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Black Lives Matter: A primer on what it is and what it …

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Speaking from Madrid, President Obama said the Black Lives Matter movement shouldn't be judged by the actions of a few non-peaceful protestors.

Black Lives Matter rally in Oklahoma City, Sunday, July 10, 2016.(Photo: Sue Ogrocki, AP)

After a week of conflict in the United States that included the police-involved shooting deaths ofAlton Sterling andPhilando Castile,and the subsequent sniper attack thatleftfive Dallas police officers dead,the Black Lives Matter movement once again hasbeen at the center of controversy.

But lost in the discussion is a sense of what Black Lives Matter isand what it stands for.

What is Black Lives Matter?

Black Lives Matter was founded by PatrisseCullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi as botha hashtagand a political projectaftertheacquittal of George Zimmerman in the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin. Distraught at the verdict, Oakland, Calif., community activist Garza wrote an impassioned Facebook plea ending with the words "black lives matter." Cullors, a community organizer from Los Angeles, shared the Facebook post and put a hashtag in front of those three words. The ideals expressed the economic, political and socialempowerment ofAfrican-Americans resonated nationwide.

Since 2013, Black Lives Matter has movedfromsocial media platforms to the streets, morphing into an organization andamovement that gainednationalrecognitionduring demonstrations after the 2014 police-involved killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

How does Black Lives Matter work?

What setsBlack Lives Matter apart from other social justice groups, however,is its decentralized approach and reliance almost solely on local, rather than national, leadership. Cullors said organizing is often spontaneous and not directed byone person or group of people.

We dont get (people) onto the streets, they get themselves onto the street, she said.

Black Lives Matteris made up of a network of local chapters who operate mostly independently. Chelsea Fuller of the Advancement Project, a nonprofit that works with grassroots justice and race movements, said that local organizing is a powerful way to address poverty, access to housing and jobs, community policingand other issues that intersect with systemic racism.

We cant affect national narrative, we cant affect national legislation that comes down and affects local people if local people dont push back and take a stand about what's happening in local communities, Fuller said.

Black Lives Matter founder Patrisse Cullors shares her thoughts about race in America.

What does Black Lives Matter stand for?

Themost important directive of Black Lives Matter,Cullors said,is to deal with anti-black racism,to push for black peoples right to live with dignity and respect and be included in theAmerican democracy that they helped create.

This is about the quality of life for black people, for poor people in this country, said Umi Selah, co-director of Dream Defenders in Miami. Though not officially affiliated, Dream Defenders and similar social justice groups often align themselves with Black Lives Matter.

The conception that all were mad about is police and policing is a strong misconception, Selah said.In fact, Black Lives Matter released a statement last weekcondemning the shooting in Dallas as counter to whatthe movement is trying to accomplish.

Ralikh Hayes of Baltimore BLOC echoed Selah, saying that Black Lives Matter is not inherently anti-police or anti-white, nor does the phrase Black Lives Matter means other lives aren't important.

We are against a system that views people as tools, Hayes said.

Cullors also hears claims that Black Lives Matterlacks direction or strategy. But Cullors said the strategyis clear -- working to ensure that black people live with the full dignity of theirhuman rights.

We are not leaderless, were leader-full, she said. "We're trying to change the world...developing a new vision for what this generation of black leaders can look like."

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/07/11/black-lives-matter-what-what-stands/86963292/

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Black Lives Matter: A primer on what it is and what it ...

Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S …

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Black Lives Matter protests on June 6

Sources: Crowd Counting Consortium, Edwin Chow and New York Times analysis | Note: The Times partnered with Edwin Chow, an associate professor at Texas State University, to count the protesters based on available aerial images from June 6 and added those estimates to data from the Crowd Counting Consortium. Counting efforts are still ongoing, so the map is not comprehensive and totals shown are an average of high and low estimates.

The recent Black Lives Matter protests peaked on June 6, when half a million people turned out in nearly 550 places across the United States. That was a single day in more than a month of protests that still continue to today.

Four recent polls including one released this week by Civis Analytics, a data science firm that works with businesses and Democratic campaigns suggest that about 15 million to 26 million people in the United States have participated in demonstrations over the death of George Floyd and others in recent weeks.

These figures would make the recent protests the largest movement in the countrys history, according to interviews with scholars and crowd-counting experts.

Note: Surveys are of the adult population in the United States

Ive never seen self-reports of protest participation that high for a specific issue over such a short period, said Neal Caren, associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who studies social movements in the United States.

While its possible that more people said they protested than actually did, even if only half told the truth, the surveys suggest more than seven million people participated in recent demonstrations.

The Womens March of 2017 had a turnout of about three million to five million people on a single day, but that was a highly organized event. Collectively, the recent Black Lives Matter protests more organic in nature appear to have far surpassed those numbers, according to polls.

Really, its hard to overstate the scale of this movement, said Deva Woodly, an associate professor of politics at the New School.

Professor Woodly said that the civil rights marches in the 1960s were considerably smaller in number. If we added up all those protests during that period, were talking about hundreds of thousands of people, but not millions, she said.

Even protests to unseat government leadership or for independence typically succeed when they involve 3.5 percent of the population at their peak, according to a review of international protests by Erica Chenoweth, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School who co-directs the Crowd Counting Consortium, which collects data on crowd sizes of political protests.

Precise turnout at protests is difficult to count and has led to some famous disputes. An amalgam of estimates from organizers, the police and local news reports often make up the official total.

But tallies by teams of crowd counters are revealing numbers of extraordinary scale. On June 6, for example, at least 50,000 people turned out in Philadelphia, 20,000 in Chicagos Union Park and up to 10,000 on the Golden Gate Bridge, according to estimates by Edwin Chow, an associate professor at Texas State University, and researchers at the Crowd Counting Consortium.

Source: EarthCam

Across the United States, there have been more than 4,700 demonstrations, or an average of 140 per day, since the first protests began in Minneapolis on May 26, according to a Times analysis. Turnout has ranged from dozens to tens of thousands in about 2,500 small towns and large cities.

Protests against racism and

police violence per day

Protests against racism and

police violence per day

Protests against racism and

police violence per day

Source: Crowd Counting Consortium

The geographic spread of protest is a really important characteristic and helps signal the depth and breadth of a movements support, said Kenneth Andrews, a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

One of the reasons there have been protests in so many places in the United States is the backing of organizations like Black Lives Matter. While the group isnt necessarily directing each protest, it provides materials, guidance and a framework for new activists, Professor Woodly said. Those activists are taking to social media to quickly share protest details to a wide audience.

Black Lives Matter has been around since 2013, but theres been a big shift in public opinion about the movement as well as broader support for recent protests. A deluge of public support from organizations like the N.F.L. and NASCAR for Black Lives Matter may have also encouraged supporters who typically would sit on the sidelines to get involved.

The protests may also be benefitting from a country that is more conditioned to protesting. The adversarial stance that the Trump administration has taken on issues like guns, climate change and immigration has led to more protests than under any other presidency since the Cold War.

According to a poll from The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation, one in five Americans said that they had participated in a protest since the start of the Trump administration, and 19 percent said they were new to protesting.

More than 40 percent of counties in the United States at least 1,360 have had a protest. Unlike with past Black Lives Matter protests, nearly 95 percent of counties that had a protest recently are majority white, and nearly three-quarters of the counties are more than 75 percent white.

Percentage of population that is white

in counties that had protests

Percentage of population that is white

in counties that had protests

Percentage of population that is white

in counties that had protests

Percentage of population that is white

in counties that had protests

The New York TimesSource: 2018 Census via Social Explorer; Crowd Counting Consortium protests database; New York Times protests database

Without gainsaying the reality and significance of generalized white support for the movement in the early 1960s, the number of whites who were active in a sustained way in the struggle were comparatively few, and certainly nothing like the percentages we have seen taking part in recent weeks, said Douglas McAdam, an emeritus professor at Stanford University who studies social movements.

According to the Civis Analytics poll, the movement appears to have attracted protesters who are younger and wealthier. The age group with the largest share of protesters was people under 35 and the income group with the largest share of protesters was those earning more than $150,000.

Half of those who said they protested said that this was their first time getting involved with a form of activism or demonstration. A majority said that they watched a video of police violence toward protesters or the Black community within the last year. And of those people, half said that it made them more supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The protests are colliding with another watershed moment: the countrys most devastating pandemic in modern history.

With being home and not being able to do as much, that might be amplifying something that is already sort of critical, something thats already a powerful catalyst, and that is the video, said Daniel Q. Gillion, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has written several books on protests and politics.

If you arent moved by the George Floyd video, you have nothing in you, he said. And that catalyst can now be amplified by the fact that individuals probably have more time to engage in protest activity.

Besides the spike in demonstrations on Juneteeth, the number of protests has fallen considerably over the last two weeks according to the Crowd Counting Consortium.

But the amount of change that the protests have been able to produce in such a short period of time is significant. In Minneapolis, the City Council pledged to dismantle its police department. In New York, lawmakers repealed a law that kept police disciplinary records secret. Cities and states across the country passed new laws banning chokeholds. Mississippi lawmakers voted to retire their state flag, which prominently includes a Confederate battle emblem.

It looks, for all the world, like these protests are achieving what very few do: setting in motion a period of significant, sustained, and widespread social, political change, Professor McAdam said. We appear to be experiencing a social change tipping point that is as rare in society as it is potentially consequential.

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Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S ...

Boulder’s Motus Theater to hear about immigration from Black Lives Matter founder – coloradopolitics.com

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

One of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, Patrisse Cullors, is joining the Boulder-based Motus Theater Thursday evening to read the story of an undocumented immigrant.

Cullors is the latest prominent American to participate in "Shoebox Stories: UndocuAmerica."

The Democratic freshmen are teaming up to tell the real stories of undocumented immigrants as part of a free online series for the Motus Theater, a Boulder-based nonprofit that creates dialogue around issues through creative expression.

She will read the personal story of Armando Peniche and his experience with racial profiling and the dangers that inflammatory rhetoric toward Mexican immigrants poses to him and his American-born son.

Cullors will be joined at 6 p.m. on Zoom by Afro-Latino musical theater star Carlos Heredia and slam poet Dominique Christina, whoholds five national poetry slam titles, including winning the National Poetry Championship and two Women of the World Slam Championships.

The series' programs are free.Registerby clicking here.

Joey Bunch: "Im not prone to say much about TV, but heres something worth talking about thats significant to Colorado and significant to the country: compassion in patriotism."

The series' first six episodes have featured, respectively, Colorado U.S. Reps. Joe Neguse and Jason Crow, actor John Lithgow, musicians Neil Young and Yo_Yo Ma, activist Gloria Steinem, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and celebrity chef Jos Andrs, who conservative commentator Ann Coulter called a "nut foreigner" in December over the New York chef's request that the Biden administration create a U.S. hunger relief czar.

On March 11, the series will hear from Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo.

After Thursday night's reading, Cullors and Peniche will talk about the stories of police brutality survivors, followed by a discussion with Nana Gyamfi, executive director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration, and Sydelle OBrien, an undocumented Black activist.

