Author Archives: Danzig

ASK THE VET: Indoor cats need rabies vaccination – Arkansas Online

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Q My cat BarB so named because I found her as a kitten hiding under my barbecue grill now lives in my house and doesn't venture outdoors. Her veterinarian insists she needs rabies vaccination. Why is this necessary, if she's a committed homebody?

A BarB should be vaccinated for rabies to protect herself and you from the deadly disease.

In the United States, the cat is the domestic animal that most often tests positive for rabies, and the bat is the most commonly infected wildlife species.

Rabid bats bite indoor cats if they meet on the balcony or when the bat enters the home through a torn window screen or flies down the chimney. Some indoor cats are bitten when they escape for even a short time from the home or car.

If BarB's rabies vaccination isn't current and she is exposed to a rabies-infected animal, your county and state laws dictate what follows. That step could range from a stressful and expensive months-long quarantine, usually at an animal shelter or veterinary hospital, to euthanasia.

If she bites you, a veterinary staff member or a visitor in your home, the stakes are even higher.

That's to prevent BarB from transmitting rabies to humans, where the disease causes a gruesome death.

Globally, 59,000 people die every year from rabies. In this country, most human cases result from a bat bite inside the home.

In January, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published the most recent analysis of rabies data, the reports from 2018, when three people in this country died of rabies.

That January, a 6-year-old Florida boy died after having been bitten by a bat. In August, a 69-year-old Delaware woman died of raccoon rabies, despite no known contact. In November, a 55-year-old Utah man died of bat rabies.

Like other people bitten by bats, the man didn't know he'd been bitten while shooing bats from his house. If he wasn't aware of the bite, you know BarB won't alert you if a bat ever bites her.

So, keep her rabies vaccination current, even though she's always indoors.

Q Our veterinarian diagnosed our dog Crew with epilepsy and prescribed medication, which has significantly decreased the frequency and severity of his seizures. About the only time Crew has a seizure is soon after someone visits our home. Is this unusual?

A Many humans with epilepsy recognize that certain factors, most notably stress but also sleep deprivation, infectious disease and hormonal changes, can precipitate seizures.

The same is true in dogs, where epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder.

In a recent study, veterinarians questioned families of 50 epileptic dogs about factors that precipitated their seizures. The researchers learned that lifestyle events and whether the dog was sterilized played a role.

Seizures occurred in 42% of females during their heat cycles and in 33% of unsterilized males exposed to a female dog in heat. So, it's important to sterilize any dog diagnosed with epilepsy.

Other factors that elicited seizures were visitors to the home (in 30% of dogs); a change in the dog's life situation (27%); changes in the daily routine, altered sleep patterns or going to an unfamiliar place (24%); hot weather (22%); stress or excitement (21%); fear (19%) and intense exercise or illness (16%).

Minimizing whatever precipitating factors affect the individual dog can help improve seizure control.

So, let your veterinarian know about Crew's increased seizure frequency when people visit. Your vet may prescribe an additional medication you can give Crew to decrease anxiety and seizures when visitors are expected.

Lee Pickett, VMD, practices companion animal medicine in North Carolina. Contact her at

vet@askthevet.pet

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ASK THE VET: Indoor cats need rabies vaccination - Arkansas Online

The Detail: The two polarising referendums Kiwis will soon vote on – Stuff.co.nz

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Christine Cornege/Stuff

Cannabis referendum: New Zealanders will vote in September in the Cannabis legalisation and control referendum.

The Detail is a daily news podcast produced for RNZ by Newsroom and is published on Stuff with permission. Click on this link to subscribe to the podcast.

In less than five weeks, New Zealanders will vote on two polarising issues in referendums, held at the same time as this years general election.

But how much do you really know about the issues at play? How familiar are you with what the End of Life Choice Act and the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill?

And importantly: is it referenda or referendums? (According to Arthur Pomeroy, emeritus professor of classics at Victoria University, its referendums.)

In todays episode of The Detail, Emile Donovan speaks to journalist Caralise Trayes and researcher Dr Marta Rechter about the two referendums this year, and what they could mean for the future of cannabis and assisted dying in New Zealand.

READ MORE:* Euthanasia referendum: What is assisted dying? The End of Life vote explained* Euthanasia referendum: Should assisted dying be legal in New Zealand?* Reforming cannabis laws is a complex challenge, but New Zealands history of drug reform holds important lessons* David Seymour is standing for ACT in Whangarei - but he's not that David Seymour

The assisted dying referendum is binding - the cannabis referendum is not.

This means the legislation pertaining to assisted dying is all ready to go: its been passed through parliament and approved by a majority of MPs. The only question is whether the country wants to sign off on it.

Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

As part of September's election there will be a referendum on euthanasia.

The cannabis referendum, on the other hand, is non-binding: even if 99 per cent of the population vote in favour, the governing party or parties could, theoretically, decide not to implement it - though doing so would be politically questionable.

Also the cannabis legislation hasnt yet been finalised: its still a bill, and in order to become an Act it still needs to pass through the parliamentary process: three readings in the House where issues can be raised and debated, and a select committee process where the public can make submissions and raise their concerns.

Freelance journalist Caralise Trayes has written a book about the assisted dying referendum called The Final Choice

She says there are still blind spots in many peoples understanding of the legislation.

Refusing treatment and do not resuscitate orders require medical professionals not to intervene in what is naturally occurring. These are already legal.

Euthanasia, assisted suicide or assisted dying requires a direct intervention with the intention to bring death.

First up, you have to be eligible: you have to be over 18, you have to be a Kiwi citizen or permanent resident. You have to have a prognosis with less than six months to live. You must have an ongoing decline in physical capability and experience unbearable suffering which cannot be eased.

robert steven/Stuff

The assisted dying referendum is binding - the cannabis referendum is not.

You also need to be able to make an informed decision about dying.

A prognosis of six months or less to live would be made by a doctor - but making that judgment in the first place can be fraught.

Were using this as such a strong, defining factor ... but its not always accurate. There have been cases where doctors get prognoses very wrong.

Any mental health issues a person has would not be factored into whether a persons application was granted, Trayes says.

Meanwhile, the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill has a straightforward premise, says Dr Marta Rechter from Massey University.

The main premise is that the bill proposes to legalise use, possession and sale of cannabis.

People aged 20 and over - it would be legal for them to use, possess, and buy cannabis from licensed suppliers.

Dr Rechter says the legislation still has many grey areas - for example, how it deals with the idea of advertising marijuana, in an age where marketing and promotion stretch much further than TV screens or radio adverts.

She says it also needs to clarify the social equity components, to help ensure people and communities whove been historically disadvantaged by cannabis criminalisation can be involved with the new industry.

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The Detail: The two polarising referendums Kiwis will soon vote on - Stuff.co.nz

Live well die well – The Hindu

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Sigmund Freud had said that we are all convinced of our immortality. Discussing death is considered macabre, ghoulish and in morbid taste. But the unexpected deaths due to the pandemic are making us review our this cannot happen to me certitude.

A good death refers to one free from avoidable distress and suffering for the patient, family and caregivers; generally in accordance with their wishes; and reasonably consistent with clinical, cultural and ethical standards. Death should not be considered an isolated event a moment in time.

It is a process, and like all journeys, we need to prepare by relinquishing roles and responsibilities, completing financial arrangements and saying goodbye. Wherever possible, should it not behove the attending clinician to consider patient preferences for treatment, a specific dying process, pain-free status, emotional well-being and dignity should be ensured.

To quote Shakespeare, O, let him pass. He hates him. That would upon the rack of this tough world. Stretch him out longer.

A circle of support is relevant not just at the moment of death, but throughout the dying process. The journey towards death is as much about getting to know oneself as during any part of life. Learning to recognise our needs, be they medical, emotional or spiritual, becomes more relevant when we are closer to death. Earlier recognition is a major part of enabling a good death. Death is an inevitable part of life. Having the option to influence quality of death may generally suffice. Some wish to hasten the process. Several countries have laws allowing doctor-assisted active euthanasia. At no point in history have people lived as well as the present generation. So why not focus on the quality of our death as well?

A bad death is usually associated with violence, pain, dying alone, being kept alive against ones wishes, loss of dignity, and being unable to let ones wishes be known. Most individuals would prefer to die at home, at peace, with family members present. Do we want to be kept alive at all costs or do we not want to be resuscitated? Knowing our wishes makes it easier for the family and the healthcare provider.

COVID-19 deaths could be considered a bad death. It is devastating for the bereaved kin, whose grief is compounded by social isolation and inability to provide practical and emotional support.

The associated high stress is due to financial problems and worries about the health and quarantine of the whole family. Physical discomfort, difficulty in breathing, social isolation, psychological distress, lack of preparation, treatment falling short of expected respect and dignity, and lack of privacy supplement occasional ostracism.

The family members are deeply distressed when they cannot bid goodbye, when the death is unexpected, when it is perceived to be preventable and treatments did not comply with the patients preferences. The last is often discounted particularly in a pandemic. Many of the face-to-face interactions that support older adults as they mourn, including time-honoured religious rituals and funeral services, are often prohibited, compounding the problem.

When in active neurosurgical practice, I had personally managed over 2,500 deaths. Primary importance was always given to the quality of life. Patient and family wishes took precedence over using tomorrows cutting-edge technology. Retrospectively, viewing things from the quietude of retirement, I wonder if the quality of death should also have been specifically discussed. In the 2015 Quality of Death Index Report by The Economist Intelligence Unit, India was ranked 67th among the 80 countries studied. Why should enabling good death be confined to palliative medicine specialists, a truly endangered species in India?

Should the beneficiary and the healthcare provider not discuss this every time along with management options? Many countries have death cafes where people drink tea, eat cake and discuss end-of-life care and death. Today, we have the choice of a good death. It is essential that we make a living will when we are in good physical and mental health.

