Author Archives: Danzig

Person tests positive for COVID-19 after attending wedding in Kittitas County – KING5.com

Posted on by

Health officials are encouraging anyone who attended the wedding at Cattle Barn Ranch in Cle Elum on August 2 to get tested for COVID-19.

CLE ELUM, Wash. A person tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a wedding ceremony in Kittitas County earlier this month and now health officials are trying to notify everyone in attendance so they can get tested.

The wedding was held Sunday, August 2 at the Cattle Barn Ranch wedding venue in Cle Elum, according to a release from the Kittitas County Incident Management Team (IMT).

The ceremony was held outdoors with 100 people in attendance, and there was a reception, said Dr. Mark Larson, Kittitas County health officer.

The individual became symptomatic on Monday, August, 3 and was tested for the virus, Dr. Larson said. The results were positive for COVID-19.

"Because of the amount of people in attendance, the IMT is unable to guarantee that we can contact every person who was potentially exposed," read the release from the IMT.

Health officials are encouraging anyone who attended that wedding at Cattle Barn Ranch on August 2 to get tested for COVID-19. If a person does not have a healthcare provider, they can call the Temporary COVID Clinic at KVH at 509-933-8850.

There are currently 116 cases of COVID-19 and 18 deaths in Kittitas County.

Kittitas County is currently in Phase 3 of Governor Jay Inslee's Safe Start reopening plan.

The wedding that occurred on August 2 was in compliance with the governor's previous guidelines for wedding ceremonies, however, new guidelines take effect August 10.

Starting Monday, for counties in Phase 3, wedding ceremonies are permitted with some restrictions. Indoor occupancy is limited to 20% or 30 people, whichever is less, and outdoor ceremonies are limited to 30 people. Receptions are prohibited in Phase 3.

While in attendance, guests must wear facial coverings and maintain six feet of physical distance to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Excerpt from:

Person tests positive for COVID-19 after attending wedding in Kittitas County - KING5.com

Wisconsin reports 1,165 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday, another single-day record – Post-Crescent

Posted on by

Wisconsin health officials reported anadditional 1,165 people have tested positive for COVID-19, another single-day record.

Those positive casesmade up 8.9% of the 13,162 test results reported by the Department of Health Services on Saturday. The seven-day average for positive tests stands at 6.1% as of Saturday.

The state health departmentalso reported Saturday that six more people have died, bringing the state's total number of deaths to 996. Those who have died as a result of COVID-19 make up 1.7% of all those diagnosed, according to DHS. The majority of deaths are among those 70 and older.

RELATED:Small businesses say masks, distancing are key to protecting and reviving local economies

RELATED:UW-Oshkosh football players, coach deal with canceled season

In total, 59,933 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Wisconsin. According to the state health department, around 16% of those cases remain active. DHS defines an active case as someone who is still alive, has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 30 days, and still has symptoms or has not beenreleased from isolation.

Recent research from those studying the virus have found that even after someone has recovered from COVID-19 and no longer has symptoms,it's possible for the virus to flare up again in some patients andsymptoms can return.

As of Saturday morning, 311 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized, 96 of them in intensive care. An additional 152 patients were hospitalized awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test.

The department of health's weekly ratings of county COVID-19 activitywhich are based on a combination of total new cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks and the percent change in new cases between the past seven days and the seven days before that are as follows:

DHS updates this list every Wednesday.

RELATED:Federal spending on COVID-19 vaccine candidates tops $9 billion, spread among 7 companies

RELATED:Why do some people refuse to wear face masks? Here's what mental health professionals say.

Contact Natalie Brophy at 715-216-5452 or nbrophy@gannett.com. Followher on Twitter @brophy_natalie.

Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Subscribe to a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin site today with one of our special offers and support local journalism.

Read or Share this story: https://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2020/08/08/wisconsin-coronavirus-1-165-new-covid-19-cases-another-record/3326419001/

Read the original here:

Wisconsin reports 1,165 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday, another single-day record - Post-Crescent

Iowa reports another 13 COVID-19-related deaths, including 3 in Johnson County – Iowa City Press-Citizen

Posted on by

Zach Thompson, Iowa City Press-Citizen Published 10:25 a.m. CT Aug. 8, 2020 | Updated 1:40 p.m. CT Aug. 8, 2020

At 10 a.m. Saturday, Iowa was reporting an additional 383 cases of COVID-19 and 13 additional COVID-19-related deaths including three in Johnson County, the county's 11th in just over three weekssince the state's tally at 10 a.m. Friday, according to Coronavirus.Iowa.gov.

State officials report a total of 925 people with COVID-19 have died from the disease across the state, including 19 in Johnson County.BetweenJune and the first part of July, the county had gonemore than seven weeks without reporting a deathrelated to the disease. The county saw its first death,Regina High School P.E. teacher and football coach John DeMarco, on April 4.

We will remember:Share your stories of loved ones lost to the coronavirus

A total of 514,451 Iowans have been tested for the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus, which causes the disease, including 24,941 in Johnson County. A total of 48,112 have tested positive in Iowa.

As of 10 a.m. Saturday, the state was reporting a total of 2,055 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Johnson County, an increase of 19from 10 a.m. Friday.

COVID-19 maps and charts track cases and data in Iowa and across the U.S.

Hospitalizations related to the virus in southeast Iowa returned to levels not seen since April 26on Wednesday. As of 10 a.m. Saturday, 56people were hospitalized with the virus in the state's fifth Regional Medical Coordination Center, which includes Clinton, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Keokuk, Lee, Muscatine, Scott, Van Buren, Wapello and Washington counties, down from 70 Wednesday. The region hit a peak of 88 hospitalized patients on April 22.

Twenty-four patients were still being cared for in the region's intensive care units Saturday morning,down from 32 Wednesday, which had been the most seen in the region since May 7 but still below the region's peak of 39 on April 22. According tothe state's coronavirus website, the region has 412general hospital beds and 90 ICU beds available for area coronavirus patients.

The state reported an outbreak at Solon's Nursing Care Center, where 36 cases had been confirmed, and just seven have recovered.

Numbers reported by the state for Johnson County and all of Iowa, respectively, as of 10 a.m. Saturday. Numbers in parentheses represent change over the previous 24 hours.

Total tested: 24,941 (+156); 514,451(+3,929)

Total confirmed: 2,055 (+19, or 12.18%); 48,112 (+383, or 9.75%)

Johnson County's 14-day average positivity rate: 8% (-)

Total recoveries: 1,511 (+31); 36,850 (+600)

Total deaths: 19 (+3); 925 (+13)

Hospitalized in RMCC Region 5: 56 (+2)

Receiving ICU care in RMCC Region 5: 24 (+1)

RMCC Region 5 includes Clinton, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Keokuk, Lee, Muscatine, Scott, Van Buren, Wapello and Washington counties.

Source: Iowa Department of Public Health

Read or Share this story: https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/2020/08/08/iowa-covid-19-cases-deaths-coronavirus-update-johnson-county/3326303001/

Original post:

Iowa reports another 13 COVID-19-related deaths, including 3 in Johnson County - Iowa City Press-Citizen

COVID-19 live updates: 886 cases and 29 deaths reported Saturday in Nevada – Reno Gazette-Journal

Posted on by

Hot August Nights organized a cruise at Renown Hospital in Reno to thank health care workers. Reno Gazette Journal

This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day Saturday, August 8.This story is part of the Reno Gazette Journals essential COVID-19 coverage and is being provided for free.Pleaseconsidersubscribing to the RGJ to support our work.

2:30 p.m. Saturday

The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Nevada increased by 886 from the day prior, to 55,419, the state Department of Health and Human Resources reported Saturday.

The death toll increased by 29; 949 Nevadans have lost their lives to the infectious respiratory disease.

An additional 12,133 tests were performed, for a total of 691,615. The daily positivity rate stands at 11.2%, and the cumulative positivity rate is 10.4 percent on Saturday.

Patients in hospitals statewide with confirmed cases of COVID-19 was 796, a decline of 40 from the previous report. Suspected cases in hospitals went down 19, to 180.

Across the state, 278 patients are in intensive care units, a decrease of 11.

Of the 55,419 total reported cases since the pandemic hit Nevada, 59% are between the ages of 20 and 49.

In Washoe County, the case total stood at 5,756 on Saturday, an increase of 41 from Friday. The death toll remained 118. Of the total cases, 1,155 are active, and 87 people are currently hospitalized with the disease.

