aXichem : announces first consumer product for weight loss, with aXivite as an active ingredient, to be launched in the French market by Sarl…

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aXichem AB (publ)(https://www.axichem.com/), a developer of natural analogue industrial compounds, today announces that the first consumer product for weight control, with the company's capsaicin analogue aXivite(https://www.axichem.com/products/nutraceuticals/), is being launched on the French market by Sarl Myterrapy(https://www.apyforme.com/).

Sarl Myterrapy is specialized in natural andphytotherapyproducts with a range of natural products, used and recommended through the health professionals channelsin the French market and through on-line sales.

The new product is a result of the agreement that aXichem entered with its French distribution partner Actives & Co earlier this year. For this first master batch, of the new weight control new product, material from Active's previous order for product development has been used.

-I'm pleased to be able to announce the first result of our collaboration with our French distributor, Actives & Co. Weight control is a growing segment in France, as well as in several European countries, and aXivite is well positioned to become a key ingredient. I'm looking forward to follow the launch and the expected commercial success of Sarl Mtyerrapy's new product, says Torsten Helsing, CEO of aXichem.

The French market for food supplements is the third largest market in Europe, behind Italy and Germany, at 610 million Euro in 2013, (FederSalus, 2014). In 2018 nutritional supplements in France in 2018 retail sales reach almost a total of2 billion euros, sales offood supplementsrealisedin direct sales and internet represent about 20% of the total market.

This press release was submitted by the contact person below on 5 October 2020, at 09:00 CET.

Torsten Helsing, VD i aXichem, + 46 46-780 06 73. E-post: torsten.helsing@axichem.se

aXichem's business idea is to develop, patent and market natural analogueindustrial compounds. The Company primarily works withphenylcapsaicin a structural analogue of capsaicin with a wide range of applications, such as feed additives, marine anti-fouling products and certain pharmaceutical areas. aXichem's shares are listed on NASDAQ First North Growth Market under AXIC A.Certified Adviser: Redeye ABCertifiedadviser@redeye.se+46 (0)8121576 90. Read more about the company atwww.axichem.se

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aXichem : announces first consumer product for weight loss, with aXivite as an active ingredient, to be launched in the French market by Sarl...

The best dog food: How Farmer’s Dog, Wild Earth, and Jinx stack up – Fast Company

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After my Bernese mountain dog, Huxley, had a bad run-in with a rawhide bone, I learned the hard way that dogs can have sensitive stomachs. But the wrong food can cause much worse than tummy trouble. All it takes is a few minutes of research to find tons of food recalls and class action lawsuits about bad kibble. A new batch of boutique, direct-to-consumer dog foods promises to keep your best friend happy and healthy. They have beautiful branding and gorgeous Instagram ads, and they feature buzzwords such as human-grade, grain-free, and fully transparent ingredients. But are they worth it? We got in touch with Hunter Finn, D.V.M, TikToks favorite veterinarian, about dog-food marketing mythsand the best tips to avoid them. Instead of falling for marketing tactics, we as pet owners need to be more diligent in selecting the food we choose to feed our pets, Finn says. Heres how.

Weve seen a similar trend in pet food fads that we see in human health fads, Finn says. The pet food industry is an extremely competitive market, and buzz words like premium, holistic, gourmet, and others instantly appeal to people, and in turn increase sales. Dr. Finn recommends researching new food brands using guidelines from the WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association). Some specific questions to research: Does the company employ a full-time veterinary nutritionist? Who formulates their foods and what are their credentials? Where are their foods produced and manufactured? What kind of product research has been conducted? Tailored, a personalized dog kibble brand that creates a formula specifically for your pup based on their needs, has a team of six experts on board to create their formulasincluding Dr. Emily Luisana, D.M.V., who is enrolled with the American College of Veterinary Nutritionists. Similarly, PetPlatewhich makes fresh-cooked, human-grade dog foodemploys Dr. Renee Streeter, a dedicated vet nutritionist who has been advising PetPlate on a weekly basis for the past 4 years.

Kibble has a bad reputation for being full of fillers and devoid of nutrients. But a dog food should be judged by its formula, not its form. If you are buying kibble from a reputable company who has put more money into researching and developing their product rather than marketing, then you should be able to rest easy knowing you are feeding your pet a nutritious, completely appropriate diet to help them thrive, Dr. Finn says. Jinx, a kibble company backed by Alexis Ohanian, also employs veterinary nutritionists to design its formulas. Another option that meets Dr. Finns standards is Wild Earth, a high-protein DTC subscription kibble that was formulated by scientists and canine nutritionists. Wild Earth employs a full-time veterinary officer (Dr. Ernie Ward) and is a member of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), a voluntary-membership association of local, state, and federal agencies that regulate the sale and distribution of animal foods.

Unlike most labels in the world of dog food, the term human grade is actually regulated, Dr. Finn says. If you want to feed your pet human-grade foods it will be more expensive, but if your pet finds it palatable and really enjoys their meals, I think its worth the extra cost. And as always, Finn only recommends brands that employ a full-time veterinary nutritionist on their staff and are open and honest in answering your questions regarding research, manufacturing, and nutrient profile studies. We recommend the Farmers Dog, a DTC human-grade dog food that is backed by researchand one of the first to change the dog food game.

In most cases, if your pet is eating a balanced diet and is generally healthy, then there is absolutely no need for any supplementation. But there are special cases: I will personally give my own dogwho suffers from osteoarthritisa joint supplement for daily joint support. It can extremely improve quality of life in large breeds, Finn says. Additionally, hes a fan of omega-3 supplements for dogs with skin conditions. Newcomer Finn (which has no relation to the doctor) has both a Hip & Joint supplement and a Skin & Coat supplement, which are both made in an FDA-registered lab and certified with the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC).

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As it closes in on Arm, Nvidia announces UK supercomputer dedicated to medical research – TechCrunch

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As Nvidia continues to work through its deal to acquire Armfrom SoftBank for $40 billion, the computing giant is making another big move to lay out its commitment to investing in U.K. technology. Today the company announced plans to develop Cambridge-1, a new 40 million AI supercomputer that will be used for research in the health industry in the country, the first supercomputer built by Nvidia specifically for external research access, it said.

Nvidia said it is already working with GSK, AstraZeneca, London hospitals Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, Kings College London and Oxford Nanopore to use the Cambridge-1. The supercomputer is due to come online by the end of the year and will be the companys second supercomputer in the country. The first is already in development at the companysAI Center of Excellence in Cambridge, and the plan is to add more supercomputers over time.

The growing role of AI has underscored an interesting crossroads in medical research. On one hand, leading researchers all acknowledge the role it will be playing in their work. On the other, none of them (nor their institutions) have the resources to meet that demand on their own. Thats driving them all to get involved much more deeply with big tech companies like Google, Microsoft and, in this case, Nvidia, to carry out work.

Alongside the supercomputer news, Nvidia is making a second announcement in the area of healthcare in the U.K.: it has inked a partnership with GSK, which has established an AI hub in London, to build AI-based computational processes that will be used in drug vaccine and discovery an especially timely piece of news, given that we are in a global health pandemic and all drug makers and researchers are on the hunt to understand more about, and build vaccines for, COVID-19.

The news is coinciding with Nvidias industry event, the GPU Technology Conference.

Tackling the worlds most pressing challenges in healthcare requires massively powerful computing resources to harness the capabilities of AI, said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, in his keynote at the event. The Cambridge-1 supercomputer will serve as a hub of innovation for the U.K., and further the groundbreaking work being done by the nations researchers in critical healthcare and drug discovery.

The company plans to dedicate Cambridge-1 resources in four areas, it said: industry research, in particular joint research on projects that exceed the resources of any single institution; university granted compute time; health-focused AI startups; and education for future AI practitioners. Its already building specific applications in areas, like the drug discovery work its doing with GSK, that will be run on the machine.

The Cambridge-1 will be built on Nvidias DGX SuperPOD system, which can process 400 petaflops of AI performance and 8 petaflops of Linpack performance. Nvidia said this will rank it as the 29th fastest supercomputer in the world.

Number 29 doesnt sound very groundbreaking, but there are other reasons why the announcement is significant.

For starters, it underscores how the supercomputing market while still not a mass-market enterprise is increasingly developing more focus around specific areas of research and industries. In this case, it underscores how health research has become more complex, and how applications of artificial intelligence have both spurred that complexity but, in the case of building stronger computing power, also provides a better route some might say one of the only viable routes in the most complex of cases to medical breakthroughs and discoveries.

Its also notable that the effort is being forged in the U.K. Nvidias deal to buy Arm has seen some resistance in the market with one group leading a campaign to stop the sale and take Arm independent but this latest announcement underscores that the company is already involved pretty deeply in the U.K. market, bolstering Nvidias case to double down even further. (Yes, chip reference designs and building supercomputers are different enterprises, but the argument for Nvidia is one of commitment and presence.)