Quality of death is as important as quality of life.

(The author is a past president of the Neurological Society of India)

drkganapathy@gmail.com

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Live well die well - The Hindu

Bishop Dowd: The story of my brother’s death – Grandin Media

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For those who dont know the background, Chris was diagnosed three years ago with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrigs disease. This disease involves the death of the motor neurons of the nervous system, leading to gradual paralysis. It is 100-per-cent fatal. We did not know how many years Chris would have when the diagnosis came in. Turns out, it was almost three.

Chris decided early on that he wanted some good to come from his illness, so he signed up for every medical study he was eligible for. He also decided that while he might die from ALS, it was not going to define his life. Even as his legs began to give out, he made a trip to Germany to see our family there. As his fingers and voice gave out, he communicated with us via his tablet and a tracking device that let him type via his eyes. Even as his breath started to give out, he could still nod and smile, and speak volumes just with his eyebrows.

I remember speaking with my sister Miriam just a few months ago and telling her how amazed I was of our brother who just kept on going, courageously. She summed it up in one sentence: Chris has a lot to live for. Keep in mind that, at this point, our brother was stuck in a wheelchair, being fed through a tube. And yet, he had a lot to live for. His greatest joy was being with people, especially his family and friends. They were what he lived for.

Still, Chris knew death was a certainty. We all know it, of course, but it is quite another thing to be able to name the cause of our death and to have a time frame for the outcome. Early on, Chris made sure everyone knew that he had no intention of asking for euthanasia, an option which is allowed in society but which our Catholic faith rejects.

Im proud of my brothers courage in sticking to his guns, but I can also now see what that courage costs. There is no room for triumphalism here, just great compassion for those who make a choice consistent with Catholic ethics and for those who, in the face of suffering they may find meaningless, choose otherwise.

The progression of the illness was slowly affecting Chris breathing. The weakness of his diaphragm meant that he eventually needed aBiPAP machineto help him sleep, and later pretty much all the time. His inability to cough properly also meant that crap would eventually start to accumulate in his lungs. Poor Chris would have coughing fits that would last for hours and hours. These could be calmed with morphine, but the underlying problem would not go away.

Eventually Chris had to go on a morphine pump, which administered a fairly regular dose. The morphine allowed him to rest, but of course also made him drowsy. I also knew from my time as a palliative care chaplain years ago that morphine also has side effects that can shorten life.

Some might wonder if that was in itself a kind of euthanasia, but it isnt. In Catholic ethics we call this theprinciple of double effect, which basically means that you can do an action that is in itself morally good (or at least morally neutral) that might have a negative side effect as long as your intention is the good part of the action, not the negative part, and that the good outweighs the negative.

Chris decline over the next few days was marked. His breathing was shallower and his heart rate began to increase. On the day he died, July 8, his heart was beating so fast he was in danger of cardiac arrest. It was time to say goodbye.

Chris had always wanted to remain at home, and so he had. The family now gathered there: his wife and three daughters along with our mother, our sister and myself. A couple of boyfriends of the girls were also present for moral support. We began by giving everyone a chance to have some one-on-one time with Chris.

There was no set formula: we each had permission to say that we wanted to say, or to say nothing at all. We could go individually or accompanied. There was also no special order we went when we felt ready.

This very human process took about an hour. In that time the doctors arrived and the nurse prepared extra sedatives so that Chris would be comfortable. We then gathered for a time of prayer, medical personnel included.

I gave Chris theanointing of the sick and prayed theApostolic Pardon:

Through the holy mysteries of our redemption, may almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come. May He open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy. By the authority which the Apostolic See has given me, I grant you a full pardon and the remission of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

With these prayers concluded after about 10 minutes, the doctors removed the mask Chris used to breathe. Death was now inevitable. Again, some people might wonder if this new step was, in fact, an act of euthanasia. In our Catholic understanding, however, it is not. The body is designed to keep itself alive via our own human powers. Technology can extend those powers, but if they are removed then it is simply nature taking its course. Chris, who had been so opposed to euthanasia, had also said that he was OK with us going this route when it was time. He knew the difference.

I had explained to my family that the first set of prayers we had just prayed were for him as a living man, to strengthen him and prepare him for his final journey. We were now in a shared sacred space.

I then switched to the prayers known as thecommendation of the dying, which, as I explained to my family, were our way of accompanying Chris on this final stage of his journey. The prayers consist of a number of Bible passages in a kind of poetic arrangement, along with a few other prayers. I did most of the talking, reading the words aloud, although I will admit I stumbled when I came to this prayer:

I commend you, my dear brother, to almighty God, and entrust you to your Creator. May you return to Himwho formed you from the dust of the Earth. May holy Mary, the angels and all the saints come to meet you as you go forth from this life. May Christ who was crucified for you bring you freedom and peace. May Christ who died for you admit you into His garden of paradise. May Christ, the true Shepherd,acknowledge you as one of His flock. May you see the Redeemer face to face, and enjoy the vision of God forever. Amen.

It was the opening words, I commend you, my dear brother, that threw me. In our Catholic prayers we call each other brother and sister all this time but in this case, I was saying it for my actual brother. It caught me by surprise and I needed a bit of a break. My niece Maya took over, reciting one of the psalms. And why not? These prayers are open to anyone to pray.

The commendation of the dying continued for about 15-20 minutes, like a lullaby for him as he fell asleep into eternity. The Bible, in fact, describes Christian death as a falling asleep, and we could see it with our eyes.

Chris continued to breathe for some minutes after the machine was removed, gently and without struggle. Eventually it slowed down to something imperceptible and not long after the doctor listened for his heartbeat. Death took place around 5:15 p.m. Or should I say, the entrance into eternal life took place at that time.

We started the process of calling people to let them know and we kept vigil with Chris body until the funeral home arrived. I made the sign of the cross on his forehead at one point. It was my way of honouring his body, which had been a temple of the Holy Spirit for 48 years.

I share this story because I know that not everyone is so blessed as to live and die in this way. We had a chance to say goodbye and to accompany Chris on his final journey. Yes, we are blessed. Thank you, Lord, for this blessing, hard as it is. Look after Chris, please, and all of us. May we greet him again in Your kingdom.

-Bishop Thomas Dowd is the auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Montreal. This is an edited version of an article that was originally published at thomasdowd.ca

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Bishop Dowd: The story of my brother's death - Grandin Media

What you need to know as election season kicks off – 1News

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It's election time, so what do you need to know and what's different this time around?

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Politicians are spending their last week at Parliament before hitting the campaign trail full time, 1 NEWS political reporter Maiki Sherman reports. Source: 1 NEWS

Stand by for the glad-handing and the selfies, as politicians are spending their last week at Parliament before hitting the campaign trail.

Expect a lot more billboards and election hoardings to go up - but while the election's in your face, the date doesn't seem to be as well advertised.

Advance voting begins on September 5 and goes through until Election Day on September 19; all voting ends at 7pm that night.

It gives voters a two-week window to have their say, with 750 advance voting booths open in the first week and ramping up to 1500 in the second week.

"What we wanted to do was to pull voting forward because there were quite a few queues on voting day, and so on the weekend before on the 12th and the 13th we'll be in those communities across New Zealand," chief electoral officer Alicia Wright told 1 NEWS.

For the first time, that'll include voting booths at three mosques, including in Christchurch.

"Any location you can have that is part of their lives, part of their everyday routine, if someone can just go and vote at that convenient location it just means that they're more likely to vote," politics lecturer Lara Greaves says.

At the last election, the number of people enrolled to vote was around 3.3 million. More than 2.5 million cast their vote, for a turnout rate of 80 per cent.

More than a million voters, around 47 per cent, voted early.

Politicians are raring to go.

"We are putting New Zealanders first and we are putting our country first and that's what people are going to see," National leader Judith Collins says.

"You are going to see a very strong game and I'll be everywhere."

Meanwhile,Labour leader and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is also getting ready.

"The public will continue to hear our plan for the Covid recovery and rebuild and we're asking to keep going. We already have momentum with our five-point plan," she says.

Prisoners serving a sentence of less than three years will now be able to vote, and arrangements are underway for Kiwis in managed isolation.

"We'll be working with the NZDF and MBIE on how we do that in a way that's safe," Ms Wright says.

Around half a million New Zealanders eligible to vote still haven't enrolled; half of them are under the age of 30.

And while Covid-19 means bringing your own pen to the voting booth, it also means voting at the supermarket is no longer possible.

"We're really disappointed about that but what we needed to do was ensure that we had places that were large enough so that people could do that physical distancing," Ms Wright says.

There are also two referendums on the ballot this year -legalising cannabis and euthanasia - giving voters plenty to think about.

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What you need to know as election season kicks off - 1News

Explore The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand with ARI Instructors – New Ideal

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The Fountainhead is a classic American novel. It challenges conventional assumptions about selfishness, success, love, and integrity. Published in 1943, Ayn Rands best-selling novel has never been out of print, and every year teachers across the country continue to include it in their courses.

Recently, we hosted an online discussion series which explored the characters, plot, and themes of the novel and its relevance in todays world. Over the course of eight episodes, ARI instructors and staff addressed stumbling blocks for readers, highlighted significant passages and developments, and contrasted Rands unique perspective on life, work, and morality with conventional perspectives.

These live sessions drew a sizeable audience including numerous high school students and teachers. They were eager to learn more about the novel and how best to understand its themes. Participants regularly peppered staff with questions about the novel during each session; the final session included an extra hour dedicated entirely to general audience questions.

Designed as a resource for students entering ARIs The Fountainhead essay contest, the discussion series serves as a valuable tool for anyone interested in exploring the novel more deeply. Ben Bayer, the series lead instructor, described the experience as follows:

We started the discussion series when many were just beginning to shelter at home because of the coronavirus pandemic. We knew people would be looking to read new books or reread old favorites. I welcomed the opportunity to lead this discussion because it gave me the chance to explore The Fountainhead in great detail. Because of this, I discovered some new connections and patterns in the work that I had never seen before. If you watch the series, I hope youll enjoy making some of these same connections with us.

