, despite having 11% of the tracks. We should be looking not only to improve the tracks we already have, but to expand the network, too. “Here on Anglesey we have one of the few lines that was mothballed rather than dug up following Beeching-driven cuts. We have some funding set aside from UK Government for developing ideas, and we need to try to access that, as well as taking advantage of various active travel schemes, too.” The Ynys Môn MS added: “I’ve been invited by Welsh Government to add my support to the proposal by corresponding with UK Ministers, an opportunity I will most certainly be taking up. Various local interest groups would be asked their views, too, which is vital, of course – these are plans that can benefit the whole island in economic, social, transport and wellbeing terms.”

‘Buffett Rule’ Posturing Peaks Democrats Vow to Fight for Higher Taxes on Millionaires This Election Year With a nod to the November elections, Senate Democrats on Monday began what they promised would be a recurring effort this year to boost taxes on millionaires to address what they argue is an unfair tax code. “Today, the wealthiest 1 percent takes home the highest share of the nation’s income since the early ’20s, the roaring ’20s,” Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said on the Senate floor. “But while their bank accounts have grown, their tax bills have become smaller. The wealthiest Americans pay the lowest tax rate in more than five decades.” Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), head of the Senate Democrats’ policy and communications shop, said on a conference call with reporters that he believes Democrats have the upper hand in the debate. “The GOP fears this debate because there is an emerging contrast in Congress,” Schumer said. “Republicans want to give even further tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, while we think the very wealthy should share in more sacrifice so the burden doesn’t fall on the middle class.” Senate Republicans, led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), argued that the Democrats’ move is evidence that they are seeking to score political points rather than legislate. They oppose the effort because, they say, it would raise taxes on small businesses and make them less likely to hire — something they contend would hurt the already weak economic recovery. But the partisan posturing was just that, given that on Monday evening the Senate defeated 51 to 45 a measure from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse that would require millionaires to pay at least a 30 percent tax rate. The Rhode Island Democrat argued that would be more in line with the tax rates middle-class workers pay. It was no coincidence that the vote came the day before federal income taxes are due. The bill needed 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. Of the 51 voting in favor of the bill, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) voted with Democrats; Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) voted with Republicans. The bill would pass the “Buffett Rule,” which President Barack Obama has made a centerpiece of his tax policy and his re-election campaign. The rule is named for multibillionaire investor Warren Buffett, an Obama supporter, who raised concerns about his tax rate versus his secretary’s. The two pay different rates because Buffett makes a larger part of his income from investments, which are taxed at a lower rate than other earned income, such as wages. But while the measure was defeated, Schumer said Democrats would continue to revisit the issue ahead of the elections. Schumer said that the position outlined in the House-passed Republican budget, authored by Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (Wis.), would give further tax breaks to the nation’s highest earners, and Democrats want to lay down a marker against it. He also noted that the presumptive GOP presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, has backed the Ryan proposal. “There is no way to afford these tax cuts for millionaires unless Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan intend to raise taxes on the middle class,” Schumer said. “We intend to spread that message in the months ahead.” Democrats said they hope that by taking up the issue over and over again voters will pressure their Senators to vote for the proposal. Schumer said he could envision the Senate using a millionaires tax to help students pay for college, to help pay for a research-and-development tax credit for businesses, or to reduce the deficit. But Republicans argue that Democrats and Obama are not trying to govern and are avoiding passing bills that will help jobs and the economy. “Any time the president proposed anything in the past, he told us how many jobs it would create, whether it was the [Federal Aviation Administration] bill, the highway bill, the stimulus, you name it,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “Apparently those days are over. Nobody’s even claiming this thing creates jobs. It’s all about the president’s idea of fairness now.” McConnell argued that Democrats’ notion of fairness doesn’t match up with that of most Americans. “To most people, what’s fair about America is that they can earn their success and expect to be rewarded for it,” McConnell said. As for reinvesting about $50 billion the bill would raise over 10 years, McConnell pointed to recent government scandals, including a General Services Administration conference that cost $800,000, as evidence that the funds would help the economy more in the private sector. “Until Washington can show that it’s a better steward of taxpayer dollars or that it knows how to invest in a winner, it shouldn’t expect people to hand over another penny,” McConnell said.

News 25 November, 2021 Somerset and Lockyer water decision delayed The much-vaunted and long awaited Lockyer and Somerset Water Collaborative project has been delayed again, with Water Minister Glenn Butcher saying more information is required from the Collaborative. The $200 million project, funded jointly by farmers and the State and Federal Government, is intended to create a guaranteed water supply for farmers, using recycled water from the Bundamba waste water treatment plant. Despite assertions by the Collaborative members the business case was complete and only required ministerial sign off, a government spokesperson said the case required ‘additional information for Seqwater to analyse the proposal’. “Seqwater and the Collaborative are currently working together on this additional information which will be an addendum to the Detailed Business Case and will be considered as a possible application to the National Water Grid Authority.” Jim McDonald, State MP for Lockyer, and a staunch supporter of the Collaborative, said he was ‘pleased to support the Collaborative, their partners and the new company who are pushing forward for funding the project.’ Mr McDonald said the farmers had raised $50 million for the pipeline, with an expectation the Federal Government would contribute $100 million and the Queensland Government would also pay $50 million. “The Collaborative have done a great job under the policy conditions,” Mr McDonald said. For the full story, see this week's edition of the Sentinel News

In Saudi Arabia, the only way to live in the present is by adopting the ways of the past. Even today, life in Saudi Arabia remains unchanged – the sand dunes kingdom stands on the little rights that women have within the households and the deaths of modern-day slaves and victims of human trafficking. Happily, Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is more than keen to overturn tradition and reinvent the orthodox way of life. As per some reports, Prince bin Salman plans to form a futuristic $500 billion mega-city to reduce the country’s dependence on oil. The city would be called Neom. According to Al Arabiya, the first three letters “NEO” comes from the Latin word which means ‘new.’ The fourth character “M” is the abbreviation of the Arabic word ‘Mustaqbil’ which means future. As noted by a report in the Wall Street Journal, Prince bin Salman came up with the idea for Neom when he was mulling how to overturn the oil-dependent economy and “pulled up a map of his country on Google Earth and saw its northwest quadrant was a blank state.” Illustration: VectorPocket/Freepik Building A City Better than Dubai Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey & Co. and Oliver Wyman were commissioned to whip out a list of futuristic technological recommendations including an artificial moon, hologram faculty in schools, robot dinosaurs, robot maids, robot-cage fight entertainment, flying cars, cloud seeding-induced artificial rain, human gene-editing, glow-in-the-dark sand and much more. What’s also buried in the 2,300 pages of the planning documents is plans to establish total surveillance of residents with drones and facial recognition gear. Artificial Moon Shine The ambitious blueprint to modernize wasteland on the western coast of Saudi Arabia, by the Gulf of Aqaba, demands forcible relocation of more than 20,000 people. According to Boston Consulting Group, the relocation plan would take until 2025 which was then moved up to 2022 upon the Prince’s insistence. According to Neom’s homepage, the futuristic mega-city in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia will run on renewables “and whole new kinds of energy the world has yet to hear of.” Neom’s Achilles Heel It was announced last week that the first phase of construction at Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion “Jetson-style” city was complete. The second phase will be announced by the end of this year. Executives behind the futuristic city of Neom have stated they want to create “the most attractive living environment on the planet” for the city’s inhabitants. Perhaps, the top dogs could take a leaf out of London’s book which has earned its title as one of the most visited cities in the world. There’s no denying that London’s prevailing culture of tolerance and it’s acceptance for racial, economic, and ethnic minorities is one of its strongest attributes. But in Neom, you wouldn’t be forgiven for thinking you were living in the future that’s no longer dictated by cultural rigidity that once forged the tiers of the society.

Analysis Analysis: In Denying Expansion For Newark’s Top Charter Schools, New Jersey Officials Are Ignoring the Data on Student Performance — and Family Support TALKING POINTS The state of New Jersey recently moved to reject the requests from Newark’s largest charter school networks for enrollment expansions. In decision letters obtained by Chalkbeat Newark, Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan is documented saying that KIPP, Great Oaks Legacy, North Star Academy, and Robert Treat Academy charter networks can maintain operations but cannot add additional seats. This development potentially signals a reversal in attitudes among state officials, who in the past have been agreeable to expansion plans proposed by Newark’s most successful charters. Tensions have been mounting for some time between charter school supporters and traditional public school advocates in a city long heralded for its efforts in expanding public school choice. As in many other districts, those opposing charter expansion argue that charters stand as a threat to traditional schooling, fearing a diversion of funds and students away from traditional classrooms. Critics assert that the success of charters has largely been the result of “cream skimming,” which simultaneously hinders the performance of traditional public schools while exacerbating racial and income segregation within a school district. Yet, a review of available research on charter schools — both in Newark and nationally — suggests that those opposing charter expansion in Newark are likely undermining efforts with a demonstrated track record of lifting students’ academic achievement. Empirical findings also infer that the expansion of charters does not harm public school students. Given all this, New Jersey officials would be wise to help, not hinder, policies and systems that have a positive effect on Newark’s children — and that remain widely popular with parents in the community. Let’s look more closely at the available literature. One of the most important questions regarding charters’ success is, of course: Do charter schools produce academic gains for their students? In the city of Newark, the answer appears to be “yes.” In a 2020 report, Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Marcus Winters used experimental methods to show enrollment in the Newark charter school system causally led to positive growth in student achievement. The effects were greatest in the city’s largest charter school networks such as KIPP — one of the networks whose enrollment expansion plans have been rejected. Stay informed. Invest in independent journalism. And help The 74 make an impact. Donate now and help us reach our NewsMatch goal. Newark is hardly the only city where charters have been successful. Experimental studies have also shown charters having a positive effect on student performance in cities such as Boston and Denver. Stanford University’s Center for Research on Educational Options published a study on 41 urban areas that demonstrated charter schools were on average outperforming nearby traditional public schools in math and reading growth. A meta-analysis on charters’ effect on student achievement suggests that while there is substantial variation between charters’ effect on learning, on average middle school charters are producing higher achievement gains in both math and reading. Still, in Newark and elsewhere, charter critics cite statistics showing that traditional public schools enroll a higher proportion of ELL and special education students. To these critics, continuing to divert funds away from schools who share a disproportionate amount of responsibility to underprivileged students is an unjust allocation of resources. Compounded with allegations of “cream skimming,” charters are criticized by their opponents for not properly engaging with the communities in which they operate. But there’s little evidence showing that charter schools worsen conditions for students who remain in traditional public schools. Examining test scores in major metropolitan areas suggests that the expansion of charter schools does not negatively affect the student achievement of those within the public school sector. In fact, a recent study by the Fordham Institute finds that increases in charters’ share of the market are associated with increases in district spending in traditional public schools. Fordham has also produced research indicating that the competition charters bring to a district may have a positive effect on student achievement. Researchers have also investigated district-wide contentions of cream skimming in other cities, and cannot conclude that charters by-and-large engage in this practice. Much of the gap in ELL and special education enrollment in charters can be explained by a lack of applying to charters, rather than efforts to push out students. While some public school advocates maintain that charters fail to fulfill their duties as public schools, it’s also key to note that most Newark families disagree. Polling of the Newark community show that a strong majority are in favor of school choice initiatives, and want charter schools to be a part of the education landscape. Both within New Jersey and nationally, some of the most ardent supporters of charters and school choice have been in the black community. Of course, charters everywhere are not performing optimally. Within Newark’s own charter system, as New Jersey’s Education Commissioner flagged in this recent development, two charters had cited concerns regarding teacher performance that caused them to be placed on probation. Additionally, a number of studies reveal charter schools having either null or negative effects on their student population, or a significant degree of variability among charters. Nevertheless, much like a failing traditional public school does not discredit public schooling, the same applies to charter schools. Charters are valuable, particularly in urban areas such as Newark, ultimately because they provide choice to parents who without charters would not have the resources to exercise freedom afforded to those in upper income backgrounds. And in Newark, the choices parents retain are strong due to the success of the charter school movement in the city. Newark’s charter school initiatives have been instrumental in helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds “beat the odds” and reformers in the city should work to continue the progress emerging from these schools. Although these charters have yet to hit their current enrollment caps, the commissioner’s decision creates uncertainty about schools’ future growth. Demand for charters in New York City, for example, has far exceeded supply due to the charter cap from the state government. In Harlem in the South Bronx, there are approximately three applicants per available charter school seat. Education officials within New Jersey should not view charters as threats towards the traditional public schools’ market share. Rather, they should welcome and advance policies that broaden and elevate options for the students of Newark. Brandon McCoy is a project manager focused on K-12 education policy at the Manhattan Institute. Follow him on Twitter @McCoyBrandonA.Submit a Letter to the Editor

Trump ‘Doesn’t Have Skill Set Or Experience’ For China Deal, Fears Farm Union Head Strapped American farmers were reeling after President Donald Trump announced Friday he doesn’t need a trade agreement with China until after the 2020 election. Chinese negotiators in Washington then abruptly canceled planned visits to farms in Nebraska and Montana to head back to China early. “Farmers are in serious, serious financial straits,” John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, told HuffPost Saturday. He said he fears Trump “does not have the skill set or the experience to fix things” with China. Trump told reporters Friday there was no need to work out a trade deal with China before the 2020 election because the American economy is “very strong” — despite mounting fears about a recession. “I’m not looking for a partial deal; I’m looking for a complete deal,” he said. “People know that we’re doing a great job. … We’re not being affected.” However, farmers are struggling. Net farm income in America has plunged by nearly half over the last five years from $123 billion in 2013 to $63 billion last year. Hansen said loan delinquencies and farm bankruptcies are up in his state. “It hasn’t been this bad since the early ’80s,” he added. Farm organization leaders agree that America needed a new trade deal with China — but they haven’t agreed with Trump’s approach. National Farmers Union head Roger Johnson believes that the president has so badly botched negotiations that China is now a “lost market” and it will take “decades” to repair the damage. China needs to be “held to account” for trade relationships and behavior, Johnson said in a KFGO radio interview last month. But he said that Trump would have been wiser to approach the world’s second-largest economy with a team of allies. “I would … argue that it would be far more effective if we did it with the rest of the world, instead of first ticking off the rest of the world and then trying to do it all by ourself,” said Johnson, whose organization represents some 200,000 family farms, ranches and fishing enterprises in 33 states. Hansen agrees that Trump needed a strategy involving other countries. “You can’t play the Lone Ranger,” he said. “But what did Trump do?” Hansen asked. “Instead of isolating China, the first jump out of the chute he isolates America.” Even with a trade deal, farmers face a tough road, Hansen warned “It takes a really long time to develop a market. It takes little time to destroy one,” he said. “It’s going to take years to rebuild — at best.” REAL LIFE. REAL NEWS. REAL VOICES. Help us tell more of the stories that matter from voices that too often remain unheard.

Since the revamp of the Take Your Professor/Mentor to Lunch program this past February, the University has seen an uptick in reservations. Compared to 2016-2017 academic year, this academic year has so far seen a 152 percent increase in reservations with just over half of the semester completed, according to recent University data. The information, provided by Rob Nelson, the executive director for education and academic planning for the vice provost of education, also indicated that the number of reservations for lunch at the Inn at Penn has increased this semester by 174 percent since just last semester. The Take Your Professor/Mentor to Lunch originally began as an initiative by the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, but is now managed jointly by the University Club, Penn Dining, and New Student Orientation and Academic Initiatives, according to Nelson. The program’s recent expansion was announced shortly after the first Campus Conversation as a part of the University’s Campaign for Wellness. Through the updated program, students can dine with their instructors at a variety of Penn's dining halls and can invite up to two additional students as guests. For lunch, students can also dine with their professors or mentors at the Inn at Penn. Nelson explained that the consistent overwhelming popularity of lunch at the Inn at Penn is likely due to the exclusiveness of the venue. “This is a program that offers non-members a chance to eat there,” Nelson said. Typically, lunch at the Inn at Penn costs only $13.95; however, a reservation is usually only available to members, who pay a $65.00 yearly fee. According to the University Club's website, current staff, faculty, and graduate students as well as retired staff, emeritus faculty, and alumni can apply for membership. Through the program, students and faculty can enjoy a meal at the club for free, making it the preferred location for lunch over the dining halls. Midway through this semester, there were only 15 reservations for a meal in one of the dining halls, compared to the 326 reservations at the Inn at Penn. Engineering senior Kate Panzer has gone to lunch with her professors at the Inn at Penn twice this academic year and said she plans to use the program at least one more time before graduation. “I think the thing that really stopped me from doing it earlier was because I thought it was this big process and it would be hard to organize,” Panzer said, “but seeing how easy it is, I wish I had done it before my senior year.” Although the process of signing up may be simple, some students with busy schedules struggle to coordinate a time for the program. Engineering senior Julia Lin said that she initially was not able to find time to participate in the program; however, now that her schedule has cleared up, she has already maxed out her reservations at the Inn at Penn. “I really enjoyed it,” Lin said. “It’s a good time to get to talk to people more outside of a class setting.” Lin has brought not only professors to lunch, but also administrative support staff. She also works as a teaching assistant and said that her own students are now trying to organize a time to take her out to lunch. “I was very happy with the experience overall,” Panzer said. “It was more relaxed than I thought it would be.” All comments eligible for publication in Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. publications.

New development given green light The master plan for Scotland’s most scenic Business Park has been given the green light by West Dunbartonshire Council, signalling the way forward for a significant investment in Dumbarton with the potential creation of substantial numbers of new jobs. The 20 acre Lomondgate Business Park, which will be sensitively landscaped, forms part of the £100m Lomondgate major mixed-use development located to the north west of Dumbarton. The Business Park will feature up to 10 office pavilions and a Business Village, offering a total of 190,000 sq ft of office space, along with. Work on constructing the first two storey office pavilion is anticipated to start in 2011. £14m has already been spent on the Lomondgate project by Walker Group, the development partner of Strathleven Regeneration Company. This includes major infrastructure works and local road improvements. Sinclair Browne, said: “Lomondgate Business Park is in an ideal location and benefits from prominent frontage to the A82 immediately west of Dumbarton. Partner: Office Agency & Development at Knight Frank, The buildings, and layout, are flexible and will be capable of catering for all sizes of office users from small organisations up to large national and international corporates.” The Business Park is one of the most crucial elements of the £100m Lomondgate development, which is transforming redundant land including the former site of the J&B Bottling Plant, into a thriving community featuring more than 300 new homes, offices and destination services. Councillor Ronnie McColl, Leader of West Dunbartonshire Council and a Board Member of Strathleven Regeneration Company,.” Lomondgate is already home to anchor tenant BBC Scotland where it films River City and other national productions. Aggreko last month started work on building its new £20m manufacturing and office facility on land adjacent to the Business Park. Whitbread is now close to completing its £4.1m Premier Inn and family pub/restaurant on the site. It is expected that these will open for business in January, creating 50 full and part time jobs. The £100m Lomondgate project was launched in 2007 by Strathleven Regeneration Company, (SRC) a public-private partnership established with the support of West Dunbartonshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and Diageo, with developer Walker Group to help deliver its plans for a mixed use development on the site. Further information on Lomondgate is available from

Chinese vaccine diplomacy in Africa is being seen as an opportunist geopolitical move to strengthen its Belt and Road Initiative. What can we expect from this new form of soft power? Vaccines in exchange for better access to natural resources or maybe for political favours by African countries? COVID-19 has left a world order where we find a more assertive China and a weaker United States, forcing some countries to reconsider their allegiances. The growing rivalry between Washington and Beijing has gone beyond a simple confrontation. The US has been absent in leading a global health response unlike during earlier international crises – from tsunamis and earthquakes to nuclear disasters. While the US. has been embroiled in dealing with the health crisis domestically, China has taken advantage of the current emergency by filling the American leadership gap. An evolving soft power: from mask diplomacy to vaccine diplomacy China gained worldwide notoriety when the first infections, from an unknown virus, later on catalogued as COVID-19, were detected in December 2019. The Asian country locked down its population to control the virus but meanwhile a rapid expansion of it was taking place. Once the virus was controlled at home, China positioned itself as the leader of the so-called “medical diplomacy“, exporting surgical masks and sending medical equipment to help collapsing healthcare systems across Europe and Africa. But a COVID-19 vaccine has become the perfect tool to spread its influence further and position itself as a leader in the fight against the pandemic. This supply diplomacy, employed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and often referred to as the “Health Silk Road”, hopes to gain a long-term diplomatic return and, in some cases, it has already begun to bear fruit. In September 2020, for example, Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, granted some Chinese companies permission to mine coal in Hwange National Park. This came after the Government of Zimbabwe, overwhelmed by the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, received 30,000 testing kits, 220,000 surgical masks, and 40,000 medical gloves from the Chinese government. Although the mining pact was not carried out due to international and domestic pressure by conservationists, it is expected that China will continue to reap benefits in the economic, political, and social spheres in the coming months. In February this year, Zimbabwe received a donation of 200,000 Chinese state-owned Sinopharm doses, and the country is set to purchase another 1.2 million doses from China at a preferential price. How this new form of soft power or “vaccine diplomacy” transpires is yet to be seen – through better access to natural resources (as was the case in Hwange), expansion of new markets, and/or financialization of infrastructure projects – but it is clear that China’s growing presence in Africa has been more noticeable during the pandemic. Could vaccine diplomacy allow Beijing to play a stronger role and be a bigger influence in the African continent or in those countries that might see China as a possible ally? Interests behind the Chinese Health Silk Road Zimbabwe is not the only country in the African continent to take advantage of good relations with China; Senegal, Ethiopia, the Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Seychelles, and Morocco have all received the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine. Stronger diplomatic ties between these countries and China are due to several reasons. Firstly, Sinopharm, while less effective, is cheaper than Pfizer and Moderna. This is partly due to the nature of the Chinese vaccine; an inactivated virus vaccine is easier to deploy and transport as it is not needed to be stored at a very cold temperature. As the vaccine requires storage infrastructures that some countries are not adequately equipped with, Beijing constructed production and manufacturing facilities in Morocco, Egypt, and Ethiopia, to enable the production and distribution of the vaccines to meet both domestic and global demand. While these African countries can benefit from the technology transfer and improve their production capabilities, the Asian power can reinforce its well-known Belt and Road Initiative. President Xi Jinping announced in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that China will be donating packages of cheap loans along with grants and investments worth $60 billion in the next three years, but it is also already the largest bilateral creditor in Africa and, thus, often holds the key to unlock debt re-negotiations. Moreover, China’s economic ties with the continent go beyond infrastructure investments. Around 10,000 Chinese firms are currently operating in Africa, and there are more African students in China than in the United States and Europe together, which indicates that these ties have largely been fruitful. Mask and vaccine diplomacy are strategic moves to build a more robust Belt and Road Initiative in the area of health, a topic that has been on China’s agenda since 2015 and one that the pandemic has helped to accelerate and strengthen. While China’s health diplomacy in Africa has had a significant and historical impact even before the COVID-19 crisis, its role was not particularly prominent till other major players, like the US and the European Union, shifted their focus on domestic issues. Towards an uncertain geopolitical future China is not only supplying African countries with vaccines at a more affordable price and with other benefits related to the whole project, but it is also supplying the same to other low and middle-income countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Beijing is preparing to become the leader in global health response and regain global confidence after being initially accused of suppressing the true extent of the health crisis. China wants to position itself as a responsible superpower in the international system, that will try to stand out from other world powers, and gain advantages that other countries would not be granted. This new form of soft power will allow China to play a stronger role and influence countries that see this moment as an opportunity to form alliances. But the vaccine diplomacy race is not over, yet. The US has vaccinated almost 50% of the total population and President Biden is willing to ramp up with the vaccine diplomacy race. Will the US get back on track with its health foreign policy or has China emerged as the new world leader in health diplomacy? I am an undergraduate student of International Relations at Blanquerna University – Ramon Llull in Barcelona and I am passionate about international affairs and geopolitics. I have a strong interest in the Mediterranean region and in particular, in water-related issues. I also did my exchange program in The American University in Cairo, Egypt, where I lived there for 6 months.

The umbrella organisation says that both faith charities and secular organisations feel they are being discriminated against by the growing number of government policies and grants focused on faith-oriented groups. Recent initiatives have included the Charity Commission's £1.6m faith unit, part-funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government, to improve leadership and governance in faith charities, starting with those relating to Islam. "Over the years, there's been a growing emphasis on the distinctive contribution of faith-based organisations to society," said Veronique Jochum, research officer at the NCVO and one of the authors of the report. "Sometimes there are specific needs, but if you multiply these separate funding streams, the overall message is about separateness, and that can have a negative impact." Jochum said that the NCVO had heard from both secular and faith organisations that felt they were not being considered for funding because of their religious orientation - or lack of it. "The perception is that some local authorities are not keen to give funding to faith-based organisations because there's a fear of proselytisation," she said. "People might feel that others are being given more privileges than them." The NCVO report also warns that the term "faith communities" is being used as a synonym for Muslim or black and minority ethnic communities. This, it says, is potentially very damaging. It urges policy makers to recognise diversity in roles, attitudes and practices within different faith communities. The organisation has also called on the Government to ensure that the interests of the broader community are considered when faith groups run public services. It cites the recent dispute over Catholic adoption agencies and whether or not they should work with homo-sexual couples. Meanwhile, Ruth Kelly, the communities secretary, has said that local authorities should not provide funding to community groups that support one single ethnic or religious group. She told the BBC's Politics Show last Sunday that councils should fund projects that are inclusive. The Commission on Integration and Cohesion, set up by the Government after the July 2005 London bombings, will this week make further recommendations on how to improve community cohesion.

Emerging economies spar with U.S. over ‘carbon colonialism’ GLASGOW, Scotland — The United States, the European Union and the U.K. drew a sharp rebuke on Thursday from developing countries who accused them of trying to shift the burden for fighting greenhouse gases under a plan calling for nations to more frequently report whether they were on track to meet their Paris climate agreement goals. The group of developing countries, which includes China and India, slammed the effort by U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and European negotiators for countries to conduct the reviews of their climate initiatives more often, saying that the rich world had pumped most of the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that was causing the changes in the climate. “We need to fight the war against this carbon colonialism, which is very risky for our countries and is completely ignoring that there are historical responsibilities,” said Bolivian chief negotiator Diego Pacheco Balanza, who chairs the 22-member “like-minded” countries group that includes India, China, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. take stock of their emissions frequently to determine whether they were on track for those goals. “It just behooves us — in order to convey to people the seriousness of purpose — to try to revisit this as much as we can,” Kerry said at a press conference last week. “I hope we come up with a very short framework.” But the call has incensed developing nations, and the group proposed ditching the whole section of a draft text for a pending Glasgow agreement regarding countries’ efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet. Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to update their climate plans every five years starting in 2025. Meanwhile, a senior United States administration official on Thursday said calls from some of the nations that face the greatest threats from climate change to update official pledges every year was too extreme. The dispute over the frequency of the national pledges comes a day after the United States and China issued a surprise collaboration agreement that spurred new optimism for reaching a broad agreement on the negotiations to advance the fight against climate change. The U.S. official told reporters it was too early to tell whether the pact with China had influenced the broader negotiations. Under the Paris climate agreement, countries were due to update their climate initiatives this year. While some nations have upped their climate goals, not all have — or they have only modestly adjusted their targets, including countries like Brazil, Mexico and China, the world’s largest greenhouse gas polluter. The new submissions set the word on a path of 2.4 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels this century, according to a report by Climate Action Tracker, well short of the growing calls to aim for the 1.5 degrees Celsius target. Pacheco Balanza criticized the focus on squeezing additional emissions cuts from nations, including the more frequent evaluations. “We are not equally responsible for the gap, the ambition gap… developed countries have over-used their domestic carbon space and now they’re using the space of developing countries,” he said. But the U.S. official pointed to Beijing’s decision to increase its climate action as evidence developing countries were able take action. China is the largest member of the group that Pacheco Balanza represents. China has said it would keep revisiting its 2030 climate plan, and agreed under its pact with the U.S. on Wednesday to try to reduce its emissions of methane, a potent heat-trapping gas. The current option on the table at the talks would require countries to provide an update on their climate pledges in 2022. But some nations, including those in a nearly 80-country alliance calling for the world to hold temperatures to the 1.5 degrees Celsius mark, want the assessments to come every year. “We need to have everybody in this group be accountable for what their their leaders and their ministers have committed to,” Tina Stege, the lead negotiator for the Marshall Islands and chair of the so-called High Ambition Coalition, said this week. “That’s really the basis for the trust that we have to get ambitious action, ambitious outcomes.” The division on how responsible each nation is for slashing emissions reflects long-standing friction between developing nations and richer countries. Developing countries say richer nations must bear the burden to slash emissions and provide assistance like finance and technology transfers since it is their pollution that is causing the climate change currently afflicting the planet. But developing nations are projected to account for a bulk of future emissions, meaning those countries must achieve economic growth in a greener way to slow temperature increases. Pacheco Balanza said the concept of evaluating climate progress next year would break from the plans laid out in the Paris climate agreement. And he criticized developed countries for failing to fulfill finance obligations laid out in the Paris climate agreement, Pacheco Balanza said. Rich nations missed a goal to deliver $100 billion annually in climate finance to developing countries by 2020, but have vowed to hit that by 2023 — though without making up for the shortfall, something developing nations are still arguing for in the talks. The senior U.S. official also said the U.S. would oppose efforts to create a fund to compensate other countries for “loss and damage,” or the climate devastation largely caused by historical emissions from rich countries. The U.S. has long held that position, frustrating low-lying and other nations vulnerable to climate change who want developed countries to shoulder more responsibility for climate change. Go To Source Author: POLITICO

Vail remodel bring the inside out to the banks of Gore Creek swood@vaildaily.com VAIL — With remodels, there’s not always a case for making sweeping, expensive changes to a home’s existing windows — but in the instance of this luxury, single-family residence on the banks of Vail’s Gore Creek, the chance to significantly expand transparency and bring the great outdoors inside presented itself in no uncertain terms. “The roofs leaked and the new owner called us to put things back together; he knew it was a good opportunity to make things better,” said Travis Cremonese, project manager for Eagle-Vail-based Shaeffer Hyde Construction, the home’s builder for its original owner years earlier. “He’d been considering doing something with windows; the leak and subsequent repairs sort of pushed the issue. “It was a substantial remodel, for sure,” Cremonese adds, explaining the windows scenario was part of a much larger undertaking. “But now it’s like a whole new home.” ‘Things will emerge’ “We need to listen to the client, and we need to listen to the land. What are the two essential elements saying to us?Doug DeChantPrincipal architect, Shepherd Resources, Inc. The first thing Cremonese did was help the owner find an architect. They ultimately settled on Doug DeChant, principal architect at Shepherd Resources, Inc., who, with his senior associate, Ryan Wolffe, went to work on a two-year project resulting in a home that better shared its nearby Gore Creek riparian environment, along with spectacular mountain views for which the design of its predecessor did not provide. “When you open your ears, and you open your eyes, these things will just emerge. We need to listen to the client, and we need to listen to the land. What are the two essential elements saying to us?,” DeChant said, adding that his first thought upon visiting the existing home was disappointment to the point that he felt something needed to be rescued. “Its relationship with the creek was almost nonexistent, especially, from the primary living areas; and the southern the sunshine we relish here in this climate couldn’t even penetrate into these primary spaces. “There’s a ridgeline view across the valley that flows right past the home, and you wouldn’t even know it was there when you walked in because the windows were so poorly arranged,” DeChant adds. “The glory of this property is Gore Creek, and you had no sense it was even there.” Wolffe said everyone involved realized the property itself was “truly amazing” — but they pondered, too, just “how amazing it could be with a different house on it.” Instead of bulldozing the site and starting over, he said, they decided to leave the existing foundation and some of the framing in place, replace the heavily-gabled roof with one of more modern design and build new exterior walls that would lend themselves to a much larger array of glass than the original architects had envisioned. ‘A wall of glass’ “The original house was just gable after gable after gable; we were looking at ways to open up the views. One of the ways we could do that was to do away with the problem, which was the gables themselves,” Wolffe said. “(Below), we basically created a wall of glass that essentially was doors, and when they open up, there is no structure visible. All the windows along the north wall actually are doors — to bring in the outside noises and warmth from the summer.” Cremonese, meanwhile, said the greatest challenge with respect to windows was at the home’s western end, with dramatic views straight down a stretch of Gore Creek after it bends around the home’s spruce-scaped backyard. With the architects adding a deck to the northwest corner of the structure and floor-to-ceiling sliding-glass doors along the entire northern wall of the home’s main level, it came down to having two of those doors meet at a corner, pocketed seamlessly, so as to minimally interrupt the sweeping vista that includes not only the creek but a vast reach up the Red Sandstone Creek Valley, part of the Gore Range, to the north. “There’s a substantial amount of steel beam above each of those doors which really carries the structure,” Cremonese said. “So, we were able to open up that entire corner and have a real indoor-outdoor relationship. It was quite a challenge to pull off.” ‘A big transformation’ For the windows themselves, the team called upon the Vail Valley’s premiere distributors of such high-quality products, Alan-Bradley Windows & Doors, based in Gypsum. “Remodels are a huge part of our business. We’ll have window packages for remodels in the millions of dollars,” said the company’s owner, Brad Wright. “They replaced all the windows in that home. It was a big transformation.” Wright first brought in a complete package of UV-resistant, copper-framed windows by Oregon-based JELD-WEN Windows & Doors, Inc. and Wisconsin’s Kolbe Windows & Doors. “A lot of windows in that home are framed in copper, not aluminum. It’s a unique window package in that the windows on the outside are copper,” Wright said. “It’s a living finish, a material that will patina, so it will change with time. There’s a lot of copper panels on the exterior of the home, so they wanted the windows to go with the copper siding.” ‘Bringing the inside out’ Wright then brought in massive Liftslide doors weighing nearly 500 pounds each, manufactured by Weiland Sliding Doors and Windows, Inc., in San Diego, with two of them meeting at that dramatic corner looking over the creek. “It’s pretty unique. We do find ourselves doing doors like that more and more with new homes, though, so in that regard it’s becoming more commonplace for an ultra-high-end home,” Wright said, estimating the cost of the windows alone for this home at about $300,000. “In that particular location, it’s a very beautiful example of what those doors can do for an indoor-outdoor living space, opening up an entire deck and bringing the inside out, completely opening up that entire area.” In the end, for Shaeffer Hyde Construction — which built the original home before being called in again for a complete remodel — the subsequent project was a success. “The greatest reward for us always is making the owner happy. Trying to carry through the vision he and the architects had really gives a sense of accomplishment,” said Cremonese. “That they’re happy in the end, honestly, is always the best for us. It’s all about the satisfaction of the client.”

