Jane Rogers position terminated — for now — by the Staten Island Yankees – SILive.com

Posted on by

Jane Rogers, who was the first person hired by the Staten Island Yankees in 1999, told the Advance on Friday that her position as the teams senior vice president of baseball operations was recently terminated.

But theres a chance she could return if there is a 2021 season for the S.I. Yankees, according to the teams president.

Rogers and most of the Staten Island Yankee staff had been originally furloughed after the 2020 season was delayed because of the pandemic. When the season was officially cancelled in late June, most of those furlough employees were terminated, according to Rogers.

Its been difficult, real difficult, said Rogers. I didnt want to go out this way. Ive been a part of the Staten Island Yankees since 1999 and I miss it."

Complicating matters for Rogers and some of her colleagues is the uncertainty of the teams future. The Staten Island Yankees, who play in the New York-Penn League, could be one of the 40 minor league teams that are expected to be contracted by Major League Baseball later this month when the minor-league player development deal with the MLB runs out.

Staten Island Yankees president/operating partner Will Smith said COVID-19 and the tough times in the minor league environment led to Rogers' departure, but he didnt rule out her return.

If there is a season in 2021 all those who were furloughed will be asked to come back, including Jane, said Smith, who said his team has not made any money since the last day of the 2019 season and are down to only three employees on their payroll. "The decisions by MLB and our elected leaders to (shutter) the 2020 season have severely impacted the Staten Island Yankees present business.

"Verified reports of MLBs plan to eliminate short-season baseball have seriously impacted forecasted future business. The combination of both have made daily operations unsustainable. Difficult decisions were made to furlough much of the SIY staff months ago. Our benefits provider instructed us saying we could not keep paying 100% of our furloughed employees' benefits beyond July. In our eyes, everyone is still furloughed and part of the family. We believe we are on good terms and hope to get the back together ASAP when the future of professional baseball at Richmond County Bank Ballpark is clear.

Also, we hope that MLB sees how impactful their decisions are on the community and people of Staten Island. There is still time to alter their plans and keep baseball alive so we can all get back together.

Whether or not the Staten Island Yankees will exist in 2021 or the 64-year-old Rogers returns to her office at Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George, she said "its been a good run.

I have grown to love the Staten Island community and I think they love me, too, she said. I wanted to go out on my terms. Im still hopeful (that there will be a season in 2021).

Jane Rogers throws out a ceremonial first pitch. August 21, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon)

If anything, Rogers has had an impressive climb up the S.I. Yankees' front-office ladder.

After her first six seasons with the New York Yankees' Single-A short-season affiliate, she progressed from office manager to assistant general manager to general manager.

Rogers remained the teams general manager until 2019, when she was promoted to senior vice president, baseball operations. In her new role, Rogers arranged for the ballplayers' lodging, travel, etc., and was the liaison between the front office and teams manager and coaches.

Additionally, she administered the internship program involving college students and their introduction into the sport management field.

A breast cancer survivor, she was honored by the team in August of 2018 after being diagnosed with the sickness in March of 2018. The teams players and coaches all shaved their heads and both teams wore pink that night as part of a breast cancer awareness fundraiser.

Not being here was the most difficult part, said Rogers at the time. Other than being diagnosed, going through chemotherapy and surgery at the end of this. We didnt know how Id react to treatment and it was pretty tough, but I kept contact with our coach, managers and Will [Smith, team president] but the hardest part was not being here. Its a fantastic front office and a fantastic team and they kept me in the loop.

Rogers was named the New York-Penn League Executive of the Year in 2018.

During her tenure, the Staten Island Yankees won six NY-P League crowns.

Continued here:

Jane Rogers position terminated -- for now -- by the Staten Island Yankees - SILive.com

David Robinson was left on an island during the 1995 Western Conference Finals – Pounding The Rock

Posted on by

Want to know how to ruin a Spurs fans day? Just utter these five words: The 1995 Western Conference Finals. Id be surprised if more than half of you are still reading, but I might be able to help alleviate some of the pain of that playoff series, especially when it comes to David Robinsons performance.

Theres no denying that the 1995 season ended in disappointment for San Antonio, and I wont try and convince you that Robinson outplayed Hakeem Olajuwon. If you were too young (or werent born yet) to remember the events of that series, theres a good chance that the basketball community (more specifically, r/NBA) has convinced you that Robinson got his you-know-what handed to him by The Dream.

The box score certainly backs up this narrative, but stats can often be misleading; there were plenty of external factors that led to the seemingly lopsided matchup between the two star centers. More specifically, there are three aspects in particular that stands out: Bob Hills questionable coaching, the supporting cast of both teams, and everyones favorite Spur, Dennis Rodman.

Lets get started.

Bob Hill was outcoached, plain and simple. Its not a coincidence that he was fired less than a year and a half after the series ended and was out of the league for almost a decade afterwards.

While the Rockets were double and triple-teaming Robinson every time he stepped past half-court, Hill had The Admiral play Olajuwon straight up, and the results were... less than ideal. Imagine having the offence run through your star player and also asking him to play one-on-one against the most dominant force in basketball. News flash: theres not a single player in history who could have performed at their highest level when theyre playing over 40 minutes a game while doing the heavy lifting at both ends of the court.

Hill was reluctant to have the Spurs team up on Olajuwon because he was afraid of leaving Houstons shooters open. This is understandable, but its still not an excuse for an NBA coach to fail at formulating a better game plan when theyll be facing the same team over the course of an entire playoff series. Speaking of Olajuwons supporting cast, this leads me to my next point.

Looking at the record of both teams, one might assume that the Spurs surrounded Robinson with much better pieces than the Rockets did with Olajuwon. A closer inspection, however, reveals that Houston actually underperformed that season. They brought back most players from their 1994 championship team but only finished sixth in the Western Conference. The Rockets also acquired Clyde Drexler at the trade deadline, who had made seven consecutive all-star teams and was the focal point of some dangerous Portland squads.

On the other hand, San Antonios two best players outside of Robinson were Sean Elliott and Rodman. Elliott, for all the fanfare he (rightfully) receives, is no Drexler, while Rodman... well, well get to him soon enough. The fact that Robinson was able to lead this team to 62 wins and the best regular season record was nothing short of remarkable, and he rightfully deserved to win MVP that season.

More importantly, Houston was truly ahead of its time when it comes to their roster construction. They built their team by surrounding Olajuwon with shooters who could punish the opposition if The Dream was being doubled in the post. Kenny Smith, Robert Horry and Drexler all shot over 35% from three while averaging a combined 12.4 attempts per game during the regular season. That may not sound like much today, but it was unheard of back in that era.

In that fateful series, the Spurs only made 23 shots from beyond the arc while Houston made 44. Thats a huge difference, especially when half of the games were decided by five points or less, and the Rockets only outscored San Antonio by 10 over the entirety of the series. If the Spurs had surrounded Robinson with more shooters, we might not even be having this discussion right now.

Last but not least, theres performance of Rodman, whose job was supposed to be the leader on defense and alleviate some of Robinsons heavy workload. Unfortunately, he never fit into the Spurs culture and often clashed with both Hill and Gregg Popovich.

During the most critical stages of San Antonios season, Rodman refused to guard Olajuwon when asked. In his book, Bad as I Wanna Be (NSFW cover), he stated that [the Spurs] asked me to guard Olajuwon, and I refused. Bob Hill came up to me and asked if I would take Hakeem in the first half, and I said no.

Moreover, he was causing locker room problems before the Conference Finals even began. Following the Spurs second round victory over the Lakers, Rodman said that [he] wanted to go to Las Vegas during that time off, so [he] did... This, of course, drove everyone crazy. [The Spurs] didnt know where [he] was, and they were worried that [hed] just bailed on the team.

Not performing up to standard is one thing, but Rodman went one step further by actively refusing to do his job. This put even more pressure on Robinson, who was already carrying a heavy offensive burden.

The Admiral was facing an uphill battle no matter how favored the Spurs were in that series. Not only did he have to match up against the most dominant player at that time, he also had to carry a weaker supporting cast which included a lackluster coach and a player who was purposely hindering the team. Its a miracle that San Antonio was able to stretch the series to six games.

So, the next time anyone brings up the 1995 Western Conference Finals to tries and diminish The Admirals legacy, educate them about these factors and see how they react. It might not change their mind, but at least you can feel better about the performance of Robinson in that fateful series against Houston.

Read the original post:

David Robinson was left on an island during the 1995 Western Conference Finals - Pounding The Rock

Love Island USA: Season 2 Episode 22 TV Schedule, Streaming Options & Recap – Screen Rant

Posted on by

Love Island USA season 2 episode 22 will be two hours long and reveal the results of the last public voting. Catch up on everything you need to know.

Love Island USA season 2 episode 22 will betwo hours long and reveal the results of the latest public voting. The show has yet to reveal how many islanders will be dumped from the villa - if any - following this last public vote. There are quite a few unstable couples on the show at the moment, such as Aaron Owen& Mackenzie Dipman, Connor Trott& Moira Tumas, Calvin Cobb& Kierstan Saulter, and Jalen Noble & Sher Suarez. With that said, it is fair to say that the public has beenpretty upset at Mackenzie's decisions and feeling sort ofbad for Connor. This dynamic might impact the results in tonight's episodes.

The other big decision that will be revealed on tonight'sepisode ofLove Island USAis whether the public has forgiven Johnny for getting too involved with Mercades Schell. Given that Cely & Johnnyhave beenthe most solid couple all season long, the results of the public vote could reveal to Cely that she's missing certain pieces of Johnny's Casa Amor puzzle. Alternatively, this week could be Justine Ndiba & Caleb Corprew's chance to become the number one couple of the show according to the fans.

