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Prime Minister Janez Jana: We have a responsibility and a duty to make the dreams of the founding fathers of the European Union come true – Gov.si

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

Prime Minister Hana first highlighted that such a discussion was good and important and he welcomed the purpose for which the conference was organised.

Speaking about the key challenges facing the European Union, he first mentioned Brexit. According to him, Brexit was a "strategic disaster". He explained this by saying that a condition for the existence of the European Union was the balance of power, with Brexit establishing a significant change in that balance. The good future of the European Union depends on the answer to the question of when a new balance of power will be established and what it will be like," stressed the Prime Minister.

He went on to say that the time when Slovenia joined the European Union could be described as the golden age of the EU. After fifteen, sixteen years we see the reality, we see a lot of good things, a lot of progress and challenges that have significantly changed the European Union we joined sixteen years ago," said the Prime Minister, adding that during this time we have been faced with a failed attempt to adopt a European constitution, which European leaders have sought to remedy with the Treaty of Lisbon, where problems re-emerged. But all these were administrative challenges," said Jana, who added that the financial and economic crisis followed, showing that there were some unfinished projects within the EU, including the European Monetary Union, the consequences of which are still being felt today.

That was followed by the migrant crisis. As long as Spain was faced with the migrant crisis it seemed like a distant problem, and in 2015 we came up against the reality that it was something big. In my opinion, the wrong approach of the European institutions and the Member States contributed to the final decision of the British who voted for Brexit," said Prime Minister Jana, who when on to say that "of course there were other important things, but I think this situation added a few additional percent of votes to those who voted to exit the European Union."

It does not matter whether we are talking about an unfinished first wave or the beginning of the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic; in the coming weeks we will be facing some similar measures as those taken by the Member States in early March or April," said Prime Minister Janez Jana, who highlighted that, when the epidemic began, "we encountered the mass unresponsiveness of the global institutions we created to prevent such crises and alert us to such crises." Among these institutions, the Prime Minister listed the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the European Union. We were completely unprepared for what followed, Europe with its state of emergency, the seizure of protective equipment, the curfew looked at that time like it was from the Middle Ages," said the Prime Minister, adding that we are now facing a moment of truth. We are not yet in the post-COVID-19 crisis, but we are somewhere in between, at a time when we are trying to remedy the economic consequences of the epidemic," said the Prime Minister, adding that the recovery fund proposed by the European Commission would be a good response to the issues that need to be addressed in relation to the economic situation.

"It is more important to beat the virus. Until an effective drug or vaccine against Covid-19 is found, partial normalisation can only be achieved with an accessible application for tracking the infection," said Prime Minister Janez Jana in connection with the coronavirus crisis. According to him, this is also the only alternative enabling tourism activities to continue "without locking down countries." "We need Europe here, so we have one application for the whole of Europe, because we need to be able to detect the infection," said the Slovenian Prime Minister. "We still don't know what the consequences of the epidemic will be, but we know roughly how to deal with it in order to be effective," he added.

Now is not the time to speak at length about the future of Europe, to propose changes to the treaties or to have big dreams about new European institutions, as this can create divisions, but what we need is stability, said Prime Minister Janez Jana, adding that we need realistic and pragmatic solutions. We have to enlarge the Schengen Area to include Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria, which is not so difficult, but we need political decisions, the Prime Minister went on to say, highlighting the enlargement of the European Union with the Western Balkan countries. This is the strategic answer to the challenge posed by Brexit and this is the fulfilment of our dreams from the very beginning, when we spoke about Europe being whole and free, he emphasised.

In the words of the Prime Minister, ideologically the main threat to the European Union and Europe as such is cultural Marxism. We are all following what is going on and I have to say that it is the same formula that was written in the Communist Manifesto some 200 years ago. To create a new world, according to the Manifesto, you need to dismantle the nation, family, private property, private schools and religion. This is going on now, through the mass media, universities, the cultural industry, multinational institutions and some political parties. One thing that was partially mentioned before is that the fewer votes someone gets in an election, the more he or she preaches about democracy, about values, how to create a new world. There is something going on that is cleverly hidden but anyone who knows history and political concepts can clearly see where we are heading, stressed the Prime Minister, pointing to this being the battle for our way of life, for Western civilization. Much more is at stake in this battle than just the European Union or European institutions, said the Prime Minister.

In addition to the new coronavirus epidemic, we may be faced with unknown threats at any given point in time. For example, cyberattacks. When speaking about the future of the European Union, we must also be better prepared for such threats. Slovenia is now starting the trio presidency of the Council of the European Union together with Germany and Portugal. We proposed priorities to our trio partners, which they agreed with. We believe that first a European plan should be made regarding how to fight against the current epidemic and massive cyberattacks, which could soon become a new reality, explained the Prime Minister.

In his opinion, the most important strategic challenge for the EU now is its demographics. We can do everything and even more, but if there are no people to share the common values, everything is lost, emphasised the Prime Minister, adding that families are the basic cells of society and they must be protected and supported, which is why family friendly policies for ageing societies are of strategic importance. Migration policy, considered by some to be the total solution to the demographic challenges, can only complement the demographic challenges if it is properly managed, and when the social, cultural and economic costs of migration are taken into account. Where this is not the case, we can see the consequences which in some countries are even irreparable, pointed out the Prime Minister.

By way of conclusion, Prime Minister Janez Jana said that the European Union had been created as a union of values. Since the foundation of the European Union, more people have enjoyed peace and a high standard of living, and the vast majority of Europeans have been born into wealth, commented the Prime Minister, adding that the European Union is capable of meeting all the different challenges, provided, of course, that we all return to our values. This is clear. We should rethink our identity and fight for it. We must fight for the people, for Europeans, for our heritage, for our nations, for our freedom, for our way of life, as this is our future, said Prime Minister Janez Jana, concluding that it is our responsibility and duty to fulfil the dream of the founding fathers of the European Union.

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Prime Minister Janez Jana: We have a responsibility and a duty to make the dreams of the founding fathers of the European Union come true - Gov.si

Migration governance during the pandemic: Marginalising the already marginalised? – India Education Diary

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

Parul Srivastava

The writer is a researcher, pursuing her PhD from the Department of History, University of Hyderabad, India. She can be reached at [emailprotected] or via Twitter on @paroollll

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused turmoil all across the globe. Nearly every country is dealing with a never-seen-before situation, at least since the Spanish Flu of 1918 which resulted in the death of approximately 50 million people worldwide. Today, USA has the largest number of COVID positive cases in the world, followed by Brazil and India. We have witnessed the migrant crisis in India since the onset of lockdown and how it got from bad to worse and therefore, in such a situation, it becomes imperative to ponder over global and regional migration while focusing on the pandemic induced migrations and the vulnerable situation that the migrants are left in.

Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT) along with two important organisations namely Migrant Forum Asia (MFA), and Cross Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants (CCRM) organized a rather beneficial and tremendously insightful discussion on Global and Regional Migration Governance During COVID-19 Pandemic on July 7th 2020. This session was moderated by Shabari Nair, a Labour Migration Specialistfor South Asia, based in the International Labour Organization in New Delhi. This 11th GRFDT virtual panel was attended by policy makers, practitioners and government officials from various numerous countries.

Nicola Piper, Director of Sydney Asia Pacific Migration Centre in Australia spoke about the global level of governance of labour migrations. Although we have come a long way in terms of understanding of what migration entails, in political and institutional terms we still have a dysfunction at global migration systems and this has become more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Talking about the three aspects of the global migration governance, she spoke about the what/how/by whom. Migration management trumps over the rights based approach to migration and this is reflected in the priority given to other types of migrations as opposed to what happens at the workplace. She stressed on the gaps that arises between rights on paper and rights in practice and this is highly relevant in the current pandemic wherein there are many migrants, undocumented workers whore working on contract/ temporarily in essential services and key sectors of the economy but they still dont have residential rights, have little or no access to social security. This pandemic has exposed the fundamental flaws which exist in many bilateral agreements and memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Shahidul Haque, former Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh broadly talked about how this pandemic is reshaping migration and where is it making an impact: remittance, labour flow, return and human rights. He emphasised that inter- State relations will change, international cooperation will change an hence, migration will change which will result in a change of world order. He talked about four new factors that will unfold (which he has termed as New Migration order) namely new economic landscape, development paradigm, power shift and environmental factors. These four forces were functioning but the pandemic has exposed some weaknesses and accelerated few changes in the world of migration and mobility.

This is the first time that the world is facing a migration crisis without the migrants being major stakeholders because this migration crisis is the result of a pandemic. Another issue that this pandemic has created is the problem of return which has resulted due to the fact that around 400 million migrant workers have lost their jobs and hence, they will have to return to their home countries. Interestingly, he talked about the trapped population which has lost its jobs but is unable to return to their native countries and are therefore on the streets in a foreign country.