Miller Hudson: "Listening to their stories, which were filled with hope and aspiration far more than any anger or recrimination, the complexity and injustice of their undocumented status became apparent."

These BLM activists are fighting for the civil rights of the next generation – CNN

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

BLM activists: Meet 9 people behind the Black Lives Matter movement - CNN

Story by Chris JamesVideos by CNN Digital Productions

Updated 7:00 AM ET, Sat February 6, 2021

Summer 2020 saw a paradigm shift in America's ongoing struggle for racial justice. In the midst of a deadly pandemic and historic levels of unemployment, people from all walks of life took to the streets to protest the deaths of Black citizens by police.

From George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, to Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, and many others before them -- countless names in recent memory have been transformed into hashtags, human representations of a public safety system that time and time again has shown brutality and indifference toward Black lives.

But in the process of turning that devastating pain of untimely death into a purposeful rallying cry to "say their names," millions of peaceful and passionate voices have banded together in solidarity to demand a better society. These proud voices are inspiring hope, building community and breaking barriers.

The Tipping Point

The world watched in horror as then-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against the neck of George Floyd for more than seven minutes -- killing him while being filmed in front of horrified bystanders.

This single incident on May 25, 2020, would soon reverberate around the world. In a matter of days, Minneapolis became the epicenter of a reinvigorated Black Lives Matter movement.

City Council member Jeremiah Ellison, 31, an artist turned politician, said he saw the crisis as an opportunity to reimagine public safety while actively listening to the concerns of constituents who felt victimized by an increasingly militarized system of policing.

For many residents, anger toward the status quo boiled over into what Kandace Montgomery, 30, founder of the Black Visions collective in Minneapolis, calls "righteous rage." As calls for equitable change are being rooted in reinvestment toward housing, education and health care, Ellison said he hopes Minneapolis can serve as an example for cities around the country.

Life of Activism

Over generations in America, the movement for civil rights and racial progress has been carried and organized by legions of dedicated Black women.

After the killing of Breonna Taylor by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2020, it was largely the work of Black women that brought the case nationwide attention, as they took to the streets imploring as many people as possible to "say her name."

Nupol Kiazolu, 20, is one of these women, a self-described member of the "Trayvon Martin Generation."

As a sixth grader, she led a silent protest at her middle school. Armed with a bag of Skittles and a bottle of iced tea -- which Trayvon was carrying when he was killed nearly nine years ago -- and wearing a hoodie with the message "Do I Look Suspicious?" written on the back, Kiazolu said she understood at an early age the mere act of existing while Black could be deadly.

Nearly a decade later, she's become one of the most well-known activists in the Black Lives Matter movement and a member of the so-called Louisville 87.

After being arrested at a sit-in on the lawn of the Kentucky attorney general and fearing for her life in jail, she said she felt further emboldened to continue loudly and unapologetically spreading her message for justice.

A Social Movement

One fundamental difference between 2020's protest movement and others that have come before has been the increasingly sophisticated presence of social media.

With its growing influence over young people across the globe, the TikTok app became a particularly unlikely yet massive tool for activism and education.

Prior to the summer of 2020, TikTok influencer Jackie James, 17, said she had never felt the need to post about politics or social justice. But watching the video of George Floyd's death changed everything.

She began opening up about the racism she'd experienced as a Black teenager in Fargo, North Dakota -- urging her audience of 2.6 million to understand the devastating realities of inequality.

Across the country in Santa Clarita, California, Sofia Ongele, 20, was also employing TikTok to help her peers understand the Black Lives Matter movement. Using her expert coding skills as a so-called "hacktivist," she's created web apps and automatic email templates to help people more seamlessly lobby for change, helping mobilize thousands of her followers in calling for racial justice.

The Ally

One of the defining aspects of 2020's protest movement was its sheer diversity. At rallies around the country, people of all different races united in defense of Black lives.

Amid the pandemic, the very act of attending a demonstration in itself represented physical sacrifice. But for undocumented immigrants who joined the protest, they were taking on an entirely different level of risk by adding their voice for change.

Getting arrested at a protest could quickly jeopardize immigration status.

Mxima Guerrero, 30, is a DACA recipient who was taken into custody after attending a protest in Phoenix. If it weren't for the mobilization of her fellow activist community and quick-acting legal representatives, she could have been deported to Mexico.

While some might wonder why anyone would choose to risk so much just to attend a protest, Guerrero is adamant that she was doing the right thing. She said she sees the struggles of Black and brown people as interconnected, and is working with young organizers to inspire the next generation of leaders.

A Political Future

For some members of Generation Z, the death of George Floyd gave birth to an impassioned and unexpected sense of activism.

Chi Oss, 22, had never attended a protest until the summer of 2020.

Unable to forget the horrific video of Floyd's death, he said he found a therapeutic outlet for that pain and sadness on the streets of New York.

Protesting helped Oss process underlying trauma that he said had built up over his years living as a Black man in America. Within just a few weeks, he became one of the loudest voices calling for systemic change. And after months of organizing and engaging with community, he decided to take his activism a step further by announcing his candidacy for the New York City Council. If elected, Oss would be the youngest elected official in the city's history. In deciding to engage in democracy, he said he hopes to inspire others to realize the power of claiming a seat at the political table.

Going Viral

Within social movements of the digital age, there are often specific moments caught on camera that encapsulate much larger issues.

Whether they spark agreement or outrage, the raw emotion captured in these viral videos resonates with the millions of people who watch, share, debate and analyze.

In 2015, Kwame Rose, now 26, ascended to this viral fame after a confrontation with Fox News' Geraldo Rivera that was filmed by a bystander. Rivera had gone to Baltimore in the wake of Freddie Gray's death in police custody, in April 2015, which prompted massive protests and unrest.

Rose was livid that so many news outlets had come to his city to report on the burning buildings and not the millions of people living in poverty for generations.

This video would catapult Rose to the forefront of activism, changing his life in both positive and negative ways. Today he is dedicated to a guiding principle of helping people in his city, working with World Central Kitchen to provide meals for those in need during the Covid-19 crisis.

Creating Community

At a New York Pride Month protest called Brooklyn Liberation, thousands of people stood together wearing all white to call attention to the epidemic of violence against the Black trans community.

One of the attendees of that rally, Vanessa Warri, 29, said she sees her mere existence as a Black trans woman in America as a form of resistance in a society that has historically failed to ensure her safety. She's using her platform as a social welfare MSW/PhD candidate at UCLA to give a voice to a community that has long been silenced.

Warri said she is committed to this work not just for her own future, but to help improve the lives of an untold number of transgender people who continue to face immense challenges in a predominantly transphobic society.

The Survivor

Inner-city Black communities were hit particularly hard in 2020, and not just by the deadly coronavirus pandemic and an unprecedented economic crisis.

Aalayah Eastmond, 19, is a college student in DC who has experienced the terror of gun violence firsthand. As a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, she witnessed the murder of her classmates and managed to escape death herself.

In the aftermath of that mass shooting, she discovered her voice as a gun violence prevention activist. She's made it her mission to advocate for increased investment in inner-city communities, and says she sees it as the only way to effectively stop the disproportionate impact of gun violence on Black Americans.

Video producers: Chris James, Isabela Quintero, Alice Yu and Allison BrownEditors: Nick Blatt, Jesse Threatt and Amy Marino

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These BLM activists are fighting for the civil rights of the next generation - CNN

PolitiFact | Is Black Lives Matter a Marxist movement?

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Backlash against Black Lives Matter includes branding it as Marxist.

The attack has been made in recent weeks by Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trumps personal lawyer; Ben Carson, Trumps secretary of Housing and Urban Development; conservative talk show host Mark Levin; and PragerU, which has more than 4 million Facebook followers.

Arent sure what Marxism is, actually? It was developed by 19th century German philosopher Karl Marx and is the basis for the theory of communism and socialism. "Marxism envisioned the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism by the proletariat (working class people) and eventually a classless communist society," Encyclopedia Britannica and Oxford Reference say.

These days, Marxism usually means analyzing social change through an economic lens, with the assumption that the rich and the poor should become more equal.

In a recently surfaced 2015 interview, one of the three Black Lives Matter co-founders declared that she and another co-founder "are trained Marxists."

But the movement has grown and broadened dramatically. Many Americans, few of whom would identify as Marxists, support Black Lives Matter, drawn to its message of anti-racism.

"Regardless of whatever the professed politics of people may be who are prominent in the movement, they dont represent its breadth," said Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Princeton University African American Studies professor and author of "From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation."

"There are definitely socialists within the movement, as there have been in every single social movement in 20th century American history and today. But that does not make those socialist movements, it makes them mass movements," she said.

Trained Marxists

In a Facebook post labeling Black Lives Matter as a Marxist movement, PragerU included a video interview with Carol Swain, a Black conservative and former professor at Vanderbilt and Princeton universities. She said, "Now, the founders of Black Lives Matter, theyve come out as Marxists."

Swain alluded to Black Lives Matters three co-founders, who are still featured prominently on the groups website Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi. Their primary backgrounds are as community organizers, artists and writers. Swain, though, was referring to a newly surfaced interview Cullors did in 2015, where she said:

"We do have an ideological frame. Myself and Alicia, in particular, are trained organizers; we are trained Marxists. We are superversed on, sort of, ideological theories. And I think what we really try to do is build a movement that could be utilized by many, many Black folks."

We didnt find that Garza and Tometi have referred to themselves as Marxists. But the book publisher Penguin Random House has said Garza, an author, "describes herself as a queer social justice activist and Marxist."

What Black Lives Matter says

Black Lives Matter was formed in response to the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teenager, in Florida. The group calls its three co-founders "radical Black organizers."

The project started with a mission "to build local power and to intervene when violence was inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes," the groups website says. "In the years since, weve committed to struggling together and to imagining and creating a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic and political power to thrive."

Included on its list of beliefs is one that has drawn criticism as being consistent with Marxism:

"We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and villages that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable."

A spokesperson for Black Lives Matter; Kailee Scales, managing director at Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation;and the three co-founders did not reply to our requests for information.

"On one level, these are just put downs," University of Massachusetts Amherst economics professor Richard Wolff, author of "Understanding Marxism," told PolitiFact about the attacks on Black Lives Matter.

If people declare themselves Marxists, they are in effect Marxists, but "there really is no standard" of what Marxism is, "theres no way to verify anything."

Black Lives Matter today

Its important to recognize that movements evolve.

Noting Cullors declaration of being Marxist trained, "one has to take that seriously: if the leadership says it is Marxist, then there's a good chance they are," said Russell Berman, a professor at Stanford University and a senior fellow at its conservative Hoover Institution who has written critically about Marxism.

But "this does not mean every supporter is Marxist Marxists often have used useful idiots. And a Marxist movement can be more or less radical, at different points in time," he said.

Black Lives Matters "emphatic support for gender identity politics sets it apart from historical Marxism," and the goals listed on its website "do not appear to be expressly anti-capitalist, which would arguably be a Marxist identifier," Berman added.

The groups support is broad.

