In times like these: Love of hope and hope of love – Baptist News Global

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Does hope mean anything anymore? What is the point of hope in this season? Ive asked myself those questions, along with many, many others in the preceding months and today. I look at the mess weve made of the United States and find hope hard to come by.

But then I reread James Cone as I was preparing to lead a book study at my church on his Cross and the Lynching Tree, which compares the crucifixion of Jesus to the lynching of Black Americans in the United States.

He critiques Reinhold Niebuhr for failing to grasp the severity of white supremacy in the United States. Cone comments: Christian realism was not only the source of Niebuhrs radicalism but also his conservatism . Rather than challenging racial prejudice, (Niebuhr) believed it must slowly erode.

Contrast this to Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail. King wonders: Is organized religion too inextricably bound to the status quo to save our nation and the world? Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church as the true ekklesia and the hope of the world.

This, Cone remarks, marks the difference between Niebuhr and King. Niebuhr viewed agape love, as realized in Jesus cross, as an unrealizable goal in history. King, on the other hand, knew the standards were high, but nonetheless focused on God doing the impossible on hoping against the impossible. While the institutional church and Christians on the whole often had failed King, he somehow found hope even after the bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, even after firehoses were turned on Black protesters, even after the lynching of Emmitt Till.

Cone emphasizes that for King, hope and love did not erase the pain of suffering and its challenge for faith. Jesus life, death and resurrection Jesus loving hope compelled King to speak, work and fight, which led him to martyrdom. As Austin Channing Brown remarks: I get asked about hope a lot when talking about race in America. White folks usually mean, Are you optimistic? But Black folks connect hope to duty, legacy, the good fight. #Kenosha is why. The freedom movement cant survive on optimism; theres too much to mourn.

Hope is the stubborn ability to believe a better world can be possible. This echoes 2 Timothy 4, where the writer exhorts the audience to proclaim the gospel, in and out of season, even when people wander away to versions of Christianity linked to nationalism and white supremacy. The writer, perhaps knowing of his impending death, claims, I have fought the good fight, proclaiming truth and righteousness regardless of response positive, apathetic or antagonistic.

Too often have I found myself agreeing with Niebuhr rather than King. Niebuhr, born and raised a mere 20 miles from where I currently live, may have been concerned about the plight of African Americans but could not, or would not, enter into solidarity with them. Was he afraid hed lose his job? Or his status as a preeminent ethicist? Or was his heart not open?

To be a realist can be a luxury when one has found the status quo comfortable.

Sometimes I think nihilism and moderation the ability to give up, or the desire to promote gradualism and a middle ground are an indulgence of the privileged and the death of the marginalized. To be a realist can be a luxury when one has found the status quo comfortable.

Realism and nihilism can be easier, Ive found. I feel helpless to advocate for justice in my own white-flight, largely homogenous community, where the occasional Confederate flag can be found, despite being located in the Midwest. I feel despondent as the pandemic drags on with no end in sight, seeing people I care about suffer its effects, while others deny its seriousness. This election season does not help, either. Why bother with hope?

Then, I remembered Pauls famous words in 1 Corinthians 13. We see dimly in a mirror now, and still faith, hope and love abide. Paul proclaims the greatest is love.

And what if love informs our hope? What if love informs our faith?

This is how I saw Kings stubbornness in insisting on hope. His love for his Blackness, his love for his community, and his love for the church compelled him to work toward making the world more just. He critiques the church because he loves the church, for there can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. He calls Jesus an extremist for love. Because he loves, and he knows Gods love, he hopes against an oppressive government and a segregated church.

Maybe hope looks like love. Probably love looks like expressing disappointment when things arent as they should be and working toward what they might be. And perhaps, we might reassess our notions of hope, following the lead of Austin Channing Brown, by ridding ourselves of nave optimism and rediscovering that obstinate loving hope.

The hope that led Jesus to proclaim relief of the oppressed, good news to the poor, and the captives freed.

The hope that led Jesus to the Cross.

The hope that comes from the Resurrection.

The hope of uprising.

The love that leads to hope. The hope that leads to love.

Kate Hanch serves as associate pastor for youth and families atFirst St. Charles United Methodist Churchin Missouri. She earned a master of divinity degree from Central Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in theology and ethics from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She is ordained in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and lives in OFallon, Mo., with her husband, Steve.

More by Kate Hanch:

Four radical implications of knowing you are Gods child

Brave peacemaking, not bullying, must be our goal

Amid this pandemic, can we say with Julian of Norwich, All shall be well?

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In times like these: Love of hope and hope of love - Baptist News Global

How the heck did our politics get here? Chicago historian Rick Perlstein has the answer in his fourth book, ‘Reaganland.’ – Greater Milwaukee Today

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CHICAGO There is a historian who lives in Edgewater who is changing the way we think about American political history. Specifically, hes been altering the way we think about the 60-year rise of the conservative right, from its floundering days of Barry Goldwater to the Reagan Revolution, depositing seeds that rose into a Trump. His name is Rick Perlstein and hes become, as Slate put it, the pre-eminent historian of modern conservatism. Yet he was never an academic, and has never taught regularly. His research of choice is more likely to be a mountain of old newspapers than legislation, and unlike many historians, he has never shied from revealing his political affiliations.

Hes not even a conservative.

Theres little typical about him.

He began as a serious-minded teenager scrounging history from the mildewy stacks of old magazines in a Milwaukee bookstore basement. Reagan was president then. Perlsteins 50 now.

We like to picture our historians as somehow outside of history, or at least older than ourselves, poring exclusively through hallowed documents and the testimony of elected statesmen. The popular image is the gray-bearded scholar, said Patrick Iber, associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and thats not Rick Perlstein.

His obsession with American history started at 16, though not with anything obvious, not with an Alexander Hamilton or the fractures of a world war or the decline of a civilization. He began with a hunger to understand the utopian dreams and upheaval of the 1960s. Indeed, when I asked what his typical day looked like, he quoted from Jimi Hendrix, who was once asked to describe a typical day so, you wake up, and then you what? Hendrix replied, youre assuming that I wake up.

Perlstein delights in a cultural nod, in a seemingly random detail that speaks to American character. The return of an old-fashioned Superman of traditional values just as the culture war is brewing, the popularity of milquetoast talk show host Mike Douglas as Richard Nixon is ascending, the way Star Wars takes hold in a post-Bicentennial nation eager to be seen as rebels, not an empire.

For 20-plus years, beginning soon after graduating college, Perlsteins life work has been an accessible, even fun tetralogy of political histories spanning more than 3,000 pages. First, Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus (2001); then Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America (2008); then The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan (2014); and now Reaganland: Americas Right Turn 1976-1980 (the 1,200-page conclusion) four books that are collectively reframing the American political narrative as more than just elections and rhetoric, said Jane Dailey, associate professor of American history at the University of Chicago.

If youve found yourself staring into space lately and wondering how the United States arrived at such an ominous, uncertain and unrecognizable moment, Perlstein provides the blueprint.

Before him, our somewhat agreed-upon story went something like this: The oppressive, conformist 1950s led to the freethinking, free-loving 1960s; which led to Republicans losing badly with a hawkish Barry Goldwater, thereby forcing conservatives to redouble their efforts with the working class; all of which paid off when the liberalness of the 60s was overrun by nihilism of the 1970s and those formerly idealistic armies of campus protestors got jobs, sold out and bought stock.

Youve heard that story.

It was, in part, the sunny mini-van commercial vision of the 1960s, Perlstein says with a wide, laughing smile. And my triumph, I guess, is that I convinced people that it was all (expletive).

He retold that narrative in two ways, Iber said. He balanced left-wing activism of the 60s with the lesser-known grassroots organizing of the right; he paid attention to seemingly minor conservative victories that lay beneath the Big Chill, leading to the White House. He also combined political and cultural histories into a narrative that tells how people felt. He wasnt first. But he did it better.

That innovation sounds obvious.

But as recently as a couple of decades ago, it wasnt among the hidebound brotherhood of academic historians, around whom history coagulates. Simply, Perlsteins story made more sense, not a narrative of political theories and conventions but one where politics and culture merge.

Rick took conservatism seriously when no one would, Dailey said. And that allowed academics to take it seriously. Generations of historians had essentially written their histories, and those were ripe for revision. Rick wasnt first to reimagine that, but he expanded boundaries of the political.

Perlstein lives on a leafy lane inside an old brick building that was once part of the Manhattan Project, then a Christmas card factory. A shiny grand piano sits in the middle of the living room that he shares with his wife, Judy Cohn, a researcher at JPMorgan Chase. He settled on a long, gray modernist couch spotted with coffee stains the office, so to speak, where Perlstein spends most days, on his phone and laptop, getting calls about what he thinks of Kamala Harris and civil unrest and protests, receiving unsolicited conspiracy theories and fielding requests for think pieces. He sits shoeless, in a T-shirt. Hes short, with a bushy beard, steady smile and playful eyes.

I think Im the only person in America who doesnt want to be a pundit, he said.

Besides, he added, its a glib culture, and really, nobody knows anything.

Perlstein grew up comfortable in Milwaukee, to conservative parents. His father owned the largest courier company in the city and was very much the small businessman with resentments. He thought bureaucrats wanted to regulate him out of existence. I think he was afraid of his working-class employees. I was kind of liberal and would get into arguments about labor (with his parents). Hed say I would shed lefty ideas soon as I had to make payroll.

Perlstein had his own resentments: He hated Hebrew school. During his bar mitzvah, he gave a squeaky-voiced lecture on Soviet Jewry.

His earliest memories, he said, is watching TV evangelists and even then kind of wrapping my mind around the tribal diversity of America. By the time he was a teenager, he was obsessed with 60s activists and their radical reimaging of the world. I became a serious little guy, he said.

No surprise then, he studied history at the famously serious University of Chicago. Ethan Michaeli, who attended college with Perlstein (then became an investigative reporter for the Chicago Defender and author of a 2016 history of the Black newspaper), remembers his friend as not so dissimilar from his histories. He Hoovered up information, processed it and spit out a narrative verbally, before he even wrote a word. Which sounds like X-Men, but Rick was distinguished even there, in a place famously full of young people with strange abilities. Perlstein went directly from Hyde Park to the graduate program at University of Michigan, but never finished: At 25, he got a $35,000 trust fund and moved to New York to work at Lingua Franca, the once beloved magazine devoted to intellectuals and academics. Perlstein imagined himself as a budding intellectual. (In fact, he met his first wife through a singles ad in The Nation.)

The origin of his histories began at a 1994 conference for historians that he covered for the magazine. His piece, Who Owns the Sixties?, the cover story, came out of a generation gap playing out at the conference, between the historians who lived through the 1960s and those who came of age in the 70s and 80s. His story was so provocative and reinterpretive, the piece itself generated mainstream press (from the Tribune and others), which led Perlstein to a book deal.

This all sounds obvious now, he said, but then, historians seemed to forget Nixon won 49 states (in the 1972 election). There was narcissism among the creative class of boomers who didnt seem to recognize the supporters of George Wallace were boomers, that people throwing rocks at Martin Luther King had been boomers. This was generation who went to Ivy Leagues, protested Vietnam, got out of the draft. Many were radicalized, but a lot happened inside a bubble.

