Is China Behind a Recent Insurgent Attack in India’s Northeast? – The Diplomat

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This is the first of a two-part series on insurgencies in Indias northeastern frontier and the varying role China has played in supporting them.

Under the shadow of an ongoing crisis in Ladakh and worsening India-China relations, the ghost of Beijings support for Indias northeastern rebels seems to have been reawakened. According to media reports, New Delhi recently complained to Beijing for supporting Paresh Baruah, chief of the militant group United Liberation Front of AsomIndependent (ULFA-I). For decades, Baruah who seeks Assams separation from India has been operating from Chinas Yunnan province with interim stays in and travels to Myanmars Sagaing Division.

Often viewed as Chinas counter to Indias support for the Tibetan government-in-exile and the Dalai Lama, Beijings support for ULFA-I and other India-centric rebels has, at best, been an irritant in the bilateral relationship in recent years. Unlike Beijings interventionism in 1960s and 1970s under the rubric of the Cultural Revolution, China has done little to empower Northeast insurgents in recent years or to truly complicate Indias counter-insurgency strategy in the region.

But a joint attack in Chandel district of Manipur on July 29 by the Manipur Naga Peoples Front (MNPF), the Revolutionary Peoples Front (RPF), and ULFA-I, which led to the death of four Assam Rifles personnel and injured more, set off the alarm bells in New Delhi, triggering the complaint to Beijing.

In a retort to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent statement (aimed at China) that the era of expansionism is over, the rebels issued a joint statement one day after the attack, saying as the entire world has made up its mind against expansionism, the people of WeSEA [West Southeast Asia] are also countering against the expansionism of India. Such vocabulary, the ownership of responsibility, and availability of Chinese-made arms in the Northeast, firmly positions these groups along the spectrum of an intensified Sino-Indian rivalry.

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These developments raise questions with implications both for Sino-Indian relations and the future of Indias Northeast. One, how far is China involved in the Northeast? Two, can Beijing dramatically increase the cost of rivalry for India by supporting Northeast insurgents? Three, what does the recent uptick in violence in Manipur and elsewhere in this region mean for the politics of separatism in the Northeast?

Though China surely engages with Northeast insurgents in different capacities, counter to intuition, it would not be able to overhaul the security situation in this region to Indias detriment in a strategic sense. But, on the third issue, politics of separatism in the Northeast is far from over, even if violence is likely to intensify and localize in Manipur and pockets of Assam. Lets unpack these aspects one at a time.

China shelters various Northeast insurgents. In addition to Baruah, there is Hangshi Tangkhul, the self-styled defense minister of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), NSCN-IM, and T R Calvin, NSCN-IMs deputy chief arms procurer. One of the most potent insurgent group in the Northeast, NSCN-IM signed a ceasefire in 1997 and is currently in peace talks with the government of India. Based out of Yunnan, these insurgent leaders maintain contact with colleagues and cadres through social media platforms, email addresses with false names, and bases along the India-Myanmar border (and also along the India-Bangladesh border during the Khaleda Zia years).

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India filed a charge-sheet in 2011 against Tangkhul, for masterminding a criminal conspiracy to procure huge consignment of arms and ammunition illegally. For this purpose, in 2007, Tangkhul along with NSCN-IMs chief arms procurer Anthony Shimray and his deputy Calvin, met with leaders of Myanmars Mon National Liberation Army at a Mon monastery in Bangkok, and then traveled to Mae Sot to meet leaders of the Karen National Union.

These Burmese rebels helped Tangkhul strike a deal amounting to $1.2 million, for an assortment of small arms including rifles, machine guns, grenades, pistols, and grenade launchers.

The arms were to be loaded from Chinas Beihai port at the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea, transferred into small fishing trawlers in the high seas near Coxs Bazaar in Bangladesh, and smuggled into India from there.

Till 2006, when Zias anti-India Bangladesh Nationalist Party was in power in Dhaka, NSCN-IM and ULFA-I were allowed to have bases near the border areas, as well as in Dhaka and Chittagong. The weapons that NSCN-IM stored in these camps (named Goshen, Bethel, and Zion; and an overseas command center called Alee), were silently transferred to camps in Nagaland and Manipur, as the group planned to restock them with new weapons arriving from the Beihai port.

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But with the pro-India Sheikh Hasina government cracking down on India-centric militants, this arrangement was postponed for a more politically opportune moment. Meanwhile, Tangkhul and his associates were unaware that Indian intelligence agencies were closely tracking their moves. With the help of a trader in West Delhi who had business links in Thailand and its consulate in Chiang Mai, Indian intelligence penetrated Tangkhul and Shimrays network. In September 2010, authorities arrested Shimray at the Patna Railway Station after he entered India clandestinely via Nepal on a Bangladeshi passport.

Tangkhul and Calvin never returned.

Instead, as in Baruahs case, they received protection from Chinese intelligence as it became clear that neither Myanmar nor Thailand was entirely safe given Indias growing diplomatic clout and intelligence networks in these countries. For Beijing, they were too important within the NSCN-IMs hierarchy and knew too much about the terrain to be let go to waste. Ever since, Indias external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Chinas Ministry of State Security (MSS) have played hide-and-seek when it came to Baruah, Tangkhul, and Calvin, among other issues.

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But Beijing has remained silent on such support to ensure deniability and signal restraint to India, if not maintain outright secrecy. Baruahs presence in China is hardly a secret. He has openly hinted at Chinese support in media interviews, signaling either comfort or disinterest on Beijings part on the exposure of his apparent China connection. This was further corroborated in a series of recently released YouTube videos wherein ULFA-I openly supports Chinas narrative on the Eastern Ladakh crisis, especially the deadly clash in Galwan Valley where 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives.

To be clear, it is difficult to precisely gauge Chinas intent behind supporting these groups. They surely offer Beijing an effective tool to exert pressure on New Delhi during moments of crisis such as now. But, despite affording them sanctuary for years, Beijing has not empowered them enough to undertake high-intensity kinetic action against India. In fact, given how murky the world of espionage can be, and how difficult patron-client relations in this space often are, it is entirely possible, though unknown, that Beijing quietly limited ULFA-I or NSCN-IMs operational capabilities to avoid a confrontation with India.

The recent attack in Chandel seems to challenge this assumption.

To begin with, the timing is compelling. A sharp and violent downturn in Sino-Indian relations arguably offers Beijing a reason to increase pressure on India in the Northeast and elsewhere. After having invested in ULFA-I and NSCN-IM for years, the current circumstances offer an opportune moment to augment military and financial support for these groups.

The situation in Northeast itself is precarious.

Growth in mutual mistrust has fatally deadlocked talks between New Delhi and NSCN-IM, and the security situation in Manipur, eastern Arunachal Pradesh, and parts of Assam remains fragile. The composition of the grouping that orchestrated the attack in Chandel offers clues to this effect. A Meitei, a Manipuri Naga, and an Assamese group operating together without overt involvement of NSCN-IM indicates a churn in Northeasts insurgent landscape.

To be sure, insurgent alliances and in-fighting in this region are very common. But, given the history of animosity between Meitei and Manipuri Nagas, the coming together of MNPF and RPF signals tumult. At a local level, it signals growing opposition to NSCN-IM in the Tangkhul heartland of Manipur by a combination of Meitei and disgruntled Tangkhul Naga outfits with strategic support from ULFA-I. In addition to MNPF, other small groups such as the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) and the Eastern Naga National Government (ENNG) have violently challenged NSCN-IMs dominance in Manipurs Tamenglong district and Arunachal Pradeshs Changlang district respectively.

These local dynamics receive a boost from powerful external factors China? that enable supply of arms and money in a play that promises better payoffs if these groups operate jointly instead of pursuing ethnic fratricide. The joint statement offered a clue to this effect: We know that joining the Indian Occupation Force is not right because roguish India makes enmity among our brothers. None of this, however, offers definitive evidence of Beijings hand in the Northeast, Indias not-so-incredible claim of a link to China notwithstanding.

But then, this is not the first time such an attack has occurred. In 2015, a conglomeration of Northeast insurgents led by ULFA-I and NSCN-Khaplang (a rival Burmese Naga group that has long been at violent odds with NSCN-IM) attacked an Assam Rifles convoy, also in Chandel, killing 18 soldiers. The attack triggered an equally violent Indian response, wherein Indian special forces crossed over into Myanmar to target militant camps. In December 2017, two Assam Rifles personnel was killed in an attack in Arunachals Tirap district, for which NSCN-K, ULFA-I, and the Meitei-dominated and Imphal-centric Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup group took responsibility.

There was no official indication that the 2015 and 2017 attacks had a Chinese (or Pakistani) imprint on them, despite ULFA-Is involvement in the plots. India did not lodge complaints with Beijing either, despite the two neighbors having witnessed an intense military standoff in Doklam a few months prior. This raises the questions about the myths and realities about Chinas increased involvement in Indias Northeast. If these insurgent groups undertook independent action in 2015 and 2017 without Chinas direct involvement, why might that not be the case in 2020 as well?

Avinash Paliwal is Deputy Director of SOAS South Asia Institute and author of My Enemys Enemy: India in Afghanistan from the Soviet Invasion to the US Withdrawal (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017)

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Is China Behind a Recent Insurgent Attack in India's Northeast? - The Diplomat

Reducing inequalities to save the planet – ScienceBlog.com

The economist and CNRS senior researcher Gal Giraud offers a sobering assessment of the global trend towards privatisation and its dangers for the environment, along with a new perspective on the concept of common wealth.

Several studies in recent years have highlighted the link between economic inequalities and environmental issues. In short, the greater the inequalities, the more waste, pollution and CO2emissions a society produces. Do you agree there is a connection between the two?Gal Giraud:I mostly share this point of view, but Id like to express a few reservations. It is true that atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions are a direct reflection of the economic inequalities between nations because people who enjoy the highest annual incomes are those who produce the most CO2. For example, a US citizen generates more than 15 tonnes of the gas each year on average, compared with 5 tonnes per person in France, and less than 2 tonnes in Chad. This trend can also be observed within each country where CO2emissions rise along with income levels, even though more affluent people can afford to adopt more environmentally friendly consumption habits.

Yet no causal link should be established with regard to this correlation between inequality and pollution. Supposing the worlds income was shared among all inhabitants of the planet without changing anybodys lifestyle and everyone on Earth received a worldwide average income, making global society perfectly egalitarian, the reduction in CO2emissions would be negligible. The rise in releases from what were the lower income groups would offset the drop from the upper brackets. What matters is not so much the redistribution of wealth, as changing our lifestyles and convincing everyone of the necessity of being less wasteful.

According to the French consulting firm Carbone 4, adjusting individual behaviours could reduce our carbon footprint by as much as 25%, or 30% for the most frugal among us. To bring net CO2emissions down to near zero and retain some chance of not drastically overshooting the goal of a 2C temperature rise set by the Paris Agreement, we need to radically, collectively transform our basic infrastructure.

Isnt it more difficult to transform lifestyles and infrastructures in less egalitarian societies?G.G.:That is one of the main lessons of the Yellow Vests protests in France, which suggest there can be no energy transition without significant social compensation, if governments want to avoid facing massive unrest. Unfortunately, income inequality has widened in France in recent years, in particular due to the real estate bubble in large cities and, more generally, the urbanisation of the country where the increased economic, political, cultural and media power shifts to conurbations, to the detriment of rural areas and smaller towns. This tendency also makes access to public services even more unequal. The problem is by no means limited to France, as clearly shown in the Danish World Inequality Database (WID), the most reliable in the world, and James Galbraiths studies on inequality, for example.

In 2015, Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, warned that global warming was the greatest threat to financial stability and economic prosperity. Are we in fact trapped in a vicious circle in which the climate and the economy keep deteriorating, in turn worsening social unrest?G.G.:The first risk that Mark Carney quite rightly identified is the physical deterioration of assets held by financial institutions as a result of global warming. Today though, the banking and financial world is more concerned about the second type of threat Carney pointed to, whereby financial losses are caused by an overly rapid energy and environmental transition. In terms of immediate financial interests, it is important not to move too quickly. Since the economic impact of global warming, including the destruction of coastlines, the collapse of biodiversity, hydric stress, soil erosion, or extreme weather events, is very difficult to quantify and in any case is not factored into any corporate or national accounts it is vastly underestimated. To prevent this kind of danger, we are letting the first, much more serious type of risk continue to increase.

The main victims of global warming and current inaction will quite certainly be the poorest populations, whether in countries that have long been industrialised or in those that have never known an industrial revolution, as in Sub-Saharan Africa. But the economies of the North are dependent on those of the South and, should the latter happen to collapse, would quickly know the same fate. It is therefore of paramount importance to scientifically assess the impact of the first category of risk over time. This is what I am working on with the climatologists of the Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace.