AI and machine learning are like a new microscope that will help scientists to see things that they couldnt see otherwise, said Dr. Hal Barron, chief scientific officer and president, R&D, GSK, in a statement. NVIDIAs investment in computing, combined with the power of deep learning, will enable solutions to some of the life sciences industrys greatest challenges and help us continue to deliver transformational medicines and vaccines to patients. Together with GSKs new AI lab in London, I am delighted that these advanced technologies will now be available to help the U.K.s outstanding scientists.

The use of big data, supercomputing and artificial intelligence have the potential to transform research and development; from target identification through clinical research and all the way to the launch of new medicines, added James Weatherall, PhD, head of Data Science and AI, AstraZeneca, in his statement.

Recent advances in AI have seen increasingly powerful models being used for complex tasks such as image recognition and natural language understanding, said Sebastien Ourselin, head, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences at Kings College London. These models have achieved previously unimaginable performance by using an unprecedented scale of computational power, amassing millions of GPU hours per model. Through this partnership, for the first time, such a scale of computational power will be available to healthcare research it will be truly transformational for patient health and treatment pathways.

Dr. Ian Abbs, chief executive & chief medical director of Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust Officer, said: If AI is to be deployed at scale for patient care, then accuracy, robustness and safety are of paramount importance. We need to ensure AI researchers have access to the largest and most comprehensive datasets that the NHS has to offer, our clinical expertise, and the required computational infrastructure to make sense of the data. This approach is not only necessary, but also the only ethical way to deliver AI in healthcare more advanced AI means better care for our patients.

Compact AI has enabled real-time sequencing in the palm of your hand, and AI supercomputers are enabling new scientific discoveries in large-scale genomic data sets, added Gordon Sanghera, CEO, Oxford Nanopore Technologies. These complementary innovations in data analysis support a wealth of impactful science in the U.K., and critically, support our goal of bringing genomic analysis to anyone, anywhere.

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As it closes in on Arm, Nvidia announces UK supercomputer dedicated to medical research - TechCrunch

With Crossroads Supercomputer, HPE Notches Another DOE Win – The Next Platform

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When you come to the crossroads and make a big decision about selling your soul to the devil to get what you want, it is supposed to be a dramatic event, the stuff that legends are made of.

In this case, with the announcement of a $105 million deal for Hewlett Packard Enterprise to build the Crossroads supercomputer for the so-called Tri-Labs of the US Department of Energy that would be Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories, who are, among other things, responsible for managing the nuclear weapons stockpile for the US government the drama has more to do with the changes in the Intel Xeon and Xeon Phi processor and Omni-Path interconnect roadmaps than anything else.

The DOE supercomputer architects always have to hedge their compute, networking, and storage bets across the Tri-Labs and so do their peers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and a few other national labs. You want commonality because this drives down costs and complexity, but you want distinction so you can push the limits on several technologies all at the same time because that is what HPC centers are actually for and it helps balance out risks when roadmaps get crumpled.

The Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program at the DOE has funded the development of so many different computing architectures over many years that it is hard to keep track of them all. There are several streams of systems that are part of the National Nuclear Security Administration, which runs simulations relating to the nuclear stockpile, and there is an interleaving of machines such that Lawrence Livermore gets the biggest one in what is called Advanced Technology Systems, or ATS, program and then either Los Alamos or Sandia gets the next one and they share it. Like this:

In the chart above, the ATS 2 system at Lawrence Livermore is the existing Sierra system, based on IBM Power9 processors and Nvidia V100 GPU accelerators hooked with Mellanox (now Nvidia) 100 Gb/sec InfiniBand interconnects. The ATS 4 system is Crossroads, the award for which is being announced now, and the ATS 5 machine, which is not shown on this old roadmap, is for the future El Capitan machine, built from future AMD Epyc CPUs and Radeon Instinct GPUs interlinked by a future rev of HPEs Cray Slingshot interconnect, which we detailed back in March and which is expected to surpass 2 exaflops in peak 64-bit floating point processing capacity when it is installed in 2022. The Commodity Technology Systems are less about creating thoroughbred supercomputers than regular workhorses that can pull the HPC plows for less money than the Advanced Technology Systems, which are first of a kind systems that push the technology.

The current Trinity machine shared by Los Alamos and Sandia and installed at Los Alamos, is the one that is coming to the end of its life and the one that Crossroads will replace ATS 1 in the chart above. The plan was to have the Crossroads replacement ready to go sometime about now, when Trinity would be sunsetted, but processor roadmaps at Intel have been problematic during the 10 nanometer generations of Xeon SP and Xeon Phi processors, to the point where Intel killed off the Xeon Phi line in July 2018 and deprecated its 200 Gb/sec Omni-Path interconnect a year later. The future Xeon SP, Xeon Phi, and Omni-Path technologies were the obvious and easiest choices for the compute and networking in the Crossroads system, given the Trinity all-CPU design and Intels desire to position Omni-Path as the successor to the Cray Aries XC interconnect used in the Trinity system. As it turns out, Intel has just this week spun out the Omni-Path business into a new company, called Cornelis Networks, founded by some InfiniBand innovators, and Omni-Path will live on in some form independent of Intel. So the technology used in Trinity will evolve and presumably be used in HPC and AI systems of the future. But that spinout did not come in time for Tri-Labs to not chose HPEs Cray Slingshot interconnect, a variant of Ethernet with HPC extensions and congestion control and adaptive routing that makes a hyperscaler envious, for Crossroads. For whatever reason, InfiniBand from Mellanox was not in the running.

The existing Trinity system is an all-CPU design, and Tri-Labs has been sticking with all-CPU systems for the machines that go into Los Alamos and Sandia under the ATS program; obviously, Lawrence Livermore chose a hybrid CPU-GPU machine for the Sierra and El Capitan systems. Again, this is about hedging technology bets as well as pushing the price/performance curves on a number of architectural fronts among the DOE labs. Trinity was built in stages, and that was not an architectural choice so much as a necessary one, as Jim Lujan, HPC program manager at Los Alamos, told us back in July 2016 when the Knights Landing Xeon Phi parallel processors were first shipping. Trinity was supposed to be entirely composed of these Xeon Phi processors, but they were delayed and the base machine was built from over 9,486 two-socket nodes using the 16-core Haswell Xeon E5-2698 v3 processors and another 9,934 nodes based on the 68-core Xeon Phi 7250 processors, for a total of 19,240 nodes with 979,072 cores with a peak performance of 41.5 petaflops at double precision. Trinity had 2.07 PB of main memory, and implemented a burst buffer on flash storage in the nodes that had a combined 3.7 PB of capacity and 3.3 TB/sec of sustained bandwidth. The parallel file system attached to Trinity had 78 PB of capacity and 1.45 TB/sec of sustained bandwidth.

Importantly, the Trinity system had about 8X the performance on the ASC workloads compared to the prior Cielo system that predated it, which was an all-CPU Cray XE6 system installed in 2013 based on AMD Opteron 6136 processors and the Cray Gemini 3D torus interconnect.

As it turns out, Crossroads is running about two years late, and that is both a good thing and a bad thing. The bad thing is that this means Trinity has to have its life extended to cover between now and when Crossroads is up and running in 2022. The good news is that the processor and interconnect technology will be all that much better when Crossroads is fired up. (We realize that this is a big presumption.)

The DOE and HPE are not saying much about Crossroads at the moment, but we do know that it will be based on the future Sapphire Rapids Xeon SP processor from Intel, and that it will, like Trinity, be an all-CPU design. Sapphire Rapids, you will recall, is the CPU motor that is going into the Aurora A21 system at Argonne National Laboratory, but in that case, the vast majority of the flops in the system will come from six Xe discrete GPU accelerators attached to each pair of Sapphire Rapids processors, as we talked about in November last year. It will be based on the HPE Cray EX system design, formerly known as Shasta by Cray, and will use the Slingshot interconnect as we said as well as liquid cooling for compute cabinets to allow it to run faster than it otherwise might and cool more efficiently. The systems will run the Cray Programming Environment, including Crays implementation of Linux and its compiler stack.

The Cori supercomputer at Lawrence Berkeley and the Trinity supercomputer at Tri-Labs were based on a mix of Xeon and Xeon Phi processors and the Aries interconnect. So it was reasonable to expect, given past history, that the Crossroads machine shared by Los Alamos and Sandia would use similar technology to the Perlmutter NERSC-9 system at Lawrence Berkeley, since these labs have tended to move to technologies at the same time over recent years. But that has not happened this time.

The Perlmutter and Crossroads machines are based on the Shasta now HPE Cray EX systems and both use the Slingshot interconnect, but the resemblance ends there. Perlmutter is using a future Milan Epyc processor from AMD plus Ampere A100 GPU accelerators from Nvidia. The Perlmutter machine will be installed in phases, with the GPU-accelerated nodes with more than 6,000 GPUs coming in late 2020 and the over 3,000 CPU-only nodes coming in the middle of 2021. Crossroads has no accelerators and is using the Sapphire Rapids Xeon SPs only for compute albeit ones that will support Intels Advanced Matrix Extensions for boosting the performance of machine learning applications.