Perlstein focused instead on the roots of the New Right, which evolved into modern conservatism one aligned with religion, skilled at networking and churning out best-selling manifestos that few liberals even noticed. Actually, by the early 90s, remarkably, conservatism remained relatively fresh ground for historians. For years, after Goldwater was crushed (in the 1964 election), there was a sense among historians hed been too extremist for Republicans, that his was not a viable future, said Jim Grossman, executive director of the American Historical Association, the leading professional organization for historians. But Rick saw (Goldwater) was on to something, that someone like Phyllis Schlafly (the conservative Illinois activist who helped doom the Equal Rights Amendment) would not be easy to dismiss. Which, if you leap ahead, is how you arrive at a figure like (conservative architect) Newt Gingrich, which brings us to a Mitch McConnell.

Perlstein, he added, also proved himself different by not being shy about his politics, straddling activism, journalism and history, making no pretense to the scholarly distancing a lot of historians assume. Indeed, in January, Perlstein becomes president of In These Times, the 43-year old Chicago-based magazine of progressive politics; last year he was active in the campaign of Alderman Andre Vasquez. Perlstein says he considers himself a citizen first, but people are welcome to judge for themselves whether that takes away or adds to my value as a historian.

Initially, older, traditional conservatives appeared grateful for the care and attention that Perlstein paid to a history that hadnt yet received its due. Yet by 2017, even prominent conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation published an essay titled Rick Perlstein, Youre No Herodotus.

His four books may be epic, exhaustive, nearly day-by-day histories, though they are far from dispassionate or flattering, to Democrats or Republicans. You would pressed to identify a single hero. Reaganland which reads like a rocket despite its length, and being a history of the Carter years, falsely remembered as a sleepy trudge has a Reagan who exonerates a nation of racism and doubts while quietly anticipating Armageddon; its Carter is fearful that the country is sliding towards amorality, though the man himself proves arrogant and distant, unable to summon the emotional resonance Reagan wields. The book feels rollicking this way, and surprising in its detours, veering to serial killers and the religious right, Hollywood and Love Canal. By the time we reach the 1980 presidential election, your memory feels pocked and muddied. Carter, for instance, did not not lose the presidency because of American hostages in Iran; in fact, it wasnt even the primary issue for many voters and those who were concerned sided with Carter.

My books are about reverse engineering the outcome of the inevitable, Perlstein said. We know who won. We know the issues. But how did they get important? Theres nothing obvious there. You know what happened, but you dont know the possibilities.

But pinballing as the books feel, there is a steady theme that spans all four, he said. Its our deep American longing for consensus when there is none. Its an unbridgeable chasm. The biggest narrative that people miss is just how fragile the working peace in this country actually is.

Donald Trump appears in Reaganland, as an unassuming walk-on. His presence, though, the book arriving when it does, is an existential backdrop. Soon after his inauguration, Perlstein wrote a widely circulated piece for the New York Times Magazine about how historians himself included had told a tale of American politics far too constricted to anticipate the election of a Trump. Historians were, in a sense, not unlike the political establishment: They assumed a boundary of respectability and could not imagine widespread support for anyone running solely on resentment; they were too focused on the intellectuals of politics to take the fringes seriously.

Perlstein said he did recognize Trumps significance, just not his chances. What comes across then in Reaganland is how close the mainstream really is to its fringes. In researching, for example, he paid more attention to the popularity of white supremacy in 1979 than he might have if Trump lost.

That said, I told Perlstein if anyone might have anticipated the tribal divisiveness of 2020, I would have bet it would be himself, clued into undercurrents of culture. He smiled and brought me to a bookshelf in the back of his home stuffed with materials you might not expect to see in a historians home memoirs about open marriage, Time/Life histories, rants, tracts, trash. He found a pamphlet from Jerry Falwell, on the end of the world, on his wish for imminent conflict.

Perlstein flipped to the last page and read:

And what a glorious day that will be!

Then he laughed like he hadnt read it dozens of times already. This, right here, he said, waving the book like it was on fire, this is how far from the center someone accepted as a respectable actor in American life actually was! Its amazing were even alive in 2020! Nobody knows anything!

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How the heck did our politics get here? Chicago historian Rick Perlstein has the answer in his fourth book, 'Reaganland.' - Greater Milwaukee Today

Let the BBC’s new boss do his worst with comedy, I’d rather be offended than bored – The Guardian

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Just as I couldnt work myself up over what anyone sings at the Last Night of the Proms its not my world I am amazed at the reaction to Tim Davie. The new director-general of the BBC is going to get rid of all leftwing comedy apparently though he didnt say that exactly. Now you can manufacture a culture war in your lunch hour. Twitter assumes we will now have wall-to-wall Roy Chubby Brown and Jim Davidson. All criticism of the junta will be banned.

Davie is a Tory (boo!) with the impossible job of holding together a wobbly coalition if the BBC is to continue to be publicly funded. The Beeb has to be more representative in every way. An outfit that broadcasts Mrs Browns Boys and I May Destroy You is a broad church. Surely the dumping of few panel shows is not a huge issue?

The blokey format of such shows (for instance Have I Got News for You and Mock the Week) are tired. Comedy does not stem from predictability, but then jokes arent my thing. Knock, knock! Whos there? Another performative wham bam thank you mam merchant.

In the 1980s, alternative comedy was a reaction to the racist, sexist, homophobic comedy that preceded it. But the best of it was often apolitical , bonkers, surreal mania that could end badly. Jerry Sadowitz whose self-loathing and nihilism makes Frankie Boyle look like Lorraine Kelly was never going to be a comfortable night out.

The relationship of good alternative comedy to bad working mens club comedy, though, was always closer than is acknowledged. You can see that in a John Cooper Clarke set that spans these two eras with his gags about Alzheimers disease and eating disorders.

Brexit has put a spanner in the works. The punchline to even the best comics riffing on this is always the same. Everyone who voted for it is a racist piece of shit. Watching this applauded by an Islington audience, as I have, leaves me cold. For some of this is about class. This is the subtext to what Davie is saying but we cant talk about it. Class is why most Radio 4 comedy is, to my ears, like being at some interminable dinner party. We are not amused.

Not everyone watches TV comedy to be made aware that the Tories, Trump and Brexit are all stupid. From Peter Kay to Matt Berry, Diane Morgan to Vic and Bob, we watch for silliness and acute observation. The greatest sitcoms are full of self-important fools being vile: Peep Show, Frasier, The Office. At the moment, the challenge to convention in both style and substance is coming from fantastic female writers: Lucy Prebble, Michaela Coel, Sharon Horgan. Julia Davis did it all some time ago.

If you want edge, the panel show is the last place to go. When performing live, Boyle is a genius, but he has indeed punched down (gags on disability) so on TV he appears to lead a sociology seminar as a penance.

The question then, is not whether Geoff Norcott or Nish Kumar is funny but who its all for. As Tom Lehrer said: The audience likes to think that satire is doing something. But, in fact, it is mostly to leave themselves satisfied. Satisfied rather than angry, which is what they should be.

It is this dull satisfaction that is being defended now. The right is no joke, but neither is the self-righteousness of parts of the left. But then I would rather than be offended than bored because I do not find words or even awful jokes to be literal violence. The orthodoxy now, with its tick-box of taboos, renders standup dull. It is in other formats that all of this is being busted apart. Let Davie do his worst. The status quo absolutely depends on satire that can never actually ask why, if it is so biting and true, the left is not in power. Punching up these days looks a lot like treading water.

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Let the BBC's new boss do his worst with comedy, I'd rather be offended than bored - The Guardian

Seth MacFarlanes Micronations & Adaptation Of Wondery Podcast Imagined Life Lead UCP Unscripted Development Slate – Deadline

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UCP is ramping up its development on unscripted programming and is moving into the family space.

The company is working on family-friendly projects with Seth MacFarlane, Jim Henson Company and Wondery.

This comes after the division of Universal Studio Group has produced a slew of true-crime series and investigative doc series such as Netflixs Business of Drugs, FXs A Wilderness of Error and Oxygens DNA of Murder with Paul Holes and Unspeakable Crime: The Killing of Jessica Chambers.

Micronations, which is exec produced by MacFarlane and and Erica Huggins for Fuzzy Door, looks at what it takes to build a country, what it means to be a citizen and takes a host on an adventure around the world to the countries that dont exist. Jason Clark and Sarah Ullman will also exec produce.

Imagined Life is based on the eponymous Wondery podcast, which takes people on an immersive journey through the surprising moments and challenges that shaped the lives of celebrities and historical figures. It is part mystery and part immersive story. Don Argott, director of music doc As The Palaces Burn, will direct and exec produce with Sheena Joyce (Believer). Hernan Lopez, Marshall Lewy and Aaron Hart will produce for Wondery.

It is the latest project between Wondery and UCP, which have partnered on Dirty John, Dr. Death and Joe Exotic.

Coming Attractions sees UCP team up with The Jim Henson Company. The show will find real communities in need of hope, and help their towns develop and build themed, roadside tourist attractions as part of a feel-good competition series. Brian Henson and Vince Raisa will executive produce for The Jim Henson Company, which previously teamed with UCP on Netflixs The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell.

Finally, Courting Love is a dating format with a period twist. The dating experiment format will take single and transport them to a bygone era where they will shed their modern lives and follow real courtship rituals of the past in hopes that they can find love and get married. At the end of the fantasy experiment theyll emerge back in 2021 and face the present day with their new love. Amanda McPhilips is developing alongside UCP.

While we have had great success in the realm of true-crime, we also have a softer side that we want to show off.I cant think of a better time for some fun, smart, light-hearted yet timely fare for ourunscripted slate, said Dawn Olmstead, President, UCP.

We are excited to partner once again with Fuzzy Door, Wondery, and The Jim Henson Company on these fresh and original shows, added Jessica Grimshaw, SVP, Head of Unscripted Programming, UCP. From world-wide travels and roadside tourist attractions to inspirational celebrities and blast-to-the past dating, we have some really entertaining, escapist programming in the pipeline.

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Seth MacFarlanes Micronations & Adaptation Of Wondery Podcast Imagined Life Lead UCP Unscripted Development Slate - Deadline

UCP Teams With Fuzzy Door, Jim Henson Firm, Wondery on Unscripted Slate – TheNewsTrace

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Common Studio Groups UCP has unveiled its unscripted improvement slate, which incorporates initiatives from Seth MacFarlanes Fuzzy Door, the Jim Henson Firm and Wondery.

Whereas now we have had nice success within the realm of true-crime, we even have a softer facet that we wish to exhibit. I cant consider a greater time for some enjoyable, sensible, light-hearted but well timed fare for our unscripted slate, stated Daybreak Olmstead, president of UCP.

Micronations is one such mission, govt produced by MacFarlane and Erica Huggins for Fuzzy Door alongside Jason Clark and Sarah Ullman, as a part of MacFarlanes total take care of UCP. The documentary tackles the query of what it means to belong, to be a citizen, and to construct a rustic. The presents host will go on an journey world wide to the nations that dont exist.