If you missed the live discussions, you can watch them all, on-demand, on YouTube or listen to the audio on the Ayn Rand Institute Live! podcast. If you find them valuable, please share them with others, and if you want more analysis of The Fountainhead, we recommend Essays on Ayn Rands The Fountainhead. We also recommend The Fountainhead course, taught by Keith Lockitch, available on Ayn Rand Campus along with courses dedicated to Rands other novels: We The Living, Anthem, and Atlas Shrugged.

If you enjoy this series, there is a similar one on another of Ayn Rands popular novels, Anthem. You can listen to that five-episode series on YouTube or via podcast.

SUPPORT ARI: If you value the ideas presented here, please become an ARI Member today.

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Explore The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand with ARI Instructors - New Ideal

Help Us Safeguard the Second Amendment – Yahoo News

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There are many great reasons to contribute to the National Reviewwebathon, but I believe that none is more important than the publications steadfast defense of the Second Amendment.

After the outbreak of the coronavirus, millions of Americans, feeling helpless and besieged by forces outside their control, began purchasing firearms to protect their families, property, and community. Once the lawlessness and fanaticism of the Antifa protests began spreading across the country, the number of gun owners continued to climb. When Democrats began embracing the notion of defunding the police, even more citizens saw gun ownership as a necessity of contemporary life.

All of this has added up to the largest surge in gun ownership in American history. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, gun sales have nearly doubled in the first six months of 2020 compared with sales a year ago. If gun manufacturers could keep up with demand, there would probably be an even bigger buying spree.

The spike in gun ownership has occurred within diverse populations, creating millions of first-time gun owners, many of them women and minorities. All of which means that making the philosophical, legal, and historical case for the Second Amendment a right that undergirds all our other liberties has never been more important.

No one does it as well as National Review. And were busy. Attacks on the Second Amendment have been coming from all sides. As Mairead McArdle recently reported, it is likely that conservative justices declined to take up an important Second Amendment case after John Roberts signaled he would side with the left-wing faction of the court. Even before the pandemic broke out, David B. Kopel, one of the nations leading intellectuals on gun issues, warned that District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court decision that reaffirmed the Second Amendment as an individual right, was in a precarious legal situation, as courts abdicate their responsibility to uphold the rights of gun owners around the country.

Story continues

As the pandemic spread, and states began using COVID-19 as a pretext to shutter gun shops, attorney Howard Slugh made the case that such intrusions were unconstitutional, especially given that Americans had an even greater need to protect themselves in the middle of a national emergency.

The gun historian and lawyer Stephen P. Halbrook warned that history has proven that tyrannical government diktats, like the ones being signed by governors and mayors in many municipalities, might long outlast the crisis that inspired them.

Second Amendment champion and editor of NRO, Charles C. W. Cooke, argued that only the cops need guns and cops are racist and will kill you are irreconcilable positions. The right to defend your life and property, whether you are abandoned by the authorities or not, should be nonnegotiable.

One of most vital ways that National Reviewfights against gun restrictionists is by exposing the torrent of misleading coverage from the corporate media. As I recently noted in a piece about Politicos coverage of background checks, there is no issue in political life that is covered as poorly and dishonestly as guns, with the possible exception of religion. Reporters might let the mayor of Chicago deflect from her incompetence by blaming law-abiding gun owners. We dont.

If we dont debunk the New York Times 1619 Project fabulists, who now claim that the Second Amendment was adopted only so that Southerners could use guns to subdue slaves, who will?

With an election coming, its also crucial to point out the increasingly radical position that Democrats have staked out on the guns issue. At National Review, we understand that Joe Bidens often hysterical and inaccurate rhetoric on firearms is merely a warning sign for the type of harmful policies he and his party would support if Biden were to become president.

Since National Reviewhas no sugar daddy, no giant corporate sponsors, we rely on your generosity to keep doing our work. Please support us here, knowing you have our deep appreciation.

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Help Us Safeguard the Second Amendment - Yahoo News

President Donald J. Trump’s Message on National Shooting Sports Month 2020 Says Since My First Day in Office, I Have Made Clear That My Administration…

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August 2, 2020 -President Donald J. Trumps message on National Shooting Sports Month 2020.

During National Shooting Sports Month, we commemorate our Constitutional right to bear arms by celebrating Americas cherished past time of recreational and competitive shooting sports.

Our great Nation has a rich history of fostering responsible gun ownership. In the early days of our Republic, turkey shoots encouraged community engagement and brought families closer together. As our country grew, these local events developed into large regional and national events and competitions that drew thousands of spectators. By the late 19th century, sharpshooters such as Pawnee Bill and Annie Oakley established popular shows with Wild West and other themes, touring the country with acts featuring their talent with firearms. These pioneering American folk heroes demonstrated the courage, skill, and persistence necessary to excel in shooting sports and that reflect our founding values. Today, we continue to promote interest in such social pastimes that celebrate our rich and unique history of shooting sports.

As we encourage our fellow Americans to take part in learning more about firearms this month, including safety and proper instruction, we also pledge to continue doing our part to ensure that our rights are never infringed upon. Enshrined in the Bill of Rights, our Second Amendment protects the individual liberties of Americans to keep and bear arms. Since my first day in office, I have made clear that my Administration will always protect and defend the Second Amendment. We will continue to oppose those individuals and policies that attempt to tread on this essential and cherished liberty.

This National Shooting Sports Month, I ask those Americans who currently participate in shooting sports to share this cherished tradition with others. Together, we can proudly ensure that the next generation knows how to safely and responsibly enjoy their Second Amendment freedoms.Source: Office of the White House

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President Donald J. Trump's Message on National Shooting Sports Month 2020 Says Since My First Day in Office, I Have Made Clear That My Administration...

7 races to watch on Election Day in Kalamazoo County – mlive.com

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KALAMAZOO, MI -- Voters filing absentee ballots and headline to the polls Tuesday, Aug. 4, will decide a number of primary contests and tax proposals in Kalamazoo County and across the state.

Absentee and in-person votes will be tallied Tuesday in several contested primary races in Kalamazoo County, including for the 60th District state House seat, the 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, sheriff, county clerk and for six of the 11 county Board of Commissioners districts.

Related: A guide to Kalamazoo-area candidates, tax proposals on Aug. 4 primary ballots

Many voters have chosen to vote absentee for this election, amid the coronavirus pandemic. County clerks have encouraged voting absentee rather than in-person to slow the spread of COVID-19, though voters still can go cast a ballot at designated polling locations on Tuesday. Residents can also still obtain ballots or register to vote, through Election Day, by visiting their city or township clerks office.

Ahead of Tuesdays primary election, here are seven key races to watch in Kalamazoo County:

60th District Representative in State Legislature

Kalamazoo County Commissioners Stephanie Moore, left, and Julie Rogers, right, are Democrats seeking their party's nomination for the District 60 state House seat in the upcoming Aug. 4 primary election. (Photos provided by candidates)

Two current members of the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners are running for the Democratic nomination for the District 60 seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. Commissioners Julie Rogers and Stephanie Moore will face off on Aug 4. The candidate who wins the primary will face off against the lone Republican candidate Gary Mitchell in Novembers general election.

Related: 2 Kalamazoo County commissioners compete for Democratic nomination in state House race

Rogers, 44, is a former board chairperson and is serving her fourth term on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. She serves as the vice president for the National Association of Counties (NACo) Health Steering Committee and sits on the Michigan Assoc. of Counties Board of Directors. She works as a physical therapist at Ascension Borgess.

Moore, 48, is a former chairperson of the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners, and has served on that board for seven years. Prior to the county board, Moore served on the Kalamazoo City Commission for eight years.

Rogers resigned as the boards chairperson on July 7. The newly elected board leadership said Rogers was asked to leave because of past behavior. Rogers denies the claim, calling the information released by fellow commissioners a politically motivated smear campaign.

The 60th District seat, which is currently held by state Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo, includes all of the city of Kalamazoo as well as portions of the city of Portage and Kalamazoo Township.

6th District U.S. Representative Republican primary

Republicans Elena Oelke and Fred Upton will be on the Aug. 4 ballot for the 6th congressional district.

In the Republican primary, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, will face challenger Elena Oelke in the race for Michigans 6th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Related: Businesswoman will challenge U.S. Rep. Fred Upton in Republican primary for Michigans 6th District

Oelke is a self-employed real estate agent. According to her website, Oelke, 49, of St. Joseph, grew up in the Soviet Union and became an American citizen in 1998.

As for the issues, Oelke cites several positions including being pro Second Amendment, opposed to red flag gun laws, pro education with more individual choices, against illegal immigration with incentives and supportive of border security.

Upton, 67, R-St. Joseph, is running for an 18th consecutive term. He was first elected in 1986. Prior to his election to Congress, Upton worked for President Ronald Reagan in the Office of Management and Budget.

According to his campaign website, Uptons focus remains on passing important legislation to encourage job creation, protect taxpayers, help our community and enhance the quality of life for everyone in Southwest Michigan and throughout our country.

Michigans 6th congressional district encompasses Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties, plus most of Allegan County.

6th District U.S. Representative Democratic primary

State Rep. Jon Hoadley and science teacher Jen Richardson will face off in the Democratic primary for the U.S. House District 6 seat on Aug. 4.

On the other side of the aisle, state Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo, and Jen Richardson, a research director and a science teacher at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center, will face off for the Democratic nomination in the 6th District race.

Related: Kalamazoo teacher and state lawmaker face off in U.S. District 6 Democratic primary

Hoadley, first elected to represent the 60th state House district in 2014, is currently serving his third and final term in the Michigan House of Representatives. He serves as minority vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and is also a member of the National LGBTQ Task Force, National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, the American State Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention.