Pietro Mona, Ambassador for Development, Forced Displacement and Migration (Government of Switzerland) believes that COVID has highlighted the vulnerabilities as well as the weaknesses of the current system at local, national and global levels. This pandemic which is now turning into a micro- economic crisis at the global level has had a great impact on the field of migrations. For a lot of challenges that we are seeing today, there are possible solutions or at least an ideas on how to approach them. The real question of the hour is do we have the political will, the instruments, the actors that can implement what has been discussed so far.

There is also a dire need to focus on the issue of migration is connected with other issues like gender, education, to name a few and find inclusive solutions. One very crucial point that Pietro Mona made was that proposing us and them creates barriers and we need to understand that migrants are very much a part of our society. Horizontal adaptation/ expanding the government structure horizontally which means that all partners should be included at the same table and vertical expansion is also of equal importance which involves the issues of migration with other overarching relevant issues that are interconnected.

William Gois from the Migrant Forum in Asia from Philippines talked about how the transmission isnt as smooth and that there is a fault line between regional and global. This disconnect is also present between capitals and other places which isnt just a bureaucratic process but also a politically affected process. However, migration for politicians isnt a vote worthy topic which is why they wouldnt pick it up from a human right perspective as it wont be received well by the majority.

The current discourse on migration has become extremely polarised, India being a classic example of it which involves prioritising oneself and othering the other. The pandemic has put migrant workers in an extremely difficult position. Otherwise hailed as heroes, theyre now unable to return back to their communities due to fear of community spread (in case they are carriers of the COVID-19 virus). A new political will has to be generated which would ultimately bring people out of situations of crisis such as the ongoing pandemic. Migrants live within the States jurisdiction and hence it is the States responsibility to protect every human being living in its jurisdiction without any discrimination.

Roula Hamati, from the Cross Regional Center for Refuges and Migrant in Lebanon questioned as to how do global frameworks translate at the national and regional level. There are a number of obstacles when we talk about translating them at the ground level and she spoke about it in the Arab context as to how countries that receive refugees have not really ratified the refugee convention.

Charles Obila from IGAD, a membership of 8 of 55 States of Africa. Migration is a means to survival as one cannot live without the options of migrating. For certain African countries, Migration is very dynamic in nature as they cannot really differentiate between refugees and migrants and they have mixed migrations where people belonging to various categories move together, using similar means. This is mostly because theyre all looking for similar things- livelihood and employment opportunities and hence, migration is happening towards the gulf countries, European union as well as Southern African countries. Obila mentioned quite interestingly that the most resilient migrants and refugees are in the urban areas as they are the ones who are able to find employment with limited support and are able to support/ provide for their families.

Migrant returns and deportations was happening from Southern African countries and the Gulf countries and this led to a growth of discussions on how to co-ordinate better and also deal with stranded migrants whore out of employments due to this pandemic. This has further led to a reverse flow of migration where people are looking forward to moving back to rural areas from urban spaces. The political leadership of IGAD countries came together and took a decision of developing regional health response strategy and one unique thing that was specifically mentioned was the integration of vulnerable population including the migrants and the refugees in the health responses. There is a need of multilateralism or international cooperation especially in the recovery and post recovery stages.

Professor Andrew Geddes, Director of Migration Policy Centre in Italy spoke about the governance in Europe buy concentrating on four things, namely crisis, policy, politics and the future. Based on previous crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic would not lead to major changes in the EU and European migration and asylum crisis. Attitudes towards migration are becoming more favourable as opposed to how such issues have been politicized and presented.

The regional negotiations are very important for the regions so we should have a SAARC negotiation with the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries where we are sending our people to. It becomes essential for the sending countries, civil society groups, trade unions, intellectual groups to participate in discussions concerning the migrations that have been induced by the ongoing pandemic. Multilateralism is really the way forward and the dialogue and discourse needs to become very empathetic and the stereotypes that were being practised for so long need to be recognized. Professor Binod Khadria, former faculty at JNU concluded by highlighting EAA (Equitable adversary analysis) wherein one needs to put themselves in the shoes of the adversary and then try to look at the issue from the other side because one cannot pretend that migration is just like an exchange of commodities or like some kind of a trade because its not so. Its a flow of human beings and hence, empathy becomes of primary value here and it is something that COVID-19 is constantly reminding us of.

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Migration governance during the pandemic: Marginalising the already marginalised? - India Education Diary

Expected Massive Growth for Precision Medicine Software Market Explored in this Latest Report | Syapse, Allscripts, Qiagen, Roper Technologies -…

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

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Fitbit : The Mental Health Effects of Social Isolation – Marketscreener.com

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

It's no doubt that COVID-19 has changed, and continues to change, the way we socialize. Happy hours were, and in many places remain, replaced with sporadic phone calls and texting. Work meetings are now conducted by Zoom, with more communication than ever taking place over Slack and email. Concerts have been long canceled, sporting events postponed, restaurants shuttered, reopened, and for many are now closing again.

There are fewer opportunities to connect-and it can be taxing for your health. According to a study published in 2015, researchers found the effects of social isolation, or remaining far from others, could be as profound as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and twice as detrimental to a person's mental and physical health as obesity. The study explains loneliness and social isolation, defining loneliness as the feeling that you are alone, whereas social isolation is making choices (or forced decisions, in this case) to be alone and avoid reaching out to others. The effect on health and longevity is similar, though, according to the study authors.

Karla Ivankovich, PhD, a clinical counselor based in Chicago, IL, says she's had 'nonstop sessions' with people struggling from COVID-19 isolation. 'Relationships have started to struggle, people are turning to inappropriate coping mechanisms to pass the time, like online shopping or drinking in excess,' she says. 'People are starting to isolate now, by choice, which is a concern.' With technology to entertain us, and the advice to stay far from others, it can sometimes feel tempting to just block yourself off, or not reach out to others at all, even via phone or socially distanced gatherings, she explains. Despite the confusion and tumult of these times, people get used to new routines-of which isolating is a negative side effect, although a very important one.

We need social connection to stay well, though. According to research, staying in touch with loved ones can ward off the effects of stress that can lead to weakened immune function, insulin resistance, gut problems, among other health issues. Ivankovich says human connection helps 'decrease the risk of depression and anxiety, improving emotional regulation and overall well-being.'

Here are just some ways to socialize well this summer, even with the pandemic (and depending on where you live, shelter-in-place orders) still in full swing.

Stay outdoors whenever possible. Dr. Jeff Pothof, chief quality and safety officer at UW Health in Madison, it's okay to get together in small groups. 'The good news is that being outdoors is better than being indoors, especially if you're going to be around other people,' says Pothof. 'We have that going for us as we get into summer.' If you do socialize with others, make sure you practice good hand hygiene; pack your hand sanitizer and use it regularly; and of course, wear a mask.

Continue to maintain distance, even if you are in a small group. States have different guidelines for how many people can socialize in the same place. But whether you're around one other person or twelve, don't just throw the rules of social distancing out the window. 'People will focus on the number of people they can hang out with, and the things they can do,' says Pothof. 'But it's always with appropriate social or physical distancing. And that's the thing, I think, we sometimes cheat on.'

It's easy to forget that your friends might be a threat to you when they don't look sick-but it's important to remember that people can have the virus, and pass it on, even if they don't have visible symptoms. Always stay six feet apart while socializing. 'The smaller the group, the safer it is,' Pothof says. 'In our health system, we're recommending no more than groups of 10.' (Check out the CDC guidelines for safely gathering in small groups here.)

If you're hosting a small group, Ivankovich suggests choosing a nice day, setting up lawn chairs outside at least six-feet apart. It's a new kind of backyard party for the summer months.

Wear your masks. If you're outside and appropriately distanced, a mask will provide you with 'a lot of benefit,' says Pothof. Primarily, the mask prevents you from unknowingly spreading the disease to someone else when you have few or no symptoms. 'During a pandemic, the mask is a gesture of how we're on this together,' says Pothof. 'I'll protect you and you protect me, so that we can actually get back to the things we want to do because we've decreased transmission.'

Bring your own food and drink. It's more of a hassle, but it's best to bring your own food and drink to any gathering, says Pothof. 'If not, it's hard to do buffet-style, because of the sanitation,' he says. Make sure food and drinks are individually wrapped or packaged, if you do have refreshments at an event. 'It's not as much fun as having a classic BBQ, but it's definitely safer for this summer,' says Pothof. 'And for the small inconvenience, probably worth it.'

And of course, do not share food or drinks with others. Be mindful of where you set your drink, so it's not cross-contaminated.