Friday

Washoe Schools Principal Association President Don McHenry said Friday that the district is setting itself up to fail by opening schools on Aug. 17 amid so many unknowns about safety protocols and how things will work.

In an interview with the Reno Gazette Journal, McHenry said principals don't know for sure what staff are returning, who has been granted leave or distance learning positions and, in many cases, don't even know which students will show up.

"I would support the district taking a step back," McHenry said.

The school district on Friday evening sent out a statement that no principal has told administrators that schools are not ready to open, and none of them has asked for more time to prepare.

The district said it had spent many hours this past week meeting with principals and going over safety protocols.

"At no time during these many meetings has any principal indicated either formally or informally that they were unable to open our schools and would prefer more time to prepare to welcome back their students and staff members," the statement said.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE: WCSD, Principals Union chief at odds over readiness to reopen schools

Friday

The Washoe Education Association said teachers are calling for guidanceafter the district informed them that a custodian at Hunter Lake Elementary School tested positive for COVID-19.

The association is the union that represents more than 2,500 district teachers.

Teachers, who returned to school buildings this week, called the unionasking if they needed to get tested or were now under a mandatory quarantine.Some may have been in close contact with the employee. No students were in the school.

The school district said in a statement that it was aware of the staff member who tested positivefor COVID-19 and worked with the health district to follow all procedures.

READ THE FULL STORY: WCSD teachers asking for guidance after custodian tests positive for COVID-19

Friday

Eight of Nevada's 17 counties, including Washoe,have been flagged as having elevated disease transmission risk, requiring county officials to submit action plans to the state, the Nevada Health Response Team announced Friday.

Washoe, Clark, Elko, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln andNye counties as well as Carson City have met at least two of the criteria prompting additional action. The criteria include:

In all, nine counties failed to reach the minimum testing threshhold; seven surpassed the maximum number of cases; and seven exceeded the maximum positive test rate. Elko and Humboldt were the only counties that met all three criteria.

The eight flagged counties must provide to the state an assessment of their hospital capacity, testing capacity, access to personal protective equipment, case investigation and contact tracing plans, enforcement plans, and plans to protect vulnerable populations.

Friday

The Regional Information Center reported 88new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, with no additional deaths reported.

Washoe County recorded the 88new cases of COVID-19 Thursday through 1,340tests. The single-day positive test rate was 6.6%, while the rolling seven-day positive test rate rose slightly to 7.0%.

Of the 1,175patients with active casesin Washoe County, 85are currently hospitalized, down threefrom yesterday. Seventy-fourpatients were reported to have recovered over the past day.

The share of intensive care unit beds in use dropped to 41%over the past day, a decrease of 16 percentage points. Sixteenpercent of available ventilators are currently in use, a drop of 4 percentage points.

Since the outbreak began, a total of 5,715Washoe County residents about 1 in 83residents have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Of those, 4,422have recovered, and 118have died. Overall, about 77.4% of county residents with the coronavirus have recovered.

Here are the rest of the latest COVID-19 numbers for Washoe County:

Friday

Century Summit Sierra is one of a handful of Cinemark theaters selected to reopen next week as part of a"test-and-learn process," the company announced Friday.

The test process will be "instrumental in defining the training, communication and implementation of all cleaning and sanitization protocols and new technology," the company said in a press release.

Movie theaters have been allowed to reopen in Nevada at 50% capacity since May 29 under Gov. Sisolak's Phase 2 reopening.

Cinemark's guidelinesfor reopening include:

Century Summit Sierra plans to reopen Friday, Aug. 14, with 21 total showingsof second-run films including Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future, The Goonies, Jumanji: The Next Level, The Invisible Man, Beauty and the Beast and Ghostbusters. Ticket prices will be reduced to $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors during the test program.

Movie theater chains have been reeling since the pandemic began, with AMC Theatres announcing the chain might not survive the fallout. Last month AMCscrapped plans for a mid-July reopening, instead delaying plans until August.

Friday

Nevada reported 20 more COVID-19 deaths on Friday, bringing the states total death toll up to 920 as of Aug. 6.

The state also saw 976 more confirmed cases for COVID-19 as its number of daily tests surged in the last two days. Nevada reported nearly 16,400 tests on Aug. 5 and almost 12,500 tests on Aug. 6, a marked increase over the fewer than3,000 tests reported on Aug. 4.

Nevada is on track to soon hit 55,000 confirmed cases for COVID-19 since the pandemic started. Hospitalizations saw some improvement, however, as the number of people hospitalized for the virus dropped by about 7%.

Clark County continued to account for the bulk of coronavirus cases in the state, as well as the highest incidence rate among all Nevada counties. Clarks nearly 47,000 confirmed cases account for more than 86% of all COVID-19 cases reported in the state to date. Its incidence numbers also cracked the 2,000 threshold with a case rate of 2,027 per 100,000 people.

Washoe came in second with 5,627 confirmed cases to date and an incidence rate of nearly 1,177 cases per 100,000 people.

The state reported 770 deaths in Clark and 118 in Washoe to date. Carson City has 330 total confirmed cases and eight deaths since the start of the pandemic. The states numbers can differ from the daily local numbers reported by the various counties.

The daily positivity rate, which tracks the share of COVID-19 tests that return with a positive result, was at 17.8 percent. The seven-day moving average dipped below 14% for the first time since July 3.

Here is a rundown of the latest COVID-19 numbers for Nevada:

Read or Share this story: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2020/08/08/covid-nevada-coronavirus-updates-cases-deaths-reno-las-vegas-washoe-county/3326158001/

More:

COVID-19 live updates: 886 cases and 29 deaths reported Saturday in Nevada - Reno Gazette-Journal

COVID-19 Daily Update 8-4-2020 – West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Posted on by

The West Virginia Department of Health andHuman Resources (DHHR) reports as of 10:00 a.m., on August 4,2020, there have been 298,290 total confirmatorylaboratory results received for COVID-19, with 7,051 totalcases and 124 deaths.

DHHR has confirmed the deaths of a70-year old male from Preston County, a 55-year old female from Taylor County,a 68-year old female from Kanawha County, a 73-year old male from Marshall County,a 92-year old male from Grant County, a 43-year old male from Mingo County, anda 91-year old male from Wood County. Eachdeath reported is a solemn reminder of the seriousness of this disease. We sendour deepest sympathy to these families, saidBill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary.

In alignment with updated definitions fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the dashboard includes probablecases which are individuals that have symptoms and either serologic (antibody)or epidemiologic (e.g., a link to a confirmed case) evidence of disease, but noconfirmatory test.

CASESPER COUNTY (Case confirmed by lab test/Probable case):Barbour (29/0), Berkeley (637/24), Boone (88/0), Braxton (8/0), Brooke(60/1), Cabell (341/9), Calhoun (6/0), Clay (17/1), Doddridge (4/0), Fayette(131/0), Gilmer (16/0), Grant (80/1), Greenbrier (87/0), Hampshire (74/0),Hancock (100/4), Hardy (53/1), Harrison (198/1), Jackson (158/0), Jefferson(287/5), Kanawha (835/13), Lewis (26/1), Lincoln (68/1), Logan (157/0), Marion(174/4), Marshall (126/3), Mason (50/0), McDowell (45/1), Mercer (167/0),Mineral (112/2), Mingo (142/2), Monongalia (913/16), Monroe (18/1), Morgan(25/1), Nicholas (32/1), Ohio (259/1), Pendleton (40/1), Pleasants (7/1),Pocahontas (40/1), Preston (102/23), Putnam (173/1), Raleigh (191/7), Randolph(203/3), Ritchie (3/0), Roane (14/0), Summers (6/0), Taylor (52/1), Tucker(11/0), Tyler (12/0), Upshur (36/3), Wayne (189/2), Webster (3/0), Wetzel(40/0), Wirt (6/0), Wood (228/12), Wyoming (23/0).

As case surveillance continues at thelocal health department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certaincounty may not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individualin question may have crossed the state border to be tested.Such is the case of Kanawha and Marion counties in this report.

Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR. Visitthe dashboard at http://www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more detailed information.

On July 24,2020, Gov. Jim Justice announced that DHHR, the agency in charge of reportingthe number of COVID-19 cases, will transition from providing twice-dailyupdates to one report every 24 hours. This became effective August 1, 2020.

Originally posted here:

COVID-19 Daily Update 8-4-2020 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

NIH launches clinical trial to test antibody treatment in hospitalized COVID-19 patients – National Institutes of Health

Posted on by

News Release

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Study aims to determine safety and efficacy of experimental monoclonal antibodies.