Cancelling this section of the huge transport project will save vast swathes of natural wild places and spare the rare birds and carbon-storing habitats that were threatened by the proposed development. A significant number of nationally and locally important designated nature areas now face a welcome reprieve although The Wildlife Trusts will watch the proposed upgrading of other routes carefully to see if new threats to nature emerge. We will push for the delivery of net gain for nature as part of any infrastructure upgrade works. Nikki Williams, The Wildlife Trusts’ director for Campaigning and Communities says: “The Wildlife Trusts have long campaigned against HS2 – alongside thousands of others – because of the huge damage it will do to nature and communities along the route. Now the Integrated Rail Plan has made it clear that there are alternatives to HS2. “We support the principle of sustainable transport, but along with other nature charities, we cannot back such an environmentally catastrophic project. The first phase of the route is already under construction and we’re witnessing the shocking reality for affected communities and the much-loved countryside that has been destroyed around them. “We live in one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and HS2 is the cause of yet more loss of some of our most important wild places. As COP26 ends it’s time for HS2 Ltd to respond to the interlinked global crises of climate change and biodiversity loss – the company must meet its own sustainability targets but so far there is no evidence this will be achieved.” Rachael Bice, chief executive of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust says: “It is clear Yorkshire needs an improved public transport system to deliver a sustainable and prosperous future for communities in the region. However, we welcome, along with thousands of our members and supporters, the news that plans for HS2’s eastern leg has been cancelled and the subsequent harm to our wildlife and wild places will be avoided. HS2 certainly seems to have passed its point of relevance in terms of cost benefit and we are extremely glad the decision has been made to use the money in other ways. The proposed upgrading of other routes could have impacts on precious natural places, so we’ll need to look carefully at the new plans and we’ll be looking for the delivery of net gain for nature as part of the infrastructure upgrade works. “Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has spent a huge amount of time and resources battling this threat to wildlife over the last 10 years and attempting to work with HS2 Ltd in order to lessen the impact of the scheme. The proposed route would have further fragmented our sensitive natural systems, significantly impacting on locally and nationally important wildlife sites, habitats and highly threatened species. This comes as a great relief to all who care about the future and protection of our natural world.” Kieron Huston, biodiversity policy and planning manager, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust says: “The cancellation of part of the HS2 eastern leg significantly reduces impacts on Derbyshire's wildlife and we certainly welcome that. We are very concerned at the level of impacts along the route and never saw measures that would avoid or minimise the impacts here in Derbyshire. The mitigation and compensation for the loss of up to 26 local wildlife sites was still lacking in detail and in some areas the development would have increased fragmentation of habitats and wildlife corridors. One of our own reserves near Bolsover would have been damaged, and the longer-term impact of having HS2 immediately adjacent to our fragile wetland site at Carr Vale was of great concern. “The unresolved nature of these issues led us to oppose the route on the grounds of adverse impacts on biodiversity. We always felt that there were unnecessary and avoidable impacts on many sites and that HS2 had not engaged with many of our concerns and recommendations.” Nicky Rivers of Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust says: “We welcome the fact that the Government has not gone ahead with eastern leg of HS2 and we hope that both the nature and climate crisis are now at the forefront of any new thinking behind the northern transport developments. We will assess the details, but upgrading existing tracks where there is scope to do so is likely to be less ecologically damaging than creating new track and additional barriers for wildlife.” In 2019 The Wildlife Trusts, along with the Woodland Trust, RSPB and Chilterns Society, published an evidenced report, ‘What’s the damage? Why HS2 will cost nature too much’. It was the first, and only, comprehensive, whole-route review of HS2’s impact to be published. It highlighted the lack of detailed assessment at the time and showed HS2 Ltd’s proposed mitigation and compensation for nature was wholly inadequate. The Wildlife Trusts continue to call on HS2 Ltd to publish clear and detailed plans on how the scheme will meet HS2 Ltd’s obligations to achieve ‘no net loss’ of biodiversity along the whole route, and further, a net gain for wildlife and nature. We also continue to ask HS2 Ltd and the Government to address delivery of remaining works in order to ensure further catastrophic failings can be avoided.

News Highlighting transformative processes By Brian Dunn Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window,” the late management consultant and author Peter F. Drucker once quipped. But that was what two aviation specialists were asked to do in a presentation entitled, “The Future of Aerospace by 2050,” at the recent Aerospace Innovation Forum in Montreal organized by Aéro Montreal. By Brian Dunn Two of the main things that will shape the future of aerospace is halving the industry’s CO2 emissions and improving society’s benefit from aviation, according to Alan Epstein, vice-president of technology and environment at Pratt & Whitney. In terms of CO2 reductions, it would mean 85 per cent of in-production aircraft will be non-compliant. Two ways to reduce CO2 is by reducing the energy required to fly an aircraft and to find alternatives to jet fuel. “We need a technical solution for larger aircraft since they account for 90 per cent of aviation fuel burn,” Epstein said. “If fuel prices increase, expect to see 100-seat turboprop aircraft.” By 2050, there will be 16 billion passenger trips a year, four times today’s figure, according to Robert Pearce, deputy associate administrator for strategy, NASA. In addition, there will be 50 per cent less carbon emissions due to more efficient aircraft and operators and lower carbon energy from biofuels. The Boeing 787, for example, is reaching the physical installation limit for engines, said Pearce and so NASA and its industry partners are working on several different models. One is the Hybrid/Blended Wing Body (HWB), a cross between a conventional aircraft and a flying wing design. The program’s goal is to learn more about the low-speed flight control characteristics of the concept when applied to large transport or cargo aircraft. The HWB design could potentially get up to 30 per cent better fuel economy than traditional aircraft due to its unique shape. Another model, the D-8, is based on a modified tube and wing with a very wide fuselage to provide extra lift and its low sweep wing reduces drag and weight. Its embedded engines sit aft of the wings. The aircraft would be used for domestic flights and is designed to fly at Mach 0.74 carrying 180 passengers 3,000 nautical miles in a coach cabin roomier than a Boeing 737-800. A third design, a truss-braced wing model, features very high aspect ratio wings to substantially increase wing efficiency that would improve fuel consumption by five to 10 per cent over advanced conventional wings. Boeing designed the concept as part of subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research to help conceive airplane technologies and designs needed 20 years from now to meet projected fuel efficiency and other green aviation requirements. NASA is also conducting ground experiments of distributed electric propulsion engines that are five times more energy efficient than piston engines, according to Pearce. The first flight is expected next year. In addition, it is looking at supersonic aircraft “to make the world a smaller place as we believe we can solve the sonic boom problem.” Seeking new frontiers Another panel discussion touched on new opportunities and challenges for major global OEMs. One potential challenge could come from new low-cost entrants to the market, noted Denis Gardin, senior vice-president and head of new technology Ventures at Airbus Group. In the past five years, Airbus has adopted an innovative model and working like a new startup by launching new platforms such as a small electric aircraft and the Zephyr high-altitude Pseudo satellite. Future trends include globalization, more collaboration, lower barriers to entry to the business, more competition, increased public/private cooperation and more expectations from clients, predicted Naveed Hussain, vice-president of aeromechanics at Boeing Research and Technology. The company has more 348 research projects at 11 sites globally and some breakthrough technology includes composite liquid-hydrogen fuel tanks, subsonic, ultra-green aircraft research and noise reduction prototypes. Collaboration between competing OEMs is a key to progress in aviation, said Fassi Kafyeke, senior director of strategic technology and advanced product development at Bombardier Aerospace. “Technological development and the demonstration phases require industrial collaboration between OEMs, their suppliers and research centres. There was industry-university collaboration for the composite structures of the C Series.” Everyone is interested in increasing their slice of the pie, but they should also be interested in growing the pie. The best way to achieve that goal is collaboration among OEMs, Hussain said. Bombardier is sharing information with Boeing on such things as icing and composites, Kafyeke added. Collaboration means more eyes, resources and more cooperation on a problem, added Steve Dyer, vice-president of engineering at Bell Helicopter Textron. “I would like to see more collaboration between Canada and the U.S.” With everything in place in Canada, including centres of excellence like Aéro Montreal, Kafyeke predicts that more and more research will be done in this country within the next five years. “Is the industry becoming overconfident?” asked Joseph Anselmo, editor-in-chief of Aviation Week Magazine & Space Technology. Commercial aviation is no longer a cyclical business, according to Airbus, he noted. “Is an implosion coming? Absolutely not, but the squeeze on suppliers to reduce costs is only going to intensify. And automation, while not likely to reach the level of the auto sector, will also increase.” Plans are on schedule to manufacture heavy lift cargo airships at Mirabel, according to Michael Dyment, CEO of LTA Aerostructures. The company, which moved from Washington, D.C. to Montreal two years ago, has the financing lined up, he said, following a session entitled, “The Future of Flying: Electric Aircraft and Aerostructures.” While the company will initially target the mining sector in the north with its limited roads, small airstrips and short shipping season, it plans to lobby the federal government to transport pre-fab houses to northern communities where housing is desperately needed, said Dyment said. The airships will initially be powered by turbo prop engines, but the next generation will be electrical engines being developed in collaboration with Montreal engineering school École de technologie supérieure. Eyes on defence Canada’s Defence Policy Review under the Trudeau government was a topic of discussion in a session entitled “Defence and Security Market: New Business Perspectives for Enterprises in Canada.” Lieut. Gen. Michael Hood, CO, Commander at the Royal Canadian Air Force, was asked to comment on the F-35 being eliminated from the review. “We were never under contract with the F-35. Unfortunately, there is no forum for opposition parties to have access to important information,” he said. “We can’t exclude anyone from an open and transparent competition.” Asked where the air force is going with UAVs, Hood said they worked well in Afghanistan, but not so well in places like off the coast of Newfoundland. “The technology is great to a point.” Another topic was the relationship between OEMs and small and medium-size enterprises (SME) that want bid for contracts. It’s all about job creation, R&D and the export capability of the product, according to Charles Bouchard, CEO of Lockheed Martin Canada. “For SMEs wanting to work with OEMs, they have to be consistent, persistent and patient, because it may take months or even years for contracts to be awarded. And what do you [SME] bring to the table? Are you cheaper, faster, better? In defence, what are the challenges and how can we work together? What is the value proposition and how can we export it? Look beyond the Canadian market.” Asked how SMEs should approach OEMs for business, it is an education process, said Mike Greenley, vice-president and general manager of military at CAE Canada. “Make sure the government and OEMs are aware of your capabilities by educating them. Know your value proposition and I can’t overemphasize the need for patience.” DND will not buy everything in the acquisition guide, Greenley added. “Therefore SMEs must learn about the signals out there.” Print this page

Kentucky guardsman protects Capitol while teaching remotely Kentucky Army National Guard Lt. Sam Whitehead is on assignment in Washington D.C., where, since the January attack on the U.S. Capitol, he has been on duty nearly round the clock. With the permission of his commanders, platoon leader Whitehead said he periodically steps away from protecting “lives and property” to remotely teach his math students at Morehead’s Rowan County High School. The simultaneous roles put him in a unique position. Whitehead and Kentucky Guard officials aren’t aware of any other public school educator in the state teaching virtually while on active duty in the National Guard in Washington. Whitehead said the National Guard is supportive of public education and Rowan County Schools supports his mission with the National Guard. “I’m available 24-7 for both,” he said. “I’ll take late emails from students or I’ll get calls from soldiers or from my chain of command. Things just need my attention from both and it’s around the clock.” “I just handle it as it comes,” he said. “Rowan County Schools, I think they recognize the importance of what we’re doing up here and they’re very supportive of it,” Whitehead said. “The National Guard, my chain of command, they know what I do back home is very important too. It’s both of them understanding how important the other is.” The Kentucky National Guard has been asked to continue supporting federal law enforcement agencies with security, communications, medical evacuation, logistics, and safety through mid-May in the aftermath of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. “I have a duty to my community back home,” Whitehead said of his job as a public school teacher. “I have a duty to my country and my state.” Whitehead teaches a dual high school-college credit class virtually, providing the materials in an online format and monitoring his students progress. Students email or text him with questions “and I’ll make a little video ...and explain it and send it right back to them.” “It’s actually a lot smoother than you’d think,” he said. “It helps me stay connected with everyone back home and we can continue to work together to put students first.” Courses are also taught in his classroom face to face while he’s in Washington, with Whitehead relying on substitute teacher Terry Chin, a retired math instructor. Whitehead said he provides backup for Chin, “by giving him the resources needed to keep the classes moving forward.” Whitehead said he was giving a quiz last week, when his senior students asked him, ”Are you coming home soon?” Whitehead couldn’t give them a timeline, but he said, “I should be able to see them before they graduate.” “I have to give a lot of credit to the students,” Whitehead said. “I think they handle this (remote learning) way better than I would have at their age.” Whitehead is being praised by state officials, National Guard leaders and educators for tackling two challenging jobs simultaneously. Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said Whitehead “is a wonderful example of the impact teachers can have on the lives of their students, even beyond the classroom walls. Our kids are lucky to have a real life example of what it means to serve.” “It absolutely highlights the fact that he’s a citizen soldier,” said National Guard Captain James Hatch. “The time that he takes away from his family, away from the school but (is) still able to ...teach ...it highlights his character. He’s an outstanding soldier. We think the world of him,” said Hatch. Whitehead, 35, and his wife Sarah have two daughters Hannah, 2, and Savannah, 9 months. “We are extremely proud of Mr. Whitehead’s service to our country and his dedication to the students of Rowan County,” said Superintendent of Rowan County Schools John Maxey. “He is a true role model and shining example for the military.” Allison Slone, a fellow teacher in Rowan County Schools and a member of the Kentucky Board of Education, said Whitehead is dedicated to both his careers, “but most of all he is dedicated to his students.”

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Standing close together on a sunny autumn day, a group of people wait patiently by a blue bus parked beneath a bridge in Belgrade. This will be a rare chance for them to have a shower, wash their clothes or get a medical checkup. Three times a week, a humanitarian organization working in Serbia opens up its mobile bus center for the homeless, offering basic services and help to some of the thousands living and sleeping rough in the Balkan country’s capital city. The project of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency has developed gradually over the past four years. But it has grown in importance since the start of the coronavirus pandemic that has pushed already vulnerable communities further to the margins. Igor Mitrovic, executive manager of the ADRA group that is behind the project, estimates that there are 7,000 homeless people in Belgrade alone. “(Homeless people) are now even more exposed,” he said. Routinely afflicted by chronic diseases, mental health problems or substance abuse, homeless people in Belgrade in most cases have no documents and live under the state radar. ADRA aims to discover as many as possible, offer immediate help and try to get them back into the system in the long run, Mitrovic said. “They have been, almost all of them, abandoned by society,” he said. “They ended up without IDs, without any link with the system of health care or social welfare.” While the sight of homeless people sleeping in parks and streets is common in most world capitals, in Serbia it emerged relatively recently, after the 1990s’ violent breakup of the former, communist-run Yugoslavia and the postwar transition. Mitrovic said Belgrade’s homeless thus mostly are people in their 50s and older, who have found themselves lost in the chaos of the economic destruction that followed the Yugoslav wars and the collapse of the socialist-era welfare state. “We have around 1,000 people (whom) we are trying to relatively regularly assist on a daily basis, and maybe 2,000 whom we, at least once a year, assist in some way to reduce the negative consequences of living in the street,” said Mitrovic. A city of 2 million, Belgrade has a city-run shelter but its 100 places normally are fully booked well in advance, and are far from enough. Authorities have promised to open an additional shelter and have set up temporary facilities in various parts of the city. Part of the international ADRA network, ADRA in Serbia has worked on the bus project in partnership with the Belgrade city authorities and the United States and Slovak governments through USAID and SlovakAid agencies, Mitrovic said. The bus dubbed “Drumodom,” which roughly translates “Roadhome,” is envisaged as a temporary stop on the “way back home” for homeless people. “That’s the first objective, to protect their health, to try to find some shelter or to advocate for them with the government shelter for them to get accommodated,” said Mitrovic. “And secondly, more importantly, to find some long-term or mid-term solution.” Already without income, vulnerable groups such as the homeless have found their options even more limited during the COVID-19 pandemic that increased existing social gaps, Mitrovic explained. This has added to their isolation, particularly during the near-total lockdown period last year. “Even those minimal opportunities on the edges of social life like collecting something or using any kind of secondary waste to be resold, got reduced dramatically,” Mitrovic said. Slavko Antonic, 64, who said he is a former pilot from Bosnia, told the AP that pandemic restrictions have prevented him from returning home to the northwest town of Prijedor where he has a small disability income after being wounded during the 1990s war. Showing what he said was a a copy of his Bosnian ID, Antonic said he now has no money or way to travel, and lives in an abandoned camping trailer without electricity or running water. A restaurant nearby sets aside leftovers and he can keep clean thanks to ADRA’s bus, Antonic said. “I have given up, I never thought I would ask people for money, but I do now and good people give me some,” he said. “I feel I can no longer remember who I am.”

Santa’s little elves at CGS have been busy working on the Santa Sacks for children... SEQTA ParentsSEQTA StudentsSEQTA StaffOffice 365PT Interviews Casey Grammar School has been announced as the 2021 winner of The Age ‘Schools that Excel’ Award in the category of non-government school in Melbourne’s Southern region. The award recognises schools that have shown sustained improvement over the past 10 years and have demonstrated significant advancement of VCE results in their region over this period. Casey Grammar School’s VCE students have been scoring 40 much more often in recent years than they were 10 years ago with 5.7 per cent of the year 12 cohort reaching the mark last year, compared with 0.4 per cent in 2011. The school also achieved a VCE median score of 30 for the second consecutive year in 2020. Casey Grammar School has a strong focus on implementing strategies and tactics to ensure results continuously improve. These include capping enrolments, despite increasing demand. “We want to keep the school relatively small; we want to hang onto the really strong community spirit that we have here and if you get too big, sometimes that can be fractured or broken,” Principal Ms Fiona Williams said. It has also involved providing explicit direction to both students and teaching staff. Casey Grammar School prides itself on their outstanding team of educators and works closely with all teaching staff to ensure their methods are bringing out the best in students. “Expectations on staff has been crucial in terms of development of students over the last two years,” Ms Williams said. “We’re focusing on how teachers can add value in the classroom, rather than focusing on ‘how do we get more 40s’. Do that and we feel the 40s will follow.” At Casey Grammar School we recognise that success is measured individually. Our students are empowered through individual attention and encouraged to become the best version of themselves. We work with them to develop unique pathways tailored to their individual strengths and interests. “This award acknowledges the hard work and dedication of our teachers, students and staff. We are exceptionally proud of our entire community and look forward to continuously achieving excellence in all areas of education.” You can read more about Casey Grammar School’s School that Excel Award below. Schools that Excel – Empty field grows into field of dreams for Casey Schools that Excel 2021: View results over the past decade for your

By Jillian Berman Hello and welcome back to MarketWatch’s Extra Credit column, a weekly look at the news through the lens of debt. In this week’s column we’re taking a closer look at corporate initiatives designed to help potential students avoid debt — programs offered by employers that cover tuition for their workers. Though these programs often sound like a win for employees and a decent recruitment tool for companies, experts advise examining the small print of these plans. That’s what we’re going to do here. Over the past several months, major employers — perhaps most famously, Amazon AMZN — have announced they’d fund college tuition for their workers, amid labor shortages across several industries. But first let’s look at the experience of one Florida student. Rebecca Hall, 22, is just two semesters away from graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Central Florida. She has no student loans. That’s a feat accomplished with money she earned over the past two years running children’s programming, selling merchandise and doing other jobs at Disney World and its associated resorts, and by taking advantage of the Walt Disney Co.’s /zigman2/quotes/203410047/composite DIS -2.13% offer to pay employees’ college tuition. Hall says using Disney’s Aspire program, which the company launched in 2018, “was one of the best options I could have gone for as far as funding school.” Hall is just one of thousands of Disney employees who have taken advantage of the tuition benefit. But her experience illustrates the challenges workers can face using these programs that have some experts questioning their potential to transform students’ lives, not to mention the economy and the college financing system at large. For Hall, getting to this point has involved overcoming multiple logistical hiccups. One example: After her first semester in the program, where her full-time course load was fully covered by Disney, she received an email from the Aspire program indicating it would curtail the number of credits the company would fund each semester, to nine, about a month before Hall’s next term began. Hall rushed to secure a scholarship to pay for the extra classes she wanted to take. But she learned the scholarship wouldn’t go towards paying for those courses. That’s because the Disney benefit covered any remaining tuition for the nine credits after scholarships had been applied to the bill. But perhaps the most challenging part of Hall’s experience has been balancing school and her job. While attending college full-time Hall spent at least 40 hours per week working for Disney and she was regularly called in to work six day weeks during peak season, which meant sometimes she had to miss her classes. “Employers need to be better about working with employees as far as scheduling goes,” Hall said. “What is the point of doing a degree, putting all this work into a class and then you can’t take your exam and you fail it because your employer needs you to work?” Fortunately Hall never had to miss a test, but she did have to call out from work to take them. Too many of those calls could have put her job, and of course the tuition funding, at risk. Disney declined to comment on this story. Between August 2018 when the program launched and early 2020, more than 12,000 employees had enrolled in classes and more than 500 completed degrees through the program. When the company furloughed employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, it continued funding their college education. Even with the obstacles, it was still a success Despite the obstacles Hall faced, most would consider her debt-free degree a success story both for her and the program. And it may be what many imagine when major employers make headlines with their offers to pay tuition: A student attending a public four-year college in-person to study a subject of their choice. But the reality is that in addition to the challenges employees in these programs may face balancing work and school, the constraints on where and what students can study vary, which is why experts say potential students and employees should consider these programs closely before jumping at a job to take advantage of them. There are many strategic reasons why employers might want to offer these programs. For one, they can help recruit and retain workers. In addition, they also allow employers to have their workers co-invest in their own training, said Peter Cappelli, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, who has studied employer tuition benefit programs. While these benefits are often framed as if the employer is paying for your education, they’re just paying the out-of-pocket costs — the employee is paying in a sense by going to the classes and doing the assignments, Cappelli said. “The slightly more cynical reason why employers might do this is because it sounds like it’s a really great thing — and it could be — but very few people get to use it,” Cappelli said. Indeed, about 80% of employers surveyed by Willis Towers Watson offered a tuition benefit for employees in 2021. But the advisory company found that at 58% of the companies it surveyed, “few” or “very few” employees used it. When thinking about many of the programs announced recently, the data come with a caveat, said Lydia Jilek, senior director, voluntary benefit solutions at Willis Towers Watson. The survey asked about tuition reimbursement benefits, which many companies have offered for decades, and reimburse employees who pay for tuition up front. Reimbursement vs. debt-free Those programs have pros and cons. Companies pay the tuition directly to the school, so the employee never has to shoulder the cost — and that is probably the biggest advantage to the benefits offered by Walmart /zigman2/quotes/207374728/composite WMT -1.12% , Disney, Amazon and others. Paul Freedman is president of the Learning Marketplace at Guild, a company that works with employers, like Walmart and Disney, as well as with universities to offer these benefits. He suspects that by avoiding the need for employees to fund the tuition, programs like those on Guild’s platform have higher take up and are better suited to frontline workers, who may not have the thousands of dollars available to pay and wait for reimbursement. “We really push for more debt-free programs,” Freedman said. The challenges of reimbursement “made the programs underutilized,” he said. But the new model for tuition education benefits often offer less flexibility than what’s been offered historically, Cappelli said. “They’re really skimpy compared to what used to be offered,” he added. The initiatives Cappelli is referring to were often part of executive development programs, which means they typically came with an assured promotion after the employee finished the degree. Now, because these tuition programs often aren’t part of executive development there isn’t as much flexibility time-wise for workers to complete their schooling, Cappelli said. For her part, Rebecca Hall’s commitment to getting her college degree affordably goes back to before she landed at Disney. She spent a semester at Purdue University participating in ROTC, which would have covered a large part of her tuition, before realizing the Air Force wasn’t for her. Hall also moved to Germany for a period with a plan to take advantage of the country’s free college tuition. But it’s not hard to see how some of the obstacles she faced could delay significantly, or derail others completely from persisting in school. “Imagine you’re working a 40-hour week and you’re trying to get a degree on top of that?” Cappelli said. “Imagine you’ve got kids, responsibilities at home, it’s really, really hard to go to school part-time and if you could finish in 10 years that’s pretty fast.” Constraints on where students attend and what they study Today’s programs are typically less flexible than tuition benefits of yore in other ways, too. In the past, employees could often choose the school they attended, though for practical purposes it was likely somewhere local, Cappelli said. Now, employers usually limit the universe of where and what students can study. “What we’ve found is both employers and students desire curation,” Freedman, of Guild, said. His platform includes over 2,220 programs and on average, employers choose to offer 317 to their workers. Still, in some cases that could mean a student hustles to work and complete a degree in which they have little interest, or that won’t provide them much benefit beyond the specific company they’re working for. “If you have an employer that is offering an associate’s degree in logistics and that may not be your long-term career plan, does it make sense to pursue an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in something that may not be part of what your long-term career plan is going to be?” Jilek said. Of greater worry to some are the limits placed on where students can study. Stephanie Hall, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, said she’s concerned about the quality of the programs employers are offering to students. “Some of them appear to be institutions with low completion rates, high marketing spend, low investment in actual instruction,” she said. “Even if something is free or debt-free to the student, it still needs to be worth their time.” Amazon hasn’t announced its partner schools yet, but the company plans to work with “respected, vetted education partners who understand adult learners and the unique challenges they face,” according to a spokesperson. The company will have more information to share in January, the spokesperson said. Employers are more likely to partner with certain types of universities Kevin Kinser, the head of the Education Policies Studies department at Pennsylvania State University, said it makes sense that companies would choose to partner with open access, in some cases for-profit, colleges that may not graduate a large share of the students they enroll. “Colleges are looking for institutions that have liberal admission policies, that have attention to adult learners, that have online programs and that have some ability to work at scale,” Kinser said. “You’re trying to find places that are not going to take 10 or 15 people, you’re looking at places that can take 2,000 or 3,000.” In addition, employers are looking for colleges that can treat the arrangement like a business-to-business contract, instead of pushing the companies to conform to the standards and policies the schools have set up, Kinser said. That may be why employers lean toward for-profit colleges or online public university systems that were created after a public college purchased a for-profit school, he said. Employers may also prefer non-profit colleges that work with online program management companies for this reason too, Kinser said. Some colleges hire these firms to recruit students for their online programs and help them with the back end of offering the courses. Over the past few years, these companies have been the subject of some controversy over concerns that this outsourcing may be driving up costs for students. Kinser said the jury is still out as to whether sending employees to programs with spotty track records graduating students will pose a problem. “Even in an institution that might, in general, not graduate a lot of students, they are still graduating students and these might be the type of students that would be beneficial for the institution to enroll,” he said. At Guild, which works with a range of partners, including community colleges, four-year nonprofit and public colleges and a small group of for-profit businesses offering work-aligned programs, Freedman said the company does “an intense amount of work” vetting a school before they’re willing to partner with them. Guild looks for things like how successful a program is at increasing students’ earnings, advancing their career, how well they work with adult learners, and more, Freedman said. Still, it’s ultimately up to the employer to decide which schools they’ll pay for. Pathways for working adults Evangeline Cummings, assistant provost and director of UF Online at the University of Florida, said she was disappointed to learn a few months ago that Walmart would be dropping the University of Florida from its employee tuition benefit. Cummings said she hasn’t been able to speak with Walmart about the decision directly, but she was told by Guild that it was because the University of Florida was too selective. Cummings said she knows that traditional four-year public and nonprofit colleges have more work to do to make it easier for working adults to navigate their programs. But she also worries that employers may not be incentivized to help their employees get on a path to attending these schools by, for example, paying for them to start at a community college and transfer. She said the university is also working to make these pathways clearer and easier to find with added guidance for adult learners. “I fear that there might be a well-intentioned motivation on behalf of employers to get as many workers as possible into certain open access programs,” Cummings said. “It’s not always going to be the easy path to come to the University of Florida, but it might for many be the best path.” Walmart chooses its educational partners for its tuition benefit program, called Live Better U, based on their track record educating adult and working students and their focus on degree completion, Lorraine Stomski, senior vice president, learning and leadership at Walmart said in an emailed statement. “Based on Guild’s quality assurance assessment across programs and schools, Walmart followed Guild’s recommendation and added six new partners this year, including the University of Arizona and Louisiana State University, and made the difficult decision to remove the University of Florida from its catalog,” Stomski wrote. “These were data-driven decisions rooted in our commitment to provide our associates with access to education opportunities.” Still, Cummings worries that by removing the option to attend University of Florida it sends the message that the school is too selective for working adults, even though the University of Florida has “outstanding” students from Walmart — including one who graduated this summer and another who is supposed to graduate this fall — and other employers successfully making progress towards their degrees. It could also reinforce the idea among residential universities that they shouldn’t reach out to this population, she said. Ultimately, Hall is grateful she’ll be able to complete a degree she’s interested in at a school she’s happy with debt-free thanks to the work she put in at Disney and the benefit they provided her. But she wishes it didn’t have to be this way. “I think our system is incredibly broken right now,” Hall said of the way people pay for college in the U.S. “And I’m just trying to navigate this broken system.”