HPE says that on applications, Crossroads will have about 4X the oomph of Trinity, which should mean somewhere around 165 petaflops at peak double precision. This is quite a bit of oomph for an all-CPU system, but then again, it is dwarfed by the 537 petaflops that the Fugaku supercomputer at RIKEN laboratory in Japan, built by Fujitsu using its A64FX Arm chip with wonking vector engines, delivers at double precision.

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With Crossroads Supercomputer, HPE Notches Another DOE Win - The Next Platform

What happens when two planets crash together? This supercomputer has the answer – Digital Trends

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NASA/JPL-Caltech

Obviously, we have no idea what really happens when planets collide, because we cant build planets in the lab and smash them together, said Jacob Kegerreis, a postdoctoral researcher in a specialist lab at the U.K.s Durham University called the Institute for Computational Cosmology.

So Kegerreis and his colleagues did the next best thing: They booked time on a supercomputer and used it to run hundreds of simulations of planets crashing into one another a demolition derby for astrophysics geniuses.

Its all about doing calculations, he told Digital Trends. Theres no reason you couldnt do it by hand, it would just take forever. Its really exactly how video games work. If youve got a character even a 2D one like Mario and you need them to jump and fall back down under gravity, that means the program has an equation for gravity, and it basically does a very, very simple simulation to work out how quickly that character falls. Its really the same principle. We just try and use slightly more careful equations to do these more physics-based things.

Of course, what are to Kegerreis slightly more involved equations are, to the rest of us, mind-boggling magnitudes of complexity. When the researchers working on the project created their model planets, they represented them as millions of particles, each pulling one another under gravity and pushing with material pressure. The model takes into account painstakingly accurate real-life details such as how planetary materials like rock and iron actually behave at different temperatures and densities, how gravity and pressure impacts the particles, and how these particles interact according to the equations of hydrodynamics.

We need a supercomputer because we require many millions of particles to resolve the details of what happens in these messy collisions, especially with low-density atmospheres, he said. This means a daunting number of calculations to do very many times in order to see how the system evolves throughout the impact.

The simulation in the teams most recent study potentially sheds some light on the creation of the moon. Todays most widely accepted theory is that the moon was formed as the result of a collision between Earth and another planet about the size of Mars. It is hypothesized that the debris from this impact became trapped in Earth orbit and eventually coagulated into the moon.

But although this much is broadly agreed upon, Kegerreis said that there are maybe five or six plausible ideas for the specific type of impact scenario. By modeling these, the teams was able to simulate details about how much of Earths atmosphere would have been lost in the most popular moon-forming scenarios. Numbers, he said, range from 10 to 60 percent of the atmosphere, depending on the precise angle, speed, and planet sizes.

These same kinds of simulation, in terms of the physics thats going on underneath, can be used for loads of different things.

If we can understand the history of Earths atmosphere well enough, then it might help us narrow down how erosive an impact the moon-forming collision should have been, he said. Or at least to perhaps rule out scenarios that remove far too much or far too little atmosphere to fit the observations.

Research such as this could therefore help answer some fundamental questions about the reason the observable universe is the way it is. [In this case,] we werent sure whether it was really easy or really hard for a giant impact to remove all of an atmosphere, or whether it was possible to get middling erosion as opposed to all or nothing, Kegerreis said. We also looked at the possibility of the impactor delivering atmosphere if it had some of its own to begin with.

While this project may be concluded, Kegerreis is excited about the future possibilities. Hes also enthused at the development of the simulation code the team wrote to carry out their work, in association with a group of astronomers and computer scientists. Called SWIFT, its an open-source hydrodynamics and gravity computer program that could be used by researchers anywhere in the world (so long as they have remote access to a supercomputer) to run simulations of astrophysical objects, including planets, galaxies, or even, conceivably, the whole universe.

These same kinds of simulation, in terms of the physics thats going on underneath, can be used for loads of different things, Kegerreis said. Here in Durham, the main thing that people actually use similar simulations to do is galaxy formation and much wider cosmology things where youre evolving dark matter, stars, and galaxies, rather than smaller things like planets. We can use the same simulation code to do those different things just by putting in different variations of the specific equations that were solving. But its the same basic structure.

The lack of real-time graphics (think endless code running on a screen, rather than than Civilization on a galactic scale) means this wont have the makings of a hit video game any time soon. However, it might just wind up helping reveal some of the secrets of the universe, from the Big Bang to the present day. As trade-offs go, thats not a bad one.

A paper describing the latest project, titled Atmospheric Erosion by Giant Impacts onto Terrestrial Planets: A Scaling Law for any Speed, Angle, Mass, and Density, was recently published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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What happens when two planets crash together? This supercomputer has the answer - Digital Trends

Unclaimed lands on earth you can still rule over – JBKlutse

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If you did not know, you can still be king or queen and have loyal subjects during your lifetime. Check out these lonely and unclaimed lands you can rule over right now.

1. North East Caye: A scarce piece of island comfortably located just 8 miles off the coast of Riversdale on the Placencia Peninsula. This property is located close to Saddle Caye, Cat Caye, and Manatee Caye and it is presently unclaimed, up for sale. Currently undeveloped and filled with sandy beach, it is home to beautiful coral ridges that make it useful for snorkeling.

2. Rockall:

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This little island rock has zero buildings or people on it. The UK claimed and incorporated Rockall in 1955, however, the Republic of Ireland is yet to recognize this claim, insisting the location is Irish. Iceland and the Faroe Islands can claim they own it too because it is in a remote part of the North Atlantic. This rock is just 25m (82 feet) wide and 17m (56 feet) high and it is actually the remnants of a volcano.

3. Bir Tawil:

This could be the most popular unclaimed land in the world. The reason for its unclaimed status is from a dispute between Egypt and Sudan in 1899. Egypt says the political boundary is the correct one, and Sudan said the administrative boundary is the correct one.

4. The Peoples Republic of Podjistan: This land declared independence from Northern Ireland a decade ago. But, totalitarian leader, Simon Stewart revealed that the future of Podjistan might be in doubt, though he is not ready to sell out and head back into Northern Ireland.

5. Machias Seal Island:

This is another rare disputed territory between Canada and America. However, as both nations keep claiming sovereignty, whoever is born there can claim dual citizenship. It is very barren and has zero trees.

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Unclaimed lands on earth you can still rule over - JBKlutse

CEOs of 3 tech giants to testify at Oct. 28 Senate hearing – KNWA

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by: MARCY GORDON - Associated Press

This combination of 2018-2020 photos shows, from left, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. They are expected to testify in an Oct. 28, 2020 Senate hearing on tech companies control over hate speech and misinformation on their platforms. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, LM Otero, Jens Meyer)

WASHINGTON (AP) The CEOs of technology giants Facebook, Google and Twitter are expected to testify for an Oct. 28 Senate hearing on tech companies control over hate speech and misinformation on their platforms.

The Senate Commerce Committee voted last week to authorize subpoenas for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai of Google and Twitters Jack Dorsey to force them to testify if they didnt agree to do so voluntarily. Spokespeople for the companies said Monday that the CEOs will cooperate.

The hearing must be constructive and focused on what matters most to the American people: how we work together to protect elections, Twitter said in a tweet in its policy channel.

The hearing will come less than a week before Election Day. It marks a new bipartisan initiative against Big Tech companies, which have been under increasing scrutiny in Washington and from state attorneys general over issues of competition, consumer privacy and hate speech.

The executives testimony is needed to reveal the extent of influence that their companies have over American speech during a critical time in our democratic process, said Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican who heads the Commerce Committee.

Facebook, meanwhile, is expanding restrictions on political advertising, including new bans on messages claiming widespread voter fraud. The new prohibitions laid out in a blog post came days after President Donald Trump raised the prospect of mass fraud in the vote-by-mail process during a debate last week with Democratic rival Joe Biden.

With Trump leading the way, conservative Republicans have kept up a barrage of criticism of Silicon Valleys social media platforms, which they accuse without evidence of deliberately suppressing conservative views.

The Justice Department has asked Congress to roll back long-held legal protections for online platforms, putting down a legislative marker in Trumps drive against the social media giants. The proposed changes would strip some of the bedrock protections that have generally shielded the companies from legal responsibility for what people post on their platforms.

Trump signed an executive order earlier this year challenging the protections from lawsuits under a 1996 telecommunications law that has served as the foundation for unfettered speech on the internet.

Democrats, on the other hand, have focused their criticism of social media mainly on hate speech, misinformation and other content that can incite violence or keep people from voting. They have criticized Big Tech CEOs for failing to police content, homing in on the platforms role in hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism in the U.S.