Patients admitted with COVID-19 at select hospitals may now volunteer to enroll in a clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of a potential new treatment for the disease. The Phase 3 randomized, controlled trial is known as ACTIV-3, and as a master protocol, it is designed to expand to test multiple different kinds of monoclonal antibody treatments. It also can enroll additional volunteers in the middle of the trial, if a specific investigational treatment shows promise.

The new study is one of four ongoing or planned trials in the National Institutes of Healths.Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV)program,a public-private partnership to speed development of the most promising treatments and vaccine candidates. Italso is receiving support throughOperation Warp Speed, the U.S. governments multi-agency effort to develop, manufacture and distribute medical countermeasures to fight COVID-19.

The trial will take place at select hospitals around the world that are part of existing clinical trial networks. They include the lead network, the International Network of Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT), operated by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health. Collaborating clinical trial networks include the Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury network (PETAL) and Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN), supported by the NIHs National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute through the Collaborating Network of Networks for Evaluating COVID-19 and Therapeutic Strategies (CONNECTS) program, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

Under Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. Government has brought together multiple agencies to accelerate the development, manufacture and distribution of medical countermeasures for COVID-19, said NIH Director Dr. Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. The ACTIV studies are just a few examples of this critical activity, which emphasizes flexibility and minimizes delays to generate scientifically sound results.

ACTIV-3 uses an adaptive two-stage Phase 3 protocol design. The ACTIV-3 trial can be modified to test additional experimental therapeutics and flexibly allow novel therapeutics to enter at either stage 1 or stage 2. In addition, if a treatment appears to be safe and effective in the initial stage after review by an independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB), the investigational therapeutic proceeds to stage 2 testing, where more volunteers are enrolled. If an investigational therapeutic is unsafe or not likely to be effective, it will be dropped.

The ACTIV-3 study will begin by studying the investigational monoclonal antibodyLY-CoV555, which was identified in a blood sample from a recovered COVID-19 patient. Antibodies are infection-fighting proteins made by the immune system that can bind to the surface of viruses and prevent them from infecting cells. Synthetic versions of antibodies can be reproduced in a laboratory. These manufactured antibodies are known as monoclonal antibodies. The LY-CoV555 antibody was discovered by Abcellera Biologics (Vancouver, British Columbia) in collaboration with NIAIDs Vaccine Research Center. Subsequently, it was developed and manufactured byLilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company (Indianapolis, Indiana), in partnership with AbCellera. The investigational product also is being tested in another ongoing NIAID study, ACTIV-2, which is studying its safety and efficacy in people with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 who have not been hospitalized. Safety data and other findings will be shared across the ACTIV-2 and ACTIV-3 studies through the DSMB.

Studying the impact of this investigational therapeutic on multiple patient populations at the same time is critical to determining whether it can help COVID-19 patients with differing levels of disease severity, said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. These concurrent trials have the potential to yield significant and comprehensive clinical data.

The initial stage of the ACTIV-3 clinical trial aims to enroll approximately 300 volunteers who have been hospitalized with mild to moderate COVID-19 with fewer than 13 days of symptoms. Once their COVID-19 infections have been confirmed and they have consented to take part in the study, participants will be randomly assigned to receive either an intravenous (IV) infusion of LY-CoV555 or a saline placebo infusion. Participants also will receive standard care for COVID-19, including the antiviral remdesivir. After five days, participants symptoms will be assessed, as will their need for supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or other supportive care. Volunteers will be followed for 90 days after enrollment and will receive regular examinations and have blood samples taken periodically during this time to analyze their response to the investivational therapeutic.

Data collected on the fifth day of the volunteers participation will determine whether the investigational therapeutic will be administered to a larger group of volunteers. If LY-CoV555 appears to be safe and appears to be effective, the trial will enroll an additional 700 participants. It also will begin enrolling more severely ill participants, such as those with organ failure requiring mechanical support, or COVID-19-associated dysfunction of organs other than the lungs. The primary endpoint of the trial is the participants sustained recovery for 14 days after release from the hospital.

The principal investigator of ACTIV-3 is Jens Lundgren,M.D., of the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet. Leads of the participating networks include James Neaton, Ph.D., of the INSIGHT network, Taylor Thompson, M.D., of the PETAL network, Annetine Gelijns, Ph.D., and Alan Moskowitz, M.D., of the CTSN, and Rachel Ramoni, D.M.D., Sc.D., of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. To ensure that the trial is being conducted in a safe and effective manner, an independent DSMB will oversee the trial and conduct periodic reviews of the accumulating data.

NIAID conducts and supports research at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on theNIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

###

View original post here:

NIH launches clinical trial to test antibody treatment in hospitalized COVID-19 patients - National Institutes of Health

Health department warns of COVID-19 exposure at another Quincy restaurant – WGEM

Posted on by

QUINCY (WGEM) The Adams County Health Department reported Saturday it has been notified of public exposure to COVID-19 at Jimmy John's at 4500 Broadway in Quincy.

Health officials stated anyone who visited this Jimmy John's location July 27 through July 30 should monitor their health and watch for symptoms. Individuals experiencing symptoms should seek testing.

The Adams County Health Department stated it is working with the restaurant to provide guidance and help to mitigate this situation and stop the spread of COVID-19.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

The following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure of the virus:

Health officials stated, if you develop any of these symptoms, you are encouraged to call the Blessing COVID-19 Hotline at 217-277-3504.

RELATED:Health department warns of COVID-19 exposure at Quincy restaurant

More:

Health department warns of COVID-19 exposure at another Quincy restaurant - WGEM

California Doesn’t Have Covid-19 Travel Restrictions. But Here’s How to Protect Yourself – The New York Times

Posted on by

Good morning. Like many other U.S. states, California currently has no travel restrictions in place. That leaves a lot of travelers wondering about what precautions they should take after returning from a trip.

The question came to us from Abel Cruz, a reader in El Paso, who asked: If I drive to California from Texas, will I have to quarantine once I get there?

Mr. Cruz wants to visit family members in San Diego and the Victor Valley. I have been thinking of driving out to California but am not sure whether I should plan to quarantine once I get there, before I see family, he said.

[Track coronavirus cases by California county.]

While California does not have restrictions in place, Gov. Gavin Newsom urged people coming to the state to act responsibly. The key is when you do come into the state, that you abide by all the rules and regulations that our health officers have put forth, he said during a briefing on Monday.

The question of traveling across state lines during the pandemic can be tricky, since nearly half of the country currently has restrictions in place. Hawaii, for instance, requires visitors to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival, or risk being fined $5,000 or up to a year in prison.

[See which states currently have travel restrictions in place.]

For some additional guidance, I talked to Dr. Jeanne A. Noble, an emergency medicine doctor and the director of the Covid-19 response at U.C.S.F. Medical Centers emergency department, about how people can stay safe while traveling. Here are the takeaways from our conversation.

Arrange for testing ahead of time. Dr. Noble recommends getting a Covid-19 test a week before departing on a trip, to allow time for the results to come in. Be extra vigilant with your social distancing and face mask use during your pre-travel week so that you can remain confident that your negative test is meaningful, she said.

Since airline travel itself also puts you at risk for infection, you will need to quarantine and be retested once you have arrived at your destination, Dr. Noble said. Its best to wait at least four days after arriving in order to leave time for the virus, if present, to get to detectable levels.

If traveling by car, simply getting tested before you leave is probably adequate, but you should still quarantine if you have accidentally exposed yourself to potential risks.

When in doubt, quarantine. Although not required in California, its always safer to quarantine yourself if you cant get tested. This is to reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others. You can shorten your time in isolation, however, if you get a negative test.

And as always, if you begin to show flulike symptoms, assume that you are infected and seek repeat testing while you continue to self-isolate, Dr. Noble said.

[Could your symptoms be Covid-19?]

Wipe down high-touch surfaces. Traveling by car is generally safer because your car can be easily wiped down and sterilized. Dr. Noble recommends that people sanitize their hands and wipe down their steering wheel with disinfectants every time they get into the car.

Its best to travel with an ample supply of hand sanitizer and bleach or hydrogen peroxide wipes, Dr. Noble said.

If you have to stay overnight in a hotel, wipe down all high-touch surfaces, like doorknobs, faucets and phones, when you arrive.

Wear a mask and social distance. Face masks are one of the best protections we have against Covid-19, Dr. Noble said, so make sure you pack enough to last. Wear masks in public places, like hotel lobbies or food establishments. If you are in a setting where people are not wearing masks or practicing safe distancing, Dr. Noble recommends that you leave that place immediately.