UCP and the Jim Henson Firm are teaming up on Coming Sights, a bid to discover actual communities in want of hope, and assist their cities develop and construct extraordinary themed, roadside vacationer sights. Brian Henson and Vince Raisa will govt produce for The Jim Henson Firm.

Imagined Life, primarily based on the Wondery podcast, will characteristic hourlong episodes shot from the views of the topics and narrated within the third particular person, highlighting the stunning moments and challenges that formed the lives of your favourite celebrities and historic figures. The tales will likely be instructed by reenactments and narrator-driven interviews. Don Argott and Sheena Joyce are slated to direct and govt produce; producing for Wondery are Hernan Lopez, Marshall Lewy and Aaron Hart.

Courting Love is a so-called relationship experiment that places single individuals in a period-era setting that follows the courtship guidelines circa Sense & Sensibility and Emma. On the finish of the experiment, they then return to the trendy world and navigate their newfound relationships within the current day. Amanda McPhilips is creating alongside UCP.

Were excited to companion as soon as once more with Fuzzy Door, Wondery, and The Jim Henson Firm on these contemporary and unique reveals, stated Jessica Grimshaw, senior VP and head of unscripted programming at UCP. From worldwide travels and roadside vacationer sights to inspirational celebrities and blast-to-the previous relationship, now we have some actually entertaining, escapist programming within the pipeline.

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UCP Teams With Fuzzy Door, Jim Henson Firm, Wondery on Unscripted Slate - TheNewsTrace

Ideology, Religion, and Respect Reason.com – Reason

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My former student Carolyn Homer has written a characteristically thoughtful and passionate post arguing that Trumpism is akin to a religion. Others have argued that Wokeness is essentially a religious movement, or that both Evangelicalism and Wokeness are. And one can find critiques arguing that economics is a religion or that libertarianism is a false faith. Secular humanism can be a religion too. These arguments do not all claim that ideologies are religious in the sense that they take positions on the superhuman power of God, but that ideological movements are often similar to religious movements in their organization and in that their belief structures ultimately reduce to assumptions that are matters of faith in the relevant communities.

Humans use essentially the same cognitive processes to derive their religious beliefs and their ideological views. Because individual experience is limited, many of our beliefs are based on decisions to place faith in the conclusions of others. Often, we believe that groups of thinkers are worthy of epistemic deference because we know people in these groups and believe based on our first-hand experience with them that their beliefs are genuine and that they are unlikely to be trying to deceive us about their views. This helps explain why people often have views similar to those of other people in their community. It is not just that we are more exposed to the views of our friends and neighbors (though that is surely important as well), but also that we tend to trust our friends and neighbors. It also helps explain why individuals who feel less comfortable socially in a community are more likely than others to reject that community's ideological or religious beliefs.

I do not mean this merely to be a claim about other people's beliefs. It is very much a claim about my own beliefs. For example, I have great confidence in my own views of climate science, specifically that the best evidence indicates that anthropogenic global warming is occurring. But that is not based on any detailed study of the models that climate scientists use. Rather, it is based on an assumption that climate scientists are unlikely to be engaged in a global hoax. This is a belief that I can hold with great confidence even though I also think that there is probably some incentive for conformity and groupthink within the relevant community and that it may be more difficult to publish research suggesting that climate change is a little milder than feared than researching suggesting that climate change is a little worse than feared. If I engaged a climate change skeptic whose knowledge level was similar to mine, we would probably deadlock in arguing about the incentives of the scientific community, more than on the actual science, since neither of us has much more than a superficial knowledge of the scientific studies on this issue. I would like to think that if I devoted sufficient time to educating myself, I would be able to explain in clear detail how the climate change skeptics are misusing evidence, but I must confess that if I today watched a 10-minute video by a climate change skeptic citing various studies, I probably would not know enough to lay out the counterarguments.

When one recognizes that one's own views inevitably depend on matters of faith, should one discard those views? Consider Aumann's agreement theorem, which shows that if rational agents have common knowledge of each other's beliefs (meaning that each believes that the other believes that the first believes what the other's beliefs are and so on to infinite regress) then they cannot agree to disagree. Imagine, for example, that in thinking about some ideological or religious issue, I could place all the parts of my brain that form my reasoning on that issue into a box, which I could then interrogate for the answer to what I think about that issue. For example, I can't remember what I believe about climate science, but my box tells me that I believe that anthropogenic global warming is very likely. But I can see that your box says that you believe that anthropogenic global warming is very unlikely. Assume that I think that the brain in your box is mechanically every bit as good as the brain in my box. In such circumstances, it's easy to see that I should be no more disposed to think that anthropogenice global warming is very likely than than that it is very unlikely. There is no reason that I should favor the answer from my own box than from yours, any more than I should assume that my computer is giving me the correct result if your computer and mine surprisingly give different answers to a particular floating point operation.

But I can't place the parts of my brain that resolves particular issues in a box (at least without doing considerable damage), and more importantly, I cannot verify when you tell me your view on a particular issue that you are honestly reporting your view on that issue. When I interrogate my own view, I may recognize the possibility that my views are the result of subconscious psychological processes and self-deception, but at least I know that my views are not the result ofconsciousdeception. Thus, I should have at least some greater confidence in my own views than in the views of any other person, all else equal, particularly if I believe that my views already place appropriate epistemic deference on the views of others. That is enough to save each of us from paralysis; I can hold beliefs, even beliefs that a majority of others reject. But it should reinforce that each of us is using a remarkable but imperfect machine to generate our beliefs, that we are all motivated reasoners who do not understand our subconscious motivations, and that many people are probably genuine in holding beliefs that we think are clearly wrong or even evil.

All of this analysis extends to my religious beliefs as well as to nonreligious ideological views. I belong to a Jewish congregation that emphasizes egalitarianism, and I do not believe that God intended for women to be excluded from positions of power either in religious organizations or in secular society. But of course I have friends who are adherents of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths that insist on different roles for men and women in at least some domains. I respect these friends and their beliefs, even though I do not agree with them. Most of us, I believe, are inclined to respect those of other religions, not only those who engage in different faith traditions (do you give presents for Christmas or Hannukah?) but who actually have different beliefs (do you believe that Jesus is the son of God?). Many people today accord more respect to those of other religious faiths than to those of other ideological beliefs, even though one might argue that the range of religious beliefs is much greater than the range of ideological views.

So, yes, ideology is like religion, and it may be worth pointing this out as a means of encouraging those on both sides of an issue to introspect about their assumptions and about whether they have arrived at their views largely for social reasons. But ultimately, the similarity of ideology and religion should be cited as a reason to respect the views of others rather than to condemn them. It may be appropriate in deciding whether to grant credence to others' views to assess whether they arrived at those views through some process of isolated impartial reflection or through social processes. But we should resist the temptation to conclude that our views reflect impartial reflection while others' views are the product of social processes. We should explain when we believe our opponents are wrong and why. But our politics and our society would be better if we recognized that our own views are fallible and that even those we regard as fundamentally misguided may be genuine in their views and may even be employing reasoning processes that foundationally are similar to those that we ourselves are employing.

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Ideology, Religion, and Respect Reason.com - Reason

The Covid-19 Effect: Conversation Territories In The New Normal – PRovoke Media

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INTRODUCTION

Humanity may indeed have developed some formidable technologies for accumulating information, but the truth is, our memories remain very short. It has only taken two or three generations to forget about the consequences of the poorly named Spanish flu that killed hundreds of millions around the world between 1918 and 1919. Tragic loss of life aside, that pandemic went on to revolutionize many aspects of society, culture and the economy by introducing structural changes in the ways people lived. We need look no further than Spain to see that it accelerated the role of industry, thus raising the country out of a farming economy; forced a transformation of waste management systems, which did not exist as they do today; and changed the way cities were designed, introducing large plazas to avoid crowds. Some studies even suggest that the pandemic had a decisive impact on World War I. With death and disease among hundreds of thousands of soldiers accelerating an end to the fighting and forcing a bad peace treaty (Versailles), which simply led to a second World War 20 years later.

We forget that, 100 years ago, a virus came and changed almost everything. History is repeating itself now, and a new virus has arrived in 2020 to shake up a society that we already thought was moving fast. Or so we believed, from atop our tower of stability. A fluid society and constant uncertainty loom over the horizon, and our ingenuity is only now being revealed.

With a hard lesson in humility under our belts, this report tries to highlight the big conversations we are seeing take shape. Some are mutating into something else, and several more we strongly doubt will remain as they are today. All of these conversations are and will be undoubtedly digital, because that is an inherent condition of conversation itself in todays world.

Seeing the bigger picture may help readers navigate the rough seas of decision-making that surround the issues impacting business: Where might regulatory decisions take us? What are my consumers concerned about? And what issues should I focus on in my relationships with my stakeholders? Nobody has all the answers, but we may be able to find a few of them together if we start here.

Maria Branyas is the oldest person in Spain. She is 113 years old. She lives in Olot (Girona, Spain), and she has just recovered from the coronavirus. She was born in 1907, so she also lived through the Spanish flu as well. She recently said, From the solitude of my room, fearless and with hope, I dont really understand what is happening in the world. But I dont think anything will be the same again. And dont think about redoing, recovering or rebuilding. Everything will need to be done again, and done differently.

Everything will need to be done again. We should listen to our elders.

To develop this report, we conducted 62 vertical analyses of territories and communities on Twitter (a total of over 180 million tweets), and we monitored trends over time in search frequency for keywords and key issues on Google regarding the territories of interest.

1. GLOBALIZATION VS. LOCALISM

The breakdown of globalization as we have known it for the last few decades has been in the cards since the 2008 financial crisis. Perhaps the coronavirus pandemic is the killing blow. International trades expansion era had been dwindling since the beginning of the trade war between the United States and China, initiated by tariff impositions and departures from international agreements. Now, supranational organizations have been unable to show usefulness in building a coordinated solution to the pandemic, which will leave serious wounds on multilateralism and international cooperation. This will be further exacerbated by national protectionist ideologies.

The following months may put into question the ways major corporations function, as well as their very natures. The pandemic has lent support to the protectionist and nationalist arguments (albeit for different reasons) of certain political leaders, such as Trump and Bolsonaro, by firmly committing to industrial sovereignty over production and value chains. Whereas Twitter conversations in this territory in April 2019 were full of hashtags about Brexit and Trumps nationalist posturing, COVID-19 and references to the supply chain are gaining popularity in the same period in 2020. These are interspersed with political slogans, and a more complex and argued conversation is being constructed.

The pandemic has driven conversations about company value chains toward a focus on greater resilience based on supplier diversification, as well as greater digitalization. This will enable them to deal with future disruptions. Beyond the structural effect on supply chains, however, the COVID-19 effect has another short- and medium-term impact: International tourism. It may be safe to assume that the mobility restrictions will be temporary, but we are facing a period in which action protocols and fear of contagion will be the main barriers to overcome: bureaucracy, social distancing, order, waiting, processes The free will normally associated with tourism will continue to be constrained. In this reconfiguration, the most-developed countries could have an advantage in terms of demand when compared to exotic destinations, as healthcare systems are often less advanced in this locations, affecting travelers perceptions of safety when they choose to go on holiday.