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CEOs of 3 tech giants to testify at Oct. 28 Senate hearing - KNWA

China’s tech giants face ‘new business realities’ across the world – CNBC

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A billboard advertising Chinese video app TikTok at Wangfujing street on August 20, 2020, in Beijing.

VCG | Visual China Group | Getty Images

GUANGZHOU, China China's technology giants like their U.S. counterparts have seen business thrive during the coronavirus pandemic. But the tech industry is at a crossroads, facing an uncertain economic and geopolitical environment.

China's gradualthough uneven economic recovery, Beijing's focus on domestic consumption, and the digital trends that have been accelerated by Covid-19 are all set to benefit the technology sector. But risks remain.

"On the user behavior side (in China), the pandemic gave an impetus to the penetration of several major digitization businesses, helping some of them grow significantly to reach the necessary scale and achieve economic efficiency in a short time," Charlie Chai, analyst at86 Research, toldCNBC.

"On the other hand, a countervailing force is a cut in investment on the business side, as major industry leaders including BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) prioritize margins amid a potentially turbulent economic and geopolitical environment."

Just as in China, technology firms in the United States have seen benefits from the pandemic as people have been forced to stay at home. Services such as Zoom have boomed, while consumers have turned to Amazon for shopping and Netflix for entertainment.

Investors around the globe wonder what's next. The themes of globalization, digitization, economic outlook and the coronavirus will take center stage at CNBC's East Tech West event, in the Nansha district of Guangzhou, China.

China, where the coronavirus first emerged,shut down more than half the countryin early February in order to stem the outbreak. That led to a 6.8% decline in growth in the first quarter. As the spread of the disease stalled in March, businesses began to reopen, and the official gross domestic product grew 3.2% in the second quarter.

Locked down at home, people began to rely more on digital services ranging from e-commerce to video games. That trend has staying power.

"Because of the virus, China is more hungry for technology than ever before," Abishur Prakash, a geopolitical specialist at the Center for Innovating the Future (CIF), a Toronto-based consulting firm, told CNBC by email. "From health care to transportation to finance, projects are underway that will rewire China and put technology at the heart of everything."

That has helped China's big technology mainstays. Alibaba's shares are up 30% this year and its revenue grew 34% year on year in the June quarter.

"We were well-positioned to capture growth from the ongoing digital transformation, which has been accelerated by the pandemic, in both consumption and enterprise operations," Daniel Zhang, chairman and CEO of Alibaba, said in a statement at the time of the second-quarter results in August.

Tencent blew past second-quarter analyst estimates and posted strong results, thanks to gaming.

Companies attempting to digitize and bringing more of their businesses to the cloud are now "moving back to full speed" after taking a hit during the pandemic, Chai said. Meanwhile, remote work and collaboration tools are seeing "explosive growth" in China, as they have in the United States and Europe. The analyst cited Alibaba's DingTalk platform and the enterprise version of Tencent's WeChat messaging service as two beneficiaries.

TikTok is now part of a deal that was forced by the Trump administration. The deal will see a U.S.-based TikTok Global established, with Oracle and Walmart owning 20%. ByteDance will own the other 80%, the company says. Oracle contested that saying ByteDance would have no ownership of the new company. Those talks are still ongoing.

Those moves have often been pointed to as evidence of a so-called tech "decoupling" the concept of Chinese technology and American technology separating into two distinct ecosystems that operate distinct from one another.

The idea emerges at a time when Chinese technology companies are trying to push into international markets. But that is proving tough.

"What Covid has done is that it has accelerated everything especially in geopolitics of technology. The tech decoupling, which may have taken place slowly over the next decade, is now well underway," Prakash said.

People in face masks watch the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to mark the 71st Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 2020 in Beijing.

Sheng Jiapeng | China News Service | Getty Images

For their own part, American technology firms have been in the crosshairs of politicians and regulators from the United States and Europe, and some are banned in China.

There is growing concern among U.S. lawmakers that technology firms are growing too powerful. In July, the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google parent Alphabet testified remotely before the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust.

So what does all that mean for technology giants in both the East and the West? It's creating "new business realities," according to Prakash.

In China, it could define the kinds of products they sell. For example, if Huawei can't get access to chips it needs, can it continue making next-generation smartphones? Access to talent could also take a hit, Prakash said. And the possibility that Chinese technology firms can operate globally like their Western competitors is "fast becoming impossible," he added.

"They are being forced to play by a different set of rules, which include being forced to sell or be banned," Prakash said. "All of this means that as Chinese tech firms navigate geopolitics of technology, they will be pioneering a new way to operate. And, this may become the new business blueprint for firms across the world."

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China's tech giants face 'new business realities' across the world - CNBC

Facebook, Netflix and Other US Tech Giants Have Again Been Called Out For Shady Data Handling Procedures – Digital Information World

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A new report claims that US tech giants like Facebook and Netflix have absolutely failed in managing the US-EU data transfers legally for years. While this might have been a major point of concern to look up to, still the US government has responded back to the claims saying that there is nothing to really worry about.

The campaign of legal data transfers between countries was started by an Austrian privacy expert Max Schrems as he began asking 33 tech companies from the US about how they carry out the process of sending customer data and what legal prospects do they take care of?

The responses came out to be very shocking with very few companies giving detailed explanations, some companies even accepted that they have no clue about everything that is happening and some, to our surprise as well, completely denied the law.

When companies like Airbnb, Netflix and Whatsapp were asked about the similar information they didnt respond back with anything and some other ones directed the researchers to consult their privacy policies for the answers.

Microsoft, according to Schrems, was the only one to answer all the questions but they also made a claim of transferring personal data to the US as per Standard Contractual Clauses. However, in reality, the company has provided data to the US government under FISA702.

Overall, Schrems was more disappointed to see how none of the companies were able to give a satisfying answer. The ones who even felt important to give the answers were not falling in line with the judgment of CJEU and looking at the response, there is one thing clear that companies havent revised any kind of plan to tackle this concern in the near future as well.

Ever since the European Union called out the 2016 Privacy Shield agreement invalid in July, transatlantic data transfers have been a boiling issue considering how the surveillance practices of the US government can never guarantee any kind of privacy of users involved.

Right after the verdict, all the companies involved in data transfers have used other mechanisms to make sure that the data keeps on flowing. Hence, as a result, the campaign group of Schrem, noyb, has issued almost 100 complaints regarding how the data of European users is still being transferred to the US with the help of Google Analytics and Facebook Connect.

But the US government, on the other hand, has been smart enough to sideline the issue by stating in its newly published white paper that the transfer process is not something one should worry about.

In fact, deputy assistant secretary of Department of Commerce, James Sullivan has also issued a letter stating that the US legal framework for foreign intelligence collection is based on clear limits, strong safeguards, and continuous independent oversight to ensure privacy and it stands better than equivalent laws of other countries.

Furthermore, according to the paper, even if there are concerns regarding the surveillance practices of the US government, one should not be worried as the tech companies dont really deal with the kind of data that can actually be of help for US intelligence agencies.

Photo: Emmanuele Contini/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Read next: Data shows 3 in 10 of the websites track down your data and send it to Facebook

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Facebook, Netflix and Other US Tech Giants Have Again Been Called Out For Shady Data Handling Procedures - Digital Information World

GLOBAL MARKETS LIVE: Tech giants in the hot seat – Marketscreener.com

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Apple launching new audio products? Apple has stopped marketing the wireless headphones and speakers of its rivals, including SONOS Bose and Logitech International, a sign that the apple company is preparing to launch new audio products, according to Bloomberg.

McAfees founder in jail. John McAfee, the McAfee software creator indicted for fraud in the United States, was in jail today pending extradition procedures after being arrested in Barcelona airport at the weekend, Reuters reports.

A thousand pieces? The report to be submitted this week by the antitrust committee of the U.S. House of Representatives concerning Amazon.com, Apple, Facebook and Alphabet contains "a thinly veiled call for the split" of these companies, according to corroborating rumors. Republican Congressman Ken Buck shares Democrats' fears about the omnipotence of these players, but does not believe that dismantling them is the answer.

Oil backlash. Exxon Mobil is going to cut 1600 jobs by the end of 2021 in Europe. This represents 11% of its workforce in the region. The company did not give details on the geographical distribution of the cuts.

Golden merger. Northern Star will buy Saracen Mineral in shares, for a valuation of approximately AUD 5.20 per share. The transaction creates the 8th largest player among gold mining companies.

In other news. Southwest Airlines offers its employees the opportunity to accept salary reductions in exchange for the absence of short-time work. BHP will buy an additional 28% interest in the Shenzi project, in the Gulf of Mexico, for $505 million from Hess Corp. Cisco will appeal a judgment that condemns it to pay $1.9 billion in a patent infringement case. Vontier will replace Noble Energy in the S&P500. K+S AG sells its US subsidiary to a consortium for $3.2 billion. Sonova will enter the Chinese hearing market. Dufry publishes the terms of its capital increase.