Even as some Americans express support for socialism, most view it negatively, and few of the supporters would identify themselves as Marxist.

Meanwhile, 50% of registered voters support Black Lives Matter as of mid-July, up from 37% in April 2017, according to Civiqs, an online survey research firm.

In July, the New York Times reported that Black Lives Matter may be the largest movement in U.S. history, as four polls suggest that about 15 million to 26 million people in the United States have participated in demonstrations over the death of Floyd and others in recent weeks. (That does not account for similar protests overseas.)

"I am fairly convinced these are mostly attempts to smear anti-racist activists. I think in some media, Marxist is dog-whistle for something horrible, like Nazi, and thus enables to delegitimize/dehumanize them," Miriyam Aouragh, a lecturer at the London-based Westminster School of Media and Communication, told PolitiFact.

Black Lives Matter "is not an organization, but a fluid movement; it doesnt actually matter if one of its founders was a liberal, Marxist, socialist or capitalist."

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PolitiFact | Is Black Lives Matter a Marxist movement?

Livingston Kicks Off Black History Month Events with Black Lives Matter Banner Dedication – TAPinto.net

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

LIVINGSTON, NJ In celebration of Black History Month, the Livingston Committee for Diversity and Inclusion (LCDI) recently announced a line-up of events that began on Saturday with the dedication of a Black Lives Matter banner that is now displayed on S. Livingston Avenue in the pergola in front of Roosevelt Plaza.

Although February has been recognized as Black History Month by U.S. presidents since 1976 to honor the achievements of African Americans and their central role in U.S. history, this is the first time the Township Livingston will be showcasing events. Following Saturdays kickoff event, the LDCI will continue to host programs throughout the month that include virtual presentations for residents of all ages, features about local black-owned businesses and more.

In attendance for the outdoor ceremony on Saturdaywhich was organized by LCDI Black History Month sub-committee co-chairs Amy Ipp and Keith Hineswere Livingston Mayor Shawn Klein; Deputy Mayor Ed Meinhardt; Councilman Michael Vieira, council liaison to the LCDI; council members Al Anthony and Rudy Fernandez; Livingston Board of Education members Vineeta Khanna and Seth Cohen; Darryl Jefferies, president of the Orange and Maplewood branch of NAACP; Essex County Commissioner Patricia Sebold; and a handful of Livingston residents.

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Black history is American history, said Klein, acknowledging that Black Americans should be credited with building much of this country. The Black experience has been under-described. We need to cast a spotlight on Black history and struggle [] as well as on the accomplishments of African Americans.

Although she recognized that Livingston has always been a welcoming town, Ipp state that this banner says it loud and clear while also raising awareness about the systemic racism that exists within the community and beyond.

One of our members, Simone Anthony-Brown, showed us a photo of the same banner, which they have in Maplewood, said Ipp. Our committee enthusiasticallyadopted this idea and proposed it to the town council, which approved it unanimously

There is unfinished work to be done, and the banner is one small contribution to the effort to fully include all people by recognizing basic human rights.

LCDI co-chairs Alyse Heilpern and Saba Khan thanked the Black History Month committee for their hard work, stating that the banner will demonstrate the townships commitment to ensuring that all community members are valued and accepted.

According to Ipp, the dedication of the banner was the first of several events for Black History Month that have been in the works since early January.

We are excited to bring these events to Livingston and look forward to honoring the rich history and culture African-Americans have contributed, she and Hines said in a joint statement.

Anthony-Brown, a local artist and owner of Express Yourself Studios in Maplewood, will present a virtual series showcasing the artwork of African-American Master Artists, including Faith Ringgold on Feb. 9, Jacob Lawrence on Feb. 16 and Howardena Pindell on Feb. 23. Each one-hour program will start at 5 p.m. and include a discussion and art project geared toward children ages 6 to 10. The links to register for these sessions will be posted on the LCDI Facebook page.

A cooking demonstration with Kai Campbell, local chef and owner of Newark restaurants Walla Burger, The Yard and Bragmans Deli will take place on Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. and will be moderated by Livingston High School graduate Shaylah Brown, a reporter at The Bergen Record.

The Healing Power of Hip Hop with Dr. Raphael Travis will be presented on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. The program is based on his book by the same title.

Professional storyteller Shirley Johnson of Sankofa Stories will share African folktales on Friday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m.

Additionally, a series of readings appropriate for various ages will be recorded and posted on the LCDI Facebook page throughout the month, beginning with Mayor Klein oratingThe Undefeatedby Kwame Alexander. The Black Student Union at Livingston High School will be reading additional selections.

Also throughout the month, LCDI will be featuring local black-owned businesses, and residents will be able to test their knowledge with the Black History Month Facts of The Day that will run on the two electronic bulletin boards located in front of the Livingston Public Library on S. Livingston Avenue and the Livingston Senior and Community Center on Hillside Avenue.

Ahead of Black History Month, members of LCDI recently served as moderators and guest speakers during a virtual presentation about systemic racism.During the event, panelists defined systemic racism, discussed the history of systemic racism and shared their personal experiences with systemic racism.CLICK HERE to view the presentation on the Livingston Education! Facebook page.

For additional details about upcoming LCDI Black History Month events, refer to the LCDI Facebook page BY CLICKING HERE or contact LCDI atlcdi.livingstonnj@gmail.com.

The full Black Lives Matter banner ceremony can be viewed BY CLICKING HERE.

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Livingston Kicks Off Black History Month Events with Black Lives Matter Banner Dedication - TAPinto.net

#BlackLivesMatter: A Silver Lining to the Movement’s Aesthetic – Harvard Political Review

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Black Lives Matter lives on digital oxygen. Since the movements broad inception in July 2013, the reliance on social media has been an important component of the movement. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter predates any particular organized group bearing that name, and the usage of Twitter, Instagram, and Change.org to spread information and garner support have always been central to the movements survival.

Yet in 2020, something shifted. In the months following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd, a younger generation of the American public became more involved than ever in fighting against the plights of Black, Indigenous, and people of color. And while in general this has resulted in new air for the movement, there have been those who have expressed concern over what broader implications this aestheticization has had.

Now, putting #BLM and #ACAB in ones Twitter bio is as commonplace as putting ones astrology signs there. The posting of black squares on Instagram on and after June 2nd, as well as the obligatory protest selfie, have become staples in our visual-heavy culture. TikTok perhaps the largest new platform to emerge between BLMs inception and today became the site of numerous sounds, skits, and other short visual media dedicated to the movement. Some have begun to voice concern that these actions have turned the movement and its aims into an aesthetic as opposed to a movement of pure ideology.

It absolutely has, but theres a silver lining to be seen here. In America, ideas and political movements have two fates: They either become aesthetics, or they die.

Americas Always Been A Circus

It is important to recognize that this phenomenon is nothing new. The aestheticization of political movements in America both in the sense of creating visual artwork in reference to political movements and in the sense of a group banding together under commonly held aesthetic signifiers in reference to that movement, such as mottos dates back to the movements that started this country. As the Stamp Act was enacted and then quickly repealed by the British parliament in the 1760s, teapots were made and sold to reference and show support for the anti-Parliament cause. Considering the broadly important social aspect of tea drinking in colonial America, the parallels to modern-day activist aesthetics are closer than one may initially think.

We see this pattern repeat throughout American history. The phrase Votes for Women and related pieces of wearable propaganda surrounding it, from sashes to pins to buttons, had become so synonymous with the idea of womens suffrage that the suffragette and her related clothing had become an actual character in the public zeitgeist. Abolitionism also shared in this usage of public images by private citizens, such as in the case of William Hackwoods kneeling slave cameo and related images being placed on everything from pinholders to sugar bowls; similar images and slogans appeared during the Black civil rights movements of the 20th century. This happens again and again, from 1960s Black civil rights movements to 1970s queer liberation to modern day leftist movements and queer movements.

There are, of course, reasons for this. It allows people to unite easier, under common signifiers of cause. In general, catchy images and slogans work better than long, wordy, purist arguments, and this political aestheticization became increasingly effective as our nation became more image-heavy and image-conscious, especially during times when it was fashionable to be in favor of these movements and their adherents, just like today.

Trumpism vs. Romneyism

For a modern-day example, we can look at the difference in aesthetic viability and longevity between President Donald Trump and Sen. Mitt Romneys followings. The circumstances surrounding eachs presidential bidsare relatively similar. Neither one of them was necessarily the most popular pick heading into the Republican primaries, and neither had held federal office before. Furthermore, both had previously run for president, and both had downplayed their party affiliation, putting themselves as candidates for a broader American populace Most importantly, however, both Trump and Romney ran for president in the age of Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and Instagram the same environment that ignited the Black Lives Matter movement..

Yet for some reason, President Trump was able to cultivate an aesthetic around his campaign. From #MakeAmericaGreatAgain to the red MAGA hat to catchy, repeatable slogans like Fake News, the president was able to create such a powerful aesthetic around his movement to the point that the Trump supporter, much like the suffragette in decades past, is an identifiable character in the American zeitgeist. This aesthetic, perhaps as much as the presidents ideas, has allowed vastly different kinds of people to unite under one flag, even when the presidents concrete legislative initiatives remain unclear. Even the Trump rally selfie has become a nationwide phenomenon, not to mention the increasingly frequent Instagram bio tagline of #MakeAmericaGreatAgain.

There is no analogue to this within the Romney campaign. Romneys campaign slogan, Believe in America, is technically more original than Trumps Make America Great Again (which was used in the past by Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, and even Bill Clinton), but it does not nearly have the longevity that MAGA boasts. The Romney supporter or the Romney campaign as aesthetic beings may exist within the broader aesthetic of moderate conservatism, but theyre not as ubiquitous or as well known as their Trumpist counterparts.

This difference shows in their longevity. When Romney lost, he had no steam to keep him in politics and didnt re-enter office until 2019. Trump, by contrast, has enough sustainable support now that he could simply run in the primaries again in 2024 and have a good chance at winning. One could say that Trump is a more interesting candidate than Romney, or that he had an easier opponent, but the Trump aesthetic has gone a long way towards keeping the movement alive, regardless or whether everyone who wears a red hat truly believes all that its inventor says.

A Silver Lining

Do not misunderstand: Turning Black Lives Matter into an aesthetic has had a lot of negative consequences. It has resulted in people being more preoccupied with how they are perceived by the digital public than their impact on the movement itself. It has resulted in some protestors not really knowing or caring about why they march and other protestors feeling like their voices are being stifled. The supreme aesthetic signifier of Black Lives Matter, the black square on your Instagram feed, actually ended up being detrimental to the activists trying to spread information. All of these effects need to be mitigated as soon as possible.

There is, however, a silver lining to all this. It means the movement survives. In our cancel-culture world, people, especially celebrities, posting black squares to seem woke retroactively reinforces in the public consciousness the idea that Black Lives Matter is correct and should be supported. It means that #BlackLivesMatter gets that much more widespread airplay. It means that more and more people will be forced to reckon with their biases and racist beliefs they hold because they have no choice but to see it. It means we are able to hold people accountable when they simply pretend to fight for equality and further engage in conversations about that equality.