While the COVID-19 effect enables a reduction in the trade of physical goods and individual mobility, digital globalization might well gain popularity. Online relationships and services have demonstrated strength during this crisis, with teleworking at the top of the list. Nonetheless, this will be accompanied by the first major consequence: A reemergence of localism in an inverse process of globalization. The bureaucratic burdens on the exchange of goods and people are leading to attention and concern for what we have close by, including our neighbors, local produce and news from our own neighborhoods. All things nearby have proven useful and tangible during this crisis, which has contributed to a reassessment of the local social fabric. Neighborhoods are now leading the new scale of how service integration and emotional connections are measured.

2. THE WELLBEING REFORM

This pandemic has profoundly rearranged Maslows hierarchy of human needs, built after the end of World War II. We are returning to needs we thought long since overcome, such as the need for physical safety and health, which are perhaps even more basic than the need to breathe after all, we are sometimes scared to breathe in certain places. Therefore, the post-COVID concept of wellbeing has been widened at the base, and these needs rise to the same level as personal care, aesthetics and nutrition. We can see it in the figures: Conversations about beauty have fallen by 62 percent when compared to last year;those about nutrition are down by 70 percentand those on wellbeing by 37 percent

Furthermore, one subject that had been sidelined from the public agenda for too long has returned with force, and it is considered by many studies to be the next major challenge in healthcare management: The populations mental health in a post-traumatic situation.

Three important conversations on the topic of wellbeing are highlighted below:

3. SENIORS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CARE

It reads like a fiction story. Two months ago, we thought of the Baby Boomers (active people over 60 with savings for whom their age was not an issue) as a driving force behind the economy due to their investment in leisure and wellbeing, especially now that life expectancy is longer. However, theres nothing better than a dose of reality to put us in our place and force us to see the other side of the debate around seniors: Care.

Whether paid or not, care will be a major social issue in the years ahead. The crisis, combined with the 18,000 elderly people who have died in care homes and this populations extreme vulnerability to the virus, has proven how important an integrated care policy could be. The care economy accounts for 15 percent of Spains GDP. According to the Care Work and Care Jobs for the Future of Decent Work report by the ILO, changes to family structures, higher care dependency ratios and changing care needs, combined with an increase in the level of womens employment in certain countries, have eroded the availability of unpaid care work and resulted in an increase in the demand for paid care work.

Looking at the figures, the care world may simply be seen as another area undergoing a transition process, moving from unpaid work by family members to paid work from outsourcing this care, and that the three pitfalls, two pending reforms and change of mentality listed below must be addressed.

The three pitfalls we may encounter are:

The two pending reforms are:

Organizations will be forced to reconsider their roles, with a focus on not only the adaptation of assets and services, but also on social contribution, including the importance of care and how we interact with one another in our most immediate environments. Consumers are looking to find a framework brand values that forms an active part of the solution. Usefulness, generosity, commitment and the need to help one another is the new language for companies seeking to connect with people.

4. CRACKS IN EDUCATION

Education is another area that has been thrown up in the air by COVID-19. Nothing about this situation is new, but what feels like five years have passed in a matter of weeks. We will be talking about education a lot, and we will be talking about an education system that is expected to produce resilient and employable citizens. Resilience is the new humanism in an education sector fighting for the competitiveness of its offering while trying to manage five deep cracks.

Breaking away from physical spaces

In this COVID-19 crisis, 91 percent of pupils around the world (equal to 1.5 billion children and young people) have been forced to start learning from home. Technology has proven to be an essential ally in keeping up with classes, leading to an access gap of around 10 percent in compulsory education and 3 percent in university education in Spain alone. Blended face-to-face and online learning has received the backing it needed over the last few weeks, and everything suggests that the 2020-2021 school year will be its debut year, although regional government authorities, schools and parents are showing reticence toward a model that has not yet been proven to work.

Breaking away from the figure of teacher

Educators have been going through a process of trial and error for years. Conventional classrooms dont work, and neither does conventional teaching. Memorization has been left behind, and gamification and shared knowledge have taken its place. From the all-knowing teacher, we have shifted to answers being available everywhere at the click of a mouse. Students no longer needed teachers to acquire knowledge. Even so, teacher figures are more important than ever. Therein lies the challenge.

Breaking away from knowledge

This is all because education is also now a combination of skills and abilities. Knowledge, as static and linear boxes, has no value in a world that is constantly on the move and transforming. Functional, emotional and resilient citizens capable of understanding the complexity of its contradictions; of developing technical, applicable responses; of exercising emotional intelligence both on their own and with others; of being creative and collaborative are the new Michelangelos of this world. Now that we are physically distancing ourselves from one another, it is more important than ever to build a community.

Breaking away from qualifications

Education used to be a continuous line, accumulative and limited by time. The concept of lifelong learning emerged as a figure of speech, but it eventually took hold to become reality in most productive sectors. Long and linear academic careers will not be competitive. Rather, pill-based learning with practical seminars, anti-master classes and short bursts will be what improves our functionality, capable of fitting into our professional and family lives while limiting the onset of obsolescence. This has led to the success of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and progress towards a singularization of education.

Breaking away from the promise of equality

Education will be experience-based, achieved through the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality. This wont happen immediately and will take place at different speeds, leading to numerous debates around equal opportunity (perhaps the most relevant topic in the field of education) and the supposed unfair competition from new players in the sector (mainly technology and entertainment operators and platforms). The problem lies in the widening gap between economic classes and the disincentive the most vulnerable parts of society will feel toward education, with a growing trend of leaving school early. This will be seen in the dichotomy between public and private, between science and the arts, between central and peripheral. Each one of these cracks is opening an equal opportunities gap that can only be faced through state policy that understands education as a lever for national competitiveness.

5. THE DEFINITIVE REINVENTION OF ENTERTAINMENT

This crisis has poured more fuel onto the fire in the entertainment industry, accentuating the problems and opportunities stemming from digitalization and the democratization of production and access to content. The conflict between digitalization and face-to-face experiences has heightened existing tensions between traditional industry models (based on controlling content licenses and their broadcast times) and new methods of consuming media. In the audiovisual industry, those who will suffer the biggest loses from COVID-19s impact will be the cinema screening chains, which have been fighting against new over-the-top (OTT) players, such as Hulu, Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, over screening windows for the past several years. Movie theaters now see their business being damaged not only by audience perceptions of insecurity, but also by the consolidation of on-demand consumption in peoples homes. Most of the big players in production and distribution have sufficient streaming windows to make their products available to audiences, even during a pandemic situation like this. This situation is forcing the traditional screening industry to reinvent itself or possibly even ally with its competitors. This has been furthered by major events and awards, such as Cannes or the Oscars, which are starting to open their doors to new formats in their selection and screening criteria.

The problem is multiplied in the music world, which was already being dragged down by far more serious endemic problems. The industry already struggles with being unable to find a sustainable model that would allow them to survive while also responding to the realities of modern consumers. Until now, the streaming model sought to replace the traditional one, ruled by record labels that mixed artist management with a focus on live performances. Artists tend not to support switching to selling licenses to streaming services due to how little they are paid for it. However, while the rate of audiovisual content consumption on streaming platforms has continued to climb during the lockdown, the consumption of music on players such as Spotify or Deezer has fallen. This is coupled with disaster in the live performance industry, which will take far longer to recover given the difficulty of safely running concerts or festivals like the ones weve enjoyed up to now. The music industry, which was still trying to adjust to the digital age in 2020, will need to completely reinvent itself due to the effects of COVID-19.

In turn, gaming (which the cinema and TV series industries see as the main competitor for consumer attention) is coming out on top during the pandemic. However, that triumph is being offset by the growing e-sports industrys excessive dependence on large-scale events, which had previously been the main focus for brand investment. The vacuum created without these events is an opportunity for publishers and broadcast and conversation platforms such as Twitch, which brands had not utilized until now.

This pandemic leaves us with an entertainment industry that will need to accelerate its digital transformation and overcome its excessive dependence on face-to-face experiences. They will be competing with the rising production and consumption of user-generated content, with platforms like Tik-Tok gaining traction. The emergence of useful entertainment, with a special focus on wellness content, will also provide brands with food for thought. Until now, brands have been highly focused on traditional sponsorship models that focused on major physical events. Diversifying away from this model will create even more opportunities for branded content.

6. GREEN ECONOMIC RECOVERY?

Over the last decade, strong progress has been made in terms of raising awareness about climate change. The ecological agenda has made in-roads into politics, the economy and society with a rare level of efficacy thanks to strong warnings from civil and scientific organizations regarding the climate emergency we face. Following the Paris Agreement in 2015, which offered the first global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the countries involved got to work and were making significant progress. Then came COVID-19, which has put the whole world on pause. In a scenario of economic recession, classic economic theory leads us to conclude that private investment will slow, especially nonessential investment. Similarly, the expectation is that governments ecological agendas will need to be less ambitious, and issues that increase pressure on companies (such as green taxation or political incentives) will be relaxed.

Contrary to this theory, we are seeing a growing phenomenon of pressure to intensify these practices, which may position the ecological revolution as a lever for economic reconstruction. Several European countries have already signed the Green Recovery Alliance. In turn, the European Commission itself has positioned its European Green Deal project as one of the most powerful reactivation tools. The Spanish government also seems to be heading in the direction of ecological reform: It is working on a growth and progress model based on balanced use of renewable resources and on recycling nonrenewable resources. There will, of course, still be a great deal of disagreement with extreme positions on the ecological transition as policymakers seek to leave room for measures that alleviate the economic stress placed on companies.

For the time being, conversation analysis shows a sharp decline in conversations about sustainability and climate change. That is entirely to be expected, as COVID-19 dominates online conversation. When we return to a certain degree of normalcy, perhaps we will see a more polarized conversation. Supporters of the ecological agenda will likely present it as the right way forward, while other groups may become more active in defending the economy/ecology dichotomy.

That same ecological tension can be seen in other layers of the conversation. Many companies will find support for their green positions under these circumstances, and it may be a way to stand out in their category: Fewer processed foods and products, more sustainable production and commercialization processes. This can turn into conversations about how this health crisis is returning our attention to nature and highlight the importance of buying better quality products, even if they are more expensive. However, the economic recession is making buying sustainable products less accessible, as these products are also less affordable.

Plastic products and packaging are an example of this battle. Disposable plastics have proven extremely important to preventing the spread of disease amid a global push to discourage their use because of how they pollute the environment. It is likely that plans to impose a tax on disposable plastics will be delayed, but will eventually move forward. Manufacturers will become polarized, shifting into those that delay their own green revolutions and those that accelerate it because they see it as a commercial opportunity.

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The entertainment industry lights up Las Vegas for Red Alert Restart – Las Vegas Sun

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John Locher/AP

Performers cheer as they watch fireworks during a Las Vegas event to raise awareness for entertainers and live event workers who have been out of work since the start of the pandemic, Tuesday, Sept. 1,2020.

By Brock Radke (contact)

Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Michelle Johnsons career in Las Vegas is a paragon of what the entertainment and events industry here is all about. Shes an exceptional and accomplished vocalist often referred to as the citys first lady of jazz, but she also produces varied entertainment events and runs a backline and production company with her husband.