Related:Love Island USA: How To Download App & When To Vote

Love Island USA season 2 episode 22 isscheduled to air on Thursday, September17 at 9 pm ET/PT on CBS. This two-hour episodewill be all about the first public voting results since the coupleswere put to test through the Casa Amor twist.Usually, new episodes of Love Island USAair on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. Then, on Saturday night, CBS airs Love Island: More to Love, which is the show's two-hour weekly recap episode.

There are many different ways towatchLove Island USAonline. Fans with a cable subscription can log ontoCBS.comand/or download the CBS app for iOS or Android. After logging in with the cable provider's credentials, the viewers can watchLove Island USA through that official website or app at no additional cost. When it comes to cord-cutters, there's always the option of subscribing to the CBS All Access streaming service. The service costs $5.99a month, but new users can sign up for a free trial first.Last but not least, Love Island USA season 2can be watched via alive TV plan offeredby Hulu, Sling, YouTube TV, AT&T Now, or Fubo.

Continued here:

Love Island USA: Season 2 Episode 22 TV Schedule, Streaming Options & Recap - Screen Rant

Some Island kids return to in-person learning – Martha’s Vineyard Times

Posted on by

Island elementary school students who require additional support in their learning returned to in-person instruction Thursday as all Island students returned to some form of education either remote or in-person.

Pre-k students (Project Headway) have also returned to in-person learning across the Island.

Students in this cohort have been designated as high-needs students, based on guidance from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and officials have worked to advocate for their rapid return to school campuses.

This group of students includes those with IEPs, 504 plans, or other disabilities, along with English Language Learner (ELL) students, and others with circumstances that require them to be taught in-person.

After hours of deliberation in school meetings and receiving extensive input from stakeholders, officials finalized the school reopening plan at the end of August, which includes

measures like utilizing outdoor learning spaces as much as possible, and requiring that students wear masks throughout the school day.

On Thursday students with high needs returned to elementary schools across the Island. At the Tisbury School, a bus of just two students pulled up to the parking lot near the playground and unloaded. The students hopped off the bus their faces covered, and were greeted by their teachers and faculty. They then proceeded to the rear of the campus, where a large tent was set up for outdoor learning.

A number of students were also dropped off by their families.

In the large tent on the athletic field, students wore masks and played games to get them warmed up to the new year, as well as get them accustomed to the multitude of changes in their everyday lives due to health restrictions.

Teacher Shannon Carbon said a cheerful good morning to her students, both in English, and in Portuguese.

Carbon asked students if they knew of anything that people should avoid doing with their masks, and one student said not to touch your mask with your hands.

Thats right!, Carbon said. If you do touch the front of your mask with your hands, you can put on some hand sanitizer.

The entire morning meeting for the first day at the Tisbury School was conducted in English and Portuguese.

Carbon then led the students in an introductory name game, where kids kicked a soccer ball around and said each others names. Just kick the ball. No picking it up with your hands, Carbon said.

After the students and teachers finished the name game, nurses Catherine Coogan and Mary Vivian gave a presentation on proper mask, sanitation, and distancing protocols.

We can go over these things multiple times with your teachers later on. They are all things to keep you safe so you can continue to go to school with your friends, Coogan said.

Coogan explained to students how their parents will screen them using a COVID checklist every morning, and discussed the new situation in the nurses office, which includes a separate space for those who feel ill, and another space for other health issues.

All of this will become part of your daily routine, just like wearing masks, Coogan said. If you have any questions at all, please come to the nurses office and we will help you.

Principal John Custer said he feels relieved to see students learning at the campus again, but assistant principal Melissa Ogden said she has mixed feelings.

It is tough because, yes we do have kids back here, but not all of them, Ogden said. I am excited for the time when we phase the rest of them back into the building.

In two week increments, older students will slowly be reintroduced to in-person learning, with high school students being the last to return to campus.

See more here:

Some Island kids return to in-person learning - Martha's Vineyard Times

Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre embraces facial coverings in ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona production – SILive.com

Posted on by

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- The Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre is embracing mandatory facial coverings in the costume design of its latest production.

Closing out a two-weekend run of The Two Gentlemen of Verona" this Saturday and Sunday, the company has dressed its actors with white facial coverings stamped with designs that reflect their characters. The performances are taking place at Fort Tompkins within Fort Wadsworth, with socially distant seating.

Were so excited to use our outside show experience to provide the only live theatre show in town right now -- maybe even in the whole city, Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre Director Frank Williams told SILive.com.

Scenes from the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre production "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," taking place at Fort Tompkins within Fort Wadsworth in September. (Photos by Sean Sweeney)

Those who wish to attend the performance must reserve their tickets ahead of time at SIShakespeare.org. Audience members are required to wear masks and maintain social distance.

The cast comprises Jolee Cohen, Jack Dawnson, John DeFlippo, Carrie Ellman-Larson, Charles Murria, Christopher Neske, Ariana Nicoletta, Jasmine Parham, Robert Raffellini, Wade Raley, Eric Rosen, Anadina Saladino, Krystal Sanchez and Hannah Simpson.

This isnt the first time the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre used Fort Tompkins as a main stage. In 2019, the theatre company performed Measure For Measure at the Staten Island grounds, turning Fort Tompkins into the Wild West. The company transformed the open, outdoor area into royal grounds for its production of King Lear in 2017.

Keep scrolling for more production shots from the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatres latest performance.

Scenes from the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre production "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," taking place at Fort Tompkins within Fort Wadsworth in September. (Photos by Sean Sweeney)

Scenes from the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre production "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," taking place at Fort Tompkins within Fort Wadsworth in September. (Photos by Sean Sweeney)

Scenes from the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre production "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," taking place at Fort Tompkins within Fort Wadsworth in September. (Photos by Sean Sweeney)

Scenes from the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre production "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," taking place at Fort Tompkins within Fort Wadsworth in September. (Photos by Sean Sweeney)

Scenes from the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre production "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," taking place at Fort Tompkins within Fort Wadsworth in September. (Photos by Sean Sweeney)

Scenes from the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre production "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," taking place at Fort Tompkins within Fort Wadsworth in September. (Photos by Sean Sweeney)

Scenes from the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre production "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," taking place at Fort Tompkins within Fort Wadsworth in September. (Photos by Sean Sweeney)

More here:

Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre embraces facial coverings in 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona production - SILive.com

Freedom of Religion or Belief club formed at BYU – The Daily Universe – Universe.byu.edu

Posted on by

The Freedom of Religion or Belief Club logo reflects the clubs motto to educate students on religious freedom. (Freedom of Religion or Belief club)

A club educating students on freedom of religion and belief was formed at BYU. The Freedom of Religion and Belief club, known as FoRB, was created by students seeking to find a way to communicate with other students who have similar interests.

The clubs website explains that the club is designed to empower members of the BYU community to become actively aware of the freedom of religion or belief in the broader context of human rights and actively engaged in defending it.

I pondered on the admonition of church and national leaders who have emphasized the importance of protecting religious freedom. I realized that BYU is uniquely positioned to create a powerful impact for freedom of religion or belief, club president Rachel Miner states on their website. Together with amazing faculty and friends, the beginning of the BYU FoRB Club sprung to life.

Miner said the idea for the club came from Article 18 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads, Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

She explained that the right to religion or belief is one students cannot overlook, especially at a religious university. We are protecting the right to believe in God as much as we protect the right to not believe in God, she said.

Anna Bryner, another founding member and president of the FoRB club, shared that after a mission in upstate New York, she became curious about restrictions on religious freedom. Since then, she has taken classes and attended conferences and seeks to inspire others to care about religious freedom.

We hear about the importance of religious freedom a lot, but its hard to know what we can do to get involved, Bryner said.

Bryner said she hopes that those interested in the club will understand that rather than a time commitment, the club hopes for a commitment of heart.

Brady Earley, another FoRB club president, explained that the club is designed in regard to BYUs mission statement, leading to lifelong learning.

We feel that there is so much that students at BYU have to contribute to this issue. There is a lot that everyone can do right now to be educated, he said.

The club plans on having two to four main events throughout the semester. The first is scheduled for Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. with speaker Elizabeth Clark, the Associate Director for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies.

See more here:

Freedom of Religion or Belief club formed at BYU - The Daily Universe - Universe.byu.edu

Freedom 76 At Grandview Will Be Live On FloRacing – FloRacing

Posted on by

Eddie Mumford won the first Freedom 76 Modified Classic back in 1971 and Mike Gular won the last one in 2019. It is anyones guess as to who will walk off with the trophy and the $35,550 pot of gold as winner of the 50th Annual Freedom 76 taking place at Grandview Speedway on Saturday, September 19th.

Watch the 50th Annual Freedom 76 Modified Classic LIVE on FloRacing!

Quite an impressive list of racing talents are expected including two of the winningest Modified talents in the sport, Stewart Friesen and Matt Sheppard. Friesen, a Freedom 76 winner in 2014, also spends his time racing on the NASCAR Truck Series circuit and will be coming from the Thursday night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Rising star Billy Pauch, Jr. (his father a six time winner) is entered as is Bobby Varin, Mike Maresca, Ryan Godown and a host of other visitors.

For the first time in the prestigious race's history, the event will be live on FloRacing.com for both the Friday and Saturday portions.

Track champion Craig Von Dohren will be seeking his sixth win, his first one coming in 1985. Jeff Strunk is a seven time winner while Duane Howard has five wins. Ray Swinehart, another past winner, will be looking for another victory as will Meme DeSantis, a three time winner.

A long list of Grandview regulars and visitors will be filling the pits as they try for a qualifying spot in the Classic, 76 laps around the one-third-mile, banked clay track.

The weekend kicks off with the action packed Freedom 38 for Sportsman stock cars paying the winner of the 38-lapper $3,550. This race is also expected to attract many visitors to test their skills.