Pay attention to local regulations. California residents visiting other states should check the specific restrictions at their destination before leaving. Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut require visitors from California to quarantine themselves for 14 days upon arrival.

Visitors to California should abide by Californias safe and responsible travel code and follow all public health rules, including a statewide mandate to wear a mask in public places.

Updated August 6, 2020

Have a question about how the pandemic is changing daily life in California? Click here to submit.

We often link to sites that limit access for nonsubscribers. We appreciate your reading Times coverage, but we also encourage you to support local news if you can.

They were fashioned from gauze and cheesecloth and became a symbol of the fight against an invisible enemy. Medical workers, police officers and everyday Americans wore them, but some resisted. This week, my colleague Christine Hauser wrote about how masks were politicized during the influenza pandemic of 1918. Four cities in California San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and Pasadena became some of the first in the country to put in effect mandatory face mask laws. Violators were sent to mask court, where they were subject to fines or 10 days imprisonment.

It is the most unpopular law ever placed on the Pasadena records, W.S. McIntyre, the chief of police, told The Los Angeles Times. We are cursed from all sides.

[Read the full article here.]

California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here.

Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, went to school at U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter, @jillcowan.

California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.

Read the original:

California Doesn't Have Covid-19 Travel Restrictions. But Here's How to Protect Yourself - The New York Times

Palace resolve to recover from recession remains strong – pna.gov.ph

Posted on by

MANILA Malacaang remains optimistic that the Philippines can soon recover after it officially entered a recession with a 16.5 percent economic plunge in the second quarter due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) related lockdowns.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that while a contraction in the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) is expected, he was "concerned that the drop is much worse than what the governments economists predicted.

Economic managers earlier estimated the countrys GDP to have a much deeper contraction compared to the first quarter.

Despite this, Roque said economic managers have put together an economic recovery program dubbed as PH-Progreso or the Philippine Program for Recovery with Equity and Solidarity, to save the economy from collapsing.

He said the government has also recalibrated the budget for 2021 and restarted the Build, Build, Build infrastructure programs, subject to health and safety protocols, to create jobs.

Our resolve to recover at the soonest possible, however, remains strong. Ingat buhay para sa hanapbuhay (Protect life for livelihood) is our battlecry, he said in a statement on Thursday.

According to Roque, the public should also take into consideration that the Philippines is not the only nation facing an economic crisis.

Covid-19 has had an adverse economic impact on countries like Singapore, Indonesia, the United States, France, Spain, Mexico, he said.

He recognized the hardships of Filipinos, especially low-income families, noting that the government provided an emergency subsidy program after it decided to impose lockdowns across the country.

Citing the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Roque said the main contributors in the decline were the decline in manufacturing, construction, and transportation and storage sectors that were greatly affected by the lockdowns.

He, however, said the Palace expects an improvement in the performance of these sectors during the second semester of the year, with gradual reopening of the economy and the proposed Bayanihan to Recover As One or Bayanihan 2.

Meanwhile, Roque urged Congress anew to fast track the passage of the Bayanihan 2 which would boost the second semester offensive against Covid-19.

Roque also urged the legislative to pass the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE Act to help businesses recover and generate employment for our people.

He also assured the public that the government will continue working round the clock to strengthen resilience and restore the economy.

Health and safety first

In a separate statement, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said that despite the economic slump, the country is in a much stronger position to address recession in the long-term.

Apart from strong economic foundations established by the successful enactment of economic, social, and institutional reforms, we continue to capitalize on and to reform our socio-economic advantages so that we can weather any potential, foreseen, and unforeseen crisis, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

Andanar said the government will continue to strike a balance between supporting the economy while ensuring everyones protection, especially that of the countrys healthcare workers.

We firmly believe that we will heal and rise again, he said.

He also pointed out that lockdowns, which severely affected the economy, were imposed because the government prioritized the health and safety of all citizens.

Although our lockdown and community quarantine implementation had an impact on our economic performance, it served as a cushion to our societys general health, protection, and well-being against Covid-19, Andanar said.

He said that it also served as a safety net to suppress the collapse of the healthcare system and assist the healthcare workers, who have been on the frontline of the ongoing health crisis.

Due to this undertaking, we have prevented an estimated 1.3 to 3.5 million cases, of which an estimated of 68,000 severe and critical cases at a peak day, which would have overwhelmed our healthcare system. More importantly, some 59,000 to 171,000 lives were saved, he said.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday announced that the countrys GDP contracted at a record pace of 16.5 percent year-on-year from April to June, falling deeper into contraction after a revised 0.7 percent slump in the first quarter.

PSA noted the second quarter contraction was the lowest since it began tracking quarterly growth based on the 1981 series. (PNA)

Excerpt from:

Palace resolve to recover from recession remains strong - pna.gov.ph

The Wacky Humor of ‘Total Drama’ Has Stood the Test of Time – Study Breaks

Posted on by

Post Views: 262

Lets examine a recent, all-too-familiar scene. You are sitting on your couch, unable or unwilling to go outside for fear of the coronavirus germs that have forced everyone into isolation. Bored to the point of devastation, you rack your brain for something to do. Youve seen all of the buzzworthy TV shows like Game of Thrones and Riverdale. But TV seems like the only feasible option right now, so you reach for the remote anyway. After a few minutes of scrolling aimlessly, you remember Total Drama, an old cartoon comedy favorite from your childhood. Smiling, you type the title into the search bar and spend a few blissful hours immersed in its wacky world.

As media in America becomes increasingly scrutinized through the lens of political correctness, its difficult for comedy to withstand the test of time. Rewatching shows from a mere five years ago will often reveal jokes rife with homophobia, transphobia, racism and misogyny.

However, some shows and movies endure, with a comedic value that is simple yet funny for viewers of all ages. One such show is Total Drama. The comedy of the show doesnt rely on cultural context or shock value for entertainment. Instead, it places young cartoon characters with varied personalities on a reality showand lets the jokes write themselves.

Total Drama is a Canadian show that first aired in 2007 and ran until 2014. It is a parody of the hit reality series Survivor, where people compete for a large sum of money by completing challenges and voting one player off the show at the end of each week.

The only difference between the two shows is that competitors on Total Drama are animated, and therefore not real people. Yet the thrill of watching skill or endurance-based challenges remains, as well as the cutthroat style of play in which people form alliances and vote off their friends and even lovers.

The first season of Total Drama takes place on an island, hence the original name Total Drama Island. The first episode introduces the cast of characters, which then remains generally the same for the duration of the shows five seasons.

A big part of what makes the show so funny is the characters, many of whom have opposite personalities. For instance, there is Duncan, a delinquent sporting a green mohawk who clashes with Courtney, a type-A bossy-pants who loves order and being in charge. Each character has a definitive personality type with a fully developed backstory.

Furthermore, the characters on the show are quite diverse, as every skin color in existence is represented. There are also bodies of all shapes and sizes, and despite all of this, none of the characters seem to be aware that they look like a walking diversity pamphlet. Although the one Black woman on the show does fall into the loud and sassy stereotype, all other character designs steer clear of cliches. Each character is different and lovable in their own way.

As with Survivor, watching the show guarantees that you will grow to appreciate some characters more than others, and youll eventually pick a favorite to root for. My personal favorite characters are Gwen, a punk-rock loner, and Lindsay, the sweet and well-intentioned airhead.

It is endlessly entertaining to watch them grow, form relationships, fall out of relationships and strive to achieve their goal of winning the prize money. Unlike many other cartoon series, all of the events that transpire in the show are entirely realistic, aside from the characters durability. The players get thrown off of cliffs, attacked by bears and poisoned, but everyone comes out alive.

Another aspect of the show that sets it apart from other comedy or cartoon series is the frequent breaking of the fourth wall. Each character speaks directly to the camera, reflecting upon the events that transpire and revealing secrets.

There are also many funny scenes in which the camera crew extends an arm in front of the camera to grab a pizza box or wave hello. The characters regularly reference the cameras presence, and the host of the competition, Chris, frequently mentions pre-production interns. These details create the sense that the show is thorough, and it also allows viewers to forget that its anything other than 100% real.

It is no coincidence that the show feels real because the producers and writers extensively studied what teenagers did and did not like about reality TV when creating the series. The result is a lack of boring characters and an abundance of satisfying scenes.

If you find yourself hoping that two characters will end up together, or that one character will get revenge on another, chances are that is exactly what will happen. Yet the show is far from predictable; each seasons winners seem to come completely out of nowhere in the best way. There is never a clear underdog or champion because each character has many major flaws and strengths.