New Foreign Office advice calls the block on flights from the UK a “suspension for an unspecified period” High Covid infection rates in the UK have triggered a travel ban by Morocco. De Utenriksdepartementet is telling travellers: “The Moroccan government has announced the suspension for an unspecified period of direct flights between Morocco and the UK (and Germany and the Netherlands) with effect from midnight 20 oktober. “Travellers affected by flight cancellations should contact their airline or tour operator for advice on alternative routes via third countries (eg France, Spania) where flights are operating as normal.” The afternoon easyJet flight from London Gatwick to Marrakesh has been grounded for outbound travellers. The airline is laying on evacuation flights to bring travellers back from Marrakesh to Gatwick and Manchester. The airline is telling passengers: “We’re sorry that your flight has been cancelled. “We have been advised of a change of regulation that affects flights from UK arriving into Morocco. “The regulation comes into effect from tomorrow 21 oktober 2021, however as we’ll be unable to fly to Morocco in order to operate any return flights after today, we’ve taken the decision to cancel your flight with us today.” A spokesperson for easyJet said: ““We have been advised this morning by the Moroccan government that flying between the UK, Germany and the Netherlands will be suspended from 11.59pm tonight until further notice. “We are still awaiting clarity from the Moroccan authorities as to whether we are permitted to operate repatriation flights beyond midnight today. “As a result of this decision, we will cancel our outbound flying from the UK, Germany and the Netherlands until 30 november. “Pending guidance from the Moroccan government we intend to fly inbound in October to offer passengers repatriation flight options. “We are contacting all customers whose flights are cancelled with their options which include a free of charge transfer, receiving a voucher or a refund.” Marrakesh is the key Moroccan destination for British travellers. På mandag Ryanair announced a new route from Edinburgh to the city, starting in December. According to the Our World In Data website, the rate of new Covid infections in a week per million people last Monday was 639 for the UK and 11 for Morocco – with British coronavirus rates almost 60 times higher. The apparent travel ban comes days before the main half-term week for families in England and Wales. Den uavhengige has the UK representative for Visit Morocco. In August there were concerns that Morocco could be added to the UK’s “rød liste”.

“Eastern plays” with distribution in 7 European countries after Cannes The Bulgarian movie “Eastern plays”, which took part in the “Directors’ Fortnight” in the Cannes Festival, now has distributors in seven countries in Europe – France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and Turkey. There was also interest for distribution in the United Kingdom and the US. This was announced at a press conference last night by the film’s producer Stefan Piriov. The director / screenplay writer Kamen Kalev, the actors Nikolina Yancheva and Ovanes Torosian, and the director of Sofia Film Fest Stefan Kitanov also attended the press conference. Two years ago, back in the Sofia Film Fest, the just completed “Eastern plays” began their journey at the movie market “Sofia meetings”. After the official showing of the movie in the “Stephanie” hall in Cannes, the public applauded and cheered for another ten minutes. As Stefan Kitanov explained, “the French are a very loud public. When they don’t like somebody, the ruckus of their dislike is enormous. But in the case of “Eastern plays”, during the credits they were applauding and cheering for us”.

“I don’t know where in the hell I belong,” the West Virginia Democrat said. “I don’t know where in the hell I belong,” Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat, said Tuesday when asked about possibly switching parties amid his stubborn bargaining with frustrated fellow Democrats and President Joe Biden. Manchin said people approach him “every day” about doing so, and that it would be an easy decision. But he insisted he won’t, speaking out in a revealing interview with Economic Club for Growth Chairman David Rubenstein. “Is that the purpose of being involved in public service? Because it’s easy?” Manchin asked. “Do you think by having a “D” or an “R” or an “I” is going to change who I am?” he said, adding he didn’t believe Republicans would be any more pleased with him than Democrats are right now. He called being the only statewide Democratic public official in his home state “very lonely,” but said he understands why his constituents mostly vote for Republicans. “My little state has never complained. We’ve done all the heavy lifting — we’ve done the mining, we’ve made the steel, we’ve done everything it took for this country to be a the superpower of the world,” Manchin said. “And all of a sudden they took a breath and looked back and we’re not good enough, we’re not clean enough, we’re not green enough, we’re not smart enough, so to hell with you. So, they said, ‘Well, to hell with you, too.'” With Democrats holding onto a razor-thin margin in the Senate, Manchin has emerged as a pivotal player in Democratic efforts to pass the president’s agenda. He said he doesn’t think there is anything “fun” about being the decisive vote in the Senate — but it’s led to breakfast meetings at Biden’s Delaware home and given him the upper hand in driving the direction of the massive social spending package, including what amounts to a veto power over provisions he doesn’t like. That includes sticking to a much lower $1.5 top-line price tag for the social spending package he set at the start — something Democrats and Biden are still negotiating with him about this week, months later. He commented on Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s decision in June to use the fast-track budget process known as reconciliation to bypass Republican blocking efforts. “I don’t think we should be running the government through reconciliation, because it’s not lasting,” Manchin said he told Schumer. He also reaffirmed Tuesday that he’s opposed to changing the Senate’s filibuster rule — just days after Biden himself suggested he could support exceptions for fundamental Democratic priorities such as voting rights and election reform — and maybe more. While that would give Democrats breathing room to pass key agenda items, without Republicans keeping the measures from even getting a vote, Manchin said it’s important that the minority party retains some political power and that all sides pursue bipartisanship. And he offered some behind-the-scenes color about how he’s been bargaining with Biden, who’s eager to secure his support. “The president and I had this conversation, I said, ‘Mister President, I don’t know who put this out, but that’s screwed up,'” Manchin said, speaking about a proposal to help pay for his spending plan by having the IRS track annual transactions of $600 or more from individual bank accounts. After GOP backlash, the administration last week backed off the idea to catch tax evaders, raising the triggering amount to more than $10,000. Manchin wasn’t happy. “Do you understand how messed up that is?” he said he told the president. “This cannot happen. It’s screwed up.” “He says, ‘I think Joe’s right on that,'” Manchin told Rubenstein. “So, I think that one’s going to be gone.”

Animfx, Wellington, 20 November 2014:.” “In contrast, when attending GCAP and PAX Australia this year, the first question I was typically asked was which company I worked for. The automatic assumption was that I belonged, because why wouldn’t I? It was a really welcome change.” Ms Brannigan will join Stephan Schütze, Theo Baynton, Lara Dubuk and facilitator Alan Bell, on the gaming panel Death & the Maiden, whichconsiders the use of women, death and violence in gaming narratives. The panel is part of the AnimfxNZ 2014 digital entertainment event which kicks off at the Paramount Theatre in Wellington this Friday. Ms Brannigan’s career has also included time at Xbox and PopCap Games. She worked on the record-breaking 1 vs 100 for Xbox LIVE and on international hits like Zuma Blitz and Hidden Agenda. “Moving to work in Wellington was a really pleasant experience. I never felt that initial challenge to prove myself as a ‘real’ gamer or part of the industry, but was instead accepted as someone who (probably) knew what she was doing.” She says she appreciates women in senior positions speaking at international conferences can be a huge boost to other women in the gaming industry. “That’s part of why I push myself to do more speaking engagements, so that you can see it is totally possible. Providing more examples of women working in a diverse set of roles and responsibilities in the industry can be a great way to help encourage more girls to pursue those roles themselves someday.” Ms Brannigan grew up in Michigan and Seattle. She decided not to pursue a college degree and instead briefly studied 3D animation at a local community college. “I didn’t want a $50,000 dollar per year debt when I wasn’t yet certain what I wanted to do. She says she has always been a gamer. “I never really thought of it as anything unusual until other kids started to make a big deal out of it. It wasn’t until I was maybe 10 or 11 that it even occurred to me as something ‘odd’ or otherwise atypical.” Undeterred, she continued gaming for fun and worked as a consultant in web design. Although she enjoyed the customer consultation part of the job, working in gaming still appealed to her. She became a game tester and eventually moved to Microsoft as a QA engineer. Ms Brannigan is a passionate advocate for the growing role of player engagement in development. “Building communications with the customer and fostering real relationships is vital for long term success. If you have to spend eight hours talking with one real person sometimes that’s fine, as the purpose is to build relationships and trust. And as with any relationship, that can take time.” She believes that changing the way women and death are treated in the gaming narrative will come in large part from the community, through consumer feedback or through smaller teams and individuals choosing to tell their stories through the medium of games. Ms Brannigan says tools for creating games are becoming easier to use and more accessible, so games with one or a very small number of makers are emerging. These widen the opportunity to tell new stories and add diversity and successful games can get picked up by corporations. Traditional games won’t lose out to this, but there will be more choice available. Other AnimfxNZ speakers include Dean DeBlois, writer and director of How to Train Your Dragon I & II, Fabian Erlinghauser, from Irish company Cartoon Saloon, Michael Polis, president of Atomic Toybox Entertainment, and Mario Wynands of PikPok. On 22 November, Weta Digital will offer a presentation around the many facets of modern visual effects, including an insider’s look at the 2014 film Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, to be held at The Roxy Cinema. AnimfxNZ 2014 is open to the public and industry. For further information and ticket sales go to BACKGROUND INFORMATION: AnimfxNZ is organised by Grow Wellington, the Wellington regional economic development agency, with the support of the GAV Trust, PikPok, Pukeko Pictures and Weta Digital. Grow Wellington is the Wellington regional economic development agency. The GAV Trust is a group of digital media professionals dedicated to advancing the games, animation and visual effects industries in New Zealand.

Girls’ Generation Taeyeon’s younger sister Hayeon has officially made her solo debut with her debut single Eyes on You. This single was released on October 7 at noon KST through various music platforms. This single was made in collaboration with AI music technology, producer NUVO, and music directors Conor Dalton and Kyle Holand. Dalton commented, “This is the catchiest music I’ve heard this year.” Hayeon will officially begin music promotions with the release of this digital single and plans to release more tracks by the end of this year. Hayeon is already well known among Girls’ Generation fans as the younger sister of Taeyeon. She is born in 1998, making her nine years younger than Taeyeon. Enter Arts created the world’s first AI music label A.I.M in 2018 and has released eight AI albums since then. Watch her full music video below!

The popular social network Facebook announced last Sunday that it will create 10,000 new jobs in Europe in order to build a new technology platform in the next five years. The objective of this is to develop what they have called the “metaverse”, a meeting space between individuals in the digital universe where services with immersive experiences will be developed and supported by the use of technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality. Solen Feyissa vía Unsplash What is the metaverse? According to Enrique Dans, professor at IE Business School, the concept of the metaverse is a concept that defines the future of interactions carried out on the internet, made up of virtual spaces where work meetings can be held, participate in online concerts, and play online , go to shops, among other activities. “This investment is a vote of confidence in the strength of the European technology industry and the potential of European talent in the area of technologies,” said Nick Clegg, vice president of global affairs at Facebook, and Javier Olivan, vice president of core products at the company. Where will talent be screened for the 10,000 jobs? Although the statement by Facebook has not confirmed the countries that will be part for the selection of jobs, CNBC says that the company will focus its search for talent in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and Ireland. “Europe is very important to Facebook. From the thousands of employees in the EU to the millions of companies who use our applications and tools every day, Europe is an essential part of our success,” say Nick Clegg and Javier Olivan. Facebook has recognized the impossibility of creating this space on its own, for which it has announced an investment of 50 million dollars to collaborate with external companies and academics that contribute to developing the metaverse. “No single company will own or operate the ‘metaverse.’ Like the internet, its main feature will be its openness and interoperability. Bringing it to life will require collaboration between companies, developers, creators and policy makers, ”states the Facebook statement. Finally, Mark Zuckerberg, creator and president of Facebook, defined the metaverse as “the next generation of the internet”, to the CBS news network.

Apple today unveiled its new Self Service Program, which will provide customers with the parts and tools they need to repair their own devices. This marks a major shift in the company’s approach to hardware repairs. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lines are the first to be supported, but will soon be followed by M1-based Macs, Apple said. The self-service program begins next year in the U.S. and will expand in 2022. The self-service repair program supports DIY repairs Apple has long faced criticism from proponents of the “right to repair” because it is strictly against DIY repairs. In the past, it has even taken steps to make things more difficult for third-party service workshops. But instead of waiting for laws to force him to change that, Cupertino surprised us all today by welcoming user fixes. “Creating greater access to Apple genuine parts gives our customers even more choice if a repair is needed,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “In the past three years, Apple has almost doubled the number of service locations with access to genuine Apple parts, tools and training, and now we provide an option for those who want to complete their repairs themselves.” The new self-service program welcomes “customers who are happy to complete their own repairs” to procure the parts and tools they need directly from Apple. Initially, the program will focus on “most frequently serviced modules”, such as iPhone screens, batteries and cameras. Starting with the iPhone The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lines will be the first to support the Self Service Program, but Apple says Macs powered by M1 chips will follow shortly thereafter. The program will have its debut in the United States next year before being introduced in other countries in 2022. The self-service program gives customers the opportunity to join more than 5,000 Apple Authorized Repairers and 2,800 independent repairers who have access to genuine Apple parts, tools and manuals, Cupertino said. It will be available to them through Apple’s online self-service store. The new store will initially offer more than 200 individual parts and tools, which customers can order after consulting the repair manual to confirm that they are satisfied with the job. They can then return their old parts to Apple for recycling to get credit for the next purchase. “Self-service repair is intended for individual technicians with the knowledge and experience to repair electronic devices,” Apple said. “For the vast majority of customers, visiting a professional service technician with certified technicians using genuine Apple parts is the safest and most reliable way to repair.” What about your warranty? Apple does not mention the warranty implications of DIY repairs in its press release. But according to TechCrunch, Performing your own repairs with genuine Apple parts will not void your warranty, “although you could if you could further damage the product during the repair process.” Apple will certainly give us more details on things like this before the Self Service Program is officially unveiled next year. Friendly communicator. Music maven. Explorer. Pop culture trailblazer. Social media practitioner.

Lisa Yuskavage is a contemporary American painter who lives and works in New York City. Her figurative oil painting is known for its engagement with the female form. Yuskavage was born in Pennsylvania and studied at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, where she received her BFA in 1984. She was awarded her MFA in 1986 from Yale University’s School of Art, New Haven, Connecticut. She is represented by David Zwirner, New York. In the mid-1990s she participated in the group exhibitions “Figure as Fiction” (1993), Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati; “My Little Pretty” (1997), Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; “Presumed Innocence” (1997); “Pop Surrealism” (1998), Aldrich Museum; and “The Nude in Contemporary Art” (1999). Over the past decade, Yuskavage has had recent group exhibitions include “Bad Painting, Good Art” at Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien in Vienna, Austria (2008); “Diana and Actaeon: Forbidden Glimpse of the Naked Body” at Museum Kunst Palast in Düsseldorf, Germany (2008); “Paint Made Flesh” at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee (2008); “America Today: 300 Years of Art from the USA” at the National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China (2007); “Artist Collaborations: Fifty Years of Universal Limited Art Editions”, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York (2007); “Multiplex: Directions in Art 1970 to Now”, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York (2007); ). Work by the artist is held in the public collections of various museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California; the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, California; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; The Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida; The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; the Weatherspoon Art Museum, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York.

AXEL Announces Partnership with Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, as Preferred Privacy/Security Data Solution for Legal Industry... Blockchain-Powered File Transfer and Data Storage App Will Now Serve More Than 330,000 Legal Professional Members Las Vegas, NV, Oct. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AXEL, the leading online file storage and transfer solution for legal professionals, has announced a new partnership with the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, which will provide all members with access to the AXEL Go app – the most private and secure way to send, share and store files and data. This partnership is one of many month-long initiatives that AXEL has launched in honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, as the company continues to increase awareness and education on the importance of data privacy, data security and data custody. “We are thrilled at this partnership with Phi Alpha Delta, which highlights the need for affordable and cost-effective cybersecurity solutions for legal professionals everywhere,” said Ben Ow, President and CTO of AXEL. “Cybercrime is a major concern as businesses are still navigating the disruption of the pandemic with remote and hybrid work situations. So, it’s more important than ever for legal professionals to protect the privacy of their clients’ data, as well as to minimize and prevent data breaches and other risks that could damage their practices and reputation.” Phi Alpha Delta, whose notable alumni include six former United States presidents, current President and four sitting Supreme Court Justices, is an inclusive law fraternity with more than 330,000 members. Thousands of attorneys and judges are members of this organization which includes hundreds of pre-law, law, and alumni chapters across 33 districts in the United States, Canada and Mexico, making it the largest co-ed professional law fraternity in the United States. With this partnership, all Phi Alpha Delta members can access a secure solution that's easy to use to send, share and store their files – whether it be business or personal matters, as well as in-office, remote or hybrid work situations. "We are excited to expand our membership benefits and partner with AXEL," said Andrew Sagan, Executive Director of Phi Alpha Delta. "AXEL Go offers a valuable service to the legal industry, specifically for ethical and legal considerations in managing data and privacy. Its decentralized network with military-grade encryption and blockchain technology provides that extra layer of protection that law firms and legal professionals need, and we're pleased to offer this for our members at a special, discounted rate." About Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity law. Phi Alpha Delta strives to be the premier legal professional organization with a diverse membership that cultivates leaders and serves as a voice for the role of legal professionalism in our society. Through devotion to the ideals of compassion, courage, diversity, innovation, integrity, professionalism and service, Phi Alpha Delta betters both the legal profession and the community. For more information, visit here. About AXEL AXEL believes in a secure internet for everyone, and that private information is private property. The company continues to expand its suite of affordable, patented technology solutions for businesses and individuals for their data privacy, data security and data custody needs, and keeping its commitment to never sell user data to any third party. Available to members of The Florida Bar, State Bar of Georgia, Connecticut Bar Association, and through legal technology ecosystems such as Theorem LTD, the AXEL Go app provides users with a convenient, easy to implement privacy and security platform that is not readily available in most cloud-based file sharing applications. For more information, visit AXEL.org To sign up for a 14-day trial of AXEL Go Premium, please visit AXEL Go Follow AXEL on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn General Inquiries: PracticeSupport@axel.org CONTACT: John Svoboda AXEL (702) 948-9770 John.Svoboda@axel.org

Report: Hungary could introduce national alcohol stores pixabay The Hungarian government could begin drafting a new law by spring that would entail the introduction of national alcohol stores, similar to those used for the sale of tobacco in Hungary, Hungarian weekly Figyelő wrote in its latest issue, citing unnamed sources. Figyelő anticipates the potential reorganization of the countryʼs alcohol market to cause one of the largest political conflicts of the coming months. The change is also likely to stir the waters within the governing Fidesz party as well, the weekly writes. Hungarian online daily index.hu said the website of the Hungarian Parliament revealed that the government is scheduled to amend laws on excise duty by June, and given that there is an excise duty on alcoholic beverages, this announcement could provide further evidence to support Figyelőʼs claim. The Hungarian press has already spoken about the possibility of the Hungarian government introducing a nationalized store structure for alcoholic beverages as it did for tobacco last year, however, the government has denied such.

Dr Danilo V. Mascia - Position: Associate Professor in Banking and FinTech - Areas of expertise: Banking; SME Finance; FinTech - Phone: +44(0)113 343 2709 - Location: 1.04 16 Clarendon Place - Website: LinkedIn | Researchgate | ORCID Profile Danilo V. Mascia is an Associate Professor in Banking and FinTech. Prior to joining Leeds, he was an Assistant Professor in Banking at the University of Nottingham. Dr Mascia’s main research interests include SME Finance, Banking, and Financial Technology (FinTech). From August 2020 to February 2021, Dr Mascia was involved in the government review of the UK FinTech sector (The Kalifa Review of UK FinTech) launched by HM Treasury in July 2020. He currently serves as Director of the MSc Banking and International Finance, as well as Deputy Director of the PhD Accounting and Finance within the Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance (CASIF). Responsibilities - Director, MSc Banking & International Finance - Deputy Director, PGR Studies (A&F) - Deputy Director, Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance (CASIF) Qualifications - Associate Fellow of The Higher Education Academy - PhD Business Administration – Banking track - MSc Business Economics – Finance track - MSc Economics - BSc Economics & Finance Research groups and institutes - International Banking Institute

Man who attacked mother and boy in park said he was trying to save the world from the Illuminati 'The voices in my head were telling me I had to kill the Illuminati, which I did not want to do,' Yag told defence lawyer Andrea Urquhart Delusional beliefs that he had to eliminate a secret society to save the world led a Calgary man to the near-deadly attack of a woman and her young son, he told his trial Thursday. John Yag said voices in his head told him the Illuminati were secretly controlling governments and the media and he had “God-like” powers that needed to be used to get rid of the group. “The voices in my head were telling me I had to kill the Illuminati, which I did not want to do,” Yag told defence lawyer Andrea Urquhart. “I could never see myself so violent.” Yag, who faces two charges of attempted murder in the Oct. 6, 2017, repeated stabbing of a mother and her six-year-old son in a northwest Calgary park, said he awoke that morning and smoked a small amount of marijuana. “I had this feeling in my body … something had to happen that day.” He said the situation he perceived that day was “the Illuminati taking over the world and me having to save the world.” “In my mind, at the time, the Illuminati were evil people.” His delusions led him to believe this society was “torturing people behind the scene,” he told Urquhart. “My family and friends, torturing and raping kids,” Yag said. “So I thought I had to save the world and stop them from doing that stuff.” After his early-morning marijuana hit, Yag went back to bed and got up again around noontime. He decided to go for a walk because he was feeling overwhelmed by the voices. “I had to do something that day.” As he walked around, Yag said he periodically felt he was somewhere other than Calgary, at one time seeing palm trees and thinking he was in California. He eventually made his way to his aunt’s home, where he used to live. Yag spoke to two male relatives, drank some lemonade and had something to eat before taking a “big knife” from the kitchen and leaving. “I did not plan on using it,” he said. He remembers walking along a pathway that led from a retail centre to a park, but his memory isn’t clear. “I remember bits and parts of it, but it’s choppy,” he told Urquhart. The voices continued telling him it was time and “the world is depending on you.” “I felt something taking control of me and all of a sudden I started to run.” Yag remembers attacking the woman and her son, but only remembers three to five stabs. A statement of agreed facts made a trial exhibit says the boy sustained nine stab wounds while his mother, who covered her son to protect him, was knifed 17 times. Under cross-examination, Yag agreed with Crown prosecutor Vicki Faulkner that since he’s stopped doing drugs, his delusions have also stopped.

Velon and Tour de Suisse Agree to Partnership Velon and InfrontRingier have agreed to a five-year revenue sharing partnership to further develop the Swiss Grand Tour Today InfrontRingier, the owners of the nine-day Tour de Suisse stage race (11th – 19th June, 2016), and Velon, the business venture of 11 WorldTour cycling teams, have agreed a long term partnership to develop and promote the WorldTour race. The partnership, based on a revenue sharing model, is another step in the development of Tour de Suisse since InfrontRingier took over the marketing and organization rights in 2014 and for Velon towards achieving its aim of changing the economic model of the sport of cycling. This new partnership comes just one month after the group of 11 WorldTour teams announced a game changing ten-year agreement with Infront Sports & Media that will shortly deliver live data streaming technologies to add new depth and race insights for cycling fans and media. “The partnership will see Velon committing its leading 11 WorldTour teams and some of their top riders to the Tour de Suisse for the next five years”. The partnership will see Velon committing its leading 11 WorldTour teams and some of their top riders to the Tour de Suisse for the next five years (2016-2020), providing marketing and promotional services through its own and its teams digital platforms and be the exclusive Tour de Suisse partner for both live and delayed on bike footage and on bike streaming technology. In addition, Velon and InfrontRingier will work together to: This new partnership with Velon is based on the common believes of cooperation in professional cycling and maintains the momentum for Velon and its teams as they move towards establishing new revenue streams alongside traditional sponsorships to deliver greater financial stability and security for the teams, their staff and riders. Graham Bartlett – CEO of Velon said: “It’s fantastic to be in partnership with such a historic race in a heartland for cycling. Working with Infront Ringier we hope we can excite the fans more than ever over the next five years.” Olivier Senn – General Director of Tour de Suisse said: “We’re very proud and happy to have reached this long term agreement with Velon. We strongly believe that a bright future for professional cycling can only come from working together with all the parties involved. That is why we don’t want to wait for others to decide on our future but to move forward with the trustworthy partners such as Velon. We will work on our partnership and develop it to a success story for both parties.”

By Chris Moon Antioch Christian Church in Marion, Iowa, has spent the past month doing what few churches ever have had to do—grieve the sudden death of its longtime pastor. John Seitz Sr. had served at Antioch for nearly two decades when he began to suffer from poor health following an overseas trip in January 2018. Seitz had been battling an infection, and doctors were looking for a cause. The pastor had not preached a lot this year after his church elders granted him an extended break to rest and heal. But his health continued to deteriorate. He passed away June 20. He was just 51. Seitz left behind his wife, Gail, and four children. “The death was very sudden and unexpected,” Antioch elder Joel Grandon told Christian Standard in a recent interview. So how does a church with an average attendance of nearly 2,000 cope with the loss of its head shepherd? The leadership at Antioch has simply tried to follow the Bible. “It’s new for us. None of us has ever been through this,” Grandon said. Grandon noted that Jesus, as he hung on the cross, expressed specific concern for his mother—his closest relative. And, so, church leaders gathered around Seitz’s family to care for their needs in the moments immediately following the pastor’s death. The greater church began to come into focus a short time later. Within about six hours of Seitz’s death—and with the permission of the pastor’s family—the church leadership began to communicate the news to the congregation. “If you don’t, the rumor mill goes crazy,” Grandon said. The following day, the church opened the doors to its building for a two-hour evening prayer vigil. People gathered to pray and to comfort one another. There was no agenda other than those two things. “We didn’t know what it needed to look like,” Grandon said of the vigil. “But we knew we needed to give people a chance” to gather and mourn and pray. The church spent that first week focusing primarily on ministering to Seitz’s family. Since then, the church has maintained a very open stream of communication with the congregation and sought to minister to the needs of members as they’ve arisen. The church continues to talk about Seitz’s passing during its weekend services, which include a Saturday evening service and three Sunday morning gatherings. The church averages 1,800 to 1,900 each weekend, but Grandon said many more than that claim Antioch Christian Church as their church home. The weekly repetition in communication is aimed at making sure the full church is aware of the loss and the steps leadership is taking to move forward. “It’s difficult to work through this in a group that size,” Grandon said. He said the elders and the church’s executive pastor have been careful to regularly check in with the staff of the church to see how they are doing. “We have a very close staff,” Grandon said. “I would truly say that everyone on our staff feels they are a family and not just co-workers.” It just so happened that most of the church’s staff found themselves together at a previously scheduled church camp within a month of Seitz’s death. “We continue to minister to them,” Grandon said. Lincoln Christian University provided much of the pulpit supply during Seitz’s illness and has continued to do so since. The elders have not yet started serious discussions about a search for Seitz’s successor. As of mid-July, the church’s homepage still announces news of Seitz’s death. The staff page still features the pastor’s photo, alongside his bio button that now reads, “Entered Rest 2019.” “It’s a huge hole,” Grandon said. “But God is good, and we find new mercies every day.” Chris Moon is a pastor and writer living in Redstone, Colorado.