How does this make it urgent to reform the banking system?G.G.:Most of the large traditional banks have, in their balance sheets, a historical endowment inherited from the industrial revolution that is incompatible with the energy transition. I am currently studying the dependency of financial establishments on the fossil fuel industry. I cant yet give a precise figure, but one thing is certain, it is considerable and thats normal. What is not so normal is that French banks are exacerbating this dependency by continuing to finance fossil fuels on a massive scale. According to Oxfam, for every euro allocated to the financing of renewable energies, banks still lend another seven to fossil fuel ventures. If coal and gasoline were to be made stranded assets, in other words if their sale was banned, many institutions, already severely weakened by the financial crisis of 2008, would fail.

A bank the size of BNP Paribas, the leader in the Eurozone with assets of nearly 2 trillion euros a figure comparable to Frances GDP would take the entire French economy down with it. The government would be unable to pay up to 100,000 euros to reimburse each individual investors lost savings, as provided by the law. No one can estimate the worldwide financial meltdown that the failure of such a megabank would trigger. The same holds true, mutatis mutandis, for most systemically important mixed financial institutions, which combine market operations with savings and lending services. France is the only country in the world with four institutions of this type.

Most Western economies therefore simply cannot rush headlong towards a carbon-free society without endangering the global financial system. This is, in my opinion, the real reason for the prevailing inaction hidden behind a veneer of media greenwashing, because we all depend on banks, public sector and private sector alike. We have to make a choice between them and the planet.

In this financialised economy, which relies on the excessive use of natural resources, have economic inequalities facilitated the monopolisation of those resources?G.G.:The inequalities among countries have indeed given wealthier economies an advantage in the race for raw materials and fossil fuels. Chinas new Silk Road is above all a way to provide the Chinese economy with resources that cant be found inside the country. The historian Christophe Bonneuil has thoroughly documented the extent to which, for more than a century, France has also been heavily dependent on imports of material resources, and how the French colonial empire encouraged the establishment of these channels. Bonneuil goes so far as to describe our economy as parasitic. More generally, the so-called advanced economies would not be viable without monopolising resources. A telling example, cited by the scientific board of the French development agency, AFD, is the growing presence in Africa of a country like China, which has its eyes set on the Democratic Republic of Congos cobalt deposits, the largest in the world.

Wang Teng/Xinhua REA

According to the World Bank, our economic system also has its advantages, in particular by making it possible to reduce the wealth gap between countries. Do you subscribe to this point of view?G.G.:No one disputes the increasing inequalities within individual states. But the argument put forth by my colleagues at the World Bank, namely that the gap between countries has narrowed, is questionable. For one thing, it is based on the inversion, since the late 1990s, of a curve representing the evolution of the relative Gini coefficient, which measures the difference between the perfectly equitable apportionment of a resource and its actual distribution. The slight drop in this index over the past 20 years is due solely to 700 million Chinese rising out of poverty. Excluding China, the Gini index between countries has continued to increase for a generation. In addition, taking into consideration the disparity between extreme incomes rather than their ratio, the divide between nations is still growing, whether China is included or not.

Isnt a new economic and political system needed to reverse growing inequalities and CO2emissions?G.G.:I think the concurrent destruction of nature and social bonds that we are witnessing is the result of a political philosophy hostile to ecological transition. This philosophy, famously championed by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, has helped enshrine the modern notion of private property as an inviolable sacred right, a status that it had never had in ancient and mediaeval Europe. We are obsessed with the idea of appropriating the world around us, which prevents the collective sharing and preservation of resources, goods and services.

In France in 1789, the sacred nature of private property was set forth in Article 2 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and later perpetuated by the Napoleonic Code and the UN Universal Declaration of 1948. Granting private property the status that mediaeval scholasticism gave to natural law means running the risk that no authority will ever be able to set limits to private owners imaginary prerogatives. For example, according to US law today, nothing can prevent someone who finds oil in their back garden from extracting it. It is their property, and they have exclusive rights over it. Similarly, there is no legal authority that can question the sovereignty of the Brazilian State, even though it is destroying the Amazon forest.

Gabriela Biro/Agencia Estado/Handout via Xinhua REA

In contrast with this global privatisation, you are proposing to reintroduce the concept of commons. Can you tell us about it?G.G.:In my opinion, the concept of commons, in other words resources that are shared and managed collectively by a community, in keeping with what was done under Roman law and in the Middle Ages, seems indeed quite promising. To take one example, the effects of deep-water industrial fishing combined with the acidification and warming of the oceans is disrupting and weakening the marine food chain to such an extent that researchers at the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) have sounded the alarm. If nothing is done, there will not be a single edible fish left in the sea by 2050.

If we continue to consider the oceans as a private resource, Im afraid we will not be able to stop this decline. We must create global institutions through which resources, the high seas in particular, are administered as commons. I am not saying that this would be easy under present-day international law, but it seems essential if we dont want things to get worse. What gives me hope is that many communities have always had commons, and the practice is proliferating on the Internet and among collective groups dedicated to the protection of forestland, water resource management, or the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), to name but a few.

Jacques Loic/Photononstop/AFP

Should the idea be limited to natural resources?G.G.:I agree with the Hungarian economist and anthropologist Karl Polanyi who identified three main categories of assets whose privatisation breaks down social bonds, namely land, labour and money. Land, which we have already mentioned, is one of the resources supplied by non-human ecosystems. The question of labour is more complex, as shown in the remarkable works of Alain Supiot. It harks back to John Locke, who legitimised private property through labour, whereby those who work are the private owners of the product of their labour. This approach confines each and everyone of us to a solitude that is contradicted by the fact that society expresses itself through the product of individual labour. For example, does it make any sense to claim that the mathematician Alexandre Grothendieck is the sole owner of the theory of schemes? Relational anthropology cannot subscribe to the Lockean view and should encourage us to consider labour and its products as commons. This does not mean abolishing private property, but rather giving it the place it deserves.

As for money the third type of essential asset according to Polanyi its minting is reserved, in the Eurozone, to an oligopoly of private banks, since the sovereign right to issue currency has been taken away from the states. It is not certain that the privatisation of money serves the general interest, and yet this trend could be exacerbated by tech giants Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft, which are showing an interest in minting their own currency possibly beyond the control of public bank regulation authorities. This can only further erode the sovereignty of citizens and undermine already weakened governments.

In response, somewhat in the manner of the monetary biodiversity that prevailed in the Middle Ages when royal privileges allowed certain towns to mint coins, many initiatives have been launched in Europe to regain local monetary sovereignty. These complementary, civic-minded regional currencies, like the Sardex in Sardinia, are concrete reinventions of the concept of commons. Money, labour and natural resources are three areas where the role of the State needs to be reassessed. Governments should create the necessary conditions for the emergence and preservation of commons in civil society, including global ones like the Amazon. Otherwise, the utopia of an entirely privatised world, shredding the fundamental bonds of solidarity in our societies, will cause such suffering that, as in the 1930s, people will end up clamouring for authoritarian, anti-democratic solutions to save them from the nightmare of privatisation. In my opinion, this is the root cause of the rise of right-wing populism in Europe, Brazil and India today.

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Reducing inequalities to save the planet - ScienceBlog.com

Survival of the friendliest: Why kindness, not aggression, helped humans thrive – BBC Focus Magazine

Our views of human nature shape almost everything we do as a society. It informs who heal or ignore. Who we protect or persecute. And no view of human nature has done more harm than survival of the fittest. At its inception, it inspired the eugenics movement and now it promotes all forms of racism and discrimination.

But survival of the fittest, which in the popular imagination suggests the superiority of the strongest, biggest and meanest, is a tragic misunderstanding. To Darwin, and other biologists, fitness only refers to the offspring you leave behind. It was never meant to go beyond that.

Using the intended definition of fitness, research has repeatedly shown that friendliness is the key to lifes biggest successes. Flowering plants quickly spread to every corner of the planet by inviting animals to pollinate them.

Cleaner wrasse comfortably dart between the teeth of much larger predatory fish who let them eat their dental parasites. And dogs are the ultimate example of survival of the friendliest they became friendlier through domestication and are the most successful mammal on the planet, besides us.

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Even our closest primate cousins, bonobos and chimpanzees, show how friendliness wins.

In chimpanzees, the alpha male pummels his way to the top, forcing his groupmates to signal their total submission by kissing his testicles. Fights can be deadly. He uses his power to monopolise females and have more offspring than other males.

Bonobos do none of this. No bonobo group has ever been observed to have an alpha male. Instead, females, who are smaller than the males, form a coalition to prevent any one bonobo from ruling the group.

A male that uses force to get his way will be met by an alliance of females he cannot overpower, and who will then refuse to mate with him. Male aggression does not pay and as a result no bonobo has ever been seen to kill another bonobo.

If we look at biological fitness, who has the most reproductive success: alpha chimpanzees or more friendly bonobo males? It turns out that the most successful bonobo males leave more offspring than even the most despotic chimpanzees.

Friendliness in nature helps us understand our own nature. In the past 100,000 years our species, Homo sapiens, has co-existed with at least four other human species.

This includes Neanderthals, with brains as big, and bodies as strong, as our own. They had culture and technology that rivalled ours, but this did not protect them from extinction. If big brains and culture do not guarantee survival, why are we the last human standing?

Our success was due to a new social category the in-group stranger. Bonobos and chimpanzees recognise those as inside or outside their group based on familiarity.

Bonobos have never been seen to kill another bonobo Getty Images

Chimpanzees respond negatively and bonobos positively to someone they do not recognise, but neither species has a group identity. Only we have shared signals we use to recognise if someone is part of our group.

Prehistorically, this might have been shared language, technology, or clothing. Today, these signals are a range of arbitrary but culturally constructed cues, like a baseball cap, rosary, skin colour, or an accent.

No other animal recognises in-group strangers. It is unique to our species. We are surrounded by people we do not know, and yet we are not just tolerant of these strangers, we actively help each other. This friendliness encourages us to perform acts of kindness both great, like donating an organ, and small, like helping someone cross the street.

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This new category of in-group stranger probably appeared in our species during the Middle Palaeolithic, more than 80,000 years ago, and allowed communities to become larger and more densely populated.

The minds of innovators were networked together and our capacity for technological innovation exploded. With improved tools, we could expand into a wider range of ecologies. Once the social calculus shifted, our unique form of friendliness gave us a major advantage over other human species.

Unfortunately, our increased friendliness created a new form of aggression. Group members had the ability to connect with each other, and the bonds between them were so strong, they felt like family. With this new concern for others came a willingness to violently defend them against threatening outsiders.

Social scientists have traditionally called this dislike of other groups prejudice. However, our worst behaviours toward other groups cannot be explained as mere negative feeling towards others. Just as we can embrace in-group strangers, we can blind ourselves to the basic humanity of those we feel threaten our group or its identity.

This blindness is a far darker force than prejudice it is dehumanisation. When we do not view others as fully human, we morally exclude them. Our empathy narrows like a spotlight increasingly focused on those most like us.

People might vary in their predisposition to dehumanise, and levels of dehumanisation are impacted by socialisation, but all human brains are capable of dehumanisation.

If our kindness is also the source of cruelty, how do we facilitate friendliness while keeping our darker side in check? The good news is, to break the cycle of dehumanisation there is a simple solution, and we know it works.

Friendship is the bridge between two groups. If we can remove that sense of threat, even for a short time, we can create a different kind of feedback loop that might be called reciprocal humanisation.

For example, people are less likely to dehumanise homosexuals if they know a homosexual through their network of friends. Israeli and Palestinian teenagers who went to three week camp together listed someone from the opposite side as a friend and reported more positive feelings towards the opposite group as a whole.

Dogs: the ultimate example of survival of the friendliest Getty Images

In a time of social distancing, when friendships are difficult to maintain and new friendships are almost impossible to form, we can still short circuit our tendency to dehumanise.

One study found that just imagining positive contact with one of the most dehumanised groups of people the homeless helps people to empathise with them. Even using humanising words to describe people in an outside group can lead people to want to approach and make contact.

Now more than ever, we have a chance to become something new. One of the most important lessons we have learned about the last 100,000 years is that a life should not be measured by how many enemies you have conquered, but by how many friends you have made.

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Survival of the friendliest: Why kindness, not aggression, helped humans thrive - BBC Focus Magazine

We Can Handle This, America – National Review

A poll worker casts a mail-in ballot for a voter at a drive-thru polling station during the primary election amid the coronavirus outbreak in Miami, Fla., August 18, 2020. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

On the menu today: As Facebook takes steps to prepare for a divided and angry election season, lets remember what we can do to ensure we have faith in this falls elections; a grim number that indicates that COVID-19 isnt just a menace to the elderly and immunocompromised; some revelations about Alexander Graham Bell I wish I hadnt learned; and a new spot online for voracious readers.

If Youre Worried about the Election, You Can Do Something about It

Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg, this morning: The U.S. elections are just two months away, and with Covid-19 affecting communities across the country, Im concerned about the challenges people could face when voting. Im also worried that with our nation so divided and election results potentially taking days or even weeks to be finalized, there could be an increased risk of civil unrest across the country.