Like so many other local professionals, Johnson does a lot of different things in order to make the Vegas magic happen. Thats why she was talking to media at the Smith Center on Tuesday night, a perfect representation of what the Red Alert Restart awareness event was all about.

Las Vegas organizers and venues participated in the national event on the evening of Sept. 1 assembled by brand-new industry organization We Make Events North America. Venues like the Fremont Street Experience, the Space, the Thomas & Mack Center, Allegiant Stadium and the Las Vegas Ballpark were lit in red to show support for the displaced workers in the live events industry, and downtowns Plaza Hotel & Casino hosted a performance from some of those entertainers and a fireworks display at its Core Arena.

But Johnson spent her evening at the Smith Center, where a symbolic road case push circled the Symphony Park lawn to start the events, because the downtown performing arts center holds a special place in her heart.

Ive played here a lot, I love this building and I feel like when this was built, it shifted the way Las Vegas was perceived, she said. I always call this the Lincoln Center of Nevada. Before this it was the Strip and the production shows but now we have true arts here. For all of that to happen in what feels like a short period of time, and then one day its all done [because of the pandemic], thats one thing.

The other thing, and the reason I got emotional when I came out here, is seeing all these stagehands here. Even I dont realize how many people have lost their gigs, and Im in the business. Every show, every property, every hotel has AV [technicians]. And it feels a little like were invisible, the little magic behind the wall no one sees. They just see the performers.

Red Alert Restart was a bit different from other local events and fundraisers benefitting those in the performing arts because the focus is on everyone in the industry an estimated 12 million people across the country, according to organizers.

From performers to technicians to designers to legal staff to the guy working the hot dog stand to the parking attendant, every person involved in making live events happen, said Brad Nelms, a new Las Vegas resident and the national director for We Make Events. We as an industry contribute about a trillion dollars a year in economic impact, plus the tertiary effects on other industries like travel, hospitality and restaurants.

Without audiences we dont exist and thats our challenge right now. We cant have an audience. There is a massive community behind these [events] that has made a living by being out of the picture, behind the scenes, and they now have a big problem, so thats why were doing this.

The North America group formed quickly after the campaign started in Europe with an Aug. 11 Light it Red event that saw the participation of 1,750 buildings. Tuesdays event was organized by regional teams in 58 cities with approximately 2,000 buildings illuminated in red across the country, Nelms said, thanks to the efforts of more than 5,000 volunteers.

Some local industry workers have been attempting to persuade state government and the Nevada Gaming Control Board to create and release guidelines that would allow smaller Las Vegas shows and live entertainment events to get back onstage as soon as possible. But this national campaigns goals are focused on getting more assistance for workers everywhere though two pieces of legislation that Congress could add to the next relief bill.

The Restart Act is small-business legislation thats not exclusive to our industry, but it would be helpful relative to other bills because it provides the loosest restrictions on the amounts of time and money it provides, and that gives us enough runway to get to March, which is the earliest time we believe we can be back, Nelms said. And on the people side, many people in this industry are freelance workers or own their own businesses and theyre not necessarily covered by the Payroll Protection Program. So we need pandemic unemployment assistance and federal pandemic unemployment compensation, the vehicles that were previously giving people that additional $600 per week to make an actual livable wage on unemployment, and allow independent contractors access to that money.

We Make Events also held a livestream on Facebook during this weeks demonstrations and the group encourages supporters to visit wemakeevents.org to find ways to help.

It seems sadly ironic that the entertainment industry, always in the spotlight in Las Vegas and in other cities where showbiz is deeply entrenched in the communitys culture, appears to be misunderstood, overlooked or even ignored in the era of coronavirus.

It feels like this is the epicenter of it, Johnson said. Im from New York and my friends back home are saying the same thing, but the difference is [New York] is not the entertainment capital of the world. Its Wall Street, and its all these other industries that are all affected, but here, this is the jewel in the crown of what we do. This is it.

Especially when something tragic like this is going on, entertainment is always the thing that pulls people through. Think about the movies that came out of the 40s after the war, or the music that came out of the 60s. Anytime theres turbulence, art is what has bridged us and gotten us through, and people have forgotten about us. I really believe were the healers and well help people pull through, and I dont think were the only ones, but we need to be taken more seriously as part of this city, for all that we give.

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Las Vegas woman arrested for sexually assaulting girl she had met several years ago – KTNV Las Vegas

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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) A 24-year-old Las Vegas woman has been arrested for sexually assaulting a child she met several years ago outside of a local school.

Yuliza Ambriz was booked on Aug. 27 in the Clark County Detention Center under the charges of 2 counts of sexual assault against a child under the age of 14 and child abuse and/or neglect.

Las Vegas police discovered the alleged abuse after responding to a domestic disturbance in downtown Las Vegas on July 20.

The juvenile girl was transported to a local hospital where she told a nurse that she was in a relationship with Ambriz.

The girl told police that she met Ambriz outside a school and that Ambriz had a puppy with her at the time. Ambriz reportedly invited the girl and her sister back to her home to play with her other dogs.

The girl and Ambriz became friends and started dating years later. The girl told police that she and Ambriz had several sexual encounters. She repeatedly referred to Ambriz as her girlfriend.

Ambriz confessed to having sex with the girl after she was arrested. She told police that she had feelings for the girl that she could not let go and she knew that the girl felt the same about her.

Ambrizs husband is currently serving time for sexual assault of a child, according to court records.

The domestic disturbance was a result of the girls sister going to Ambrizs home to pick the girl up.

According to the arrest report, the girls mother and sister were aware of the relationship and had made attempts to put an end to it.

Ambriz is due in court Oct. 1.

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Las Vegas woman arrested for sexually assaulting girl she had met several years ago - KTNV Las Vegas

What will it take to bring back Las Vegas shows? – Las Vegas Weekly

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Hundreds of Las Vegans who normally spend their time and talents entertaining millions of visitors every year returned to the Strip on August 19 to remind everyone that theyre still here and waiting to get back to work. They drove along Las Vegas Boulevard in their own cars and marched along the Strips sidewalks, wearing masks and holding signs that read We are stagehands, We are performers, We are live music, We make events and We need help.

Matt and Angela Stabile were there. The couples Stabile Productions company created and produces three successful, long-running late-night revuesX Burlesque, X Rocks and X Countryat three different Caesars Entertainment casino properties, along with Piff the Magic Dragon at the Flamingo. They also recently launched Change.org petition The Show Must Go On, calling on Gov. Steve Sisolak to release guidelines allowing shows like theirs to resume operations. At press time, it had more than 4,000 signatures.

It was good to see so many people come out to bring awareness to the fact that nothing is being done, says Angela Stabile, a former showgirl and dancer who performed in Lido de Paris at the Stardust and Crazy Girls at the Riviera. The governor is not addressing anything having to do with ticketed entertainment coming back when almost everything else is.

Adds Matt Stabile, I just dont understand why entertainment has been put so much on the back burner, because no one is going to continue to come to this town without entertainment.

Vegas shows big and small on and off the Strip, along with other events and large gatherings, have been shut down since mid-March as part of the states coronavirus response plan. Theres widespread recognition that the large-scale shows, entertainment and sports events with audiences of thousands cannot safely return at this time, but theres rising frustration in the local entertainment community that events in smaller theaters and showrooms arent getting a fair shake.

Producers of Strip shows like Opium at the Cosmopolitan and Thunder From Down Under at Excaliburheld in venues that seat hundreds, not thousandshave been preparing for months to restart with smaller, socially distanced audiences, modifying productions for any anticipated restrictions. The economics still need to be worked out with the hotels but we can run at 50 percent [capacity], Matt Stabile says. We have an advantage in smaller theaters. Those huge Cirque [du Soleil] shows have it a lot tougher.

Spiegelworld announced in early August that it had deep-cleaned and reconfigured the tent at Caesars Palace that hosts its award-winning show Absinthe, installing a new bipolar ionization air purification system to reduce airborne contaminants and replacing rows of seats with a cabaret-style system allowing a properly distanced audience of 220.

We have a full-time infection mitigation manager onboard who has been consulting with health experts and our casino partners to create a comprehensive handbook and set of protocols for how we will operate once Governor Sisolak and the Nevada Gaming Control Board agree it is appropriate for live entertainment to resume, Spiegelworld founder Ross Mollison said in an announcement. With many enhanced precautions and procedures in place, we believe we are uniquely positioned to present our same raunchy and hilarious shows in a way that should make everybody involved comfortable.

Movie theaters across the Vegas Valley have reopened, including some in casino complexes, leaving entertainers and show workers to watch as crowds gather in similar venues while they cant go back to work in the same fashion. Sophisticated live entertainment is allowed at the Cosmopolitans Rose. Rabbit. Lie. and Bellagios Mayfair Supper Club because those venues are categorized as restaurants, and off the Strip, large church services often include live performance from a full band.

A statement sent from the governors office to the Weekly didnt specifically address that apparent disparity, reiterating that the virus and its impact on the state sets the timeline for any reopening:

The Governor created the COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force, and [it is] responsible for assessing transmission risk levels for each county based on state criteria, and working with local governments to implement targeted mitigation measures that go beyond the current statewide baseline standards. These statewide standards include limits on public and private gathering size, along with capacity limits for businesses. Restrictions and mitigation measures related to live events and performances are also part of the existing statewide baseline standards. Any changes would only occur after an assessment by health officials and other experts and confidence that trends in cases, hospitalizations and community spread are in a safe position, along with appropriate response measures in place.

The August 19 Strip demonstration was organized by an informal group called We the Entertainment Community of Las Vegas (WE/EC), which linked up with new national organization We Make Events North America for a September 1 Red Alert Restart event. Several entertainment and event venues, including Allegiant Stadium, the Las Vegas Ballpark and the Smith Center, were lit in red, with a performance and fireworks display at the Plaza among the happenings designed to raise awareness for at-risk live events industry workers. Similar demonstrations took place in dozens of cities across the country.

The Stabiles have been communicating with Congresswoman Susie Lee and hoping that connection plus their petition will get the attention of the governor. Angela Stabile says she believes everyone is on the same page and wants to get entertainment going as soon as possible.

Caesars Entertainment is a great partner to us. We love working with them and weve been in touch the entire time, she says. Their priority, obviously, is safety, as is ours. The bottom line is we just want some guidelines.

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What will it take to bring back Las Vegas shows? - Las Vegas Weekly

How long will the rise of bicycling last? – Las Vegas Sun

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By Andrew Woods

Friday, Sept. 4, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Lockdowns and stay-at-home orders from Las Vegas to London to Beijing have resulted in fewer cars on roads and a plummet in public transit ridership. The nosedive in daily commuters has left large swaths of cities around the world nothing but a sea of deserted asphalt in the middle of the day. Among those who did venture out, many opted for a form of transit most of us learned to use as children bicycles.

According to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), use of the bicycle share program in downtown Las Vegas skyrocketed 97% the past few months compared with the same time last year. In May, the e-bike share program saw an average of a 1,000 rides a day, an increase of 843% compared with May 2019.