They may step out of the classroom during the summer, but NC State College of Veterinary Medicine students don’t stray far from their chosen field. That’s particularly true for those earning a CVM certificate in global health. This summer, three students worked on global health research projects, a required component of the certificate program. The 10-week projects provide hand-on experience with global health research techniques, including fieldwork and experimental designs. The research project also stresses the importance of multidisciplinary collaborations in addressing global health concerns. “Veterinarians have an increasingly important role to play in addressing the grand global health challenges of the 21st century, particularly in areas such as infectious disease control, antimicrobial resistance and food security,” said Andy Stringer, CVM director of global health education. “The program lets DVM students examine the complexities inherent in improving health on a global scale.” Here’s a look at the students’ international experiences this summer. Keli Gerken, DVM candidate, Class of 2020 Project: Characterizing pathogens and human behavior related to dairy animal source foods Where: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Keli Gerken The work: Gerken not only studied the microbial quality of milk, yogurt and cheese in urban areas of Ethiopia’s capital, but also gathered information on processing, consumption and storage practices through interviews with female dairy owners. “Household food security, hunger and undernutrition are critical issues,” said Gerken. “The poor nutritional status of women and children is a significant contribution to the problem.” The impact: Ethiopia has one of the largest childhood death rates from diarrheal disease worldwide, a condition that is primarily linked to contaminated foods, and milk products sourced from small farms and sold in urban areas is a big business in the country. Ensuring global food security is a major goal of groups such as the World Health Organization, which notes that in 2016, there were an estimated 815 million undernourished people in the world, up from 777 million in 2015. Making sure animal source foods are safe is a big part of combating such rising numbers. The goal: Gerken’s study aims to provide a richer understanding of animal source food practices in the region, highlighting risky behaviors related to the sanitation of dairy equipment and evaluating safety perceptions of people involved in food production. Such information can guide the development of future interventional and educational programs in the region. “This project recognizes the intrinsic link between livestock and livelihoods,” Gerken said. “Its intention is to influence policy and interventions that improve the safety of ASFs in urban centers across sub-Saharan Africa.” Hannah Varnell, DVM candidate, Class of 2020 Project: Surveying the quality and safety of milk sold in informal markets Where: Nairobi, Kenya Hannah Varnell with farmers. The work: As a graduate fellow with the International Livestock Research Institute, Varnell analyzed laboratory findings from household milk samples purchased in areas surrounding urban Nairobi. Groups such as the Kenya Dairy Board and the Kenya Dairy Traders Association are encouraged to use the findings to reevaluate informal milk market treatment practices, Varnell said. The research looked at bacteria loads in samples and rated quality standards such as fat and lactic acid content. The impact: While there are mild differences in quality and safety of milk between informal and formal sectors, informal market milk in the survey was found to be “overwhelmingly unsafe,” said Varnell. Among other findings, the research noted that the average consumer is not adequately preparing and storing milk. Milk samples had significant levels of aflatoxin M1, exposure to which is linked to human liver cancer. Aflatoxin is a food safety issue in Kenya because of improper animal feed storage, said Varnell. “The AFM1 levels in the informal milk samples are irrefutably an immediate and long term public health concern for Kenya,” she said. The goal: Varnell’s research is part of a broader, five-year ILRI study called the MoreMilk Project. The goals include improving the quality and safety of informal market milk through vendor training, consumer education and influencing public policymakers. “The data serves as a good indication for the need to reform the informal milk markets,” said Varnell. Annie Wang, DVM/Ph.D. dual program candidate, Class of 2021 Project: Investigating antimicrobial resistance in intestinal bacteria among small-scale farm livestock and people Where: Southern Sri Lanka Annie Wang The work: The project, the first of its kind in the area, involved seeking out small farms in which livestock owners and their families live in closer quarters than what’s typically seen in the United States. Livestock fecal samples were screened for Campylobacter and one type of the bacteria family Enterobacteriaceae that produces antibiotic-destroying enzymes. Wang had to get approval for the work from the University of Ruhuna and Sri Lanka’s Department of Animal Production and Health. “We were very fortunate in that these DAPH officers were incredibly supportive of helping us do this research,” said Wang. The impact: Antimicrobial resistance increases around the world threaten human and animal health, and Sri Lanka’s AMR rates match the high rates of other countries in Southeast Asia. In 2011, Sri Lanka, as a World Health Organization South-East Asia Region member state, signed a declaration to regulate use of antimicrobial agents to prolong and preserve their efficacy. The goal: Once collected bacteria are isolated at the University of Ruhuna’s microbiology lab, isolates will be sent to Duke University and NC State for whole genome sequencing and other tests, said Wang. “With this additional data, we can better understand the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of resistance in this region,” she said.

>>’s new chief data office is starting out small, both in terms of personnel and in terms of budget. It’s hard to say the same about its ambitions though. The service — only the second in DoD to establish a formal CDO role — says it hopes to use the organization to achieve what might be called holy grails in the context of a Pentagon that’s famous for its data silos: a shared data environment, a trusted registry of authoritative data sources from across the Air Force, and new analytic capabilities to turn those data warehouses into actionable information across the service’s mission areas. “All of our mission areas rely on data,” said Maj. Gen. Kim Crider, the Air Force’s CDO. “It’s my job to help our enterprise answer questions, solve problems and find opportunities to leverage our data to deliver on the Secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Chief of Staff priorities.” The Air Force mentioned the standup of the new data office, which officially occurred last summer, as a key priority in its 2019 budget rollout. Current plans call for a full-time government staff of about a dozen people, plus $14 million in new spending to pay for the standup of the new data and analytics environment and data scientists, architects and engineers working under contract. The Air Force is only the second military service to create a permanent CDO operation, and for now, Crider and her team plan to focus on early proofs of concept. In one use case, they’re crunching the service’s personnel data in an effort to direct its limited manpower to where its most critical shortages are. But Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, who first directed the standup of the chief data office in Sept. 2017, said the Air Force has ambitions that extend well beyond personnel management and into almost every aspect of how it will conduct future warfare. “We already collect volumes of data from every domain, so the next question is how do we make the information both timely and useful so we gain better understanding of the operational environment than our adversaries? It’s not enough to have more data than our adversaries, it’s how we understand the information and use it at the speed of relevance that matters,” Goldfein said Feb. 23 at the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Florida. “Our manual time consuming process today will only inhibit that speed.” But Goldfein emphasized that the service’s thinking about harnessing the power of its data has evolved over the past several years. These days, the focus is not primarily on performing analytics on large, existing data sets. Rather, it’s on fusing, in real-time, the information the Air Force collects at every moment of every day. “In future conflict, we are going to have to leverage artificial intelligence, human-machine teaming, quantum computing and other technological advancement so that we have humans doing what only humans can do, and let computers and learning software rapidly accelerate the speed and the quality of our analysis,” he said. “Does it connect? Good. Does it share? Better. Does it learn? Bingo. I don’t see this as managing large cumbersome volumes of data, or trying to connect every platform, sensor, or weapon in the inventory. We’ve got to be far more nuanced and advanced than that. It’s time for us to embrace and advance competing at the edge. Each of these platforms, sensors, and weapons are individual computers, advancing and going at the rate of Moore’s Law. We’ve got to think beyond an already old idea of big data, and think more about timely access of the right data.” Jared Serbu is deputy editor of Federal News Network and reports on the Defense Department’s contracting, legislative, workforce and IT issues. Follow @jserbuWFED

Churchillian war-spirit vs. bazooka-deployment: British and German metaphors for the COVID-19 pandemic as a war by Prof. Dr. Andreas Musolff (University of East Anglia) When the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic became publicly visible in March 2020, a number of political leaders rushed to declare a “war” on it, not dissimilar to earlier politicians’ pronouncements about “wars” against illnesses, addictions and pandemics (e.g. against cancer, AIDS, drugs, SARS). Now, threatened by an unknown virus, a new war effort was demanded by heads of state and government, such as the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as the French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Donald Trump, the Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and many others.The German Federal Chancellor, Angela Merkel, was, however, conspicuous in avoiding such a war declaration against the pandemic. In her public addresses about it, she only called it a “crisis” (Ger.: Krise) and a “serious, open-ended situation” (Ger.: ernste, offene Situation, Der Tagesspiegel). Given Merkel’s avoidance of war-metaphors, one may wonder if Germany took a different discursive approach to COVID-19 to other countries, specifically Britain, and if so, did this contrast perhaps have an impact on its pandemic policy? As part of a larger project on ways of “Communicating COVID-19” at the University of East Anglia, a bilingual corpus of metaphor usage by media and politicians in Britain and Germany, “CORONA-ENG-DEU” is being built, which allows us to investigate this question further. So far, the corpus consists of two samples of press and electronic media texts covering the period February-November 2020. The British sample includes 157 articles from across the whole range of (mainstream) political leanings that use metaphors for the COVID-19 pandemic and its ‘management’ and amounts to 142,439 word tokens. The ‘parallel’ German sample is almost the same size, i.e. 138 articles (125,254 word tokens). As a first observation we note that the pandemic as well as the scientific and public health measures that aim to slow its spread and ultimately neutralise it, have inspired a wide range of figurative language use, with several main ‘image’ domains becoming prominent in public discourse. Besides war and the wider domain of fighting, these semantic fields include the conceptual complexes journey-movement (e.g. the pandemic’s march vs. state and society’s progress in devising and implementing counter-measures, e.g. circuit breakers; and the race of science institutions and their nation states for developing a vaccine), spatial structure, containment, and construction (e.g. determination of hotspots, leading to regional and national lockdowns, announcement of travel corridors, allocation of regions to tiers of anti-pandemic measures), flood (waves, surge, tsunami of the pandemic, government turning the tide against it), as well as re- (and/or mis-) interpretations of scientific metaphors such as herd immunity. British and German COVID-19 war narratives When accounting for all texts that contain war/fighting lexis in the two samples that target the pandemic or the policies directed against it (English: battle, beat, blitz (spirit), Churchill, combat, enemy, fight, force, frontline, mugger, veteran, victory, war; German: Bazooka, Front, Kampf, Kampfzone, Krieg, Waffen, Schutzschild, Schlacht, Schlachtfeld, Sieg), the two national discourses reveal themselves to be not far apart quantitatively: within the British corpus, 60 articles contain relevant passages, i.e. 38.2% of all metaphor occurrences; the German sample has 45 such texts, i.e. 32.6%. However, in both national cultures, the field of war/fighting-based metaphors did by no means remain the same over the course of 2020 but developed into divergent discourse-historical trajectories. The early phase of British public debates in March 2020 was indeed characterised by a surfeit of war-metaphorical and war-referencing conceptualisations. Prime Minister Johnson’s war announcement in a speech on 17 March was accompanied by a chorus of public voices discussing the UK’s battle plan, likely sacrifices, the government being on wartime footing, and the nation having to show warlike stoicism in the fight against the enemy-virus. These metaphorical conceptualisations of the pandemic as a war-adversary were connected in many media commentaries in March and April 2020 with the public memory of Britain successfully enduring and overcoming the Blitzkrieg period of Nazi Germany’s warfare in 1940. These historical references were not metaphoric as such but included a high degree of metonymic references to symbolic aspects of war remembrance, especially, the blitz spirit or bulldog spirit shown by the UK populace in the early years of WW II and epitomized by Britain’s war-time leader Winston Churchill. The pro-conservative tabloid newspapers Daily Mail and Daily Express in particular liked to invoke Churchill as a role model, e.g by showing a picture of Churchill with his famous V[ictory] finger-sign and the caption: “It’s time for the kind of Bulldog spirit personified by Winston Churchill” (Daily Express,11 March 2020) and by challenging Johnson to match Churchill’s achievement: “Can Boris Johnson conjure up the spirit of the Blitz? As the coronavirus crisis worsens, the challenge and risks confronting the Prime Minister are Churchillian in magnitude” (Daily Mail, 16/03/2020). However, in the weeks following his war declaration, the Prime Minister had little chance to use his rhetoric or other leadership skills, as he fell ill from a COVID-19 infection and had to receive intensive care in hospital. After emerging from recovery in late April, Johnson tried to come back with an ebullient statement using a personal fight metaphor in order to reassure the British public that the pandemic could be beaten, not just in his case but also nationally: “If this virus were a physical assailant, an unexpected and invisible mugger, which I can tell you from personal experience it is, then this is the moment when we have begun together to wrestle it to the floor.” (The Sun, 27/04/2020). Friendly media accompanied his words with ‘matching’ epithets e.g. “Boris the boxer Johnson” and comparisons, e.g. as “seizing his chance to be the new Churchill in his war on coronavirus” (Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph, 27/04/2020). But his detractors were also quick to denounce his renewed Corona-belligerence as hypocritical by contrasting it with the lack of countermeasures: “People say the other parties are soft on crime, but at least […] they don’t watch it mug Italy and Spain [while not doing anything to save Britain]” (The Guardian, 28/04/2020). In the German corpus, Merkel’s own disdain for claiming war leadership or fighting prowess did not discourage other German politicians and media from using military terminology. The Federal ministers for finance and economy, Olaf Scholz and Peter Altmaier, for instance, promised a massive economic help programme which they called a bazooka (“Bazooka”), to highlight its hoped-for enormous impact, or war-metaphorically speaking, unlimited firepower (Die Welt and Weser-Kurier,13/03/2002). Besides German politicians’ discourses, the German press also reported Johnson’s and other international politicians’ war announcements against COVID-19, with a special focus on the high symbolic and emotional value connected with WWII memories in the UK. Besides the daily press coverage, popular scientific publications were rushed out that prominently employed war-announcements (e.g. Dripke & Mitsch 2020, Warsame 2020). It would therefore be wrong to assume that the German public was not exposed to sustained use of war-based metaphors in their COVID19-coverage. The main difference in comparison with the British public was the absence of such metaphors from Merkel’s rhetoric. Whilst German media, understandably, did not invoke specifically British Blitz memories, they did reference the Second World War as the last biggest catastrophe in living memory and popular memories of the sufferings and privation associated with it. The tabloid BILD, for instance, published articles interviewing old Berliners reminiscing about their war memories of seeking shelter from bombing raids, to put the current experience ‘in perspective’. When, by late April and early May 2020, the first wave of COVID-19 mass infections and ensuing lockdowns was coming to an end, the use of war-based metaphors in British and German discourses continued but partly shifted in terms of target topics towards other conflict aspects of the pandemic. For example, it took up on the ‘war of words’ between the US and Chinese governments over responsibility of the outbreak and the ‘national competitions’ for effective mass-testing to trace and halt further infections or the development of a vaccine against the virus. In both cases, it was general fighting rather than specific war vocabulary that was employed, i.e. terms such as defending, protecting, winning, fighting. Johnson once again showed himself to be more inclined than Merkel to use hyperbolic versions of his metaphors: “We have growing confidence that we will have a test, track and trace operation that will be world-beating and yes, it will be in place by June 1” (Johnson, BBC-online, 20/05/2020). But this promise of a world beating Corona-defense became a hostage to fortune, because delivery of the tracking system depended on factors the Prime Minster could not control. After the delivery date of 1 June had come and gone, the promise was exposed as irrelevant: “Honestly I couldn’t care less whether it’s world beating or not. I just want it to be virus beating – and it’s not.” (Prof. J. Edmunds, member of the government’s “Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies”, The Independent, 05/06/2020). The “world beating” claim was the start of a series of attempts at over-optimistic figurative reassurances, also claiming world “leadership” or “moonshot” quality [meaning ‘top high-tech quality’] for the UK government’s response to the pandemic. They all fared little better than the blitz-nostalgia of the early phase of public COVID 19-debates and were denounced as unrealistic and not reflecting public health experts’ advice. In Germany, the government largely refrained from promising early successes in pandemic treatment, so that the media commented on Corona-related fighting more as international observers, e.g. on the global race for the vaccines as a world war in the lab, or a new cold or secret war (“Weltkrieg im Labor”; “Der Kalte Krieg um das Superserum”;“Krieg der Geheimdienste um den Corona-Impfstoff”). Johnson’s claims of world beating successes in the fight against COVID-19 were also reported by the German media together with the negative verdict already given by their British colleagues (Die Welt,13/05/2020: “Briten haben genug von Johnsons Kriegsrhetorik”). Rising infection and death rates in August and September 2020 triggered warnings of a second wave and announcements of defence measures that would be informed by ‘lessons learned’ in the spring. At first, Johnson’s government again promised war like determination and world-leading successes for Britain, but after the infections were “spreading even faster than the reasonable worst-case scenario” had suggested, they were forced to impose a new national lockdown that put paid to the optimistic promises (The Guardian, 01/11/2020). Despite the announcements of scientific victories in identifying viable vaccines that might be deployed from December 2020 onwards, assertive uses of war/fightingmetaphors decreased sharply (one corpus occurrence in October and none in November 2020). In Germany, the low incidence of assertive uses of war/fighting metaphors in official and mainstream media and politicians’ discourses persisted, with only the vaccine announcements in November being dubbed “victory” (Sieg) or “breakthrough” (Durchbruch). On the other hand, a coalition of anti-Corona-restriction activists calling themselves “lateral thinkers” (Querdenker), nationalists and conspiracy theory followers who viewed the social contact restrictions as thinly disguised preparations for authoritarian rule by the federal government started to articulate a growing resentment against an alleged ‘globalist’ hidden agenda. The far-right populist party Alternative for Germany (“Alternative für Deutschland”, AfD) tried to capitalise on the groundswell of resentment and associate the government with alleged “war-propaganda” (Kriegspropaganda) through “bombarding” the public with their infection statistics, with the purpose of justifying a “Corona-dictatorship” by Merkel’s “war cabinet” (Corona-Diktatur, Kriegskabinett; see Die Zeit and tagesschau.de, 29/10/ 2020). At violent demonstrations in Berlin, Leipzig and other cities, co-sponsored by the AfD, the government was accused of “Corona-fascism” (Corona-Faschismus) and protesters posed as “Covi-jews” (Covijuden) with mocked up ‘star of David’ signs, as if they were Jews in Nazi Germany). The government’s new Anti-Infection Law, which was expressly designed to institutionalise regular parliamentary scrutiny of Corona-legislation, was denounced by them as the opposite, i.e. as an “empowerment law” (Ermächtigungsgesetz), akin to the 1933 law that suspended parliamentary control for the duration of Hitler’s dictatorship. Their rhetorical strategy seemed to consist in a two-pronged use involving war terminology: at one level it served to denounce the government’s policy presentation as ‘militaristic propaganda’ through loaded historical analogies with Nazism and the Holocaust, and at the same time, conventional war-derived metaphors (bombarding, war propaganda, war cabinet) insinuated that a war-like conflict was already taking place and supposedly legitimised their polemic. Preliminary Conclusions The first ten months of British and German media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic have shown a complex development of war/fighting-based metaphors. As the pandemic impact changed over the course of 2020, so did its public conceptualisation as a “war”. There can be little doubt that war-related metaphors are entrenched in public discourses in both Britain and Germany and that they played a significant role in initially alerting the public to the urgent threat of the pandemic. After that initial phase, they have shown ambivalent impact and some, such as hyperbolic victory declarations have ‘backfired’. As the debate of which they are a part, is still ongoing, their ultimate impact on policy- and decision- building by the respective national administrations can only be gauged in medium- and long-term discourse historical studies. About the Author Andreas Musolff is Professor of Intercultural Communication at the University of East Anglia (Norwich). He was Marie S. Curie FCFP Fellow at FRIAS in 2017, during which time he worked on his project “How are national identities and emotional attachment to them expressed across different languages and cultures?”. Literature Dripke, Andreas & Miksch, Markus. Pandemie: Die Welt im Corona-Krieg. DC Publishing,2020. Haddad, Amy. Metaphorical militarisation: Covid-19 and the language of war. The Strategist, 13 May 2020. Serhan, Yasmeen. The Case Against Waging ‘War’ on the Coronavirus. The Atlantic, 31 March 2020; (accessed 12 October 2020). Tian, Yew Lun. In ‘People’s War’ on coronavirus, Chinese propaganda faces pushback. Reuters, 13 March 2020; (accessed 12 October 2020). Tisdall, Simon. Lay off those war metaphors, world leaders. You could be the next casualty. The Guardian,20 March 2020. United Nations. COVID-19: “We are at war with a virus”– UN Secretary-General. 19 March 2020; (accessed 12 October 2020). Warsame, Aden M.. Krieg gegen das Corona-Virus.Ich als freiwilliger Ersthelfer. Versucht, Leben zu retten.Verlag Unser Wissen, 2020.

We’re outraged by the news today that Japan’s whaling fleet has murdered more than 300 whales, more than half of them pregnant females, in its Antarctic hunt after a year-long suspension. Four Japanese ships were sent to the Antarctic region Dec. 1, 2015 and returned yesterday with the slaughtered 333 minke whales. Japan’s most recent actions are in defiance of international criticism and despite a 2014 UN legal decision that ruled so-called scientific whaling activity in the Southern Ocean was actually a front for commercial hunts. Japan has killed whales under a loophole in the 1986 global moratorium, which unfortunately allows whale-killing under the guise of research–although the meat ends up on menus and in food markets. Japan’s “whaling towns” sell the flesh and it ends up in restaurants and on fish markets. Whales and dolphins were once a source of fuel and food, but Japan’s consumptive habits have changed, and it’s no longer a regular part of most people’s diet. According to an article by Reuters, Japan intends to kill nearly 4,000 whales over the next 12 years as part of its “research program” and has repeatedly said that its “ultimate goal is the resumption of commercial whaling.” It’s horrifying that these commercial whale and dolphin kills, which mercilessly exploit these unique ocean mammals, are allowed to continue in this day and age. Whale-killing is not culture; it’s torture.

Pouring gas on the bonfire of news tech, Google recently announced that it has distributed more than €27 million ($30 million) into projects spanning the European news tech scene. The fund’s goal is to ‘help stimulate innovation in digital journalism’ over the next three years, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai said at an event in Paris last week. This batch of project endowments is the first from a €150 million ($167 million) fund the company announced last year. “The funding will go to a wide variety of organizations”, Pichai said, describing the companies applying for the Digital News Initiative (DNI) funds as “wonderfully diverse, ranging from automated content personalization and robot journalism, to hoax-busting apps and tools to verify social media in real-time reporting.” Google and European news organizations have had a tense relationship over the past few years, and Google no doubt hopes to mend some bridges with the Digital News Initiative. In Germany, for example, publishers wanted Google to pay for using short snippets of copy on Google News. The spat culminated in Google making inclusion in Google News opt-in and temporarily de-listing a large number of news organizations in Google News. The new fund is designed to fund projects in three categories, including ‘prototype projects’ requiring up to €50k ($55k) of funding to build a prototype. In addition, the fund is open to medium projects open to startups and news organizations requiring up to €300k ($333k), and large projects, open to larger organizations with more ambitious goals requiring larger amounts of funding. Among the 128 projects, Google highlights El Diario, a Spanish news site that is creating a new journalism funding system based on a crowdfunding model. It will identify niche groups of audiences and invite them to fund a specific story or top up the financial gap in an important coverage. Another recipient of project funding is the German startup Spectrm. It will use the funds to build an artificial intelligence engine to help publishers communicate directly with readers via instant messaging apps. The first round of contributions is distributed across startups in 23 different European countries, with the largest project investments made in Germany, the UK, Spain, France and Belgium. Update: Google does not take an equity stake in the companies or projects involved, and we updated this article to clarify that. In addition, we’ve updated the link to El Diario, which was pointing to the wrong site.

Inside Y: The Last Man’s Radiohead sequence & Weird Al Yankovic moment Episode 6 of FX’s comics adaptation Y: The Last Man got some extra attention when it aired on Oct. 4, due to its provocative title, “Weird Al Is Dead.” The name of the episode comes from a sequence a few minutes into the story: As series protagonist Yorick (Ben Schnetzer) is traveling cross-country with his protector Agent 355 (Ashley Romans) and controversial doctor Alison Mann (Diana Bang), they stumble across a ritual concert where women gather every week to sing songs recognizing the world’s dead men. As a solemn, candle-holding circle of women perform an a cappella version of Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” Yorick talks to one of the locals, a young trans man named Jack (Tsholo E. Khalema). “I saw Radiohead live,” Yorick tells him. “My sister took me. I think she wanted me to know there was more to music than ‘Weird Al.’” Jack looks stricken, as if realizing for the first time that the death toll includes the musical satirist. “Rest in peace, ‘Weird Al,’” he says. “Weird Al” himself responded to the episode via Twitter, with characteristic wryness. Radiohead is the highlight of a series where everything has been linear and lean. It focuses on character development without much time for creativity or reflection. It was inspired by a sequence in issue #4 of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y. The Last ManIt may seem comical, but the original story is quite different. It takes place in a large outdoor festival that surrounds the Washington Monument. For another, the focus isn’t on Radiohead — it’s on the Rolling Stones. Showrunner Eliza Clark tells Polygon that the series’ writing team decided to update the reference for a more contemporary audience: “The Rolling Stones are so old!” she says, laughing. “I feel like 20 years ago [when the comic came out]Yorick in 2021 would have a different meaning for that reference. I think it says so much about who he is as a person, that he listened to ‘Weird Al,’ and his sister was like, ‘Let me help you here.’ It says a lot about their relationship. It just felt more him to me.” :no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22908721/RSAD.jpeg) Image: Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra/Vertigo Comics It was partially for pragmatic reasons that the scene had to be rearranged. “I really love that part of the comic, the memorial,” Clark says. “I wanted to get that in the story, but we were not going to be in DC; we couldn’t do the Washington Memorial. I felt like we could do our own version of it.” Polygon hears from Destiny Ekaragha the episode director that the sequence looks significantly different in the original draft. “We planned to have lanterns, and float them out over water,” Ekaragha says. “But finding a location that could accommodate what we wanted in the time we had was near impossible. […]Although we planned for the singers, there were also practical difficulties due to COVID. We were going to have all these singers, and we were told, ‘OK, you can have six singers.’” Ekaragha said she was able to work with Alexandra Schaller (producer) and Catherine Lutes (cinematographer). They were able to devise the sequence using their resources. Ekaragha focused on the use of candles for lighting. “I wanted some sort of light source in the middle, to bring the scene to life,” she says. “I thought, Bonfires are a great idea., but they’re so played, man. Everybody uses bonfires; I don’t want to see another bonfire. So I told Alex, ‘I want something like a wedding cake, something tiered, that’s a light source.’ She went away and came back with this idea to have these cinder blocks that look like they could come from the location where they were performing, and she put little candles in the blocks and put the singers on top of it. I saw the design, and I fell in love immediately.” A significant point of the scene, according to Ekaragha, was giving the characters some of the first breathing space they’ve had to actually process the massive changes in the world, and to mourn their losses. “We all knew we wanted the song to be serene and quite sparse,” Ekaragha says. “When I heard the song demo, I was transported immediately. When I was creating the scene I felt that same sensation, so that I could recreate it I kept the song on the background. I walked the circle myself to make sure it felt the way the song made me feel.” “It’s a moment for Yorick and 355 to connect for the first time, for her to have a moment of grief for just a brief second, for us to see her mask slip,” Clark says. “Radiohead just popped into my head for the scene. The song itself is beautiful and the words are perfect to tell the story. Radiohead has this very masculine quality to me, and hearing ‘Karma Police’ reframed as a kind of funereal lament with female voices was really exciting. Then Sue Jacobs was our music supervisor. It was amazing. She was like, ‘I can make this amazing!’ So we talked about other songs we could use, but it never got better than ‘Karma Police.’” #Sequence #Weird #Yankovic

DUBOIS – State Rep. Matt Gabler is slated to speak at commencement ceremonies at Penn State DuBois, planned for 7 p.m. May 5, in the campus gymnasium. First elected in 2008, Gabler is currently serving his fifth term as the representative in the 75th Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. For the 2017-18 session, he is a member of the following four committees: Environmental Resources and Energy, Finance, Rules and State Government. He has also been appointed to serve as deputy chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. Gabler was born and raised in DuBois and is a life-long resident of Pennsylvania. He graduated as valedictorian from DuBois Central Catholic High School, and served as student council president. He Lt. in the U.S. Army Reserves. He served as commander of the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 424th Multifunctional Medical Battalion before becoming a medical logistics officer with the Headquarters, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He currently holds the rank of captain. Gabler is a former research analyst in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. His decision to run for office came from a desire to effect real change as an elected leader. He, his wife, Lisa, and daughter, Caroline, reside in Clearfield County. He received the Penn State DuBois Alumni Society’s Distinguished Ambassador Award in 2015 for his support of the campus and its mission..

As a passionate environmental advocate in Ohio who, over the last several years, has become more active and vocal, I’ve often found it difficult to find local grassroots environmental organizations that I could get involved with or help. The more people I talked to, I found that they often are aware of the climate crisis or other environmental issues but are rarely inspired to act. Sometimes it’s out of apathy, but usually it’s just not knowing where to look. The more I searched for these groups, I found that the organizations themselves, unless they are large and well-funded, find it challenging to market themselves effectively and in turn, grow their membership and volunteer base. Thus, they are hard to find! Seeing a need, and being an experienced graphic designer and website designer, I started Go Green Go to make a positive impact with the climate crisis and other environmental issues. The goal of GoGreenGo.org is to “Turn Awareness Into Action” by getting concerned individuals in contact with grassroots environmental groups in their area of Ohio that share their interests. On our website, we have begun to create a comprehensive online directory of Ohio grassroots environmental organizations that is searchable by county, category and keyword. Interested in watershed or wetlands in Summit County, for instance? Just search our listing! I’ve spent countless hours building this website and populating it with well over 200 organizations so far. Each visually pleasing listing contains a description, categories, contact information, donation links, and social media links for that organization. Often times, our listings are more complete than the group’s own website. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization Go Green Go will not only benefit citizens by giving them a comprehensive resource, it will benefit the organizations by increasing their online presence while helping them grow their membership and volunteer base. Building, promoting and maintaining a project like this takes a lot of time, money and effort. This entire project is born out of grave concern for the future of our planet and its inhabitants. Our organization believes that real solutions to address the climate crisis and other environmental issues will come from active and motivated individuals getting involved with like-minded grassroots organizations. My board and I hope this website helps make it easier for folks like you to stand up and get going! We would be grateful for your support! Thank you! Eric Hancsak Founder & President Eric is the owner of the graphic design company About350 Creative, in Hudson, Ohio, and the founder of Go Green Go. He is a passionate environmental advocate and member of former Vice President Al Gore's organization The Climate Reality Project, and was appointed by Hudson City Council to serve on the Hudson Environmental Awareness Committee. Steve currently serves as Senior Advisor at the Council on Strategic Risk as well as at the Center for Climate and Security in Washington, D.C. He is also Co-Founder and President of Earth Ethic, an environmental security consultancy. During the previous Administration, Steve served at the White House as Director for Asia Security Affairs on the National Security Council. During his time at the White House he also co-chaired, with the President’s Chair for Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Sub-Cabinet Level Interagency Policy Committee tasked with managing the environmental impact of the U.S. global strategic rebalance. Steve served in multiple senior positions at the Pentagon including as the Chairman Joint Chiefs’ Deputy Director for Intelligence (DDI) and operations/intelligence briefer for the Secretary of Defense. He served as a Chief of Staff for the Chairman’s ISR enterprise as well as for U.S. Strategic Command. Steve also served in New York as Political-Military Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to the UN where he advised on Security Council equities. At sea and during operational assignments, he served as Chief of Staff for Intelligence for Commander, Carrier Strike Group 11 embarked on USS NIMITZ; senior analyst and briefer for Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet; Senior Indication & Warning Officer NATO Combined Air Operations Center, Vicenza, Italy; as well as in Berlin as Officer in Charge of the Defense Department’s Liaison Office. Additionally, Steve served as a Federal Executive Fellow, RAND Corporation, where he focused on the nexus of climate change and national security. Steve is a distinguished graduate of Georgetown University and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, where he received an M.A. in National Security Studies and a B.S. in Marine Engineering respectively. He is a senior service college Distinguished Graduate of the National Defense University where he received an M.S. in National Resource Strategy. A recipient of the Admiral Layton Inspirational Leadership Award, he holds specialties in Space and Remote Sensing System Operations, Politico-Military Affairs as well as certifications in Negotiation for Diplomats. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Fellow at the United States-Japan Foundation. Kate is the Senior Project Manager for Tinker's Creek Watershed Partners in Twinsburg, Ohio. She holds a bachelor's in Botany from Miami University, and a master's in Conservation Ecology from the University of Michigan. Jeff is a long-time member of the Hudson Environmental Awareness Committee, and its current Chairman. Jeff is also very active in the community, managing a soup kitchen volunteer group in Akron. Jack Brookhart received his Masters Degree from Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management (now part of Arizona State University) and also attended the University of Kansas and New York University in Spain. Jack has spent his entire career in the international marketplace, much of it establishing and managing sales and distribution networks and developing and implementing marketing programs in both professional and retail market segments. He has led the building and expansion of three companies into the international marketplace: Sherwin-Williams (Europe and the Middle East), Blue Coral and GOJO Industries. Jack is currently co-chairman Environmental Awareness Committee of Hudson, Ohio. Dirk is a former major league baseball pitcher, and current digital marketing and analytics strategists. He has written several critically acclaimed books on his life in baseball, and has appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers list and as a baseball analyst on national television and radio broadcasts. Julie Ann has a diverse background in art and marketing, spending nearly twenty years in the theme park and entertainment industries. While at the Akron Art Museum she oversaw public relations and marketing initiatives for the highly publicized building addition. Julie Ann is also the former president of the Hudson Heritage Association, currently serves as the marketing and public relations manager for the Akron Roundtable, and is a board member of the Baldwin-Buss House Foundation. Mike is a customer service veteran, spending years with the Cleveland Indians and Apple Computers. He is also an up-and-coming nature photographer who did a stint in Florida tracking panther migration patterns with acclaimed National Geographic photographer Carlton Ward. Much of Mike's photography is featured throughout this website.