Facebook is taking additional steps to help the upcoming election run smoothly removing misinformation about voting, partnering with Reuters and the National Election Pool to provide authoritative information about election results, and not allowing political advertising in the final week before the election.

But whether or not the country witnesses election-related unrest shouldnt be dependent upon the policies of a social-media company. Functioning as a constitutional democratic republic requires a little bit of responsibility on the part of each citizen, poll worker, volunteer, government employee, and elected leader. Not a ton or an unbearable burden. We can handle this, America.

First, you know there are foreign forces hostile to the United States who want you to have no faith in any aspect of your government, right? Vladimir Putin, Chinese State Security, and the Iranian mullahs, among others, want you marinating in a toxic stew of suspicion, confusion, paranoia, rage, and eagerness to lash out at other Americans. The more energy and time we spend attacking each other, the less time we have left to focus on what theyre doing whether its Novichok assassinations, running concentration camps or crushing democratic opposition in Hong Kong, or executing children. We, as ordinary citizens, have limited ability to impede their efforts to put out disinformation. But we can choose how we respond to it, and we can choose to be less credulous about everything we read on social media.

If everybody in America resolved, Im not going to rush out and smash something because I dont like the election result, or the votes are taking a long time to count, we would prove that all of these foreign disinformation efforts are a waste of time. Were not taking the bait; were not so easily manipulated.*

Second, you know that in most jurisdictions, you can volunteer as a poll worker or poll watcher, right? There are various age, local residence, and voter registration requirements. If youre wondering whether its safe to work at a polling place . . . with the proper precautions, yes. Weve held primary elections all year long.

If you have any doubts that the elections in your community wont be run fairly, you can do something about it. If you cant get involved in the election process yourself, you have no shortage of legal authorities to turn to if you suspect election fraud or some other illegal activity. Every state government has an election security office. The Department of Homeland Security has an Election Security division. The U.S. Election Assistance Commissions whole job is to help states and localities prepare and secure their elections.

Dont just sit there and predict that the election will be stolen on social media; get up out of your chair and do something about it. Those hostile foreign forces want you feeling helpless and that theres nothing you can do.

I am among the worlds most insufferable critics of government bureaucracy.But although there are a handful of places that are notorious for poorly run elections and counts,in the vast majority of places in the United States, elections are run fairly, legally, and smoothly.

Yes, the 2020 election will almost certainly have more Americans voting early and voting by mail than ever before. But last cycle wasnt exactly low about 57.2 million in 2016, or about 40 percent of all ballots. Sixteen states had more than half their ballots cast by mail or early. Running this years general election without too many snafus or confusion will be a tougher endeavor, but it wont be wildly different from the challenge last cycle.

We can do this, America. Dont get anxious, get prepared.

*Perhaps we are so easily manipulated. Last year, somebody wrote a novel about a sinister group with ties to the Iranians using social media to stir up mistrust and fear, climaxing in widespread violence in cities as Americans lashed out at each other in suspicion,trying to create an atmosphere of runaway paranoia where Americans started to see every stranger they encountered as a deadly threat. But hey, what are the odds of that happening, right?

COVID-19 Has Killed More Cops This Year Than All Other Causes Combined

This is a useful reminder for the COVID-19 is only a threat to the elderly and those who were already seriously sick crowd:

As of Sept. 2, on-the-jobcoronavirusinfections were responsible for a least 100 officer deaths, more than gun violence, car accidents and all other causes combined,according to the Officer Downgroup. National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reported a nearly identical number of covid-related law enforcement deaths.

Both organizations only count covid deaths if it is determined that the officer died as a result of exposure to the virus while performing official duties, as the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund put it. Substantive evidence will be required to show the death was more than likely due to the direct and proximate result of a duty-related incident.

In addition to the 100 confirmed coronavirus fatalities listed on the Officer Down website, the nonprofit said it is in the process of verifying an additional 150 officer deaths due to covid-19 and presumed to have been contracted in the line of duty, said Chris Cosgriff, executive director of ODMP, in an email.

A disturbing number of people have chosen to interpret COVID-19 is a greater threat to the elderly and immunocompromised as COVID-19 is only a threat to the elderly and immunocompromised.

Technically, I Guess Alexander Graham Bell Is to Blame for Robocalls, Too

A wise voice wrote in, marveling that the District of Columbias Facilities and Commemorative Expressions (DCFACES) group singled out over 150 landmarks having the names of persons of concern and on the list was Bell Multicultural High School in Columbia Heights, named after Alexander Graham Bell.

This is the report that urged the mayor to use her position on the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission to recommend that Federal government remove, relocate, or contextualize the Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, and six other federal assets.

Keep in mind that the District of Columbia has no authority over the Washington Monument or Jefferson Memorial, as those are run by the National Parks Service.

I did some Googling . . . and learned some disappointing things about Alexander Graham Bell:

Bells second chief interest was the study of heredity and animal breeding, and he became an early supporter of the eugenics movement to improve human breeding. Bell did not go so far as to advocate social controls on reproduction, as many eugenicists did. He did, however, decry the immigration into the United States of what he termed undesirable ethnical elements, calling for legislation to prevent their entry in order to encourage the evolution of a higher and nobler type of man in America. His views on immigration, deaf education, and eugenics overlapped and intertwined. He described sign language as essentially a foreign language and argued that in an English speaking country like the United States, the English language,and the English language alone, should be used as the means of communication and instruction at least in schools supported at public expense. He maintained that the use of sign language in our public schools is contrary to the spirit and practice of American Institutions (as foreign immigrants have found out).

In 1884, Bell published a paper Upon the Formation of a Deaf Variety of the Human Race, in which he warned of a great calamity facing the nation: deaf people were forming clubs, socializing with one another and, consequently, marrying other deaf people. The creation of a deaf race that yearly would grow larger and more insular was underway. Bell noted that a special language adapted for the use of such a race already was in existence, a language as different from English as French or German or Russian. Some eugenicists called for legislation outlawing intermarriage by deaf people, but Bell rejected such a ban as impractical. Instead he proposed the following steps: (1) Determine the causes that promote intermarriages among the deaf and dumb; and (2) remove them. The causes he sought to remove were sign language, deaf teachers, and residential schools. His solution was the creation of special day schools taught by hearing teachers who would enforce a ban on sign language.

Ugh. Eugenics? Opposition to deaf people socializing or marrying other deaf people?

I dont know if I necessarily would rename the Bell school now that I know this; the man was still a revolutionary inventor. But reading the above, its at least easier to see why some people would prefer a school not be named after him.

ADDENDUM: A little more than 13 years ago, I set up my Goodreads account . . . and did almost nothing with it. Ive finally updated it with more information about my books and will soon add links to my book reviews, etc.If youre on Goodreads, check it out, and if youre not, but like books and reading, you may want to give it a try.

Originally posted here:

We Can Handle This, America - National Review

Joe Rogan Podcast Comes to Spotify, but Its Missing His Episodes With Far-Right Figures – Yahoo Entertainment

Spotify launched Joe Rogans popular podcast this week. But the batch of 1,691 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience currently available on the streaming platform is conspicuously missing a several controversial segments.

The Rogan episodes on Spotify omit his interviews with far-right figures including notorious conspiracy monger Alex Jones of InfoWars (whose podcasts Spotify and other platforms pulled in 2018 for policy violations). Other Joe Rogan Experience episodes not available include those with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes; ex-Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos; Charles C. Johnson, whos been described as a race-baiting troll; alt-right political commentator and comedian Owen Benjamin; Stefan Molyneux, who amplifies scientific racism, eugenics and white supremacism, per the Southern Poverty Law Center; and anti-feminist personality Carl Benjamin (aka Sargon of Akkad).

Spotify announced the arrival of Rogans podcast in a tweet Tuesday, calling him a stand-up comic, mixed martial arts fanatic and psychedelic adventurer, neglecting to call out one significant element of his brand a political provocateur who has provided a platform for the far-right fringe.

Also not available on Spotify are Rogans podcast episodes with comedians Chris DElia (recently accused of sexual misconduct involving, in some cases, teenage girls), as well as Joey Diaz and Tommy Chong.

Reps for Spotify and Rogan didnt respond to requests for comment.

According to Spotify, The Joe Rogan Experience has long been the most-searched-for podcast on its service. The episodes on the service date back to 2009, when the comedian and former TV host first launched the show. Rogans deal with Spotify is worth more than $100 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Under the mutiyear licensing pact, The Joe Rogan Experience will become exclusive to Spotify later in 2020. There will still be clips from the show on YouTube but full versions of the show will only be on Spotify after the end of the year.

While Spotify will become the exclusive distributor of JRE, Rogan will maintain full creative control over the show under the agreement.

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Joe Rogan Podcast Comes to Spotify, but Its Missing His Episodes With Far-Right Figures - Yahoo Entertainment

Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market Advanced Technologies and Growth Opportunities in Industry 2020-2025|Saab AB, Zenith Aircraft, TATA, Sealand…

Global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market Report 2020 by Key Players, Types, Applications, Countries, Market Size, Forecast to 2026 (Based on 2020 COVID-19 Worldwide Spread)

Global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market Report offers an entire study of the Impact of COVID-19 on Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market, Industry Outlook, Opportunities in Market, and Expansion By 2025 and also taking into consideration key factors like drivers, challenges, recent trends, opportunities, advancements, and competitive landscape. This report offers a clear understanding of this also as a future scenario of the worldwide Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts industry. Research techniques like PESTLE and SWOT analysis are deployed by the researchers. They need also provided accurate data on Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts production, capacity, price, cost, margin, and revenue to help the players gain a clear understanding of the general existing and future market situation.

>>> Get Free Sample PDF (including COVID19 Impact Analysis, full TOC, Tables and Figures) of Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market:

Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market competition by top manufacturers/Key player Profiled:Saab AB, Zenith Aircraft, TATA, Sealand Aviation, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), ShinMaywa Industries, Strata Manufacturing, Asian Composites Manufacturing (ACM), Bombardier, LAM Aviation

The study objectives of Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market report are: 1.To identify opportunities and challenges for Global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts.2.To provide insights about factors affecting market growth. To analyze the Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, SWOT analysis, etc.3.To identify and analyze the profile of leading players involved within the manufacturing of worldwide Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts.4.To provide country-level analysis of the market regarding the present Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts market size and future prospective.5.To examine competitive developments like expansions, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, etc., in Global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts.6.To provide a detailed analysis of the market structure alongside forecast of the varied segments and sub-segments of the worldwide Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts market.

By Types, the Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market can be Splits into:

High WingMid WingLow Wing

By Applications, the Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market can be Splits into:

Wide-body AircraftNarrow-body Aircraft

The research team projects that the Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts market size will grow from XXX in 2019 to XXX by 2026, at an estimated CAGR of XX. The base year considered for the study is 2019, and the market size is projected from 2020 to 2026.

The prime objective of this report is to help the user understand the market in terms of its definition, segmentation, market potential, influential trends, and the challenges that the market is facing with 10 major regions and 30 major countries. Deep researches and analysis were done during the preparation of the report. The readers will find this report very helpful in understanding the market in depth. The data and the information regarding the market are taken from reliable sources such as websites, annual reports of the companies, journals, and others and were checked and validated by the industry experts. The facts and data are represented in the report using diagrams, graphs, pie charts, and other pictorial representations. This enhances the visual representation and also helps in understanding the facts much better.

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Regions Covered in these Report:

Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, and Rest of Asia Pacific)Europe (Germany, the UK, France, and Rest of Europe)North America (the US, Mexico, and Canada)Latin America (Brazil and Rest of Latin America)Middle East & Africa (GCC Countries and Rest of Middle East & Africa)

Global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market for Global, Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, South America and Middle East & Africa.

Reasons To Buy: Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data associated with the Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts market, and every category within it.Extensive price charts draw particular pricing trends within recent yearsPosition yourself to realize the most advantage of the Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts markets growth potentialTo understand the latest trends of the Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts marketTo understand the impactful developments of key players within the market, their strategic initiatives and comprehensively study their core competencies

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Table of Contents

Report Overview:It includes major players of the global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market covered in the research study, research scope, and Market segments by type, market segments by application, years considered for the research study, and objectives of the report.

Global Growth Trends:This section focuses on industry trends where market drivers and top market trends are shed light upon. It also provides growth rates of key producers operating in the global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market. Furthermore, it offers production and capacity analysis where marketing pricing trends, capacity, production, and production value of the global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market are discussed.

Market Share by Manufacturers:Here, the report provides details about revenue by manufacturers, production and capacity by manufacturers, price by manufacturers, expansion plans, mergers and acquisitions, and products, market entry dates, distribution, and market areas of key manufacturers.

Market Size by Type:This section concentrates on product type segments where production value market share, price, and production market share by product type are discussed.

Market Size by Application:Besides an overview of the global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market by application, it gives a study on the consumption in the global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market by application.