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GLOBAL MARKETS LIVE: Tech giants in the hot seat - Marketscreener.com

Cloud Computing Market Worth $760.98 Billion at 18.6% CAGR; Tech Giants Such as IBM and Microsoft to Focus on Introducing Advanced Cloud Solutions:…

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Pune, Oct. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global cloud computing market size is projected to reach USD 760.98 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 18.6% during the forecast period. Rising preference for omni-cloud systems will prove highly beneficial for the growth of this market, states Fortune Business Insights in its report, titled Cloud Computing Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Hybrid Cloud), By Service (Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS)), By Industry (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI), IT and Telecommunications, Government, Consumer Goods and Retail, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Others (Energy and Utilities, Education, Media and Entertainment etc.)), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027.

Omni-cloud computing is a cloud solution that allows multiple cloud services to smoothly integrate and streamline their data on a single platform. The omni-cloud system is being increasingly preferred over the multi-cloud system owing to its multiple advantages and leading the cloud computing market trends. For example, an omni-cloud tool makes possible accessing real-time information from any location. In a departmental store, for instance, whenever there is an inventory shortfall, the cloud will send notification to the authorities, who will then take the necessary action. Similarly, storage of data on a unified platform also enables efficient analysis, enhances productivity, and elevates the quality of services. These, along with a few other benefits, are widening the applicability of omni-cloud computing across a variety of industries.

The emergence of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. We understand that this health crisis has brought an unprecedented impact on businesses across industries. However, this too shall pass. Rising support from governments and several companies can help in the fight against this highly contagious disease. There are some industries that are struggling and some are thriving. Overall, almost every sector is anticipated to be impacted by the pandemic.

We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreak across industries to help you prepare for the future.

Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Market.

Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/covid19-impact/cloud-computing-market-102697

According to the cloud computing market research report, the value of the market stood at USD 199.01 billion in 2019. The other highlights of the report are:

Market Restraint

Potential Risk of Cyber Attacks to Negatively Influence Adoption of Cloud Systems

Today, majority of organizations and many government departments and agencies have shifted their databases onto the cloud to improve efficiency and productivity of resources as well as bring down costs. Unfortunately, this move has exposed sensitive information to hackers, who have frequently launched cyber-attacks to retrieve and misuse data. For instance, the US-based Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) revealed that in April 2020 hackers from Iran attempted to breach personal files of World Health Organization (WHO) staffers while the world was reeling under the coronavirus pandemic. In February 2020, two Chinese hackers were persecuted by the US Department of Justice for performing cryptocurrency laundering activities for North Korean nationals. Such attacks are prompted by the availability of delicate data on cloud platforms and the constant threat of privacy infringement may hinder the cloud computing market growth in the upcoming years.

Request a Sample Copy of the Global Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/cloud-computing-market-102697

Regional Analysis

Strong Presence of Tech Bigwigs to Augment the Market in North America

North America is home to some of the biggest technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, and IBM and this factor has enabled the region to boast a market size of USD 61.59 billion in 2019. Moreover, the regulatory and research environment in the region is extremely favorable for development and adoption of advanced cloud technologies based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). As a result, North America is slated to dominate the cloud computing market share during the forecast period. Increasing penetration of the internet and rising usage of smartphones will aid Asia-Pacific register a high CAGR, while rapid deployment of 5G will favor market growth in Latin America and Middle East & Africa.

Competitive Landscape

Advent of IoT to Create Numerous Innovation Opportunities for Market Players

The market leaders such as Oracle and SAP are directing their research and investment energies toward efficiently utilizing the opportunities generated by the Internet of Things (IoT) phenomenon. Most of the players in this market are focused of making their products and services smarter and more streamlined using IoT-based tools.

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Industry Developments:

List of Key Players Profiled in the Cloud Computing Market Report:

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Detailed Table of Content

TOC Continued...!!!

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Human Capital Management (HCM) Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Offering (Solution and Services), By Deployment (Cloud, and On-Premises), By Enterprise size (SMEs, and Large Enterprises), By End-use Industry (IT and Telecommunication, BFSI, Government, Retail, Healthcare, Education, Manufacturing, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027

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Cloud Computing Market Worth $760.98 Billion at 18.6% CAGR; Tech Giants Such as IBM and Microsoft to Focus on Introducing Advanced Cloud Solutions:...

Which Scottish island would you put these asylum seekers on, Ms Patel? – The National

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SOPriti Nasty Patel is thinking about using a Scottish island as a "holding pen"for asylum seekers coming to the UK?

The Jouker got to thinking what island she could have in mind, and since we have 900-plus islands off our shores and plenty more in our lochs, Priti Nasty has got a lot to choose from.

Purely as a service to the Queen of the Hostile Environment, heres a few islands we think she should visit before making her decision, if only to rule them out.

Lets start with the furthest out, namely Rockall. Wee problem here is the Republic of Ireland also claims this uninhabited and uninhabitable islet just 100ft (30m) wide and 70ft ( 21m) high. Probably not worth starting a fight with Dublin, so we can leave that off the list.

READ MORE: Alison Phipps:We must stand firm against cruelty of the Tory immigration system

St Kilda was inhabited for centuries until its few remaining residents famously left en masse in 1930. At least theres a military presence already there and we all know how much this Tory Government loves threatening to get the army involved in things.

Main trouble is that St Kilda is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and its former President Neil Oliver isnt around to fix it for his Unionist pals. Oh, and its a UNESCO World Heritage Site and we dont think the United Nations would be too happy to have the archipelago used to house asylum seekers.

If shes checking on the Outer Hebrides, Priti Nasty should be aware that certain localities are very hot on doing nothing but pray on a Sunday, so they couldnt provide the 24-7 service she is looking for.

Shetland has to be ruled out because if you believe the Unionist press, the islands want independence from Scotland never mind the UK, and at 6.5 miles across the Pentland Firth at its narrowest, Orkney is probably a bit too close to the mainland for the kind of people who have trekked thousands of miles and dinghied their way 20-odd miles across the English Channel.

READ MORE:Nicola Sturgeon slams Home Office plan to treat migrants like 'cattle'

Mull, Arran and Bute are full of the friendliest people imaginable and would be great hosts for asylum seekers, but those islanders are also just not prepared to be pushed around, so possibly best not to go there, Ms Patel.

The Bass Rock was often used as a prison over the centuries, and Hamish MacPherson will soon be telling its extraordinary story, and in any case, theres about 150,000 gannets on the island and they would love to dump a ton of guano on any Minister spoiling their peace.

So the message to Priti Nasty is this keep your holding pen well away from Scotland. In fact, theres a perfectly good isle not far from Westminster that would surely satisfy the Isle of Dogs. All those Tory bankers and meejah types on Canary Wharf will surely back the Home Secretary should she choose their backyard, wouldnt they?

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Which Scottish island would you put these asylum seekers on, Ms Patel? - The National

Get in the fall spirit when you stock up on $20 flannels from Uniqlo – Thehour.com

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Men's and women's flannels, $19.90 at Uniqlo

Men's and women's flannels, $19.90 at Uniqlo

Photo: Uniqlo/Hearst Newspapers

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Men's and women's flannels, $19.90 at Uniqlo

Men's and women's flannels, $19.90 at Uniqlo

Get in the fall spirit when you stock up on $20 flannels from Uniqlo

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As I said last week, fall means flannel. It's an unwritten rule of the season that we all need to wear flannel, especially when headed to pick pumpkins and apples. It's an essential fall uniform. If you love flannel, you can get it for just under $20 at Uniqlo.

Normally $29.90, men's and women's flannel are marked down to $19.90. You can get a flannel shirt for every day of the week if that's the style you're looking to rock all fall. Check out some of the best styles on sale below:

WOMEN FLANNEL CHECKED LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT

WOMEN FLANNEL CHECKED LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT - uniqlo.com

Shirt in 44 Yellow

WOMEN FLANNEL CHECKED LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT - uniqlo.com

Shirt in 69 Navy

WOMEN FLANNEL CHECKED LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT - uniqlo.com

MEN FLANNEL CHECKED LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT

MEN FLANNEL CHECKED LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT - uniqlo.com

Shirt in 58 Dark Green

MEN FLANNEL CHECKED LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT - uniqlo.com

Shirt in 01 in Off White

MEN FLANNEL CHECKED LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT - uniqlo.com

Don't expect to find these prices in storesthe prices are online and in the app, only.

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Get in the fall spirit when you stock up on $20 flannels from Uniqlo - Thehour.com

Here’s a video of all the times GOP Senate candidate John James was caught in public not wearing a mask – Detroit Metro Times

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Sure, it doesn't help that even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Dr. Anthony Fauci initially advised against widespread mask use, fearing a shortage for frontline workers. But experts now agree that wearing a mask helps stop the spread of the virus. Many leaders, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have called for them to be worn in public, while many businesses won't let people enter without wearing one.