Also on Friday night, action starting at 7:30 p.m., the Modified racers planning to participate in the Freedom 76 will be given practice time during the evenings events.

Pits open at 3 p.m. and main grandstand gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Adult admission is $15 with youngsters 6 through 11 paying $5 and kids under 6 admitted free. Pit admission for Friday is $35 and there is no license required.

Tickets for the Freedom 76 will sell for $40. Youngsters, 6 through 11, on Saturday will pay $10 while kids under 6 are admitted free. Pit admission will be $45 with no license required. There are no advance tickets being offered.

Saturday will see pit gates open at 9 a.m. Ticket windows open at 3:00 p.m. Fans will be able to enter the speedway at the first turn and fourth turn spectator gates to reserve seats with blankets between 9am and 12noon.

On track action will get started at 7 p.m. as top Modified racing talents participate in qualifying events, the $1,000 to win Kirsten Snyder Web Design & Photography Cash Dash, the Schaffer Racing Minuteman 20 and top it all off with the 50th edition of the Freedom 76, The Granddaddy of Modified Stock Car Classics.

A large amount of lap money will be divided amongst lap leaders during the big race and the racer gaining the most positions during the 76 laps will receive $500 from Bobby Gunther Walsh and his sponsors as the Hard Charger.

Competition Carburetion Fast Lap of $50 will be awarded Friday, Sept. 18 for the Freedom 38 and for the Saturday September 19th Freedom 76.

All winners are entered into a random drawing at the end of the season for a Grand Prize of $500.00

Freedom Fest will take place from 10 AM to 12 NOON on Saturday in the first turn pavilion area and will feature music by Maddie Pearl. Race cars driven by Ryan Grim, Colt Harris and Dylan Swinehart will be on display.

Bob Hilbert Sportswear will present a jacket to the winner of the Freedom 76.

Check the website for information on camping regulations.

Information can be had at http://www.grandviewspeedway.com or telephone 610.754.7688.

More here:

Freedom 76 At Grandview Will Be Live On FloRacing - FloRacing

Aviation Analysis: Revival of Fifth Freedom Flights? – Sam Chui

Posted on by

Airlines have begun to ramp up their network connectivity at any cost. For what has felt like an age, the roars of the engines are finally starting to be heard again. With airlines resuming their operations, and jostling for prime positions in their core markets, they are signalling to the world that they have navigated beyond the crisis.

However, a big question lingers on whether demand has genuinely recovered in the long-haul sector. It still remains uncertain. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, we have been exposed to countless scenarios and forecast models, but the majority have been well off the mark. 2023 has been widely projected as the year when long-haul demand will recover, but in this case, we shall look to 2025 and beyond, of which can be based upon the Nike Swoosh-Shaped Recovery.

In turn, this conservative estimate challenges airlines to optimise their networks in a far more disciplined manner; a manner which must reflect the low-demand environment. On the other hand, there are overoptimistic airlines rapidly scaling up their wide-body long-haul operations again (e.g. Boeing 777-300ER) at a time when there is low passenger confidence and the economy is on the brink of another global recession.

In the build-up to the pandemic, the airline industry was facing crippling overcapacity issues. Huge levels of competition were shrinking the pool of profit; in many ways the industry was cannibalising itself. Fares were plummeting to unsustainable levels, both from a financial and environmental perspective, the service quality on long-haul flights was also declining too.

Airlines are employing a range of commercial strategies to rebuild their long-haul networks and, as lockdowns are lifted in many parts of the world, we could witness a fifth freedom rights boost in connectivity. It would allow hub carriers to consolidate their networks since fifth freedom flights may also prove to be more dynamic (e.g. codeshare agreements with other carriers). The launch of fifth freedom flights would also lead to additional revenue opportunities, e.g. belly-hold cargo carriage.

Between 2014 and 2019, the capacity of the South East Asia United States market more than doubled (CAPA, 2020). This was largely driven by a diversified demand among both business and VFR passengers. The Asia North America market has been dominated by hub carriers making use of fifth and sixth freedom traffic rights (e.g. Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines). Until 2017, United Airlines operated several fifth freedom flights from the United States to cities like Hong Kong and Singapore via their Tokyo-Narita hub.

However, a new generation of twin-engine, fuel efficient and long-range aircraft, like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, have made such intra-Asia flights obsolete. In 2017, United Airlines began a nonstop service between San Francisco and Singapore on their 787-9 aircraft. Doing so, ended their historic fifth freedom service between Hong Kong and Singapore.

Inan application to the US Department of Transportationsubmitted in May 2020, United requested to recommence fifth freedom operations between Hong Kong and Singapore. United have been operating cargo-only flights using Boeing 777-300ERs since 10th May 2020. However, United still want to maintain the option to open the route to flying passengers; once conditions improve and safe air travel corridors, between Singapore and the United States, can be established. Commencing passenger service on this route exemplifies the airlines need to optimise passenger loads, in a low-demand environment.

By adjusting to a long and slow recovery for long-haul air travel demand, it would make sense to reintroduce commercial routes like this. Even the thought of re-introducing routes like San Francisco Hong Kong Singapore is a more interesting prospect than prioritising non-stop flights, which have become more popular over the past few years. With passenger demand and the oil price at rock bottom, the incentive to fly non-stop partly diminishes. Serving Singapore via Hong Kong suddenly becomes a more feasible option to sustain service between both cities, while airlines avoid unnecessarily increasing capacity through independent non-stop services to each city from the United States (e.g. San Francisco Hong Kong and San Francisco Singapore).

As the industry charts its course to recovery, carriers like Singapore Airlines could be in a position to take advantage of fifth-freedom agreements and operate multi-stop flights. They would benefit from demand at their core hub, in order to supplement weaker point-to-point load factors. In addition to the increasing number of ultra long-haul flights (e.g. Newark, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles) Singapore Airlinesis also experienced in fifth freedom flights. The carrier has diverse fifth-freedom routes that allow passengers to fly between different countries and continents, including Singapore Frankfurt New York JFK (daily, A380-800), Singapore Moscow Stockholm (5x weekly, A350-900), Singapore Hong Kong San Francisco (daily, B777-300ER) and Singapore Tokyo Narita Los Angeles (daily, B777-300ER).

In January 2020, Singapore Airlines was granted permission by the Japanese authorities to operate fifth freedom flights between Tokyo and New York. Any potential route to New York could be flown by Singapore Airlines in partnership withtheir Star Alliance partner ANA. The permission could serve as a solid foundation to kick start travel between Asia and North America in the near future.

Fifth freedom flights between Singapore and Houston via Manchester would further enhance Manchesters transatlantic connectivity; providing Singapore Airlines with routes to the United States that bypass more expensive hubs like London-Heathrow and London-Gatwick. This example could be followed by other airlines in other markets (e.g. fifth freedom flights via secondary markets).

With respect to the recent normalisation of the UAE-Israel relations, and the UAE carriers increasing shift towards local/point-to-point traffic in the post COVID-19 era, Etihad Airways or Emirates for instance could restore their previously challenging LATAM network, by operating fifth freedom flights via Tel Aviv in codesharing with El Al to cities like Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Lima, Bogota and Panama City. Today the Jewish population in Latin America stands somewhere around 400,000, with the majority split between in Argentina (250,000) and Brazil (130,000). The financially weak airline El Al could maintain their focus on the high yield markets, like the United States and Europe.

As people prioritise their health, direct flights have significant benefits over connecting flights that require a stopover midway through the journey (e.g. ultra long-haul flights). Recent developments have forced airlines, which rely on a hub-and-spoke model, to rethink their entire strategy and consider launching fifth and sixth freedom routes in the future.

By operating fifth freedom routes using the same aircraft, there is an opportunity to increase confidence in air travel. As there is no need to change aircraft at the stopover airport, passengers would not need to undergo any additional security and baggage checks; in addition the same booked seat could be used throughout the entire journey from A to B via C.

Foregoing typical connections at busy hub airports, with the above-mentioned benefits, could be one of the more safe options for passengers during and after the pandemic. Since the ultra-long-haul sector remains a niche and more expensive option, the alternative opportunities for air travel with competitive health benefits could lie in the fifth and sixth freedom sector (e.g. Emirates recent UK Australia service via Dubai on same aircraft).

Continue reading here:

Aviation Analysis: Revival of Fifth Freedom Flights? - Sam Chui

Trump Attacks The 1619 Project: U.S. Wasnt Founded On Slavery And Oppression, It Was Freedom – Moguldom

Posted on by

Written by Ann Brown

Sep 18, 2020

Trump decided it was a good idea to use Constitution Day Sept. 17 not to talk about the constitution but instead to bash the New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project, which is credited with reframing the story weve been taught about the origin of the U.S. around the arrival 401 years ago of the first African slaves.

During a Constitution Day speech at the National Archives, POTUS launched the first White House Conference on American History in an effort to contradict reality.

A series of essays, the 1619 Project was published to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first slaves arriving by ship at the Virginia colony. It places the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are, Hari Sreenivasan wrote for PBS.

Trump derided the 1619 Project, which highlights the legacy of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans, MarketWatch reported.

He used his attack on the project to claim that the U.S. was not built and did not become prosperous due to free slave labor. He called this fact lies and declared the U.S. was built on freedom.

For many years now, the radicals have mistaken Americans silence for weakness. But they are wrong, Trump said. There is no more powerful force than a parents love for their children and patriotic moms and dads are going to demand that their children are no longer fed hateful lies about this country.

This isnt the first time Trump has attacked The 1619 Project, which was spearheaded by New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones. The material has been added to several school curriculums across the country. He has called out the project a number of times, making it a campaign talking point.

Trump called the project toxic propaganda, and vowed to take measures to promote what he called patriotic education.