Production by Region:Here, the production value growth rate, production growth rate, import and export, and key players of each regional market are provided.

Consumption by Region:This section provides information on the consumption in each regional market studied in the report. The consumption is discussed on the basis of country, application, and product type.

Company Profiles:Almost all leading players of the global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market are profiled in this section. The analysts have provided information about their recent developments in the global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market, products, revenue, production, business, and company.

Market Forecast by Production:The production and production value forecasts included in this section are for the global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market as well as for key regional markets.

Market Forecast by Consumption:The consumption and consumption value forecasts included in this section are for the global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market as well as for key regional markets.

Value Chain and Sales Analysis:It deeply analyzes customers, distributors, sales channels, and value chain of the global Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market.

Key Findings: This section gives a quick look at important findings of the research study.

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Ailerons for Commercial Aircrafts Market Advanced Technologies and Growth Opportunities in Industry 2020-2025|Saab AB, Zenith Aircraft, TATA, Sealand...

Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market: Market Shares and Growth Strategies of Key Participants|Rockwell Automation, Fairlawn Tool, Herker…

Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market

The latest report published by QY Research presents a thorough analysis of the global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market. The research report evaluates the ever-changing market dynamics that are expected to impact the trajectory of the overall market. Analysts studied the historical achievements of the market and compared it to the current market trends, to chart the trajectory. For a detailed discussion about the globalAgriculture Equipment Assemblymarket, analysts have segmented the market on the basis of application, product, and end-users. The research report has been collated using primary and secondary research methodologies to provide the readers with an accurate and precise understanding of the Agriculture Equipment Assembly market ongoing developments.

Analysts have used Porters five forces analysis, SWOT analysis, and PESTLE analysis to determine the course key vendors are likely to take in the coming years. The research report also includes an assessment of the financial outlook of these vendors, Agriculture Equipment Assembly market growth strategies, and their expansion plans for the forecast period. All of the information present in the research report about the global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market has been authenticated by market experts.

Competitive Landscape

In the last chapter, the analysts have studied the competitive landscape present in the global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market. The chapter also includes comments and recommendations by market experts to help the readers make the right decisions for their businesses for the forecast period. The chapter on competitive landscape presents a list of achievements made by these companies so far, mergers and acquisitions, and product innovations.

Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Leading Players

, Agrabase, Rockwell Automation, Fairlawn Tool, Herker Industries, Nordson Sealand Equipment, Fanuc, Araymond, Sweet Manufacturing

Market Segmentation

The extensive report on the global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market includes an executive summary that gives a brief description of the overall market, its drivers, restraints, leading segments, and competitive landscape. Each part of the executive is separately explained in the research report through dedicated chapters. The chapters are complete with precise calculations through charts and graphs.

The publication also includes individual chapters on various segments present in the market and the relevant sub-segments. Analysts have provided historical revenues and estimated revenues for all of the segments. Sales of products and the evolution of end-users have also been studied in the research report. The chapter on geographical analysis assesses the regional markets. It takes a granular view of the changing socio-political conditions, weather changes, and annual budgets of nations to determine their impact on the overall market.

Agriculture Equipment Assembly Segmentation by Product

Full Automatic, Semi Automatic Agriculture Equipment Assembly

Agriculture Equipment Assembly Segmentation by Application

, Industrialized Agriculture, Subsistence Agriculture

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Report Objectives

Analyzing the size of the global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market on the basis of value and volume.

Accurately calculating the market shares, consumption, and other vital factors of different segments of the global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market.

Exploring the key dynamics of the global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market.

Highlighting important trends of the global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market in terms of production, revenue, and sales.

Deeply profiling top players of the global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market and showing how they compete in the industry.

Studying manufacturing processes and costs, product pricing, and various trends related to them.

Showing the performance of different regions and countries in the global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market.

Forecasting the market size and share of all segments, regions, and the global market.

Table of Contents

1 Report Overview1.1 Study Scope1.2 Market Analysis by Type

1.2.1 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size Growth Rate by Type: 2020 VS 2026

1.2.2 Full Automatic

1.2.3 Semi Automatic1.3 Market by Application

1.3.1 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Share by Application: 2020 VS 2026

1.3.2 Industrialized Agriculture

1.3.3 Subsistence Agriculture1.4 Study Objectives1.5 Years Considered 2 Global Growth Trends2.1 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Perspective (2015-2026)2.2 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Growth Trends by Regions

2.2.1 Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Regions: 2015 VS 2020 VS 2026

2.2.2 Agriculture Equipment Assembly Historic Market Share by Regions (2015-2020)

2.2.3 Agriculture Equipment Assembly Forecasted Market Size by Regions (2021-2026)2.3 Industry Trends and Growth Strategy

2.3.1 Market Trends

2.3.2 Market Drivers

2.3.3 Market Challenges

2.3.4 Market Restraints 3 Competition Landscape by Key Players3.1 Global Top Agriculture Equipment Assembly Players by Market Size

3.1.1 Global Top Agriculture Equipment Assembly Players by Revenue (2015-2020)

3.1.2 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Revenue Market Share by Players (2015-2020)3.2 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Share by Company Type (Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3)3.3 Players Covered: Ranking by Agriculture Equipment Assembly Revenue3.4 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Concentration Ratio

3.4.1 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)

3.4.2 Global Top 10 and Top 5 Companies by Agriculture Equipment Assembly Revenue in 20193.5 Key Players Agriculture Equipment Assembly Area Served3.6 Key Players Agriculture Equipment Assembly Product Solution and Service3.7 Date of Enter into Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market3.8 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans 4 Agriculture Equipment Assembly Breakdown Data by Type (2015-2026)4.1 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Historic Market Size by Type (2015-2020)4.2 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Forecasted Market Size by Type (2021-2026) 5 Agriculture Equipment Assembly Breakdown Data by Application (2015-2026)5.1 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Historic Market Size by Application (2015-2020)5.2 Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly Forecasted Market Size by Application (2021-2026) 6 North America6.1 North America Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size (2015-2026)6.2 North America Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Type (2015-2020)6.3 North America Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Application (2015-2020)6.4 North America Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Country (2015-2020)

6.4.1 United States

6.4.2 Canada 7 Europe7.1 Europe Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size (2015-2026)7.2 Europe Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Type (2015-2020)7.3 Europe Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Application (2015-2020)7.4 Europe Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Country (2015-2020)

7.4.1 Germany

7.4.2 France

7.4.3 U.K.

7.4.4 Italy

7.4.5 Russia

7.4.6 Nordic

7.4.7 Rest of Europe 8 China8.1 China Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size (2015-2026)8.2 China Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Type (2015-2020)8.3 China Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Application (2015-2020)8.4 China Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Region (2015-2020)

8.4.1 China

8.4.2 Japan

8.4.3 South Korea

8.4.4 Southeast Asia

8.4.5 India

8.4.6 Australia

8.4.7 Rest of Asia-Pacific 9 Japan9.1 Japan Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size (2015-2026)9.2 Japan Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Type (2015-2020)9.3 Japan Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Application (2015-2020)9.4 Japan Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Country (2015-2020)

9.4.1 Mexico

9.4.2 Brazil 10 Southeast Asia10.1 Southeast Asia Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size (2015-2026)10.2 Southeast Asia Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Type (2015-2020)10.3 Southeast Asia Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Application (2015-2020)10.4 Southeast Asia Agriculture Equipment Assembly Market Size by Country (2015-2020)

10.4.1 Turkey

10.4.2 Saudi Arabia

10.4.3 UAE

10.4.4 Rest of Middle East & Africa 11 Key Players Profiles11.1 Agrabase

11.1.1 Agrabase Company Details

11.1.2 Agrabase Business Overview

11.1.3 Agrabase Agriculture Equipment Assembly Introduction

11.1.4 Agrabase Revenue in Agriculture Equipment Assembly Business (2015-2020))

11.1.5 Agrabase Recent Development11.2 Rockwell Automation

11.2.1 Rockwell Automation Company Details

11.2.2 Rockwell Automation Business Overview

11.2.3 Rockwell Automation Agriculture Equipment Assembly Introduction

11.2.4 Rockwell Automation Revenue in Agriculture Equipment Assembly Business (2015-2020)

11.2.5 Rockwell Automation Recent Development11.3 Fairlawn Tool

11.3.1 Fairlawn Tool Company Details

11.3.2 Fairlawn Tool Business Overview

11.3.3 Fairlawn Tool Agriculture Equipment Assembly Introduction

11.3.4 Fairlawn Tool Revenue in Agriculture Equipment Assembly Business (2015-2020)

11.3.5 Fairlawn Tool Recent Development11.4 Herker Industries

11.4.1 Herker Industries Company Details

11.4.2 Herker Industries Business Overview

11.4.3 Herker Industries Agriculture Equipment Assembly Introduction

11.4.4 Herker Industries Revenue in Agriculture Equipment Assembly Business (2015-2020)

11.4.5 Herker Industries Recent Development11.5 Nordson Sealand Equipment

11.5.1 Nordson Sealand Equipment Company Details

11.5.2 Nordson Sealand Equipment Business Overview

11.5.3 Nordson Sealand Equipment Agriculture Equipment Assembly Introduction

11.5.4 Nordson Sealand Equipment Revenue in Agriculture Equipment Assembly Business (2015-2020)

11.5.5 Nordson Sealand Equipment Recent Development11.6 Fanuc

11.6.1 Fanuc Company Details

11.6.2 Fanuc Business Overview

11.6.3 Fanuc Agriculture Equipment Assembly Introduction

11.6.4 Fanuc Revenue in Agriculture Equipment Assembly Business (2015-2020)

11.6.5 Fanuc Recent Development11.7 Araymond

11.7.1 Araymond Company Details

11.7.2 Araymond Business Overview

11.7.3 Araymond Agriculture Equipment Assembly Introduction

11.7.4 Araymond Revenue in Agriculture Equipment Assembly Business (2015-2020)

11.7.5 Araymond Recent Development11.8 Sweet Manufacturing

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Global Agriculture Equipment Assembly market: Market Shares and Growth Strategies of Key Participants|Rockwell Automation, Fairlawn Tool, Herker...

NBAs Leadership Offers A Roadmap To Change The Status Quo – Forbes

(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

When the NBA and its players union recentlyagreedon a simple, yet effective set of actions to advance the cause of social justice and racial equality in America, they showed that, in the face of deeply painful systemic challenges, evolved leadership can make a difference. Political and business leaders should take notice. New episodes of violence and divisive rhetoric continue to tear at the frail scabs that cover the countrys racial wounds, feeding a malaise more profound than the unrest seen in Kenosha, Portland, Los Angeles and other cities.

Autocratic leadership, which shares a top-down mindset with the behaviors linked to racial violence, is fundamentally unsuited to address the current crisis. However, leadership that uses deep listening, authentic introspection and transformative empowerment, can make real progress. With the resolution offered last week, the NBA began to do exactly that.

Deep Listening Captures The Whole Meaning Of A Challenge

There is listening, and there islistening. A leader may pay attention to the recent civil unrest through the filter of their preconceived notions or focus more deeply on the meaning of what is happening on the streets of America today. For example, a CEO might conclude that a debate on social justice doesnt belong in the workplace. Or, the leader of a political party might fixate on the clamors caused by a particular episode of disorderly conduct. Yet, a leader could also look at the current climate of unrest and realize that by witnessing several cases of racial violence, people have had a chance to observe a system fundamentally unwilling to change or self-correct.

The first type of listening is perfunctory and sterile. It may keep good trouble out of the workplace, but it will likely fail the dialogue withmillennial and Gen Zemployees. It may nab civil unrest, but it wont heal the growing divide or the brokenness thats leading some to take to the streets with rifles, in the name of self-defense, while others loot in the shadow of those who seek justice.

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The second type of listening, however, can start a transformative process of problem-solving. The agreement reached by the NBA last week came out of a multitude of tense, emotional conversations. The players listened to each other, dialogued with the teams owners, and weighed in on the perspective ofother stakeholders. Steve Ballmer, one of the NBA owners,describedhow part of this process entailed closely listening to the players while recognizing that people like him do not have the lived experience of growing up Black in America.

This was not about one side winning or getting their way over the other; it was about different parties working through the meaning of their unease and the conflicting priorities of their roles. It was this intense process that helped the NBA develop a better understanding of what could be done as well as a fuller sense of their collective responsibility as a powerful and influential organization of diverse stakeholders.

Authentic Introspection Enables Change

Though most people think they know their personal values, actual behavior is ofteninconsistentwith the values people claim to hold. A leader may think that they value diversity but pay greater attention to the opinions of in-group members. Another may declare that they want people to speak out but feel threatened by the smallest signs of dissent. Sometimes, these gaps are disingenuous, but for the most part, they indicate a lack of self-awareness.

Failure to achieve a working understanding of ones personal values has practical consequences, especially in the face conflicting goals and/or systemic challenges. In some cases, it may result in applying norms opportunistically and inconsistently, thereby increasing existing feelings ofunfairness. In others, it may lead to discounting the importance of real priorities, which in turn prevents progress. And in more extreme situations, it may take a person in power to divorce their perceived competence from any sense of moral competence.