Make virtual dates. For friends who might be at higher risk, or for those who may prefer not to physically socialize, set up Zoom or FaceTimes on a regular basis. This is especially critical for those who live alone, those who are single, or seniors who are at high risk of contracting COVID and generally more isolated from others, says Ivankovich.

We need to consider new ways to stay in touch, at least for a while. 'We have a new norm, whether we like it or not,' Ivankovich says. 'One alternative is to be disgruntled by the situation -which is a sure-fire way to decrease our moods-or we can consider alternatives to the old way of doing things and get back to the things and people who make us happy.'

Find your center with mindfulness tools on Fitbit Premium, including daily meditations, guided tracks, and more from 10% Happier and Aura.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.

Jenna Birch

Jenna Birch is a health and lifestyle journalist. She has written for web and print outlets like Cosmopolitan, O, Psychology Today, SELF, Women's Health and Men's Health, among others. She is a relationship columnist for Yahoo, and author of The Love Gap (January 2018, Grand Central Life & Style), a science-backed guide for modern women navigating today's complicated dating landscape. A University of Michigan alum, Jenna still resides in Ann Arbor, MI.

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Fitbit : The Mental Health Effects of Social Isolation - Marketscreener.com

SD Loyal and others reveal plans for Midway Sport Arena site – – KUSI

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Prof Baldwin

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) San Diego Loyal SC announced Monday its proposed plan for a new stadium and asked for voter support as the city of San Diego seeks to redevelop the 48-acre Sports Arena site in the Midway neighborhood.

The proposed stadium for the SD Loyal would serve as a temporary home for the first-year soccer team, which currently plays home matches at Torero Stadium.

The plan the team has endorsed the Midway Sport and Entertainment District is one of two plans being considered. The other is the Brookfield Property Development Concept with ASM Global.

San Diegans can view the plans and provide input on the proposals until July 20 at https://www.sandiego.gov/real-estate-assets/sports-arena- virtual-open-house.

A city selection committee will choose one of the proposals to recommend to Mayor Kevin Faulconer, whose staff will then negotiate a deal with the winning developer.

According to the Midway camp, its plan is a community-centric vision for a vibrant mixed-use space to revitalize an aging area of San Diego. In addition to the new temporary soccer stadium, it features a music venue, housing, retail, restaurants and is anchored by a new 12-acre public park. The $125 million renovation of the arena would also include a 3,500-seat music venue and 1,500 residences.

The stadium in the Midway plan, which would be able to seat up to 15,000 fans, would break ground in 2022 if that proposal is selected. The stadium would be the home for the SD Loyal for seven to 10 years while the team works with the community to secure a permanent location in San Diego.

It would also require a 50-foot high building, which would necessitate voter approval in November to raise the Midway Districts building ceiling above the 30-foot limit currently in the area.

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the Midway Sports and Entertainment District project and are proud to be asked to participate in such an innovative concept, said team President Warren Smith. We want our club to continue to be a pillar in the community by creating passion for active sports and healthy living. Were looking forward to the positive impact a project like this will have on the San Diego community by making it an even better place to live, work and play.

The Brookfield proposal envisions an environmental and more complete, sustainable San Diego community through affordability, density and transit. It includes five acres of parks and more than 2,000 affordable residential units but no plans for a separate soccer stadium.

We are confident that the ASM Global team will do the right thing, developing housing opportunities at all income levels, creating high quality local construction jobs keeping development investment dollars in the community, creating community benefits and much needed jobs and apprenticeship opportunities for San Diegans, veterans and targeted residents, said Tom Lemmon, business manager of the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council.

Development on the Midway project would occur in three phases and be completed by 2029 at no cost to San Diego taxpayers. The $1 billion project would update the existing 48-acre Sports Arena site.

Our club cares for the growth of our San Diego community and the new district project provides a great opportunity to transform an underutilized area into a place that celebrates our passion for fun and fitness, Smith said. Our hope is that integrating with such a mixed-use space will help grow the fan base for not only the SD Loyal team but for soccer in general. San Diego is one of the largest soccer areas, and we want to reinvigorate fan passion for the sport.

The city began seeking proposals for the Sports Arena site in February and is now urging San Diegans to participate in selecting a winning proposal later this year.

Brookfield Properties and ASM Global have also formed an unprecedented partnership thatcombines global resources and expertise with more than 40 years doing business in San Diego.

Inspired by the vision of the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Plan and CompleteCommunities initiative, Brookfield and ASM Global propose to transform the Sports Arenaproperty into a vibrant, urban core for the Midway Community and San Diego that includes:

An activated entertainment, sports and cultural arena 5+ acres of public parks and recreation space 2,100+ residential units for families of all income levels near transit 590,000+ square feet of contemporary commercial and retail space

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SD Loyal and others reveal plans for Midway Sport Arena site - - KUSI

In sign of the times, Ayn Rand Institute approved for PPP loan – Reuters

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

(Reuters) - The institute promoting the laissez-faire capitalism of writer Ayn Rand, who in the novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead introduced her philosophy of objectivism to millions of readers, was approved for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan of up to $1 million, according to data released Monday by the Trump administration.

The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism in Santa Ana, California, sought to preserve 35 jobs with the PPP funding, according to the data.

The institute advocates the Russian-American writers philosophy and applies its principles to many issues and events, including ones Rand herself never discussed, according to its website. It focuses on areas that have a long-term multiplying impact on the direction of our culture notably, education and policy debates, the website says.

The institute referred Reuters to a May 15 article, in which board member Harry Binswanger and senior fellow Onkar Ghate wrote that the organization would take any relief money offered from the CARES Act. We will take it unapologetically, because the principle here is: justice, they wrote, adding that the government has no wealth of its own. It can only redistribute the wealth of others.

In Rands novels and works of nonfiction which included The Virtue of Selfishness and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal she expressed her belief in rational self-interest and the goal of pursuing happiness as a persons highest moral aim.

In a 1962 essay, Rand wrote of seventeenth century French businessmen: They knew that government help to business is just as disastrous as government persecution, and that the only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off.

Reporting by Helen Coster; Editing by Aurora Ellis

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In sign of the times, Ayn Rand Institute approved for PPP loan - Reuters

Prominent and politically connected Austin firms among those getting bailout loans – Austin American-Statesman

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

Oil industry magnate Bud Brigham, owner of Austin-based Atlas Sand, has long been a fan of the late libertarian-minded philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand, who espoused a code that promoted, among other things, self-reliance.

Brigham a geophysicist who has sold two companies for billions of dollars bankrolled two movies based on Rands novel "Atlas Shrugged" and recently made a five-year gift to the University of Texas to pay for a Rand-inspired program examining the relationship between economic freedom and freedom of thought.

Brighams Austin company is also among the recipients of government largesse related to the coronavirus epidemic, according to an American-Statesman analysis of newly released data.

While restaurants lead the way as recipients of potentially forgivable loans from the federal governments coronavirus bailout fund, hundreds of medical and law offices and an assortment of mom and pop businesses were also awarded the bailout money as well as the politically connected.

Atlas Sand received a loan of between $2 million and $5 million, to help retain 213 employees, from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, according to government records provided to the Statesman after it and other news organizations filed public information requests.

Brigham, who has met in recent years with high-ranking state and federal officials to win permission to mine sand in areas home to a rare species of lizard, did not respond to a request seeking comment.

Among the questions Brigham declined to answer: Was the federal money needed to keep Atlas Sand afloat; how has Atlas Sand used the money; and did applying for the aid clash with his free-market principles or change his views on the uses of big government?

Atlas Sand was among scores of prominent Austin businesses that applied for and received the federal loan money.

Westlake Dermatology, for example, received a loan of at least $2 million to retain 220 employees.

Dr. Gregory Nikolaidis, CEO of Westlake Dermatology, told the Statesman that without the federal loan, the company would have had to lay off a third of its staff. The company was shut down for six weeks because its medical procedures were nonessential as the governors office tried to ensure medical supplies were readied for hospitals.

The loan "allowed us to reopen with staff we otherwise would not have been able to maintain," Nikolaidis said.

SXSW LLC, beleaguered from the cancellation of the annual South by Southwest festival that it operates, also received at least $2 million.

Other prominent companies that received at least $2 million include Tacodeli Holdings and publicly traded development company Stratus Properties.

The money from the federal loan program has been "absolutely crucial" for many area businesses, said Dana Harris, vice president for federal/state advocacy at the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

"Some businesses wont have stayed open without it," Harris said. "This is about keeping people on the payroll and employed, and having businesses pay the rent and keep the lights on. If people are out of jobs, thats a problem for the entire economy."

Auto dealerships also figure prominently as recipients of the pandemic money. Austin Infiniti, Covert Buick, Leif Johnson Ford and Nyle Maxwell of Austin were among those to receive loans worth at least $2 million apiece.