We live in a nation where, for better or for worse, the image is mightier than the word. We live in a decade where, even more so than before, the country has begun to recognize the plight of the African-American in particular, and of American Black, Indigenous and people of colour in general. Black Lives Matter, as a movement, came into existence at the confluence of that nation and that decade. One could argue, as was the case with previous movements that attempted to solve the racism, sexism, bigotry, and aggression that has pervaded this nation, that Black Lives Matter was going to end up as an aestheticized ideal from the get go. The nature of the American activist, however, is that of unrelenting resilience. Hopefully, the aesthetic along with hard work of activists and protestors will allow the movements aims to eventually be more fully realized.

Image by Clay Banks is licensed under theUnsplashed License.

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#BlackLivesMatter: A Silver Lining to the Movement's Aesthetic - Harvard Political Review

Lompoc Black Lives Matter organizers awarded Valley of the Flowers Peace Prize – Lompoc Record

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

The five leaders named, Anthony Vickery, 21, Kongie Richardson, Keith Joseph, 24, Raelyn Person, 23, and Jason Bryson, were responsible for organizing one of Lompoc'slargestdemonstrations for social justice following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died after a Caucasian police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes on Memorial Day.

The death of Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died after a police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck for more than 8 minutes on Memorial Day, sparked a national response that also shook Lompoc.

The June 2 protest, which drew hundreds of participants from various racial, religious and political backgrounds, remained peaceful, according to officials, who reported that no vandalism occurred.

Both Joseph and Vickery, on behalf the their group, thanked prize sponsorsValley of the Flowers United Church of Christ, and Vickery acknowledged all the nominees for their own community outreach and acts of kindness.

"It goes beyond the award just knowing that the community can come together when it wants to," Vickery said. "Everybody is so scared to make that change, but once one person does it, it's like a ripple effect. Things can happen."

Joseph explained that although brutality is nothing new, for him the death of Floyd tookmore time to process.

"To watch someone dieslowly on camera," Joseph said, "that one was different."

In contrast to focusing on Black lives solely, Joseph said the group's efforts were meant to benefit the community as a wholeand serve as a powerful reminder that the nation's not-too-distant history was plagued by racial segregation.

While the aim to improve mental health resources for local schools remains central to his campaign, Murkison, who is Black, said he also hopes to cast a wider net on youth representation and diversity while serving on the school board.

"We just spoke from the heart," he said, recalling the intensity of the protest and the many challenges of organizing it. "It wasn't just Black lives; it's just wanting to help the community."

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Lompoc Black Lives Matter organizers awarded Valley of the Flowers Peace Prize - Lompoc Record

Scientists narrow down the ‘weight’ of dark matter trillions of trillions of times – Livescience.com

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Scientists are finally figuring out how much dark matter the almost imperceptible material said to tug on everything, yet emit no light really weighs.

The new estimate helps pin down how heavy its particles could be with implications for what the mysterious stuff actually is.

The research sharply narrows the potential mass of dark matter particles, from between an estimated 10^minus 24 electronvolts (eV) and 10^19 Gigaelectron volts (GeV) , to between 10^minus 3 eV and 10^7eV a possible range of masses many trillions of trillions of times smaller than before.

The findings could help dark matter hunters focus their efforts on the indicated range of particle masses or they might reveal a previously unknown force is at work in the universe, said Xavier Calmet, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.

Related: The 11 biggest unanswered questions about dark matter

Calmet, along with doctoral student Folkert Kuipers, also of the University of Sussex, described their efforts in a new study to be published in the March issue of Physical Letters B.

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By some estimates, dark matter makes up about 83% of all the matter in the universe. Its thought only to interact with light and ordinary matter through gravity, which means it can only be seen by the way it curves light rays.

Astronomers found the first hints of dark matter when gazing at a galactic cluster in the 1930s, and theories that galaxies are threaded with and fringed by vast halos of dark matter became mainstream after the 1970s, when astronomers realized galaxies were whirling faster than they otherwise should, given how much visible matter they contained.

Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe

Possible candidates for dark matter particles include ghostly, tiny particles known as neutrinos, theoretical dark, cold particles known as axions, and proposed weakly-interacting massive particles, or WIMPs. The new mass bounds could help eliminate some of these candidates, depending on the details of the specific dark matter model, Calmet said.

What scientists do know is that dark matter seems to interact with light and normal matter only through gravity, and not via any of the other fundamental forces; and so the researchers used gravitational theories to arrive at their estimated range for the masses of dark matter particles.

Importantly, they used concepts from theories of quantum gravity, which resulted in a much narrower range than the previous estimates, which used only Einstein's theory of general relativity.

"Our idea was a very simple one," Calmet told Live Science in an email. "It is amazing that people have not thought of this before."

Einstein's theory of general relativity is based on classical physics; it perfectly predicts how gravity works most of the time, but it breaks down in extreme circumstances where quantum mechanical effects become significant, such as at the center of a black hole.

Theories of quantum gravity, on the other hand, try to explain gravity through quantum mechanics, which can already describe the other three known fundamental forces electromagnetic force, the strong force that holds most matter together, and the weak force that causes radioactive decay. None of the quantum gravity theories, however, as yet have strong evidence to support them.

Calmet and Kuipers estimated the lower bound for the mass of a dark matter particle using values from general relativity, and estimated the upper bound from the lifetimes of dark matter particles predicted by quantum gravity theories. The nature of the values from general relativity also defined the nature of the upper bound, so they were able to derive a prediction that was independent of any particular model of quantum gravity, Calmet said.

The study found that while quantum gravitational effects were generally almost insignificant, they became important when a hypothetical dark matter particle took an extremely long time to decay and when the universe was about as old as it is now (roughly 13.8 billion years), he said.

Physicists previously estimated that dark matter particles had to be lighter than the "Planck mass" about 1.2 x 10^19 GeV, at least a 1,000 times heavier than the largest-known particles yet heavier than 10^minus 24 eV to fit with observations of the smallest galaxies known to contain dark matter, he said.

But until now, few studies had attempted to narrow the range, even though great progress had been made in understanding quantum gravity over the last 30 years, he said. "People simply did not look at the effects of quantum gravity on dark matter before."

Calmet said the new bounds for the masses of dark matter particles, could also be used to test whether gravity alone interacts with dark matter, which is widely assumed, or if dark matter is influenced by an unknown force of nature.

"If we found a dark matter particle with a mass outside the range discussed our paper, we would not only have discovered dark matter, but also very strong evidence that there is some new force beyond gravity acting on dark matter," he said.

Originally published on Live Science.

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Scientists narrow down the 'weight' of dark matter trillions of trillions of times - Livescience.com

This ‘Quantum Brain’ Would Mimic Our Own to Speed Up AI – Singularity Hub

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Unless youre in the lithium battery or paint business, youre probably not familiar with cobalt. Yet according to a new paper, it may be the secret sauce for an entirely new kind of computerone that combines quantum mechanics with the brains inner workings.

The result isnt just a computer with the ability to learn. The mechanisms that allow it to learn are directly embedded in its hardware structureno extra AI software required. The computer model also simulates how our brains process information, using the language of neuron activity and synapses, rather than the silicon-based churning CPUs in our current laptops.

The main trick relies on the quantum spin properties of cobalt atoms. When cleverly organized into networks, the result is a quantum brain that can process data and save it inside the same network structuresimilar to how our brains work. To sum up: its a path towards a true learning machine.

Thats great news for AI. Powerful as it is, machine learning algorithms are extremely energy-hungry. While the tech giants have massive data centers tailored to process computational needs, its inefficient and generates a huge carbon footprint. More troubling is when experts look ahead. Although computing prowess has doubled every year and half to two yearsknown colloquially as Moores lawrecent observations show that it may be on its last legs.

Translation? We desperately need alternate computing methods.

Our new idea of building a quantum brain based on the quantum properties of materials could be the basis for a future solution for applications in AI, said lead author Dr. Alexander Khajetoorians at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

How can neuroscience, quantum mechanics, and AI mesh?

It starts with similarities between the brain and machine learning methods like deep learning. No surprise here, since the latter was loosely based on our minds. The problem comes when these algorithms are run on current computers. You see, even state-of-the-art computers process information and store them in separate structures. The CPU or GPU, by itself, cant store data. This means that data needs to be constantly shuttled between the processing and memory units. Its not a big deal for small things, like recognizing images, but for larger problems it rapidly slows the whole process down, while increasing energy use.

In other words, because AI mimics the brain, which has a completely alien structure to modern computers, theres a fundamental incompatibility. While AI algorithms can be optimized for current computers, theyre likely to hit a dead end when it comes to efficiency.

Enter neuromorphic computing. It asks you to forget everything you know about computer designchips, CPUs, memory hard drives. Instead, this type of new-age computer taps into the brains method for logging, processing, and storing informationall in one place. No data shuttling means less time and energy consumption, a win for AI and for the planet.

In rough strokes, the brains neural networks use several types of computing. One relies on the neuron, which determines based on input whether it should firethat is, pass on the data to its neighbor. Another method uses synapses, which fine-tunes the degree a neuron can transmit the data and store them at the same time, using states. Say you have a network of neurons, connected by synapses, that collectively store a chili recipe. You learned that adding bacon and beer makes it better. The synapses, while processing this new datawhat we call learningalso update their state to encode and store the new information.

The takeaway: in the brain, data processing, learning, and memory all occur at the same spot.

Still with me? Now for the third member of our mnage troiscobalt.

To tackle the problem of learning hardware, back in 2018 the team found that single cobalt atoms could potentially take over the role of neurons. At this atomic level, the mechanics of quantum physics also come into play, with some seriously intriguing results. For example, an atom can have multiple statescalled spinsimultaneously. At any time, an atom will have a probability to be in one state, and another probability for a different statea bit similar to whether a neuron decides to fire or not, or a synapse will pass on data or not. In quantum mechanics, this weird is the cat alive or dead state is dubbed superposition.

Another feature, quantum coupling, allows two atoms to functionally bind together so that the quantum spin state of one atom changes anothersimilar to neurons talking and bonding with each other.

The teams insight is that they could leverage these quantum properties to build a system similar to neurons and synapses in the brain. To do so, they fabricated a system that overlays multiple cobalt atoms on top of a superconducting surface made of black phosphorus.

They then tested whether they could induce firing and networking between the cobalt neurons. For example, is it possible to embed information in the atoms spin states? Can we make these atoms simulate a neuron firing?

The answer is a clear yes. Using tiny currents, the team fed the system simple binary data of 0s and 1s. Rather than encoding practical informationsuch as an image or soundthe data here represented different probabilities of atoms in the system encoding 0 or 1.

Next, the team zapped the network of atoms with a small voltage change, similar to the input our neurons receive. The tiny electrical zap generated behavior eerily similar to the brains mechanics. For example, it double-tapped the system, so that the quantum brain exhibited both processes analogous to neurons firing and changes in their synapses.

This is especially neat: other neuromorphic computing systemsthose based on the braingenerally focus on either an artificial neuron or artificial synapses. Many are built from rare materials requiring strict temperatures to function. Combining both inside a single material, cobalt, isnt just novel. Its efficient, more affordable, and easier.