Thus, a leader might justify the unlawful use of force by a follower as a form of self-defense, while labeling peaceful protesters as rioters. He/she might conclude that sports ought to remain confined to a bubble of blissful ignorance where fans can forget the crude reality of particular facets of life. Or, he/she might engage in so biased a form of discounting to reject any factual evidence inconsistent with his/her self-image.

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

In all these instances, leadership shows a lack of ethical imagination. Thus, if presented with a paradox such as the one eloquentlyarticulatedbythe coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, Doc Rivers,why we are the ones getting killed; we are the ones getting shot;[yet], you keep hearing [the other side talking] about fear, why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us backnot only will the leader struggle to understand it, but he/she will find it impossible to navigate or ever possibly, attempt a solution.

Indeed, when it comes to personal values, self-awareness should not be mistaken for a rigid application of ones standards. Instead, it should be used in the form of authentic introspection - a practice of regularly reflecting on what such values mean and what type of mature action they may require. As the NBA players debated whether they should cancel the playoffs, LeBron James, who had initially voted to end the season,reportedlypushed for finishing the game. James, who was criticized by some for his change of heart,respondedby pointing out that at this very hour, justice needs action, not only talk.

Transformative Empowerment Creates A Path Forward

Theplatformthe NBA and the NBPA agreed to includes a social justice coalition focused on facilitating access to voting, raising awareness and advocating for genuine reform. To this end, initiatives such as the conversion of arenas into polling locations and advertising spots in each NBA playoff game dedicated to promoting greater civic engagement in national and local elections will be actively pursued. The players and the owners did more than pledge to a vision. They also committed actual resources within their area of influence. In so doing, theyempowered each other to re-imagine how valuable assets could be leveraged to make tangible progress toward the goal of social justice and racial equality.

Its the generative aspect of this process that is most deserving of attention here. Turning a basketball court into a polling place and using a game not solely to entertain but to increase awareness that voting is a means to justice are the types of out-of-the-box thinking that can break the deadlock of the status quo. The most empowering aspect of the NBA standoff was not the mere fact that the players set an example for other athletes, but that the players, the owners and other stakeholders delivered a template of how resources and beliefs can be repurposed to make immediate and future progress.

In thewordsof John Lewis, one of the greatest heroes of the civil rights era, the NBA showed howordinary people with extraordinary vision can get in good trouble, necessary trouble,.. seeing something that is not right, saying something, and doing somethinghelping to build a nation and world society at peace with itself.

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NBAs Leadership Offers A Roadmap To Change The Status Quo - Forbes

Olympian Allyson Felix Teams Up With Athleta To Empower Women Of All Ages – Forbes

Allyson Felix wearing the Allyson Felix + Athleta collection

When you unroll your yoga mat or lace up your running shoes, the actionand sweatthat follows can transform your mood, mind and body, no matter how old you are. Athleta is capturing that through their Power of She campaign and Athleta Girl (Em)Power Hour episodes. Our mission is to ignite confidence in women and girls everywhere and this comes to life as the Power of She, says Katy Miller, Senior Director of Athleta Girl. As a brand by women, for women, we are deeply committed to supporting the next generation of girlsand we know she finds her strength through movement and connection. Theres never been a more meaningful time to be a girl. Our (Em)Power Hour series is meant to encourage girls to keep them in the game, even when life may get challenging.

The (Em)Power Hour series was created to keep women and girls inspired during this difficult time when theyre disconnected from their regular routine with friends and teammates, particularly helping girls feel less alone and keeping them active. We believe that playing sports, participating on teams and doing activities she loves will help build friendships and foster strength and confidence that will carry her through her life, Miller says. And (Em)Power Hour is a physical manifestation of this mantra. We hope that by hearing athletes they revere talk about their personal journey in overcoming obstacles, and joining them in easy sprints and routines at home, girls will be reminded of the importance of perseverance, staying positive and cherishing the friendships created through sports.

Allyson Felix wearing the Allyson Felix + Athleta collection

Athleta Girl (Em)Power Hour Episode 2 is airing on September 5 at 10am PT/1pm EST on YouTube Live and will feature Gabi Butler and Lexi Brumback, the stars of Netflix docuseries Cheer, teaching warm-up routines, followed by a Q&A moderated by Tunde Oyeneyin, an elite Peloton instructor with a mission to inspire and motivate others. We wanted to feature young women who have powerful voices in sport, Miller says. For anyone who has watched Cheer, Gabi and Lexi both showed us what it means to stay in the game and how powerful the support of a team and coach can be in fueling your confidence.

Playing sports as girls gives them skills they carry for the rest of their lives. According to the Women in Sports Foundation, 60% of women executives credited sport participation with helping them cultivate an understanding of what it took to compete, plus another study found that 94% of women in the C-Suite played sports growing up. Girls drop out of sports at more than twice the rate of boysyet we know sports build friendships, confidence, resilience and determination and skills to carry women and girls through their life, Miller says.

Athleta Girl (Em)Power Hour episodes and the Power of She campaign are trying to change that, with their partner Olympic athlete Allyson Felix fighting alongside them. Felix created a capsule collection for women and girls in partnership with Athleta and is setting an example for them to follow. Allyson is not just an athlete, but a mother and an activist, Miller says. Shes a living vision of our purposeas a mom she understands the confidence you need on and off the track, and how to pass that down to young girls, like her daughter Cammy. Designed by women, for women and girls, the partnership and the newly launched capsule collection both signify what it means to define your own legacy. Together we hope to help women and girls feel their bestin and out of the game. She constantly uses her platform to push for a more equitable world for women athletes in sport and shes the ultimate example of empowerment. This message is something we want all girls to see and hear. Its about never giving up and believing in yourself and supporting your fellow women and girls to find their power.

The Allyson Felix + Athleta collection

Felix, who is one of the most decorated track and field athletes of all time with six gold Olympic medals and three silver medals, tells us all about her role with Athleta and their shared mission to empower girls everywhere.

Why were you interested in partnering with Athleta? Historically, we have seen such a disparity with sponsorships for women as compared to men and women are really lagging so far behind. For mewhat I have seen in my experience and what I have learnedis really to hold brands accountable to what they market and how they are tangibly bringing their beliefs into practice. It has to be more than words in a campaign. You have to be able to see that through the business holistically. What is really special about the partnership with Athleta is that its truly at the core of who they are. I think thats why our missions align so well. They stand to empower women and girls and that really speaks to who I am and what I want to accomplish as well. It was always a very authentic partnership. When I signed with Athleta, I was at a place where I only wanted to do things that were meaningful. I wanted to be able to have a partnership that I was proud of, not just about all the things that were done publicly but truly having a voice. I remember one of my first meetings formally with Athleta and sitting at a table surrounded by female leadership and it was something I had never experienced before. I was heard, and I was seen. I really love how they are redefining how sponsorship looks and looking at an athlete holistically. Im not just an athlete, but they see me as an activist and a mother, and they want to celebrate and shine a light on those things as well. Thats a model that needs to be pushed forward for women and people in general.

Last year you spoke out in a New York Times Op-Ed piece about sponsors not supporting women during maternity leave. Why does this need to change? Maternity leave benefits should be non-negotiable and many female athletes live in a world where this is just not a reality. As I mentioned earlier, the disparities between sponsorships for women and men are immense. We have to do better. We must do better. Having a baby shouldnt be a penalty or something you need to be viewed as lesser for. Motherhood is empowering, its transformative and essential. One thing that has been extremely clear to me during and post-childbirth is that you can be strong and transform in a lot of different ways. Thats something that I want my daughter, Camryn, to grow up with, and I want all young women to understand. I want them to know their worth and value, and I know that Athleta is truly committed to that by what they are producing. When I announced my partnership with Athleta last year, I was proud to be a living example of how things can be different and how we can break the mold. Its been an exciting year working side by side with the Athleta team and paving the way forward.

Allyson Felix wearing the Allyson Felix + Athleta collection

Your deal with Athleta is impact based, not performance based. What does that mean? How else is your sponsorship with Athleta different? Throughout my career, I have learned that confidence is keyboth on and off the field. Athleta and I have a shared mission in wanting to inspire confidence in women and girls everywhere and my sponsorship reflects this. Where other brands have stipulations around winning a certain number of races, etc., ours is notits holistic. For example, my contract and financial agreements remain consistent throughout any future pregnancies I may have. We also made sure there are provisions for my daughter, Camryn, to join me when Im traveling for team Athleta. I truly co-designed the capsule collection alongside Athletas incredible female design team, advising on what a female athlete would need both on and off the track. And they listened to me.

What does the Power of She movement mean to you? It goes back to that empowerment moment and really celebrating women and girls in everything that they are. I think that Athleta does a wonderful job across the board of highlighting a lot of different girls, the activities that they are doing and the sports that they are involved in. I love that they always use real girls and real athletes in their campaigns and in interviews. I am always inspired by the mother daughter duos. It always comes back to empowering women and celebrating them for everything they are.

How do you hope to empower girls through the Athleta Girl Empower Hour? The Athleta (Em)Power Hour series aims to keep girls active, positive and motivated and it comes at a time when they need it now more than ever. I hope that by hearing how other young athletes in sports and fitness have navigated their own journeys, that they are inspired to stay in the game themselves. I absolutely love seeing these events come together and know they will have such a positive impact on Camryn in the futurewhen shes old enough to participate!

How does playing sports empower women and girls? It unleashes our potentialnot only the amazing power and capability of our bodies, but of our heart, mind and spirit.

Allyson Felix wearing the Allyson Felix + Athleta collection

What did playing sports growing up teach you? I grew up in a competitive household, always trying to keep up with my brother and the other kids in the neighborhood. I am grateful that my parents encouraged playing sports and discovering my skills outside of the classroom. Sport strengthened my ability to solve conflict and challenges in my life. It taught me how to lead and encourage my peers. Sport was the place I really found my voice and found my confidence.

Has giving birth to a daughter changed the way you view empowering girls? Absolutely. Its given me a whole different drive and motivation. I really want to show Camryn how to overcome adversity, teach her to keep fighting and what that really looks like. I have a platform and I want to affect change because of her and because of the world that she, and so many other girls, will grow up in.

How do you collaborate with Athleta in designing and creating activewear for the Allyson Felix + Athleta collection? What makes this partnership unique is that it was deeply collaborative, from beginning to end. I sat down and I talked about what is important to me as an athletewhat my standards are and to have pieces perform at the top level. For me, its about not having any distractions and having a really close to skin feel. I even brought to life elements of how I use training pieces in this collaboration. I love to layer and to be fully covered getting to the track so we have the track suit to start that off. As I get warmed up, I love to shed those layers and get down to those minimal pieces, which there are a number of in the collection. When I finish a workout, I am not typically going home. I might be running errands, grabbing coffee or going to the grocery store. I didnt want to sacrifice style either. I wanted pieces that would perform at the highest level, but I wanted them to look great as well. I dont think that a lot of other athletes and people who have collaborations are able to be involved at that level. Thats something that is really unique and special about this partnership. And I want women and girls to feel confident, empowered and strong. We were really thoughtful and mindful when creating them as well. There are little love notes written to the individual who puts them on.

Whats your favorite piece that youve designed? I have two favorite pieces from the line: The Legend Luxe Crop Half-Zip Jacket in Flora Mauve Metallic and the Legend High Neck Bra. This jacket is one of my favorites. Its a crop top and super easy to throw on. I love it and I love the mauve metallic color. Also, the Legend High Neck Bra looks so great. It looks very sleek and is practical to take down for training.

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Olympian Allyson Felix Teams Up With Athleta To Empower Women Of All Ages - Forbes

Women inclusion and empowerment – Mail and Guardian

This webinar was hosted by the Mail & Guardian and Richards Bay Minerals. It featured Georgie Bezette, HR Executive, Rio Tinto; Thobile Dlamini, Health, Safety and Environment Business Partner; Pam Pereira, Finance Business Partner and former Women in Mining Chair, who last year left for Canada Rio Tinto; and Bayanda Mncwango, RBM Chief Operating Officer, Operations. It was facilitated by Cathy Mohlahlana, Senior Anchor for Newzroom Afrika.

Women are more vulnerable than ever before, said Cathy Mohlahlana in her introductory speech, and, if you look at the stats, the world still doesnt believe that women can lead.

Georgie Bezette said there is a culture of care at RBM, but there is a long way to go for gender equality to happen in the mining industry. Thobile Dlamini said she has been at RBM for 19 years and is now in the executive team; she spoke highly of the company and the mentoring she has received. Pam Pereira said she is a mother and said she had in the past many worries about balancing her career with her family duties. Bayanda Mncwango said his mother used to come home from work with stories that shocked him, and he wants to make the workplace a better place for women, and for his daughters sake. He spoke about breaking glass ceilings and walls for women in the workplace.