Richardson is the research director and a science teacher at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center. She has a bachelors degree in biology from Western Illinois University and a masters in education from California Coast University.

The winner of the contest between the two Democrats on Tuesday will go on to face the winner of the Republican primary in the Nov. 3 general election. The congressional seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, who is running for reelection and faces a challenge from fellow Republican Elena Oelke.

Kalamazoo County 911 Proposal:

Voters in Kalamazoo County will consider a countywide tax for the purpose of funding a central public safety communication system and 9-1-1 service system.

Related: New 911 millage would fund Kalamazoo County consolidated dispatch through 2029

The tax, not to exceed 0.65 mills, or $0.65 on each $1,000 of taxable value, would be distributed to the Kalamazoo County Consolidated Dispatch Authority for countywide 911 facilities, functions and services as provided in the Kalamazoo County Emergency 911 Service System Plan. If approved, the millage would operate for 10 years and raise an estimated $6,111,513 in the first year.

After more than three decades of planning, the consolidated dispatch authority went live in 2018, bringing together the City of Kalamazoo, the City of Portage, the County of Kalamazoo, the Charter Township of Kalamazoo and Western Michigan University.

Representatives from each of the five entities signed an initial funding amendment in December 2017 to establish a five-year funding solution, totaling $21.5 million to be paid over a period from 2018 to 2023. There is no long-term funding solution currently in place, and if the millage proposal is approved by voters, Executive Director Jeff Troyer said it would replace the current short-term agreement effective immediately.

The authority also receives additional funding by way of a 42-cent surcharge on phone bills.

In addition to generally funding the operation, maintenance and expansion of the newly consolidated dispatch authority, Troyer said the tax would also provide funding to bring Portage Public Safetys police department onto the same centralized system. The department is the lone law enforcement agency in the county not currently on the consolidated system, the director told MLive.

Kalamazoo County Sheriff:

Kalamazoo County Sheriff's candidates Shannon Bagley, left, and Thomas Swafford, right, are set to square off in the Aug. 4 Republican primary election. (Courtesy photos)

Looking to lead the countys sheriffs office are two Republicans and incumbent Sheriff Richard Fuller, a Democrat running for reelection in November. Republicans Thomas Swafford and Shannon Bagley will go head-to-head in August, seeking the GOP nomination for the office of Kalamazoo County sheriff.

Related: Current deputy, former Kalamazoo police captain square off in GOP sheriff primary

Bagley is a retired Kalamazoo Public Safety captain, and Swafford is a Kalamazoo County Sheriffs deputy. Swafford ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat in 2016, losing to Fuller in the primary. The incumbent secured 76% of the vote in that election.

Bagley, 51, works as a police officer at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, according to biographical information submitted to the Vote411 voter guide. He has a bachelors degree in organization and resource management from Spring Arbor University, as well as an associates degree in criminal justice from KVCC.

Swafford, 57, is a 10-year veteran deputy sheriff in Kalamazoo County, is a graduate of the Kirtland Regional Police Academy and is certified as a corrections officer, according to his submitted bio. Swaffords bio also said he has served as a volunteer reserve officer for local police agency.

Fuller, who was first elected sheriff in Kalamazoo County in 2008, is running unopposed in Augusts Democratic primary.

County Clerk / Register of Deeds

Pictured (l-r) are Doreen Gardner, Sarah Joshi and Meredith Place.

Doreen Gardner, Sarah O. Joshi and Meredith Place are all seeking the Democratic nomination for Kalamazoo County Clerk and Register of Deeds. The winner of the partys nomination after Tuesdays primary will go on to face lone Republican candidate Mona Lisa Watson in the November general election.

Related: Three Democrats competing for Kalamazoo County Clerk and Register of Deeds nomination

Doreen Gardner is a communication coordinator. She attended Moody Bible Institute, Cornerstone University and International Theological Institute. She lists 25 years of management at AT&T among her qualifications and experience for the office.

Sarah O. Joshi is currently the deputy county clerk and elections specialist. For education, she lists a masters degree from Western Michigan University and a bachelors in public relations and journalism, also from Western Michigan University. She said she has proven skills in planning, management, and performance improvement, and a strong work ethic.

Meredith Place is currently serving as commissioner representing the countys District 11, and works as a contract administrator at the Clerical Technical Union at Michigan State University. Place said she has a bachelors degree from the University of Iowa and has experience in local government and being accountable to voters.

Current Kalamazoo County Clerk Tim Snow previously announced his retirement when his current term expires, explaining he would not seek reelection in 2020.

Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners:

The seventh race to watch in Kalamazoo County Tuesday will actually be six separate races. Six of the 11 seats on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners have contested primaries on August ballots. The winners of each primary will advance and face any remaining opposition in Novembers upcoming general election.

Tami Rey

Tami Rey and Andrew D. Sellin are vying for the Democratic nomination to represent District 1.

Related: Two Democrats running for District 1 seat on Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners

The seat is currently occupied by Commissioner Stephanie Moore, who is running for state House rather than seeking reelection. No Republican candidate filed to run for the seat.

Tami Rey serves as chairperson of the city of Kalamazoo Community Development Act Advisory Committee and recently worked as a property manager at Herman & Kittle, where she was a member of the public safety review and appeals board. Rey is a member of the ISAAC gun violence task force and has worked as a NAACP branch secretary.

Sellin has worked as a machine operator at ARVCO Container Corporation since 2014.

The countys 1st District includes a portion of the city of Kalamazoo as well as an eastern portion of Kalamazoo Township.

Democrats Monteze Morales and Zac Bauer are campaigning for the District 2 seat on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners.

Democrats Monteze Morales and Zac Bauer are running for the District 2 Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners seat.

Related: Kalamazoo Promise expert challenges newly appointed county commissioner for District 2 seat

In October 2019, both Bauer and Morales interviewed for the open seat after a commissioner stepped down due to a move out of the district. Morales received one vote from the board. Bauer was appointed with six votes.

No Republican candidate filed to run for the seat.

Morales, 43, has worked as an educator for 20 years including her current position as program manager of Kalamazoo Promise Services at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

Bauer, 39, is a Navy veteran. He currently works as program officer focusing on affordable housing and economic development through nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Previously, he worked as a law clerk for Zoetis Inc., a community investment manager of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation and was executive director of the Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center.

District 2 encompasses Milwood, Edison, Southside and some of the Vine neighborhoods of Kalamazoo.

Democrats Jen Strebs and Mike Seals are campaigning for the District 4 seat on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners.

Democrats Jen Strebs and Mike Seals are campaigning for the District 4 seat on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners.

Related: Kalamazoo Township trustee challenges longstanding county commissioner for District 4 board seat

Both Democrats will be on the Aug. 4 ballot, and primary voters will determine whether the incumbent or challenger is nominated to face Republican Andrew Smith in Novembers general election.

Strebs, 43, has served on the townships board for three years. She also serves on the, regional water and wastewater commission and on the board of directors for Public Media Network. Previously, she served on the election commission in Kalamazoo Township. Strebs has also served in Kalamazoo County roles, on the ID advisory board and health equity task force.

Seals, 59, has held the District 4 seat for 10 years, making him the longest serving commissioner currently on the board. He was recently appointed to a leadership role, as Vice Chairperson. He is the first Black man to hold that position. Seals is a retired lineman for Consumers Energy. For more about his experience and campaign, visit his Facebook page.

Pictured are Veronica McKissack (left) and Chris Pomeroy (right)

Democrats Veronica McKissack and Chris Pomeroy are facing off in the race for seat representing District 5 on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners.

Related: Social worker, union leader face off in Kalamazoo County Democratic primary for District 5

The winner of the upcoming Aug. 4 party primary will go on to face the lone Republican candidate for the seat, Valarie Cunningham, in Novembers general election.

The seat is currently held by Commissioner Julie Rogers, who is running for the Democratic nomination in the District 60 state House race against fellow Commissioner Stephanie Moore.

McKissack, 43, works as a clinical social worker at the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital. She holds a bachelors degree in psychology and a masters degree in social work from Western Michigan University.

Pomeroy, 48, is a labor organizer who currently serves as the director of organizing for Operating Engineers 324 union.

Republicans Vince Carahaly and Jeff Heppler are vying for the District 6 seat on the Kalamazoo County board of commissioners.

Vince Carahaly and Jeff Heppler are looking to secure the District 6 on the Kalamazoo County Commission for the Republican Party.

Related: Business owner, police chief battle in Republican primary for Kalamazoo County Commission

When Republican Ron Kendall resigned last August from the commission, Democrat Jen Aniano was appointed to serve out his term. Aniano is running unopposed for the Democratic Party nomination. The Republican nominee will face Aniano in November.

Vince Carahaly founded The Alcott Center for Cognitive Enhancement and Jeff Heppler is the Augusta police chief and village manager.

Heppler, 67, previously held the District 6 seat for 14 years until he left in 2016 to run for Kalamazoo County Sheriff. He has been the police chief for the Village of Augusta for 38 years and village manager for six years. He also cites being a fireman for 38 years and business owner for 32 years. He previously worked as the Galesburg Police Chief but was fired in 2017. It was a 4-3 vote and the reason cited was that he wasnt responsive to city needs. He sued, saying the firing was over alleged age and weight discrimination but the case was dismissed.

Carahaly, 52, provides services to children with various learning disabilities and disorders at The Alcott Center for Cognitive Enhancement that he founded. He is currently chair of the four-county regional planning council and the vice-chair of the county planning commission. He was a finalist for the District 6 appointment in 2019. He shared that he has extensive private, public, and non-profit experience in many capacities.

The countys 6th District commissioner is elected by and represents residents of Cooper, Richland and Ross townships.