Darren Whitehurst, president of the Texas Automobile Dealers Association, which represents about 1,400 dealers, has calculated that sales and service at dealerships have been off by at least 40% around the state.

Dealerships "are fairly people-intensive businesses," he told the Statesman earlier this year, and, "as the name implies, part of the reason behind the Paycheck Protection Program was to try and make sure people didnt end up in unemployment."

Nonprofits also benefited from the federal program. Disability Rights Texas, for example, was awarded a loan of at least $2 million, and Any Baby Can received one for at least $1 million.

Edie Surtees, a spokeswoman for Disability Rights Texas, said the money was important for making the groups payroll as the organization worries about the future of grants that underwrite its work.

Wheatsville Co-op received a loan worth at least $1 million. Wheatsville did not immediately return a request for comment.

Overall, about 25,000 Austin-based businesses and nonprofit entities received forgivable loans under the federal program designed to help keep the U.S. economy running amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The cumulative amount of loans to Austin recipients totals between $2 billion and $6.3 billion, based on a wide range of loan data released by the U.S. Small Business Administration on Monday.

Under the program, the loans dont have to be repaid if theyre used to keep employees on payrolls. The loans were backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, but administered and approved by banks and other financial institutions.

Some of the Texas companies that received the loans are led by prominent supporters of President Donald Trump.

McKinney-based Pogue Construction received at least $2 million in federal money. Members of the Pogue family donated at least $200,000 to Trumps campaign since August, and in February the president pardoned construction company owner Paul Pogue for tax crimes to which he had pleaded guilty.

Pogue Construction officials did not respond to a request for comment from the Statesman.

Muy Brands a San Antonio-based company that operates Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Wendys franchises was approved for a loan worth between $5 million and $10 million, according to The Associated Press. Its owner, James Bodenstedt, has donated $672,570 to Trump since 2016, records show. The AP reported that the company did not respond to a request for comment.

Irving-based M Crowd Restaurant Group, which owns 27 Texas restaurants including the Mi Cocina chain, was approved for between $5 million and $10 million. Ray Washburne, one of the companys founders, was vice chairman of the Trump Victory Committee in 2016 and donated $100,000 to the political action committee last August, the AP reported. The AP reported that the company did not respond to a request for comment.

The AP also reported that broadcasting company Patrick Broadcasting, which is owned by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a conservative Republican and former talk radio host, received a loan of $179,000, according to Patricks senior adviser Sherry Sylvester. Patrick is the Texas chairman of Trumps presidential campaign.

The money was used to cover the payroll and expenses of 13 employees.

"The loan did not cover his salary, but he was able to save the jobs of all his employees, many of whom have been with him for decades," Sylvester told The Associated Press.

Other political players have benefited from the federal program.

Fort Worth-based car dealership company JRW Corp., owned by U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin who ranks as one of the wealthiest members of Congress received at least $1 million in loans to retain 122 employees, according to the federal data.

Williams, who is running for reelection in the 25th Congressional District, which includes parts of Austin, as well as Dripping Springs and Wimberley, had declined an interview request from the Statesman, but his office has said the program has been crucial to retaining employees.

The political committee of Democrat Christine Mann, a candidate in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas 31st Congressional District, which encompasses most of Williamson and Bell counties, received a $28,000 loan through the federal program.

"As a grassroots campaign and like many other small businesses, we were hit financially during the pandemic," a spokesperson for Manns campaign told KXAN, which first reported on the loan. "As a front-line doctor testing patients during COVID-19, Dr. Mann did not fundraise the ways she had previously but wanted to ensure her staff continued to receive a livable wage."

Mann has said she paid the loan back.

Correction: This story has been updated to correctly refer to a rare species of lizard found in West Texas.

CORONAVIRUS IN TEXAS: What we know, latest updates

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Prominent and politically connected Austin firms among those getting bailout loans - Austin American-Statesman

Inside the fantastical brain of Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell – The Globe and Mail

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

Author David Mitchell discussed his latest book, Utopia Avenue, with Simon Houpt.

Paul Stuart/Handout

David Mitchell knows it would be helpful if he could serve up a tight and bright story about where his novels come from. I envy authors who have the ability to tell a killer anecdote about the time they were on the train, and it was half past three, and the sun was going down, and this amazing thing happened opposite them, and that gave them the idea [for the novel], he says, looking a little anguished during a FaceTime call. Its just never like that for me. Its more molecular.

This will not come as a surprise to fans of Mitchell, whose novels regularly sprawl across centuries, continents and modes of consciousness, and which together form a body of work he likens to a single novel he will spend his life writing.

And so Mitchell spends the next eight minutes unfurling a tapestry that, while not quite an autobiographical origin story, does draw on his life experience to illustrate elements in his latest novel, Utopia Avenue.

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Utopia Avenue, David Mitchell (Knopf Canada, July)

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The explanation is as multilayered and engaging as the book itself. He opens with a tale about his adoration as a teenager for a certain Canadian prog-rock band; suggests exposure to Miles Daviss Kind of Blue album the gateway drug into jazz for many, many people can lead to a taste for the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, which might progress to minimalism or the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu or the brainy popster Brian Eno; muses on the endocrinological effects of music; and likens the contemporary treatment of people with autism and other neurodiverse conditions to the way deaf individuals were believed to be intellectually stunted until the development of sign languages finally proved otherwise a couple of centuries ago.

But then, we have time for such discursions. Its late June, and Mitchell, 51, is marooned with his wife and two teenagers in their house just outside the small town of Clonakilty, on the southwest coast of Ireland, in County Cork. Up until a few months ago, hed been scheduled to be in the midst of a cross-North America tour right now, of the sort that was standard practice in the Before Times for bestselling authors of literary fiction (aka awards bait). He has twice been nominated for the Booker Prize (for 2001s number9dream and 2004s Cloud Atlas) and landed on its long list for The Bone Clocks in 2014.

Ive got nothing on for the rest of the evening, Mitchell shrugged near the beginning of what was slated to be a 45-minute call. He wore a couple of thin and slightly ratty T-shirts, purple over brown, and, at least on FaceTime, seemed not to have shaved for a day or two. His tousled hair registered as faintly red in the light of his desk lamp; if you squinted, he might have passed for Benedict Cumberbatch after a rough few months.

Were fine if we overrun. And if we enjoy each others company, I can promise, you will be one of the most exciting things that happens to me all week, he said. Almost two hours later, we were still going. He probably regretted his initial exuberance but was too polite to say.

Mind you, we had a lot to cover. Utopia Avenue, Mitchells first novel in almost five years, is a rollicking 592-page tale of a (fictional) psychedelic folk-rock foursome that emerges from the underground music scene in Soho in 1967, cutting their teeth in (real) dives such as 2is Coffee Bar and UFO Club, which helped launch Pink Floyd and other globe-conquering acts. Mitchell captures the scene convincingly: A London flat is decorated with a mural of an elephant, a jade Buddha in a nook and an Ohm prayer flag hanging in the stairwell. The Freak Out! album by the Mothers of Invention boomed through a marshy pong of dope, lentils, and incense.

Into this scene, he drops the down-on-his-luck bassist Dean Moss; Elf Holloway, a pianist from a once-rising folk duo looking for a new gig after being cast aside by her caddish ex; lunky drummer Griff Griffin; and Jasper de Zoet, a guitar prodigy with Aspergers and a mysterious mental-health ailment that may or may not depending on your interpretation and your familiarity with Mitchells other work launch the tale into the astral plane.

The four are brought together as Utopia Avenue by the Canadian-born band manager Levon Frankland, whom close readers of Mitchell will remember from a cameo in Bone Clocks; as is the authors practice, other characters from previous books also appear. (Jasper, of course, is a descendant of the protagonist of Mitchells 2010 novel, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.)

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And there are dozens of figures borrowed from real life, too, including rock stars (David Bowie, Syd Barrett, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Sandy Denny), miscreants (Jimmy Savile) and writers (Allen Ginsburg, Leonard Cohen), who each pop in for a scene or two.

I have been haunted by music all my life, Mitchell begins by way of explanation, and then, seeming to realize that will be insufficient, interjects: Who isnt? The man who didnt like music that would be a more interesting starting point than: Oh yeah, I like music.

Since youre in Toronto: Rush. In my case, the way that Rush and other bands would project a possible future version of myself. Rush, in particular, because of Neil Peart, the lyricist they made high-level vocabulary okay. They made it all right to want to make sense of a line, like this one from The Spirit of Radio: One likes to believe in the freedom of music.' One. One! Like, actually using the pronoun one? Guys, youre a rock band! But they sang it, and its a killer song! Its brilliant!