The 1619 Project has become a common foil for right-wing politicians, calling it ideological poison that will dissolve the civic bonds of America, Forbes reported.

Trump railed against what he called the left-wing indoctrination in school curriculums, which he said views every issue through the lens of race in an effort to impose tyranny and a new segregation.

Trump has proposed patriotic education and declared he will sign an executive order establishing a commission to promote patriotic education, which will be called the 1776 Commission, in contrast to the 1619 Project, The Washington Post reported.

He also applauded a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities to develop, in his words, a pro-American curriculum that celebrates the truth about our nations great history.

Our mission is to defend the legacy of Americas founding, the virtue of Americas heroes, and the nobility of the American character, Trump said, according to a transcript of his speech.We must clear away the twisted web of lies in our schools and classrooms, and teach our children the magnificent truth about our country. We want our sons and daughters to know that they are the citizens of the most exceptional nation in the history of the world.

The left has warped, distorted, and defiled the American story with deceptions, falsehoods, and lies, POTUS continued. There is no better example than the New York Times totally discredited 1619 Project. This project rewrites American history to teach our children that we were founded on the principle of oppression, not freedom.

He even tried pulling out a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to support his belief. We embrace the vision of Martin Luther King, where children are not judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character, Trump said.

Many observers say this latest speech by Trump is further evidence that Trump has cast himself as the defender of White America.

Presenting himself as a warrior against identity politics, the president has increasingly made appeals to the grievances of white supporters a centerpiece of his re-election campaign, The New York Times reported.

In short, Trump, it appears, is ignoring the calls of protesters across the country who are pushing for changes in the judicial system, for an end of racial and economic injustice.

Just days after returning from Kenosha, Wis., where he staunchly backed law enforcement and did not mention the name of Jacob Blake, the Black man shot seven times in the back by the police, Trump issued an orderto purge the federal government of racial sensitivity training that his White House called divisive, anti-American propaganda, The Times reported.

Trump has declaredhimself the candidate of white America, The Times wrote.

Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 73: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin makes the case for why this is a multi-factor rebellion vs. just protests about George Floyd. He discusses the Democratic Partys sneaky relationship with the police in cities and states under Dem control, and why Joe Biden is a cop and the Steve Jobs of mass incarceration.

And it seems to be working. A recent poll by CBS News found that 66 percent of registered voters believed Trump favored white people, versus 4 percent who said he worked against their interests. By contrast, 20 percent thought he favored Black people and 50 percent said he worked against Black people. Eight-one percent of Black voters said he worked against their interests.

The poll also revealed that Trump led former Vice President Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger, among white voters by 51 percent to 43 percent, but trailed among Black voters with just 9 percent support, compared with 85 percent Black support for Biden.

View original post here:

Trump Attacks The 1619 Project: U.S. Wasnt Founded On Slavery And Oppression, It Was Freedom - Moguldom

PAUL TIYAMBE ZELEZA – Beyond Political Freedom to Inclusive Wealth Creation and Self-Reliance – The Elephant

Posted on by

The Tonse Alliance that made history in June by winning the rerun of the presidential election, the first time this has happened in Africa. It represented a triumph of Malawian democracy, undergirded, on the one hand, by the independence of the judiciary, and on the other, by the unrelenting political resilience and struggles of the Malawian people for democratic governance. In short, we can all be proud of Malawis enviable record of political freedom. However, our democratic assets are yet to overcome huge developmental deficits. Our record of economic development and poverty eradication remains dismal, uneven, and erratic.

Malawis persistent underdevelopment does not, of course, emanate from lack of planning. In 1962, Dunduzu Chisiza convened what was perhaps the first international symposium on African Economic Development to be held on the continent. It brought renowned economists from around the world and Africa. In attendance was a young journalist, Thandika Mkandawire, who was inspired to study economics, and rose to become one of the worlds greatest development economists. I make reference to Chisiza and Mkandawire to underscore a simple point: Malawi has produced renowned and influential development thinkers and policy analysts, whose works need to be better known in this country. If we are to own our development, instead of importing ready-made and ill-suited models from the vast development industry that has not brought us much in terms of inclusive and sustainable development, we have to own the generation of development ideas and implementation.

I begin, first, by giving some background on the countys development trajectory; and second, by identifying the three key engines of development the quality of human capital, the quality of infrastructure, and the quality of institutions without which development is virtually impossible.

Malawis patterns of economic growth since independence have been low and volatile, which has translated into uneven development and persistent poverty. A 2018 World Bank report identifies five periods. First, 1964-1979, during which the country registered its fastest growth at 8.79%. Second, 1980-1994, the era of draconian structural adjustment programmes when growth fell to 0.90%. Third, 1995-2002 when growth rose slightly to 2.85%. Fourth, 2003-2010, when growth bounced to 6.25%. Finally, 2011-2015, when growth declined to 3.82%. Another World Bank report, published in July 2020, notes that the economy grew at 3.2% in 2017, 3.0% in 2018, an estimated 4.4% in 2019, and will likely grow at 2.0% in 2020 and 3.5% in 2021.

Clearly, Malawi has not managed to sustain consistently high growth rates above the rates of population growth. Consequently, growth in per capita income has remained sluggish and poverty reduction has been painfully slow. In fact, while up to 1979 per capita GDP grew at an impressive 3.7%, outperforming sub-Saharan Africa, it shrunk below the regional average after 1980. It rose by a measly 1.5% between 1995 and 2015, well below the 2.7% for non-resource-rich African economies. Currently, Malawi is the sixth poorest country in the world.

While the rates of extreme poverty declined from 24.5% in 2010/11 to 20.1% in 2016/17, moderate poverty rates increased from 50.7% to 51.5% during the same period. Predictably, poverty has a gender and spatial dimension. Women and female-headed households tend to be poorer than men and male-headed households. Most of the poor live in the rural areas because they tend to have lower levels of access to education and assets, and high dependency ratios compared to urban dwellers, who constitute only 15% of the population. Rural poverty is exacerbated by excessive reliance on rain-fed agriculture and vulnerability to climate change because of poor resilience and planning. In the urban areas, poverty is concentrated in the informal sector that employs the majority of urban dwellers and suffers from low productivity and incomes, and poor access to capital and skills.

While the rates of extreme poverty declined from 24.5% in 2010/11 to 20.1% in 2016/17, moderate poverty rates increased from 50.7% to 51.5% during the same period. Predictably, poverty has a gender and spatial dimension.

The causes and characteristics of Malawis underdevelopment are well-known. The performance of the key sectors agriculture, industry, and services is not optimal. While agriculture accounts for two-thirds of employment and three-quarters of exports, it provides only 30% of GDP, a clear sign of low levels of productivity in the sector. Apparently, only 1.7% of total expenditure on agriculture and food goes to extension, and one extension agent in Malawi covers between 1,800 and 2,500 farmers, compared to 950 in Kenya and 480 in Ethiopia. As for irrigation, the amount of irrigated land stands at less than 4%.

Therefore, raising agricultural productivity is imperative. This includes greater crop diversification away from the supremacy of maize, improving rural markets and transport infrastructure, provision of agricultural credit, use of inputs and better farming techniques, and expansion of irrigation and extension services. Commercialisation of agriculture, land reform to strengthen land tenure security, and strengthening the sectors climate resilience are also critical.

In terms of industry, the pace of job creation has been slow, from 4% of the labour force in 1998 to 7% in 2013.In the meantime, the share of manufacturings contribution to the countrys GDP has remained relatively small and stagnant, at 10%. The sector is locked in the logic of import substitution, which African countries embarked on after independence and is geared for the domestic market.

Export production needs to be vigorously fostered as well. It is reported that manufacturing firms operate on average at just 68 per cent capacity utilisation. This suggests that, with the right policy framework, Malawis private sector could produce as much as a third more than current levels without needing to undertake new investment.

After independence, Malawi, like many other countries, created policies and parastatals, and sought to nurture a domestic capitalist class and attract foreign capital in pursuit of industrialisation. The structural adjustment programmes during Africas lost decades of the 1980s and 1990s aborted the industrialisation drive of the 1960s and 1970s, and led to de-industrialisation in many countries, including Malawi. The revival and growth of industrialisation require raising the countrys competitiveness and improving access to finance, the state of the infrastructure, the quality of human capital, and levels of macroeconomic stability.

Over the last two decades, Malawi has improved its global competitiveness indicators, but it needs to and can do more. According to the World Banks Ease of Doing Business, which covers 12 areas of business regulation, Malawi improved its ranking from 132 out of 183 countries in 2010 to 109 out of 190 countries in 2020; in 2020 Malawi ranked 12th in Africa. In the World Economic Forums Global Competitiveness Index, a four-pronged framework that looks at the enabling environment markets, human capital, and the innovation ecosystem Malawi ranked 119 out of 132 countries in 2009 and 128 out of 141 countries in 2019.

Access to finance poses significant challenges to the private sector, especially among small and medium enterprises that are often the backbone of any economy. The banking sector is relatively small, and borrowing is constrained by high interest rates, stringent collateral requirements, and complex application procedures. In addition, levels of financial inclusion and literacy could be greatly improved. The introduction of the financial cash transfer programme and mobile money have done much to advance both.

Corruption is another financial bottleneck, a huge and horrendous tax against development. The accumulation of corruption scandals Cashgate in 2013, Maizegate in 2018, Cementgate and other egregious corruption scandals in 2020 is staggering in its mendacity and robbery of the countys development and future by corrupt officials that needs to be uncompromisingly uprooted.

Malawis infrastructure deficits are daunting. Access to clean water and energy remains low, at 10%, and frequent electricity outages are costly for manufacturing firms that report losing 5.1% in annual sales; 40.9% of the firms have been forced to have generators as backup. The countrys generating capacity needs massive expansion to close the growing gap between demand and supply. Equally critical is investment in transport and its resilience to contain the high costs of domestic and international trade that undermine private sector development and poverty reduction.