Republicans Dale Shugars, left, and Brian Kovacik, right, are squaring off in the Aug. 4 primary. The two are running for the GOP nomination for the District 9 seat on the Kalamazoo County Commission. (Courtesy photos)

Brian Kovacik and Dale Shugars are set to square off for the GOP nomination in the race to represent District 9 on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners.

Related: Republicans square off for fourth time in Kalamazoo County board race

The winner of the Aug. 4 Republican primary will face Democrat Keshia Dickason as all three look to fill the seat being vacated by Democrat Christine Morse, who is instead running for state House. Dickason is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Shugars has defeated Kovacik in all three prior contests between the two. He went on to win the general election in 2014 and 2016, but lost to Morse in a closely contested race in 2018 after picking up 77% of the vote in the Republican primary.

In addition to serving the District 9 county commissioner from 2014-2018, Shugars, 67, was a state senator for eight years, served in the state house for four years and sat on the Portage City Council for seven years. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University, where he majored in accountancy and policy. A registered CPA, he is self-employed and, according to his bio, performs management and consulting services.

Kovacik, 55, is a sales consultant who works for a packaging supplies distributor. He studied secondary education at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Western Michigan University. He has no political experience.

The 9th District commissioner is elected by and represents residents of Texas Township as well as a southeast section of Oshtemo Township.

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7 races to watch on Election Day in Kalamazoo County - mlive.com

THE RACE FOR CD3 | This got a lot more interesting, observers say – coloradopolitics.com

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Strategists and politicians on the left and right agree: The race to represent Colorados Republican-leaning 3rd Congressional District got a lot more interesting at the end of June, when gun-rights activist and first-time candidate Lauren Boebert toppled five-term incumbent Scott Tipton in the GOP primary.

Boebert, owner of the attention-grabbing Shooters Grill in Rifle where the waitresses are armed will face former state Rep. Diane Mitsch Bush, the Steamboat Democrat who also served on the Routt County Commission and was seeking a rematch with the more traditionally conservative Tipton, who beat her by 8 percentage points in the last election.

In an observation echoing national election forecasters, a number of seasoned politicos with roots in the sprawling district told Colorado Politics that Mitsch Bushs chances of moving the seat into the Democratic column are better than they would have been had the less flamboyant Tipton had won the nomination, but itll still be a tough lift among the 3rd CDs largely rural and smaller-town voters.

The rest of the state might be trending blue, but the Eastern Plains and Western Slope arent as likely to follow the Front Range and more liberal mountain towns, former state GOP chairman and statewide campaign veteran Dick Wadhams said.

Political consultant Greg Brophy, a former Republican state senator from Wray, the other side of the state, echoed Wadhams, saying that no matter how blue the state trends overall, the Western Slope is still a broad swath of red.

But Alan Salazar, who hails from Grand Junction and is chief of staff to Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, said it would be a mistake to count electoral chickens in 2020.

Its a right-of-center district but not a crazy ideological one, he said. I feel like this is the year where Trump is so unpopular in Colorado, its a very good year to be a Democrat in the state, no matter where.

A note of optimism

State Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, who occupies the House District 26 seat Mitsch Bush held before she resigned to run against Tipton last time, sounded a note of optimism for his fellow Democrat.

Absolutely its a district a Democrat can win. A lot of things need to come together for that to happen, and we might be seeing those things happening this year. Youve got an open seat with no incumbent, a national trend going against the Republican Party, and a pretty inexperienced candidate running on the Republican side, he said.

Roberts, who organized most of the Western Slope for the President Barack Obamas 2012 re-election campaign, acknowledged its a hurdle.

The reality of the district is, its such a gigantic and diverse district, where the numbers have been trending more conservative going against the statewide move toward the Democrats. Its still hard for a Democrat but its possible.

It will be difficult for both candidates to put themselves in front of voters, particularly with the pandemic restricting the kind of face-to-face campaigning that works in a district with so many distinct communities, the experts said.

Both nominees run the risk of allowing their opponent to paint them as too extreme to represent a seat that has a habit of sending more middle-of-the-road politicians to Congress, including Tipton and John Salazar, the Democrat he unseated, rancher and former state lawmaker, and Republican Scott McInnis and then-Democrat Ben Campbell before him.

Tyler Sandberg, an executive at the education-reform group Ready Colorado and the campaign manager for former U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, who lost his suburban 6th Congressional District seat in an anti-Trump wave in the last election, said polling hes seen suggests Republicans could be in more peril than theyre acknowledging.

The Trump factor

The presidents support among his party, Sandberg said, has been dropping from the rock-solid 95% level Trump enjoyed until recently into the low 80s. Trump is bleeding out in swing-state polls around the country, he said, adding that if similarly largely rural states like Missouri are in play, he must be bleeding out pretty badly.

Wadhams said if the bottom drops out, Republicans from U.S. Sen Cory Gardner on down will face a blowout in November.

Colorado voters have been notorious about ticket splitting, but I dont think thats a dynamic thats going to be much in play in 2020, said Alan Salazar. Trump is such a polarizing figure. My gut sense is people are looking for a return to calm, order, a process we can trust to get away from some of this craziness.

Boeberts flirtations with the right-wing conspiracy movement QAnon could pose a risk for her, if dissatisfaction with Trump and the GOP brand runs as deep as some Republicans fear, Wadhams said.

Former state Sen. Josh Penry, a native son and a state political strategist, said the pox on both your houses frustration among voters could play both ways, though, noting that Mitsch Bush might be from the Western Slope but lives in a resort community.

If John Salazar is the nominee? This is an absolute dogfight, Penry said. But a liberal politician from a resort town talking about turning the district blue, I think theyve got an imperfect messenger for this district.

The pent-up frustration in rural America, which helped lift Trump to a 12-peercentage point win in the district four years ago, he added, hasnt gone away.

Alan Salazar said itll come down to which candidate voters believe represents Western Slope values and interests and which provides a level of comfort.

Scott Tipton wouldve been somebody a lot of people could have voted for, but Im not sure about Ms. Boebert, he said.

This district is very diverse, Roberts said. There are communities in the mountains where tourism and the environment and conservation are the top issues, then you head into Grand Junction, the San Luis Valley, where agriculture and energy are the biggest topics. You need somebody who can speak to all those different issues and have their finger on a variety of pulses.

Mitsch Bush, he said, has deep experience on all those issues and laid down a record as a county commissioner and in the legislature.

I have confidence that Diane, when she goes to different communities, can speak well and is very informed on the particular issues that matter to those communities, he said, adding, I havent seen Lauren Boebert speak about any issue but the Second Amendment and freedom, quote unquote.

However the race shapes up, Sandberg said, the Democrats get a win. TV time in the district which covers all four of Colorados markets, including the expensive Denver market will be pricey.

Republicans will have to spend a million or two to defend the seat that they wouldnt have spent if the nominee had been Tipton, Sandberg speculated.

If you wanted to have a knock-down-drag-out in CD3, it could get pretty expensive, pretty quick, he said. Will the Democrats spend money to put that one seat into play? Will the Republican super PACs spend money to keep it?

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THE RACE FOR CD3 | This got a lot more interesting, observers say - coloradopolitics.com

Recalled the famous word of Satoshi Nakamoto – Somag News

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Fidelitys digital asset arm, Fidelity Digital Assets, which has over $ 7 trillion of assets under its management, recalled a famous phrase by Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin.

Fidelity Digital Assets (FDA) mentioned Satoshi Nakamoto in a report evaluating the interest and investment in Bitcoin.

As is known, the FDA is linked to Fidelity through parent company Fidelity Management & Research (FMR). One of the worlds largest financial services companies, Fidelity manages an estimated $ 7 trillion of assets.

According to the findings of the research, the FDA stated that Bitcoin is a popular and desirable value-keeping tool, although it has not been researched much by its investors. In addition, it was reported that investors saw Bitcoin a value-saving tool that will be used by many more people in the future.

This perspective of people on BTC reminds the famous word of Satoshi Nakamoto, which he also added to the report of the FDA:

It might make sense to take a little, if he holds it. If a sufficient number of people think like this, then this would be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Although Bitcoin investors are concerned about volatility, they believe BTC will be a value-keeping tool in the long run.

As FDA has stated in its thesis, volatility is expected to continue to decrease as more people buy Bitcoin.

The investors, who were asked by the FDA about their thoughts, believe that the next wave of awareness and adaptation will be provided by external factors. These external factors mean that governments and central banks have unprecedented acceptance of Bitcoin.

The factors that will be effective in the long-term adaptation are the new generation people who take BTC with some of the legacies that will remain with them from their families, or that people switch to Bitcoin again in order to protect themselves from inflation occurring slowly and solidly all over the world.

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Recalled the famous word of Satoshi Nakamoto - Somag News

The Impact of Inflation on Crypto Adoption – Finance Magnates

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By simple definition, inflation is an increase in the price level of a selected basket of goods and services produced in an economy. The inflation rate is a concept that measures the percentage change in the prices over a certain period of time. Inflation impacts the purchasing power of a nations currency, higher inflation means a decrease in purchasing power. Rising prices affect the cost of living, the cost of financing, and the cost of doing business in a particular country. Some countries are battling with hyperinflation, Venezuela ranked number 1 with a skyrocketing inflation rate of 19,906% in 2019, according to the latest data released by Statista. Zimbabwe came at the second spot with an inflation rate of 255%. Argentina ranked third with a 53% inflation rate. A higher inflation rate had a negative impact on their respective currencies. The Venezuelan Bolivar depreciated more than 1000% in less than a year against the US dollar. Argentinian Peso depreciated around 50% in the last 1 year.