He continues, quoting the lyrics: One likes to believe in the freedom of music / But glittering prizes / And endless compromises / shatter the illusion of integrity.' I mean, thats where I learned the word integrity. From a Rush song! He catches himself, resets. Sorry, I wont Rush-geek on you too much.

If fact, he does, but thats okay: I mention a personal connection to Geddy Lee, the bands lead singer, and promise to tell him an anecdote at the end of our call. Oh go on, tell me now! he coos. Go on, go on, go on, go go go go on, just a quick one!

I demur, and then Mitchell looks up at something off-screen, his face lighting up with what seems to be pride and faint embarrassment? Someone hands him something, which he accepts and sets down. Then he leans forward, the top of his head disappearing. Thank you, mate, he says. Thank you so much. See you later.

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It was his son, a 15-year-old with autism, bringing him a half-grapefruit in a bowl. He comes in to check on me from time to time. He gave me a kiss on the head right here, for no apparent reason. Which is a sweet little moment!

We had been talking about the pandemic a few minutes ago, and Mitchell swerves back to it, to discuss the way his son has been coping with the lockdown. It would be nice if we could get to Cork and go in the shops, just to interact with the world a little bit more, but hes done really well. And we also forget, however bad things are for us, however irksome when were trying to [keep up our normal routine] and their behaviours are impinging upon that if we think its bad, just try walking a mile in their shoes. We would be quivering jelly wrecks, he says. Theyve got no choice but to live there. This is their one shot at life, in this one brain they have. They cant transmigrate out of it.

Mitchell has had his own challenges with communication: He stammered badly as a child, still does sometimes, which was one of the spurs for his novel Black Swan Green, with its stammering teenage-boy protagonist. He acknowledges that miscommunication, impaired communication, is a recurring theme in his work.

I think every writer has a pretty small cluster of archetypal themes that come back again and again. Even when youre trying to keep them out, theyre back, because somehow theyre you, he says. And sure, my stammer was highly formative, and music was what we would now call a safe space. After all, he says, there are three occasions when those with stammers arent afflicted: when theyre talking to themselves, when theyre talking to a dog, and when theyre singing. One of my affinities of music comes from my stammer and my nervousness about mortifying myself whenever I open my mouth to speak.

Youd never know it from his seemingly effortless prose. One of the pleasures of Utopia Avenue is Mitchells ability to bring scenes to life, such as one in which the band is listening to an advance copy of the Beatles groundbreaking 1967 album, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. As the stylus is lifted from the vinyl at the end of the final song, A Day in the Life, the band members proclaim its genius, using language Mitchell says he plucked from an account of Pink Floyds Roger Waters listening to the album for the first time. Its a variation of a technique Mitchell tries to deploy often, which he refers to by the neologism IWATH, for I Was There.

IWATHs are a memory or a fact or a thing or an experience that you cant really imagine into being. He harvests these, like panning for gold, from first-person accounts. If he gets three IWATHs, he says, he can be fairly certain a scene will work.

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Over the past couple of years, Mitchell has been moonlighting as a screenwriter, working with The Matrix co-creator Lilly Wachowski (who was also one of the three directors of the film adaptation of Cloud Atlas) and Aleksandar Hemon on the TV series Sense8. Theyve also collaborated on the screenplay for Matrix 4, which is in the midst of production.

His time in that world, says Mitchell, has influenced his work as a novelist, and vice versa. Clearly, the [TV] box set influences contemporary novels, because so many contemporary authors have watched The Wire and been affected by its narrative achievement.

Theres something else. We were writing Matrix 4, and we were doing a chase scene, which are notoriously the most expensive, and [Lilly] said, Its about a million dollars a page at the moment. That night, Mitchell and Hemon each wrote their version of a scene and came back the next day. I said, Ive got $6-million worth of scene here!' And [Hemon] said, Ah ah, Mr. Mitchell. I have $8-million worth of scene! He laughs.

Film is so expensive that every line in a screenplay has to be doing more than one thing. It has to be like when a cellist is drawing the bow over two strings at once. Its a chord. Screenwriting has to be like that. You have to do at least two things.

So that was one more thing I brought back from my sabbatical. I try to approach prose in a novel like that: What if I could do that? All the time? Probably not. But a lot of the time? Lets have a go!

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From left to right: Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson of the rock group Rush, were inspired for their 19th album, Counterparts, by T.S. Eliot and the CIA.

The Canadian Press

Houpt: Alright, so heres that Rush anecdote I promised you. Geddy is a distant relation, by marriage. His real name is Gary, as you probably know. And family lore has it that, when Rush were trying to get their start this was the late 60s, I suppose, maybe the early 70s, when Gary was maybe 17 or 18 his father had died a few years earlier, and his mother, who was trying to raise three kids on her own, was at her wits end about her son, who was spending all his time doing music instead of school. She asked my uncle to please talk some sense into Gary, to see whether he could get him to quit with the music. So my uncle sat down with Gary and said, Listen, you know, youre killing your mother. You are killing your mother. You have to stop with the music.' And sadly for my uncle and for Garys mother, Gary would have none of it. So, yes, there was an attempted family intervention which did not stick.

Mitchell: A care-vention, as theyre called. Wow! Thats a great story. And its a potential short story, where the music never happened. And then all these wonderful things, all the kids that were born from unions that occurred at a Rush concert.

Houpt: That gets into what was that movie that came out a year ago, the Danny Boyle-Richard Curtis one about the parallel universe where The Beatles didnt exist?

Mitchell: Yesterday.

Houpt: Right and some critics said, its charming as far as it goes, but - I believe it may have been Anthony Lane of The New Yorker and some other critics who said, But you know, the movie doesnt bother itself with what you just outlined, which is all of the other things that would have happened as a result of The Beatles not existing.

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Mitchell: Its a bit harsh. I mean, its only 90 minutes! I mean, what do you want it to do? For the five-season box set show, maybe, but come on!

Houpt: Spoken as a true creator and therefore someone who might be touchy about critics. But, yes, fair enough.

Mitchell: Still, thank you. Great story. My Canadian publisher, Louise Dennys at [Penguin] Random House, she apparently and this doesnt surprise me at all, that she would be on speaking terms with the great Mr. Lee. And the last time I was over there, she mentioned, Oh, I havent seen him for awhile. Maybe the next time youre over, if youd like to, we could possibly meet him. And I was, like, Stay cool, stay cool, stay cool. And I would love to meet him, but I also wouldnt want him to feel like a captured Barbarian king being paraded through the streets of Rome as sort of a trophy for some visiting author. And sometimes the greatest compliment, and the greatest gift you could give to someone that famous, is just to feel the thrill that you saw them walk by, and you were there at the same time that day, and not to go up and not to say: Hi, your music is so important to me. I just dont do that. Unless it was in very special circumstances. Its enough that the musics there, isnt it?

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Inside the fantastical brain of Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell - The Globe and Mail

Babylons Fall Development Is Continuing to Progress Well – Siliconera

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

Back during the December 2019 State of Play, Square Enix and PlatinumGames shared a Babylons Fall trailer. At the end of it was a promise. More information next summer. Well, next summer is here, and theres an update that might not be what people expect. While the developer and publisher confirm things are continuing to progress well, the promised information isnt here.

The statement was shared on the games Twitter account.

Thank you to all fans whove been following along for updates on Babylons Fall.

While we hoped to reveal more about the game this summer, we can share that development on Babylons Fall is continuing to progress well, with the team working safely from home.

Square Enix and PlatinumGames are committed to delivering an exhilarating experience and we look forward to showcasing much more on Babylons Fall to you as soon as we can.

This Square Enix and Platinum title was first announced back in June 2018. At the time, it was a part of the Square Enix E3 2018 showcase and had a tentative 2019 assigned to it and PlayStation 4 and PC platforms named. A follow-up promised more information in 2019, which eventually led to that State of Play appearance.

Babylons Fall is currently in development for the PlayStation 4 and PC.

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Babylons Fall Development Is Continuing to Progress Well - Siliconera

Are we there yet? Neuralink progress update next month could give us a deeper look into Elon Musk’s brain-computer – Silicon Canals

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

Elon Musk unveiled Neuralink back in July 2019 as a startup specialising in brain-computer interface (BCI). The premise is simple wherein numerous thin wires can be implanted in a brain to intercept signals being fired by a group of neurons. However, the presentation where Musk introduced the technology and talks about the possibilities is definitely exciting. Now, Elon Musk is gearing up to release new updates on the project.

In last years presentation, Elon Musk said that the first generation Neuralink devices would be used to treat brain diseases such as Parkinsons, before allowing people to ultimately achieve a sort of symbiosis with artificial intelligence. The next update on where the company has reached in its milestone will come in August.

Musk is known for cryptic tweets and he recently tweeted, If you cant beat em, join em, Neuralink mission statement. This was followed by, Progress update August 28 and AI symbiosis while you wait. The second tweet is straightforward and suggests that another briefing regarding Neuralinks progress will happen on August 28. However, the first and third tweets are rather unique.