Jammu: The number of identified sick industrial units in Jammu and Kashmir is rising and industrialists say the government is not taking adequate measures to arrest the degrowth in the sector. “The number of sick units has gone up to 457 till March 2013 from 350 in 2011,” said a state government official. According to the official, there are 25,000 units in Jammu and Kashmir, including 150 large and medium scale. Of these, about 11,300 are in Jammu region and remaining in the Kashmir Valley. He added that there are about 16,500 small-scale industries, of which 5,825 are closed or “untraceable”. Y.V. Sharma, president of Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said the government had promised revival of a central package which expired in June 2012 “but nothing has happened in this regard.” “We have a long way to go before we can say that Jammu and Kashmir is on path of industrialisation,” he said and added that the sector was “facing very tough challenges.” The central government had announced a package of incentives and concessions for industries in Jammu and Kashmir in 2002 for a period of 10 years, which expired in June 2012. “The basic industry friendly atmosphere and culture in Jammu and Kashmir which is lacking at the moment,” said Ashwini Soni, an industrialist in Bari Brahmana Industry complex, about 20 km from Jammu. “The government is not showing adequate intent and keenness to develop industries in Jammu and Kashmir.” According to a study conducted by the industries department, inadequate financing by banks and lack of marketing facilities for end products and the turmoil in Kashmir region were the reasons behind units going sick in the past 10 years. The study showed that “32.71 percent of the units became sick due to financial crunch, 30.55 percent due to law and order and other problems, 19.40 percent due to marketing problems, 9.24 percent due to raw material unavailability and 8.10 percent due to migration.” C.L. Gupta, a retired officer of the industries department, said the government has not been able to provide incentives to the sector. Among the central government incentives which have expired, were total income tax exemption, 100 percent excise refund, 90 percent transport subsidy, 100 percent insurance cover to industrial units, 15 percent subsidy on capital investment on plant and machinery and three percent interest subsidy on working capital. – IANS

Dissecting India’s Healthtech India's healthtech startups were growing rapidly even before the pandemic, but Covid-19 has ushered in a new age. This series dives into the trends, startups business models emerging in the wake of Covid-19. The Covid-19 pandemic has badly exposed the healthcare system of India at almost every level. While the prolonged lockdown had initially kept the rate of active cases in check, the recent growth rate has been exponential and India has overtaken Russia to have the third-highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases, behind the US and Brazil. And, there is a long list of reasons for India having badly failed in flattening the curve, from the low rate of testing to the poorly enforced lockdown rules in certain parts of the country. “In India, if you see, people don’t take their health as seriously as they do other things in their lives. People plan for the house, their marriages… they plan for everything, even for the honeymoon, but they hardly plan for health, which is quite ironic,” explains Dr. Amit Jotwani, cofounder and CMO of virtual cancer care platform Onco. Despite the harsh truth that our health is bound to deteriorate over time as we age, Indians don’t plan much for it, says Jotwani. Since it’s not on our priority list, the governments — states as well as the centre — too have not prioritised healthcare infrastructure, he claimed. Dr Jotwani is not alone in claiming this and many have backed this notion that India only takes healthcare seriously when the emergency has already entered the home. Sadly, this time it was a pandemic that served as a wake-up call and the government hurriedly approved telemedicine guidelines on the first day of the nationwide lockdown. The quick action around the telemedicine policy proves that indeed the government can do things if pushed into a corner. Despite the policy though, the efficacy of telemedicine and chances of it attracting big investments are in question as supporting policies such as the epharmacy policy, the Digital lnformation Security in Healthcare Act (DISHA) and the Personal Data Protection Bill (PDP Bill) among others, that are essential to the healthtech infrastructure have been pending approval for many years. Right from providing Covid-19 testing services at home to building a host of apps for it and robots for providing essential services, startups in a short span of time have helped India weaponise it against the pandemic. However, given the scale of requirement, the contribution and participation of startups in healthcare have been very limited, Thanks to the lack of policies and in particular, startup-friendly policies. In western democratic countries such as the US, governments are made and broken based on their healthcare policies. Barring the allocations set in the annual budgets, the current Narendra Modi-led government has taken a slew of measures and has already introduced a number of laws in the last six years. In India, however, healthcare has never been the core part of the government’s budget as well as agenda. Be it the low annual budget expenditure on healthcare — which at just over 1% of India’s GDP is one of the lowest in the world — or the disparate healthcare policies rolled out by many governments over the years — India has never been able to catch up in the global healthtech race. Is the infighting between policymakers at the central and state level to blame, or is the rot deeper? Have we got our healthcare policies and priorities wrong? What would it take to build a parallel infrastructure with increased participation from startups and investors? Stagnancy Breeds Rot In Healthcare “Spending around 1% of the GDP on healthcare, India is in the bottom rung of the ladder across the world. The developed countries, especially the US, spend around 10% of GDP on healthcare. Over the next few years, India needs an investment of at least $60-70 Bn in order to reach the average levels of healthcare infrastructure, leave aside the best.”- Rahul Agarwal, Quadria Capital Since 1983, when India announced and framed its first-ever national health policy, ‘Health For All’ has been a key objective, an objective which has remained unfulfilled till date. One of the key reasons behind this has been the low government spending on healthcare. If National Health Policy 2002 aimed to spend 2% of the GDP on healthcare by 2010, the updated policy in 2017 aims to spend 2.5% by 2025. The reality, however, is that the public health investment in the country was 1.3% in 1990 and is still the same. This story is quite opposite to the rest of the world’s. According to the World Bank, between 2000 and 2017, overall health spending dramatically increased in the group of 42 countries that experienced fast economic growth. On an average, real health spending per capita grew 2.2x and increased by 0.6 percentage points as a share of GDP. For most, the growth of health spending was faster than that of GDP, unlike India. The stagnant budget expenditure can’t simply help achieve the ‘Health For all’ objective. Clarifying it further, Dr Ruchir Mehra said, “The actual budget expenditure is usually less than that of budget estimates.” Mehra is the cofounder of Remedo, a platform for doctor practice management, patient communication and patient engagement. In contrast to the proposed budget estimates of 1.3% of the GDP, India only spent 0.95% of its GDP in 2017-18, consolidated among state and central government spending. This is against a target of 2.5% that the National Policy on Health 2017 aspired for. The low expenditure in this critical sector is much below international norms, observed 15th Finance Commission in its annual report. India’s total healthcare spending which includes public, as well as out-of-pocket too, has reduced significantly from 5.2% of GDP in 1990 to 3.6% of GDP in 2018 now. This is significantly lower than the aggregate of OECD countries which was 8.8% of GDP in 2018. Terming the government’s efforts on the policy front as ‘encouraging’ Meena Ganesh, CEO and MD of home healthcare services provider Portea Medical pointed out that there are several uncovered areas that need to be addressed in order to create a robust and modern healthcare system. There are areas of overlap which result in the lack of clarity about the scope of different schemes at times. Further, there is not yet adequate involvement of the home healthcare or healthcare innovation providers overall. “The need of the hour is to clearly outline the coverage under each of these schemes and expand the scope wherever needed to make them more effective. Subjects related to insurance coverage for non-institutional healthcare, digital healthcare and diagnostic devices and guidelines for home healthcare need deeper focus,” said Portea’s Meena Ganesh. Startups have termed these policies reactionary, and partly anti-industry in the case of products such as e-cigarettes. For instance, telemedicine guidelines, which were released only on March 25, 2020, the same day when the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns began, needs some refinement as well and ignores some obvious concerns. The guidelines would help patients and RMPs (registered medical practitioners) to get connected via intermediaries. The Guidelines while mandates patient’s consent for his/her data sharing, and has put the onus on the doctors to maintain the patients’ privacy, it doesn’t delve into the nitty-gritty of data privacy issues. The government intends to enact the draft Digital lnformation Security in Healthcare Act (DISHA) to provide for electronic health data privacy, confidentiality security and standardization and provide for the establishment of National eHealth Authority and Health lnformation Exchanges. However, the draft that was released over two years back, has not been enacted yet and hence downgrades the real potential of telemedicine in India. Extending insurance to telemedicine has been a breakthrough and essential development. Prashant Tandon cofounder and CEO of online pharmacy and healthcare platform 1mg said, “The insurance which earlier hadn’t recognised telemedicine has acknowledged this recently. This will bring more investments and traction to telemedicine.” “The Government of India has acknowledged the need and initiated the formulation of rules related to home healthcare. By bringing these services and innovations under the ambit of health insurance will be further instrumental in the wider adoption of such practices and improvement in the overall healthcare scenario in the country.” — Portea’s Meena Ganesh Healthcare Being A Part Of List II Make It More Contentious, Less Collaborative The Covid-19 cases continue to increase on a daily basis. The most affected states Delhi and Maharashtra, in spite of having the best of Indian healthcare systems have been suffering a huge crunch of beds, ventilators in the state. As a result, the Delhi government recently announced a complete reservation of state-backed hospitals as well as private hospitals for the local residents, creating a furore among the residents. While the decision was later turned down by the Centre, it sparked a fresh debate on whether “public health and sanitation: hospitals and dispensaries” should be categorised in List II (State subject) or List III (Concurrent subject). Something that was discussed in detail during the Constituent Assembly debates too. A contrarian by choice in the Constituent Assembly debates, HV Kamath had stated on September 2, 1949, “During the British Regime it (healthcare) was especially so, very sadly neglected and not much provided for : as a result of which the health of the nation has fallen to C-3 standards, it is the object of our government today to raise the health of the nation from C-3 to A-I standard. If this were the aim of our Government we could not do better than make public health a Concurrent subject. It must be accorded top priority if the nation is to rise to its full stature.” Agreeing to the amendment proposal that healthcare should be moved to concurrent list, another member T.T. Krishnamachari, who went on to become the finance minister of India in 1958, seconded the amendment, “I might mention that in regard to public health legislation, the Health Ministry wanted to take it over, and make it a Concurrent subject. As has been explained on a previous occasion.” Another member Dr. PS Deshmukh had then responded, “The Health Ministry, Sir, is not the last word here.” Well, 1949 or now, things haven’t changed much. The Delhi government’s banter with the centre is happening at the cost of many lives in the times of Covid-19. The private hospitals on the other end are accused of pickpocketing, charging insane amounts from patients. On the worsening public healthcare issues in India, Remedo’s Dr Mehra said, “There are so many variables that it becomes a complete mess in terms of accountability.” Mehra’s statement could also be understood by the fact that even though healthcare at large is a state affair, Article 249 of the Constitution has empowered the centre (Parliament) to make laws on the state list matters citing national interest. Public health is a state matter; however, public interest has been in the union list. Hospitals fall under state list, the medical education is however guided and controlled by the Centre. In such a situation a medical college which is essentially a hospital thus has to be accountable to both central as well as state machinery. This also opens room for dual corruption and mismanagement. Is there anything wrong in India’s approach to handling healthcare systems in the country?. “Undoubtedly yes,” said a NITI Aayog officer on the condition of anonymity. “Let’s take Covid-19 preparations for instance. While the Centre had rightly imposed a nationwide lockdown in the public interest, the lack of coordination among states and preparation at the state level has backfired at many levels. This could have been avoided if healthcare were in the concurrent list,” the Niti Aayog official added. Earlier this year, a High-Level Group formed by the 15th Financial Commission recommended that right to health be declared as the fundamental right by 2022 and that ‘Public health and sanitation: hospitals and dispensaries’ be moved from List II to List III. And, there are reasons behind the recommendations. Out of 36 states and union territories, over 24 states and UTs are doing fairly poorly in terms of their state incomes. States like Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have huge population but lowest income among the states and hence have been unable to cater to demands. According to T.S. Vijayan, the chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), 62% of the total medical cost of India is ‘out of pocket’ expenses i.e., the people paid for those expenses out of their own pockets, which is quite high when compared to the US in 13.4% and the UK at 10%. This also runs against the grain of India’s social fabric where over 80% of Indians don’t have any form of health insurance. According to India’s National Survey Office (NSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, only 14.1% in rural areas and 19.1% in urban areas had any form of health coverage. While Ayushman Bharat now intends to cover the health expenditure of 53 Cr Indians, in its absence 80% of Indians with no insurance simply can’t afford to get treated in private hospitals. The government has not been able to crack the execution part of the policies. That’s been the general notion of stakeholders, Inc42 observed. Despite states having badly failed in executing public-private partnership (PPP) projects with startups and other healthtech companies, the NITI Aayog has instead of finding the loopholes behind the failure is mounting on the same school of thought. In its guidelines for the PPP projects in healthcare, the World Bank has been appointed to provide technical assistance for development of the PPP model and a draft model concession agreement for engaging with the private sector. Karnataka, the state that has been at the forefront of executing PPP projects in the state, had scrapped its PPP project Arogya Bandhu long back in 2016. In other states too, the majority of PPP pilot projects didn’t meet the desired objective and were shut down. Dr Sylvia Karpagam, public health researcher had then pointed this out that why to involve the World Bank if the government can’t hold the World Bank accountable. Dr Karpagam said, “The World Bank has been at the forefront of pushing for structural adjustment programmes, user fees, PPPs, and generally opening up the market for the social sector. When some of these models promoted by the World Bank have failed and caused damage to comprehensive access to healthcare and derailed public systems, has this body been held to account? Is there even a system in place to hold the World bank to account for the disastrous policies that it has introduced in different countries?” PPP projects have not only failed in primary healthcare but tertiary as well. For instance, the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital that was rolled out by the Karnataka government in Raichur in tie-up with Apollo Hospitals was later found to be in poor state and the Apollo’s contract was terminated in May 2012. Not only the PPP projects but the public as well as private healthcare have not been able to provide a successful model. Private players that are there for profits be it pharma or healthcare have their own fair share of criticism of government policies as the government does control in terms of prices, takes much longer time in the approval process. Given the significantly lower India’s per capita income, the government too can’t let private players alone dictate the pricing. The infighting in various forms among various players thus has continued. Schemes and policies such as Ayushman Bharat are in tatters because of this policy muddle. Started in 2013, the National Rural and Urban Health Missions have met with limited success. India’s primary healthcare has only collapsed over the years. Pointing this out, Onco’s Dr. Jotwani said that primary healthcare has been totally missing. India has been reactionary in many ways. Whatever government has done is only related to new medical colleges, or some district hospitals, but no one in the ecosystem, especially the administrative side of things, had any idea how to deal with a pandemic. “And we have been lucky. I would say if we had seen, if we had that virulent strain or our immunity was not so strong, or if you were seeing those kinds of numbers as in the US, you can’t even imagine what the fatalities would be like. That was the most worrying factor in the medical fraternity,” the Onco founder added. The Fix For India’s Healthcare Had there been an enabling healthcare policy for startups, people in self-quarantine could have been easily treated via telemedicine and with epharmacy services and diagnostics startups bridging the other essential gaps! This would have reduced a great burden in terms of beds, and most importantly the state of unrest, at least in urban parts of the country. 1mg’s Tandon argued, “While we have done better than most of the countries the challenge has been in scaling up the available solutions. For instance, back in 2012, China had started the concept of internet hospitals. So, when Covid-19 happened China had already a strong home healthcare system in place which helped immensely in lockdown and self-quarantine.” Public healthcare is in very bad shape. Even politicians won’t go to public hospitals and private hospitals would only invest in areas where they can get a reasonable revenue, argued Dr Jotwani. “That’s why primary healthcare is not a piece of cake because no one knows primary healthcare needs more of an investment than returns. But it builds the overall healthcare of the population. If you have a very sound primary healthcare in general, you would see a better life expectancy.” In order to address the primary healthcare deficiencies, the centre has now approved and released telemedicine guidelines which would help patients get instant consultation via various platforms offering services through registered medical practitioners. This is just one step. Portea’s Ganesh said that since the pandemic has spread at a very rapid pace, the need today is to augment the existing healthcare infrastructure with available and scalable alternatives in areas of healthcare innovation, doorstep delivery of professional healthcare, telemedicine and diagnostic services. “These services act as force multipliers and enable doctors engaged in conventional clinical/hospital services to provide consultations to patients remotely,” she added. Telemedicine in India has a very limited appeal at the moment. In India, people have age-old tendencies to physically visit a doctor. This will take at least the next 5-10 years to change. eExpedise Group, a platform which enabled foreigners to consult Indian doctors, had recently introduced telemedicine services on its platform as part of a pilot project. The project was run in Bihar and a couple of other states, however, just nine patients used the platform for telemedicine services. CEO Amit Sharma told Inc42, “Telemedicine has its limitations, particularly in India. This seems to be quite popular in metro cities of India, however, in other areas, there are behavioural issues which will take its own time to change. Based on our own experience in this regard, I would say, despite telemedicine usually offering a cost-effective solution, people prefer to go to the doctor and show physically. And, it will take a generation to change the behaviour, if we start today. Besides the behavioural issues, there is a host of supporting policies as mentioned earlier that need to be implemented before telemedicine gets the working for every stakeholder. For instance, the epharma and DISHA as pointed out earlier has still not been enacted. Quadria Capital’s Agarwal believes the government has been listening to startup and private sector feedback. While most of the policies have been there and the major issues have been with their implementation part, and the lack of pharma policy has also been a major hurdle. “We have looked at many pharmacies as potential investments and there is always an element of doubt around the regulatory framework for those.” It’s ironic that pharma stores can sell any medicine without seeing a prescription. No records are kept and that’s okay. But data-driven epharma companies that don’t allow consumers to buy without prescriptions and keep a record of every transaction that anyone can audit have to face uncertainty in terms of policy and regulations. Building A Culture Of Healthtech Innovation Forget policies, even the research & development, innovation works are now being heavily misguided and being mishandled by the government, a startup founder said on the condition of anonymity, indicating how ICMR is mishandling the entire Covid-19 vaccination trial. There’s more to it. He said just because the PM wants to announce the launch of the world’s first vaccination from the Red Fort, the entire medical procedure is being overlooked. It is worth noting that the ICMR director general and secretary, dept of health research, ministry of health and family welfare Dr Balram Bhargava on July 2 had issued a letter directing Bharat Biotech, maker of Covaxin, a possible vaccine of Covid-19 to fast track the clinical trial and make it ready by August 15. Almost all the medical experts across the world are of the opinion that it would not only set a bad precedent but it is making a mockery of the entire clinical trial process. Dr Jotwani said healthcare administration remains a major issue. People who are making decisions need to understand the gravity of seriousness healthcare requires? How pandemics happen or work or how a disease process works? How does it affect individuals? Those decisions should be managed or should be made by people who are experts in that area. Founders also said that you can’t force startups to come up to innovate in healthcare. Startups will chase opportunities wherever there is clarity that their operations won’t be blocked by regulations, as has happened for online pharmacies. Unlike the other sectors, one of the major challenges with the healthtech startups is the longer timeframe needed to conceptualize, create and validate the products or undertake clinical research in areas of medicine and vaccination. Startups need a support system to overcome these challenges. Portea’s Meena Ganesh said that the support system for such research and development initiatives is still in the nascent stages in India. There is a need to provide an incubator ecosystem for such companies wherein they are provided an opportunity to work in tandem with the government facilities and institutions such as ICMR. Further, there are certain regulatory challenges that need to be overcome when it comes to development of drugs, vaccines and therapies in India. There is an urgent need to provide financial support in the form of funding and investments as well as tax benefits. By helping the innovators with their financial concerns and offering incentives to those who create transformational products and services in the healthcare sector, the government can ensure greater long-term improvement of the quality of life in the country. Alongside the support provided by healthcare incubators and institutional research facilities, this financial independence can boost healthtech and e-pharma companies tremendously,” Ganesh added. Varun Gera, founder and CEO of HealthAssure, however believes that if one has to prioritise about the demands from the government to help boost healthtech infrastructure, funding may not be his top priority. “The centre is even struggling to pay states their SGST stake. We are clearly not in a situation where we would expect something from the government in terms of funding support. Even if there would be some announcement it may be to the tune of INR 100-300 Cr. That won’t create much of the difference.” However, what the government may ensure is that the enabling market it could create by removing regulatory and unnecessary tax hurdles, Gera asserted. Startup-related innovations are mostly demand-driven which then oblige the government to come up with a suitable solution. Ankit Chaudhari, CEO & founder, Aiisma, a data marketplace app with symptom mapping feature opined that the DND feature facilitated by TRAI was indeed a user-driven feature. It was the demand and data privacy concerns raised by users which forced TRAI to come up with this feature. Similar is the case with healthcare innovations in India — it has to be demand-driven, said Chaudhari. Finding a balance between private and public healthcare, conventional and virtual healthcare, establishing a data-sharing architecture and ensuring data privacy won’t be an easy job. And, if policies are not ready for the changing healthcare ecosystem, things will only go south from wherever we are.

Chairman of Tourism Trinidad Limited (TTL) Howard Chin Lee said “in today’s world where people are looking for authentic experiences and engagement with local communities, the Visit Trinidad website is a menu of indigenous festivals, events and activities.” Tourism Trinidad Limited (TTL) launched a vivid, user-friendly, redesigned website for Destination Trinidad, called ‘Visit Trinidad’. Mr. Chin Lee spoke at the launch of the website at the at Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre this morning. He said the current COVID-19 pandemic, which the world is learning to adapt to now, created an imbalance with the country’s Tourism sector. Meanwhile Minister Mitchell disclosed that the website’s new innovation and its user friendly features cost $250,000. Minister Mitchell speaking with the media after the launch said ‘Visit Trinidad’ saved tax payers a handful of money given the Government’s move to digitization. Press play to hear more – Minister Mitchell said “the Ministry and its agencies are also.

Richard King’s descendants have been pioneers in wildlife management. They created visionary farming and ranching techniques and have managed the land to be productive while conserving and nurturing vital habitat for wild game – orchestrating a harmonious balance between wild game and domestic livestock on the ranch. In addition to being one of the birthplaces of Texas ranching, King Ranch, comprising 770,000 acres of pristine wildlife habitat, also boasts the distinction of being the birthplace of Texas game conservation. Abundant wild game is almost taken for granted in modern-day Texas, but there was a time when the bounty of Texas wildlife was at serious risk. Throughout the 19th century, wild game was abundant in South Texas, but by 1910, deer and wild turkey populations were almost completely eliminated. During a week of hunting on the Norias Division in 1920, a party of six experienced hunters was able to harvest only one deer. Intensely concerned about the rapid depletion of wild game on the ranch, Caesar Kleberg led the effort to establish the first game management policy in Texas. Mr. Kleberg spearheaded many game management initiatives, including the building of fenced areas and brush shelters that created cover for quail. He also built overflow tanks at windmills for wildlife. He and Alice King Kleberg, who is widely credited with saving the wild turkey in South Texas, also traveled to Austin and led the initial push to create Texas’ first hunting laws. By all accounts, Caesar Kleberg loved the land and the vast diversity of wildlife that thrived on it. He realized that for wild game to flourish so that generations of hunters could benefit from ample quarry, game assets needed to be managed. He clearly voiced his concerns to his cousin, Robert Justus Kleberg, who clamped down strict hunting rules for family and everyone working on King Ranch while simultaneously initiating the ranch’s first concerted predator control effort. These efforts paid off in later years, as the Texas Game and Fish Commission used the reservoir of game on King Ranch to stock other regions of the state and the U.S. Today, Caesar Kleberg’s vision and passion for wildlife carries on in King Ranch’s modern game management and hunting operations. approximately 12,000 of these majestic animals. Much of King Ranch remains a pristine wildlife habitat that includes huge live oak mottes, thousands of acres of mixed brush environments, and extensive coastal prairies and marshes. Baffin Bay, known by saltwater fishermen to be the best place on the Texas coast to pursue speckled trout and redfish, forms the western and southern borders for the Laureles Division. Home to Rio Grande turkey and a wide variety of other game and non-game species of wildlife, King Ranch stewards what is probably the largest population of wild bobwhite quail and quality white-tailed deer on a single ranch in the nation. management objectives.

One of the best things about New York City is that new underground places keep popping up almost daily. Beyond the postcard version of NYC that’s on everyone’s bucket lists, these spaces showcase the best and most innovative fashion, food, and art. Plus, there’s a different kind of charm to stumbling across magical spots that only a few know about. Of course, this isn’t to undermine the sprawling towers and luxurious buildings that NYC has come to be known for. In fact, Yoreevo reveals that skyscrapers continue to dominate the Big Apple, with more being built each year. However, it’s in the more nondescript pockets of the city where creatives thrive. Whether you’re a starving artist or someone who simply likes to admire paintings on a wall, you’ll definitely appreciate the creative energy that no other city in the world can provide like New York. Here are some places to add to your itinerary. Museums and galleries Credit: @neuegalerieny on Instagram The Neue Galerie is right on Museum Mile, but is often overlooked in favor of its more prominent siblings. But don’t be so quick to walk past it — the space is home to stunning twentieth century German and Austrian art, with colorful Klimt paintings hung on ornate walls. Credit: @MOFAD on Instagram The Museum of Food and Drink, otherwise known as MOFAD, is on a mission to create a fully-fledged food museum. Their current exhibition in Williamsburg traces Chinese American culture through its food, so if you’re a fan of the cross-cultural shows “Chef’s Table” or “No Reservations”, then you should definitely head over. Credit: @jackshainman on Instagram Creatives everywhere are pushing the boundaries of what art is, and you can find many of these norm-shakers in the Chelsea neighborhood — a community known for its dynamic artist hubs. The Jack Shainman Gallery has two Chelsea locations, attesting to its reputation as a forerunner in defining NYC’s contemporary art scene. Credit: @knockdowncenter on Instagram Make your way towards Queens to visit the Knockdown Center, an events space, bar, concert hall, and gallery in one. The multi-purpose space displays a huge, colorful mural that’s modeled after Plato’s cave allegory. The piece is also displayed together with a poetry installation, allowing you to see how art connects across forms. Bars and venues Credit: @camp_cope on Instagram Silent Barn, located in Bushwick, is the ultimate hip hangout. This studio space also doubles as a music venue. But the catch is that you never really know which musicians will play. To this day, they’ve hosted everyone from folk quartets and indie-pop songstresses, to “noise music” bands. Credit: @renhotels on Instagram Revered by locals, Bill’s Place in Harlem is often seen as ground zero when it comes to the Harlem Renaissance. A plaque outside their door boasts that the legendary Billie Holiday was discovered here, which should give you a sense of the talent that this place attracts. Credit: @publictheaterny on Instagram New Yorkers love <strong>The Public Theater</strong>, a cultural institution whose underlying message is to democratize theater for everyone. Even The New York Times has dubbed it one of the most prestigious non-profits in the entire country, and a key player in shaping NYC’s theater scene. For starters, the hit musical “Hamilton” made its off-Broadway debut here, and they’re also responsible for the annual “Shakespeare in the Park” shows. Credit: @lodivadevine on Instagram La MaMa is arguably the top destination for experimental theatre. If you’re looking for something more avant-garde than what’s on Broadway, buy a ticket to see shows written by emerging playwrights and musicians. Open spaces Credit: @mark.manders on Instagram Central Park is known for its sprawling gardens, but there’s a lot of art scattered around the premises that’s worth checking out. Mark Manders’ Tilted Head is the most recent addition. It’s a massive sculpture that looks like it’s straight out of an ancient temple, making it hard to miss. Credit: @meetthechows on Instagram There’s no better time to catch Brooklyn’s Bush Terminal, which has just been adorned with a new mural. Brooklyn Reporter was at its unveiling last September, which also served as a project between artist Angel Garcia and Sunset Park residents. The piece represents the rich diversity of the neighborhood. Credit: @heatherripleyart on Instagram Keep your eyes peeled for Francoise Schein’s piece located on 110 Greene Street. This large-scale subway map, constructed out of stainless steel and recessed lighting, is literally plastered on the street for viewers to see. What are some of your favorite NYC art spaces? Tell us in the comments below!