Digital technologies and services are indispensable for 21st century economies, an area in which Malawi lags awfully behind. According to the ICT Development Index by the International Telecommunications Union, in 2017 Malawi ranked 167 out of 176 countries. There are significant opportunities to overcome the infrastructure deficits in terms of strengthening the countrys transport systems through regional integration, developing renewable energy sources, and improving the regulatory environment. Developing a digitally-enabled economy requires enhancing digital infrastructure, connectivity, affordability, availability, literacy, and innovation.

Malawis infrastructure deficits are daunting. Access to clean water and energy remains low, at 10%, and frequent electricity outages are costly for manufacturing firms that report losing 5.1% in annual sales.

The services sector has grown rapidly, accounting for 29% of the labor force in 2013 up from 12% in 1998. It is dominated by the informal sector which is characterized by low productivity, labor underutilization, and dismal incomes. The challenge is how to improve these conditions and facilitate transition from informality to formality.

The challenges of promoting Malawis socio-economic growth and development are not new. In fact, they are so familiar that they induce fatalism among some people as if the country is doomed to eternal poverty. Therefore, it is necessary to go back to basics, to ask basic questions and become uncomfortable with the countys problems, with low expectations about our fate and future.

From the vast literature on development, to which Thandika made a seminal contribution, there are many dynamics and dimensions of development. Three are particularly critical, namely, the quality of human capital, the quality of infrastructure, and the quality of institutions. In turn, these enablers require the drivers embodied in the nature of leadership, the national social contract, and mobilisation and cohesiveness of various capitals.

The quality of human capital encompasses the levels of health and education. Since 2000, Malawi has made notable strides in improving healthcare and education, which has translated into rising life expectancy and literacy rates. For the health sector, it is essential to enhance the coverage, access and quality of health services, especially in terms of reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and early child development, and public health services, as well as food security and nutrition services.

The introduction of free primary education in 1994 was a game changer. Enrollment ratios for primary school rose dramatically, reaching 146% in 2013 and 142% in 2018, and for secondary school from 44% in 2013 to 40% in 2018. The literacy rate reached 62%. But serious challenges remain. Only 19% of students progress to Standard Eight without repeating and dropout rates are still high; only 76% of primary school teachers and 57% of secondary school teachers are professionally trained. Despite increased government expenditure, resources and access to education remain inadequate.

Consequently, in 2018 Malawis adult literacy was still lower than the averages for sub-Saharan countries (65%) and the least developed countries (63%). This means the skill base in the country is low and needs to be raised significantly through increased, smart and strategic investments in all levels of education. Certainly, special intervention is needed for universities if the country, with its tertiary education enrollment ratio of less than 1%, the lowest in the world, is to catch up with the enrollment ratios for sub-SaharanAfrica and the world as a whole that in 2018 averaged 9% and 38%, respectively.

Human capital development is essential for turning Malawis youth bulge into a demographic dividend rather than a demographic disaster. Policies and programmes to skill the youth and make them more productive are vital to harnessing the demographic dividend. Critical also is accelerating the countrys demographic transition by reducing the total fertility rate.

As for infrastructure, while the government is primarily responsible for building and maintaining it, the private sector has an important role to play, and public-private-partnerships are increasingly critical in many countries. It is necessary to prioritise and avoid wish lists that seek to cater to every ministry or constituency; to concentrate on a few areas that have multiplier effects on various sectors; and ensure the priorities are well-understood and measurable at the end of the governments five-year term. Often, the development budget doesnt cover real investment in physical infrastructure and is raided to cover over-expenditure in the recurrent budget.

The quality of institutions entails the state of institutional arrangements, which UNDP defines as the policies, systems, and processes that organizations use to legislate, plan and manage their activities efficiently and to effectively coordinate with others in order to fulfill their mandate. Thus, institutional arrangements refer to the organisation, cohesion and synergy of formal structures and networks encompassing the state, the private sector, and civil society, as well as informal norms for collective buy-in and implementation of national development strategies. But setting up institutions is not enough; they must function. They must be monitored and evaluated.

Human capital development is essential for turning Malawis youth bulge into a demographic dividend rather than a demographic disaster. Policies and programmes to skill the youth and make them more productive are vital to harnessing the demographic dividend.

The three enablers of development require the drivers of strong leadership and good governance. Malawi has not reaped much from its peace and stability because of a political culture characterised by patron-clientelism, corruption, ethnic and regional mobilisation, and crass populism that eschews policy consistency and coherence, and undermines fiscal discipline. Malawis once highly regarded civil service became increasingly politicised and demoralised. Public servants and leaders at every level and in every institutional context have to restore and model integrity, enforce rules and procedures, embody professionalism and a high work ethic, and be accountable. Impunity must be severely punished to de-institutionalise corruption, whose staggering scale shows that domestic resources for development are indeed available. To quote the popular saying by Arthur Drucker, organisational culture eats strategy.

Also critical is the need to forge social capital, which refers to the development of a shared sense of identity, understanding, norms, values, common purpose, reciprocity, and trust. There is abundant research that shows a positive correlation between the social capital of trust and various aspects of national and institutional development and capabilities to manage crises. Weak or negative social capital has many deleterious consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this devastatingly clear countries in which the citizenry is polarised and lacks trust in the leadership have paid a heavy price in terms of the rates of infection and deaths.

Impunity must be severely punished to de-institutionalise corruption, whose staggering scale shows that domestic resources for development are indeed available. To quote the popular saying by Arthur Drucker, organisational culture eats strategy.

The question of social capital underscores the fact that there are many different types of capital in society and for development. Often in development discourse the focus is on economic capital, including financial and physical resources. Sustainable development requires the preservation of natural capital. Malawis development has partly depended on the unsustainable exploitation of environmental resources that has resulted in corrosive soil erosion and deforestation. Development planning must encompass the mobilisation of other forms of capital, principally social and cultural capital. The diaspora is a major source of economic, social and cultural capital. In fact, it is Africas largest donor, which remitted an estimated $84.3 billion in 2019.

In conclusion, Malawis development trajectory has been marked by progress, volatility, setbacks, and challenges. For a long time, Malawis problem has not been a lack of planning, but rather a lack of implementation, focus and abandoning the very basics of required integrity in all day-to-day work.Also, the plans are often dictated by donors and lack local ownership so they gather the proverbial bureaucratic dust.

Let us strive to cultivate the systems, cultures, and mindsets of inclusion and innovation so essential for the construction of developmental and democratic states, as defined by Thandika and many illustrious African thinkers and political leaders.

This article is the authors keynote address at the official opening of the 1st National Development Conference presided by the State President of Malawi, His Excellency Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, at the Bingu International Convention Centre, Lilongwe, on 27 August, 2020.

View original post here:

PAUL TIYAMBE ZELEZA - Beyond Political Freedom to Inclusive Wealth Creation and Self-Reliance - The Elephant

Backyard pool will bring joy and freedom to Niagara Falls boy – StCatharinesStandard.ca

Posted on by

Owen Hyatt has always loved the water.

His mom Dawn Hyatt said its been true of her son from the time he was a month old, relaxing in his first tub bath. And so, when she was applying for Owen to receive a wish from Make-a-Wish Foundation, a pool seemed the obvious choice.

He just squeals with excitement in the pool. This wish is going to be fantastic, said Hyatt. I knew going on a trip for him is nothing; he wouldnt get anything out of it. Having a pool for him, its family time, its strengthening for him and hes just the happiest in the pool.

Owen, who will turn five in a couple of weeks, was born prematurely with a rare genetic disorder. He is one of only about four children in the world who have this particular genetic disorder. Owen is also blind, nonverbal and uses a wheelchair.

Susan Lott, ambassador for Make-a-Wish Niagara, said for children like Owen, these wishes make a lasting impact.

Its almost like, depending on the wish, they have that time period where theyre just a normal kid. Theyre not having to go to the doctors all the time. Theyre not having people talking to them about it all the time, she said. In Owens case, having the pool, this is going to be his freedom in that pool.

Lott said thats most important for Make-a-Wish Foundation and its volunteers: that the wish is something meaningful for the child.

We like to know the why behind (the wish); its so important, she said. You want to make sure its what the child wants. You want it to be a very special thing for the child.

And for Owen, thats a swimming pool.

Hyatt said her family finds water wherever they go. They took their trailer out three times over the summer for camping and made sure there was a nearby lake for Owen. He takes private swimming lessons, and Hyatts sister has a backyard pool the family uses as often as possible.

She said Owen even loves the rain.

But having his own pool in the backyard? Hyatt said it will be life-changing for Owen.

I just think hes going to have so much more freedom in his life, she said.

Having it right in my backyard, we can go swimming any day. He would be in the water from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. if he could.

The pool is an 18-foot round, heated above-ground pool that Hyatt said will be perfect in the backyard of their Niagara Falls home.

Eventually my husband will make a deck and itll be like a beautiful oasis for Owen, she said. Were actually going to make a sign; its going to be Camp O-Bear because everyone calls him O-Bear.

The original plan was for the Hyatts pool to be installed over the May long weekend, but it was delayed by COVID-19 and then again when the Hyatts decided to move into a home that was better suited for their family long term.

Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...Loading...

Lott said a number of wishes, specifically travel ones, are on hold because of the pandemic, and others were delayed in the spring when the lockdown began. She said shes excited to see them come to fruition, especially the pool, which is the first one being put in by Make-a-Wish in Niagara.

Hyatt said her son deserves the fun hell have in the pool.

He is such a joy to have. He is the happiest little boy, she said. Owen has suffered and struggled so much in his whole life and ... he deserves everything. He deserves his wish.