Rather than reading too much into them, theres a good possibility that the tweets are simply a play on words. Musk views AI as a threat to humanity if its development is left unchecked. So, If you cant beat em, join em could simply mean ramping up our capabilities to match an AIs, which is one of the things Neuralink aims to ultimately accomplish.

its not yet known what could be unveiled on August 28 at the next Neuralink progress. However, speculations and rumours making rounds on the internet are ranging from possible to sci-fi. Since Neuralink is yet to receive regulatory approval for human trials, we dont expect to see the technology in action.

A video of how the tech has been used in animals could be revealed since Musk previously said that a monkey was able to control a computer with his brain, thanks to Neuralink. But we will have to wait until the official announcements are made as this is merely speculation.

Neuralinks Brain Computer Interface uses thin wires that can be implanted in a brain to intercept neuron signals. Intercepting these signals could enable the company to understand and treat brain disorders such as Parkinsons, and preserve and enhance brain function, and more.

Musk has also made some futurist claims regarding Neuralinks capabilities. One of them is making language obsolete within the next decade. You wouldnt need to talk we could still do it for sentimental reasons, he said on the Joe Rogan Podcast. You would be able to communicate very quickly and with far more precision Im not sure what would happen to language. In a situation like this it would kind of be like The Matrix. You want to speak a different language? No problem, just download the program.

Check out the innovations that took home the Blue Tulip Awards this 2020

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Are we there yet? Neuralink progress update next month could give us a deeper look into Elon Musk's brain-computer - Silicon Canals

Firefighters Halt Progress of Alum Fire in Hills Above San Jose – CBS San Francisco

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) A wildfire ignited in the grasslands in the hills above San Jose Saturday, sending a large smoke plume skyward that was visible for miles and bringing crews from Santa Clara County and Cal Fire to battle the blaze.

Cal Fire air support joined dozens of firefighters who managed to halt forward progress of the 30-acre fire shortly after noon

Fire officials said the Alum Fire was burning at the top of a hillside near Mount Hamilton Rd. and Crothers Rd. east of the San Jose Country Club and south of Alum Rock Park.

Forward progress of the fire has been stopped. All fixed wing aircraft have been released and reported to be 30 acres, San Jose fire officials tweeted.

The National Weather Service tweeted that blaze was burning so intensely it had generated enough heat to trigger an alert from a GOES satellite orbiting over the West Coast.

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Firefighters Halt Progress of Alum Fire in Hills Above San Jose - CBS San Francisco

Progress demands participation by the many | Columns | Journal Gazette – Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

These are uncertain, divided times for our nation.

Unemployment is at mind-boggling levels, a virus we still don't fully understand is stifling the course of ordinary life, many businesses are struggling, nationwide protests continue against systemic and deep-seated racism, and local policymakers face rising questions about policing and public safety.

It's no surprise that this is one of those rare moments of national reflection about our future course.

It's also a moment of great attention to our political system because that's how we're going to work these things out. For me, this raises a fundamental question: What are politics and government all about, and how do we use them to make progress on such fundamental issues?

At heart, I'd argue, our political and economic systems try to provide an environment that enhances each person's quest for happiness and a good life. We lay the framework in part through government, and through the politics that determines who runs our government and what they do once in office.

We do this through a representative democracy, a system by which citizens elect men and women to represent them in a national or state legislature in order to make the laws of the country. It's an elaborate, complex effort, especially in a country as diverse as ours. Disparate interests are rampant at every level, and for government to work you have to try to build a consensus among those groups while seeking collective security, economic growth, and protection for individual rights and liberties.

That's because our democracy promotes the idea that individuals are equal before the law, and that the rights we've enshrined in the Bill of Rights need to be protected.

Representative democracy does not demand that its citizens participate, but it fails if enough of them don't. It encourages civic engagement, community service, citizens living up to their obligations to their neighbors and, of course, voting.

It also makes room for all manner of communications, from letter-writing to participating in boycotts and protests. And it works best when people are well informed and educated on the political issues. That places a burden on us all to find high-quality information and use it effectively and prudently.

The system encourages competition for political power among a wide range of groups and interests, and nothing is ever settled. If you lose, you're given a chance to win in future elections. If, finally, you win, you've got the temporary power to achieve your legislative goals. But winning is never total.

Congress and our legislatures represent the diversity of the population, and pretty much require cooperation and consensus-building to accomplish anything. This is both a weakness it can be cumbersome and a strength, since it allows for reasonable stability as all kinds of groups, including minorities of all sorts, strive to exert influence.

All of this creates a dynamic, energetic political sphere that challenges us. It's remarkable, if you think about it: The system was crafted for a country of about 4 million. Here we are more than200 years later, with 330 million, with the same system helping to organize a country of enormous power, reach and complexity.

It's evolved over that time, thanks to constant tinkering, reform and improvement, and those needs will never go away. That's what our system does: It calls on citizens to make it work and to make it better.

There's no doubt we face great stresses, and while we may make progress in enhancing individuals' pursuit of happiness, it's rarely straightforward. We take steps ahead then retreat; we celebrate victories and suffer setbacks.

But overall, when citizens speak up and become involved, we progress.

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Progress demands participation by the many | Columns | Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

AweSun update supports macOS to accelerate the progress of building connections from anywhere – Help Net Security

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

AweRay, an international remote desktop service provider, released AweSun updated version which supports macOS in the US and worldwide. Since its initial launch, AweSun solutions for remote desktop have already covered Windows, iOS and Android devices.

And now, its support for macOS comprehensively achieve the goal of cross-platform connections. The technology firm is dedicated to achieve their work ambition: make connections anywhere, anytime.

AweSun Remote Desktop enables people to connect to remote work computer, from home laptop, iPad or iPhone. It facilitates remote access to any device as if users were right in front of them. As the most affordable remote desktop solution on the market, AweSun offers free yet powerful features which users expect to find in other paid software.

Including all the features the Free Version provides, the upgraded Pro Version enables users to perform Remote CMD and access to the remote camera. IT professionals and experts can get more convenience from the enhanced features.

AweSun Game Version, which attracts much attention, makes the software stand out among its competitors. The Game Version enables users to customize a gaming keyboard on the mobile device. Users can therefore freely play favourite PC games on their phones.

As a remote access service provider, AweSun is deeply aware that our users pose great emphasis on security and privacy. Out of security concern, AweSun adopts a two-factor authentication with RSA/AES (256-bit) encryption method to ensure a secure line. Privacy security is AweSuns priority.

Meanwhile, AweSun has never stopped continuously updating and developing products. In March, 2020, AweSun launched the AweSun Client app installed for mobile devices. The app offers a great solution for users who want to assist their family, friends, or clients with phone setup, app installation, or troubleshooting.

In June, 2020, AweSun for Windows 1.5 provides users with a series of new features and upgrades, including two-way audio, dual-authentication access to optimize remote connection.

Maybe thats one of the reasons that AweSun received many thanks letters this year. Remote work is not an experimental trail or an ideal concept today. Technology firms like AweSun are making smart tools for all.

During recent work from home wave, the surge in the number of users is obvious and many users expressed their gratitude to AweSun for providing a free and practical tool that help them quickly adapt to remote work, said Joseph Chan, CEO of AweRay Limited.

The release of AweSun for macOS strengthens AweSuns position in the market as the most reliable and most affordable remote desktop solution available. Multi-platform remote connection offers our customers a more effective user experience. As AweRays vision goes, empowering everyone with the tools they need to do great work and have great fun.

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AweSun update supports macOS to accelerate the progress of building connections from anywhere - Help Net Security

New York State continues to make progress in the fight against COVID-19, hospitalizations dip below 800 – WSYR

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

Posted: Jul 11, 2020 / 01:18 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 11, 2020 / 06:12 PM EDT

(WSYR-TV) For the first time since March 18, COVID-19 hospitalizations dipped below 800 on Friday, as New York State continues to make progress in the fight against coronavirus.

New York continues to reach encouraging milestones regarding the coronavirus, as the data released on Saturday shows 799 people are currently hospitalized throughout the state with COVID-19. This is the lowest number of coronavirus hospitalizations in the state since March 18.

Tragically, six more New Yorkers lost their lives to COVID-19 on Friday, but the three-day average death toll is the lowest the state has seen since March 16.

Below is the COVID-19 data from Friday that was released by the New York State Health Department on Saturday.

New York State confirmed 730 new coronavirus cases on Friday, which is about 1.05% of the people that were tested.

Each regions percent of positive tests over the last three days can be found below.

In total, there have been over 400,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York State.

Although New York State is making great progress in the fight against COVID-19, the story is much different in other parts of the country.