The following is excerpted from the author’s essay It’s Never Ever Boring! Triple Jeopardy from the Korean Side in Asian Americans: The Movement and the Moment (UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press, 2006). The author employs the term “Bi-“ with the explicit meaning of her multiple Korean-Chinese ethnic and political identities, with the implicit connotation of solidarity across boundaries of gender and sexuality — ed. BEING BI- AND female in the Asian movement also means putting in double, triple, quadruple time. The Third World Women’s Alliance, an offshoot of the Black Women’s Liberation Committee of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, dubbed this our “triple jeopardy” dilemma as women of color who have our hands, heads, hearts in multiple movements because of our race, gender and class status. As a wide-eyed 17-year-old Educational Opportunity Program freshman admitted the year of the Third World Liberation Front strike, being bi- meant consciousness and activism that rapidly ricocheted between Asian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Black, Chicano, Native American, Vietnamese and Korean influences. This was because during the flow of the mass movements of the late ’60s and early ’70s we were all knee-deep in “each other’s Kool-Aid.” Being bi- meant the “On strike! Shut it down!” adrenaline rush of running for your life from baton-wielding cops while engulfed in lung-searing tear gas, just because you believed there was more to history than the ... It meant spreading the gospel of the grape boycott of the United Farm Workers Union. It meant hotroding down to Delano to help build the union’s medical clinic and Agabayani retirement village for Manongs who had spent their lives living in cold water shacks, getting poisoned by pesticides, and enabling California’s agribusiness to grow fat. It meant driving university vehicles — odometer cables disconnected — to hot as blazes Coachella/Indio, the self-proclaimed “date capital of the world,” to attend a summit of Chicano Movement heavies. It meant marching for striking seamstresses and restaurant workers. It meant bum-rushing the stage of a giant antiwar rally in Golden Gate Park when white radicals failed to call out the racist genocidal character of the Vietnam War. It meant staying up late with cohorts to mimeograph a student ’zine on Asian liberation movements under the pen-name “The East Is Red The West Is Ready” Collective. It meant submitting the only “Korean contribution” to the Asian Women’s Journal. Later being bi- and female meant working in projects like Asian Manpower Services, Korean Community Center of the East Bay, Asian Immigrant Women Advocates, and Women of Color Resource Center. It meant clocking late night and weekend hours with the Third World Women’s Alliance and Alliance Against Women’s Oppression. It meant dragging the kids to anti-Bakke, U.S. out of Here, There, and Everywhere!, Gay Pride demos, International Women’s Day celebrations, reproductive rights pickets, and Rainbow Coalition conferences until Nguyen and Lung San got big enough to do the “bi-thing” their own way. Back in 1969 some of us who were active in the Third World strike, Asian American Political Alliance, Third World Board, and formation of Asian Studies at Berkeley decided to go on the first Venceremos! (“We will win!”) Brigade. We cut Cuban sugar cane to break the U.S. government blockade and show our solidarity with those cheeky brown folks who had the nerve to make a revolution right under Uncle Sam’s nose. All power to our Asian immigrant ancestors who worked Hawaii’s plantations and to poor people everywhere who cut cane for a living! Ugh! Talk about the most hellish work you could imagine doing in the tropics. But in the wake of Martin Luther King’s assassination, Watts, rebellions burning across the face of urban America and Indian Country and full-scale U.S. intervention in Southeast Asia, the Brigade enabled us to hook up with young bloods from communities of color across the U.S., or “belly of the beast” as it used to be called back in the day. We met Roy Whang, a Korean American from Detroit who was working with Black auto workers in the Dodge Revolutionary Workers Movement; George Singh, a Vietnam vet and “Bi” with Indian and Mexican parents; and Leo Hamaji, a local Buddha-head. We also met and partied with “the enemy” revolutionaries from national liberation movements around the world, including Vietnam, Korea, Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. On my 19th birthday the Cubanos brought me a big pink cake from Havana: yum! We ate a lot of black beans and rice, called moros y cristianos, or “Moors and Christians” — for the colors of Spain’s racial history — sipped super sweet pitch black coffee, guzzled rum, and swayed to Afro-Cuban rhythms under the palm trees: sabroso/delicious! Kwangju, South Korea was the scene of a mass popular movement which was massacred by U.S.-supported South Korean paratroopers in May, 1980. Miriam writes: “Kwangju was the turning point for the movement in Korea and the U.S ... The massacre exposed U.S. government complicity since the troops were dispatched with U.S. Military Command approval and Carter Administration officials’ prior knowledge.” She goes on to discuss how the events changed consciousness and spurred organizing by a new Korean-American generation. — ed. With the Kwangju movement came new generations of activists and influences. In the Bay Area a number of young folks, especially first-generation Korean students, gravitated towards Young Koreans United, a national organization linked to the radical student movement upsurge in South Korea. These young radicals produce a wealth of materials critical of Japanese and U.S. colonial practices in Korea. The movement also focused on the minjung, or the common people, and elevated the struggles of workers, peasants, and “comfort” and sex trafficked women, and revived indigenous folk culture. Over time Korean radicals seeded off many other research, cultural and organizing initiatives, including those devoted not only to “homeland,” but also to those focused on issues of racism, settlement, interethnic conflict and fighting for workers’, immigrants’ and women’s rights in the U.S. For example, 1.5ers [children of mixed-immigrant-generation parents] Roy Hong and Danny Park helped found Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates (KIWA) in Los Angeles. Korean activists also launched groups like the National Korean American Services and Education Center, Korea Exposure and Education Program, and National Pungmul Network; Korean Resource Center, KIWA, and LA Korea Forum in Los Angeles; the Rainbow Center, Service and Education for Korean Americans, and Nodutol in New York; and Committee for Korean Studies and Korean Youth Cultural Center in Oakland to name a few. The Kwangju generation validated and elaborated beyond imagination what earlier Korean and Asian activists had organized around during the movement’s infancy. Documentation and analysis of the post-Kwangju stage of the Korean movement remains to be done. Thank Hanul/Heavens, Korean rads are no longer a rarity. Now there’s even enough of us to merit national e-mail list serves in English and Korean! I returned to Berkeley to get my bachelor’s degree in Ethnic Studies some 20 years after the strike. Since we were no longer getting gassed and bullied by the National Guard, completing school assignments was much easier the second time around. But when the stuff you did “back in the day” turns into “Asian American history” and your kids start leading their own organizations, you know you’re about ready to join the noh in hwe/ senior citizens’ association. While studying in Korea for a year I got to catch up on what our movement “cousins” were up to, especially of radical women’s and workers’ movements who have journeyed through their own share of twists and turns. At the 1995 UN World Conference of Women and the 1996 migrant workers forum in Seoul, workers testified about the devastating impact of “2nd stage” globalization and footloose transnational corporations on women and migrant workers across Asia. Like I learned as a teenager on the Venceremos Brigade, we need to keep in touch with our sisters and bros working both sides of oceans and borders to be better equipped to deal with what’s coming around the corner, especially with the ever quickening pace of globalization. Through Jamae Sori/Sister Sound, a Korean women’s drumming group of kick-ass organizers, we transmit the beat from rice paddy rimmed Cholla-do villages, down Chirisan’s voluptuous slopes, up through Seoul City basements, above tear gas hazy demos, across turbulent ocean waves, out of inner-city diaspora storefronts, straight to your hood. You’ll see us snaking down picket lines of seamstresses, restaurant, hotel and homecare workers, in street fairs of survivors of domestic violence. Catch us at the annual Lunar New Year Parade, right behind the Azteca dancers, African-American rhythm and blues band, Hmong family clans, Vietnamese martial artists, Filipino hip hoppers and lurching, eye-lash batting, crimson red Chinese lions dancing beneath a spray of exploding fire crackers. No, it’s not easy being Bi-. But it’s never ever boring! ATC 134, May–June 2008

Christine Heitsch received her bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with Highest Distinction and Magna Cum Laude in 1994 from the University of Illinois. She received her PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 2000. She is a Professor in the School of Mathematics at the Georgia Institute of Technology and is Director of the Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology, an NSF-Simons Research Center for the Mathematics of Complex Biological Systems. Professor Heitsch leverages mathematics, especially geometric combinatorics, to answer questions in molecular biology on the secondary structure of RNA. Her work on theoretical aspects of RNA structure and its analysis by discrete mathematical models, as well as computational and experimentally testable aspects of RNA challenges, have established a novel interdisciplinary research program in this area. Dr. Heitsch's research focuses on different representations of geometric features of RNA such as base pairing, branching, and the distribution of low-energy states towards the goal of predicting RNA secondary structure. She has developed sophisticated approaches based on probability and geometric combinatorics that quantify the extent of sub-motifs in RNA secondary structure. These approaches are especially valuable for large RNA molecules, such as viruses, where functional behavior depends on the entire energy landscape. Another area of her research involves the analysis of branching patterns in RNA secondary structure. Such work has potential for understanding the limitations of thermodynamic optimization methods for predicting RNA secondary structure. Professor Heitsch has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Burroughs Welcome, and the National Science Foundation. The Southeast Center for Mathematics and Biology, where she serves as Director, has recently been established with support from NSF and the Simons Foundation. Professor Heitsch is also a dedicated teacher and a mentor to young scientists. She regularly teaches Analysis and Algebra courses including a key Fundamentals of Mathematical Proofs course in the undergraduate program at Georgia Tech, that she devised. Besides reshaping the undergraduate program, the course serves as a recruitment tool for new mathematics majors. Professor Heitsch also serves as Associate Chair for Postdoctoral Mentoring at Georgia Tech, leading a comprehensive professional training program in interdisciplinary research for postdocs. In the words of one of her nominators: “In the 24 years since Christine Heitsch's undergraduate degree at Illinois, she has devised an entirely original research program [which has become] the encompassing vision for a nationally important Mathematical Biology center … she is reshaping what is possible to do as, and more importantly, who and what it means to be, a mathematician.”

New drone pictures by Dundee University scientist highlight melting glaciers in Iceland Sign up to our Daily newsletter Subscribe todaySubscribe today from £1.49 Stunning new footage shot from the sky is offering an invaluable insight into Iceland’s disappearing ice. Old aerial images have been combined with modern-day drone photography to demonstrate the dramatic fashion in which some its largest glaciers are melting. The groundbreaking 3D process has been created by Dundee University scientist Kieran Baxter, who has documented the scale of ice-loss on a group of outlet glaciers on the south side of Vatnajokull, one of the largest ice caps in Europe. Dr Baxter, a researcher at the university’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, led the two-year project in collaboration with the University of Iceland and the Icelandic Meteorological Office, who conduct glacier monitoring in the country. He said: “We have produced images that are engaging and easy to understand. “It is important to show how climate change is physically and visibly affecting the region. “This new method allows us to compose unique aerial views of past landscapes and to see how they have changed over the last 30 to 40 years. “This period, which is within living memory for many people, has seen accelerated melt in south-east Iceland. “While we have a fantastic resource of mapping photographs from the 1980s, this method can also be applied to aerial photographs that are even older. “The archives are huge and we have barely scratched the surface yet in terms of using them to better show how the warming climate is revealed in our landscapes.” Vatnajokull ice cap has lowered by around 65ft on average every year for the last three decades. The height of the outlet glaciers has plummeted even more, shrinking by up to 120-170ft. The study confirmed the ice has fallen by more than 1,300ft since 2000. Dr Baxter used his system to create composite pictures which compare views from 1980s surveys to current photos captured with the help of the latest technology. Aerial mapping photographs taken by the National Land Survey of Iceland were modelled in 3D using photogrammetry software. While this process is routinely used by scientists to measure the historical ice surface, the models in this latest initiative have been aligned with contemporary drone photographs to highlight the impact of climate change on the region. Dr Thorvardur Arnason, director of the University of Iceland’s Hornafjordur Research Centre, added: “Dr Baxter’s highly innovative work adds new dimensions both to the monitoring of glacier recession and to the communication of the severe impacts caused by catastrophic climate change on sensitive environments. “The development of such novel vehicles for public outreach is of great importance in our attempts to understand and address the unprecedented scale, diversity and complexity of the ongoing climate crisis.”

The head of British Gas owner Centrica has called for a "fit and proper" test for executives running energy firms after a series of insolvencies prompted by high gas price crisis that are set to leave consumers with a £2bn bill. Chris O'Shea, chief executive of the energy giant, called for changes to ensure that it never happens again. The spike in wholesale gas prices has seen 12 smaller suppliers collapse since the start of September alone, affecting nearly two million customers. The volatile situation this week prompted Centrica to postpone an investor event scheduled for November, citing the "unprecedented commodity price environment". Mr O'Shea told Sky News: "Around one third of suppliers in the market have gone out of business this year so far. "It's incredibly distressing for consumers and there's a huge cost to that. "We have to make sure this doesn't happen again." Some have pinned the blame on smaller firms' business models - which might see them buy energy at volatile "spot" prices rather than smoothing out costs by purchasing contracts for future delivery. The surge in wholesale gas prices to record levels catches out such companies because they have to buy the expensive gas only to sell it to customers who are contracted to pay a cheaper rate. British Gas - Britain's biggest supplier - and other large rivals are picking up the pieces under industry rules which sees regulator Ofgem select one of them to take on customers of each of those companies that cease trading. Shortfalls in the money needed to pay for their energy will be met by an industry-wide levy, ultimately paid for by all household customers. Mr O'Shea told Sky's Ian King Live the sum was already estimated at £2bn. He said he could not give an estimate for how many more suppliers would go out of business but said those that had not hedged or maintained customer deposits would "find it very hard to survive this winter". Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker Mr O'Shea said that in cases when account deposits made by customers to collapsed suppliers have already been spent they have to be "made good" by the bigger companies such as British Gas that pick the customers up. Those companies also have to buy the gas and electricity the companies need on the wholesale market. "The cost over the winter alone for each customer is around £700," he said. "The customer credit balances that have been spent by these customers that have gone under is £400m. "There's about two-and-a-half million customers, who each attract a cost of £700, so already the cost of this over £2bn." The money is recovered by Centrica and others through a two-year levy spread across every energy customer's bill, Mr O'Shea said. He added: "I think it's incumbent on the regulator to make sure that every company in our sector can deliver on the promises they make to customers. "It's very, very simple and we have to make sure this never happens again. "There's a number of ways that you can do that. "You can either hedge - you can lock in the price in the market - or you can make sure that you've got enough money if you don't hedge so when prices rise that you can make good on that commitment." Mr O'Shea brushed off the idea that things would have been better if energy companies were in public hands, suggesting that the current issues did not turn on the question of whether the sector was privatised or nationalised. "What today's issues show is that the sector has to be properly regulated," he said. "We have to make sure that those people that run energy companies have to pass a fit and proper persons test like you do if you're in the banking or financial services business."

When you think of addiction, the first things that come to mind are gambling, alcohol and drug abuse. The footballers of the centuries have not been left untouched to fall into any of these opponents’ reactions – some of the best players to ever reach the pitch, George George, Diego Maradona and Paul Gascoigne to name a few. But there is an addiction, previously considered a harmless piece of entertainment, that is becoming a serious issue among professional footballers of all levels – an obligation to play computer games. For all the latest news, follow the Daily News Google News channel. “It’s the silent football epidemic,” athlete psychotherapist Steve Pope told Reuters. “Any footballer can not be tested for they like. “Trying to get out of control of a gambling addict is like taking a bottle of whiskey away from an alcoholic. It’s just as big a problem with drugs and alcohol abuse. “The players have spent two or three days in a row playing. They urinate in the bin in their room, so they do not have to get up. It is a national problem, but footballers are even more vulnerable due to their nature “. Technology has advanced to unprecedented levels to make games like Fortnite and FIFA an exciting experience where you can compete online with people around the world. And it is this competitive element that created such a problem among footballers and saw the Pope’s workload increase threefold during the COVID-19 blockades. “We will see these players transformed into warriors from the age of six – everyone wins, wins, wins, we create them to pursue a high,” the pope added. “If it’s a team game like Fortnite, against others, it’s Pandora’s box. Footballers are bred to do this kind of competition. “The lock has made things much worse. Do not wait for the drug dealer, open your console and get your high. I have not found the lock, it has become bedlam.” The so-called gambling disorder was only reported as a mental health condition by the World Health Organization in 2018, while in October 2019, the NHS in the UK launched the first National Gambling Disorder Center to treat patients between the ages of 13 and 25. It is therefore difficult to gather national data, as it has recently been recognized as a serious issue, but with more and more sufferers coming forward, such research is coming. “We usually help people with more common addictions such as gambling and we do not yet have specific sessions for computer games, but these will be released very soon,” said Alex Mills, head of training at Sporting Chance, a charity. England’s Tony Adams to support athletes in various mental and emotional health problems, he told Reuters. “Instead of going to football clubs, they ask me to talk about gambling. They would not say that if they did not believe it was a problem. There are athletes who come to us who may not say “we have a problem with computer games”, but when we talk to them it becomes clear that the issues that come to us, such as the breakdown of the relationship, have been significantly affected by behavior, such as spending too much time in a computer game. “ The amount of time that footballers spend on these games, often very much at night, is what made the clubs start to take into account. “If someone plays for 10 hours straight, often every day, they do not eat properly and their sleep is affected,” said Jeff Whitley, a former Manchester City midfielder and now executive director of the Professional Players’ Association (PFA). “If they do that, their bodies will not let them perform the way clubs want them to, which makes clubs more sensitive.” The computer game companies themselves, the Pope insists, have played their part. “Gambling companies are disinfecting things,” the pope added. (Tottenham Hotspur’s) Dele Alli and Harry Kane were paid to play games. Could a football club forgive a player who advertises whiskey now? No, so why advertise gambling? “ Attitudes change, given the effect it has on player performance, much to the relief of those advocating greater awareness. “Ten years ago, it was considered a joke by a club, but Fleetwood Town (English Tier 3), with which I used to work, took it seriously,” says Papas. “We kept it under control and received four offers in five seasons. Funny, the only player who ignored it (gaming) was (Leicester City striker) Jamie Vardy. He said he played his game on the pitch. “We used to laugh so much, but now the clubs, from the Premier League, are finally starting to see the light. It took a while to get here. “ The problem, however, does not go away.

By Paul Theerman, Associate Director, Center for the History of Medicine and Public Health .”1 So says the fictional character Dr. John Thackery on the first episode of Cinemax’s The Knick, a show set in New York in 1900. So the years and ages are thus: in 1880 newborn boys could expect a life of 39 years; in 1900, 47 years. And that’s about right. The technical term is life expectancy—the number of years that one could expect to live, with no substantial change of conditions. Dr. Thackery refers, grandiloquently, to those substantial changes of conditions that caused a dramatic increase in life expectancy in the developed world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and a steady increase thereafter. By 2010 U.S. life expectancy at birth stood at about 76 years for men, 81 years for women, with an average of 79 years overall.2 William Farr, circa 1850. Courtesy of the John Snow Archive and Research Companion. The individual who put such statistical work on a firm footing, institutionally and intellectually, was William Farr (1807–1883), statistician in Great Britain’s General Register Office from 1839 to 1879. The British government set up the Register Office in 1837 as part of a reform agenda to provide for civil—rather than parish-based—registration of births, marriages, and deaths. Farr was a medical doctor of modest background who found statistics fascinating. Three times Farr prepared life tables for England and Wales, providing life expectancies divided along gender and geographical lines, and basing his work on the burgeoning data collected in his office and through the expanded decennial censuses beginning in 1841. He was also instrumental in checking and confirming John Snow’s famous geographical detection of the source of the London cholera outbreak of 1853, based on mortality statistics.3 Farr was not the first to determine how to calculate life expectancy: that feat is general accorded to Edmond Halley, the early modern astronomer who predicted the return of the comet that bears his name. But while not the first to approach the topic, Farr may have been the most serious and articulate advocate of life expectancy as a measure of national health: Since an English life table has now been framed from the necessary data, I venture to express a hope that the facts may be collected and abstracted, from which life tables of other nations can be constructed. A comparison of the duration of successive generations in England, France, Prussia, Austria, Russia, America, and other States, would throw much light on the physical condition of the respective populations, and suggest to scientific and benevolent individuals in every country—and to the Governments—many ways of diminishing the sufferings, and ameliorating the health and condition of the people; for the longer life of a nation denotes more than it does in an individual—a happier life—a life more exempt from sickness and infirmity—a life of greater energy and industry, of greater experience and wisdom.4 A life table from Vital Statistics. The table, published in 1843 as part of the fifth report, refers to the year 1841. Farr expected “a noble national emulation,” that is, a competition for best life expectancy, to generate as much enthusiasm as “victories over each other’s armies in the field.” His vision—at least of comparative data—came true: today the World Health Organization provides life expectancies for 194 countries.5 The centrality of Farr’s work to the mission of The New York Academy of Medicine led to NYAM’s reprinting Vital Statistics: A Memorial Volume of Selections from the Reports and Writings of William Farr (1885) in 1975. As for Dr. John Thackery’s paean to modern medicine: it is a bit misplaced. He was right in stating that medical treatments, and especially surgical techniques, made great advances in his time. But that fact didn’t account for the change in life expectancy. Instead, “old knowledge” was more important: people fell ill and died due to poor sanitation, inadequate diet, dangerous working conditions, and the risks of childbirth and infancy. For example, in 1850 life expectancy in Massachusetts for newborn boys was 38, while 20-year-olds could expect to live to 62, 40-year-olds to 68, and 60-year-olds to 76. By 1900, the comparable figures are: newborns, 48; 20-year-olds, 61; 40-year-olds, 67; and 60-year-olds, 74.6 The situation for newborns improved greatly over the course of 50 years, but for older cohorts, little changed. Over time, the great dangers in childbirth and the first years of life had been ameliorated, and better obstetrics was part of the story, but public health made the difference. References 1. “The Knick,” Cinemax, Series 1, Episode 1 (aired August 8, 2014), as quoted in NPR, “A New Show about Doctors of Old,” broadcast August 3, 2014,, accessed August 14, 2014. 2. The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, “State Health Facts: Life Expectancy at Birth (in years), by Gender”, accessed August 14, 2014. 3. This and other information on Farr are from the editors’ “Introduction” (pp. iii–xiv), and the original “Biographical Sketch” (pp. vii–xxiv, separately paginated), in Vital Statistics: A Memorial Volume of Selections from the Reports and Writings of William Farr, with an Introduction by Mervyn Susser and Abraham Adelstein, The History of Medicine Series Issued under the Auspices of the Library of the New York Academy of Medicine, no. 46 (1885; reprint ed., Metuchen N.J.: The Scarecrow Press, 1975). 4. Vital Statistics, 453, quoting the Registrar General’s Fifth Annual Report (August 1843). 5. World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository,, accessed August 14, 2014. 6. Historical Statistics of the United States, 1789–1945: A Supplement to the Statistical Abstract of the United States (Washington: United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1949), page 45, Series C 6 21. “Vital Statistics—Complete Expectation of Life: 1789 to 1945.”, accessed August 14, 2014.