The Make-a-Wish reveal happened Sept. 10 at the Hyatts home. There were a few family members present to celebrate the moment as well as some special touches for Owens eight-year-old sister Hailey.

Lott said Boston Pizza donated pizza for Hailey, who decorated a special sign for the reveal.

Hailey, who finds it easy and fun being Owens big sister, said this is special for him because he loves to swim and thats really the thing he loves to do most.

Lott said this is her favourite part: meeting the families and getting to know the kids. She tries not to cry when the wish is revealed, but isnt often successful.

Its just so awesome, she said.

Hyatt said shes proud of her son and glad she can give him this pool.

(Owens) taught me so many things. I am a changed mother, Im a changed person. Hes changed me in so many ways.

See the original post here:

Backyard pool will bring joy and freedom to Niagara Falls boy - StCatharinesStandard.ca

Parson James Talks New Single, Lockdown, and Artistic Freedom – vmagazine.com

Posted on by

His poetic lyricism is, as always, paired with vocals powerful enough to fill the heights of a cathedral, emotion palpable enough to taste, and soul blended with pop in an ethereal experience transmuting tribulation into inspiration. The song is a story in his soulful style, a rhythmic ode to the contents of Parson's heartwhich, when not residing on his sleeve, permeates all aspects of his music.

We chatted with the LA-based, South-Carolina native singer/songwriter about lockdown, his new label, and artistry. Read the full interview below, and stream "High Tide, Low Tide" here.

V MAGAZINE With more freedom (in terms of the new label), how is your artistry changing?

PARSON JAMES I feel that Ive been lucky in that Ive always had a clear vision of what I want to say and how I want to say it. I think even with my last label I still was able to get my message across even when the politics of the industry got in the way here and there. I think then, though, I was just more likely to back down when faced with opposing opinions from within that unit. I wanted to please everyone so much that I found myself to be a bit more passive in my approach for things I wanted to fight for. Ive experienced a lot in those years since and have taken all of it into account to really learn from. The biggest change I have noticed within my artistry personally is something that is very similar to the way I felt before I had any success or a label and I was just back in New York writing from the heart. I am leading with what feels right for me rather than what I feel is right for someone else. Ive been so inspired to explore the many facets of my abilities and range and not put myself in this unnecessary box I so long thought I needed to be in.

V In terms of what this song's about - why do you think we so easily put aside our own best interests for others when, logically, this makes no sense?

P You know I honestly think its just much easier to deal with other peoples shit than your own sometimes, simply. Im sure you have had that realization of catching yourself giving someone the most brilliant fucking advice ever and as youre relaying it youre like why dont I listen to myself more often??. I know for me Ive always just had this empathetic nature and I never really knew what it truly was until the last few years when I sit back and think about how tired, exhausted and crazy I make myself over OTHER PEOPLES PROBLEMS! Empathy is this weird thing that I both hate and wouldnt trade for the world I genuinely want people to be at their best, especially when its those I care for. it pains me in a way I cant really describe if theyre not. I didnt know the toll it was taking on me though until these last few months and now Ive been making a valiant effort to treat myself with the same care and concern I give to those around me.

VHopefullylockdowns and lockdown relationships will be a once in a lifetime thing. Are you happy that this one was the one you had?

P Omg, even the word lockdown incites a twitch in my eye lol this has all been so insanely odd and unimaginable. I know its the same for absolutely everyone, but I do hope that lockdown love is a one time thing as well hahaha. Look this happened in the most amazing way I met this guy about 2 days before lockdown started in LA on a dating app we went on a date like the last night before quarantine started and then when it did we just were like lets keep hanging out? It was truly a universe thing and I have to say the months of quarantine became some of the absolute best of my life. When youre dating or getting to know someone in quarantine its like youre going backwards you cant hide behind a bar or restaurant buzz.. youre at one of your respective homes seeing all the shit good bad and ugly right away. Its such a wild way to get to know someone. Quickly I learned so much about him and I saw so many parallels in his upbringing and mine (crazy religious father, sexuality repression, body image, commitment, trust) allll of the things. I took those on because I genuinely felt such a connection that blew my mind and above all I felt that there was an opportunity for a true deep friendship and bond. Thats what ultimately happened the closer we got it became apparent that we needed to be there for each other in this crazy time as friends first and I can safely say his presence and friendship saved me this quarantine so yes I am super happy that it happened.

V What did you learn during lockdown that you plan to carry with you for the rest of your life?

P I learned how to say no and I learned how to just be with myself. Ive always had this incessant need to be around people constantly & this inability to say no to anyones plans. This has caused me to spend way too much money, drink way too much, gain weight, become exhausted and it goes back to doing for others before myself. I learned that I was out socializing because I was escaping from facing a lot of my own mental struggles I was seeking validation and needed to be everywhere with everyone all the time.I developed a fear of sleep unless I was with someone or with people just really unhealthy behaviors. This lockdown situation was tough for me at first I had plenty of anxiety attacks & breakdowns bc I was out of my comfort zone being with myself so much but ultimately I pushed through the discomfort and found solace in being enough for myself. I also found out how important it was to have moments of selfishness & to say no sometimes. This may seem trivial but it has been a life changing realization for me.

V Were you the type that got creative while in lockdown, or who just sort of took it day by day since, you know, Armageddon?

P Ill be honest the first few weeks I was in this whirlwind thing and had no clue how long it was gonna last so I saw it as a full blown escape and opportunity to drink wine as much as I wanted hahaha. I also am a SEVERE hypochondriac so this whole thing was the most for me lol.. so I didnt want to really go to any studio or do anything my mind was all over the place. I wasnt creative at all until my manager introduced me to Colin Brittain who produced the single. It was just a timing thing where I was a few months into this whole quarantine thing and it was at a point with the lockdown love that was getting difficult.. the push and pull was happening (which is what high tide low tide is all about) so I agreed to go in and work with him one day socially distanced and masked and this song came about in minutes. Since then, Ive not been able to stop working and its felt more liberating than anything Ive done in years.

V What can we expect from you in terms of new music (after this)?

P Ive been on a roll. Not to mention I had several projects prepped before I even got the new deal and all of the new material started coming about. The music really touches on whats happened since my first project. I call myself a gambler in life because I find I am always taking chances on people in work, love, friendships etc. I am constantly getting fucked over or finding myself wrong about a situation of course sometimes Im also lucky and I land right where I am supposed to. Thats life though, its The Gamble you take. Ive written a lot about this lockdown love as well so Ive made some space for that on the first part of the project but overall this next bit of work is about being even more honest than before with myself with my own demons the demons of those I love, my empathy, overcoming trauma, acceptance and finding true understanding of who the fuck I am as a human.

V "With great power comes great responsibility," and all that. Now that you really have power over your own sound, do you feel any more or less nervous about your work? I can imagine sometimes, that newfound autonomy can almost be intimidating.

P I feel nervous about everything I do. I am a nervous fucking wreck always. I just so desperately want to make sure that I am always creating honest work that someone somewhere can latch on to and find a piece of their story within. I am here to tell my story so that others can find it within themselves to tell theirs. My only responsibility is to not mince my words and to forever tell the truth in the only way that I know how, to sing it.

See original here:

Parson James Talks New Single, Lockdown, and Artistic Freedom - vmagazine.com

Private Railways Will Have Freedom To Set Their Own Fares: Government – NDTV

Posted on by

The government has taken steps to increase the speed of passenger trains. (File)

The government will allow private companies to set passenger fares once they start operating train services in the country, a move aimed at luring investors, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led administration opens up the railway network.

"Private players have been given the freedom to fix fares in their own way," VK Yadav, chairman of Railway Board, said. But, "air-conditioned buses and planes also operate on those routes, and they have to keep that in mind before setting fares."

Railway fares are politically sensitive in India, where trains carry as many passengers as Australia's population every single day, and a chunk of the nation's poor depend on the sprawling network for their transportation. While the network has been beset by decades of negligence and inefficient bureaucracy, PM Modi's administration has invited private companies to participate in everything from modernising stations to operating trains.

Moreover, the decision to partly open up the railway sector comes as PM Modi finds himself with limited fiscal room to support Asia's third-largest economy, which is struggling with its first contraction in over four decades.

Alstom SA, Bombardier Inc, GMR Infrastructure Ltd and Adani Enterprises Ltd are among companies that have expressed interest in these projects, Mr Yadav said. These projects can bring in investments of more than $7.5 billion in the next five years, according to estimates from Ministry of Railways.

Modernising the railways is crucial for PM Modi, who is betting on low-cost loans from Japan to build the country's first bullet train by 2023. The government has taken steps to increase the speed of passenger trains which can sometimes crawl at walking pace.

The government asked companies to submit their interest to run passenger trains over 109 origin-destination routes via 151 trains in July, and has sought investor interest to modernise railway stations including in New Delhi and Mumbai. The current railway network is both congested and aging, dating back to British colonial rule in 1853.

Read the original:

Private Railways Will Have Freedom To Set Their Own Fares: Government - NDTV

Julian Assange, and Press Freedom, on Trial in London – Democracy Now!

Posted on by

The role of the free press is to hold power accountable, especially those who would wage war. Press freedom itself is currently on trial in London, as Julian Assange, founder and editor-in-chief of the whistleblower website Wikileaks, fights extradition to the United States over an ever-evolving array of espionage and hacking charges. If extradited, Assange faces almost certain conviction followed by up to 175 years in prison. His unjust imprisonment would also shackle journalists worldwide, serving as a stark example to anyone daring to publish leaked information critical of the U.S. government.

U.S. prosecutors allege that Assange conspired with Chelsea Manning, a Private in the U.S. Army, to illegally download hundreds of thousands of war logs from Iraq and Afghanistan, along with a huge trove of classified cables from the U.S. State Department.