Venturing out, one couldnt help but notice the throngs of bicyclists on some of what used to be our busiest roads, such Sahara Avenue at Las Vegas Boulevard. The jumps in ridership in Las Vegas follow similar trends in other major cities.

Eco-Counter a Montreal engineering company that measures pedestrian traffic found a 21% increase in overall U.S. urban ridership thus far this year, compared with 2019. In New York City, the bike-share service Citi Bike saw an increase of 67% at the beginning of March, which continued through June, the latest data available. Counters on bridges measured significant increases in bicycle crossings at the start of the pandemic before stay-at-home orders were issued. Rails-to-Trails reported a 110% increase over 2019 in ridership on rail-trails such as sections of the Great American Rail Trail that connects Washington, D.C., to Seattle.

The upward trend is not just in metropolises with robust ridership, but also in car-dependent western cities like Los Angeles and Oakland, where ridership and bicycle sales in the wake of coronavirus skyrocketed. Data provided by PeopleForBikes showed bicycle sales up 65% this year over 2019. In many cities, there is a shortage of new bicycles because suppliers have not been able to keep up with demand.

Ridership has increased for several reasons. For one, during the pandemic people feel safer on their bicycle than on public transit. It is deemed relatively safe when riders maintain 6 feet of distance from each another, and research suggests that coronavirus transmission is more difficult in outdoor settings and when people are moving at variable speeds. Cycling has been deemed so safe and economically necessary that the U.K. government included bicycle repair vouchers in its economic recovery plan.

Second, with more people spending time at home, families are looking for something to do together that keeps the kids entertained and gets them out of the house. According to Eric Bjorling, director of brand at Trek Bicycles, this has led to not only a shortage of childrens bicycles, but all kinds of bicycles, from electric-powered to mountain bikes, for adults who are eager to get outside.

Cities are taking notice. Local governments in New York, Milan, Paris, Mexico City, Bogota and, yes, Las Vegas are accelerating plans for new bicycle lanes. They are meant to be temporary or pop-up to adjust for the significant change in urban commuter habits, but city planners and bicycle advocates are thinking longer term. Some dream of what they call the 15-minute city, where food, parks and schools are within a 15-minute walking distance, and the current crisis has allowed city leaders to fast-track those plans.

Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones, a cycling advocate, notes that already several new bicycle lane projects in the valley have been fast-tracked, including a multiuse trail from Hualapai Way to Durango Drive that will extend the future Red Rock Legacy Trail, as well as additional miles of bike lanes on Fort Apache Road and restriping of new lanes on Torrey Pines Drive.

Prior to COVID, Clark County was making slow, steady progress to add more bicycle lanes, Jones said. COVID proved that if people feel safe, they will get out and ride a bike on our roadways. Now, more of these projects that make cycling more accessible are moving forward with greater emphasis.

Jones and others are looking to take advantage of the enthusiasm in bicycling with an annual event starting this fall and a possible future event on the Strip once restrictions on social gatherings are lifted.

In downtown Las Vegas, RTC partnered with NV Energy to build six more e-bike sharing systems after demand skyrocketed during the state-mandated shutdown. RTC notes that its e-bike program has remained popular even after the shutdown and in the midst of extreme heat. It predicts that by the end of the year, the number of e-bike share rides will double what they were 2019.

Will it last? While advocates are bullish that the pandemic will change commuters habits for the long term, others are more skeptical over whether habits have actually changed in car-heavy communities. Part of the skepticism is that planners have rushed through new projects that normally take several years to put together. In New York, residents in Central Park West sued the city last year over the construction of the bicycle lanes. City planners worry that even if habits shift to using less public transit and more bicycling, other commuters will still choose cars, causing further congestion and smog on narrower roads.

One thing is clear though: Whether or not COVID-19 has changed the habits of urban commuters, cities are pedaling forward.

Andrew Woods is the CEO of WS Nevada a policy, elections and analysis firm based in Southern Nevada. He is finishing up his masters at the University of Chicago with a focus on infrastructure and transportation.

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How long will the rise of bicycling last? - Las Vegas Sun

Projecting the Raiders’ 53-man roster – Las Vegas Sun

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Saturday is cut-down day, when the Raiders will have to narrow their roster to the 53 players they intend to take into their Week 1 matchup against Carolina, and Jon Grudens philosophy toward building the roster is simple.

When asked about his cornerback group in the wake of releasing veteran Prince Amukamara, the coach gave an answer that covers just about everything.

Keeping the best guys is all were doing, Gruden said. Were going to keep the best players and try to continue to develop them.

With that guiding principle, lets run through the roster and try to project Las Vegas 53-man allotment.

(And for the sake of fun, lets also look back at my colleague Case Keefers first 53-man projection, which was done immediately following the draft but still holds up reasonably well.)

QUARTERBACKS (3): Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota, Nathan Peterman

Carr calmed some nerves around the franchise by playing well enough in camp to extinguish any talk of a quarterback controversy before it got started. Mariota, by the virtue of his high salary and not necessarily his performance in camp, will be the No. 2 QB. Some teams only carry two passers, but with COVID-19 complicating things the safe play would seem to be three quarterbacks. Peterson gets the last spot.

Cases early projection: Carr, Mariota, DeShone Kizer. Kizer didnt last long. There must be something about Peterson that Jon Gruden finds endearing.

RUNNING BACKS (4): Josh Jacobs, Jalen Richard, Lynn Bowden, Alec Ingold

Jacobs is a stud and should handle the vast majority of the workload on first and second down. Richard and Bowden are pass-catchers at this point, and Ingold is a fullback. If theres one thing this group is missing its a hard-charging power back for short-yardage situations, but Ingold can theoretically lead the way in heavy formations.

Cases early projection: Jacobs, Richard, Bowden, Ingold. Nailed it. Maybe I can take the rest of the night off

WIDE RECEIVERS (5): Henry Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow, Bryan Edwards, Nelson Agholor, Zay Jones

The Raiders probably would have carried six receivers if Tyrell Williams hadnt gone on injured reserve, but he did and now the team is a bit short-handed at the position. I dont think there was another wideout in camp who could step up into the sixth spot, so I project the Raiders to roll with five WRs to start the year. Agholor and Jones are now key pieces.

Cases early projection: Williams, Ruggs, Renfrow, Edwards, Agholor, Jones. This is likely dead on if Williams had made it through the summer healthy.

TIGHT ENDS (4): Darren Waller, Foster Moreau, Jason Witten, Derek Carrier

Carrier wouldnt have made the imaginary cut a week ago, but with Williams situation trimming the number of receivers on the roster Gruden now gets to carry a fourth tight end. For those of you keeping score at home, thats four tight ends and a fullback on a 2020 roster.

Cases early projection: Waller, Witten, Moreau. This could still end up being the way things shake out on Saturday. The skill sets of Waller, Witten and Moreau are varied enough that they could handle just about every conceivable situation.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (10): Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson, Richie Incognito, Kolton Miller, Trent Brown, Denzelle Good, Sam Young, John Simpson, Brandon Parker, Andre James

The top five are locked in, and Simpson was a fourth-round draft pick so his spot is secure. Good gives the team a veteran guard, and Parker is still developing on the outside. One point of concern is Browns absence for most of camp; if hes unable to get up to speed in time for Week 1, Young would probably get the call to step in at right tackle. Hudson has played 100 percent of the teams offensive snaps in three of the last four seasons, but James has shown enough to warrant a spot as the backup center.

Cases early projection: Hudson, Jackson, Incognito, Miller, Brown, Jordan Devey, Eric Kush, Simpson, Good, David Sharpe. The second-string picture has changed since the draft. Devey was released this week, Sharpe was traded to Washington for a late-round pick and Young was a relatively late addition.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (8): Clelin Ferrell, Maxx Crosby, Arden Key, Carl Nassib, Maliek Collins, Johnathan Hankins, Daniel Ross, Maurice Hurst

Ferrell and Crosby will start on the outside and Collins will line up as the three-technique DT. The other tackle spot will probably end up being a rotation depending on the situation. Key showed out during training camp, so it will be interesting to see if he can carry it over to the regular season.

Cases early projection: Ferrell, Crosby, Nassib, Key, Collins, Hankins, Hurst, Ross, P.J. Hall. Hall didnt make it through camp, but the rest of the eight remain the same.

LINEBACKERS (6): Nick Kwiatkoski, Cory Littleton, Raekwon McMillan, Nicholas Morrow, Javin White, Tanner Muse

McMillan gives the team a third starting-caliber linebacker, but only in run situations. Morrow makes the team as a sub-package LB, with undrafted White pushing him for playing time. Muse is a linebacker in name only, as hell see most of his snaps on special teams.

Cases early projection: Kwiatkoski, Littleton, Morrow, Muse, Marquel Lee. White was the biggest riser during training camp, so its understandable that Case left him off of the early 53-man roster.

CORNERBACKS (6): Trayvon Mullen, Damon Arnette, Lamarcus Joyner, Amik Robertson, Isaiah Johnson, Keisean Nixon

This position group is an indication of the franchises youth movement. Arnette and Robertson are rookies, while Mullen, Johnson and Nixon are second-year players. Joyner is the only certified veteran in the room. Nevin Lawson is serving a suspension in Week 1 but hes another experienced hand.

Cases early projection: Mullen, Arnette, Joyner, Robertson, Nixon, Lawson. As mentioned, Lawson will be eligible to rejoin the team in Week 2, so this could end up being the true composition at cornerback.

SAFETIES (4): Johnathan Abram, Damarious Randall, Jeff Heath, Erik Harris

One of the most spoken-for position groups, this has looked like the foursome throughout the entire offseason. The team is expecting big things from Abram, while Randall, Heath and Harris should combine to provide steady play on the back end. Probably the only way this changes is if Gruden moves Lamarcus Joyner to safety.

Cases early projection: Abram, Randall, Heath, Harris. No fuss, no muss.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3): Daniel Carlson (kicker), A.J. Cole (punter), Trent Sieg (long snapper)

Carlson hasnt been rock-solid during his time with the Raiders, but if theres a last-second kick to win the game in Week 1 hell be the one lining it up.

Cases early projection: Dominik Eberle (kicker), Cole, Sieg. Eberle was an interesting undrafted free agent, but he ended up being one of the first camp cuts.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [emailprotected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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Carbone in Las Vegas is rich in flavor and tradition – Lasvegasmagazine

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If youre in the mood to go old school, hit up Carbone. This restaurant channels the Italian joints New York is famous for. Youll dig its plush, high-backed booths and velvet curtains around the dining area, as well as the eclectic playlist.

Start with a classic cocktail like the Negroni, simply concocted with London gin, vermouth and Campari, or a fancy one like the White Lady, with gin, orange liqueur, vanilla and egg white. Num-num. Add an appetizer, such as the carpaccio Piemontese, which Carbone is known forthin slices of lean beef, with a truffle emulsion, mushrooms and arugula.

Another Carbone classic, the rigatoni in spicy vodka sauce, lives up to its name. Youll probably suss out Calabrian chili, as well as plenty of onion. And a medium-rare ribeye Diana with a cacciatore-style sauce may float your boat as well.