Bezette said the mining industry has been historically dominated by men, so it takes a lot of effort and resilience for women to enter it and claim their space there. She was a bit of a lone voice when she first joined, which Pereira concurred upon. Pereira said she derived strength from her female colleagues, and tries to be strong for others in turn. She mentioned that during lockdown the PPE was designed for men, and was very uncomfortable for women, especially pregnant women. The journey to equality has begun, but there is still a long way to go, said Pereira.

Dlamini said starting out at RBM was really challenging, not just as a woman, but as a black woman, where most black women were cleaners; she had to work extremely hard to raise herself above her circumstances; some colleagues said she wouldnt last long, but these challenges just made me stronger.

A poll conducted with those listening to the webinar reflected that 75% of attendees believed that there has been progress made in the mining industry regarding gender equality. Another poll carried out later in the webinar showed that 61% of attendees believe that women are afforded equal opportunities in the Rio Tinto group.

Mncwango said that clearly not enough had been done, after listening to the women panellists and how hard they had to work to get anywhere in the mining industry. He said the leadership at RBM has transformed, and this is reflected in the comments they make about women.

Responding to questions, Bezette said that RBM is an equal opportunity company; it does have a pregnancy leave policy; and it has a support strategy for GBV victims, but a culture of coming forward must still be created and encouraged. Mncwango said there is priority given to local, women-owned businesses in tender processes by RBM.

Pereira said the countries with the best gender equality statistics are those run by women. Its not been easy to be a woman leader; men have had to change their mind-sets regarding her, and this took a lot of courage. She encouraged other women to believe in themselves, raise their hands, speak out and make their voices heard: male leaders have to ensure that women are comfortable to do so. Mncwango pointed out that diversity is what makes companies successful. He said there are programmes at RBM to recruit and retain female employees.

Dlamini said balancing kids and career requires a strong support system, and shes been fortunate that she has that in her family; it is important to define what is expected from her and those around her clearly, so communication is vital. Bezette said you have to plan your time carefully and set your boundaries firmly. Lockdown changed her perceptions a lot, and connected her to her purpose more firmly, which Mohlahlana agreed with; she said it has made many things more clear. Pereira said that prioritising is essential: family and health must come first, and working long hours has to be fitted around that. She added that her family has been extremely supportive and her faith has helped her.

Mncwango said the Women to Women programme at RBM is aimed at middle management and its effects will filter down to all levels. Pereira said programmes like Women in Mining ensure womens voices are heard, and such programmes make an impact on the communities around the mine. Dlamini said the recruitment programmes are working; more women are working in the mining industry and more are becoming skilled and getting promoted; this exposure is vital, as you wont know if you enjoy or can handle the industry unless you get the opportunity to work in it.

Questions were asked by attendees on the issue of whether women are strong enough to be in production. Mncwango said there are traditional beliefs around this, but as more women enter this space, so these beliefs are changing, and the environment needs to be made safe for all workers, regardless of their gender. Leadership is very important in this regard.

Regarding working online during lockdown, the old school way of working is changing, and there is far more trust; employees are judged on their output, and this may benefit women, said Bezette, as it will enable people to know what their boundaries are and when they work most productively. This is despite having to do housework and look after the kids, as she is saving two hours a day on commuting. Pereira said this is not necessarily true for all: for some, lockdown has been a complete nightmare. Leaders will have to be astute about this, pointed out Dlamini, as some employees are struggling, and employers have to pick up on this and assist where they can: some people just suffer in silence.

Mncwango said that volunteering more personal information is being encouraged, so that people can share the challenges they are facing. This is countering the old macho values that everyone can always cope. Creating a safe space for people to share is essential, said Bezette. Pereira said leaders are starting to open up to gender equality and changing their mind-sets; she has really enjoyed being in the Women in Mining committee, as it is breaking new ground.

In their closing remarks, Bezette said women are their greatest enemies or their greatest advocates; forums are essential and women must speak up to make their issues known. We have the ability to make a difference, said Pereira; start with your families and take it to the workplace. Dlamini said that women need to support each other; we understand each other, and we know how to assist each other; we also need to inspire each other and encourage each other. Mncwango said it is important for men to create environments in which women can succeed; and women who are in leadership positions must retain their femininity and not try to emulate their male colleagues.

One noteworthy remark from the audience was that if one woman makes it into the boardroom, she should try to bring other women into it.

Click here to watch the webinar: https://event.webinarjam.com/t/click/2zwr8hzkh5xu0rip2qmsor7c74pc0

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Women inclusion and empowerment - Mail and Guardian

Keith Harings personal art collection is heading to auction for charity – The Spaces

Keith Harings living room featuring Roy Lichtensteins Forms in Space. Credit: Nancy Elizabeth Hill Backstage Library Works for Keith. Via Sothebys

Sothebys is auctioning off over a hundred pieces from Keith Harings art collection, which includes works by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

The sale, entitled Dear Keith, will raise money for New Yorks LGBTQ organisation The Center. Haring painted a mural for its Greenwich Village headquarters back in 1989 (below).

It feels as if Keith himself rallied his friends to make art for this specific purpose, Gil Vazquez, acting director of the Keith Haring Foundation, which owns the collections, told the New York Times. The Center embodies so much of what Keith was about: community, empowerment and the support of our future, the youth.

The auction, which opens on 24 September, is expected to raise almost $1m, with a highlight being Andy Warhols 1983 portrait of Haring with his lover Juan Dubose predicted to sell for upwards of $200,000. Prospective buyers can view the artworks online or arrange an appointment at Sothebys Manhattan headquarters to see them in person.

Portrait of Keith Haring and Juan Dubose by Andy Warhol

Keith Haring Foundation. Polaroids, The Keith Haring Foundation Archives. Photography: Scott Schedivy

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Keith Harings personal art collection is heading to auction for charity - The Spaces

Shane Shelton talks connecting with Ultra High Net-Worth Clients, Using Personal Relationships To Drive Impact, Success – Press Release – Digital…

Los Angeles, CA - Shane Shelton, an up-and-coming professional in LAs private travel and sports scene, is helping a new generation of Athletes, Entertainers, C-Level executives and brands connect for lasting success by providing brand awareness, private aviation solutions, building relationships, helping people, and inspiring others.

Bringing diverse experience to the industry, Shane is currently a consultant for a Privately Owned-Private Aviation company, and a former employee of the Front Office for the LA Clippers. There, Shane developed his love and knowledge for the sports industry and quickly was inspired by what he saw each day to help others grow and succeed through professional empowerment. Recognizing his own potential to impact others, Shane set out to create a product that bridges the gap between athletes and companies so each could be driven to the next level. A former college basketball player, Shane has a unique understanding of the challenges athletes and brands face every day, and he is passionate about using his skills, knowledge, and expertise to take others to the next level while providing outstanding service.

Shane is currently the Founder of SlightEdge, a premier marketing and consultancy firm that focuses on working with the over-looked up and coming athletes of todays game. Harnessing the power of social media, digital marketing, and personal relationships, Shane and SlightEdge have been able to facilitate brand awareness for players across the industry at all levels. Valuing time, SlightEdge has been able to bring business and branding to sports. Using real AI and internet search engine algorithms, the company has increased visibility and social media presence for top clients, including Tim Patrick of the Denver Broncos and Mark Ogden a member of the Atlanta Hawks, among others that include Tyrone Watson, Banja Sy, and Sports Psychologist Trent Rowser.

To learn more, please visitOneSlightEdge.com.Alternatively, connect with Shane on Instagram @ShaneSheltonn.

Media ContactCompany Name: Oneslightedge.comContact Person: Shane SheltonEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://www.oneslightedge.com

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Shane Shelton talks connecting with Ultra High Net-Worth Clients, Using Personal Relationships To Drive Impact, Success - Press Release - Digital...

New ASU Initiative to Accelerate Innovations in Higher Education that Expand Access and Empower Learners – PRNewswire

"The work advanced through this partnership will drive a culture change and the commitment to redesign and restructure higher education that we embrace at ASU and that is critical to the success of students across the country," said ASU President Michael M. Crow, who outlines his vision for higher education in his new book, The Fifth Wave: The Evolution of American Higher Education. "The public health pandemic that has swept the globe and the stress it has placed on our education system has exposed weaknesses that have existed for years. Universities are being forced to adapt right now and so we're saying, 'let's take advantage of this opportunity' and let's build things in a way that serves the learner in a new world that doesn't look anything like the one that existed when most of America's institutions of higher learning were designed."

ASU's University Design Institute (UDI) will coordinate the initiative and support other universities to implement their own culture change initiatives. The goal is to broaden access to world-class education methods and cutting-edge technological innovations that are tailored to empower students and be responsive to their specific needs and goals. ASU's design-driven commitment to both educational access and scholarly excellencetwo historically opposing objectiveshas captured the attention of leaders within and outside universities from around the world. The former teachers' college stands out among research universities in such factors as its 380% increase from 2002 to 2019 in enrollment of students from low-income families. During this same period, first-generation undergraduate student enrollment increased from 7,500 to nearly 26,000, Hispanic undergraduate student enrollment increased from about 5,000 to 20,500, and Black undergraduate student enrollment increased from less than 1,500 to more than 4,500.

The nearly $12 million in donor gifts will contribute to an overall campaign to raise $30 million to support this initiative. With these gifts, ASU will:

"The principle of individual empowerment and a student-centric approach to learning and to education is a shared commitment, one where we are called to take action and broaden the network of stakeholders engaged in bringing about a change of culture," said Crow. "The goal is not to replicate ASU, but to advance a design model that enables every university to put learners, of all ages and life circumstances, at the center, implemented in the way that works best for the students served by that institution."

UDI already plays a key role in sharing lessons learned through ASU's transformation. "UDI is intended to help universities speed innovation, enhance outcomes, lower costs, and scale impact," said Crow. "The point is to not have one model, but to have many models that fit the circumstances of anyone who aspires to learn and to contribute to their community."

"ASU has made transformational changes in its comprehensive efforts to improve access and learning outcomes for its students at an affordable cost. This new initiative will invite other universities to develop and apply new ideas in partnership with their peers, leading to increased opportunity for millions of learners," said Charles Koch Foundation Executive Director Ryan Stowers. "We are thrilled to support this work to empower university leaders with a forum and support network to help drive innovation and better serve their students. There is no better time than now to think about how we can innovate to open new opportunities for as many people as possible."

For the last five years, ASU has been named by U.S. News & World Reportas the most innovative university in the United States. It is routinely among the country's top producers of Fulbright scholars (in 2019 it ranked thirdamong public universities,andahead of Harvard and Columbia) and has been called a "best college value" by Kiplinger Personal Finance.

Watch this video to learn more about the partnership.

ASU Media ContactJay Thorne[emailprotected]602-677-7518

CKF Media ContactLucia Weathers[emailprotected]571-447-6894

SOURCE Arizona State University; Charles Koch Foundation

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New ASU Initiative to Accelerate Innovations in Higher Education that Expand Access and Empower Learners - PRNewswire

IPL 2020: Low-key brands strike association with teams – Mint

NEW DELHI: From menstrual hygiene, honey, to tyres, a variety of brands have been signed to sponsor Indian Premier League (IPL) team franchises with the T20 tournament set to begin from 19 September in the United Arab Emirates. Homegrown companies such as APIS Honey, esports platform Mobile Premier League and hygiene products brand Niine and BKT Tyres have partnered with franchises such as Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, among others taking, up displays on players' uniform and helmets.

Media buyers believe that on-ground and on-air sponsorship of IPL have high entry price points therefore only selected brands, that have cricket as a part of their long-term marketing strategy, tend to buy such sponsorships. However, team associations are relatively cost effective giving smaller as well as regional brands an opportunity to be a part of the popular cricket league.

"There are various price slots available in a team sponsorship. IPL player jersey allows multiple brands to be displayed as franchises are under pressure to monetise the teams," said Navin Khemka, chief executive, MediaCom South Asia, a GroupM owned media agency.

Barely three-year-old with a pan India presence, APIS India Pvt Ltd which retails honey and pickles has been signed as the headgear partner for Rajasthan Royals. The company plans to promote 'honey' as an immunity booster through this partnership. Recognised for its affordable sanitary napkins, two-year-old personal hygiene brand Niine is another interesting IPL partnership with Rajasthan Royals which will display the brand logo on the back of team's jersey. Niine will amplify its campaign to break taboos and drive awareness around the adoption of safe menstrual hygiene practices.

"The synergy between the two organisations to work on women empowerment is something we are excited about. Their work towards protecting the environment through safe disposal, with their products has been remarkable and is again something that were proud to be associated with," said Rajasthan Royals executive chairman, Ranjit Barthakur.

Homegrown esports and mobile gaming platform Mobile Premier League (MPL) has come on board as principal sponsor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). While Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT Tires) is backing six teams including Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.

"We are a keen supporter of several national sports all around the globe, but it fills me with immense pleasure that we are now supporting such a significant sporting event of India," said Rajiv Poddar, joint managing director of BKT.