While many older TV shows contain problematic content or are simply not funny anymore, Total Dramaretains all of its former comedic flair. With characters that are as likable as they are different, anyone watching will be able to identify with at least one competitor on the animated survival series.

Exaggerated cutscenes and consistent fourth wall breaks make the show exciting. And the promise of prize money at the end keeps the players as well as the audience enchanted. When searching for a lazy afternoon activity, as many are during this seemingly-endless pandemic, Total Drama is the perfect cocktail of funny and thrilling to keep you clicking play next episode.

Follow this link:

The Wacky Humor of 'Total Drama' Has Stood the Test of Time - Study Breaks

Woods faces another Sunday at a major with little hope – Las Vegas Sun

Posted on by

Published Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020 | 3:39 p.m.

Updated 13 minutes ago

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) One day he couldn't find enough fairways. The next day he couldn't make any putts. The third day he couldn't get close enough to make any putts.

That leaves a fourth day for Tiger Woods, with little to play for in the PGA Championship.

Eight shots behind going into the third round, Woods didn't make a birdie until the 16th hole at Harding Park. That was followed by his best shot of the day, an approach from 209 yards to 5 feet for birdie on the 18th. And then it was time to sign for a 2-over 72 on Saturday, leaving him out of contention at another major.

It's just like yesterday, Woods said. I just didn't get anything going, and had to claw and fight to get my way back, and didn't get anything going until the last few holes.

Woods finished an hour before the leaders teed off, and he was left with another Sunday at a major without much hope.

His victory in the Masters last year was one of the most emotional ever for Woods, who endured a major knee surgery and four back surgeries since his previous one 11 years earlier.

Since then, however, Woods has not been a factor in majors, with missed cuts at the PGA Championship and British Open last year, and a big deficit going into Sunday at the U.S. Open.

Woods said it wouldn't be difficult for him to get up for the final day at Harding Park, which until this week has brought only happy memories in his previous two experiences as a pro.

Get ready for the (FedEx Cup) playoffs, and we have the U.S. Open after that. We have some big events to be played, he said. And hopefully, tomorrow I can shoot something in the red and get it to under par for the tournament.

The PGA Championship is only his fourth tournament of the year, and his second in the last six months because of the pandemic that shut down golf from March to June.

Woods used a new putter this week adjustable weights in the sole and a little longer to allow him to practice longer without strain on his back but he blamed the last two days on the guy using it.

I was frustrated that I didn't get anything going early, Woods said. Wish I would have made the putts I did at the end. I was putting for pars, it seemed like, on a lot of the holes.

It wasn't entirely a repeat of Friday, when Woods had three birdie chances of 10 feet or closer on the opening five holes and didn't make any of them. On Saturday, he didn't have many reasonable chances.

Woods had only two birdie chances from inside 20 feet on the front nine a miss from 18 feet on No. 2, and miss from just outside 15 feet from the fringe on the par-5 fourth. He had only three chances inside 20 feet on the back nine, converting the last two of them.

It wasn't enough.

Woods talked about the noise lack of it, with no spectators as a new normal. Another new normal might be Woods not being a lock to contend every major he plays. His schedule is more limited than ever. His back is unpredictable. And he is 44, an age at which only six players have won majors.

Only three times in nine majors has he had a chance going into Sunday since his return from a fourth back surgery the 2018 British Open and PGA, and the 2019 Masters that he won. Age alone would suggest he doesn't have many majors left to try to win at least three more to match Jack Nicklaus.

There's not as many as when I first started playing, he said. "The reality is that the golf courses are getting bigger. They are getting longer. The margin between making the cut and the lead is a lot smaller than it used to be used to be sometimes 12 to 15 shots. Now we had, what, nine shots? It's just different.

It's getting tighter and it's getting harder to win events.

Woods gets one more day at Harding Park, and then only one month before he gets a cracked at his next one at Winged Foot for the U.S. Open.

Link:

Woods faces another Sunday at a major with little hope - Las Vegas Sun

Lebanon PM to introduce bill proposing early elections – Las Vegas Sun

Posted on by

Published Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020 | 9:56 a.m.

Updated 5 hours, 57 minutes ago

BEIRUT (AP) Lebanons prime minister says he will introduce a draft bill proposing early elections for the crisis-stricken country.

In a televised speech Friday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab called on all political parties to put their disagreements aside and work together.

He said he is ready to stay in the post for two months to allow for politicians to work together on implementing structural reforms.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story is below.

Security forces fired tear gas and clashed with stone-throwing demonstrators Saturday in Lebanon's capital amid mounting fury over the massive explosion that devastated much of the city and killed nearly 160 people. Dozens were still missing and around 5,000 people injured.

Activists who called for the protest set up symbolic nooses at Beirut's Martyrs' Square to hang politicians whose corruption and negligence they blame for Tuesday's blast.

The explosion was fueled by thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored at the city's port for more than six years. Apparently set off by a fire, it was by far the biggest blast in Lebanons troubled history and caused an estimated $10 billion to 15 billion in damage, according to Beiruts governor. It also destroyed 6,200 buildings and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

Resignation or hang, read a banner held by protesters, who also planned to hold a symbolic funeral for the dead.

Khodr Ghadir, 23, said the noose was for everyone who has been in power for the last 30 years. What happened was a spark for people to return to the streets."

A placard listed the names of the dead, printed over a photo of the blast's enormous pink mushroom cloud. We are here for you, it read.

As the protest got underway, small groups of young men began throwing stones at security forces. Near parliament, riot police fired tear gas at protesters who tried to jump over barriers that closed the road leading to the legislature. The protesters later set on fire a truck that was fortifying barriers on a road leading to parliament. At least four people were hurt in the clashes, according to the Red Cross.

The gathering at Martyrs' Square and outside the parliament building and government headquarters came amid popular anger against Lebanons political leadership. The countrys ruling class, made up mostly of former civil war-era leaders, is blamed for incompetence and mismanagement that contributed to Tuesdays explosion.

The staggering devastation came on top of an economic and financial crisis that has led to the collapse of the Lebanese currency against the dollar, hyperinflation and soaring poverty and unemployment.

The state, which is investigating the cause of the explosion, has been conspicuously absent from the ravaged streets of Beirut, with almost zero involvement in the cleanup, which has been left to teams of young volunteers with brooms who fanned out to sweep up broken glass and reopen roads.

The protest came as senior officials from the Middle East and Europe arrived in a show of solidarity with the tiny country that is still in shock.

In a show of anger, the president of the Christian opposition Kataeb party said its three legislators have decided to resign from Parliament over the disaster. Sami Gemayel called on every honorable member of parliament to step down and work for the birth of a new Lebanon.

A senior Kataeb party official was killed in the blast. Also killed were 43 Syrians, the country's embassy in Beirut said. Lebanon is home to some 1 million Syrian refugees.

The Dutch foreign ministry said Saturday that Hedwig Waltmans-Molier, the wife of the Netherlands ambassador to Lebanon, had also died from injuries suffered in the explosion.

Documents that surfaced after the blast showed that officials had been repeatedly warned for years that the presence of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate at the port posed a grave danger, but no one acted to remove it. Officials have been blaming one another, and 19 people have been detained, including the ports chief, the head of Lebanons customs department and his predecessor.

We will support Lebanon through all available means, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary-general of the 22-member Arab League told reporters after meeting President Michel Aoun on Saturday morning. Aboul Gheit said he would take part in a donors conference for Lebanon in France on Sunday and convey Lebanons demands to the international community.

Later on Saturday, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, arrived in Beirut for a brief visit. Turkeys vice president and the country's foreign minister met Aoun and said that Ankara was ready to help rebuild Beirut's port and evacuate some of the wounded to Turkey for treatment.

At the site of the blast, workers continued searching for dozens of missing people. Bulldozers were also seen removing debris near a cluster of giant grain silos that were heavily damaged but still partly standing.

International aid has been flowing to Lebanon for days, and several field hospitals have been set up around Beirut to help treat the wounded.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he had spoken by telephone with Aoun and French President Emmanuel Macron, who paid a brief visit to Lebanon on Thursday. Trump noted that medical supplies, food and water were being sent from the United States, along with emergency responders, technicians, doctors and nurses.

The ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilizers and explosives, originated from a cargo ship called MV Rhosus that had been traveling from the country of Georgia to Mozambique in 2013. It made an unscheduled detour to Beirut as the Russian shipowner was struggling with debts and hoped to earn some extra cash in Lebanon. Unable to pay port fees and reportedly leaking, the ship was impounded.