For more coronavirus data, click here.

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New York State continues to make progress in the fight against COVID-19, hospitalizations dip below 800 - WSYR

Opinion: We need ‘serious progress toward all of our students feeling valued and learning at their full potential’ – BethesdaMagazine.com

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

MCPS superintendent calls for greater urgency, purpose in eradicating racism

By Jack Smith

| Published: 2020-07-11 00:49

Most years, I spend the Fourth of July holiday enjoying the company of my family and friends; watching the joy on a grandchilds face during a fireworks display; and reflecting on my whereabouts during the many July 4 holidays Ive experienced.

This year, my social time was distanced; fireworks shows were canceled; and I was thinking of a specific July 4 in Montgomery County history I recently read about the day the last recorded lynching took place not far from where I now sit in Rockville as the superintendent of schools.

Recently, a colleague shared with me that the location of the current MCPS central office building on Hungerford Drive and Mannakee Street is close to the location of the last lynching in our county. I was forwarded an article from The Washington Post that shared the details of this horrible event.

According to the article, on July 4, 1896, a lynch mob of 20 to 30 masked men brutally killed Sidney Randolph, a 28-year-old Black man. Mr. Randolph was accused of killing a 7-year-old white girl.

The article goes on to say that the evidence against Mr. Randolph was circumstantial and conflicting, and that he lacked a motive to commit the crime. Yet, police arrested him and a mob saw fit to hang him from a chestnut tree.

While this horrific lynching occurred more than a century ago, my heart sank and my anger was intense as if it had just happened. My thoughts raced forward in time to the 2020 killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd.

In the last 124 years, we have traveled to the bottom of the ocean and into space; created the internet; and sequenced the human genome. Yet, as a country, we are still unable to protect, value and respect the life and liberty of Black Americans, specifically Black men.

I believe Montgomery County has made progress toward this goal by being on the forefront of desegregation of schools in the 1950s; by years of equity policies and initiatives in the school system; and by the countys passage of a Racial Equity and Social Justice law in 2019.

However,recent social media posts from students of color in our school system that detail their experiences with racism and bias in our schools are a stark reminder that there is much more work to be done. In some of these posts, students shared allegations of bias, stereotyping and racism at the hands of their peers and, more disturbingly, our staff members.

I am grateful to those who stepped forward to share their painful, personal stories. They help us do the work that must be done.

Many of the experiences highlighted in the social media posts reflect what research has confirmed implicit bias exists across the educational spectrum, including preschool. The research also shows that this bias can contribute to disparities in academic outcomes for students of color.

I have no reason to believe that students and educators in our county are immune. Moreover, we know that public education institutions, including MCPS, have only taught a small fraction of what students should know about the Black experience in the United States, including the barriers that exist to full access and opportunity in education.

The good news is we know that bias can be interrupted and curricula can be enhanced to achieve these goals. The MCPS staff is working to enhance our mandatory equity and cultural proficiency training and practices. Work is underway to integrate cultural proficiency and implicit bias training with effective instructional practice and sound content knowledge into all professional learning experiences.

By changing the experience of our students of color through culturally responsive relationships and expanding learning opportunities, we can truly unleash the potential of our students.

Additionally, we have made significant changes to our elementary and middle school literacy and math curricula. Next, we must work on high school literacy, as well as social studies and other curricula at all levels. Providing curricula that meet the needs of our students and creating equitable access and opportunity across the system must continue to be the priority.

While we have made progress in many areas, we must work with a greater sense of urgency and purpose. I am not naive, but I am committed. We will not be able to eradicate racism overnight.

Based on the story of Sidney Randolph and the aforementioned social media posts, racism and bias have long roots. But I believe we can and must move the needle quickly.

I expect to see serious progress toward all of our students feeling valued and learning at their full potential by the time July 4 arrives next year. We cannot wait another century for change.

Jack Smith is the superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools.

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Opinion: We need 'serious progress toward all of our students feeling valued and learning at their full potential' - BethesdaMagazine.com

Partnerships for Progress: Working with Communities in Sri Lanka to Provide Water and Sanitation – Sri Lanka – ReliefWeb

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

Despite recent progress, too many people in Sri Lanka are at risk of being left behind due to a lack of access to water and sanitation.

Thats why the Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project (WaSSIP) aims to extend access and improve hygiene behavior for nearly 700,000 people.

Community Based Organizations have been key partners every step of the way.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemichas reinforced the need for safe drinking water, the benefits of sanitation and the importance of good hygiene behaviors at all times. Even in countries that have already made great strides in these areas, providing treated piped water and extending safely managed sanitation to every household is more vital now than ever.

Thats why Sri Lankas Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project (WaSSIP) works to extend access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and improved hygiene behavior for nearly 700,000 people in urban, rural and estate areas in seven districts in Sri Lanka. It aims to reach those in danger of being left out of the progress made in recent years and potentially being left even further behind by the pandemics devastating impacts.

WaSSIP is Sri Lankas third project financed by the World Bank since 1998 to provide drinking water and sanitation. It finances new water supply systems, rehabilitation of existing water supply systems, toilets for households and schools, and septage treatment plants.

Community Based Organizations (CBOs) play a key role in delivering this project. In Sri Lanka, the World Bank has worked with CBOs for decades and this experience has shown that when given access to information, and appropriate technical and financial support, CBOs can effectively deliver basic services.

To ensure sustainability, local CBOs are trained to operate and maintain the water supply systems. Each household agrees to pay a tariff that ensures that operation, maintenance and replacement costs can be covered. This allows repairs to be made as soon as something goes wrong.

A database is being developed that shows all the rural water supply systems in the country. This database allows the Department of National Community Water Supply to track the performance of CBOs and provide CBOs with the information and support that they need. A 24-hour call center has been established, where anyone can call or text for advice or to lodge a complaint for CBO-managed water supply systems.

As a trusted part of the social fabric, CBOs are well-equipped to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic even in remote areas. The residents of Rideepana a small village located in a highland area were under curfew with limited ability to travel. It was a tough situation - financially and practically, with no water to consume on certain days, as one resident put it. However, due to the collaborative work between CBOs, the authorities and a nearby water plant, these villagers can now access clean water with which to wash their hands.

Elsewhere in Sri Lanka, a CBO that oversees a water plant funded through WaSSIP is providing water to households with motors in the areas of Polgahapitiya and Raththandeniya. This was initiated at the request of the District Secretariat for these areas to help minimize the gathering of crowds. Not only has it helped to flatten the potential curve, it has also instilled good sanitary practices amongst the community.

Changing behaviors to encourage improved hygiene practices is a key element of this project. Around 900 hygiene awareness trainings been conducted so far. Over 100,000 people have attended - 64% of them female in rural areas and 80% of them female in estate areas. Messages have been specifically developed and targeted to encourage different types of behaviors. Resources have been provided in local languages to ensure their relevance and effectiveness. And hygiene programs have been rolled out in schools so young people can share what they learned with their friends and families.

Eight schools have also been provided with improved sanitation facilities, including menstrual hygiene facilities the first from a World Bank-funded project in Sri Lanka. Being able to manage their menstruation safely, hygienically, and with confidence and dignity is critical not just for girls health and education, but also for economic development and overall gender equality.

As of June 2020, WaSSIP has:

Completed 42 new rural water supply schemes benefiting 13,538 households (with another 51 under construction)

Completed seven plantation water supply schemes connecting 2493 households (with another seven under construction)

Completed 93 system rehabilitations

Completed 13,362individual toilets (with another 10,119 under construction)

From its inception in 2015 to its closing, WaSSIP will ultimately benefit nearly three-quarters of a million people across the seven districts, including Menaka from Nartakande in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Menaka is from a family of five, all of whom have suffered from lack of access to clean water. The basic washing and cleaning necessities of her family previously meant an arduous 500-meter walk to collect water. However, thanks a new water plant funded by the World Bank and operated through a CBO - Menaka and her family now have access to clean water to drink, bathe and keep their household clean.

The project demonstrates a successful model of service delivery that can be continued to deliver universal access to water supply and sanitation for Sri Lanka and showcases the importance of partnerships with community organizations.

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Partnerships for Progress: Working with Communities in Sri Lanka to Provide Water and Sanitation - Sri Lanka - ReliefWeb

COVID-19 and progress in treatments so far; here’s experts view – CNBCTV18

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

More than 6 months after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and over 160 days since India reported its first case, the health regulator has approved the first indigenous drug to treat the disease.

Itolizumab is an injectable that can be used only in hospitals and for moderate and severe cases. A single vial costs Rs 8,000 and the treatment will cost Rs 32,000. This is the fifth drug overall to get the green light and the fourth to receive authorisation for emergency use.