Similar to neurobiology, the systems synapses also changed with time, based on the electrical input they experienced.

When stimulating the material over a longer period of time with a certain voltage, we were very surprised to see that the synapses actually changed, said Khajetoorians. The material adapted its reaction based on the external stimuli that it received. It learned by itself.

Not quite yet.

For now, the team will have to scale up their system, and demonstrate that it can process real-world information. Theyll also need to build a machine based on the entire setup, showing that it works not just in bits and pieces, but practically as a whole. And theres always competition from customized AI-tailored chips, now being optimized by many tech giants.

But the quantum brain is nothing to roll your eyes at. With one major component, the team was able to mimic key brain processesneuron firing, synapse processing, and learningat an atomic scale. With the rise of quantum computing, algorithms tailored to the machines spooky action at a distance could further increase the systems efficiency. Parallel processing, something our brains do very well but that stumps modern computers, has been scientists stretch goal for quantum computers since the 1990s.

For their next pursuit, the team plans to uncover more quantum materials with different properties that may be more efficient than cobalt. And theyd like to dig into why the quantum brain works as well as it does.

We are at a state where we can start to relate fundamental physics to concepts in biology, like memory and learning, said Khajetoorians. Yet, only when we understand how it worksand that is still a mysterywill we be able to tune its behavior and start developing it into a technology.

Despite the unknowns, the study opens up an exciting field at the nexus between neuroscience, quantum computing, and AI. It is a very exciting time, said Khajetoorians.

Image Credit:Raman OzafromPixabay

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‘Friends’ Star Matthew Perry Dated Julia Roberts By Wooing Her With Quantum Physics and Funny Jokes – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Matthew Perry played one of the funniest characters on Friends. He excelled at deadpan, self-deprecating humor that truly made Chandler Bing a delight. And as it turns out, that sense of silliness extended to his life beyond the set.

Perry was relatively unknown in Hollywood before getting cast in the iconic NBC sitcom. Playing Chandler helped catapult the actor to fame, and the role even led to a few high profile romances with fellow Hollywood stars.

The Friends alum even hooked up with A-lister Julia Roberts, and it was all thanks to funny jokes and a bit of quantum physics.

Before his role of Chandler made Perry a superstar, the actor struggled with feelings of awkwardness in his dating life.

During the early stages of Friends he told show creators that while he was not an unattractive man, he did feel just awful with women, InTouch reported.

I also am not comfortable with any silence at all, Perry said during a 2004 Dateline interview. I have to break any awkward moment or silence with a joke.

Eventually, Perrys jovial nature attracted multiple romantic partners. Goofing around even led to a long term relationship with Roberts.

RELATED: Friends: This 1 Famous Co-Star Was Super Nervous to Appear on the Series I Remember Losing Sleep

By 1996, Friends was one of the hottest comedies on television. NBC execs decided to capitalize on that popularity by airing a special 2-part episode immediately following the Super Bowl game that year. And they knew they needed some special celebrity guest stars to make it even more enticing.

Getting Julia Roberts was incredibly exciting. We knew she would have the right touch for it. And when she said yes, it was pretty awesome, series co-creator Marta Kauffman told The Hollywood Reporter.

Producer Kevin S. Bright followed up with a funny story about how that happened. Do you know the story of how we got her? Matthew (Perry) asked her to be on the show, Bright recalled.

She wrote back to him, Write me a paper on quantum physics and Ill do it. My understanding is that Matthew went away and wrote a paper and faxed it to her the next day.

Roberts played Perrys love interest in the Friends episode titled The One After the Super Bowl. And their playful banter didnt end there. After filming wrapped, the two actors stayed in touch and eventually began a romantic relationship.

There was a lot of flirting over faxing, writer Alexa Junge told THR. She was giving him these questionnaires like, Why should I go out with you? And everyone in the writers room helped him explain to her why. He could do pretty well without us, but there was no question we were on Team Matthew and trying to make it happen for him.

Perry and Roberts dated for about one year, doing their best to keep the relationship hidden from nosy tabloid reporters. And it was all thanks to Perrys sense of humor channeled through Chandler.

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'Friends' Star Matthew Perry Dated Julia Roberts By Wooing Her With Quantum Physics and Funny Jokes - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Dr. William Audeh – The Gazette

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

DR. WILLIAM A. AUDEH Cedar Rapids

Dr. William A. Audeh, 92, of Cedar Rapids, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family, on Feb. 3, 2021, after a long illness. Dr. Audeh was a Board-Certified General Surgeon, providing care to the people of the Cedar Rapids community for over 25 years, from 1965 to 1990. Dr. Audeh was born of Palestinian Christian parents, on Jan. 7, (the Orthodox Christmas), 1929, in Khartoum, Sudan, where his father, also a physician, was in medical practice at the time. The family soon returned to their ancestral home of many generations in Nazareth, Palestine, where he grew up, surrounded by his siblings, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He later attended Bishop Gobat High School in Jerusalem. While still a teenager, Dr. Audeh and his family were forced to leave their home in Palestine, as were many Palestinian Arab families, in 1948, and fled to Beirut, Lebanon for safety, as Palestinian refugees. Despite these hardships, he graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB) with his Medical Degree in 1953, and began a lifetime of happiness when he married his wife Sameera (nee Azzam) in 1954, in Beirut. The couple emigrated to the United States in 1959, obtaining their U.S. Citizenship, and settling first in Omaha, Neb., where Dr. Audeh completed his Residency Training in Surgery at Creighton University in 1961. Dr. Audeh began his Surgical practice at the Kuker Clinic and St. Anthony's Hospital in Carrol, Iowa, from 1961 to 1964, before coming to Cedar Rapids in December 1964. During his many years of surgical practice in Cedar Rapids, Dr. Audeh was a member of the Medical Staff of both Mercy Medical Center and St. Luke's Hospital, serving as Chief of Surgery for a time. Dr. Audeh was an innovative and pioneering surgeon, bringing the latest technology and surgical techniques to his patients. He performed the first gastroscopy in Cedar Rapids in the 1970s, using a flexible scope (displayed in a glass case in Mercy Emergency Room) to detect upper intestinal bleeding. Most importantly, he performed the first "lumpectomy" for breast cancer ever performed in Cedar Rapids, in the 1980s, a procedure which allowed women with breast cancer to avoid mastectomy, and which is now the standard of care nationwide. Over his many years of practice, Dr. Audeh was a passionate and dedicated physician, providing surgical care to many hundreds of men, women and children in Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities. After his retirement, as an Emeritus member of the Mercy Medical Staff, he remained active in medical meetings, and regularly attended the Breast Cancer Tumor Board at Mercy Medical Center, providing his knowledge and years of experience to his colleagues. Dr. Audeh had many interests outside of Medicine. He was an avid reader of books on philosophy, quantum physics and science fiction, and was a fan of "Star Trek" through every series. He had a lifelong love of airplanes, having seen Hawker Hurricanes and Spitfires as a boy during World War II, and obtained a Pilot's license, logging many hours of flight in small single engine planes. In retirement, he applied his surgical skills to oil painting, and painted many beautiful scenes of the Iowa landscape, a number of which were displayed in an exhibition at Mercy Medical Center. Known as "Bill" to his friends, he enjoyed the company of his friends and colleagues, and for many years was a member of a weekly poker group, made up of retired physicians. Although Iowa was his adopted home, Dr. Audeh embraced everything Iowan, and particularly enjoyed " The Music Man" as his favorite film. Dr. Audeh's ultimate love and devotion was to his family, for whom he was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and role model. Dr. Audeh is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Sameera; his daughter, Prof. Aida Audeh of Hamline University in St. Paul and son-in-law Giovanni; his son, Dr. M(ouni) William Audeh and daughter-in-law Carolina of Los Angeles, and grandson, Brandon William Audeh of Santa Monica, Calif. Dr. Audeh is also survived by his brother, Dr. Costandi Audeh and his wife Margaret, of Phoenix, Ariz. Dr. Audeh was preceded in death by his beloved sisters, Alice, Aida and Hilda; and by his parents, Dr. Amin and Olga Audeh, with whom he will be laid to rest in the St. George Orthodox Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund (www.pcrf.net), a medical charity providing medical care to Palestinian children. Online condolences may be left at http://www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.

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Dr. William Audeh - The Gazette

Reviewed: The Life & Times Of Graham Greene – RTE.ie

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

This new 586-page biography from Professor Richard Greene - no relation - considers Graham Greene, the writer and the public man, the unflinching traveller into trouble and forensic investigator into the human condition.

"I put the muzzle of the revolver into my right ear and pulled the trigger, " the writer Graham Greene once wrote, revealing his dalliance in London in 1923 with the possible end of his earthly existence and ensuingannihilation at a spot calledAshridge Beeches on Berkhamstead Common.

"There was a minute click and looking down at the chamber I could see that the charge had moved into the firing position, " he related. "I was out by one."

"The discovery that it was possible to enjoy again the visual world by risking its total loss was one I was bound to make sooner or later, " Greenedeclared furthermore, in a startling admission of his experience with a loaded revolver and playing lottery with his young life.

Such a revelation makes you sit back and reflect on a few things - what kind of individual would want to dally with Russian Roulette anyway? This event was reputed to have taken place not long after his time at Oxford's Balliol College. He studied History but, aside from the studies, there werenights ofdangerous drinking.

Greene, unquestionably one of the greatest novelists of the twentieth century in any language, wasborn in 1904 in Berkhamstead inEngland. Despite his tempting fate with weapons, he lived until 1991. A moody, enigmatic individual, hewrote novelsthat were devoured by many of us in the 1970s. We read him even though his ouevrewas markedly absent from our English Lit course at UCD. Was he regarded as middlebrow?I believe he was.

Notwithstanding this, novels such as A Burnt-Out Case, The Heart of The Matter, The End of the Affair, The Comedians, The Power and the GloryandOur Man In Havana seemed to open up the world in ways that no one else did. Certainly not Saul Bellow, who great though he was, seemed confined to one milieu, gritty Chicago by way of a loftybut curiously shallow academe at times, though not always.

Well-received and hugely popular screenadaptations followed many of thenovels. The brooding, noir-shadowedBrighton Rock was made into a celebrated1948 film starring Richard Attenborough as the psychopathicPinky Brown(Greenealso wrote the screenplay.) One should not forget -although one is temptedto -the vaguely unreadable memoir, A Sort of Life. Happily, there were more accessibleplays and short stories and the novelThe Human Factor was a great,late flowering. This tale of deeply-occludedespionage was published in 1978 and adapted into a1979 film, directed byOtto Preminger with a screenplay byTom Stoppard.

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Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard starred in The Third Man, released in 1949.Alec Guinness, Burl Ives, Maureen O'Hara, Ralph Richardson, Nol Coward and Ernie Kovacs comprisedthe stellar castinOur Man in Havana.

The Comedians, which was set in Haiti during the infamous Papa Doc regime, featured in its1967 film adaptation a quartet of cinema royalty, namely Richard Burton,Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Ustinov, and Alec Guinness.