The Republicans have had a really hard time with this one, though, probably because President Donald Trump has for the most part refused to be seen wearing a mask. On Tuesday's debate, he even made fun of his rival Joe Biden for wearing one. On Friday, it was revealed that Trump was in the hospital for COVID-19. (Also on Friday, Biden doubled down on his support for wearing masks at a Grand Rapids campaign stop. "Its not about being a tough guy. Its about doing your part," he said.)

With the eyes now on Republicans to see if they will change their tune regarding COVID-19, WXYZ-TV asked Republican Senate nominee John James on Sunday if he always wears a mask. In the clip, James says he has "always done everything he can to protect folks who are vulnerable."

But that's not true, according to leaked photos shared by John James Revealed, a website run by the Michigan Democratic Party. The group posted a photo slideshow of every time James has been caught in public this year not wearing a mask, including appearances with Vice President Mike Pence and Trump lapdog Kid Rock, all set to "In the Hall of the Mountain King" for dramatic effect.

You can watch the video below.

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Here's a video of all the times GOP Senate candidate John James was caught in public not wearing a mask - Detroit Metro Times

Ohio State has a BOOMING recruiting weekend – Land-Grant Holy Land

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Unless you were hiding under a rock all weekend long, you probably know by now that Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes football program locked up another class of 2021 verbal commitment when three-star offensive tackle and one-time University of Louisville pledge Zenuae Zen Michalski publicly shut down his recruitment once again.

Deciding to call Columbus his soon-to-be college home over the Cardinals, Penn State, and Florida State, the 6-foot-6, 288-pound Indiana native gives Ohio State their 20th commitment of the 2021 cycle.

Committing to the Buckeyes via his Twitter page nearly a week after making a trip to Columbus to get more familiar with Ohio State University campus, Michalski didnt get to mingle with his now future coaches, but at the end of day saw enough to know it was the right spot for him on and off the gridiron.

I am going to be going to Ohio State, the future Buckeye told Rivals.com. I am a very young offensive lineman and I havent been playing the position that long. I want to go somewhere I can develop the best physically and technically. The coaches are amazing there, and I dont think Ive met a better group of people in this whole process. That was a big thing for me.

Currently looked at as the 48th offensive tackle, and 625th overall prospect in the entire senior class per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Michalski might not be pegged as a five-star prospect, but has the potential to one day hear his name called in the NFL Draft. Just now growing into his frame and the position, hes put on over 60 pounds in the last year, turning him into one of the most sought after linemen in the Midwest this fall.

Using his new physic to help lead his Floyd Central High upfront, Zen is a key reason why the 5-2 Highlanders offense attack averages nearly 400 yards per contest this season.

Always looking for line depth on the recruiting trail, Michalski is the third offensive lineman to give Day and crew their word. He joins fellow big guys Donovan Jackson and Ben Christman in the Buckeyes class of 2021.

With all the excitement surrounding Michalski and what he brings to Ohio State, some of his future coaches and teammates took to their Twitter pages to personally welcome the offensive lineman to Buckeye Nation:

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Ohio State has a BOOMING recruiting weekend - Land-Grant Holy Land

ZWALD For Polly Anna – We All Want Someone To Shout For

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ZWALD - "For Polly Anna" - We All Want Someone To Shout For at We All Want Someone To Shout For

By Will Oliver, October 5th 2020 Other

ZWALD is the indie side project of lead singer and guitarist Jason Wade and Steve Stout of the band Lifehouse.They have returned with their brand new single For Polly Anna the first single and title track from our bands fourth LP in two years.

The track has an easy-breezy summery feel with a mix of some retro pop elements and classic rock, all made with a youthful shine that feels like a nice farewell to summer.

The band adds this description to the track, which you can stream below:

For Polly Anna is the first single and title track from our bands fourth LP in 2 years. The song is semi biographical from Jays past and echos some scenes of some family drama from a long time ago new fictional characters are introduced into the album as well.. so the album is loosely based on a true story with a through-line narrative. This is our first experiment in making a record in this way and were excited to share it with you.

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ZWALD For Polly Anna - We All Want Someone To Shout For

AC/DC Announces New Album ‘Power Up’ & Shares ‘Shot In The Dark’ Single – JamBase

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Its offical, AC/DC confirmed the upcoming release of Power Up, their 17th studio album. Power Up is set to drop on November 13 via Columbia Records with the band previewing the 12-track LP by unveiling its lead single, Shot In The Dark.

The follow-up to 2014s Rock Or Bust features the latest incarnation of AC/DC with vocalist Brian Johnson, lead guitarist Angus Young, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams. Brendan OBrien produced the album, which was recorded at Warehouse Studio in Vancouver.

While co-founding member and Angus brother, Malcolm Young, died in 2017, Power Up contains songs based on riffs he wrote before he passed. It was pretty much written a while back, Angus said of Shot In The Dark to Ultimate Classic Rock. All of the tracks that weve got on the album were written by me and Malcolm. A lot of them were ideas we had that we knew were good AC/DC ideas at the time. But we just never got around to getting them on record.

Johnson, Rudd and Williams each left the band under different circumstances in the mid-2010s but have returned to the fold for the new LP. Power Up is available for pre-order in a variety of formats including a deluxe edition.

Stream Shot In The Dark below:

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AC/DC Announces New Album 'Power Up' & Shares 'Shot In The Dark' Single - JamBase

Baldur’s Gate 3 Early Access preview: A perfect playground to push Larian’s RPG to its narrative limits – GamesRadar+

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Steam Early Access wasnt built for RPGs. The games that have thrived on Valves platform are mostly roguelikes and survival sims - experiences designed to be started and restarted. When these games are updated, theres no downside: the loop begins again, punctuated with new surprises.

RPGs, by contrast, tend to be long and persistent. Players agonise over their choices, knowing their ramifications could last well beyond what's currently on their screen. They carefully kit out their characters with complementary skills, laying the foundations for 100 hour marathons. In that context, a reset button is a nuclear event; the save game wipes that tend to plague Early Access anathema to the genre.

Or so I had always felt. Then Larian changed the dominant paradigm in RPGs - replacing the chat-and-fight formula of Mass Effect with something more experimental. Drawing on Ultima and the immersive sims of the 90s, the Belgian studio built volatile simulations in which any given situation could go a number of ways - depending on whether you engaged a guard in conversation, slipped the key from his belt, or coated him in oil and set fire to the whole joint.

The potential for systemic play is what makes Baldurs Gate 3 a vital game, even now in Early Access.

This potential for systemic play is what makes Baldurs Gate 3 a vital game, even now in Early Access. Its new public build may not be the most polished way to experience the first chapter of its story - but repeated runs of a reduced game encourage a more playful, exploratory approach to a genre in which players tend to just pick a path and stick to it.

Think of Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, or the episodic release of Hitmans levels. Though some players initially balked at their short length, many found that focusing on a single location made each game richer over time. The sensation of gradually mastering a space makes it one worth staying in - just as, if you stare at one patch of the night sky for long enough, it slowly reveals ever-more complex and marvellous networks of stars.

Baldurs Gate 3s Early Access build could hardly be called short - its 25 hours would be a respectable length for a finished RPG - but it settles on an unnamed stretch of the Sword Coast and leaves the Underdark-delving sprawl for Acts 2 and 3, which are at least a year away. As with Ground Zeroes and Hitmans Sapienza, the narrower space pushes you to go deep rather than broad. Larian rewards the attention with a knotted, layered environment.

My first bumpy landing on the beach - amid the wreckage of a Nautiloid, best imagined as a cross between a spaceship and a conch shell - fires me into the path of Shadowheart, a cleric who instantly challenges me to open a large wooden door set into the cliffside. Im a rogue, and so I do, making short work of the lock and leading our new party of two inside.

Im scarcely aware of having made a choice at all - until, hours of dungeon-crawling later, I happen back across the beach from a new vantage point, and realise Ive cut out first encounters with three other potential party members. In terms of navigation, Baldurs Gate 3 reminds me most of Dark Souls: a tangle of routes that curl back on themselves, like twisting vines (be wary of those - they do 1D6 piercing damage per turn).

An open world might not sound particularly groundbreaking, no matter how cleverly its threaded together. But your angle of approach can have a profound impact on combat and its outcome. When I emerged from the crypt Shadowheart had led me into, I looked up into the faces of four dug-in bandits. A dash across exposed ground ensued, followed by a desperate battle to even the odds.

If Id instead scaled the hill from the beach, I could have taken the crucial high ground, shoved the groups archer from his perch, and crushed two fighters beneath a falling rock - all practically simultaneously, thanks to the ability to trigger turn-based mode before a skirmish begins.

The fighting feels a tad more grounded than its Divinity: Original Sin equivalent. Though Dungeons & Dragons hasnt left Larian short on spells, and there are still many opportunities to combine the elements, the battlefield less regularly devolves into a boiling pool of electrified blood. Instead theres more focus on tactile pugilism - the hurled objects and desperate pushes with both hands that put distance between you and a marauding enemy.