Outside looking in: Foreign investors welcome as the reform process continues Two issues facing any prospective investor in a developing nation are what is permitted and whether the laws of that country will protect their investment. For several years it has been recognised that Mongolia has tremendous potential, not just in terms of mineral resources, but also in agriculture and renewable power generation. The country treasures its independence, but as a functioning democracy, it recognises the need to respect the rights of its citizens and foreigners alike. Significant strides have been made in the past 20 years to produce a body of Mongolian Law which achieves this aim. ON BALANCE: At times the courts have struggled to keep up, particularly with some older judges trained under the Soviet system. It would be naive to assume that bribery and corruption do not exist, but successive governments have made it their priority to crack down on such practices. On balance, Mongolia is a far more transparent country in which to do business than many other developing nations. The broad thrust of commercial law will be recognisable to Western investors, as Mongolia has drawn from the West, rather than from Asia, in developing its laws. In broad terms, the concept of the rule of law is recognised in Mongolia. This chapter seeks to give a brief summary of some of the more important legal topics for prospective foreign investors. In particular, we shall review the new Law of Mongolia on Regulation of Foreign Investment in Business Entities Operating in Sectors of Strategic Importance, as it significantly affects the legal landscape of foreign investment. ELEMENTS OF MONGOLIAN LAW: The constitution – enacted by the national parliament, the State Great Khural, in 1992 – is the primary source of Mongolian law. Questions regarding the legitimacy of laws and regulations are tested before the Constitutional Court regularly. The judiciary is fairly active and independent, though there have been repeated concerns about corruption and a lack of experience in commercial matters. In 2012 the parliament passed a series of laws designed to further the reform of the national judicial system. For instance, according to the new Law on Judiciary, from July 2013 Mongolian courts will be reorganised into specialist courts in three major areas of law – administrative, civil and criminal. Until now there have been no specialist courts; Mongolian courts have administered justice as regular (or “generalist”) courts (except for the Administrative Court of Ulaanbaatar). The specialisation will now affect all first instance and appeal courts in Ulaanbaatar, as well as in regional administrative subdivisions (aimags). Another development of note in 2012 was the adoption of the Law on Status of Legal Professionals, which introduces, for the first time, a bar association for all Mongolian lawyers and judges. The association will be responsible for the self-regulation of the legal profession and serving its members. Membership in the bar association is mandatory. CIVIL CODE: The Civil Code of Mongolia (the Civil Code), enacted on January 10, 2002, as amended, recognises the freedom to contract, stipulating that parties to a contract are entitled, within the applicable legal framework, to conclude contracts freely and to define the contents of their contracts. Mongolian law is based on an overarching principle reminiscent of the English legal constitutional concept that everything that is not prohibited is allowed. This is codified in Article 13.2 of the Civil Code, which states that “Participants to civil legal relationship may, at their own will, exercise any rights and duties that are not prohibited or directly stated in the law”. The Civil Code’s recognition of the freedom to contract injects an element of liberality. For example, aside from certain agreements relating to a real property or shareholder rights and obligations, parties to a contract are free to accept the laws of any state to govern the interpretation of the contract’s terms in the event of a dispute. If the parties agree, a foreign-language version of the contract may prevail over the Mongolian-language version. Contract parties may agree to submit disputes for final resolution to an arbitral tribunal either in Mongolia or overseas, with London and Singapore frequently selected forums. As a signatory to the New York Convention for the Mutual Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Commercial Arbitral Awards, Mongolian courts are obliged to recognise and enforce foreign arbitral awards. In addition, the country is party to the Hague Convention on Civil Procedure, making it legally possible to recognise and enforce requests and decisions of courts in a foreign country which is also party to the convention. FOREIGN INVESTMENT: In accordance with Article 6 of the 1993 Law of Mongolia on Foreign Investment (the Foreign Investment Law), as amended, a foreign investor can establish a presence in Mongolia through the following methods: establishing a wholly foreign-owned Mongolian partner; establishing a joint venture with a local Mongolian partner; making direct foreign investment by acquiring stock, shares or other securities in a Mongolian domestic entity; acquiring (by law, concession or productionsharing contract) the rights to exploit and process natural resources; entering into a contract for marketing or management; or making an investment through finance leasing or franchise. LAW OF MONGOLIA ON REGULATION OF FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN BUSINESS ENTITIES OPERATING IN SECTORS OF STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE: The biggest event on the Mongolian legal scene in 2012 was the introduction of the Law of Mongolia on Regulation of Foreign Investment in Business Entities Operating in Sectors of Strategic Importance (The Foreign Investment Law in Sectors of Strategic Importance). It was passed by the State Great Khural and came into effect on May 17, 2012. Investment approval requirements of the Law do not apply retroactively to foreign investments made prior to that date. The impulse for adoption of the law came in 2012, when the state-owned Aluminium Corporation of China announced its intention to acquire 56% equity shares belonging to Ivanhoe Mines in Mongolia-based South Gobi Sands. SCOPE OF THE LAW: The law introduces a number of approvals necessary for foreign investment – whether state or private – via acquisitions of shares or otherwise involving Mongolian businesses. It classifies foreign investment into two categories: that into sectors of strategic importance and that by foreign state-owned entities. FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN SECTORS OF STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE: Sectors of strategic importance are mineral resources, banking and finance, and media and telecoms. According to the law, these are “strategically important for meeting the basic needs of the population, maintaining the independence and normal functioning of the economy, generating national revenue and ensuring national security.” TRANSACTIONS WHICH REQUIRE CABINET APPROVAL: Most transactions by foreign investors in Mongolia which are subject to government approval require the consent of the cabinet. One transaction requires parliamentary authorisation. Transactions which require cabinet approval are: • Acquisition of, or the right to acquire, 33.33% or more of the shares in a strategic entity by a foreign investor; • Obtaining control of a strategic entity as a result of a proposed acquisition in that entity, regardless of the percentage of equity interest; e.g. the foreign investor has the right to solely appoint the executive management or a majority of the board; veto decisions of the executive management or board; or determine or implement management decisions and/or operations; and • Where, as a result of a proposed acquisition involving a foreign investor, regardless of the percentage of equity interest, the transaction may: lead to a monopoly (of seller or supplier) in the international and Mongolian mining, raw material and commodities markets; affect the market or the price of exported mineral products; or result in a potential dilution in the shareholding of a foreign investor in that entity. TRANSACTION WHICH REQUIRES PARLIAMENTARY APPROVAL: The one transaction which requires the approval of the parliament is an acquisition by a foreign investor of an interest in a strategic entity if such acquisition is of more than 49% of shares in that entity and the value of the acquisition exceeds MNT100bn ($70m). TRANSACTIONS WHICH REQUIRE NOTICE: Foreign investors in the three strategic sectors are required to give notice of certain transactions under which they would acquire 5-33.32% of the shares in a strategic entity. The requirement is to give a post notice, not to obtain a prior approval. Notice must be submitted within 30 days of the acquisition of shares. REVIEW PRIOR TO APPROVAL: The criteria for granting approval centre on the national security interests commonly applied in other jurisdictions. The government will review the following factors: • How the investor and its proposed investment would affect Mongolia’s national security interests; • How the investment would affect the national budget or other state policies; • How the investment would affect the relevant sector; • How the investor would comply with Mongolia’s legislation and established business practices; and • How the investment would impact competition and how likely it would be to lead to a monopoly. TRANSACTIONS OUTSIDE MONGOLIA: The requirement of government approval for the above transactions also applies to offshore transactions. IMPLEMENTING REGULATIONS: Pursuant to the law, the Cabinet of Mongolia is required to issue two separate regulations designed to implement some aspects. One is the regulation on review and approval of investment applications. The other is the regulation on “local content”, i.e., on priority procurement of goods and services by Mongolia’s strategic entities from Mongolian suppliers. APPROVAL OF INVESTMENT APPLICATIONS: The procedure for approval of an investment application is prescribed in the Law as follows. The foreign investor is required to submit its application for approval to the Ministry of Economic Development (MED) within 30 days of agreeing to the transaction. The MED must then submit its recommendations on acceptance of the investment application to the cabinet within 45 days of receipt of such application. The cabinet has to make a decision within 45 days of receiving the recommendation. Finally, the decision must be communicated by the ministry to the applicant within five days of its making. In its latest draft (November 16, 2012), the Regulation on Procedure for Approval of Investment Applications lists the detailed documentation which the applicant would need to present to the MED together with the application for approval of the transaction. These would include, among other things, a certificate of registration of the strategic entity, an investment plan, a draft agreement of the proposed transaction and a list of shareholders of the applicant as well as of the target strategic entity. In addition, the draft regulation names Mongolian government agencies whose formal opinion is required in the application review. For instance, • Opinion of the Ministry of Finance is required on “how the investment would impact the national budget or other state policies”; • Opinion of the Ministry of Justice on “how the investor would comply with Mongolia’s legislation and established business practices”; • Opinion of the Fair Trade Agency on “how the investment would impact competition and how likely it is to lead to a monopoly”; and • Opinion from input of the Ministry in charge of that sector on “how the proposed investment would impact the relevant strategic sector”. From our review of the draft regulation, it seems that the MED would have no ability to refuse to make a recommendation to the cabinet, but the cabinet itself would not be bound to agree with any proposal made to it by the MED. Once again, this regulation is a work in progress. It is possible the draft of the regulation will undergo further changes before it is passed by the cabinet in a final form. According to a senior official at the MED, it is likely to be issued by the cabinet in the near future. In whatever form the regulation is passed, it remains to be seen to what extent it will answer the question being asked by many foreign investors: could it help administer the law efficiently and in a transparent manner so as to provide investors with certainty and clarity before making an investment decision in relation to Mongolia? PROCEDURE FOR PRIORITY PROCUREMENT OF LOCAL CONTENT: When procuring goods and services, a strategic entity must give a preferential right to Mongolian national businesses. A procedure is required to be approved by the cabinet detailing such preferential procurement procedure. According to the MED, the regulation will be developed at a later date once the approval regulation is passed. FOREIGN INVESTMENT BY STATE-OWNED FOREIGN INVESTOR OR INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION: An acquisition or operations by a state-owned foreign investor or international organisation requires the approval of the cabinet. It appears that this requirement applies regardless of (i) whether the acquisition or operations are in a strategic sector or otherwise and (ii) the size of shareholding. AVAILABLE INVESTMENT VEHICLES: In terms of available investment vehicles, Article 33 of the Civil Code provides that for-profit legal persons may be established as limited liability companies or joint stock companies, which are discussed below. In the past, foreign entities were also entitled to establish branches in Mongolia, but this has been abolished by a series of amendments to the Foreign Investment Law made on May 29, 2008. A foreign legal entity can also establish a representative office in Mongolia. Unlike other forms of foreign investment vehicles, there is no minimum capital requirement for setting up a foreign representative office, and this makes it an attractive vehicle for foreign entities that are in the initial stages of their operations in the country. On the other hand, a representative office is not an independent or a separate legal entity, but is rather a liaison office for its parent company; the parent company is entirely responsible for the obligations of its representative office, and the actions of the representative office are deemed to be the actions of the parent company. The statutory functions of a representative office are therefore to protect the legal interests of its parent company and to conclude transactions on its behalf in accordance with its charter. However, since a representative office is not an independent legal entity, it generally does not have the legal capacity to enter into revenue-generating contracts with other entities, and is not eligible to obtain an administrative licence. Given these limitations, most foreign investors elect to incorporate a company under the Company Law of Mongolia (the Company Law), enacted on July 2, 1999, as amended from time to time. On November 21, 2011 a round of new amendments to the Company Law entered into effect, causing uncertainty as a result of their unclear drafting. Clarifications of the amendments will continue to be a work in progress for some time. COMPANIES: Companies in Mongolia may either take the form of limited liability companies (whose shares are subject to certain restrictions on transfer) or joint stock companies (whose shares may be freely traded). Except in certain specific sectors such as strategic mineral deposits and other areas covered by the Foreign Investment Law in Sectors of Strategic Importance, there is no general restriction on the maximum foreign shareholding percentage in Mongolian companies, and wholly foreign-owned Mongolian subsidiaries are permitted both in law and practice. There is no legal, regulatory or administrative requirement to form a joint venture with a Mongolian partner. If a foreign investor contributes 25% or more of the capital in a company in Mongolia, such a company is classified as a business entity with foreign investment (BEFI). The minimum equity contribution of the foreign investor in a BEFI is $100,000 or an equivalent amount in tugrik. Industry-specific rules may require a higher minimum paid-in capital as a precondition for obtaining a special licence, e.g. a construction licence. With respect to the financing of the company, the Business Entities Tax Law of Mongolia, enacted on June 29, 2006, as amended, imposes limits on the deductibility by a Mongolian corporate borrower, which the company would be, of interests paid to its investor(s) if the equity-to-debt ratio exceeds 1:3. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANIES: The creation of a limited liability company with foreign investment is governed primarily by the Civil Code, the Company Law, the 1993 Foreign Investment Law and the Law of Mongolia on the State Registration of Legal Entities (the Legal Entities Registration Law), adopted on May 23, 2003, as amended. The principle under the Company Law is to uphold the concept of limited liability, subject to a few specific exceptions. In terms of corporate governance, limited liability companies are not required to have a board of directors. Investors often take advantage of the flexibility afforded by Mongolian law to establish a BEFI with a light management structure. This could mean a firm with authority being exercised by the shareholder, and day-to-day management undertaken by a so-called executive director who is not a member of the board of directors, but the rough equivalent of the CEO or general manager in other jurisdictions. It is also permissible for a limited liability company to have a board of directors. JOINT STOCK COMPANIES: Under the new amendments to the Company Law, there are two types of joint stock company. Open joint stock companies are registered with the Mongolian Stock Exchange (MSE) where their shares are publicly traded. Closed joint stock companies are registered with the undefined securities depository organisation with their shares being traded outside the MSE. The concept of closed joint stock companies was possibly intended to cover companies which might have to be delisted from the MSE. All joint stock companies are obliged to adhere to a more detailed corporate governance regime than limited liability companies. A joint stock company must have a board consisting of no less than nine members, of which one third must be independent directors. If a board of directors does not have the correct percentage of independent members, it will be deemed as having no authority to exercise its powers. A limited liability company does not need to have independent directors unless its charter expressly calls for this. IMPACT OF AMENDMENTS TO THE COMPANY LAW: Under the amendments to the Company Law, all Mongolian companies must call and hold regular shareholder meetings within four months of the end of the fiscal year. Failure to hold such meetings nullifies the authority of the board of directors or the executive management and all contracts and transactions entered into after such date will be void. The amendments also obligate the board of directors to make a declaration of dividends and to provide an explanation on how a decision was obtained. Further, the chairman may now bind the company only upon the issue of power of attorney. LAND RIGHTS: The issue of land tenure is entirely different from the issue of real estate ownership. However, the Land Law of Mongolia, adopted on June 7, 2002, as amended, recognises three types of rights with respect to land: ownership, possession and use. Foreign investors and BEFIs are permitted to own buildings and other physical structures constructed on land but are only permitted to acquire land use rights, as explained in more detail below. LAND OWNERSHIP: Land ownership is defined as the right to exercise legitimate control over, and dispose of, land. The right of ownership in Mongolia is composed of three elements: the right to freely possess, the right to use and the right to dispose of. The general constitutional principle is that all land in Mongolia is owned by the state. The state may, however, allocate certain types of land to Mongolian families and citizens for private ownership. Mongolian citizens are prohibited from transferring the plots of land they own to foreign citizens. LAND POSSESSION RIGHTS: The land possession right is defined as the right of the possessor to exercise legitimate control over the land in accordance with its purpose of use, under the terms and conditions specified in the land possession contract entered into with the state. Pursuant to the Land Law, Mongolian citizens and entities can have the right to possess land initially for up to 60 years with the right to extend, to lease, to transfer (with the approval of the land authority) or to pledge as security the whole or part of the land held under its possession. The state, as the owner of the land, may grant possession rights over plots of land only to Mongolian citizens and domestic capital companies and organisations. The land possessor may, in turn, only transfer or pledge his Land Possession Certificate to another Mongolian citizen, company or organisation. The cumulative effect of these provisions is that foreign entities and foreign-invested entities cannot obtain possession rights over land. FOREIGN INVESTMENT LAND USE RIGHT: The Land Law stipulates that land may be used by Mongolian companies with foreign investment for specific purposes and on set terms and conditions, and that the government will determine tenure of such land use by companies with foreign investment. The right of land use is defined as the right to utilise one of the useful characteristics of land in accordance with the contract made with the landowner (i.e. the state or Mongolian citizens) or the holder of land possession right. The key difference between land “possession” and “use” rights, from a business perspective, is that land in “possession” land can be pledged to a third party, whereas land in “use” cannot be pledged to a third party. Under the Foreign Investment Law, the initial tenure of land use right cannot exceed 60 years and can be extended only once for up to 40 years. However, the land authorities often grant land use rights for five years, and in rare cases, for 15 years. MINING LAW: Mining is the centrepiece of foreign investment in Mongolia. The 2006 Minerals Law of Mongolia (the Minerals Law), as amended, sets out a licensing regime whereby foreign investors and Mongolian companies can obtain operating permits as a precondition to the commencement of exploration and mining activities. STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT DEPOSITS: The Minerals Law designates certain reserves as “strategically important deposits”. This classification means the government has the right to purchase up to a 50% interest in a company engaged in mining activities for the exploration of the deposits. If the state has not allocated such funding, then it has the right to purchase up to a 34% interest of such company. It is important to note that the state must procure funding to provide its percentage of the registered capital of the company; it does not have any rights of expropriation regarding the mining company. MINERALS EXPLORATION: A minerals exploration company is obliged to pay an annual fee calculated on the number of hectares under exploration and the year of the term of the exploration licence. Payment of said fees is a mandatory precondition to preserve the effectiveness of the underlying licence. Even minor non-compliance, such as missing the payment deadline by as little as a few days, can render the exploration licence subject to revocation. A holder of a minerals exploration licence must also undertake exploration work set as certain statutory requirements based upon the size of the reserve, as well as the year of the licence term. MINERALS MINING: A key element of the Mongolian mining regime is that an exploration licence holder has an absolute right to convert its exploration licence into a mining licence should it conclude that the deposits in the reserve are commercially viable. Approval must be obtained from the state commission under the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy for the commencement of mining activities. An annual licensing fee is levied at the rate of around $15 per ha, while this amount is reduced to $5 per ha for coal and other common minerals. Moreover, royalties are levied at the rate of 2.5% of the domestic sales of coal and common mineral resources. For other extracted products, the royalty rate rises from 5% to 10% depending upon the market price of the minerals in question and the level of processing. In addition, the holder of a mining licence must deposit an amount equal to 50% of its state-approved environmental protection budget in a local bank account. The new government has made known its plans to amend the 2006 Minerals Law. According to the government’s 2012-16 Action Platform, the amendments will consist, among others, of the following: • Allow more say to local residents in decision-making of issuing a mining licence; • Issue exploitation licences upon the cabinet’s decision only; • Introduce quotas (limitations) on a number of mining licences a single company may hold; • Determine areas open to exploration based on the local residents’ opinion; • Require extracting companies to sell their output to Mongolian-based processing buyers on a priority basis at market prices; • Require Mongolian ownership of no less than 51% in a company to mine strategic deposits which were explored under state funding in the past; • Restrict/prohibit mining where technical and economic feasibility is projected as unprofitable or where its impact is excessively harmful to the environment; • Grant exploitation licences to those applicants who prove financial capacity to implement a rehabilitation programme; and • Redefine the definition of strategic deposits in the Minerals Law, consider drawing up a category of “strategic minerals” consisting of thermal and coking coal, copper, iron ore, rare earth elements and others. The government has also reiterated its commitment to implementation of the Law on Prohibition of Minerals Exploration in Water Basins and Forested Areas. LABOUR LAW: The basis legislation in the field of labour is the 1999 Law of Mongolia on Labour (the Labour Law), as amended, which defines the respective statutory rights of employees and employers, basic conditions of labour, employment contracts, procedures for dismissal, collective bargaining rules and the resolution of labour disputes, among other matters. There are also detailed laws and regulations affecting the minimum wage, social insurance and occupational health and safety. The Labour Law applies to all foreign entities operating in the territory of Mongolia. It allows employees to form unions, and an employee’s rights and legal interests more favourable than those guaranteed by the Labour Law are to be agreed in a collective agreement or though negotiations with the employer. The law sets the minimum age for employment at 16 but there is an exception for those who reach 14 years of age with the consent of the parents or guardian and related authority. There are also protective measures for those under the age of 18. EMPLOYMENT OF FOREIGN INDIVIDUALS: The Law of Mongolia on Dispatching Workforce Abroad and Bringing Workforce and Specialists from Abroad (the Labour Export and Import Law), dated April 12, 2001, as amended, sets out the procedures for bringing foreign workers for employment in Mongolia. Article 7.1 of the Labour Export and Import Law permits a Mongolian legal or natural person to employ foreign workers and specialists in positions that require professional skills for the purpose of introducing science, education and advanced technology; carrying out novel manufacturing or services; assembling or repairing equipment; or implementing a project in Mongolia upon obtaining prior approval from the relevant government authorities. The government sets an annual quota for foreign workers based on the following three major factors: (a) industrial sectors or sub-sectors, (b) total number of employees, and (c) total paid-in capital. Entities which conduct business activities but are not listed in the foreign workforce quota are subject to the general ratio of foreign workers-to-Mongolian employees, which is 5% in 2012. Furthermore, Article 7.3 of the Labour Export and Import Law stipulates that foreign workers can be imported upon the government’s deciding in the event where necessary workers are not able to be hired domestically in the following two cases: (i) implementing projects and programmes or constructing buildings that are national in scale; or (ii) dealing with the consequences of natural disasters. CONCESSION LAW: Following the parliament’s enactment of the 2010 Concession Law of Mongolia (the Concession Law), the government has got to grips with its implementation. Concessions take the form of a long-term agreement under which the private company provides or contributes to the provision of a public service. The state property committee has expanded its list of concession items, or projects, from 86 to over 120 in sectors ranging from construction, roads, power, railways, communications, education and health. The Concession Law identifies seven types of concession agreements, such as build-operate-transfer, build-own-operate, build-own-operate-transfer and build-lease-transfer. Concessions may be granted a tender process, through direct contracting or sometimes through unsolicited bids. The state property committee has produced a standard form of concession agreement drafted with the input of international lawyers and the Asian Development Bank. The Concession Law also permits the government to provide financial support, including loan guarantees, partial concession financing, tax credits and exemptions, and guarantees for minimum profits for the concession.

Like this article? rabble is reader-supported journalism. Chip in to keep stories like these coming.: - Engage in a nation-to-nation relationship with First Nations; - Lift the two per cent cap in First Nations education; - Review and repeal all the legislation former Prime Minister Harper imposed on First Nations without their consent; - Implement all 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Report, which includes implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); and - Complete a national inquiry on murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. True to his word, Trudeau’s first order of business was to mandate Indian Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett, Justice Minister Jodi Wilson-Raybould and Status of Women Minister Patti Hajdu to develop an approach and mandate for an inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls to find justice for them. By mid-December 2015, the first engagement sessions were held with the families of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls, Indigenous women and their representative organizations, Indigenous leaders, and human rights experts to determine the scope and process of the inquiry. While these meetings were ongoing, Canada accepted written submissions and also engaged in an online survey regarding the scope and process for the inquiry. It is important to note that both the pre-inquiry engagement process and the inquiry itself were to be done within a new political context — one that focused on openness. Trudeau promised to “bring new leadership and a new tone to Ottawa” and “set a higher bar for openness and transparency in government”. In fact, he went so far as to say that “Government and its information should be open by default.” His reasoning for doing so was to ensure that Canadians can trust their government and that government remains focused on the people it is meant to serve. All of these promises come straight from the ministerial mandate letters. As promised, the government posted the dates and locations of meetings; posted overviews of each session online; and issued a summary report of what they had heard once the pre-inquiry sessions had ended in March 2015. Out of respect for what seemed to be a mostly positive process, most leaders and advocates held back their commentary in hopes that the next stage would soon follow. In the months that followed, none of the mandated ministers reported on what was happening with regard to the inquiry. Some of us were wondering when they would establish a table to begin jointly drafting the terms of reference based on the input from these sessions and begin the process of jointly choosing the commissioners for the inquiry. Such a table was never established. Instead, we only found out that the terms of reference were in fact being unilaterally drafted by federal and provincial governments when they were leaked to the press.Shortly thereafter, the names of the commissioners were also leaked. This is when it became very clear that the government reverted to its old secretive ways and had no real intention of working on a nation-to-nation basis with First Nations. It was clear Trudeau’s commitment to openness, transparency and working in partnership with Indigenous peoples had ended. Despite Trudeau’s personal promise made at the Chiefs in Assembly that the “process by which it [the inquiry] is established will be fully inclusive,” numerous requests to be a part of the drafting process, and be provided direct updates and briefings from the INAC Minister’s office, were either met with silence or commitments cancelled at the last minute. It was obvious that the government was playing politics with one of the most urgent issues ever to face Canada — the very lives of Indigenous women and girls. The renewed nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples was supposed to be based on “recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership.” Trudeau had mandated these and other ministers to work to gain the trust of Indigenous peoples and Canadians by demonstrating “honesty and willingness to listen.” Clearly, these ministers have lost their way in regards to the national inquiry. Being completely excluded from the drafting of the terms of reference and choosing the commissioners was bad enough, but to face the wall of silence and exclusion made things much worse. Some of the families started to lose faith; Indigenous leaders were forced to speak out; and some Indigenous and allied advocates were pushed to raise their concerns publicly, since the direct route had been cut off. To make matters worse, the content of the draft terms of reference that were shared by the media was areal slap in the face to many of those who participated in the engagement sessions, who made written submissions and/or who have tried to work very hard with various ministers’ offices. The terms of reference did not reflect what was recommended by various United Nations human rights bodies, human rights organizations, legal experts, Indigenous leaders, Indigenous women’s organizations, Indigenous experts, or by the families. While there are many concerns with the draft terms of reference that were leaked by the media, the following is a brief overview of the main concerns as expressed by a variety of Indigenous women, families, leaders, experts and human rights allies: - Police: There is no specific mandate to investigate police conduct, specifically racism & sexualized violence within police forces towards Indigenous women & girls, their families and First Nations; - Evidence: There is no specific authorization for the inquiry to compel federal, provincial, and territorial documents, especially from police forces; - Human Rights: The inquiry is not structured within a human rights framework which is a major weakness given Canada’s failure to protect the domestic and international human rights of Indigenous women and girls has been cited as a root cause of the crisis; - Jurisdiction: There is no specific authority for the national inquiry to deal with matters that some provinces may feel are within their exclusive jurisdiction, like the critical issue of child and family services. Similarly, there is no explicit legal clarity around cross-jurisdictional sharing of information that will be required in the inquiry. - Participant supports: There is no specific provision to provide protection from police for witnesses who bring forward information about police abuse. There are also no specific supports for travel, legal counsel or language translation. My primary concern is related to the lack of specificity around racialized and sexualized police violence committed upon Indigenous women and girls and how police racism and misogyny impacts their decisions to investigate murders and disappearances or not, and the quality of those investigations. As it stands now, there is no specific mandate to investigate failures by police forces to investigate murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls including both solved and unsolved cases, misnamed cases (murders deemed accidents), failures to file reports, failures to protect Indigenous women and girls;police facilitation (direct or indirect) of child prostitution and human trafficking, and the treatment of families and First Nations by police. This is made all the more problematic by the fact that the draft terms of reference specifically directs the commissioners not to investigate anything that could interfere with ongoing investigations — which would include cold cases not touched for over 20 years. Even more shocking is that commissioners are instructed to send Indigenous families back to the same police forces that abused them, mistreated them or discriminated against them in the first place. Offering “navigators” akin to native court workers to help families deal with police processes is no replacement for a comprehensive investigation of police failures and abuses, or the elimination of discriminatory police processes. Even if one could argue that the current Terms of Reference does not need a specific mandate to review legislation, policies and oversight processes relating to policing and the justice system, the commissioners’ inability to compel police, their notes, or other police-held evidence under current laws and policies would make this implied power useless. These laws have resulted in a high impunity rate for police. If police officers who murdered unarmed racialized men in front of witnesses and on video can’t be compelled to cooperate with their own legislated Special Investigations Unit or share their notes and other evidence, what makes Trudeau think that some non-specific wording in the Terms of Reference will be able to do so? Canada is once again asking us to have faith in justice processes that protect police and harm Indigenous peoples. That is not what trust and partnership is about. But Trudeau doesn’t have to take my word for it. Minister Bennett’s own report on the engagement sessions noted that not only should the inquiry be done in a human rights framework, but that the inquiry must address law enforcement — over and above systemic issues within the justice system. Families and experts from all over Canada said they want police accountability, independent reviews of cases, analysis of police racialized and sexualized conduct towards Indigenous women and girls, and the sexual exploitations of Indigenous women and girls. Trudeau himself promised that the national inquiry would investigate “uncomfortable truths” and seek concrete actions related specifically to law enforcement. While the uncomfortable truth about police racism and sexualized violence, abuse and corruption has been in the public eye lately through media exposing the extensive nature of police abuses — Indigenous peoples have long known about this problem. We need this national inquiry to shine a light on this dark and uncomfortable truth for all to see, so we can put an end to it. Prime Minister Trudeau, you made a promise to us. It’s up to you to force your Ministers to fulfill that promise. Convene a table this week so that Indigenous peoples can jointly draft the terms of reference and pick the Commissioners. Nothing less will live up to your Nation-to-Nation commitment. It’s never too late. Like this article? rabble is reader-supported journalism. Chip in to keep stories like these coming. Image: PMO/Adam Scotti

PRS for Music has moved its headquarters to London Bridge, Southwark, within the listed Hay’s Galleria building. Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Barrie Hargrove, opened the new headquarters at a ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside PRS for Music CEO, Andrea Czapary Martin, Chair of the PRS Members’ Council, Nigel Elderton, and President of the PRS Members’ Council, Michelle Escoffery. PRS for Music shares its new home with BFI Southbank, Shakespeare’s Globe, Southbank Centre, and Tate Modern, where it will continue to be a hub for music creators, growing and protecting the value of their rights. The organisation has reused 60% of the furniture from its previous office in King’s Cross, and donated the remaining furniture to two of its partner charities, British Home, and AGE UK. The company also donated 120 desktop monitors to charity The Society for Entrepreneurial Education and Development (S.E.E.D), which creates opportunities for socially excluded people to succeed in life and in business. Since 2012, PRS for Music has committed to using 100% renewable energy, and continues to make further conscious improvements to offset its carbon footprint at its new headquarters, a prime reason for the move. Andrea Czapary Martin, CEO, PRS for Music, said: “This important move to London Bridge puts PRS for Music at the epicentre of the UK’s vibrant cultural sector. Allowing us as an organisation to save up to £1 million annually, a cost-saving that is passed on to our music creator members. “The new state of the art headquarters and collaboration “hub” will be more cost-efficient, eco-friendly, and a thriving, inspiring space for teams to connect and work together. We look forward to welcoming our emerging and globally successful songwriter, composer, and music publisher members, and our customers to the hub, just moments from London Bridge station, as we plan to continue our programme of educational and music events at our new headquarters.” Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Barrie Hargrove, said: “I am delighted to welcome PRS for Music to the Borough of Southwark, the heart of London’s world-class arts and culture district. We are proud that the organisation has chosen Southwark as the location of its new headquarters, as it continues its incredibly important work on behalf of music creators worldwide.”

Göteborg – Örebro IFK Göteborg welcomes Örebro in a match from the 16th round of the Swedish Allsvenskan. Right now Göteborg are at 11th place in the Allsvenskan standings with 18 points won so far. But we should note that Göteborg have played just 14 games since the start of the new season, so they still have two matches in hand compared to some other teams. So far they have won 4 of their 14 games in the league. Göteborg lost in four cases and drew 6 times. They have scored 19 goals, conceding 17 times in the process. As for Örebro, they are currently 10th in the league standings with 21 points won – three more than their next opponent. But they have also played one game more than them. In terms of current form, Örebro are doing better. Much better. They won four of their last five matches, including the last one against… Göteborg. That’s right – these two teams met in the last round of the league and Örebro won with 4-2. Nahir Besara scored a hattrick for the winning team, while Nordin Gerzid added a goal for the win. For Göteborg it was Wiklander and Salomonsson who scored. But their goals were not enough for something more in the match. Before that Örebro lost against Hammarby, after winning three times in a row. Göteborg on the other hand have won just one of their last five matches – against Jönköpings Södra away from home. In the other four they lost twice and drew also twice. We could say that this is going to be a game between two teams with a pretty much similar ability. They are very close to each other in the league standings, which is a hint that we should expect a really competitive clash. But who’s going to win?

After crash, where does car go? Staff writer It seems to happen at least once in life: Your car is in a serious crash, and the last time you see it, it’s being pulled away behind a tow truck. Several things happen to your car after that, even if you never see it again. James Simmons, owner of Simmons Towing and Auto Repair in Herington, is called to tow away vehicles in Marion County once or twice every two weeks. He tows cars, vans, pickups, and trucks but not semis. Simmons also operates a salvage yard, does auto repair, and sells autos. He’s been in business in Herington seven years. When he tows a car that’s been in an accident, he usually meets the owner at the scene. The owner typically notifies his or her insurance company. It’s the insurance company’s decision whether to have the car repaired or declare it totaled and pay off the owner. If the car won’t be repaired, Simmons needs to hear from the company — or the owner, if it’s not insured — what is to be done. “What we would have to have is a verbal consent for it to leave our facility with someone other than the owner,” Simmons said. “Occasionally there may be a repairable car, and they’re going to take it to the body shop.” If the car will be repaired at a body shop, it is towed there. But the insurance company could decide to send the car to an auto salvage auction. A buyer might fix the car or salvage it for parts. “Typically it might sit here three days to two weeks,” Simmons said. “I have had cars that sit here during investigations for as long as two years.” Daily storage fees are not negotiable, but he sometimes works with a customer when the car is stored on his lot for a lengthy period of time. “I’d rather have the money than the car,” he said. If no one wants to claim a car, certified letters are sent out, and vehicle identification numbers are checked. “Then we’ll list it for auction in the paper,” he said. Sometimes people claim a car but don’t want it back. “We’ll offer them something for it,” he said. A Park City auction site is one of numerous locations in the U.S. and Canada operated by the Copart auto auction company. Copart sells an assortment of vehicles with clean titles and salvage titles and non-repairable vehicles to be recycled. Car dismantlers, dealers, body shops, or people looking for project cars may find a car through Copart or a similar business, Insurance Auto Auctions in Wichita. Last modified Nov. 17, 2021

Wyangala Dam was boosted by more than 60,000 Golden Perch fingerlings on Thursday, April 26, as the final stop on the NSW Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) list for the breed’s fish stocking in 2018. Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the fish bring the overall tally of Golden Perch stocked in NSW inland waters to a whopping 900,000 this year. “The NSW Government has been hard at work during this stocking season, ensuring our native fish populations are well-stocked, now and for the years to come,” Ms Cooke said. “Stocking our inland water systems, such as Wyangala Dam, provides continued recreational fishing opportunities for the benefit of the local angling community.” “It also assists in regenerating native fish populations in areas where they might be struggling naturally,” Ms Cooke said. Bred at the DPI Narrandera Fisheries Centre, the fingerlings joined more 272,000 fellow Golden Perch family members, which have been stocked in the dam by DPI over the past five years. “The stocking season for native fish commenced in early December last year, following the breeding at Narrandera from mid-September,” Ms Cooke said. “This week’s fish, which are approximately eight weeks old and 35mm in length, will be ready to catch in around three years’ time when they’ve reached legal size. “Their brothers and sisters have been growing strong over the past five years though, meaning there is great fishing opportunity in the dam at the moment.” The stocking of Golden Perch is part of NSW DPI’s overall stocking program, which sees more than five million native fish and salmonid stocked in nearly 1000 approved sites throughout public waters in NSW. - Image by Matthew Chown, Cowra Guardian

If lifelong love of computer science and technology — just as it is with learning a new language — education has to start early. And it has to be fun. Learning how to code takes time and is a difficult proposition for adults, so asking kids to sit down and write a line of code (let alone learn the laws of computer science) almost seems absurd. It’s this problem that led Vikas Gupta, the former head of consumer payments at Google, to create Play-i and a couple of kid-friendly, educational robots. Joined by co-founders Saurabh Gupta, who previously led the iPod software team at Apple, and Mikal Greaves, who led product design and manufacturing for electronics and toys at Frog Design, to make programming and engineering concepts accessible to kids, who’d rather be outside digging in the dirt. The team knew that whatever solution they designed would need to be something kids would want to play with, so they created Bo and Yana, two programmable, interactive robots that look and act a lot like toys. The team raised $1 million from Google Ventures, Madrona Venture Group and others last year to build the prototypes, and today, though it’s still tinkering with details, the learning system is nearly ready for lift-off. When it comes to market next year, kids will be able to play with Bo and Yana right out of the box, controlling them through Play-i’s companion app designed for the iPad. The app presents visual sequences of actions and simple commands on the iPad that kids can then perform — like clapping, waving their hand or shaking one of the robots — that compel the robots to perform certain actions. Young programmers can get three-wheeled Bo to scoot around the room, blink his light or play a xylophone, shake Yana to roar like a lion, or have them interact with each other. Through actionable storytelling, play and music, younguns start to learn the most basic concepts behind programming, like causation. The coolest idea behind the interactive learning system is that, as kids get older, they will start to find that the commands are recorded on the app in a variety of programming languages, like Java and Python, so that concepts become more challenging as they progress. The idea is for Bo and Yana to be accessible to all ages, the level of learning is as simple or challenging as you want it to be. While the gamifying of coding and teaching programming through toys isn’t new and, as Eliza pointed out, Play-i is entering a market already inhabited by products and startups like Cargo-Bot, Move the Turtle and Bee-Bot, this kind of computer science education is still relatively new. The demand and the market for it is also just beginning to develop, and as education reform pushes STEM education into more schools and, in turn, schools begin to look for novel ways to teach these concepts at younger and younger ages, the opportunity will continue to grow. Although the co-founders think they’re onto something with Bo and Yana, they wanted to test the level of interest and demand among consumers. So they launched a crowdfunding campaign on the Play-i website in mid-November, and have since been pleased to find that not only was there interest, but that interest wasn’t just limited to the U.S. Over the course of its 31-day crowdfunding campaign, Play-i raised $1.4 million, five-times its goal, and $26K of that total were contributions towards robots that the company will give to schools and organizations that work with underprivileged children. The campaign saw contributions from the U.K., Canada, Germany, Australia, India and France, among others, with over 30 percent of contributions coming from outside the U.S. With over 10,000 pre-orders and plans to ship next summer, the team will spend the next six months finalizing manufacturing and distribution partnerships. Gupta tells us that they plan to sell the robots through their website and through both online and brick-and-mortar retailers, though he says those deals are still in the works. For more, stay tuned, find Play-i at home here and Eliza’s interview with the Play-i founder below:

‘Life felt stripped of meaning’ Culture Music By Laura Snapes Let’s Eat Grandma arrive in a cafe, looking exactly like a pair of pop stars. Jazzed up in opulent jewel tones and immaculate eyeliner, they are both tall – about 1.75 metres – but the resemblance ends there. Rosa Walton has the plump red curls of a 40s movie star, while Jenny Hollingworth channels something of the young Kate Bush. They find it funny, being back in band mode after three years away, says Hollingworth, “because we view ourselves as just …” “… us,” says Walton. It feels right that the pair, both 22, spend much of the next two hours talking to each other. It’s easy to bask in their fervent, thoughtful, funny company. They offer each other backup and emotional reassurance, cackle at absurdities, and tenderly analyse their personality traits from the perspective of an 18-year friendship. Their tight bond drew fans in from their debut album, 2016’s lurid, sludgy, swaggering I, Gemini. Some critics couldn’t believe that two Norwich college girls had made this fantastically inventive music without a bloke pulling the strings. In 2018, the duo challenged that assumption with the single Hot Pink, an industrial, bubblegum piledriver of defiance “all about the misconceptions of masculinity and femininity”, says Walton. It led off their second album, I’m All Ears, which embodied the rushing emotions of their brilliant, impressionistic lyricism with euphoric synthpop. Nominated for an Ivor Novello award for best album, it made clear that they were massive generational talents. Due next April, their third album, Two Ribbons, is their best yet, balancing fierce adrenaline with a new sense of space. It frequently plays out as a conversation between the pair from a time when their friendship had faltered. The cracks started to show in early 2018 when they found they could no longer finish each other’s sentences. In March 2019, Hollingworth’s boyfriend, the musician Billy Clayton, died of a rare form of bone cancer aged 22. Faced by these awful realignments of what had once seemed certain, somehow they still had faith that the band would survive. “We were at a point where life felt very stripped of meaning. We were looking for a reason to live our life.” They were rehearsing for the I’m All Ears tour when they realised their relationship felt off. They assiduously tried to fix it, says Hollingworth, “because that’s what we’re like: Let’s have 50 discussions about it!” “We were talking but we weren’t really saying anything,” says Walton. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t work. “It was like: we are fundamentally misunderstanding each other in some way,” says Hollingworth. The confusion coincided with Walton moving from Norwich to London. She craved independence and a new chapter. She quickly burned herself out. “And then ended up spending a lot of evenings in by myself, and feeling quite isolated and lonely … Mostly I’d describe myself as an extrovert but then sometimes I go too hard with that.” It’s where they balance each other out, she says. “Jenny is much more measured and less risk-taking.” Walton tried to write through this strange period. The pugnacious, clattering Levitation describes experiencing a breakdown on a bathroom floor yet still managing to find hope in the promise of connection: “Shooting stars in your direction as I’m losing grip on my reflection.” Back in Norwich, Hollingworth understood why her friend had moved – though she stayed with her weekly as she travelled for therapy sessions in the capital – but couldn’t help feeling left behind, especially as her life shrank. She had met local musician Clayton in 2017, the pair bonding over their love of avant-garde pop production crew PC Music. They describe Clayton as “a massive sweetheart”: vibrant, witty and very sensitive. He loved music and his idol Charli XCX had taken him under her wing. “But things were very complicated,” says Hollingworth. Clayton had been diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma. He was doing all right when he and Hollingworth accepted that they were an item. “We were always learning from each other. He was very focused. I was a lot more scattered before but he knew what his goal was creatively.” His drive emboldened her. But in autumn 2018, as Let’s Eat Grandma’s profile rose, Clayton’s condition worsened. “And it wasn’t back from that, really,” Hollingworth says. She sounds surprised that she’s getting choked up. I offer to move on but she doesn’t want to stop talking: “I’m just trying to get it right, that’s the hard thing.” The duo ploughed ahead with touring. Hollingworth felt a responsibility to the band and their crew “to keep going and not make a fuss”, even though she felt totally out of it. And Clayton needed space. “It was hard for him to be vulnerable with me because he didn’t want to be defined by his illness,” she says. “And that’s not how I saw him.” He eventually let his guard down, but told her to finish the tour. “He wanted me to have a good time with the band. It was hard because he really wanted to be doing music himself.” To survive on the road, she had to compartmentalise. “It was hard because you really wanted to talk to me about things,” she says to Walton, “but I couldn’t access that.” Hollingworth still agonises over whether she made the right decisions back then. “I always tried to ask him what he wanted and then that’s what I did. But I lost sight of myself because I was doing all these different things that I felt like I needed to do – that I wanted to do, because I wanted to be there for Billy, to be with him, because I loved him.” In spring 2019, the band were preparing to tour the US. Hollingworth had been staying in Cambridge so she could visit Clayton, who was receiving treatment at Addenbrooke’s hospital. She eventually left to give him his dignity. He died two days later. Even after that, she worried she was letting people down by cancelling the band’s imminent shows, although they still played the US Coachella festival to honour Clayton, who had dreamed of performing there. “I don’t regret that because I felt so numb, I don’t know what else I would have even been doing anyway,” says Hollingworth. It took her a year to be able to write again. The tough, desolate Watching You Go is an obliterating distillation of the rage and futility she felt after Clayton’s death. “A lot of the emotions I found quite frightening,” she says. She was stricken by anger, which in turn provoked “a deep sense of shame because I felt like this is not a normal reaction. It’s not socially acceptable to be really angry and particularly when you can’t explain exactly where it’s coming from.” She passed those fraught months in nature, discovering a sense of acceptance in the natural cycles of growth and death, accompanied by the music of 60s folkie Tim Hardin and Suede. Although Clayton was cremated and not buried, Hollingworth found solace spending time in graveyards. She knows some people found the way she processed her grief unhealthy. “How can I view death purely in a negative way when someone who I really love is dead?” she counters. Clayton dying so young made Hollingworth reconsider what she wanted from life. She realised she was “overwhelmingly passionate” about music, and found empowerment in writing Two Ribbons – reclaiming her voice, and music, after the stress of the previous tours. Still, she says, it “was an agonising process”. The head of their label insisted she didn’t need to push herself so hard with her writing. “I was like, I’m not suffering because of the songs!” she laughs. “I am anyway, and I’m just trying to get that represented well.” The band wrote separately for the first time (although they contribute to each other’s lyrics), and the words on the new album are phenomenal. “It was quite a moving experience to be able to express ourselves to each other,” says Hollingworth. Some songs are about distinctive personal experiences: Hollingworth’s about grief; Walton’s about a breakup with her long-term boyfriend and the discovery of her bisexuality. But they also write to each other. “It’s OK to say what you wanna say / And that we’ve grown in different ways,” Walton sings on Happy New Year. “Have we lost sight of the same light?” Hollingworth wonders on Insect Loop, a song that teems with anger, sadness, guilt and tenderness. “It’s nice not to be afraid to express difficult emotions about a person, and that not be seen as a shameful or a bad thing to do,” says Walton. The problem that had emerged in their friendship, they realised, came down to assuming that they each knew how the other felt. “Which is how we used to be,” says Walton, describing their childhood bond as “telepathic”. “Creatively and as individuals, we’ve always done so much together, it’s almost like we didn’t have the confidence to do things individually,” says Hollingworth. She remembers how as kids, and even on their debut album, they portrayed themselves as twins, hiding behind matching waterfalls of curly brown hair. “People always talked about how similar we were, but we’re actually so different, and I don’t think we really realised that,” Hollingworth continues. They’ve come to recognise their differences: although Walton is more spontaneous and extrovert, she values precision, right down to creating colour-coded spreadsheets to organise her parts in the recording studio. Hollingworth may be cautious as a person, but she has more faith in following her mood creatively. She wonders whether she would ever have joined a band without Walton. “Particularly when I was younger and lacking in confidence, you would be like: ‘We’re going to do this.’ You pull me out of my comfort zone.” The pair live close to each other again now – Hollingworth in Norwich, Walton in nearby Diss – and they understand that their friendship has changed for good. For Walton, the album is about accepting these shifts. Hollingworth wants to emphasise that Two Ribbons doesn’t offer any answers. “It’s question after question,” she says. That open-endedness underscores her newfound confidence. She’s less concerned about the pressure of expectation this time around, “because I feel much more connected with my purpose now, and also more confident in my ability to advocate for what I need”. You can hear it in the closing lines of the album, from the softly strummed title track, which refuse any sense of resolution: “I wanna find the answer but I can only be your best friend / And hope that that’s enough / But I know that’s not enough.” Although she wrote the song about Walton and Clayton, that part was about the sheer fact that no amount of love could prevent her boyfriend’s death. “The end result of that song is someone dying or a relationship washing away,” says Hollingworth. “It’s in some ways hopeful, but also in some ways completely devastating. I never wanted it to sound like sticking a plaster on it.” Two Ribbons will be released on Transgressive on 8 April 2022

Drug delivery life sciences firm Midatech Pharma has expanded to larger headquarters in Cardiff. The company has moved to the 1 Caspian Point office building in Cardiff Bay, which forms part of the Parmer Cardiff waterfront campus. Relocating from smaller premises at Newport Road in the city it has created 8,050 sq ft of offices and laboratories on the ground and first floors. Midatech has taken a five year lease on confidential terms. It was previously based close to city centre on Newport Road. It was advised in the transaction by the Cardiff office of property consultancy Knight Frank. Following a strategic review last year Midatech decided to focus on its Q-Sphera 3D printing technology to encapsulate medicines in bio-degradable polymers for improved delivery and targeting. Once injected, the polymer gradually degrades and releases the drug evenly over a period of up to three months. idatech currently employs 23 people and expects to add to that steadily over coming years, with five new posts being created in the immediate future. Stephen Stamp, chief executive officer of Midatech Pharma, said: “Our technology is unique and patented and we have identified a strategy to work on multiple Q-Sphera programmes simultaneously and partner them at an early stage. “To execute on that plan Midatech needed expanded, purpose-designed labs, and our previous facilities in Newport Road were far from ideal with labs split over two floors and difficulties moving materials and equipment in and out. “The new premises at Caspian Point are modern, 50% larger, and much more usable. The building consultancy team at Knight Frank was invaluable in creating a layout tailored to suit our needs exactly.” As well as an in-depth early morning newsletter, we will be sending out regular breaking news email alerts. To sign up to this service CLICK HERE And, follow us on LinkedIn to catch the latest stories and to network with the Welsh business community. Mark Sutton, partner in Knight Frank said: “Midatech is going through a period of extensive growth and required a building that could provide an office headquarters as having the flexibility to incorporate a bespoke laboratory fit out. Caspian Point ticked all the boxes, providing both elements and a superb new facility with capacity for further expansion.” Edward Lockyer, head of European office and industrial asset management at Global Mutual, which asset manages Parmer Innovation Centres, said: As the UK positions itself to become a global life sciences powerhouse, businesses like Midatech will contribute significantly to our future economic prosperity, becoming a leading light for the local and UK economy, and we’re proud that Parmer Cardiff has been selected as the base for this journey.” Economy Minister Vaughan Gething officially opened the new Midatech headquarters. He said: “Our ambition is for Wales to be a global leader in life sciences, whilst stimulating economic growth and creating new high-skilled jobs. We are already able to provide the right environment for companies to innovate and grow and, working alongside the NHS, together we can tackle the greatest healthcare challenges of our generation and address health inequalities. I’m very pleased to see how this business has grown and will play an important part in Wales’ expanding life sciences sector.” Mr Stamp said: “As well as our Q-Sphera technology we have developed a separate range of products to treat brain cancers which enables the active chemotherapy drug to be delivered direct into the tumour via a catheter in the skull. This delivers a dose 100,000 times more concentrated than possible with traditional oral delivery methods while also minimising its exposure to healthy tissue, and provides hope of improved outcomes for patients with rare brain cancers.” Most Related Links : todayuknews Governmental News Finance News

Girls swimming and diving set school records during post-season Sophomore Elizabeth Oyler set three school records during IHSA sectionals on Nov. 6. November 12, 2021 Members of the girls swimming and diving team finished the season with the IHSA Sectionals on Nov. 6, setting two school records and winning medals. Captain Zoe Morton was proud of the team’s performance this season. “We finished off strong,” she said. “A lot of best times for people and some very impressive swims and dives.” Zoe placed sixth in the 50-yard freestyle and set a varsity school record of 24.83 seconds. “I was really happy because everyone was congratulating me,” she said. “I guess I couldn’t stop smiling.” Sophomore Elizabeth Oyler set a varsity school record in the 100-yard freestyle, with a time of 54.39 seconds. She set a record for the 9th/10th grade team in the 100-yard freestyle with the same time and she also set a school record for the 9th/10th grade team in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.92 seconds. “I was really proud of her because she’s a sophomore and she broke three records,” Zoe said, “and that was her first sectionals.” Senior Jessica Slear set the varsity school record for the six-dive event with a score of 168.20 and for the 11-dive event with a score of 287.15. The 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relay teams both won medals. Both teams were made up of Elizabeth Oyler, Zoe Morton, Amy Ren and Katie Sasamoto-Kurisu. “That was exciting too,” Zoe said. “Relays are really really fun because you’re cheering on your teammates even more than if you’re just sitting on the sidelines and you can relate to them because you’re swimming the same event and it’s just exciting.”

By SAE Institute SAE Institute, a global leader in creative media education, announces the launch of Energy Groove Radio, a 24/7 broadcast playing a mix of music and programming from commercial artists and SAE Institute students, at its campus in Nashville, Tennessee. Energy Groove Nashville, which debuted on May 25, 2018, will soon launch a series of segments on their station that will include interviews with special in-house guests, live student broadcasts, and student-led podcasts covering hot topics in the Nashville music and entertainment scene. Meanwhile, the broadcast remains on-air 24 hours a day playing music from major commercial artists. The in-house radio station will offer students another opportunity to learn hands-on with professional grade equipment to supplement their studies in audio and the entertainment business industry. “SAE Institute Nashville is excited to be chosen as the location for Energy Groove’s latest U.S. radio station,” says Lynn Dorton, Campus Director. “Adding this station to our campus resources fits perfectly with our updated Entertainment Business and Audio curriculum, and it will give our students meaningful opportunities to create content and contribute to the success of this Nashville-based Energy Groove station.” Energy Groove has grown from a single station in 2009 to a network of seven stations housed in SAE Institute locations across the globe. The broadcast is available for free through energy-groove.com, Apple’s iTunes Radio, TuneIn, and download the mobile application for iOS and Android devices.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will today dispatch the first passenger train to run on the Dartmoor Line for over 50 years, as the line once again becomes part of the UK rail network for passengers. This has been made possible thanks to over £40 million of Government investment through the Restoring Your Railway programme. The line links Okehampton to Exeter and will officially reopen to the public for regular year-round, all-week passenger services on 20 November. The first train runs this Wednesday, travelling from Okehampton, and will carry local school children, campaigners, railway staff, and supporters who all helped make the project happen. The Department for Transport, Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR) have worked together to reopen this line ahead of time and under budget. Benefitting from the application of Rail Project SPEED approaches, the Dartmoor Line has been transformed from a mothballed former freight railway with occasional Summer Sunday services to a full seven days per week passenger operation in a mere 9 months since confirmation of funding, coming in more than £10m under budget. A service will run every 2 hours, with plans to expand to an hourly service in 2022. This will benefit students heading to colleges in Exeter as well as tourists travelling towards Dartmoor, easing congestion on local roads and helping boost local economies. Since 1997, the line has only been open during some Sundays in Summer after regular services were withdrawn in 1972. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Improving transport links is essential to levelling up and spreading opportunity across the country, which is why we are driving forward our pledge to reverse the Beeching cuts in Devon today. “As we reopen the Dartmoor line, we are rightly reconnecting communities, giving passengers the chance to choose rail over the road and travel from Exeter to Okehampton on greener, cleaner modes of transport.” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “By restoring the Dartmoor Line we are undoing 50 years of damage, reconnecting a community and creating new opportunities for jobs, tourism, education and recreation. “We have made it our mission to reverse cuts made in the Beeching era of the 1960s. The passion, nostalgia and enthusiasm for that ambition is clear right across the country. “People love their railways, and rightly miss them when they’re gone. Today – ahead of time, and under budget – we’ve made a decisive step in fixing that, cutting the ribbon on a line and making a real difference to people’s lives.” The Restoring Your Railway fund was launched in January 2020 to reinstate axed local services and restore closed stations, many of which were cut following Dr Beeching’s report on ‘The Reshaping of British Railways’ in 1963. The fund is focused on delivering schemes that can level up the country, reconnect cut-off communities, improve access to jobs, homes and education and boost opportunity across the country.. To make the restoration possible, Network Rail’s team of engineers worked tirelessly to deliver a huge programme of work to physically reopen the line in just 9 months, including laying 11 miles of new track and installing 24,000 concrete sleepers and 29,000 tonnes of ballast in a record-breaking 20-day period. Repairs have also been made to 21 structures along the route including 4 bridges. Other infrastructure work has included level crossing improvements and the installation of railway communications equipment. Vegetation clearance, earth and drainage works and fencing have also been completed and further infrastructure work will continue to take place to increase the line speed to enable an hourly service in 2022. Michelle Handforth, Network Rail’s Wales & Western regional managing director, said: “Today marks a significant milestone for the railway and the local community and I am delighted to have been able to welcome the Secretary of State to Okehampton to mark this special occasion. “I am so proud of our engineers whose hard work and dedication has resulted in this line reopening ahead of schedule and today enable the Secretary of State, campaigners and supporters of the Dartmoor Line to enjoy a first passenger journey. “I would like to thank the local community, our partners and everyone who has supported us in reopening this railway line and I am excited to think that this Saturday, regular passenger services will resume for the first time in nearly 50 years.” Great Western Railway identified suitable rolling stock and developed a robust timetable with franchise funding ahead of funding being agreed for the infrastructure elements of the project. The project has also hugely benefitted from strong local support spearheaded by Devon County Council, without which it would have taken far longer to reach the point where regular year-round services can be restored after almost 50 years. Great Western Railway, Dartline Coaches and Devon County Council have also made sure that local transport is all coordinated, ensuring easy bus and train connections to the rest of Britain are easily accessible from the Dartmoor Line. More work will be carried out over the winter including on the station buildings to enable the restoration of the café and other facilities. Mark Hopwood, GWR Managing Director, said: “This has been a key aspiration for the community and the rail industry for some time and today is a significant day for everyone who has been involved. I am delighted to have been able to invite the Secretary of State, and leading community campaigners, to enjoy a first passenger journey on this restored line. “The support and advocacy of the local campaigners over the years has helped deliver a fantastic new service for customers, which we hope will grow from strength to

News 2020 HistoryQuest Fellows Named Additional Materials NEWS RELEASE FOR RELEASE: Thursday, July, 30, 2020 CONTACT: Frances Hannan | [email protected] | 201-587-4755 American History Teachers Build Game-Based Learning Skills HistoryQuest Fellowship Names New Fellows, Begins Summer Institute PRINCETON, NJ (Thursday, July, 30, 2020) – The middle and high school American history teachers among the 2020 HistoryQuest Fellowship class began building their game-like learning skills this week. The 20 teachers who make up this year’s class are meeting virtually for the professional development opportunity. The HistoryQuest Fellowship uses the power of games, play, and digital tools to transform both teacher practice and student engagement. The 2020 Fellows come from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. They represent middle and high schools ranging from large regional schools to small private institutions and charter schools. “By playing and designing games… we are implementing the very skills we hope to cultivate within our own classrooms,” reflected Maria Savini, a teacher at Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia, PA. “Modding games enabled us to collaborate, listen, experiment, communicate and problem-solve and strategize…Another takeaway is the notion that ‘failure is always an option’ and students must learn to take risks/learn from their mistakes.” Each HistoryQuest Fellow this year is attending a virtual summer intensive, with sessions in July and August, followed by additional workshops in the fall. The programming is also intended to be a deep fellowship where participants grow not only their skills but also their network. They will then share what they learn from HistoryQuest with their peers at their home schools, strengthening the larger field of game-based pedagogy. “We [Fellows] stayed on the call for twenty [extra] minutes chit-chatting and talking about different things,” said Caroline Blanchard from West Essex High School in North Caldwell, NJ. “It was interesting how quickly we built a connection with each other through the process.” The HistoryQuest Fellowship was originally designed in collaboration with the Institute of Play. The effort was created to help educators incorporate games in their lessons, to equip them to create their own gaming experiences for students, and to prepare them to teach students to think like game designers. For more information on the WW HistoryQuest Fellowship, please visit woodrow.org/historyquest. ### About the WW Foundation Founded in 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation identifies and develops the nation’s best minds to meet its most critical challenges. The Foundation supports its Fellows as the next generation of leaders shaping American society. In June 2020, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to rename the organization and to remove Woodrow Wilson from its name; a new name will be announced by early fall. 2020 HistoryQuest Fellows - John Bellington • Christ the King High School (Queens, NY) - Caroline Blanchard • West Essex High School (North Caldwell, NJ) - Paul Blass • Pitman High School (Pitman, NJ) - John Buchanan • Hastings High School (Hasting-on-Hudson, NY) - Megan Corlis • Auten Road Intermediate School (Hillsborough, NJ) - Kevin Daly • Parsippany Hills High School (Morris Plains, NJ) - Joshua DeLorenzo • Oswego High School (Oswego, NY) - Anthony “AJ” DiSantis • Penns Grove Middle School (Penns Grove, NJ) - Kimberly Herthel • Holmdel High School (Holmdel, NJ) - Aaron Kanofsky • New Lebanon High School (New Lebanon, NY) - Mina Lolomari • Frances Lewis High School (Queens, NY) - Christine Maccarella • Heritage Middle School (Livingston, NJ) - Roseangela Mendoza • Ethical Community Charter School (Jersey City, NJ) - Sharyn O’Keefe • Communications High School of Monmouth County (Wall Township, NJ) - Richard “Rich” Peronace, Jr. • Gordon C. Swift Middle School (Oakville, CT) - Paul Phillips • New Canaan High School (New Canaan, CT) - Maria Savini • Upper Merion Area High School (King of Prussia, PA) - Alexander Uryga • Matignon High School (Cambridge, MA) - Anne Ward • Amherst Central High School (Buffalo, NY) - Kristian Ward • Kingsway Regional High School (Woolwich Township, NJ)

Why you should listen The drought in Africa inspired registered Architect and Project Manager Charity Wanjiku to co-found Strauss Energy with her brother Tony Nyaga. Strauss Energy is a company producing patented solar tiles powering off-grid areas in rural Kenya, way before Tesla started taking orders in the U.S. and UK for its own solar tiles in 2017. The unique value proposition of Charity’s company is that unlike traditional installations, its system comes with a special meter that can feed unused electricity back to the national grid, generating income for households. With over a decade of experience working in the building, construction & energy industries, Charity focuses on entrepreneurial and transformative leadership. At Strauss, she is responsible for building partnerships, procuring renewable energy, and sales and development to support company growth. In September 2017, Charity was nominated as “Business Woman of the Year” by the All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) and was also awarded as one among six “African female tech entrepreneurs” by the World Economic Forum. She was also one among 40 most influential women in Kenya under the 2016 Business Daily “Top 40 Under 40”. She has also made it in The World’s Top 50 Women in Tech list of Forbes. Charity is also a mentor to young women and women entrepreneurs who seek to take up challenging STEM careers. Hear Charity speak at Worldwebforum 2020 about transformative leadership and providing disruptive and sustainable solutions in underprivileged communities. About Strauss Energy Established in 2007, Strauss Energy is a local firm comprising accomplished and enterprising innovators in the fields of engineering, energy and construction. We provide a solution to the energy problem currently being experienced by businesses and households by providing renewable and cost-effective energy through BIPV technology, a revolutionary solar-powered roofing tile designed and made in Kenya. It is tested and approved by the Kenya Bureau of Standards. To fully realize the envisaged Vision 2030, Strauss is fast on the path of plugging the energy deficiency and plans to meet the needs of both public and private clients it serves. Biography Charity is a vibrant young entrepreneur with a keen interest in the renewable energy and construction spaces. She is co- founder of Strauss Energy Ltd., an award-winning energy enterprise that seeks to alleviate energy poverty in Kenya and Africa at large. Ms. Charity is a TechWomen Fellow, registered architect, with an MSc. Project Management in Construction and certification from Babson College’s Centre for Women Entrepreneurs in Boston, USA. She indulges in the building and energy industry through reduction of poverty by affording everyone a solar powered roof that can also generate passive income for their home. Strauss Energy’s Stima roofing tile is a Kenyan innovation that integrates solar cells into basic roofing material, roofing the home and powering it with clean, green energy at the same time. In September 2017, Ms. Charity was nominated as “Business Woman of the Year” by the All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) and was also awarded as one among six “African female tech entrepreneurs” by the World Economic Forum, in June 2017. She was also one among 40 most influential women in Kenya under the 2016 Business Daily “Top40Under40”. Because she believes in making a difference in the world, Charity is a Rotarian and embarks on service-above-self projects. She guarantees no blackouts, reliable power, lower bills and green energy for all. Not one to shy away from a good challenge, and to maintain a healthy balance in life, she enjoys the outdoors and a good hiking challenge is always welcome. Aside from that, Ms. Charity is a mentor to young women and women entrepreneurs who seek to take up challenging STEM careers that will aid in changing the society for the better.

Article from Bliss: May 2012 For the ancient man who started removing his hair, this job was anything but painless and pleasant. Shards of flint, shells or splinters of obsidian, are some examples of the torture instruments, pardon, shaving tools, which he had in prehistoric times. Shaving with vegetable oils was the first, more civilized form of shaving. The man who wanted to go through life beardless could not only shave himself, but also be shaved by the ‘beardmaker’ or ‘barber’. With the current shaving soaps, gels and shaving oils, shaving yourself is becoming an increasingly pleasant (male) pampering moment. The history of hair removal takes us back to the Stone Age, where the Neandertals got rid of hair by means of epilation and ‘tattoos’ were created. The first ‘disposable razor’, from about 30,000 years BC. was a ‘flint’ that did not miss its target, but quickly became blunt. Also with this one made incisions in the skin, where pigment was put in, resulting in a tattoo. With the ancient Egyptians, the Romans and the Greeks the shaving ritual became a bit more civilized. For example, the ancient Egyptians used sharpened knives made of copper or bronze to obtain a clean-shaven face. The rich were shaved from head to toe by the staff. Fashion dictated whether male faces could be bearded or clean-shaven. But because utensils were expensive, shaving was primarily the domain of courtiers and the wealthy. Wearing a beard was and is certainly not a non-committal, purely personal matter in different cultures. For example, growing the beard among Muslims is still ‘Waajib’ (mandatory) for all men. In the past, having the beard shaved (involuntarily) could also have been intended to humiliate. For example, it was customary among Franks and Germans to shave a conquered king or prince bald and to strip off his beard, which was shameful and humiliating. On the other hand, a beardless face could also offer protection. Alexander the Great understood very well that by grasping a beard by ‘the enemy’ during a battle a man could lose out. Nowadays we can generally speak of a fashion trend in Europe. Shaving a certain shape or shaving and maintaining more intimate areas simply contributes to our daily hygiene, care and comfort. From the emergence of the medieval craft organization up to and including the 18th century, the profession of ‘bearder’ was related to healing and medicine. The beard maker was not only a shaver, but also the man who made the instruments. Before the 14th century, the names “beard maker” and “barber” are common. Both bearded maker and barber were both in the service of the martial art. The beard maker made the axes, the barber provided good armor to protect the head and jaw. After splitting, the armor maker went his own way. This split was gradual, but became a fact in the 14th century. The second stage of the bearder shows a more pronounced character of service, towards the physical care of persons: hair cutting, beard shaving, molar pulling and bloodletting. After 1433, making lancets still remains one of the tasks of the bearder. The surgeons and the surgeon barbers formed two separate groups. The surgeon belonged to the scientists, the surgeon barber was a skilled craftsman: vein later, molar extractor and hairdresser. The shaving basin was already known as a barber’s sign at the time the craft was organised. The barber was trained practically and theoretically in surgery. Each candidate beard maker had to pass two exams: one for beard maker and one for surgeon. In the year 1660 there is a strong division between the barbers and the surgeon barbers. The barber was given a choice: either to cut hair and shave, or to take the path of a surgeon barber, in which the practice of surgery played an important role. The first steel razor was invented in Sheffield in 1680. It was elongated and often had to be sharpened with a razor belt, otherwise it would become blunt. Advances in manufacturing techniques of the Industrial Revolution brought simple shaving closer to the general public. That moment arrived in 1880, when the first disposable razor came on the market. In one fell swoop, the razor changed from a single open blade into a mass-produced product, accessible to everyone. Shaving with vegetable oils was the first known form of shaving. Today, traditional shaving soaps and shaving gels are still the most commonly used, but shaving oils are also making a comeback. The big advantage of a shaving oil is the gliding ability on the skin, so that the skin is better protected against irritation and wounds. Amanprana has developed a flavored oil mixture that has a 3-in-1 function: close shave – nourish and aftershave. In addition to the face, this shaving oil can also be used for the rest of the body, including the intimate parts. All ingredients in this oil are edible and organic! Amanprana Razoli contains, among other things: Shaving oil, beard oil and after shave in 1 bottle

Leading human rights organizations have urged more European states to accept detainees held at the US detention centre at Guantánamo who cannot be returned to their countries of origin for fear of torture or other human rights violations. On the eighth anniversary of the first transfers to Guantánamo, the organisations urged other countries, including Germany, Finland, Sweden and Luxembourg to do more to aid the transfer of roughly 50 such men who remain trapped after years of unlawful detention. “Although several countries have already led the way, it is disappointing that only a few European governments have stepped forward to help those in need of protection,” said Sharon Critoph, Campaigner on the US at Amnesty International “Amongst those governments which have failed to assist are those previously most vocal in calling for Guantánamo to be closed.” Reprieve, the Center for Constitutional Rights and former Guantánamo detainee Moazzam Begg of the organization Cage Prisoners are today beginning a tour across Europe urging more states to offer the men a safe haven. The tour will be hosted by Amnesty International’s national sections. These men remain detained for the sole reason that they have no safe place to go. They have been essentially abandoned at Guantánamo. The plight of these men poses one of the most significant obstacles to the closure of the detention centre. A number of European states have already taken the commendable step of offering a safe haven to such detainees, in line with the stated aims of the EU-US joint agreement on the closure of Guantánamo. These include France, Ireland, Portugal, Hungary and Belgium.On this important anniversary, human rights groups are urging others to follow suit. The men come from countries such as Libya, Tunisia, Syria, China and Russia, where they will be at serious risk of torture or other human rights violations if returned. The US government has been seeking safe countries willing to offer these men an opportunity to rebuild their lives and is primarily responsible for finding solutions for all those held at Guantánamo. The international community which has repeatedly called for the detention centre’s closure can however help in realizing this aim by offering a safe haven to some of these men. Guantánamo remains a stark symbol of injustice. Human rights groups have expressed concern that the detention facility will remain open past 22 January 2010, the date by which US President Barack Obama had pledged to close it. Unless more European countries step forward now to help, some of the most vulnerable detainees remain at serious risk of forcible return to abuse. ”The last decade saw the erosion of the rule of law and international respect for human rights. Guantánamo stands for all that went wrong and it must now be closed’’ said Sophie Weller of the Center for Constitutional Rights.‘‘The men who remain detained because they lack a safe haven continue, every day to pay the human price for delay and inaction in achieving this aim.” “Many European governments have condemned the ongoing detention of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. Now they can do something about it,” said Clive Stafford Smith, Director of Reprieve. “Actions really do speak louder than words in this case; its time to turn the rhetoric into reality and get Guantánamo closed as soon as possible.” The human rights organisations welcomed the actions of those countries which have already come forward to assist – such as France, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, Hungary – but expressed disappointment that others had not taken concrete steps in line with the EU-US Joint Statement on the Closure of Guantánamo Bay. The statement, issued on 16 June 2009, expressed the readiness of certain EU Member States to assist with the reception of former detainees on a case-by-case basis. Nearly seven months since this statement was issued, only seven former detainees have been welcomed into Europe as free men. A further ten have been sent to Palau and Bermuda, and two have been transferred to Italy for possible trial. Approximately 50 more still need protection. The tour will include visits to a number of European countries – including Luxembourg, Sweden and Germany – which could provide safe and appropriate reception for detainees from Guantánamo, giving them the chance to rebuild their lives. The organizations will also be calling on government officials in countries which have already accepted detainees to share expertise, encouragement and examples of good practice with their counterparts in countries which may be considering following suit. There are 198 prisoners in total still held in Guantánamo.