In 2014, the material was moved from the ship and placed in a warehouse at the port where it stayed until the explosion.

Go here to see the original:

Lebanon PM to introduce bill proposing early elections - Las Vegas Sun

Spiegelworld prepares Absinthe tent, other Las Vegas venues for reopening with safety measures in place – FOX5 Las Vegas

Posted on by

'); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(""+val.title+""); // if (window.location.hostname == "www.kmov.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kctv5.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.azfamily.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kptv.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.fox5vegas.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.wfsb.com") { if (val.poly != "" && val.polyimg != "") { $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append('"+val.ihtml+""); $("#expandable-weather-block .weather-index-alerts").show(); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body h2").css({"font-family":"'Fira Sans', sans-serif", "font-weight":"500", "padding-bottom":"10px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body p").css({"font-size":"14px", "line-height":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body span.wxalertnum").css({"float":"left", "width":"40px", "height":"40px", "color":"#ffffff", "line-height":"40px", "background-color":"#888888", "border-radius":"40px", "text-align":"center", "margin-right":"12px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body b").css("font-size", "18px"); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body li").css({"font-size":"14px", "line-height":"18px", "margin-bottom":"10px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body ul").css({"margin-bottom":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body pre").css({"margin-bottom":"24px"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body img").css({"width":"100%", "margin-bottom":"20px", "borderWidth":"1px", "border-style":"solid", "border-color":"#aaaaaa"}); $("#expandable-weather-block .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).css({"borderWidth":"0", "border-bottom-width":"1px", "border-style":"dashed", "border-color":"#aaaaaa", "padding-bottom":"10px", "margin-bottom":"40px"}); }); } function parseAlertJSON(json) { console.log(json); alertCount = 0; if (Object.keys(json.alerts).length > 0) { $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body ").empty(); } $.each(json.alerts, function(key, val) { alertCount++; $("#mrd-wx-alerts .alert_count").text(alertCount); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body ").append(''); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(""+val.title+""); // if (window.location.hostname == "www.kmov.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kctv5.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.azfamily.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.kptv.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.fox5vegas.com" || window.location.hostname == "www.wfsb.com") { if (val.poly != "" && val.polyimg != "") { $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(''); } else if (val.fips != "" && val.fipsimg != "") { // $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(''); } // } //val.instr = val.instr.replace(/[W_]+/g," "); $("#mrd-wx-alerts .modal-body #mrd-alert"+ alertCount).append(val.dhtml+"

Instruction

Go here to read the rest:

Spiegelworld prepares Absinthe tent, other Las Vegas venues for reopening with safety measures in place - FOX5 Las Vegas

ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS Feat. FEAR FACTORY’s BURTON C. BELL – Apocrypha Album Tracklisting Revealed – bravewords.com

Posted on by

Industrial gothic rockers, Ascension Of The Watchers - thecreative, and innovative journey of pioneering Fear Factory vocalist Burton C. Bell -will release their new album, Apocrypha, on October 9th viaDissonance Productions. The recording will be available on CD, two limited vinyl formats and through all major digital outlets.

The official tracklisting is as follows:

Ghost Heart

The End Is Always The Beginning

Apocrypha

A Wolf Interlude

Honoree

Stormcrow

Cygnus Aeon

Key To The Cosmos

Bells Of Perdition

Wanderers

Sign Your Name

Born of life, love and spirituality, Bells unmistakable, harmonious inventory once renowned in one of metals finest pioneering acts has brought life to a new concept, a genre of its own. Ambient atmospheres, melodies and introspective lyrics that sheds light of Bells visions, as seen in their purest form. An intimate nature that Ascension Of The Watchers envisioned, to draw the minds, hearts and aspirations of a people to a higher level of thinking to a feeling with cohesive celebration and reflection in the beauty of existence.

In early 2002 Burton retreated to the quiet, simplicity of rural Pennsylvania for seven months with his friend and musical confidant John Bechdel, escaping the onslaught of Los Angeles, and industry alike. A mentor in music, philosophy and demeanour, Bechdel unwittingly guided Bell along the creative path of this new conceptual movement.

With Burtons unprecedented vocal sound and style, coupled with the brilliantly orchestrated musical compositions of both Bell and Bechdel (synonymous with pioneering tags to the industrial/metal genre) the pair began experimenting with textured melodies of melancholic tones, best attributed to the 80s and 90s underground scene. Ascension Of The Watchers echoes the sounds of a prophetic hallucination, fears and dreams with remorse of things lost and forgotten; but with a hope of redemption and light in the future.

In 2004, Ascension Of The Watchers independently released Iconoclast, printed only on CD and vinyl to a limited number. In 2008, with the help John Bechdel and Paul Raven (RIP), Burton brought Ascension Of The Watchers to Ministry legend Al Jourgensens label, 13th Planet. With the guidance and special collaborations with Jourgensen during the recording and mixing in El Paso, Texas, AOTW added the guitar talents of Eduardo Mussi. It also featured Paul Ravens last contribution as a bass player on the track Mars Becoming.

In 2008, Ascension Of The Watchers debut LP Numinosum was released through 13th Planet. Upon release, AOTW performed special, intimate shows, including the album release performance at Alex Greys Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in NYC. They also had the honour of supporting Killing Joke for their reunion tour in honour of their fallen friend, Paul Raven.

In 2017, the friendship between renowned UK solo artist Jayce Lewis and Burton brought in the essential camaraderie, talents and studio that perfectly suited the recording of Apocrypha. Northstone Studios, based in the countryside of South Wales, connected to the 250 year old Court Colman Manor, the studio built by Lewis own hands using the ancient stones of the monastery that once stood there, the rustic detail proved a perfect setting for AOTWs very own Jayce Lewis to record, produce and mix the Apocrypha album. A recording process that literally stirred the souls that remain within the stone walls of Lewis Northstone Studios. During the vocal recordings of the title track, a recording was inadvertently captured from the aether; an eerie, unrecognizable and untranslatable, syllabic phrase whispered within the vocal booth. The event is now the intro to the title track, Apocrypha.

In Truth, the making of Apocrypha has been a decade long journey of writing and recording, from California, Pennsylvania, New York and Wales. In 2018 the band decided to utilize the crowdfunding platform PledgeMusic to jumpstart the project. After a very successful campaign, raising 124% of their goal, PledgeMusic went into administration, eventually declaring bankruptcy, and in turn, would never release any of the funds dedicated to Ascension Of The Watchers. Nevertheless, the band persevered to complete the album.

After ten years of writing and recording, along with reflection on the very personal nature of this project, Ascension Of The Watchers will renew its journey in 2020, with the culmination of the long awaited release, Apocrypha. With plans of conceptualized touring, AOTW continues to grow as Bells main creative endeavour, well into the future.

Lineup:

Burton C. Bell - vocals and guitarJohn Bechdel - keyboardsJayce Lewis - drums, backing vocals and programming

Read the original here:

ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS Feat. FEAR FACTORY's BURTON C. BELL - Apocrypha Album Tracklisting Revealed - bravewords.com

These are the Baton Rouge-area school districts starting in-person class this week – The Advocate

Posted on by

Several school districts around the Baton Rouge metro area will open its doors for students next week.

When public schools open Monday in Ascension Parish, the middle school and high school students will be learning both in the classroom and from home.

On any given day, some students will come to school, while others attend class online then the two groups will switch on the next day, in an alternating pattern throughout the school week.

Elementary school students will attend school daily starting Aug. 15, after a staggered attendance in school buildings the first week, when each student will attend one of four days.

About 27 percent of the district's total student population of about 23,400 has opted for online learning only.

You can read more here.

Secondary school students' first day of school will be either Monday or Tuesday to allow for a soft opening on each of those days. They will be half days for students.

When not on campus, middle and high school students will be learning online.

The first day all on campus students will attend together is Wednesday.

While some students returned to the classroom last week, many others will start the 2020-21 school year next week.

See the following list below:

You can read more here.

Baker City Public Schools

The City of Baker School System will be opening the school year in a complete virtual educational environment Monday. It will remain virtual until at least Labor Day.

You can read more here.

East Baton Rouge

Several charter schools in Baton Rouge started school virtual-only last Thursday. The East Baton Rouge Parish school system pushed back its first day, which was scheduled for last Thursday, until Monday, but it too is planning for virtual-only instruction until at least Labor Day.

You can read more here.

Central Community Public Schools

Last Thursdays first day in Central was a soft opening with about half of the students coming to their campuses and half learning from home. On Friday, they will switch places.