Sneaking plays a surprisingly central role, too, since it unlocks more options for all-important positioning as hostilities open. With the addition of a mouse indicator that highlights whether youre about to move into light or shadow, plus illusions that pull the attention of enemies away from their usual patrol routes, Larian has the makings of a full-featured stealth engine on its hands. It seems feasible to avoid some encounters altogether, though I was loath to pass up the chance for elaborate backstabs, not to mention more XP. In D&D, for all its flexibility, personal development is still synonymous with killing.

Said killing often highlighted the bugs in the build I was playing, however. At the point of death, some enemies would warp horribly like John Carpenter monsters, their features unfolding across the terrain. One halflings hand merged with a nearby ladder, becoming a strange extra appendage for climbers to hold onto. Later, I saw a goblin thwack an archer so hard that he flattened into canvas, his body stretching like a tarpaulin that would have shielded the battlefield had it started raining.

These werent isolated cases: missing sound effects and jumpy animations abounded, and at one point a duplicate Shadowheart appeared just behind my companion; not unheard of in the Forgotten Realms, but in this case, not intentional.

Todays public build is already improved on the one I played yesterday, and Larian has been upfront about the number of bugs players can expect to face in Early Access. But its worth emphasising: though Baldurs Gate 3 might already have as much dialogue and as many distractions as a finished game, it certainly isnt one.

There will be some for whom the idea of an Early Access RPG feels intrinsically wrong - like racing the Nrburgring while its still being paved, or reading a series of epic fantasy novels before knowing whether the author will live to write the last one. Theres no arguing with the fact that, by playing Baldurs Gate 3 now, youre embarking on a journey you cant yet finish.

Yet theres something positive in that: the limited scope is an invitation to play - really play, to muck about and test the possibilities - rather than simply push to complete yet another RPG. This ones worth hanging around in.

Find some modern classics to keep you going while you wait for Baldur's Gate 3 in our list of thebest RPG games. And if you want to try the game that started it all, here's how to play D&D online.

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Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access preview: A perfect playground to push Larian's RPG to its narrative limits - GamesRadar+

High school golfers lose federal case over virus rules that kept them from D-10 tourney – GoErie.com

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Ed Palattella|Erie Times-News

Four high school golfershave come up short of the legal pin in trying to sue their way into the boys District 10 championshiptournament in Meadville this week.

Their emergency motion, docketedin federal court in Erie on Thursday,claimed thatCOVID-19 restrictions that limitedthe number of the tournament's participants and kept each of the four boys from qualifying were unconstitutional.

In a ruling filed lateThursday night, U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter rejected the arguments of the golfers and their parents, who claimed thatthe Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Associationand the District 10 Committeeviolated their civil rights by imposing the virus-related restrictions.

She said the PIAA and the D-10 Committee, which followed the PIAA's guidance,based the rules on medical advice, and that the restrictions were not "arbitrary and capricious," as the golfers and their parents contended.

"The Court will and should always err on the side of safety, which was the basis for the ruling by the PIAA to lower the numbers of golfers in the tournament," Baxter wrote in a 10-page opinion filed at 11:17 p.m. on Thursday.

"It is not the Courts job to decide the better course, but to ensure the one taken was not arbitrary and capricious, or for a wrongful purpose," Baxter wrote. "Although the decision was a painful one for the Plaintiffs, it was done with a rational basis and passes muster under the law."

The four boys and their parents asked Baxter to issue a preliminary injunction that would have prohibited the PIAA and the D-10 Committee from enforcing the restrictions. Such a ruling would have forced the D-10 Committee to add the four to thefield for the tournament for the boys, which startedFriday with first-round and team play at The Country Club ofMeadville. The D-10 tournament for the girls started on Thursday with first-round and team play.

The D-10 tournaments will conclude with the second and final individual rounds for both boys and girls on Saturday.

District 10 covers Erie County and the rest of northwestern Pennsylvania, Two of the four golfers whose familiessued are seniors at Conneaut Area High School, in Linesville, Crawford County,according to Baxter's ruling. The other twoattend Slippery Rock Area High School, in Butler County, where one is a junior and the other a senior.

Baxter's ruling and the other court records in the case identify the students only by their initials: A.M. and J.V. from Conneaut and L.W. and J.H. from Slippery Rock. All of the court records identify the students' parents by name, and several of theparents testified at a virtual hearing before Baxter on Thursday, according to her ruling. Baxter in her ruling identifiedthe parents who testified asJamie McKalip, Barbra Vaughn, Diana Wolakand Kevin Hadley.

The parents sued on behalf of their sons in Crawford County Court on Wednesday. The other plaintiffs were the Conneaut School District and the Slippery Rock Area School District.

The PIAA and the D-10 Committeewerethe defendants, and they transferredthe case to federal court in Erie on Thursday. They said the move wasappropriate because theplaintiffs claimed, among other things, that the students wereentitled to protection under the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Baxter held the virtual hearing at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, when she heard arguments from all sides for about 2 hours. She issued her ruling about five hours later, filing itbefore the boys D-10 tournament started on Friday.

The case is the latest example of litigation that has occurred across Pennsylvania to challenge restrictions that government authorities have issued to try to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In another recent case, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Philadelphia, on Thursday stayed a federal district judge's decision that invalidated Gov. Tom Wolf's statewide limits on crowd size and other measures designed to combat COVID-19. The Circuit Court said the restrictions can remainin place as the court hears Wolf's appeal of the Sept. 14 ruling fromU.S. District Judge William Stickman IV in Pittsburgh.

Strickman and Baxter are colleagues on the federal bench for the Pittsburgh-based Western District of Pennsylvania, which includes U.S. District Court in Erie. Both Strickman and Baxter are appointees of President Donald Trump, though President Barack Obama first nominated Baxter and Trump renominated her.

In her ruling in the golfers' case, Baxter referred tothe hardships that the pandemic has created. But she said the PIAA and the D-10 committee acted properly under the law.

"The changes in the D-10 tournament rules that are at issue in this case have no doubt wrought genuine disappointment for the student athletes who were adversely affected by the change, as well as for their families," Baxter wrote."COVID-19 has affected all of our lives and normal dealings, and none more than students who have had their world turned upside down.

"Although the Court is grieved for the students and all they have lost this year, especially the four fine golfers who were dealt this blow just a week ago," Baxter wrote, "we all have to deal with the reality that nothing is the same as it was prior to this pandemic."

The PIAA on Sep. 23 approved reducing the number of golfers who could participate in the state championship tournament. The D-10 Committee the next day followed the PIAA's lead and reduced the number of golfers eligibleto participate in the D-10 championship tournament "and thereby compete for a berth in the state playoffs," Baxter wrote.

In previousD-10 boys championship golf tournaments, the D-10 Committee allowed eightplayers from Region 3, which includes Conneaut Area High School,and nineplayers from Region 2, which includes Slippery Rock AreaHigh School, Baxter wrote in her decision. The virus-related changes dropped the number of eligible Region 3 golfers in the boys D-10 tournament by four, to four golfers. The changes dropped the number of eligible Region 2 golfers by four, to five.

In their petition for a preliminary injunction, the plaintiffs argued that the reductions would"irreparablyharm" the golfers because their opportunity to play in the D-10 tournament"would be forever lost,"especially for the golfers who are seniors.

The plaintiffs' lawyers, Andrew Schmidt and George Joseph, of Erie, also questioned the efficacy of the COVID-19 rules that restrict the number of golfers. The "reduction in numbers has no quantifiable relationship on the spread of COVID-19 as it related to outdoor activities such as golf," they wrote in their petition.

In the PIAA's response, its lawyers Brian H. Simmons, of Pittsburgh, and Alan R. Boyton Jr., of Harrisburg wrote that the PIAA and D-10 Committee based their decisionson sound medical advice. Though the decisions are "certainly subject to review and second guessing," the lawyers wrote, the PIAA and D-10 Committee acted to achievea legitimate purpose.

"Here, the purpose was to reduce numbers of participants to make the spread of infection less likely," the lawyers wrote."The purpose and means of achieving it were both appropriate."

Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNpalattella.

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High school golfers lose federal case over virus rules that kept them from D-10 tourney - GoErie.com

Black History Month: Are these the 10 most influential black musicians of all time? – Radio X

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As Black History Month begins, Radio X takes a look at some of the most iconic black artists of all time and their influence on rock music. Does your favourite make the cut?

Today marks the beginning of Black History Month in the UK.

The annual event, which spans from 1-31 October each year, encourages us to recognise some of the outstanding contributions people of African and Caribbean descent have made to our lives.

Naturally, one of those contributions is music. Whether you look to the likes of Muddy Waters, Nina Simone or Jimi Hendrix, there are so many examples of trailblazers who continue to inspire and influence artists through the generations.

So who are some of the most influential and iconic black musicians of all time? Read our list and find out if your favourite artist makes the cut.