Aria, 877.230.2742

Click here for your free subscription to the weekly digital edition of Las Vegas Magazine, your guide to everything to do, hear, see and experience in Southern Nevada. As part of your subscription, each week via email you will receive the latest edition of Las Vegas Magazine, full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.

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Carbone in Las Vegas is rich in flavor and tradition - Lasvegasmagazine

Attempts to halt Kremlin critic Navalny have failed so far – Las Vegas Sun

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Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP

In this Dec. 26, 2019, file photo, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny speaks to the media in front of a security officer standing guard at the Foundation for Fighting Corruption office in Moscow, Russia. Navalny has been poisoned and hospitalized on Thursday morning, Aug. 20, 2020. His spokeswoman said on Twitter that Navalny felt unwell on a flight back to Moscow from Tomsk, a city inSiberia.

Associated Press

Friday, Sept. 4, 2020 | 12:30 a.m.

MOSCOW All the attempts over the years to stop the work of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny have failed so far.

Hes been jailed repeatedly and twice put on trial for embezzlement and fraud. He's been put under house arrest and splashed in the face with green antiseptic, damaging his sight. He was hospitalized last year for a suspected poisoning while in custody. His brother was jailed for over three years on fraud charges.

Now Navalny is in an induced coma in a Berlin hospital after suffering what German authorities say was a poisoning with achemical nerve agentwhile the opposition leader and corruption fighter was traveling from Siberia on Aug. 20. The Kremlin has denied involvement, and questioned whether he was poisoned at all.

Initially stunned by the attempt on his life, his supporters soon got back to work on their latest campaign against the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Weve got more anger and more motivation to work harder in order to, among other things, show the Kremlin that these methods of pressuring the opposition dont work, said Lyubov Sobol, one of Navalnys closest allies.

His top strategist Leonid Volkov said Navalny's team put all their regular work on hold as they arranged his transfer from a hospital in Omsk, where the plane carrying the unconscious activist had made an emergency landing. They publicized his plight for 48 hours, from the moment the plane landed in Omsk to the minute when the medevac plane carrying Navalny took off for Berlin.

Starting from Sunday, when he was already in Berlin, I firmly told everyone and everyone understood, of course that, Guys, Im sorry but we need to get back to our normal work,' Volkov said. Weve got to slog away at Smart Voting.

The Smart Voting project was launched in 2018 and is designed to oust the Kremlins dominant United Russia party which Navalny has dubbed the party of crooks and thieves from regional governments and legislatures.

The project aims to identify and campaign for candidates who are most likely to beat those backed by the Kremlin in various elections.

Last year, the Smart Voting project helped opposition candidates win 20 out of 45 seats on the Moscow city council. This year, Navalnys team hopes to use it in 31 Russian regions where elections on various levels are scheduled for Sept. 13. In some of those regions, the team put forward its own candidates.

Navalny, 44, has been a thorn in the Kremlin's side even though he is barred from running against Putin because of the 2017 conviction for embezzlement a charge he says was politically motivated. In public statements, Putin refuses to even speak Navalny's name.

Through his two popular YouTube channels detailing government corruption, Navalnys reach has spread across the vast country. In 2017, he set up a network of campaign offices in a bid to challenge Putin in the 2018 presidential election. Even though he was banned from running against Putin, Navalny kept the infrastructure in place.

These regional headquarters began their own investigations of graft by local officials and recruited activists, some of whom would later run for office. Navalny believes that ending the dominance of United Russia in regional parliaments and administrations will undermine the formal mechanism of Putins rule.

After Navalny was hospitalized in Germany, his team used the moment to promote Smart Voting, filling social media with calls to register on the projects online platform that tells voters which candidates to support in their area. Volkov said the appeals have increased registrations.

On Monday, they released a 40-minute expose of corruption in Novosibirsk, a large city in Siberia where a coalition of over 30 opposition candidates is running for the city council. The video, which has gotten over 4 million views on YouTube, was shot during Navalnys fateful trip to Siberia.

The foundation of Putins power is not the State Duma, as one would think. No," Navalny says in the video, stressing the importance of the local elections.

Their main power is in United Russia having a majority in every regional legislature and a majority in every big city council. If (United Russia) loses this majority, the power of the villains melts away immediately, he says.

From these regional roots, Navalnys team hopes to go all the way to the State Duma -- Russias lower house of parliament -- and deploy the Smart Voting strategy in the 2021 parliamentary election.

Its a dress rehearsal, a decisive test of strength before the elections to the State Duma, Volkov said.

Navalnys ability to mobilize voters next year poses a key challenge for the Kremlin, because those elections will determine who controls the State Duma in 2024. That's when Putins current term expires and he is expected to seek re-election, thanks to a reset of his term limits after lawmakers and voters approved changes to Russia's constitution this year. And Putin's approval ratings have fallen recently amid growing public frustration over the declining economy.

The Smart Voting strategy could indeed upend government plans for the new parliament, said Nikolai Petrov, a senior research fellow in Chatham Houses Russia and Eurasia Program, but he said Navalnys personal involvement is crucial.

Navalny is unique because no one but him has enough authority to consolidate votes for various non-Kremlin forces and ensure defeat of the Kremlins candidates, Petrov said.

Still, Navalny has built an organization that goes beyond the appeal of one man. With him jailed so often, his supporters are used to working on their own, as is his network of over 40 regional cells nationwide.

Navalny was imprisoned for 30 or 50 days last year, and the work didnt stop. Its the same now. Yes, of course, it was a shock for us, but we didnt stop our campaigns, said Ksenia Fadeyeva, who runs the regional headquarters in the Siberian city of Tomsk and is running for city council.

At the same time, his supporters admit that his charisma and popularity are an asset, even though his anti-corruption campaigns have angered many in power even outside the Kremlin.

Tomsk was one of Navalnys stops on his recent trip to Siberia. Fadeyeva says she was pleasantly surprised by how well he is known.

We walked around the city center, and a lot of people recognized him. To be honest, I didnt expect that many people to approach (Navalny), say hello, ask for a photo, want to talk, Fadeyeva said.

A 40-minute video exposing corruption in Tomsk was released Thursday by Navalny's team, and in five hours received over 850,000 views.

We dont hide that our political organization vast and sophisticated is built around a charismatic leader, which is both a strength and a weakness, Volkov said. A leaderless protest cant be beheaded, but it is much harder for a leaderless protest to succeed.

Volkov admits that hardly anyone on the team has as much political capital or could rally people like Navalny, who could come up with thoughts and ideas that were interesting to a lot of people, as well as effective forms of communication.

The Kremlin understands that, and it understands that with ... one horrific criminal act it can try and nullify a significant part of what weve done, he added.

In the meantime, theres no other option but to continue the work.

You do what you can. We campaign the way we can," Volkov said. "We invest all the resources that we have. And we do what we do.

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Attempts to halt Kremlin critic Navalny have failed so far - Las Vegas Sun

Las Vegas casinos-unions agree on health benefits extension into 2021 – Yogonet International

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F

ollowing months of negotiations over worker safety and job protections which begun when casinos were closed in mid-March because of COVID-19, tens of thousands of working or furloughed employees at MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment will keep family health benefits until March 1.

An agreement was reached Monday between the two largest Las Vegas casino companies unions representing bartenders and culinary workers, officials said. The pact affects about 36,000 union workers at 22 Las Vegas Strip properties, the unions said.

As reported by FOX 5, the agreement came the same day casino giant MGM Resorts International laid off about 18,000 employees at locations around the U.S.

Behind every worker is a family, Culinary Union executive Geoconda Argello-Kline said in a statement describing the agreements with MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment Inc. as historic.

Argello-Kline said they mean workers can keep health benefits until next year even if they are currently idled, and retain seniority benefits when they return to their jobs.

In the statement, Tom Reeg, Caesars CEO, called the agreement an important step in continuing to ensure our team members and their families are protected during these unpredictable times.

Our industry and communities are facing unprecedented challenges MGM Resorts CEO and President Bill Hornbuckle added in the statement.

In a separate letter to company employees who went from furloughed to laid-off on Monday, Hornbuckle said MGM Resorts would extend their health benefits through Sept. 30; that they would remain on a recall list; and that those reinstated by the end of 2021 would retain seniority and resume benefits.

Most Las Vegas casinos have reopened since closure orders were lifted June 4.

The unions representing hotel housekeepers, cooks, bartenders, vehicle valets and others sued MGM Resorts and Caesars later that month, seeking to force the companies to tighten safety measures to protect employee health.

On June 24, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak issued a mandatory face-covering policy for any generally publicly accessible space including casinos and other businesses.

The state Legislature later passed a law requiring enhanced hotel and casino cleaning and safety training; enforcement of social distance requirements; temperature checks to detect fever symptoms of illness; and detailed plans for when a worker contracts the virus.

The claims in the lawsuit were dismissed in August.

The culinary and bartenders unions said Mondays agreement affects 24,000 MGM Resorts workers and 12,000 Caesars employees. It said officials were trying to negotiate similar protections for 24,000 employees at other Las Vegas-area hotels and casinos.

The companies promised 10 paid days off for employees ordered to be quarantined by local health officials; no disciplinary action against workers isolated with COVID-19 symptoms; up to six weeks of unpaid leave; and a chance for employees to switch jobs if positions become open.

Tourists and travelers are beginning to return to Las Vegas, according to economic reports, but mostly by highway and well below pre-coronavirus levels.

With conventions canceled, the regions nearly 124,000 hotel rooms were less than half-full in July, and overall visitor volume was down 61%, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported last week.

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Las Vegas casinos-unions agree on health benefits extension into 2021 - Yogonet International

Richie Incognito finds redemption in silver and black – Las Vegas Review-Journal

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Richie Incognito went searching for redemption last year. The veteran NFL guard discovered it in a franchise that has time and again offered players opportunity for a brighter tomorrow. Second and sometimes more chances. Its the Raiders Way.

It was at training camp last season when Incognito answered questions about issues with the law and locker room bullying at previous NFL stops. About incidents that called into question his mental health. About all those demons he fought daily.

Now, inquiries have taken a much different tone: Simply, how at age 37 will he follow what was one of the best seasons of his career.

Few were better

The positives from a 7-9 record are few, but Incognito stood on an efficient side of the ledger. The Raiders signed him to a one-year deal in May of 2019, a central reason being they needed to upgrade his position and believed he could still play at a four-time Pro Bowl level.

At the end of the day, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said at the time, you cant have all Boy Scouts Were all going to take ownership with Richie. The expectation is for him to not only be a good football player, but to be a really good human being. Its a two-way street weve got to help him help himself.

Last December, Incognito signed a two-year extension with a base salary of $5 million and incentives that could push the yearly total beyond $6.3 million. It seems he did his part.

There were few better guards in the NFL last season, but talent has never been an issue with Incognito. His is as massive as his 6-foot-3, 322-pound frame.

Even after missing the 2018 season, one in which he retired, un-retired and then was cut by the Bills, his production was nearly unparalleled in 2019: According to Pro Football Focus, Incognito had a single-season best pass-blocking rate of 88.5.