Much later, The End of the Affair was adapted for film by Neil Jordan, with Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore and Stephen Rea, all poise and affect. Released in 1999, it is one of Jordan's greatest films by a long shot and he also wrote the screenplay. On the other hand, the redoubtable Micheal Caine did his best in an underwhelming treatment ofThe Quiet American, directed by Philip Noyce, and released in 2002. The novelis much better.

What does that loaded revolver incident recounted above say about a man who would convert three years afterwardsto Catholicism -however ambivalently -and be therefpreduty-bound to believe in an afterlife? He was baptised into the Catholic faith in 1926 after meeting his future wifeVivien Dayrell-Browning, to whom he remained married untilhis death.The biographerconsiders the enduring marriage and the clandestine affair that reputedly inspiredThe End of the Affair.

Greene suffered from manic depression, and its searing mark upon the life and the work is explored with commendable authority andsensitivity by Richard Greene, who is professor of English at the University of Toronto.

The 586-page work considers the writer and the public man, the Communistparty flirtation and the abiding commitment to Communist ideals throughout his long life. Quite a deal of space is devoted to Fidel Castro, with whom Greene discussed Catholicism. There is fascinating materialon the novelist's friendshipwith Kim Philby (1912-1988), the notorious British intelligence officer who wasadouble agentfor the Soviet Union.

Also recalledin fascinating detailare the dogged,determined visits in pursuit of slippery, complicated truth in trouble spots of the world. Graham Greenefoundhimself in a particularly perilous situationduring the Six-Day War in Israel in 1967, but he lived to tell the tale. There were risky encountersduringthe VietnamWar too and a different kind of danger in Haiti, where he was out of favourbecause of his none too flatteringportrayalof Papa Doc Duvalier's Haitian dictatorship inThe Comedians.

The short chapter Banned in the Republic of Ireland ismisleading in its title as it actually deals with the reception, and not just in Ireland, to Greene's 1948novel,TheHeart of the Matter. His singular interpretation of Catholic dilemma and dogmaand his portrayal of the character of Scobielanded Greenein a welter of controversy. The Irish censor bannedTheHeart of the Matter.

In those hidebound 1940s, some troubled priests and lukewarm Catholics of a certain bookish dispositionbelieved that Greene's dramatic scenarios, with their ethical explorations,might help them withtheir scruples and doubts. According to his latest biographer, Greene intensely disliked this and would have preferred that such conflicted individuals would visit psychiatrists.

He travelled with serious intent to Malaya, Liberia and the Congo, where hefound the real timematerialfor his books of fiction and reportage. The writer was passionately involved in momentous events around the globe and his novels still have the feel of visceral, in-the-field journalism.

That is quite aside from their being utterly convincinginvestigations into thedarkestrecesses and the doomy fragilities of his protagonists, affording us profound insights which are still applicable. Greene could do with a revival.

The human roulette of vaccination drives – DTNEXT

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Chennai:

First came the good news. The European Union authorised a third vaccine. Then, the bad news. Regulators in country after country suggested restricting it to younger people until more testing was done. The decisions marked the start of a delicate new phase of vaccination drives, one in which a growing menu of coronavirus vaccines was accompanied by contentious debates about who should be given which shots. Those debates are a testament to the worlds good fortune in having several strong vaccines only a year into the pandemic. But every vaccine comes with its own idiosyncrasies, including gaps in clinical trial data. And that has thrown up agonising choices for countries already struggling to administer shots, forcing health officials to weigh their qualms about certain vaccines with the need to inoculate people before dangerous variants take hold.

After the EU authorised the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine last week, adding a third shot to the blocs arsenal, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Lithuania, Poland, Austria and Sweden all said they would restrict it to younger people or were considering doing so, citing a scarcity of data on the vaccines efficacy in older people.

Under those plans, older people would instead be scheduled to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, potentially leaving them unvaccinated for a period even as younger people are inoculated with the AstraZeneca shot. But those strategies, tangled as they may be, will at least make a new vaccine available to younger people, scientists said, a scenario far preferable to no one receiving AstraZenecas shot. Some scientists are now urging the United States to adopt the same approach, as the country remains without an alternative to the hard-to-store Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Its regulators refuse to authorise AstraZenecas shot until another clinical trial generates more data, including on how it works in older people. In the absence of that data, targeting the vaccine to those in whom it is known to be effective was an urgently needed stopgap, scientists said all the more so now that the virus is rapidly acquiring new and dangerous mutations.

This is a pragmatic solution to a desperate situation, said Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccine scientist at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Everythings changed. The whole Biden plan made perfect sense up until about three to four weeks ago when we realised the pace of the variants emerging, and therefore you have to adjust. When the British scientists behind the AstraZeneca vaccine planned large-scale clinical trials in Britain and Brazil last year, they played it safe: They chose not to vaccinate older participants until they knew the vaccine was safe in younger ones, a decision that led to fewer older people being inoculated over the course of the trials. Britain, India and other countries authorised the vaccine for all adults anyway, relying on evidence that older people generate significant immune responses to the vaccine, an indicator that it will offer at least some protection. But European Union health officials have been more cautious, hewing closely to the clinical trial findings as they try to ensure that no one outside the most closely-studied groups is vaccinated. Yet, some scientists said that reserving the AstraZeneca shot for younger people would only delay injections for the people most in need of protection.

This complicates the problem, Walter Ricciardi, a professor of public health in Italy and an adviser to the Health Ministry, said of the plans.

What we need at the moment is to protect the most vulnerable people, which for sure is not the people younger than 55 years old. Confusion bubbled up in Italy after regulators there said AstraZenecas vaccine should, with some exceptions, preferably be used on adults under 55. Pfizer and Modernas shots, both mRNA vaccines that have shown roughly 95 percent efficacy in preventing Covid-19, should be given to the most vulnerable people, they said. AstraZenecas vaccine had 62 percent efficacy at two full doses in clinical trials, but it protected all participants against severe illness or death. In Italy, rumours quickly began to spread about who would receive which vaccine.

News reports suggested the AstraZeneca shot would be reserved for younger essential workers, like soldiers, teachers and janitors. But Italians spotted a hole in the plan: Some hundreds of thousands of public workers are too old to be allowed an AstraZeneca shot, but too young to qualify yet for an mRNA vaccine.

Age limits have also thrown vaccine plans into flux in Germany, where an immunisation committee authorised the AstraZeneca vaccine only for adults under 65. Given the limited supplies in Germany, those shots are likely to be reserved for younger medical workers and nursing home aides. Still, some people resisted taking AstraZenecas shot, rather than Pfizers a sign of the way people may grow choosier as more vaccines are authorised. And beyond the question of effectiveness was the matter of where the vaccines were made.

In England, the AstraZeneca shot has become known to many residents simply as the English one, making it all the more attractive. In Germany, the Pfizer shot, developed by scientists from the western city of Mainz, is spoken of with pride as the German one. Scientists have advised people to accept the first vaccine they are offered, given the widespread protections against severe disease and the societal need to tamp down the emergence of new variants. So far, countries have largely tailored vaccine offerings based on where the shots can be stored and transported. The mRNA vaccines must be kept at very cold temperatures, making it difficult to reach older people in rural areas.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, which can be stored in normal refrigerators, would be a boon to older, harder-to-reach residents. But limiting it to younger people would undo those advantages.

Britain, for its part, has achieved one of the worlds fastest vaccination programs in part by using both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines across all adults. But affections for the homegrown AstraZeneca vaccine remain strong, especially after the company published data on Tuesday suggesting that it could reduce transmission of the virus.

The writers are journalists with NYT2020

The New York Times

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The human roulette of vaccination drives - DTNEXT

Remember The Roulettes? – Small Screen

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Back in the 60s, well 1962 to be precise The Roulettes were recruited to play as the back-up group to Adam Faith so he could be competition for the other beat bands that were originating in Merseyside. Formed in London, The Roulettes with Faith enjoyed a series of chart hits, backing him on The First Time, I love Being in Love With You, We are in Love, If He Tells You, as well as Someones Taken Maria Away, all in the 60s.

Sadly, on the 27th May 1963 The Roulettes original bass player, John Rogers died after sustaining severe injuries in a car crash his place as the bass player was filled by Mod Rogan. After signing with Pye Records, The Roulettes started to release their own material and in 1963 the band moved to Parlophone unfortunately, none of their own singles reached the charts, and their only album Stakes and Chips when released in 1965 had very little success either.

The Roulette joined the Philips Fontana label in 1967 but still, they failed to reach the charts and at the end of that year the group finally broke up.

Read more: These Are The Classic PC Games You Should Play Right Now

Although The Roulettes did not enjoy the best of luck, another roulette that has enjoyed a great deal of success and that is the game of online roulette. As technology advanced so did the games until today had led us to exceptional games able to be played at any time and at any place as long as there is a good internet connection. With sites like FruityKing offering a full range of 3D video roulette games and live roulette too, you will never be short of somewhere to play.

Many people know that you can play online roulette using your computer or portable devices but some may not know that you can also play live roulette from the comfort of your own home. All of FruityKings live games take place in real-time and are streamed from a real bricks and mortar venue. Games are hosted by an attractive croupier and players are able to chat with them and their fellow players in between games via the chat feature.

Exciting, fun and full of casino action it really is well worth setting aside a little time to experience these games for real and you never know it might just be your lucky day!

What do you make of this story? Let us know in the comments below or on ourFacebook, Twitter or Instagrampages! And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out our podcasts,Small Screen StoriesandSmall Screen Film Clubwherever you get your podcasts!

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Remember The Roulettes? - Small Screen

Dear Eonni: An Indian ReVeluv wishes Red Velvet’s Seulgi on her birthday; Says the singer is ‘one of a kind’ – PINKVILLA

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

In today's edition of Dear Eonni, Miki Kim from India dedicates her heartwarming letter to Red Velvet member Seulgi gushing about how she's always so entranced by just about everything Kang Seul-gi does.

From Bad Boy and Psycho to Peek-A-Boo and Russian Roulette, Red Velvet's wide-ranged discography is proof enough of why they're as loved as they are. Comprising of Irene, Yeri, Wendy, Joy and Seulgi, the South Korean girl group has surely taken over millions and millions of ReVeluv's hearts. It's indeed a delight to see the equation Red Velvet shares with their loyal fandom.

Today's sweet letter in our Dear Eonni series has been penned by Miki Kim from India to Seulgi. In her letter, Miki hopes that Kang Seul-gi is amazed at her own dedication as an artist. Read her letter below:

Dear Ddeulgi pabo, I wanna start by saying "Happy birthday" nae sarang from the core of my brain. You're doing great and going strong as always. You've come so far, everyone is so proud of you. I hope you too are amazed at your own dedication as an artist, dancer, daughter, friend, icon, Goddess, human, lover and so much more.

There's so much to list, I'm so happy to have met you in this transient life of ours. I'm not good with words, I'm sorry I have much to say but I'm lost right now. I don't even know what I can say as you are one of a kind. I'm not even exaggerating. I love you so much and it scares me sometimes.