Starting Monday, Central's elementary-age children up through sixth grade will go to school every day, while those in grades 7-12 will come to school just two days a week in alternating groupings.

You can read more here.

Livingston

Livingston schools reopened Friday with new restrictions and screenings.

Some students had their temperatures checked at the carpool or bus line and washed their hands at a handmade wash station before going to class. Parents couldnt walk their kids into their classrooms and every child older than third grade had to wear a mask.

You can read more here.

Iberville and Zachary Community Public Schools

These school districts are returning Aug. 17.

Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Read more from the original source:

These are the Baton Rouge-area school districts starting in-person class this week - The Advocate

United States Casinos – Best Places for Casino Gambling in the USA – BestUSCasinos.org

Posted on by

Gambling in the United States is serious business, and as the country continues to reopen, you may feel the urge to book a trip to a famous gambling city. Theres only so much gambling you can do behind your computer screen before you start to go a little stir crazy. Lucky for you, many options around the country are ready to take your business.

While youve heard of the spots that have been popularized over the years, several relatively unknown locations are certainly worth vacationing to. Everyone knows about Vegas and Atlantic City but consider broadening your horizons and branching out to a different gambling hub.

Here are 6 of the top spots where you should book your next vacation.

While all these destinations are in no particular order, was there any doubt that Vegas would be number 1?

Las Vegas is the most well-known and mainstream gambling destination in the United States for a reason. The city is home to more than 100 casinos and two significant hubs in the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas form.

Each casino offers patrons a different environment to gamble in, making it easy to find a gambling destination that works for you. The variety Las Vegas offers is second to none in the United States, making it the most popular gambling city in the country. Outside of gambling, the city has an endless source of entertainment for people of all ages.

The city radiates an intangible energy that is present nearly 24 hours a day. While COVID-19 has had its adverse effect on the town, as the country continues to reopen, for the time being, the city is returning to form.

If youre trying to decide on a vacation spot and youve never been to Vegas, its definitely time to consider it.

Atlantic City is one of the most popular gambling cities on the East Coast and is an excellent option for northeasterners who dont want to travel too far. While the city offers only a fraction of the gambling options compared to Las Vegas, it has a variety of casinos that appeal to different demographics.

The gambling district in Atlantic City sits near the water, and several casinos overlook beaches and oceans, offering a nice change of pace from the arid desert of Las Vegas.

Even though Atlantic City only has nine casinos, each has its own unique attractions. If youre new to gambling, the Hard Rock Casino offers a new energy for a younger clientele who like gambling to the sounds of live music.

Elsewhere around the city, mainstays like the Tropicana, Borgata, and Caesars beckon gamblers hoping to make some serious money.

Regardless of whether youre the type of gambler whos there to have fun or the kind whos a bit more serious, Atlantic City has something for you.

If you share a state with the biggest gambling city in the country, odds are you might be overlooked. While this may be the case for Reno, the city is a fantastic option for any type of gambler. Reno was once known as the go-to gambling destination before the Vegas boom. Today, Reno is known as the Biggest Little City and a prime location to get everything you need out of a gambling location.

Featuring 20 casinos, the city, like some other locations on this list, provides a wide variety of games for fans of all sorts of gambling. The casinos in Reno are home to thousands of gambling options. Whether its table games like blackjack and roulette, slots, or poker, even the most serious gamblers can get their fix in Reno.

If you find Las Vegas to be too overwhelming, consider giving Reno a chance. The city is located near the Nevada-California border, making it a prime spot for gamblers who live on the West Coast. Like Las Vegas, the city has a ton of entertainment options, with bustling nightlife activities, shows, and concerts. It may not compare to Vegas in numbers alone, but Reno can hold its own against any other location on this list.

The state of Louisiana has many gambling options that have their own merits, like Lake Charles and Bossier City. However, I chose to list New Orleans because of the city itself. The Big Easy is one of the best vacation destinations in the United States, even if you have no intention to gamble. However, if youre tired of walking up and down Bourbon Street or seen enough of the French Quarter, a number of casinos are just a short walk away.

The city is home to several local casinos, including the ever-popular Harrahs, Crescent City, and Carnival Club. For gamblers who dont mind traveling a bit, Treasure Chest and Boomtown are located just a few minutes away.

While the number of casinos in Louisiana doesnt compare to other cities on this list, each casino offers its patrons a variety of table games, slots, and sports gambling options.

New Orleans was one of the first cities I traveled to gamble, and I was pleasantly surprised with my experience gambling. Before you visit the Big Easy, make sure youve done your homework on which casino you think is right for you, because several of the better options are somewhat off the beaten path.

When thinking of potential gambling vacation spots, rarely, if ever, does Biloxi come to mind, but this hidden gem is simply one of the best gambling destinations in the United States. The city houses several well-known casinos, and the citys location makes it a must-visit for any sort of gambler.

Biloxi features 10 casinos, providing gamblers ample opportunity to find one that suits them. However, the reason Biloxi makes this list is the fact that the city offers different forms of entertainment for travelers. If youre reading this, youre most likely interested in the gambling aspect, but you have to eat and take a break from the tables at some point. Biloxi is home to a number of delectable dining spots and a variety of entertainment options.

In terms of gambling, the most popular casinos in the city are Beau Rivage and New Palace. Mainstays like the Golden Nugget and the Hard Rock also cater to a more inexperienced or younger crowd. Regardless of your skill level or the type of gambling, you aspire to do, try to plan a trip to Mississippi in the near future.

Some of my best gambling experiences take place at the casino closest to my home. In college, my friends and I were never hard-pressed to make an excuse to go gamble, and the convenience of living close to a casino led to many spur-of-the-moment gambling trips. Not every trip needs to be a big ordeal, and youd be surprised how much fun you will have gambling at the local spot.

As it stands, 18 states are home to casinos, so you might be surprised to find that you live closer to one than you expect. The stigma around gambling is slowly disappearing as restrictions continue to be lessened around the nation. It stands to reason that more options will begin to pop up as time goes on, providing you with a potential opportunity to do some more gambling.

If youre feeling cooped up after months of quarantine and isolation, it might be time to book a trip to do some gambling. Whether its at one of the well-known cities around the country like Vegas or Atlantic City or even a weekend trip to the casino down the road, you cant go wrong. All the locations listed above have attractions that set them apart from the rest, and I recommend visiting each of them at some point.

Theres absolutely nothing wrong with going to Vegas for the umpteenth time, but if youre looking for a different experience, consider one of the destinations that arent as mainstream. Theres fun to take in across the country, and I know from experience that some of my best times at the casinos came after minimal preparation. Youll never know how much fun a city can be until you give it a shot.

Here is the original post:

United States Casinos - Best Places for Casino Gambling in the USA - BestUSCasinos.org

Overtime On Beacon Hill: Police Reform, Health Care and Gambling – wgbh.org

Posted on by

The beginning of August, usually a slow time of year on Beacon Hill after lawmakers recess for the month, is proving to be anything but in 2020. After doing away with their formal break, lawmakers will stay at work through the fall to wrestle with key legislation.

Possibly the most urgent priority is for a six-member conference committee to draw up a compromise between the House and Senate's different bills to reform how police are licenced and held accountable. Finishing the police bill before August 1 was originally a stipulation of extending the session, but no compromise was struck by the time the Legislature went into overtime last week.

Pastors from the New England Annual Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church wrote a letter to the conference committee urging the House and Senate to settle on a final bill that includes police decertification, limits on use of force, limits on police protections from civil lawsuits, a facial recognition ban and commissions to study civil service reforms and structural racism.

"We also recognize that the respective bills miss key opportunities to address decades long policing practices that have caused harm to people in communities of color, many of whom are our congregants," the 15 pastors wrote in the letter.

House and Senate conferees likely agree on the broad strokes of the bill, but are hung up on legal protections, with the Senate's bill going further to limit qualified immunity than the House's Beacon HIll Democrats have been hearing from police groups and officers from their own districts before and after the chambers' votes, setting up an additional level of scrutiny for the eventual compromise.

Another House/Senate conference is settling the details of an economic development jobs package that could potentially legalize sports betting in the Commonwealth. The Senate, however, didn't think it was time to authorize casinos, racetracks and online apps to take wagers on sports, leaving the six members to hammer out a deal

Improvements to the health care system may seem like an easy issue for lawmakers to settle on in a pandemic, but the chambers' have taken radically different paths to get there that threaten any eventual compromise. Lead figures on the House and Senate sides seem not to be able to stand each other, with House negotiators publicly criticizing their Senate counterparts during floor speeches before passing their own bill to regulate telehealth, expand the practice of some nurses and raise rates for community hospitals.