He allowed just one sack and nine pressures on 414 pass-blocking snaps. That is astaggeringly low failure rate of 2.2 percent, which trailed only Marshal Yanda of the Ravens among qualifying guards.

Yanda, by the way, retired in March and will eventually receive a Hall of Fame bust.

You know, its been great, Incognito said of his time with the Raiders. I was really blown away by the support (Mayock) and (head coach) Jon Gruden threw behind me. I was able to come in and be myself. Guys got to know me, and my role as a leader has grown on this team. It has been special. I just want to be the same guy I was last year.

It was vindicating. I had a tumultuous year off. I had to fight back from a lot. I came in and really just ingrained myself in the organization. It had my back. Im forever grateful to the organization for giving me an opportunity. Now its just time to go out there and kick some ass.

Las Vegas ready

He can always be more disciplined. Incognito has been fined more than $700,000 in his career, including suspensions. Of his eight penalties last year (tied for fourth-most among NFL guards), he was docked $21,054 for a chop block and unnecessary roughness against the Bears in London. Then, a late holding penalty at Houston took the Raiders out of field-goal range. They never possessed the ball again and lost 27-24.

But he has fit with the Raiders far better than most imagined. There is also this interesting storyline: Incognito and his father, who passed away in 2018, bought property in Las Vegas three years ago. Their plan was to attend games at Allegiant Stadium once Incognito retired for good.

Now, the son will be playing in it.

We were just going to go and cheer for the Raiders, he said. I took 2018 off and realized I still loved football. Coach Gruden was in my ear about playing. He already got me to come out of retirement and it couldnt have worked out any better. Vegas was always in the cards for me.

Redemption in Sin City. You cant make these things up.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on The Press Box, ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.

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Richie Incognito finds redemption in silver and black - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Seniors are in the crosshairs – Las Vegas Sun

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By Don Martin, Las Vegas

Friday, Sept. 4, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Many people say this is the most important election in 90 years. This is especially true for seniors. The problem is, most seniors have no idea what President Donald Trump has in store for them in his proposed 2021 budget.

Now that Trump has started paying out over $1 trillion in tax giveaways for corporate cronies and wealthy contributors, he plans to make seniors pay for it. In his 2021 budget, Trump plans to slash $756 billion out of the earned benefits seniors have accrued over a lifetime of building this great nation.

While Trump is in the courts trying to erase the last vestiges of Obamacare, he has broken his promise of offering the best health care plan ever. He is returning Americans to enduring the fear of being denied coverage over preexisting conditions, medical bankruptcies and death for those turned down as insurance ineligible for any care.

Trump also has plans to cut Social Security and severely eviscerate Medicaid, which seniors turn to when a retirees money runs out.

Joe Biden, on the other hand, would peel back those corporate tax breaks and increase Social Security annual payments by $6,500, taking 500,000 seniors out of poverty by 2030. Biden, like any good Democrat, will never cut the senior safety net, because thats not what Democrats do.

As a senior myself, who has started and run many businesses honestly, paying all my taxes, I find it inconceivable that I must face old age in fear of living in poverty.

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Seniors are in the crosshairs - Las Vegas Sun

Raiders driving force Carl Nassib feels at home with his hand in the dirt – The Mercury News

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Carl Nassib likes everything about his new home in Las Vegas except for being behind the wheel.

I have to drive like Vin Diesel in `Fast and Furious to stay alive, the Raiders defensive end said Thursday via Zoom teleconference. Craziest drivers Ive ever seen in my life.

If Nassib can drive like he plays football, he wont lack for effort. Nassib knows only one speed, so assume hell be cutting across lanes of traffic on two wheels if thats what it takes to reach his destination.

Its that quality that drew the Raiders to Nassib during free agency, as they shelled out a reported guarantee of $17 million in a three-year contract worth a maximum value of $25 million.

Well, that plus the fact that hes 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds.

Want to know why the Raiders didnt pursue Yannick Ngakoue and havent made a move toward the available Jadeveon Clowney? Because they believe putting Nassib on the edge is the antidote to a mediocre pass rush even if he spends as many defensive snaps on the sideline as he does on the field.

Over the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nassib played in a 3-4 defense as an outside linebacker. Sometimes he rushed while standing up. Sometimes he put two hands on the ground and split wide. He even chased receivers downfield on occasion and broke up the occasional pass.

Nassibs leap-off-the-screen effort level made him a fan favorite, even as he realized his role with the Bucs wasnt necessarily suited to his strengths.

Im really excited to be playing the position I feel like Im meant to play, being a 4-3 D-end, Nassib said. I have my hand in the dirt I had to make a lot of adjustments going to outside linebacker.

The signing for the Raiders was viewed in some circles as a reach. Nassib had 12 1/2 sacks over the past two seasons in Tampa Bay, playing roughly half the snaps. The Raiders made him their highest-paid defensive lineman at an average salary of $8.33 million per year.

But given the going rate for edge players, it wasnt really out of line. Nassib will be getting about half what the No. 10 player at his position receives. Considering how hard Nassib competes, being an every down player would reduce his effectiveness rather than enhance it.

All of which makes Nassib perfect for the philosophy of new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who values effort and hustle above all else. Both Nassib and second-year end Maxx Crosby are off the charts in terms of getting after it, a quality they believe can create a ripple effect amongst the front four.

I guess you could say its contagious, Nassib said. I personally would say its a standard that (Marinelli) sets, and he does not waver off the standard.

The Raiders system should keep Nassibs snap count about where it was with the Bucs, subbing in and out with Crosby, Clelin Ferrell and Arden Key as outside rushers, with Ferrell moving inside on occasion along with Maliek Collins Johnathan Hankins, Maurice Hurst and Daniel Ross.

While the Raiders improved their pass rush a year ago, going from an appalling 13 sacks to 32, the fact is their jump was from 32nd to a tie for 25th. Theyre still 15 to 20 sacks from being truly formidable. This years opposition includes Patrick Mahomes (twice), Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers, all looking to prey upon a young secondary but needing the time to succeed.

Thus the Raiders are hoping for a centipede effect and fresh legs to apply pressure.

You dont want any dropoff, Nassib said. You want to consistently get after it, consistently pressure. I think were going to do that here.

Nassib, 27, has a prove it mentality borne of being an angular 6-foot-6, 218-pound walk-on at Penn State, before ascending to a scholarship and then being honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the Ted Hendricks Award as the best defensive end in college football.

A third-round pick by the Cleveland Browns, Nassib was inexplicably cut after two seasons, the second of which the Browns were 0-16.

Tampa Bay claimed Nassib on waivers, and once there he formed an opinion of Jon Gruden from a distance.

I never had met him personally but playing in Tampa, you hear about him, Nassib said. The whole town still loves him.

Gruden, combined with Marinelli, a better scheme fit and a huge paycheck, turned out to be a winning hand.

The cards all matched up and Im really happy to be here, Nassib said.

Speaking of cards, Nassib isnt much for games of chance while residing in a city that is famous for them. When it comes to money, Nassib is all about compounding interest, and he even gained a measure of fame on HBOs Hard Knocks with the Browns for giving his teammates a seminar on camera. Hes attempted to educate some of his Raiders teammates as well.

I hate gambling, Nassib said. Ive given little spreadsheets, one-page documents, to teammates, just the basics, and Ive had multiple conversations. I love it. I love hearing about that kind of stuff. Its not about how much you earn its about how much you save.

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Raiders driving force Carl Nassib feels at home with his hand in the dirt - The Mercury News

What to expect on AREA15’s Sept. 17 opening day in Las Vegas – FOX5 Las Vegas

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What to expect on AREA15's Sept. 17 opening day in Las Vegas - FOX5 Las Vegas

Relay Therapeutics Announces Dosing of First Patient in First-in-Human Clinical Trial of RLY-4008, a Highly Selective FGFR2 Inhibitor | Small…

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DetailsCategory: Small MoleculesPublished on Friday, 04 September 2020 11:09Hits: 94

CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA I September 03, 2020 I Relay Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: RLAY), a clinical-stage precision medicine company transforming the drug discovery process by leveraging unparalleled insights into protein motion, today announced the first patient has been dosed in a first-in-human clinical trial of RLY-4008 enriched for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and other advanced solid tumors harboring a fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) alteration. RLY-4008 is the only selective small molecule inhibitor of FGFR2 in clinical development.

We are excited to bring RLY-4008, our second targeted therapeutic, into clinical development, said Don Bergstrom, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president of R&D of Relay Therapeutics. FGFR2 altered tumors are known to respond clinically to pan-FGFR inhibitors but with limited benefit to patients. RLY-4008 is an exquisitely selective and purpose-built medicine, discovered with our Dynamo platform, designed to dramatically alter the course of disease for patients with FGFR2 altered cancers.

The first-in-human trial is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of RLY-4008 in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors. The trial will predominantly enroll patients with molecularly identified FGFR2 fusions, mutations and amplifications during the dose escalation phase. Given RLY-4008s strong preclinical activity against both primary oncogenic alterations and acquired pan-FGFR inhibitor resistance mutations, the trial is enrolling patients who are nave to pan-FGFR inhibitors as well as those who have been exposed to prior therapy with pan-FGFR inhibitors. In the expansion part of the trial, five cohorts are planned to evaluate genetically defined populations: 1) ICC patients with a FGFR2 fusion previously treated with a pan-FGFR inhibitor; 2) ICC patients with a FGFR2 fusion not previously treated with a pan-FGFR inhibitor; 3) patients with an FGFR2 fusion and solid tumor other than ICC; 4) advanced, unresectable solid tumor patients with focal FGFR2 amplification; 5) advanced, unresectable solid tumor patients with an oncogenic FGFR2 mutation. Trial objectives include evaluating safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and anti-tumor efficacy. The trial is designed to enroll up to 125 patients.

About RLY-4008RLY-4008 is a potent, selective and oral small molecule inhibitor of FGFR2, a receptor tyrosine kinase that is frequently altered in certain cancers. FGFR2 is one of four members of the FGFR family, a set of closely related proteins with highly similar protein sequences and properties. Preclinically, RLY-4008 demonstrated FGFR2-dependent killing in cancer cell lines, while showing minimal inhibition of other targets, including other members of the FGFR family. RLY-4008 is currently being evaluated in a first-in-human trial designed to treat patients with advanced or metastatic FGFR2-altered solid tumors. To learn more about the first-in-human clinical trial of RLY-4008, please visit here.

About Relay TherapeuticsRelay Therapeutics (Nasdaq: RLAY) is a clinical-stage precision medicines company transforming the drug discovery process with the goal of bringing life-changing therapies to patients. Built on unparalleled insights into protein motion and how this dynamic behavior relates to protein function, Relay Therapeutics aims to effectively drug protein targets that have previously been intractable, with an initial focus on enhancing small molecule therapeutic discovery in targeted oncology. The Companys Dynamo platform integrates an array of leading-edge experimental and computational approaches to provide a differentiated understanding of protein structure and motion to drug these targets. For more information, please visit http://www.relaytx.comor follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE: Relay Therapeutics

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Relay Therapeutics Announces Dosing of First Patient in First-in-Human Clinical Trial of RLY-4008, a Highly Selective FGFR2 Inhibitor | Small...