The Most Diverse Audience to Date at FMLS 2020 Where Finance Meets Innovation

Hyperinflation and a weak national currency opens the door for digital innovation, and whats better than the cryptocurrencies? For all those people who dont know what crypto is all about, it all started with a research paper in 2008 when Satoshi Nakamoto published a paper with the title Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. Nakamoto developed Bitcoin as a peer-to-peer version of electronic cash to allow payments to be sent from one party to another without the involvement of a third party. Bitcoin, also known as the Digital Gold gained popularity with the time and many cryptocurrencies emerged after Bitcoin with specific purpose and usability. Ethereum, Tether, XRP, and Bitcoin Cash to name a few. As of writing, the overall market cap of cryptocurrencies stands at around $310 billion. One Bitcoin is now worth more than $10,000 as the market cap of Bitcoin alone is around $200 billion.

So, the question here is that whats the relation between inflation and cryptocurrencies? Well, inflation is helping crypto adoption significantly. (John Boyd, Ross Levine & Bruce Smith 2001) published a research paper in 2001 with the title of The Impact of Inflation on the Financial Sector and discovered that the inflation rate of above 15% caused a significant drop in financial sector performance and pushed investors to find other investment alternatives. Back then, there were only two options for those investors, Gold and the US Dollar (also known as safe-haven assets), but now the popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto assets is causing a rapid adoption of cryptocurrencies in the countries suffering from high inflation rate.

Venezuelas national currency, the Venezuelan Bolivar depreciated by more than 1000% against the US Dollar in less than a year. The inflation rate in the country is skyrocketing and that helped non-traditional investment tools to take center stage. Crypto adoption in Venezuela is booming, according to the latest report, there are more than 20,000 businesses in Venezuela accepting crypto as a mode of payment including a Burger King branch in the capital city of Caracas. Hyperinflation makes it difficult for local shops and merchants to store Venezuelan Bolivar, thus making cryptocurrencies a much more stable medium of exchange. Data from LocalBitcoins, a peer-to-peer bitcoin marketplace shows that the trading volume of Bitcoin in Venezuela touched an all-time high in July 2020.

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Argentina suffered from a high inflation rate of 53%, weak economic policies, political turmoil, and debt default accelerated the currency depreciation. Argentinian Peso, the national currency of the South American nation lost more than 50% of its value in 1 year. Weak Peso helping crypto adoption in the country. Bueno Aires, the capital of Argentina and the most visited city in South America is not just another tourist hotspot, its gradually becoming the Bitcoin hotspot as more than 100 merchants in Bueno Aires now accept Bitcoin. There are 11 Bitcoin ATMs in the city. Bitcoin trading volume in Argentina reached a record high this month.

Inflation played a major role in crypto adoption, most of the countries suffering from rapid inflation reported higher trading volumes in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Depreciation of national currency encouraged investors and even small businesses to store value in crypto assets in order to hedge against the devaluation of local currency. The growing popularity of crypto assets during these difficult times shows a roadmap to even greater adoption in the future.

Bilal Jafar is Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief at Reefew

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The Impact of Inflation on Crypto Adoption - Finance Magnates

$39M of Bitcoin Stolen in 2016 Bitfinex Hack Is on the Move – Cointelegraph

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Some of the 119,756 Bitcoin that was stolen from crypto exchange Bitfinex in 2016 has started moving again.

According to a series of tweets posted by Whale Alert on July 27-28, wallet addresses known to be associated with one of the largest breaches ever of a crypto exchange moved 3503 Bitcoin (BTC) worth roughly $38.7 million over 12 transactions.

The largest individual movement was of 476.32 BTC, or approximately $5.2 million, while the smallest was 2.612703 BTC, or $28,849.

To date, the hackers responsible for the Bitfinex breach have moved only 1-2% of the funds they stole from the exchange in August 2016. The HODLing strategy appears to be paying off as the haul was only worth $72 million at the time. Its now worth $1.3 billion.

The potential impact of such a large number of coins dumped into the crypto market could be problematic. However, the price of Bitcoin was mostly unaffected when 50 BTC of the tokens in old addresses associated with Satoshi Nakamoto moved in May.

The lack of movement may suggest that criminals are facing difficulties laundering digital assets as tighter regulations are enforced. Cointelegraph reported in June that 736 BTC from previous transfers from wallets associated with the hack went to the Russian darknet marketplace Hydra and some actually ended up back at Bitfinex.

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$39M of Bitcoin Stolen in 2016 Bitfinex Hack Is on the Move - Cointelegraph

Elon Musk on Tesla Cybertruck: The goal is to kick most amount of ass possible with this truck – Electrek

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Elon Musk made new comments on the Tesla Cybertruck, saying that the goal is to kick the most amount of ass possible with this truck.

When the Cybertruck rolled up on stage last year, many thought that Elon Musk had lost his mind, but the CEO was always really aware that the electric pickup trucks design would be polarizing.

When asked on the Automotive News podcast about whether or not Tesla did any customer research before design the Cybertruck, Musk burst out laughing:

Customer research? We just made a car we thought was awesome and looks super weird. I just wanted to make a futuristic battle tank something that looks like it could come out ofBlade RunnerorAliensor something like that but was also highly functional.

Before even unveiling the Cybertruck, Musk was already saying that Tesla could always design a more traditional pickup truck with the Cybertrucks powertrain if it wasnt well received.

Now, after Tesla has received over 500,000 reservations for the Cybertruck, the CEO is reiterating those comments:

It can be a better sports car than a Porsche 911, a better truck than an F-150, and its armored and looks sort of kick-ass from the future. That was the goal, recognizing this could be a complete failure. But I wasnt super worried about that because if it turns out nobody wants to buy a weird-looking truck, well build a normal truck, no problem. Theres lots of normal trucks out there that look pretty much the same; you can hardly tell the difference. And sure, we could just do some copycat truck; thats easy. So thats our fallback strategy.

Design aside, Tesla is looking to make the Cybertruck a leader in the pickup segment for functionality and performance.

Musk added:

Were really, fundamentally making this truck as a North American ass-kicker, basically. The goal is to kick the most amount of ass possible with this truck. We want it to be something you could use to tow a boat, a horse trailer, pull tree stumps out of the ground, go off-roading and you dont have to worry about scratching the paint because there is no paint. You could just be smashing boulders and be fine.

The CEO often joked about how Tesla makes the best vehicles for the apocalypse.

The Cybertruck might turn the joke into reality:

So its probably helpful in the apocalypse. Things are seeming more apocalyptic these days. Let me tell you, the truck you want in the apocalypse is the Cybertruck.

Tesla is planning to bring the Cybertruck electric pickup to production in late 2021.

The automaker will start by offering the two higher-end versions of the electric pickup truck starting at $50,000 and with up to 500 miles of range on a single charge.

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Elon Musk on Tesla Cybertruck: The goal is to kick most amount of ass possible with this truck - Electrek

A.I. helps businesses recover from the lockdown And can Nissan take on Tesla? – Euronews

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As the UAE opened its doors to tourists, Dubai carefully hosted its first major conference since lockdown.

Titled Artificial Intelligence Everything the conference was attended by some heavy hitters from across the region, keen to find out how AI can help companies bounce back post-lockdown.

Euronews asked delegates how their customer landscape had changed and how AI might be used to help it evolve.

CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Retail, Hani Weiss, said over 37,000 of his employees had received special training in AI to ensure they understand its importance.

Personalisation is helping to improve consumption, reduce time-wasting for our customers and makes sure we help them to choose whatever they want, Weiss explains.

The conference also addressed the issue of data analytics and inevitable concerns about privacy and security.

Mudassir Sheikha, Co-founder and CEO of vehicle for hire firm Careem said, as a digital-first business, data was among the most important things they have. He said: Data is sort of the fuel that drives our business.

Sheikha explained that having the best security team possible, storing data in the cloud and ensuring that effective processes are used to manage data are the key elements Careem focuses on.

Delegates also reflected on how applying AI to their businesses during the pandemic was a crucial decision.

Weiss said there had been a huge surge in orders. Many countries saw an increase of as much as 300 percent and suggested that, in Saudi Arabia, that figure was closer to 1,000 percent.

He said many customers were new to the idea of online ordering.

28 percent of the customers that tried online during the pandemic, never, ever access any online platform, he said.

Mudassir Sheikha explained the importance of being ambitious in how they approach the online environment.

Sheikhas hope is that they become an offline-online bridge and create a super app.

We can actually help people become more efficient. We can help societies become more productive and drive economic growth, Sheikha suggests.

As with AI, the pandemic is accelerating the uptake in automation across most sectors. The food and beverage industry is no exception, with demand for burger-flipping, salad-tossing robots on the rise. But there are concerns that this may simply be a fad and that the human touch can never be entirely eliminated from the industry.

The pandemic has fuelled demand for robots with culinary capabilities and although the trend predates Covid 19, some believe they have gone from a novelty to a necessity.

It's food automation, and it's definitely coming, argues Rick Wilmer, CEO of the California based firm Chowbotics.

COVID's going to accelerate it again because people are concerned with human beings being involved with their food and the spread of disease.

Wilmer believes that people feel safer with robots preparing their food than other humans.

Robotics companies insist they are not trying to replace humans altogether but there are still fears employment will take a hit. But Jamie Richardson, Vice President of the White Castle hamburger chain doesnt believe it will replace workers.

We look at it as an empowerment for the team, because it helps us free up our heart for hospitality, says Richardson.

Although robots have proved useful during the pandemic, some experts doubt whether they can compete with human beings in the food and beverage sector in the long term.

This is certainly a view taken by Max Elder, Research Director at the Institute for the Future. Elder believes there may be a need for fully robotic food outlets in time of emergency but that demand will quickly go away.

"How do they compete with restaurants who are basically becoming these kiosks themselves? Elder asks.

"When we automate away the act of cooking, preparing, presenting, sharing food, I deeply believe that we lose a lot that's inherent to that meal, to that experience and to what it really means to feed and be fed."

There is a balance to be struck between which parts of the cooking process are automated and those that retain a creative human touch.