The Senate's own package of health reforms would focus on mental health and prescription drug prices, leaving little overlap for negotiators to work with.

The additional time bought by the extended session could lead to more protracted negotiations as both branches dig in their heels.

Go here to read the rest:

Overtime On Beacon Hill: Police Reform, Health Care and Gambling - wgbh.org

Latest News: Silver Inks and Pastes Market Is Taking Foot Back Due to Covid-19! is it? Check out with Analysis of Leading Players in the Globe-…

Posted on by

Global Silver Inks and Pastes Market report forecast to 2026 investigate the Impact of COVID-19 on Industry further market size, manufactures, types, applications and key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America and Middle East & Africa, focuses on the consumption of Silver Inks and Pastes in these regions. This report also studies the global Silver Inks and Pastes market share, competition landscape, status share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, sales channels and distributors.

COVID-19 can affect the global economy in 3 main ways: by directly affecting production and demand, by creating supply chain and market disturbance, and by its financial impact on firms and financial markets.

Get Sample copy along with Few Details- https://www.worldwidemarketreports.com/sample/363926

Leading Players from the market are covered in this report- Advanced Nano Products, Cima NanoTech, Creative Materials, DIC Corporation/Sun Chemical, DuPont

Impact of Covid-19 on Silver Inks and Pastes Industry 2020

Silver Inks and Pastes Market report analyses the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the Silver Inks and Pastes industry. Since the COVID-19 virus outbreak in December 2019, the disease has spread to almost 180+ countries around the globe with the World Health Organization declaring it a public health emergency. The global impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are already starting to be felt, and will significantly affect the Silver Inks and Pastes market in 2020.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought effects on many aspects, like flight cancellations; travel bans and quarantines; restaurants closed; all indoor events restricted; emergency declared in many countries; massive slowing of the supply chain; stock market unpredictability; falling business assurance, growing panic among the population, and uncertainty about future.

Download Sample TOC to understand the CORONA Virus/COVID19 impact and be smart in redefining business strategies-https://www.worldwidemarketreports.com/sample/363926

Market Segments:

Based on Types, the Silver Inks and Pastes Market is Classsified as Silver Inks, Silver Paste

Based on Application, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, including Traditional Thick-Film Electronics, Solar Panels, Displays, Lighting, RFIDs and Printed Silver, Sensors, Others

Silver Inks and Pastes Market Report Provides Comprehensive Analysis as Following:

Study on Table of Contents:

During thePandemic, get Discount upto 50% https://www.worldwidemarketreports.com/discount/363926

Contact Us:

Mr. ShahWorldwide Market ReportsSeattle, WA 98154,U.S.Email: [emailprotected]

Read the original here:

Latest News: Silver Inks and Pastes Market Is Taking Foot Back Due to Covid-19! is it? Check out with Analysis of Leading Players in the Globe-...

IIT Kanpur-backed start-up to double production of indigenous N95 face mask – Business Standard

Posted on by

Kanpur-based Espin Nanotech Private Limited, a start-up incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, is planning to more than double its face mask manufacturing capacity to 70,000 pieces a day.

The enterprise hogged the limelight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen wearing its indigenously developed N95 face mask Swasa during the bhoomi pujan of Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5 (Wednesday).

Currently, Espin Nanotech is producing nearly 30,000 face masks a day from its production unit spread over 4,000 sq ft space inside the IIT Kanpur campus. It has now tied up with an Ahmedabad based entity to expand the capacity to 70,000 pieces a day, Espin Nanotech director Sandip Patil told Business Standard today.

We have also tied up with Flipkart for marketing our product. Besides, we have recently launched a dedicated ecommerce site, swasa.in, to sell Swasa face mask, he informed.

"So far, the company has invested about Rs three crore in its production line and plans to invest another Rs three crore in the next 2-3 months to augment capacity, Patil said adding the price of the face mask varied from Rs 60 to Rs 80 a piece depending upon the geography.

This is an indeed a great moment for the company that the Prime Minister showed trust on us by wearing our indigenously developed Made in India product during the auspicious occasion in Ayodhya, he observed.

Anti-bacterial and anti-viral, Swasa face mask is made of ultra soft fabric, which allows for easy breathing, provides adjustable ear loop and is claimed to be effective for 100 hours of usage.

Now, we are planning to launch other categories of face mask, including self cleaning and odour removal masks. There is a plan to launch an affordable variety too, he added.

Patil said the product was developed last year to offer protection against bacteria and viruses, much before covid-19 pandemic hit us. In fact, we had started to market our face mask in November 2019, especially during the time air pollution had started to peak in Delhi. The company also made shipments to Thailand, Malaysia, European countries etc before the exports of medical safety products were banned with the spread of the coronavirus.

Patil noted there was still a lack of awareness among consumers regarding such products. We only need a minimum layer but maximum capacity face mask rather than insisting on increasing the layers of the mask for added safety.

Earlier, the Centre had turned to the premier research institutions, including the IITs, for developing tech-enabled solutions to deal with the covid-19 outbreak and come up with affordable safety gears, including masks. Over the past months, IIT Kanpur had taken the lead in coming up with several products, including face mask, ventilators etc.

Read the original post:

IIT Kanpur-backed start-up to double production of indigenous N95 face mask - Business Standard

Global Impact of Covid-19 on Sol-Gel Nanocoating Market to Record Significant Revenue Growth During the Forecast Period 20202026 | Cima NanoTech -…

Posted on by

Sol-Gel Nanocoating Market 2020

The latest report added by Contrive Datum InsightsonSol-Gel Nanocoatingindustry comprehends the analysis of COVID-19 impact on the global market. The report studies market overview with regards to historic and current scenario. Prominent players in the global market are expected to strategize their marketing activities in a superior acceptable manner to enhance their market base. Further, the Sol-Gel Nanocoating-research study identifies constantly changing market dynamics that are expected to influence market growth to an extent. Additionally, market performance and key factors are evaluated in this report to help make informed business decisions.

COVID-19 has impacted global market economy with over 190 countries witnessing the impact. There has been a noticeable impact on the global market growth with an increase in global unemployment rate. It has estimated that the virus could affect the global economy growth by 2.0% if current conditions persist. Around 13-32% is expected to befall in global trade. The full impact will not be known until the effects of the pandemic peak. The pandemic crisis is challenging governments to implement monetary and fiscal policies that support credit markets and sustain economic activity.

Request for a custom sample @https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com/request-sample/33352

The prominent players covered in this report:, Eikos, Buhler PARTEC, Inframat, Bio-Gate, Cima NanoTech

Key players are expected to enhance their marketing capabilities over the forecast period owing to certain market conditions. The report presents certain elements that will reflect whats and hows of such changes in the market. Further, the report studies various aspects of the global market such as upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and production value of leading players subject to market growth.

Impact of COVID-19:

On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into

Single NanomaterialsComposite Nanomaterials

On the basis on the end users/applications

AviationShipElectronicOther

The period considered to estimate the market size of the Sol-Gel Nanocoatingis as follows:

History Year: 2015-2019 | Base Year: 2019 | Estimated Year: 2020 | Forecast Year 2020 to 2026

Market Segmentation:

The global Sol-Gel Nanocoatingmarket is segmented based on the type of product, application, and region. The analysts authoring the report evaluates detailed geography for each segment mentioned. The segments are studied based on their market share, revenue, regional growth, cost and revenue analysis, and other vital factors. The segmentation study identifies high-growth portions of the global Sol-Gel Nanocoatingmarket and understand how the market can grow over the forecast period.

Request For discountthe Report @https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com/request-discount/33352

Primary Objectives of Sol-Gel Nanocoatingmarket Report:

Key questions answered in this report:-

To summarize the report presents dynamic market overview, the competitive landscape in line with demand and supply analysis, market growth rate along with a future prediction for the forecast years. The report studies BCG, SWOT and PESTLE to analyze market profitability and growth rate. The report also helps investors to analyze investment feasibility and return analysis.

Access full Report Description, TOC, Table of Figure, and[emailprotected] https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com/product-report/Sol-Gel-Nanocoating-Market-33352

We are always happy to assist you on your queries:[emailprotected]Phone No:+19084598372Contrive Datum Insights:www.contrivedatuminsights.com

See original here:

Global Impact of Covid-19 on Sol-Gel Nanocoating Market to Record Significant Revenue Growth During the Forecast Period 20202026 | Cima NanoTech -...