The first disclosure from this massive whistleblower release was a video that Wikileaks called Collateral Murder. It was recorded aboard a U.S. Apache helicopter gunship as it patrolled the skies above Baghdad on July 12, 2007. The Apache crew recorded video and audio of their slaughter of a dozen men on the ground below, including a Reuters cameraman, Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and his driver, Saeed Chmagh, 40. After the initial high-calibre machine gun attack, a van arrived to help the wounded. The Apache crew received permission to engage the van and opened fire, tearing apart the front of the vehicle, injuring two children in the van. Reuters had unsuccessfully sought the video for years.

Before long, The New York Times, The Guardian and Der Spiegel had worked together with Wikileaks and Assange, publishing stories based on the disclosures. They detailed war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, torture at CIA blacksites, abuses at the U.S.s notorious Guantanamo Bay prison camp, and cynical diplomatic dealings by State Department officials.

It is a clear press freedom case, Jennifer Robinson, one of Julian Assanges attorneys, said recently on the Democracy Now! news hour. The First Amendment is understood to protect the media in receiving and publishing that information in the public interest, which is exactly what WikiLeaks did.

The British authorities have kept Assange in almost complete isolation in Londons high security Belmarsh prison since arresting him in April, 2019, dragging him out of the Ecuadorian embassy. Granted political asylum by Ecuador, he lived inside the dark, cramped embassy for over seven years. When a rightwing president took power in Ecuador, he revoked Assanges asylum and allowed the arrest.

Nils Melzer, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, visited Assange in Belmarsh, and reported aftwards, I spoke with him for an hourthen we had a physical examination for an hour by our forensic expert, and then we had the two-hour psychiatric examination. And all threecame to the conclusion, that he showed all the symptoms that are typical for a person that has been exposed to psychological torture over an extended period of time.

The conditions of Assanges imprisonment have only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. He hasnt spoken publicly in court, other than once, shouting Nonsense! in response to one of the many unsupported claims by the U.S. prosecutor. The presiding magistrate threatened to have Assange removed. Experts have lined up to defend Assange, including legendary Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.

In 1971, Ellsberg released the Pentagon Papers, the secret history of the United States war in Vietnam, documenting how successive administrations had lied to the public about the war. Like Assange, he provided the leaked documents to the New York Times. Also like Assange, Ellsberg was charged under the Espionage Act, and could have spent life behind bars. Ultimately, a judge threw out his case, when it was revealed that President Nixon had ordered criminal break-ins seeking derogatory information on Ellsberg.

In a prepared statement in Assanges defense, Ellsberg reflected on the importance of the Wikileaks disclosures. I consider them to be amongst the most important truthful revelations of hidden criminal state behaviour that have been made public in US history, he said. The American public needed urgently to know what was being done routinely in their name, and there was no other way for them to learn it than by unauthorized disclosure.

Many of the war crimes exposed by Wikileaks, in cooperation with established news organizations around the world, occurred under President George W. Bush. Assanges prosecution began under President Barack Obama. Then-Vice President Joe Biden called Assange a high-tech terrorist. Now, President Trump, who said during his 2016 campaign, WikiLeaks, I love WikiLeaks, wants to lock up Assange and throw away the key. No president, of any party, should be allowed to threaten the free press. Indeed, it is essential to the functioning of a democratic society.

See the original post:

Julian Assange, and Press Freedom, on Trial in London - Democracy Now!

McCarthy focused on election, not Freedom Caucus push to remove Pelosi – Roll Call

Posted on by

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday dodged a question on whether he will bring a motion to vacate to remove Speaker Nancy Pelosi from her post, an effort the Freedom Caucus was urging him to pursue.

I do not want Nancy Pelosi to be speaker, but I do not want Nadler to be chair. I do not want Schiff to be chair and I do not want Maxine Waters, McCarthy told reporters at his weekly news conference, referring to Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., Intelligence Chairman Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., and Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif. Forty-some days from now, we will remove them.

On Wednesday, Politico reported that the Houses ultraconservative wing was urging McCarthy to offer a motion to vacate the chair, which would mandate a floor vote to decide whether Pelosi could keep her position. With Democrats in the majority, it is unlikely such a move would result in enough votes to remove her from the speakership.

McCarthy is undecided on whether he will join the effort, but he did agree to have a Republican Conference meeting on Tuesday about the matter, Politico reported. He also told Fox News after the story broke that it wasnt the best move right now.

McCarthys comments at his weekly news conference indicate he is focused on the election in November and doesnt want to grapple with such questions until the voters decide which party will carry the majority.

Read the original:

McCarthy focused on election, not Freedom Caucus push to remove Pelosi - Roll Call

Heres How to Retire at 45 with Financial Freedom – Investment U

Posted on by

Financial Freedom

By Rob Otman

Originally posted September 18, 2020

What would life be like if you could retire at 45? Aside from not having to go to a job every day, what would you look forward to? For some, its more time with family. For others, its a literal world of travel possibilities. For still more, its a reason to wake up stress free every day. But can you really retire by 45?

It might seem impossible, but its actually a possibility for many people. You just need to know how to establish financial freedom early on, so you can spend the best years of your life living how youve always wanted to. Heres how to retire early by 45

If youre going to retire a full 20 years earlier than most people, youll need a planone that starts as early in your working life as possible. The sooner you can start putting money away and taking advantage of compound interest, the better. To see how this works, check out this investment compound calculator.

A retirement account will be your primary investment vehicle on the way to early retirement. Look for a 401k with company match; if thats not available, an IRA is the next best thing. Max out contributions to take full advantage of annualized growth. Make sure these accounts are vested.

Next, get rid of your debt as fast as you can. After youve maxed out your retirement account, channel leftover savings into debtsstudent loans, a car, a house, etc. make double payments where you can or even an extra payment toward principal when you can. Eliminating debt is a huge cornerstone for early retirement. Its generally best if you dont have any debt if you plan to retire by 45!

Finally, start budgeting. The fastest way to early retirement is to live below your means and delay gratification. Pinching pennies today leads to early retirement tomorrow. Create a budget that sees the majority of your earnings going into savings (read: investments).

Youre aggressively saving. Youve paid down your debts. Youve made smart investments. Now what? Well, before you can call it quits, you need to know exactly how much money you need to retire at 45.

The best way to figure out if youre on-track is to determine what you want your annual take-home to be after retirement, then multiply that for as many years as youll be alive. So, if you retire at 45 and think youll live to the ripe old age of 90, youll need to plan for 45 years without a paycheck. If you want to maintain a lifestyle of $50,000 each year, that means youll need at least $2.25 million to retire. Start saving now!

Be sure to factor in cost of living and extraneous expenses, too. Retiring to Seattle, WA is going to be much more expensive than living out your days in Kansas City, MO. Likewise, youll probably need more money if you plan on vacationing extensively every year.

Most people have a hard time believing theyll retire at 65let alone at 45. But if you take the right steps and make good money decisions, financial freedom is attainable. Heres an example of how a 25-year-old might be able to retire in 20 years, at 45:

Marisol is 25 and has started a new job. She opens a 401k and takes advantage of her employers 4% contribution match. She maxes out her contribution each year for the next 20 years. She also has an extra $1,200 each month that she puts into an investment account, allocated between small cap growth stocks and emerging marketshigh risk, high reward.

Each year, Marisols 401k contributions total $20,280 and have an annualized return of 9%. She contributes $14,400 to her stock portfolio and sees gains of 13%. In 20 years, her 401k and investment portfolio are both worth over $1 million each.

Its possible to retire at 45but it takes major emphasis on smart savings. The more you put away sooner, the more it grows to be later.

You might not reach retirement at 45, but thats no excuse not to strive for financial independence. Read the next article in our series and learn how to retire by 50.

Go here to read the rest:

Heres How to Retire at 45 with Financial Freedom - Investment U

TECH TALK:The next step in the evolution of finance – The Jerusalem Post

Posted on by

For the last century, the financial world has remained largely unchanged. The very instruments that drive our financial prosperity have evolved minimally compared with virtually every other sphere, from the way we communicate and navigate, to the way we consume goods and services and receive medical care. The initial groundwork for modern financial instruments, like stocks, were set in the 17th century. The European creation of these instruments culminated in what we now consider to be traditional asset classes, like equities, commodities, foreign exchange, and fixed income.

The financial crisis of 2008 highlighted the need to adapt the global financial system to the 21st century, and over the past weeks weve seen the latest development in that process with the Israeli-led INX Exchange announcing the first digital asset IPO to ever be cleared by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

What exactly does that mean? Lets rewind to 2008.

Following the 2008 financial crisis that exposed the true power that Wall Street had, and still has, to influence the overall economy, a person going by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto developed something we now know as Bitcoin, a secure digital currency based on cryptography and blockchain. The novel form of currency was grounded in the desire to create greater financial participation and a trustless system that would take economic control out of the hands of Wall Street and put it into the hands of masses. Bitcoin spawned the creation of other digital currencies, such as Ethereum and Litecoin. It also spawned the concept of digital assets.

As crypto and blockchain thrived, many companies in the budding industry used Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), a tokenized version of Initial Public Offerings. to raise funds. They would offer tokens as a sort of investment in their company a form of crowdfunding, but such ICOs werent regulated by national governments and, as such, led to numerous exit scams. Nevertheless, the idea of offering blockchain-based ownership to investors caught on, as the distributed ledger offered security and efficiency unrivaled by current systems on which people invest in stocks and other assets.

Finally, this new asset class, called a security token, has been cleared by the SEC.