I wanna show you how important you are to me. I'll do that by supporting you through every path of your present and future. I can listen and watch you perform from afar. I might not be able to meet you soon but I surely will try my best at my studies, work hard just like you so I can succeed in my ambitions and meet you, by that time, I'll be a little older than I am right now but my unflattering affection towards you will be the same.

I love watching you enjoy your day or night, watching you eat & everything else. If I continue stating stuff, it might be awkward. The first that made me fall for you was your voice and performance. I'm always so entranced by just everything you do. I love listening to Red Velvet songs like there's a song that matches my different mood; if I'm feeling enthusiastic, I can listen to - Zimzalabim or Dumb Dumb or Russian Roulette or Power Up; if im feeling down or tired, I can listen to - Psycho or Bad Boy or Peek-A-Boo; If I just wanna chill or lay down, I can listen to whole Discography that's how good it is Check it out, everyone!!

Always and Uncover truly are one of favourite or comfort songs. Thank you for blessing me with your indescribable talent my ddeulgi bear. I'm gonna stop bragging kekeke or it'll be too lengthy hehe. I don't want you to keep every hardship or struggles to yourself pabo. You can trust your good friends and even us, 'Reveluvs' to rely on. I want to never give up on anything you want to achieve, you can do it!! WE'RE HERE FOR YOU. Last, I wanna end the letter by dedicating these two songs to you - 'Speechless' by Lady Gaga and 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' by Bonnie Tyler. I love you so much, let's get married someday seulgi ahhh!!!

From your Wife & ReveluvMiss Miki Kim (India)

ALSO READ: Dear Eonni: A Filipino ReVeluv reveals Red Velvet inspires them; Gushes about stanning Irene

Want to let out in words, your undying fondness for your favourite K-drama and K-pop stars? Email your open letter to: editorial@pinkvilla.com, mentioning your full name and country. The opportunity is open to readers from across the globe.

Disclaimer: This is user-generated content. The views and opinions expressed in this letter are those of the author.

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Dear Eonni: An Indian ReVeluv wishes Red Velvet's Seulgi on her birthday; Says the singer is 'one of a kind' - PINKVILLA

One Billion Fewer International Arrivals Make 2020 Worst Year in Tourism Industry – SchengenVisaInfo.com – SchengenVisaInfo.com

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

The hard hit that the tourism sector suffered worldwide in 2020 surpassed the predictions of all worst-case scenarios ever imagined in recent years.

A 74 per cent decrease in the number of international arrivals or one billion fewer international arrivals during the last year, compared to 2019 data, were all consequences of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus pandemic and its new strains that emerged in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa and have been detected in many countries by now.

An estimated USD 1.3 trillion have been lost in export revenues, in international travel during last year, over 11 times the loss registered during the 2009 global economic crisis, the figures published by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reveal.

Due to the financial crisis provoked by the virus, between 100 and 120 million tourism jobs have been put at risk, most of which are small and medium-sized enterprises, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

When the Coronavirus outbreak started to widely spread worldwide, most governments chose entry bans, quarantine rules, and travel restrictions as adequate preventive measures to halt the disease from spreading. But such responses brought a devastating financial situation for the tourism sector, among many other affected industries.

In November last year, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) foresaw that by the end of 2020, 174 persons could lose their jobs if the countries worldwide do not lift their travel restrictions.

In this regard, the World Tourism Organization Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said that even though much has been done in recovering the international travel, pointing out that they are aware that the crisis is far from over.

The harmonization, coordination, and digitalization of COVID-19 travel-related risk reduction measures, including testing, tracing and vaccination certificates, are essential foundations to promote safe travel and prepare for the recovery of tourism once conditions allow, Pololikashvili pointed out.

Even though the tourism in European countries was a bit revived during the summer of 2020, a total of 70 per cent decrease was marked in the number of arrivals. Furthermore, the continent suffered the largest decline last year when the number of international tourists was 500 million fewer.

The number of overall international tourists decreased by 98 per cent in April 2020, compared to the same month data one year earlier, Statistas data reveal. The figures show that the Coronavirus pandemic affected the most travel throughout Europe.

Travel restrictions imposed by countries governments lead to a profound decrease in the number of arrivals. According to Statistas data, the number of inbound tourist arrivals in Europe declined by 85 per cent overall.

A survey conducted by the UNWTO Panel of Experts brought different views regarding this years tourism situation. About 45 per cent of respondents predicted a better prospect for this year, compared to the previous year, 25 per cent of them envisaged similar performance, and 30 per cent foresee a worsening result during 2021.

The prospects of a rebound during 2021 have worsened, based on the UNWTO survey.

In total, 50 per cent of respondents expect a rebound to happen only in 2022, compared to 21 per cent in October 2020. The other half of survey participants see a potential rebound in 2021, even though below the expectations shown in the October 2020 survey, in which 79 per cent of respondents expected recovery in 2021.

Most experts do not see a return to pre-pandemic levels happening before 2023. In fact, 43% of respondents point to 2023, while 41 per cent expect a return to 2019 levels will only happen in 2024 or later, UNWTO report reveals.

The World Tourism Organization, through extended scenarios for 2021-2024, has indicated that international tourism would need two and a half to four years in order to get back to the pre-pandemic situation.

In October last year, the European Tourism Conventions president, Luis Araujo, said that the EU must act quickly and in a coordinated way, to save the livelihoods of all persons who depend on the tourism industry and capitalize on this opportunity to reinvent tourism in Europe.

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Council previously published data regarding some EU countries financial losses, such as Spain, Germany, France, and Italy.

WTTC stressed that Spain could lose over 40 billion euros during the summer of last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic situation.

According to the National Statistics Institute, the number of arrivals in Spain decreased to 19 million during last year, compared to 84 million visitors during 2019.

The Institute stressed that the international tourism income was 20 billion euros, a 79 per cent decrease compared to 92 billion euros received in 2019.

The World Travel and Tourism Council estimated that Germany could lose 38 billion due to the decrease in international tourists number during 2020.

Tours operators, travel agents, and tourism companies in Germany are urging their government to introduce a recovery strategy to help the tourism industry, which has been deeply affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.

The WTTC has estimated that during 2020, the number of international tourists would cause a 48 billion loss in France.

Besides, the same estimated that more than 2 million jobs in France territories connected to the tourism sector could also be lost.

Italy risked losing a total of 36.7 billion due to the lack of international tourists. According to the figures published by WTTC, the amount spent by tourists in Italy was foreseen to decrease by 82 per cent until the end of the year affecting Italys economy with 700 million a week on average.

In its 2020s report published in December, Airport Industry Connectivity Report, Airports Council International highlighted that over 6000 air routes that earlier operated from Europes airports still have not been restored, even though nine months have passed since the COVID-19 outbreak.

The report highlighted that the EU/UK airports had been the hardest hit. The direct connectivity was deficient in April, a little bit recovered during August and falling again in September by 62 per cent.

The sharpest decreases in direct connectivity among Europe and the United Kingdom airports were registered as of September in the following airports.

Other regional airports were even more affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Linz airport marked the highest decline in direct connectivity by 96 per cent, followed by Treviso (95 per cent), Vaasa (-91 per cent), Quimper (87 per cent), Newquay (86 per cent), Shannon (83 per cent), and Burgas (82 per cent).

The Director-General of ACI EUROPE, Olivier Jankovec, in this regard, stressed that the damage is so systemic that relying solely on market forces to restore air connectivity would not be realistic.

Another option to help the tourism industry recover from the Coronavirus pandemic has been considered the launching of vaccination certificates by the European Union countries, making persons movement easier without obliging travelers to undergo a testing process.

Such a movement has been supported by many countries in Europe, such as Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden, including the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

However, the vaccination passport idea is not supported unanimously.

In this regard, the World Health Organization Committee (WHO) said that the impact of vaccines on reducing transmission is not yet known; therefore, according to the organization, the idea should not be supported.

Greeces Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was among the most supportive persons to push the launching vaccination passports forward in order to facilitate the free movement.

He even addressed a letter to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging her to back the proposal.

The ECs President welcomed the idea; however, she said that EU countries should first discuss the plan and reach a joint agreement about the procedure.

When it comes to the launching of vaccination passports, the idea was not totally unknown. It was even discussed during the first months of the Coronavirus outbreak.

In April 2020, an EU official warned that the testing process and vaccination once a vaccine starts to rollout would be two main requirements for EU and Schengen travelers to help countries recover from the damages caused by the COVID-19 disease safely.

One Billion Fewer International Arrivals Make 2020 Worst Year in Tourism Industry - SchengenVisaInfo.com - SchengenVisaInfo.com

International Tourism back to 48%, 74% or 96% in 2023? – eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

The global travel and tourism industry is fighting for survival. The longer the fight, the more difficult it gets. PATA today released estimated numbers of recovery for 2021/2022/2023 with three scenarios.

In 2023 the North America, the Caribbean and South America could welcome 96.5% of all international visitors back compared to 2019. In 2022 this number could be 61.3% and 27.7% this year. This is a dream scenario released by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) today.

A more realistic picture is the medium scenario with 77.3% of international visitors back in 2023, 47% back in 2002, and only 19.1% this year.

Depending on the development with Coronavirus a more severe number would estimate 54.7 % back in 2023, 47% 32.3% in 2022 and 14.3% this year in 2021.This is according to thefull report of theAsia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2021-2023released today by thePacific Asia Travel Association(PATA), where three growth prospects for international visitors into and across 39 Asia Pacific destinations are made, covering mild, medium and severe scenarios.

The Americas is in a somewhat similar situation, however, as the 2023 proportion of IVAs relative to that of 2019 is still expected to fall short under the mild scenario although only by a minimal margin.

Asia, known as a powerhouse for international arrivals into and across the Asia Pacific region will experience similar figures to what is expected for the Americas under the mild scenario. However, the medium and severe scenarios could fall back even further. In the latter scenario for example, the report projects that IVAs into and across Asia Pacific could fall back to less than half of the 2019 volume by 2023.

Under the medium scenario, more destination sub-regions are expected to fall into further decline in 2021 relative to 2019, before turning to some tentative recovery in 2022 and 2023.

In addition, this group of the top five destinations becomes more significant in relative terms, in 2021 at least, as the scenarios change from mild to medium and then to severe.

Over the longer period, the top five source region and destination pairs by volume increase between 2020 and 2023, are expected to remain in the same rank order under all three of the scenarios although the increase in the absolute number of foreign arrivals obviously changes.

PATA CEO Dr Mario Hardy stated, Calendar year 2021 is likely to be difficult for most destinations, with almost 40% of the 39 destinations covered in these forecasts falling even further from the low point of arrival numbers in 2020, even under the mild scenario. In the case of the medium scenario, that proportion is likely to increase to 85% while under the severe scenario it could well be the case for all 39 destinations.

Clearly, a further round of belt-tightening will be needed in the international sector, with more innovation being required in developing what is available in the domestic sector, he added.