IPL team franchises have also seen long standing relationships with brands continue such as lubricant brand Valvoline, Usha International, Boat headphones and Boost. These brands have been associated with various teams for more than a year. Usha International, for instance, has been backing Mumbai Indians for the last six years.

"While IPL promises exposure and engagement, brands need to smartly formulate their sponsorships to get the maximum benefit and not end up as a mere logo on the jersey," added MediaCom's Khemka.

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IPL 2020: Low-key brands strike association with teams - Mint

Cork woman’s book reminds children that they’re awesome – EchoLive.ie

ITS not surprising that Geraldine ONeill, of Glounthaune, created a unique keepsake for children for the year 2020. William Fitzpatrick, Geraldines dad, penned poetry and prose too.

He was a great storyteller and poet, says Geraldine.

My Creativity Book, created by Geraldine and designed by her daughter Erin ONeill, is in aid of the Childrens Unit in Cork University Hospital.

If ever there was a year to do it then this was it, says Geraldine. The pandemic threw up challenging times for everybody.

Like everybody everywhere, Geraldine went through her own challenging times.

I lost my husband Martin last October. We were married 43 years. After he passed away a close family member suffered mental emotional issues and I stayed in a hotel in Dublin for 13 weeks to support her while she was in hospital there, says Geraldine.

This will be remembered globally as a challenging year.

I think everyone felt more vulnerable during Covid-19.

Geraldine, a former teacher, who took over Fitzpatricks in 1976 with her husband Martin and extended the shop, is a people-person with a special affinity for children.

Ive always been interested in children and their wellbeing, she says.

Reflecting back on my own childhood it was a case of being seen and not heard! I think every child is unique and they should know that the most important person in the world is themselves. A child can be anyone they like.

Geraldine has a personal message for every child inside her My Creativity Book.

You are all awesome and what matters is you.

Children always mattered to Geraldine.

Children were always special to me and always very welcome in our store, she says.

It has been a source of great sadness to us that due to the size of our premises and social distancing requirements, we have not been in a position to allow children to come inside for recent months, and we missed their presence greatly.

Geraldine, a mother of six, knows that children are at the core of family and community.

Children are such a precious gift to their families and to their community, she says.

This book; My Creativity Book, was created with the intention of acknowledging and honouring childrens contribution in how, by staying at home, they kept everyone safe. I hope children can enjoy the opportunity that the book offers them to connect with their creativity, their genius, their feelings and uniqueness.

It is not surprising that Geraldine chose the Childrens Unit CUH as the cause benefiting from the proceeds of the book.

It does wonderful work for sick children, she says.

The doctors and nurses working in the Childrens Unit look after sick children, giving them the best of care and support.

My Creativity Book is a keepsake for every child featuring the Fitzies Five, The Kindness Tree, games, quizzes, colour, and design.

As well as fun challenges, there are baking tips, treasure hunts, and even a beautiful story from grandad Fitzpatrick.

Kids love activity and learning, appreciating their creative side, says Geraldine.

Most of all, the creativity book is an affirmation for every child that they are special and they are awesome.

The book was a family affair.

There were lots of Zoom sessions from Dubai where Erin lives, says Geraldine.

My daughter, Kerri, who manages the shop, was involved in the design too. It was printed by my sister Carmel Waterman, of Carrig Print.

Geraldines dad, William, who started one of the first delis in Cork, was an imaginative storyteller. The 30 Steps is a fairy story that he wrote for his own seven children.

Dad wrote the story in 1965 and I included it in the book with a modern twist, says Geraldine.

The story has a powerful message.

The 30 Steps is all about empowerment, says Geraldine.

Princess Geraldine, devising an ingenious plan seeking a suitor, finds her knight in shining armour. The young man, one of many candidates for the Princesss hand, delayed meeting her to fix the last flagstone at the top of the 30 steps at the royal palace.

Grandad William wrote: A great king is required to have the kindness and wisdom to put his own well-being and that of another before his desire for riches and gold.

The story had great appeal for us as children, says Geraldine.

Geraldine, who went back to college doing a four year relationship course with Dr Tony Humphries, later doing a parenting course, says there is an inner child in all of us.

I think adults will relate to the creativity book too, she says.

It gives us an opportunity to tap into our inner child that comes out in us when we feel vulnerable. The messages in the book are meaningful.

It is a book that cites each individuals superpowers kindness, cleverness, imagination, creativity, friendliness, strength, uniqueness. Skills of giving hugs, singing, speed, and baking are other important assets to appreciate.

The Creativity is a great gift book, says Geraldine.

And we hope to raise 10,000 for the Childrens Unit.

It is a wonderful keepsake for 2020.

My Creativity Book by Geraldine ONeill is 10 from Fitzpatricks shop, Glounthaune. All proceeds to the Childrens Unit at Cork University Hospital.

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Cork woman's book reminds children that they're awesome - EchoLive.ie

Empathy is a Keyword in This Years Election, But What Does It Mean Exactly? – BELatina

As with any election year, youll hear many different buzz words and key phrases relating to voting issues throughout the campaign trail during debates, conventions, political ads, and on the news.

That said, in most election years, those buzz words are more related to policies, candidate stances on various issues, and current events that will undoubtedly be impacted by the election outcome and elected administration.

In 2016 specifically, the Pew Research Center reported that voters top issues when deciding who to vote for included the economy, terrorism, foreign policy, health care, and gun violence.

While many of those issues were important then and are still important now, a lot has changed. This year one of the most important words youll hear about as you prepare to cast your ballot is empathy. But what exactly does that mean?

Its no secret that 2020 has been a year of suffering for so many across the nation and around the world. This year hurts. And the person we vote for in November is the person were putting in charge of easing that pain and fixing those problems. No pressure.

Because of the gravity of this election and the countrys current state, one of the most common keywords we hear on the road to the White House is empathy. Most notably, the claims that President Trump lacks empathy and Democratic nominee Joe Biden is the empathetic leader we need to restore decency in America.

It seems that this year, on top of the many crucial issues well be voting on from immigration to the global pandemic to national security, the economy, and racial injustice well also be asked to vote based on a persons ability to understand the feelings of another.

Sure, it might seem like empathy would be a noticeable character trait for anyone running for office or running for any leadership position, for that matter. But as many of us have learned in the past four years, empathy is not a guarantee from our president, and compassion might just be what this country needs to repair all that is broken in our nation.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, empathy is the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.

However, it seems this skill goes beyond just understanding other people.

Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand, and share the thoughts and feelings of another person, animal, or fictional character, according to Psychology Today. And that ability to relate to others and respect others perspectives is essential.

Developing empathy is crucial for establishing relationships and behaving compassionately. It involves experiencing another persons point of view, rather than just ones own, and enables prosocial, or helping behaviors that come from within, rather than being forced.

Its important to note that empathy is not the same thing as sympathy. Although many people use those terms interchangeably or falsely assume they are the same.

Sympathy is feeling concerned for someone else and hoping that they become happier. Empathy is more than just concern; it involves sharing another persons emotions and having compassion for how they feel and what they are going through, which often leads to a desire to act on their behalf.

Simply put, empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone elses shoes, see their perspective, feel their pain, and consider their feelings. And while it may seem as if empathy is strictly a social-emotional skill one many of us learned during our formative years growing up and in school its so much more than that, especially for a world leader.

It became increasingly evident at the Democratic National Convention that empathy and politics are not separate concepts or unrelated terms. They are not only deeply intertwined but also must coexist for all elected officials, from the president to local leaders, to effectively lead.

Several personality traits are essential for an individual to be an effective, inspirational, and successful leader. Organization, confidence, commitment, accountability, empowerment, and integrity are all important, of course. But according to experts, empathy is as important as those other qualities, if not the most essential leadership skill. And this applies to both the workplace and the political realm.

In his column for Entrepreneur, Leadership Keynote Speaker and CEO Coach Krister Ungerboeck argues that empathy has never been needed more by influential and powerful leaders. If the hardships and frightening reality of 2020 have taught us anything, its that we need leaders with empathy.

Teams led by people who possess high emotional intelligence tend to work hard and persevere through rough patches. They also develop deeper bonds of trust, which are essential when employment statuses seem all too fragile, he explains.

Although Ungerboeck refers to the working world, where empathetic leaders are essential in helping guide others through these difficult times, the assessment also works for our argument.

In more broad terms, ranging from business to politics and everything in between, empathy is an essential tool to ensure leaders are actually as impactful and effective as they want to be.

Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Prudy Gourguechon explains, empathy enables you to know if the people youre trying to reach are actually reached.

She adds empathy is as much about building a leadership strategy as it is about building connections. Empathy allows you to predict the effect your decisions and actions will have on core audiences and strategize accordingly. Without empathy, you cant build a team or nurture a new generation of leaders. You will not inspire followers or elicit loyalty, she tells Forbes.com.

Once upon a time, empathy may have been seen as a sign of weakness, a personality trait that shows vulnerability or an indication you are soft or a quality that would hinder your ability to lead. But the exact opposite is true, experts argue.

Just consider what a difference empathy can make in our countrys leadership. An empathetic leader would not look at the growing number of COVID-19-related deaths and say with a stone-cold stare, it is what it is. A compassionate leader would not spout racist remarks, calling COVID-19 the China virus, despite being told how harmful that misnomer may be.

A person with empathy would not mock others because of their disability and would not tear families apart at the border or send children to detention centers. A leader with empathy would not spend most of the time during a coronavirus task force briefing focusing on self-praise and blaming others while dedicating very little time to expressing condolences for victims of the virus. (Trump spent 45 minutes praising his administration and himself, and two hours attacking others, while he only spent 4 and 1/2 minutes out of the total 13 hours expressing condolences, according to a Washington Post review.)

One of Joe Bidens key strategies on the campaign trail is to play up the empathy card, clearly showcasing his ability to relate to others and understand their struggles as the result of his own experiences, both personal and professional.

From the loss of his wife and daughter to the more recent loss of his son and even his own fathers struggles to find work several decades ago Biden has made one thing very clear: he understands where Americans are coming from, and he plans to represent all Americans if elected.

While Ill be a Democratic candidate, Ill be an American president, he said. Ill work hard for those who didnt support me, as hard for them as I did for those who did vote for me. Thats the job of a president to represent all of us, not just our base or our party. This is not a partisan moment; this must be an American moment.

And Vice-Presidential nominee Kamala Harris echoed those sentiments in her acceptance speech:

[My mother] pushed us to see a world beyond ourselves. She taught us to be conscious and compassionate about the struggles of all people. To believe public service is a noble cause and the fight for justice is a shared responsibility.

She continued to say that she accepts the nomination for Vice President of the United States of America with a commitment to serve a country where we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of compassion, dignity, and respect.

They are both clearly focusing heavily on their ability to not only possess and practice empathy as world leaders but also the dire need for a President who will be able to practice empathy and unite the nation during a year of unthinkable loss of lives and livelihoods.

Only time will tell just how much Americans will actually vote with empathy in mind and how important empathy will be in selecting the next leader of our country. But one thing is for sure: decency, compassion, and caring about others is most definitely on the ballot this year.

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Empathy is a Keyword in This Years Election, But What Does It Mean Exactly? - BELatina

The week in TV: I Hate Suzie; Peter: The Human Cyborg; A Suitable Boy and more review – The Guardian

I Hate Suzie (Sky Atlantic) | sky.comThe Unbelievable Story of Carl Beech (BBC Two) | iPlayerThe Truth About Cosmetic Treatments (BBC One) | iPlayerPeter: The Human Cyborg (Channel 4) | 40DA Suitable Boy (BBC One) | iPlayer

Not Billie Pipers intent, no doubt, to outshine every other actor on screen. It just comes naturally. Her latest outing, I Hate Suzie, which she co-created with Lucy Prebble, is a humdinger, and despite genuine in-depth quality to the cast Leila Farzad, Daniel Ings the eyes are drawn remorselessly to Piper, even walking through a crowd or filling a glass in a corner of a vast country kitchen.

Suzie Pickles is a thirtysomething ex-teen star (as is Piper herself) whose phone photos are hacked from the cloud and leaked online. Cue shame, humiliation, public disdain, marriage meltdown and a wholly new questioning of what it means to be famous in an age famed for its censorious hypocrisy.

Piper is now quite the feted actor she remains, for Yerma at the Young Vic, unique in record-breaking critical garlands and quite the grown-up former teen star, quite apart from a couple of interesting marriages (Chris Evans, Laurence Fox). Yet even she, with relative power, has spoken of frustration at getting broadcasters to admit there might be room for possibly more than one drama about a woman falling apart before our eyes every couple of years.

She and Prebble, then, have saved their powder for Sky Atlantic, and it has done them proud. The opening episode (of eight), shown as part of a double bill on Thursday, certainly showcased this as mainly witty and wise; later it will get significantly darker, and all the better for it.