So, here is where we stand in treating the disease. Gilead's patented drug Remdesivir is the only drug so far to undergo well designed clinical trials. It is proven to shorten the recovery time but does not cut mortality more data is awaited.

A well-known, inexpensive steroid called Dexamethasone is the only known drug that cuts mortality as per the data currently available. Clinical trials are still ongoing by a study in the UK has shown that it reduces deaths in ICU patients by one-third.

Hydroxychloroquine, which emerged as one of the early drugs to treat the disease, has been hit by one controversy after another. Studies by the WHO have questioned its benefits. The US has revoked its emergency use authorisation and even India has removed the drug from the protocol to treat severe cases. It is currently used as a prophylactic and to treat mild cases.

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COVID-19 and progress in treatments so far; here's experts view - CNBCTV18

1983 – Issue 131: Youth League Progress Blocked At AGM. – Andy Till

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

The progress of youth darts has not always been plain sailing. Alchohol and licensing arrangements seem to have been a major stumbling block:

Respected London boss Roger Nickson seems to have been a driving force behind getting an official youth league established. Roger now runs the popular Darts from The Past Facebook group. Perhaps Darts World will seek his views on the progress of those he strongly supported.

The accompanying piece regarding the alteration of formats to give players more time on the oche is another age-old debate. Here it looks well-intentioned in order that young players could gain more experience.

The coverage given here to the A.G.M of the BDO speaks to the importance of the organisation at that time. Sadly, some of the views displayed seem to foreshadow later difficulties.

It should not be overlooked that until very recently the BDO was the driving force behind youth darts, many counties had volunteers who gave time and money to ensure that young players had a way to learn and progress into the other areas of the game. Senior pros from those areas also often helped out. Wiltshires youth was a fine example of this with Steph Venn, Mark Thompson, Dennis Smith, and others, encouraging and developing a fine batch of players. Occasionally they may have even been visited by Bob Anderson.

The Darts World Years continueshereand over in theTwitterverse.

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1983 - Issue 131: Youth League Progress Blocked At AGM. - Andy Till

Court refuses to order Houston to host Texas GOP gathering – Preeceville Progress

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

HOUSTON The Texas Supreme Court on Monday upheld Houston's refusal to allow the state Republican convention to hold in-person events in the city due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The court dismissed an appeal of a state district judges denial of a temporary restraining order sought by the state Republican Party. Shortly after the ruling, GOP leaders said they would call a meeting of the party's executive committee to "finalize our path forward." A separate court hearing was ongoing Monday in Harris County, where Houston is located, in which a different judge was hearing the party's arguments to allow the convention to go forward.

The state GOP convention had been scheduled to begin Thursday at Houstons downtown convention centre and was expected to draw thousands of participants.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, said last week that he had directed city lawyers to terminate the contract because he believed the event could not be held safely. He denied that the convention was cancelled due to political differences and cited the potential risk to service workers and first responders if the virus spread through the convention.

The state party sued a day later, alleging the city illegally breached the contract and accusing Turner of shedding "crocodile tears."

"The Party argues it has constitutional rights to hold a convention and engage in electoral activities, and that is unquestionably true," the Supreme Court wrote in its opinion. "But those rights do not allow it to simply commandeer use of the Center."

State District Judge Larry Weiman last week sided with Turner, citing Houston statistics that show major hospitals exceeding their base intensive-care capacity due to an influx of COVID-19 patients.

Texas has set daily records in recent days for the number of COVID-19 deaths and confirmed cases. Top officials in Houston have called for the city to lock back down as area hospitals strain to accommodate an onslaught of patients.

The Texas Medical Association withdrew its sponsorship of the state GOP convention and asked organizers to cancel in-person gatherings. As the virus has surged throughout the state in June and July, Gov. Greg Abbott, the states top Republican, has reversed some business reopenings and broadly required the use of face masks.

State GOP chair James Dickey had insisted that organizers can hold the event safely. Prior to Turners move to cancel the convention, Dickey said the party had planned to institute daily temperature scans, provide masks, and install hand sanitizer stations.

Burglary in progress calls lead to two arrests within minutes – Hot Springs Sentinel

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Danzig

Hot Springs police responding to separate burglary in progress calls Wednesday evening ended up arresting a homeless man and a local teen on felony charges within about 10 minutes of each other.

Sky Starr Daulton, 18, who lists a Helen Street address, was taken into custody at 5:32 p.m. in the 1600 block of Seventh Street and charged with residential burglary, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and Lawrence Shawn Howell, 44, who is reportedly homeless, was taken into custody at 5:41 p.m. in the 200 block of Pansy Street and charged with breaking or entering, punishable by up to six years in prison.

Both remained in custody Thursday with Daulton being held on a $5,000 bond and Howell being held on a $2,500 bond. They are both set to appear today in Garland County District Court.

According to the probable cause affidavit on Daulton, shortly before 5:30 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 1600 block of Seventh Street after the homeowner called to report there was an unknown man who had broken into his house through a window in the back and was still inside.

Officers spoke with the owner and called out to the suspect, later identified as Daulton, from the front of the residence, but he refused to come outside.

Officers made entry and utilized K-9 Nitro, who reportedly located and apprehended Dalton in a back bedroom. Officers noted Daulton had broken glass on his clothing so LifeNet was called to the scene to check him out. He was cleared and taken into custody without further incident.

It was noted the back window, valued at $200, and a front glass door, valued at $200, were broken. When interviewed at the police department, Daulton allegedly said he had "scoped out" the residence earlier in the day to "make sure no other people were staying there."

He said he came back around 5 p.m. and tried to break in without causing any damage. He said he put a chair at the front door to keep anyone else from coming in. He reportedly admitted he later heard the homeowner and then heard officers, but still didn't come out until the dog found him.

According to the probable cause affidavit for Howell, around 5:30 p.m. officers responded to a residence in the 200 block of Pansy Street regarding a burglary in progress and upon arrival made contact with Howell at the scene and detained him.

They spoke to the female resident of the house next door who is reportedly the caretaker for the vacant house where the burglary had reportedly occurred. She stated she saw a shed door at the residence was open and then heard someone inside the house. Moments later, she said she saw Howell coming out the front door.

Inside the house, they noted several items that had been removed from the shed, including a folding chair, an ice chest, two toolboxes, a weed trimmer, leaf blower, hand tools and an air conditioning unit.

The owner of the residence came to the scene and indicated she wanted to press charges. It was determined a window screen had been removed off the shed which allowed entry into the house.

When questioned, Howell allegedly claimed he had paid someone he "knows from the streets" $174 to rent the house for the night. He said the person he rented it from had dropped him off earlier that morning and he had unloaded items from that person's truck and put them inside.

Howell denied ever entering the shed on the property. He said the person he rented the house from had opened the front door for him that morning and that he had swept the floors and slept there during the day.

Lawrence Shawn Howell - Submitted photo

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Burglary in progress calls lead to two arrests within minutes - Hot Springs Sentinel

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Monthly Archives: July 2020

Prime Minister Janez Jana: We have a responsibility and a duty to make the dreams of the founding fathers of the European Union come true – Gov.si

Migration governance during the pandemic: Marginalising the already marginalised? – India Education Diary

Expected Massive Growth for Precision Medicine Software Market Explored in this Latest Report | Syapse, Allscripts, Qiagen, Roper Technologies -…

Fitbit : The Mental Health Effects of Social Isolation – Marketscreener.com

SD Loyal and others reveal plans for Midway Sport Arena site – – KUSI

In sign of the times, Ayn Rand Institute approved for PPP loan – Reuters

Prominent and politically connected Austin firms among those getting bailout loans – Austin American-Statesman

Inside the fantastical brain of Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell – The Globe and Mail

Babylons Fall Development Is Continuing to Progress Well – Siliconera

Are we there yet? Neuralink progress update next month could give us a deeper look into Elon Musk’s brain-computer – Silicon Canals

Firefighters Halt Progress of Alum Fire in Hills Above San Jose – CBS San Francisco

Progress demands participation by the many | Columns | Journal Gazette – Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

AweSun update supports macOS to accelerate the progress of building connections from anywhere – Help Net Security

New York State continues to make progress in the fight against COVID-19, hospitalizations dip below 800 – WSYR

Opinion: We need ‘serious progress toward all of our students feeling valued and learning at their full potential’ – BethesdaMagazine.com

Partnerships for Progress: Working with Communities in Sri Lanka to Provide Water and Sanitation – Sri Lanka – ReliefWeb

COVID-19 and progress in treatments so far; here’s experts view – CNBCTV18

1983 – Issue 131: Youth League Progress Blocked At AGM. – Andy Till

Court refuses to order Houston to host Texas GOP gathering – Preeceville Progress

Burglary in progress calls lead to two arrests within minutes – Hot Springs Sentinel