Dr Hardy concluded by reminding the travel sector that, Vaccines are becoming more freely available and inoculations are proceeding rapidly, but even so, and while first results are very encouraging, their effectiveness over a wider proportion of the population has yet to be fully demonstrated. It is very likely that travellers in the future will have to carry proof of inoculation and being COVID-19 free, something that various agencies and airlines have been developing and is already trialling. Whatever the outcome, travel will never be the same again and we have no choice but to adjust and adapt to that.

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International Tourism back to 48%, 74% or 96% in 2023? - eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News

Disjointed restrictions are tripping up a travel recovery and it may be getting worse – The Dallas Morning News

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Emirates Airlines will be pulling its Boeing 777 jets into DFW International Airports Terminal D on March 2 after a nearly one-year absence, hoping travel demand to Dubai and the Middle East is rebounding.

When it does, passengers will have to navigate a maze of travel restrictions both arriving and leaving the United States that could include showing proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test or requirements to quarantine in place for nearly two weeks after arriving here or wherever their final destination is.

Some 11 months into a pandemic that has crippled the travel world, airlines and passengers are showing some eagerness to get back to flying. But cautious governments eager to stamp out the coronavirus are enacting even tighter rules on travelers in hopes of containing more contagious strains of the virus as vaccine distribution ramps up worldwide.

Thats leaving airlines and passengers to sort through rapidly changing rules enacted not just by national governments, but by individual state governments and sometimes even smaller jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, U.S. health officials have said there are discussions with the Biden Administration about requiring tests to travel within the country, a move that some inside the industry said could cripple airlines and lead to bankruptcies.

Certainly its a new world right now, said Emirates Airlines vice president for the U.S. and Canada region Essa Sulaiman Ahmad. We are doing everything we can to abide by the safety regulations of the countries and cities we fly to.

Fort Worth-based American Airlines cited the growing travel restrictions this week as one of the reasons for sending out nearly 13,000 furlough notices Friday to union workers, including pilots, flight attendants and fleet service employees. Its the airlines second round of furloughs since October.

The vaccine is not being distributed as quickly as any of us believed, and new restrictions on international travel that require customers to have a negative COVID-19 test have dampened demand, said a letter to employees from American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom.

Its not for lack of trying by airlines. American Airlines, United and Delta have all been pushing apps and websites on customers, partnering with COVID-19 testing facilities and working with governments to find out what passengers need to do before they arrive.

American has been using an app called VeriFly to help passengers know exactly what travel requirements they face when landing in their destination. It also stores documents including negative COVID-19 tests.

United has launched a similar app that connects to a customers itinerary.

Theres no one silver bullet during this pandemic at helping people travel, said Preston Peterson, director of customer experience at American. What this does is give another method to help the customer do what they need to do to travel internationally.

Many parts of the world are still essentially off-limits to U.S. travelers, including large sections of the European Union, Asia and places such as New Zealand. In other places, people have to show a negative coronavirus test and quarantine as long as two weeks. Even in Dubai, the hub for Emirates Airlines, passengers may have to isolate for 10 days after arrival and take another COVID-19 test.

We are in a very reactive environment with respect to COVID restrictions, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said in a call with reporters and investors last week after the Dallas-based carrier reported a $3.1 billion loss for 2020, its first loss in 48 years.

There are new international requirements with testing and attestation protocols, he said. They are evolving domestic requirements and there are various mask-related challenges that our teams are reacting to every day.

While restrictions grow and evolve, airlines have signaled that the next few months will continue to be a struggle. Chicago-based United Airlines sent furlough warnings to 14,000 workers. Transportation Security Administration data shows that airport screenings are still down about 65% from 2019 levels. The major trade group for airlines says planes are still less than half full on average, despite drastically reduced schedules by carriers.

U.S. airline leaders and others in the industry have lashed out against the possibility of testing requirements for domestic travel, saying its both impractical and would devastate airlines and related businesses.

Lets be clear, the furloughs that we saw in October would be dwarfed by the furloughs that we would see if we have a testing mandate that is not effectively run, said Sara Nelson, president of the largest flight attendant union in the country, the Association of Flight Attendants. And in that situation, we wouldnt just be talking about lost jobs, wed also likely be talking about airline bankruptcies.

Many of the recently enacted restrictions are a step back from the efforts that an airline trade group has been pushing for the last six months. The International Air Transport Association wants global governments to reopen borders for travelers that have shown a negative COVID-19 test.

Those efforts have failed as more virulent strains of the COVID-19 vaccine emerged in December and January and infection rates spiked in many parts of the world.

Brett Snyder, a blogger for Crankyflier.com and a travel consultant, said the testing requirements are insanely confusing.

Its hard to keep track of what the rules are, and they change frequently, he said.

That has put the onus on airlines to figure out how to guide customers through the process, he said.

We are almost a year into this and airlines are just now starting to step up and figure out all these things about testing and getting information to passengers, said Snyder, who is based in California. Even a national policy is useless for something like this. There needs to be something global.

Emirates is one of the first airlines to partner with the International Air Transport Association on a global Travel Pass, a program similar to Verifly and Uniteds app that would hopefully gain the confidence of nations with closed borders.

State and federal governments have yet to open borders and make other concessions to people that have had vaccines, even with more than 25 million vaccinations administered in the U.S.

It seems like everyone is still waiting for studies that show if people with the vaccine are still contagious, Snyder said.

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Disjointed restrictions are tripping up a travel recovery and it may be getting worse - The Dallas Morning News

Will Vaccines Be Required in Cruising and How Will that Impact Sales? – Travel Agent

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Danzig

Last week,American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Linesannounced that theyd require proof of a COVID-19 vaccine for all overnight guests, starting July 1, 2021. Saga Cruises, a U.K. cruise line, also is requiring guests to have received a vaccination prior to boarding.

So, is this guest vaccine requirement likely to be replicated as a policy for other lines or even industry-wide?

I think vaccines will be required by all cruise lines, if not by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention itself,believes Steve Hirshan, senior vice president of sales, Avoya Travel Network.Requiring a vaccine is a good thing as it will take the clients guesswork out of who they are traveling with.

Initially at least, a vaccine requirement could be a plus, according to Brad Tolkin, co-chairman/CEO, World Travel Holdings: A lot of people I talk with mention they are flying Delta because of their policy of not selling the middle seat. This tells me something. But, this will not be a long-term possibility for the major airlines, hotels and cruise lines.

Many sources, including Jackie Friedman, president ofNexion, believe that cruise lines policies towards vaccination will vary, depending on the lines specific customer base. Smaller cruise lines catering to an older demographic may be more inclined to require vaccination, as older adults may have the potential to secure a vaccine appointment.

But for many other customers, a vaccine requirement isan impossible hurdle to jump over, as it could be considerable time before children are able to get the vaccine. A family wanting to book a cruise certainly wont leave their un-vaccinated young children at home, emphasizesFriedman.

Countries of embarkation, debarkation and/or ports of call may also have vaccine requirements, shesays and "cruise lines will need to carefully weigh those factors when deciding whether or not to require COVID-19 vaccination."

Rudi Schreiner, president and co-founder AmaWaterways tellsus that while vaccine administration across various countries is encouraging, travel restrictions and testing regulations continue to evolve.E.U. countries, and the airlines serving them, are working together to implement a new digital passengerform to register negative test results or proof of vaccine from a reliable source in order to hopefully ease travel restrictions, he says.

"For river cruising, it wont be us to require proof of vaccine or negative COVID test, as international travelers will have already been required to provide that information in order to enter the country," Schreiner says.

Once his line is back sailing, he says that river cruise lines in Europe will need to remain diligent and ensure all guests respect the regulations in each country visited. "Given how quickly regulations are changing, it is still too soon to finalize our online pre-cruise health questionnaire," says Schreiner.

Some advisors says that while it may be ideal for everyone (all guests and crew)to be vaccinated, much will depends on thesupply chain and distribution logistics that cruise lines and travel advisors simply cant control.

Will any potential vaccine requirement be adopted more frequently by niche/small ship lines or, in contrast, those cruise lines operatinglarger ships. From Tolkin's perspective, that requirement might not be limited solely to niche suppliers. Here's why: I do believe that the larger vendors that require this will use it initially as a way to control occupancy," Tolkinsays, notingthat, as the travel industry emerges from this once-in-a-century tragedy, regardless if a government entity requires it, not many hotels or cruise lines are going to want to promote that they are comfortable operating at 100 percent occupancy.

Most of our experts said that one group on a cruise ship that likely will be required to provide proof of vaccination is the crew. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdingshas publicly said that it desires that for its three brands.

Friedman, whoexpects the crew to be required to vaccinate, tells us:"Thesepeople make the ship run in a variety of ways, and often cant social distance in their interactions with guests and each other, so vaccinating this group can go a long way towards ensuring a healthy sailing."

Travel Agent participated in a press briefing on Friday with Captain Dan Blanchard, founder and CEO, UnCruise Adventures, an American-flagged line that expects to begin cruising in Alaska thisspring. Asked if UnCruise will require the vaccine for guests, Blanchard responded: Not right yet."

He explainedthat right now the small-ship line doesnt have enough confidence yet that it can get its own crew vaccinated (given limitations in vaccine distribution).That said, we are working with the state of Alaska to try to get priority for tourism workers as active essential workers. He said the line believes that will happen, but the timing is uncertain as yet.

How could a guest vaccine requirement impact agency sales? This is mixed, saidGary Smith, franchise owner and vacation specialist, Dream Vacationsin Eugene, OR. For some clients, he believes a vaccine requirement could have a good marketing benefit and would help sales.

Others, it would be the opposite, though, he says. With the larger cruise lines heavily focused on the drive markets in the Southeast and Texas, I believe a vaccine requirement for larger cruise lines would be harmful to them," both in sales and how a large portion of the lines client base feels about the vaccine. Some consumers don't want to take thevaccine.

For example, Smiths agency has three couples traveling together on an upcoming AQSCvoyage that will have the vaccine requirement. Two of the three couples are perfectly fine with it, Smith says, but notes that the other couple is refusing the vaccine and threatening to cancel, although they havent done so yet. I think that is pretty indicative of what youll find overall.

David Locke, owner of Seize the Seas, an independent agency in the Avoya Travel Network in Parkland, FL, pointed out that masks, now required onboard by many lines and the CDC,may be more onerous than getting a vaccine for many consumers.

My clients have not complained about a possible vaccination requirement, Locke notes, adding that I've gotten more pushback on a mask-wearing requirement among my luxury and world cruise guests. Vaccinations are viewed by thosecustomers as a "one-off" inconvenience, while mask wearing is a daily requirement.

I think, however, that even if everyone is vaccinated, masks are a good idea, Lockepoints out, but agrees that "this may put a damper on bookings of longer cruises.

That said, ourtrade sources also talked about the strong pent-up demand for travel and cruises. "Our clients are more focused on when they will be able to travel than on asking about if a vaccination will be required," Tolkin emphasizes.

His view is that"it's very likely that we will continue to see more entities requiring a vaccination. The question is for how long will this policy be in place? It is likely to just be a bridge to the future and not a permanent requirement.

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Will Vaccines Be Required in Cruising and How Will that Impact Sales? - Travel Agent

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