ENTER INX, the digital assets exchange led by an Israeli entrepreneur

Around 2017, a wave of ICOs kicked off a new era. Many of these offerings turned out to be fraudulent. Only 48% of ICOs were successful that year, meaning the investors of the other 52% lost every penny they invested. ICOs, which had lost the trust of investors, were missing the backing of a centralized authority that could regulate the market. More recently, Security Token Offerings (STO) emerged as a potential candidate to bridge the gap between centralized regulation and blockchain financial instrumentation. But these were not available to retail investors until now.

The SECs nod to security tokens through INX follows the natural path of financial evolution that weve seen historically. Equities sold by Dutch sea merchants in the 17th century were banned until 1825 after they failed to pay dividends in 1720. What was missing was regulation. Analogously, ICOs introduced an entirely new asset class, but these were quickly banned or dismissed, because they failed to have the legitimate backing of SEC-registration or institutions of the like.

What remains to be seen is how many large corporations and retail investors will join the fray. Should the large corporations, such as Tesla, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and others, list their assets or projects on INX, the platform will get a massive boost.

Read more:

TECH TALK:The next step in the evolution of finance - The Jerusalem Post

Food Distribution to take place at Rangeley Family Medicine – The Bethel Citizen

Posted on by

WHAT:

Rangeley Family Medicine will be distributing 75 pre-packaged boxes of fresh produce to individuals in the greater Rangeley area.

To protect the health of our patients, we will observe state guidelines associated with COVID-19. Social distancing measures will be required, as well as the use of facial coverings.

WHO:

Anyone in need of emergency food assistance in Rangeley and the surrounding areas is welcome to attend.

WHEN:

Wednesday,September 23rdfrom 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

WHERE:

Rangeley Family Medicine, 42 Dallas Hill Road, Rangeley

WHY:

Good Shepherd Food Bank allows us to expand our outreach to Maine communities most affected by food insecurity. Designed to be low-barrier distributions, Good Shepherd Food Bank delivers to communities with a demand for emergency and supplemental food that has outgrown the capacity of local food pantries.

For more information, please contact Rangeley Family Medicine at (207) 864-3303.

______________________________________________________________________________

About Good Shepherd Food Bank

As the largest hunger relief program in Maine, Good Shepherd Food Bank provides for Mainers facing hunger by distributing nutritious foods to more than 400 partner agencies across the state, including food pantries, meal sites, schools and senior programs. Together with its network, the food bank leads a statewide effort to combat the root causes of hunger by engaging in advocacy, nutrition education and strategic partnerships. In 2019, the food bank distributed 25 million meals to families, children and seniors in need throughout Maine.

Website:www.feedingmaine.org

Phone: (207) 782-3554

Facebook:www.facebook.com/feedingmaine

Twitter:www.twitter.com/feedingmaine

Rangeley Family Medicineis part of HealthReach Community Health Centers, a group of 11 Federally Qualified Health Centers in Central and Western Maine. Rangeley offers a wide range of services, including medical care, counseling and care management to residents of Rangeley, Dallas and Lincoln Plantations, Madrid, Magalloway, Sandy River and surrounding towns. A reduced fee program is available to uninsured and underinsured residents.

Previous

Next

Excerpt from:

Food Distribution to take place at Rangeley Family Medicine - The Bethel Citizen

IU School of Medicine study to look at potential treatment for opioid addiction – WISHTV.com

Posted on by

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) IU School of Medicine researchers have received a multi-million dollar grant to study a potential treatment for opioid addiction.

Its a five-year project thats expected to cost more than $12 million.

The drug is called tezumpanel and it was actually developed by Eli Lilly and Company and studied for use with migraines more than 10 years ago.

Now, IU School of Medicine researchers along with drug developer Proniras want to see if it can be used effectively to help those going through opioid withdrawal and other addictions as well as mental illnesses.

The medication will first be tested in a preclinical setting. That phase of the study is expected to cost about $2 million and last two years. If that supports further development, the grant will also provide about $10 million for a human clinical trial of the drug in individuals with opioid addiction in Indiana and across the country. That would take about three years. The money is coming from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

We have a profound need for new and effective treatment for addiction and co-morbid psychiatric conditions. We believe this grant represents an exciting opportunity to move the field of addiction psychiatry treatment forward in an impactful way, Dr. Thomas McAllister, chair of the IU School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, said.

Proniras licensed exclusive global rights to tezampanel from Eli Lilly and Company in 2017. Since then, the company also tested it as a potential treatment for nerve agent-induced seizures.

Tezampanel is not currently approved for any treatment through the FDA.

More here:

IU School of Medicine study to look at potential treatment for opioid addiction - WISHTV.com

Global Precision Medicine Research Report 2020: Taiwan, Estonia, and Finland Emerging as Key Markets Fueling Growth Opportunities in Precision…

Posted on by

Dublin, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "National eHealth Initiatives Advancing Global Precision Medicine Market, 2018-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This research service analyzes the key building blocks for the precision medicine ecosystem to provide strategic imperatives and growth opportunities for key participants.

Key Issues Addressed

The study captures both the global and regional flavors for PM market opportunity realization such as: market projections, drivers and restraints, country readiness index, and major government and commercial initiatives. The study also provides live case studies and innovative business models for leading companies in the PM space.

Precision medicine is transitioning toward wider acceptance, due to mounting payer pressures and regulatory changes that are shifting pharma businesses from prescriptive to more predictive and personalized models. Emergence of value-based reimbursement models and healthcare consumerism trends are helping move the treatment model from one-size-fits-all' to a stratified and outcome-based targeted therapeutics concept called precision medicine' (PM).

Companion diagnostics (CDx) and targeted therapeutics (TRx) are going beyond oncology and spreading more toward therapeutic areas such as infectious diseases, central nervous system (CNS), and cardiovascular diseases. Despite a relatively high success rate for PM R&D assets commercialization in recent years, considerable challenges exist around proving clinical utility and a regulatory and reimbursement framework, which is rigid, decentralized, and non-uniform.

Advances in omics technologies help in identifying molecular targets with the help of molecular insights generated by datasets about the disease pathogenesis. PM informatics is the key component of the PM ecosystem. PM-cognitive analytic platforms capable of leveraging genomic, clinical, financial, and lifestyle data, while delivering actionable clinical insights at the point of care, are gaining market traction. Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are the key enablers for utilizing the full potential of PM for building predictive models based on multi-omics data, given a big hurdle in the adoption of PM is lack of technology infrastructure.

Genomic sequencing has huge potential to support the COVID-19 outbreak exploration, especially in comprehending the re-emergence of potential COVID-19 outbreaks.

In terms of geographic outlook, although the specific focus on PM research started in the United States and the EU, countries such as Canada, China, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan have made significant advances in recent years in this area by way of significant investments to develop in-country research and scientific expertise to improve access. Considering the infrastructure requirements for utilizing omics in clinical practice, China and Japan are beating other leading countries in terms of both research initiatives and regulations and infrastructure development.

Key Topics:

Executive SummaryKey Questions This Study Will Answer6 Big Themes for Precision MedicinePrecision Medicine - Regional Market OverviewPrecision Medicine Vendor Landscape by Major Market ClustersPrecision Medicine Readiness of Major CountriesKey InsightsPrecision Medicine in the Wake of COVID-19

Research Scope, Definitions, and SegmentationResearch ScopePersonalized Vs Precision MedicinePrecision Medicine CategoriesPatient Stratification - Data Volume, Sources, and AdoptionPrecision Medicine - Key Segments and Data Sources

Current and Future State of Precision MedicineGlobal Precision Medicine Market - Macro to Micro VisioningChanging Modalities of Innovative DrugsPrecision Medicine in the Late-stage Clinical Trials PipelineMajor Pharmacogenomics BiomarkersPrecision Medicine Vendor Landscape

Precision Medicine Market Projections (2019–2025)Scenario Contingent Projections for Core Precision Medicine SegmentForecast Assumptions for Core Precision Medicine Segment - Optimistic ScenarioForecast Assumptions for Core Precision Medicine Segment - Pessimistic ScenarioCore Precision Medicine Segment - Revenue Forecast Scenario AnalysisCore Precision Medicine Segment - Revenue Forecast by SubsegmentsForecast Assumptions - Core Precision Medicine Key Subsegments

Precision Medicine Cluster Benchmarking by Major CountriesSelect Countries’ Readiness for Precision MedicineFactors Consideration for Precision Medicine Country Readiness IndexCountry Readiness for Precision Medicine - USCountry Readiness for Precision Medicine - EU and UKCountry Readiness for Precision Medicine - APAC

Growth Opportunities in Precision MedicineMajor Growth Opportunities

Opportunity Analysis - CDx and Biomarker-based Targeted Therapeutics (TRx)Growth Opportunity 1 - CDx and Biomarkers-based TRxPrecision Medicine Clinical Trials Trends in Major RegionsTop Areas of Companion Biomarker ResearchNew Clinical Trial Designs in the Era of Precision MedicineSelect Countries’ TRx and CDx Readiness Index

Opportunity Analysis - Genomics Technologies for Precision DiagnosticsGrowth Opportunity 2 - Genomics Technologies for Precision DiagnosticsPrecision Medicine Patient Stratification by Omics/Diagnostic FactorsLevel of Adoption of Select Novel Technologies and ApproachesGenomics Technologies for Precision DiagnosticsSelect NGS Vendor LandscapeSelect Countries’ Omics Research Readiness Index

Opportunity Analysis - Precision Medicine InformaticsGrowth Opportunity 3 - Precision Medicine Informatics SolutionsPrecision Medicine Informatics Market LandscapePrecision Medicine Informatics Market SizeC2A: Xifin - Precision Medicine Informatics for MDxSelect Countries’ eHealth Readiness Index

Key Conclusions

Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lvkzh

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Read more from the original source:

Global Precision Medicine Research Report 2020: Taiwan, Estonia, and Finland Emerging as Key Markets Fueling Growth Opportunities in Precision...