I especially loved the fact that on the fateful morning, when first her mum and then her scary best friend/agent (Farzad) call to tell her of the leak, the team of hipsters that trooped through her door for a photoshoot pot-plant carriers, dog stylists, photographers et al were supremely aware of Suzies fame, but it was just fame as a nebulous aspirational concept: no one knew what she actually did, because none of them watched telly. This is one of the more obviously in-jokes in a bittersweet satire that teems with subtler digs about the many prices of fame, and those who have the power to confer and wilfully destroy. Immense.

The Unbelievable Story of Carl Beech, aka the Nick of the entirely fabricated VIP paedo ring, must still give some hardened coppers midnight sweats. Its not just the lack of even the most cursory investigation of the laughable list of injuries (snake bites?) imposed by the alleged torturers Edward Heath, Leon Brittan etc, and they didnt even interview Beechs wife until about two years later. But its mainly that.

The normally impressive film-maker Vanessa Engle, while still forensic in her processing, may have let off too lightly both Tom Watson and a few of the media organisations, the BBC included, which had taken up the cudgels (I suspect the programme was carefully lawyered). But she certainly illuminated, by pointing out the danger, post-Savile, of the pendulum being allowed to swing in the entire opposite direction. Surely the absolutism of believing every word a victim ever says is the same absolutism as believing nothing they ever say?

I wish I hadnt watched in the same direct timeline The Truth About Cosmetic Treatments doc and Peter: The Human Cyborg, though at least I managed it in the right order. Had I tackled the impossibly brave story of Peter Scott-Morgan first, I honestly doubt whether Id have had the compassion to tackle a few whiny niggles about crows feet with anything other than withering savagery.

As it was, Michael Mosley, in a double-hander with Mehreen Baig, performed a valuable service in highlighting the strange lacuna that makes the UK about the only place on the globe where the 3bn annual cosmetic industry is almost entirely unregulated. In one survey, 83% of practitioners were found to have no medical training.

For this was not about outright surgery but soft surgery injections of hyaluronics and Botox, of limited longevity, which can be administered on the high street, in salons or by Superdrug, and demand for which has grown exponentially during lockdown. Soft surgery lies, I took from this, somewhere between the hilarious super-scam of sugar-pill homeopathy and the less fun stuff under knockout gas on the slab. And its growingly acceptable even for twentysomethings, who really dont have anything to worry about yet. Yet even Mosley grew, for him, almost cross when he said: I would certainly recommend that you check the qualifications of the person whos about to stick needles in your face.

The concluding episode this week will ask Are selfies to blame for our obsession with cosmetic surgery?, which means at least a third of an hours programme will be about a question that could simply be dealt with in a three-letter answer.

And so to Peter Scott-Morgan, an impressive ebullience of a man who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease a few years ago and decided technology was his only way out of a death sentence. Helped immensely by his being one of the worlds leading roboticists and possibly the leading expert on complex-system dynamics.

From his home in Torbay, Scott-Morgan and his partner of 40 years, Frank, have for four years planned his transformation into a human cyborg. We saw Scott-Morgan, astonishingly, standing, breathing and feeding anew, every vicious little MND attack countered by sheer clever. He was stoic and cheerful in the main, although the poignancy of having to choose ones last few spoken words before the tracheotomy consigned him to voicebox forever, was terribly affecting. This documentary left him in mid-March. An urgent update from Channel 4 soonest, please! Just to let us know hes surviving lockdown lock-in.

A Suitable Boy ended its Sunday run with garlands and sweet smiles, a breathless railway station proposal, a be-petalled wedding, sunsets all round. Lata married the nice safe shoemaker, who unselfishly loved her, rather than eloping with passion; Im hoping the entitled poet and (especially) his truly crap verse never really got a look-in.

While going down well enough with some audiences, Ive always been conscious of this series frustrated desire to do justice to Vikram Seths anvil of a novel, hence it has seemed underwhelming. The performances, and certainly the settings, were there; the ambition wasnt. It suffered perhaps from a six-week-only run, although maybe budgets wouldnt stretch to 10.

I think the mistake was, from the off, to have all characters speaking not Hindi or Urdu but either cut-glass English or an unfortunate singsong simulacrum of the same that just reminded one of dire Milligan-Sellers head-waggery. Subtitles are no longer to be feared: the BBC surely learned that from its Saturday Beeb Four Scandi-dramas, so why not for its mainstream Sunday nights? Patronising? Oh, how clever of you to notice

Once-feted adapter Andrew Davies did well to cram a lot into a relatively tiny sack, and some at least will have learned a vague little about the tense dual birth of the Indian subcontinent. Yet, coming soon after his rightly maligned Sanditon, I suspect Davies will not be counting 2019-2020 as a most suitable year.

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The week in TV: I Hate Suzie; Peter: The Human Cyborg; A Suitable Boy and more review - The Guardian

Cable Almost Wiped Out an Alien Race – But He Didn’t Finish the Job – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Cable's lastest battle leads the mutant to almost wipe out an entire race, but there may be a vengeful survivor out there.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Cable #4 by Gerry Duggan, Phil Noto, & VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now

Many of the X-Men's newest foes have been moving in the shadows and preparing to bring down the new mutant nation of Krakoa. But one major threat that almost targeted the entire world with wanton destruction was the Spaceknights, who came into conflict with Cable since he stole their ancestral sword.

And now, Cable just pretty effectively wiped outthe Spaceknights of Galador, except for Xerek, the seemingly last member of the species in Cable #4.

RELATED:X-Men Just Teased House of X's Most Important Timeline

The Spaceknights of Galador were created centuries ago on the world of Galador to combat the encroaching threat of the deadly Dire Wraiths. Taking a number of citizens of the planet and converting them into powerful cyborg warriors, the Spaceknights became a formidable force for a time. Eventually lost across the cosmos once Galador was destroyed by the Builders in the lead-up to Infinity, a number of them have recently made their way to Earth in search of the Spaceknight blade, the Light of Galador, which has been found and claimed by Cable.

Initially, their plan was to wipe out the native species and take the planet for themselves, converting it into a new Galador. But Cable was able to briefly soothe over the conflicts, instead offering to use the time-machine built within the original Cable's T-O transformed arm to teleport them back in time so they could instead save their world. Realizing the inherent threat of allowing the cyborg army to simply go back and change the future of the universe, Cable instead utilized a nuclear bomb hidden within the arm to wipe out the Spaceknights as they were assembled around him. Barely escaping through a newly formed Krakoa gate seconds before the bomb went off, Cable and Esme were able to largely wipe out the Spaceknights, and thus take out most of what remained of the Galador peoples.

RELATED:Cable Just Saved Two Worlds by Robbing a Hero's Grave

However, unbeknownst to Cable, it appears that at least one Spaceknight survived. In the final moments of life, before the nuke went off, one of the Spaceknights was able to convey a message out into the cosmos. The message was sent 1.5 seconds before the other Spaceknights were wiped out, and was sent to alert the last confirmed Galadorian Knight to the fate of his kin. It turns out that one remaining knight, Xerek, was still in suspended animation when the rest of the knights came to Earth. This means that there's still one last Spaceknight (although the message also admits there's a chance there are still other Spaceknights undiscovered across the galaxy). This last Spaceknight could eventually decide to target Earth - and specifically Cable - to try and take vengeance over the loss of the rest of his number.

The warning meant for Xerek includes a solid breakdown of Cable's powers, as well as warnings about the potential danger of the X-Men -- suggesting that if Xerek ever does awaken and come for the X-Men, they'll know to be cautious before engaging with the mutants. While Cable may have removed a major potential threat to the universe, he may have also painted a very specific target on his back -- especially as he's still carrying the Light of Galador intoX of Swords.

KEEP READING: Cable Sets Up Its Mutant Hero For Heartbreak, Again & Again

X-Men Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Facts About Colossus' Body

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Cable Almost Wiped Out an Alien Race - But He Didn't Finish the Job - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Alita: Battle Angel 2 Rodriguez spills the beans about the upcoming sci-fi! – The TeCake

One of the most famous cyberpunk-action film, Alita: Battle Angel, is soon coming up with its sequel, Alita: Battle Angel 2, produced by James Cameron. It has been directed by Robert Rodriguez and adapted from Gunnm,a Japanese manga series by Yukito Kishiro. The first part of the series was premiered on January 31, 2019, and has been into the limelight since then. It has been one of the highest-grossing films under Rodriguezs direction that has acquired an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. After the blockbuster outcome, the makers are all set to come up with its sequel.

The story revolves around a battle cyborg, named Alita, who was rescued by a doctor whose name is Ido. He soon discovers that this cyborg has none other than the soul of a teenager. Later Alita sets out in the mission of finding out her true identity.

Nothing has been revealed regarding the release date of the upcoming second part of the science fiction. Alita: Battle Angelwas first aired in the month of January of 2019, so one can expect the upcoming sequel to drop sometime in early 2021 or mid 2021. Although there are very few chances of the upcoming movie to release anytime soon because of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, earlier this year. All releases and the productions were put on hold since March 2020. According to some sources, the production of Alita: Battle Angel 2is in process already, as it doesnt require outside shooting or any physical labor. It is hoped that we will be able to catch a glimpse of the movie by summer of 2021.

In case of the cast, all the lead members would be returning in their respective roles. Undoubtedly Rosa Salazar shall be resuming her role as Alita in the lead along with all the other actors. There might be new faces in the upcoming action anime, which has not been confirmed by any of the official sources yet.

No trailer has been released by any of the official sources of the franchise. One can expect the official teaser to drop a month or two prior to the release of the upcoming movie. So until we get hold of further more updates, stay tuned, and if you havent yet watched the first part of the franchise, then do give it a watch. It is totally worth the shot!

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Alita: Battle Angel 2 Rodriguez spills the beans about the upcoming sci-fi! - The TeCake

MCU Fans Think ‘Captain Marvel 2’ Could be One of the Best Marvel Movies – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Brie Larson, Academy Award-winning actress, will reprise her role of Carol Danvers, better known as Captain Marvel in the upcoming sequel Captain Marvel 2. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directed the 2019 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, Captain Marvel. The first film in the franchise made waves as the first Marvel solo film to have a female as the lead. Boden was the first woman director for an MCU movie. Captain Marvel 2will also make history with another first; Nia DaCosta is the first Black female director for a Marvel movie.

Though much is left unknown about what will happen in Captain Marvel 2, there are a few signs that indicate which direction the film may go in. Rumor has it that Captain Marvel 2 will feature flashbacks to the elapsed time between Infinity War and Endgame.

With the departure of Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow in Marvels Avengers: Endgame, the stage has been set for new superheroes to enter the MCU. Captain Marvel is an incredible superhero; she even stood her ground against Thanos. Thanos used the Power Stone to ward off Captain Marvel. A hero as powerful as Captain Marvel needs an equally as formidable nemesis. It is entirely possible that Captain Marvels comic book nemesis, Moonstone, also known as evil Ms. Marvel, may enter the MCU in Captain Marvel 2. Moonstone would be a daunting adversary for the superhero and could also set the stage for an upcoming Dark Avengers film.

Marvel insider, Roger Wardell, has indicated that Korvac could be the main villain in Captain Marvel 2. If the part-cyborg villain plays a central role in the upcoming film, it could set the stage for Captain Marvel to eventually join forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy. In the Marvel comic books, Korvac is an enemy of the Guardians and Thor.

RELATED: MCU: Why Horror Movie Directors Like Nia DaCosta Are Perfect for Directing Superhero Films

DaCosta will direct the upcoming Captain Marvel 2. Fans took to Twitter to show their support for the film director. One fan tweeted, Guarantee you her sequel is going to be 200% better than the first. DaCosta is making history as the first black woman to direct a Marvel movie. DaCosta is a rising filmmaker best known for directing the 2018 drama Little Woods, and the yet-to-be-released 2020 thriller Candyman.

Marvel is well known for hiring up-and-coming directors and cast members to showcase their talent and launch their careers in Hollywood. However, it wasnt until recent years that women filmmakers experienced increased opportunity to direct significant blockbusters.

RELATED: Avengers 5: How the Choice of Director for Captain Marvel 2 Could Set Up Marvels Next Big Crossover

Fans are anxiously awaiting the premiere of DaCostas Captain Marvel 2 in July 2022. Captain Marvel fans have posted on social media how great of a film they hope it will be. One fan, tweeted, this will be the best MCU film.

With a star-studded cast, skilled director, and new characters, Captain Marvel 2 is sure to be a hit blockbuster. It is beautiful to see increasing diversity and inclusion for the MCU cast and crew. Captain Marvel 2 has a lot of potentials for new characters and villains to enter the MCU.

As the MCU steps into phase 4, there is a lot of anticipation and excitement surrounding the next MCU films, including Black Widow, Black Panther 2, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,and Captain Marvel 2.

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MCU Fans Think 'Captain Marvel 2' Could be One of the Best Marvel Movies - Showbiz Cheat Sheet