Remember: This list isn't exhaustive nor is it in order of preference, it's just an acknowledgement of some of the artists who changed the course of music history and who we have to thank for some of the biggest artists today.

McKinley Morganfield - known professionally as Muddy Waters - was a crucial figure in the post-war blues scene. The American blues singer-songwriter, who grew up on Stovall Plantation in Clarksdale Mississippi, began playing the guitar and Harmonica by the age of 17 and he was first recorded in the Library of Congress in 1941. After moving to Chicago to become a full-time musician, he recorded his first records for Columbia and Aristocrat Records in 1946.

Often cited as the godfather of modern Chicago blues, Muddy Waters and his band are known for their renditions of Hootchie Coochie Man, Baby Please Don't Go (which was covered by The Rolling Stones) I Just Want to Make Love to You and Got My Mojo Working.

Travelling to England in 1958, he laid the foundations for the resurgence of blues in the country and was a crucial influence on many of the legendary British bands we know and love today. The Rolling Stones named themselves after his 1950 song Rolling Stone, Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love is based on the Muddy Waters hit You Need Love, Hoochie Coochie Man has had too many covers to mention and everyone from Eric Clapton to Jimi Hendrix cite him as influences.

St Louis-born Berry took rhythm and blues and made it palatable for white teenagers. Starting with Maybellene in 1955, Berry unleashed a string of hits that defined rock 'n' roll. Elvis covered his hit Johnny B. Goode, The Beatles covered Rock And Roll Music, The Rolling Stones' debut single was a cover of Berry's Come On.

Without Chuck Berry's ground breaking work, rock 'n' roll would't have been so big. And, let's not forget, one of the big moments in Pulp Fiction is John Travolta and Uma Thurmann dancing to Berry's You Never Can Tell.

Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley to me and you) considered to be one of the pioneers of reggae music. The Jamaican star - who fused elements of the genre with ska and rocksteady - stood out because of his blend of the musical styles and distinctive vocals and lyrics, which brought Jamaican music and culture to the masses.

Starting his professional career in 1963 after forming Bob Marley and The Wailers, they went on to release their debut album The Wailing Wailers in 1965, which featured the single One Love/People Get Ready. Other than being responsible of the enduring hits No Woman No Cry, Is This Love, Buffalo Soldier, Get Up Stand Up and I Shot The Sheriff, Marley is also considered as a Rastafari icon and was known for his unapologetic support for the legalisation of marijuana.

In 1977, Marley was diagnosed with cancer and sadly died as a result of it in 1981, aged just 36. However, he left a huge legacy behind - influencing a host of artists from across the musical spectrum and becoming one of the most instantly recognisable faces of all time.

The Godfather Of Soul. The Hardest Working Man In Show Business. Mr Dynamite. Whatever you call James Brown, you cannot deny his influence on 20th Century music. He was a huge R&B star in the 60s with songs like Papa's Got A Brand New Bag and I Got You (I Feel Good), but could still belt out a soulful ballad like It's A Man's Man's Man's World.

When civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968, riots erupted in many US cities - and it was James Brown who publicly appealed for calm. He produced one of the key civilc rights songs of the era: Say It Loud, Im Black and Im Proud.

JB's commitment to the groove intensified as the 1970s arrived - Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine forged a new music in funk, where the riffs were relentless. Brown was surprised when some of his grooves began to be sampled by hip hop stars and beyond in the 80s.

The break from 1970's Funky Drummer was one of the most sampled recordings of all time, with Brown associate Bobby Byrd's cover of Hot Pants forming the backbone of The Stone Roses' Fools Gold.

Marvin Gaye - born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. - helped shape the Motown sound of the 1960s, earning him the monikers, the Prince of Motown and the Prince of Soul. Known most for the likes of Let's Get It On, Heard It Through The Grapevine, and Sexual Healing, Gaye's songs continually get the cover treatment and his iconic 1971 What's Going On single - which was originally inspired by police brutality - has long been considered one of the most important songs of all time.

Shot dead by his own father on April 1 1984, the day before his 45th birthday, Marvin Gaye's life was senselessly cut short, but his impact on music and culture still remain today. In fact, Marvin Gaye is more relevant than ever, recently topping of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time with his What's Going On album, which knocked off The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to boot.

Francis Nicholls Jr - or Frankie Knuckles to his fans - may not have been a household name like some of the other musicians on this list, but his importance in the history of house music can't be ignored. A New Yorker by birth, he spent much of the 70s in the city, DJing at clubs with his friend Larry Levan. Together, they moved the genre on from disco to something more adventurous. When Knuckles moved to Chicago in 1977, he launched a club called The Warehouse, that began to play electronica and synth-pop. Aiming to boost some of his own remixes, Knuckles bought his own drum machine and the sound of The Warehouse became known as "House music" for short.

By '86, Knuckles was one of the most influential musicians on the planet, releasing the classic Your Love with Jamie Principle, later sampled by The Source featuring Candi Staton for You've Got The Love. His pioneering of house music led British bands like New Order and Pet Shop Boys to adopt the style, leading US DJs to take inspiration from them in turn. Frankie Knuckles died in 2014 aged 59, but his legacy lives on.

Nina Simone - born Eunice Kathleen Waymon - might be one of the hardest artists to pin down with her musical styles ranging from classical to folk, jazz, pop, gospel, jazz and blues. Born to a poor family in North Carolina and trained for a summer at Julliard, she might not seem like a rock star to you now, but the she lived every inch of her life like one. After adopting the name Nina Simone to in 1954 to stop her family discovering she was playing the "devil's music" she never looked back. Her enduring tracks include the likes of Ain't Got No, I Got Life, I Put a Spell on You, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free) and Feeling Good, which gave Muse an unlikely hit in 2001.

However, to call Simone a singer-songwriter is only half her story. She was a hugely prominent figure during the civil rights era, where she spoke as well as performed. Simone's talent was as big as her troubled personal life, but her impact on music and culture has remained.

Artists to cite Nina Simone as an important musical influence include the likes of Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, Elton John, Bono, Lana Del Rey, Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner, Jeff Buckley, Lauryn Hill, Matt Bellamy, Peter Gabriel and Adele. The list goes on and on...

James Marshall Hendrix was playing guitar from the age of 15 and after a brief spell in the US Army, wound up playing in backing bands for Little Richard and The Isley Brothers.

Moving to the UK in the mid-60s, he launched his power trio The Jimi Hendrix Experience and his unique technique of blues guitar and wild soloing quickly made him a superstar. With tracks like Purple Haze, Foxy Lady and Voodoo Chile, Hendrix took the electric guitar to whole new, often psychedelic levels.

He died in 1970, aged just 27, but every rock guitarist who ever threw a shape - from Prince to Matt Bellamy - is trying to capture some of that Hendrix magic.

Aretha Franklin's impact on the musical cannon cannot be understated. The Tennesee-born and Detroit-raised star, who started off as a church singer, brought her unique brand of soul to the masses. By the late 60s, songs such as Respect, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Chain of Fools, Think and I Say a Little Prayer secured her status as one of the most prominent singers in US history and earned her the title of the Queen of Soul. But she didn't stop there.

Aretha used her voice and status for activism and she continued to record and release critically acclaimed albums such as Young Gifted and Black (1972) and Amazing Grace (1972) - while being known globally for her breathtaking performances and collaborations. Her rendition of Nessun dorma at the 1998 GRAMMY Awards (where she stood in for Pavarotti) remains one of the most iconic moments music award ceremony history. Aretha's impact on soul and R&B singers cannot be understated and everyone from Amy Winehouse to Adele (whose Rolling In The Deep song she herself covered) was heavily influenced by the icon.

If it wasn't enough to have left such indelible mark on our culture, Aretha lived through some of the most memorable moments in US history and performed at both the inaugurations of President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama. Her death on 16 August 2018 prompted a tidal wave of tributes from all over the world and culminated in one of the most elaborate, star-studded funerals in music history.

When Prince Rogers Nelson signed his first record contract aged just 19, it was clear from the outset that he was a genius: the Minneapolis musician played every instrument on his debut album For You. Prince's music mixed 70s funk and the post-punk sounds of the New Wave, but his love for music was too great to be constrained by genres. If his musical talent wasn't enough to stop you in your tracks, then his image would. Prince didn't just defy genre, he also defend genders. Picking up from where Little Richard left off, Prince wasn't afraid to sport anything from fishnet stockings to suspenders and heels.

1999 was his big cross-over hit album - mixing in rock, pop, R&B and blues. MTV, who claimed they were a "rock" station and therefore couldn't play black artists, had to concede when Prince made Purple Rain - the album, the movie and the song that was the perhaps the biggest power ballad of the decade. From that point on, Prince released music in a dazzling array of styles, the highpoint of which was the ambitious double album Sign 'O' The Times in 1987. He died in 2016 aged just 57, but has left a huge vault unreleased recordings that proved the man genuinely loved making music.

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Black History Month: Are these the 10 most influential black musicians of all time? - Radio X