July saw TESLA become the worlds most valuable automaker. Its competitors have struggled to keep up with the pace of innovation at the company despite its controversial CEO Elon Musk, volatile share price and its inability to mass-produce some of its most attractive prototypes.

Despite a seven-week shutdown in its US assembly plant, electric car manufacturer Tesla posted a surprising 90m net profit for the second quarter of 2020.

It was the companys fourth-straight positive quarter and came after it overtook Toyota as the worlds most valuable car maker. But competition for Tesla is looming.

Nissan, among others hope to be hot on Teslas heels with their latest electric offerings.

At the launch of its new model, Ariya, Nissan CEO, Makoto Uchida boldly told audiences: Today, we are introducing a car that's more than a car. Ariya represents a new chapter, a new face, a new language.

Nissan is certainly keen to turn the page on a year in which it made a loss of around 5.3bn and saw its former CEO Carlos Ghosn go on the run from authorities following allegations of corruption. But Jim Holder, Editorial Director of Autocar Magazine thinks their new electric SUV offers a glimmer of hope for the company.

"I think what we're seeing with the launch of the Nissan Ariya is the next generation of electric car technology coming to the market. Nissan, of course, got in there very early. They were among the pioneers with the Nissan LEAF, but that is now more than a decade ago.

Nissan does not consider the 10-year delay to be a problem. Development Chief Product Specialist, Makoto Fukuda, says: We have a huge customer base from LEAF and we could learn a lot of things from LEAF customers.

Holder acknowledges the huge technologica shift in the motor industry.

You have to get really excited that electric cars are finally reaching a point where they can match or eclipse in many ways the cars that we've become used to driving over the past hundred or more years.

Crossover vehicles have made up 40 percent of recent U.S. auto sales. With its similar price tag, Nissan hopes to take a chunk out of Teslas 'Model Y' market with the Ariya. Time will tell if their latest electric car spells a new era for the company.

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A.I. helps businesses recover from the lockdown And can Nissan take on Tesla? - Euronews

Teslas Newest Partnership With An HBCU Is A Great Thing – CleanTechnica

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Cars

Published on July 31st, 2020 | by Johnna Crider

July 31st, 2020 by Johnna Crider

Tesla is partnering with Huston-Tillotson University to provide internships and jobs for its students.

Huston-Tillotson University (HT), which is in Austin, TX, welcomed Tesla and announced that Tesla is collaborating with HT for student internships. In a welcome letter from HT, which is Austins oldest university and only Historical Black College and University (HBCU), the university announced that its team met with Tesla to discuss business, pre-engineering, and other programs. This led to plans for collaboration on internships and other partnerships.

Tesla will provide employment opportunities in the form of internships, apprenticeships, externships, and careers for HT students. The employment opportunities created by Tesla will provide a direct career path with access to a full array of benefits that align with HTs Career Pathways Initiative, which is focused on preparing students for mid-to-high-skilled careers in a dynamic and innovative global environment, HT said in the welcome letter. We anticipate our collaboration with Tesla to lead ultimately to internships, apprenticeships, externships, and fruitful careers for HT students. Tesla is an organization that aligns with and supports Huston-Tillotson Universitys core values and mission.

During Teslas 2nd quarter earnings call, Elon Musk announced that Tesla chose Austin as the site for its fifth gigafactory (fourth automotive gigafactory). Were also very excited to announce that were going to be building our next Gigafactory in Texas. Its going to be right near Austin. It will be about Ill just go into a bit of detail on this, and then Im sure therell be a lot of questions. But the location is five minutes from Austin National Airport and 15 minutes from Downtown Austin, he said.

Elon Musk also emphasized that Tesla was open to communications about engineering, production, and other things. Those other things, in the case of HT, will be employment training and opportunities for its students. This is a beautiful thing.

So if anyone is interested in looking at a Giga Texas with engineering, production, whatever the case may be, please let us know. This is were going to be doing a major factory there, and its also where well be doing Cybertruck there, the Tesla Semi. And well be doing Model 3 and Y for the eastern half of North America.

People love Tesla and love finally getting their vehicles delivered. This is why the company is here to stay. Tesla makes great products, and with that being said, it also stands up for things it believes in, such as equality.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities were established with the core goals of educating Black Americans and were developed when legal segregation was in place. The goal was to provide higher education to Black Americans who wouldnt have been able to attend other colleges due to the color of their skin. To me, the idea of someone being denied access to higher learning because of the color of their skin is not just disgusting, but insane. We live in post-segregation times when Black people are supposed to be viewed as equal and are viewed that way more than they were before, but still not by everyone. Despite that legal change, racism still prevails, and privilege for those of us who arent Black.

In America, we still have work to do when it comes to helping our fellow Black citizens, friends, and neighbors. Diversity is something that should be celebrated in America and Tesla is well-known for its role in creating more diversity in its workplaces. Diversity refers not just to skin color, but also includes more openness regarding hiring LGBTQ, women, age, nationality, and more.

When it comes to Black people, however, this particular group is often targeted by those with hatred in their hearts. Whether its through an unfair education system, police brutality, or cultural marketing (such as promoting violence and drugs as an answer in order to lure them into a lifestyle that will lead them into re-enslavement via the prison system you cant tell me that a life sentence for selling marijuana isnt slavery).

I think that Teslas partnership with an HBCU, which is just one way Tesla is helping Texas as a whole, could lead to similar partnerships with other HBCUs and it will also inspire other companies and corporations to also partner with HBCUs. Also, by partnering with an HBCU, Tesla is taking a stand to empower Black Americans and diversity in general. However, we need more companies and corporations standing up.

We need more people using their privilege to help whether its supporting HBCUs or even stopping someone from harassing a Black or other racially profiled person at the store. I think that we as Americans need to do our part and remember to love one another regardless of skin color and remember that everyone is human and should be afforded the same basic human rights as I am.

Top/featured image courtesy Huston-Tillotson University

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Tags: Austin, HBCU, Huston-Tillotson University, Tesla, Tesla Cybertruck, Tesla Giga Texas, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, Tesla Semi, Texas

Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem, and mineral collector, member of the International Gem Society, and a Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to Believe in Good.Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

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Teslas Newest Partnership With An HBCU Is A Great Thing - CleanTechnica

Tesla plans $780 million bond deal pegged to vehicle leasesits first such offering during the pandemic – MarketWatch

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Telsa Inc., after reporting a surprise second-quarter profit, plans to raise $779.53 million this week in the asset-backed bond market.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based electric-vehicle maker is offering eight classes of bonds to investors that mature in 2.7-years or less and carry mostly top AAA ratings from Moodys Investors Service.

It marks the companys first such debt deal of the year, after raising funds in a similar manner once last year and twice in 2018, according to Moodys data.

But it also will be Teslas TSLA, +4.00% first asset-backed bond sale during the global pandemic, which has Americans in the throes of a deep economic recession brought on by social-distancing restrictions and other orders designed to limit the spread of the contagion.

Leases on Teslas Model S sedans and Model X SUVs make up half of the collateral for the bond deal, with those on comparatively less expensive Model 3 sedans comprising roughly the remainder, according to Moodys.

During the last major crisis, U.S. consumers surprised lenders by prioritizing their auto payments above their home mortgages, which resulted in few credit issues on bonds backed by vehicle leases during that cycle, but instead a wave of home foreclosures. That fact may help to bolster demand for Teslas debt.

Meanwhile, Teslas assets have been coveted amid the pandemic that has rocked most other industries.

Last week, Tesla surprised investors by reporting earnings of $104 million, or 50 cents a share, in the second quarter, contrasting with a loss of $408 million, or $2.31 a share, in the year-ago quarter.

Teslas shares soared 8.7% on Monday, pushing the stock up 268% on the year, as highflying technology stocks led major U.S. equity benchmarks higher, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.98%, even as policy makers in Washington wrangled over the next round of pandemic aid, and as infections derived from the novel strain of coronavirus gather steam.

Related: Here are 5 reasons why the pandemic hasnt crashed the U.S. housing market

In terms of pricing, the biggest AAA-rated, 1.1-year portion of the Tesla bond deal is being pitched to investors at a spread of about 50 to 55 basis points over a risk-free benchmark, according to an investor tracking the offering.

Pricing can change, depending on demand for the bonds, but current levels would indicate a significant premium to the roughly 40-basis-point spread on generic 3-year prime auto lease bonds last week, according to BofA Global data.

Spreads are the level of compensation investors earn on bonds over a risk-free benchmark like U.S. Treasurys TMUBMUSD10Y, 0.560%, with wider spreads often pointing to a higher risk of default.

Tesla didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Moodys said the economic shock of the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic and related government shutdowns were considered in its analysts of Teslas new bond sale, which comes with bigger credit cushions to help protect the bonds from losses than prior ones.

However, Moodys also said that the gradual economic recovery it expects to see in the years second half depends on whether governments can reopen their economies while also safeguarding public health and avoiding a further surge in infections.

Dr. Deborah Birx, lead coordinator of the White House Task Force set up to oversee the pandemic response, on Monday urged Kentucky and other states battling surging infections to reimpose shutdowns of bars and limit indoor gatherings.

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Tesla plans $780 million bond deal pegged to vehicle leasesits first such offering during the pandemic - MarketWatch

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) | Founders …

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North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April 4, 1949, which sought to create a counterweight to Soviet armies stationed in central and eastern Europe after World War II. Its original members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Joining the original signatories were Greece and Turkey (1952); West Germany (1955; from 1990 as Germany); Spain (1982); the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland (1999); Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia (2004); Albania and Croatia (2009); and Montenegro (2017). France withdrew from the integrated military command of NATO in 1966 but remained a member of the organization; it resumed its position in NATOs military command in 2009.

Britannica Quiz

World Organizations: Fact or Fiction?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is limited to European countries.

The heart of NATO is expressed in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, in which the signatory members agree that

an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all; and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.

NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in 2001, after the September 11 attacks organized by exiled Saudi Arabian millionaire Osama bin Laden destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City and part of the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., killing some 3,000 people.

Article 6 defines the geographic scope of the treaty as covering an armed attack on the territory of any of the Parties in Europe or North America. Other articles commit the allies to strengthening their democratic institutions, to building their collective military capability, to consulting each other, and to remaining open to inviting other European states to join.

After World War II in 1945, western Europe was economically exhausted and militarily weak (the western Allies had rapidly and drastically reduced their armies at the end of the war), and newly powerful communist parties had arisen in France and Italy. By contrast, the Soviet Union had emerged from the war with its armies dominating all the states of central and eastern Europe, and by 1948 communists under Moscows sponsorship had consolidated their control of the governments of those countries and suppressed all noncommunist political activity. What became known as the Iron Curtain, a term popularized by Winston Churchill, had descended over central and eastern Europe. Further, wartime cooperation between the western Allies and the Soviets had completely broken down. Each side was organizing its own sector of occupied Germany, so that two German states would emerge, a democratic one in the west and a communist one in the east.

In 1948 the United States launched the Marshall Plan, which infused massive amounts of economic aid to the countries of western and southern Europe on the condition that they cooperate with each other and engage in joint planning to hasten their mutual recovery. As for military recovery, under the Brussels Treaty of 1948, the United Kingdom, France, and the Low CountriesBelgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourgconcluded a collective-defense agreement called the Western European Union. It was soon recognized, however, that a more formidable alliance would be required to provide an adequate military counterweight to the Soviets.

By this time Britain, Canada, and the United States had already engaged in secret exploratory talks on security arrangements that would serve as an alternative to the United Nations (UN), which was becoming paralyzed by the rapidly emerging Cold War. In March 1948, following a virtual communist coup dtat in Czechoslovakia in February, the three governments began discussions on a multilateral collective-defense scheme that would enhance Western security and promote democratic values. These discussions were eventually joined by France, the Low Countries, and Norway and in April 1949 resulted in the North Atlantic Treaty.

Spurred by the North Korean invasion of South Korea in June 1950 (see Korean War), the United States took steps to demonstrate that it would resist any Soviet military expansion or pressures in Europe. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the leader of the Allied forces in western Europe in World War II, was named Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) by the North Atlantic Council (NATOs governing body) in December 1950. He was followed as SACEUR by a succession of American generals.

The North Atlantic Council, which was established soon after the treaty came into effect, is composed of ministerial representatives of the member states, who meet at least twice a year. At other times the council, chaired by the NATO secretary-general, remains in permanent session at the ambassadorial level. Just as the position of SACEUR has always been held by an American, the secretary-generalship has always been held by a European.

NATOs military organization encompasses a complete system of commands for possible wartime use. The Military Committee, consisting of representatives of the military chiefs of staff of the member states, subsumes two strategic commands: Allied Command Operations (ACO) and Allied Command Transformation (ACT). ACO is headed by the SACEUR and located at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Casteau, Belgium. ACT is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. During the alliances first 20 years, more than $3 billion worth of infrastructure for NATO forcesbases, airfields, pipelines, communications networks, depotswas jointly planned, financed, and built, with about one-third of the funding from the United States. NATO funding generally is not used for the procurement of military equipment, which is provided by the member statesthough the NATO Airborne Early Warning Force, a fleet of radar-bearing aircraft designed to protect against a surprise low-flying attack, was funded jointly.

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North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) | Founders ...

Like NATO, but for Economic Warfare – The Atlantic

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Lindsay Gorman: 5G is where China and the West finally diverge

In the United States, suspicion of the Chinese government is a bipartisan matter, but no consensus exists about just what to do. The Trump administration has implemented a variety of hawkish policies, including restricting semiconductor sales in China and stopping a U.S. government retirement fund from investing in stocks there, and the president himself vowed Friday to ban TikTok, a popular app owned by a Chinese company. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called in a recent speech for a new alliance of democracies to counter the emerging superpower, although few details were offered. The draft of the 2020 Democratic Party platform broadly vows to rally friends and allies across the world to push back against China or any other countrys attempts to undermine international norms.

The problem is that the United States and its allies currently lack the ability to respond to the type of geo-economic threats that China is making. Specifically, they need a means of taking collective action when Beijing attempts to use economic power as a tool of political coercion. No country should face such threats alone.

Peter Beinart: Democrats are letting Trump frame the debate about China

Many of Americas most important Cold Warera institutions, especially NATO, were designed to deter a primarily military threat from the Soviet Union. But back then, Moscowunlike Beijing nowhad limited economic leverage against the West. Global economic institutions such as the World Trade Organization were narrowly focused on trade agreements and rule-making to ensure fair economic competition, but did not consider the possibility of economic warfare or the danger of economic threats to force political concessions. Indeed, none of these alliances or institutions has been any help in addressing the Chinese economic threats against Australia, Germany, Sweden, or other nations.

Those threats also harm the United States. If China forces U.S. allies to use Huaweis technology in their information networks, American communications that go through those networks could be exposed to the Chinese Communist Partys infiltration. And Chinas rulers have sought to enforce the party line on Americans. Last year, Beijing punished the NBAs Houston Rockets when the teams general manager offered support for Hong Kongs prodemocracy protesters on Twitter, a platform blocked in China. The regime will likely grow bolder as Chinas economic might grows.

Jemele Hill: Et tu, LeBron?

New threats demand new responses. During the Cold War, the U.S. created not just NATO but also the CIA and the Air Force to respond to Soviet threats. The period brought about a wholly new form of intelligence competition between the West and the Soviet Union. This led the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to enter into the alliance commonly known as Five Eyes, which allowed unprecedented intelligence sharing among nations in peacetime. This approach would have been unimaginable before the Soviet geopolitical threat.

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Like NATO, but for Economic Warfare - The Atlantic

NATO is the right forum for security dialogue in the High North – DefenseNews.com

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The rise of the Arctic as a zone of competition has prompted calls for a dedicated forum where Arctic nations can discuss security issues. Whether that forum is a new body or an existing institution remains unsettled, but the potential role for NATO should not be overlooked even if that role must be tempered by geography to accommodate divergent attitudes on the alliances scope and its relationship with Russia.

The argument for the alliance to fill the position as host for high-level security dialogue starts with the simple fact that a number of non-Russian littoral nations are already part of the alliance. The Arctics shores, divided in this way, clearly invite some NATO role in regional security dialogue. Moreover, as Arctic security and politics become ever more attached to global issues, developments outside of the Arctic are likely to have consequences for Arctic states, and the decisions of Arctic states will likewise have so for others.

It may, therefore, be prudent to manage security dialogue through an institution that has a global, not strictly Arctic, mandate something NATO already does.

Of course, managing security in the Arctic is not only a matter of providing venues for dialogue; it also relies on the legitimacy of the parties engaging in that dialogue. The 2018 Trident Juncture exercise demonstrated that NATO is operationally active in the Arctic, especially in the High North (the Norwegian and Barents seas).

During the exercise along Norways coast, the alliance communicated with Russia through observers, building transparency of intention. The alliances frameworks for operational-level information sharing are highly credible. And in light of NATOs geographic, strategic and operational relevance to security in the Arctic, it is notable that the organization also has a preexisting forum for coordination with Russia through the NATO-Russia Council.

Yet, arguments in favor of an expanded Arctic political role under NATO face several challenges. First, NATO fails to formally incorporate Sweden and Finland. Although both participate in the Partnership for Peace program and often exercise alongside NATO nations, their formal status outside of the alliance belies NATOs ability to fully represent even just the Western Arctic bloc.

NATO of course also stands in tension with Russia, and NATO is often a toxic issue for Russian leadership. Its promotion as the lead political forum for security engagement in the Arctic could reinforce Russian arguments of an expansionist NATO. Nor is it obvious that Russia would participate in a forum explicitly oriented around a NATO structure, which accounts for critiques that the NATO-Russia Council has itself failed to deliver.

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At the same time, as NATO precludes membership of some Arctic states, any NATO role coordinating Arctic security dialogue will result in participation from non-Arctic alliance members. This participation acknowledges the practical reality that any conflict spreading to the Arctic has stakes for non-Arctic NATO nations who may be pulled into the fray.

Yet, it also elevates extra-regional voices when Arctic nations aim to emphasize regional control over decision-making. Janne Kuusela, the defense policy director at the Finnish Ministry of Defence, clarifies this position succinctly: In our view, international affairs in the High North should primarily be the responsibility of the Arctic countries. Put bluntly, a larger political footprint for NATO is contrary to the strategic preferences of several Arctic states.

Given all that, it seems unlikely that NATO is the organization that will assume the dominant mantle in Arctic security diplomacy everywhere. But it can in the High North. This idea is contrary to a tendency to think of the Arctic as one contiguous space requiring one organization for security dialogue, but it reflects a reality that security may best be served when parceled out in more functional subregions.

NATO merits this leadership status in the High North because in that specific terrain it can balance much of the point/counterpoint above. The alliances prominence in a specific part of the Arctic long associated with NATO operations should not provoke serious escalation with Russia and is already a point of familiarity for Sweden and Finland. Moreover, the NATO structure enables non-Arctic voices to participate in an Arctic security context that has implications for their own safety, but in a geographically limited space that should not trigger concerns among Arctic nations that their primacy over local governance is under threat.

NATO operates in the High North, has strategic equities in the region and has a track record of maintaining operational-level communications with Moscow to increase transparency. This should be the model for NATO in the north.

Joshua Tallis is a research scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses and the author of The War for Muddy Waters: Pirates, Terrorists, Traffickers, and Maritime Insecurity. He is a 2020 fellow in the U.S. Naval War Colleges Newport Arctic Scholars Initiative and the host of CNAs Polar Politics podcast.

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NATO is the right forum for security dialogue in the High North - DefenseNews.com