Explained: What to look for in GDP data today – The Indian Express

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Written by Udit Misra, Edited by Explained Desk | New Delhi | Updated: August 31, 2020 7:44:57 amMigrant labourers return to New Delhi from parts of Uttar Pradesh on August 10, 2020. In large numbers, workers had left the city due to the Covid-19 lockdown. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)

Monday is a crucial day for the Indian economy. The National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will come out with the GDP estimates for the first quarter (April, May, June) of the current financial year.Observers of the Indian economy keenly await the NSO data because it will provide the first benchmark of the state of the Indian economy after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted it and forced the country into widespread and repeated lockdowns.

What do we know about the current state of economy?

The past week provided several key developments that provide the context to the GDP numbers.

RBI Annual Report: The first thing to note is that the RBIs annual year is different from the regular financial year. For Indias central bank, the annual report of 2019-20 pertains to the period between July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020.

This otherwise perfunctory fact is relevant this year because RBIs year included the first quarter (April, May June) of the current financial year. This is the quarter that saw the maximum disruption of economic activity and as such everyone wanted to know what RBI made of this period.

The RBI, however, refrained from providing a clear number for GDP growth or contraction but it did state that an assessment of aggregate demand during the year so far suggests that the shock to consumption is severe, and it will take quite some time to mend and regain the pre-COVID-19 momentum.

GST council meeting: Equally ominous were the words of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who, while talking to the Chief Ministers of other non-BJP ruled states, suggested reverting to the pre-GST regime. Thackeray was responding to a GST Council meeting where the Union government expressed its inability to pay the compensation amount roughly Rs 2.35 lakh crore that was due to the states under the GST regime.

This suggestion could have wide-ranging ramifications for the economy if it is pursued by some of the biggest states in a serious manner.

As different states try to recover from the impact of Covid-19, they need money, but the current GST regime has robbed the states of the freedom to raise or lower taxes. Being asked to borrow money from the market instead of getting it from the Centre has made Thackeray question the desirability of the current GST regime. (Dont miss from Explained: Issues in GST compensation)

Export Preparedness Index: The index launched by NITI Aayog ranked Indian states and Union Territories in the context of export preparedness in terms of policy environment, infrastructure etc.

The top performers were mostly coastal states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha but there was one landlocked state that managed to sneak into the top 5 list and it was Rajasthan.

At the other end of the spectrum were mostly landlocked and Himalayan states such as Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar and Assam. But West Bengal stood out for being ranked 22 out of the 36 states and UTs despite being a big coastal state.

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A crucial takeaway from this report was the need for states to work on their unique strategy for boosting exports. This again ties in with Thackerays demand to have greater leeway.

McKinsey employment report: The McKinsey Global Institutes report on Indias employment needs stated that India will have to create at least 90 million non-farm jobs over the next decade 145 million at the upper end and for which it would have to grow at 8 to 8.5 per cent every year (see chart below). This provides an understanding of how job creation may be affected because of GDP contraction or slow growth in the coming years.

Review of ease-of-doing-business rankings: On August 27, the World Bank issued a statement saying that it has ordered a systematic review and internal audit of its data and methodology used for compiling the Ease of Doing Business rankings that were published in 2017 and 2019.

The move is in response to several allegations that data was tweaked for political reasons and to favour some countries. It is important to note that Indias ranking improved from 142 in 2014 to 63 in 2019.

All of the past weeks concerns from plummeting domestic consumption to shrinking exports to massive unemployment to question marks on Indias Ease of Doing Business rankings and GST regime provide a useful bridge to the big event in the coming week.

What can one expect from the GDP data?

The first quarter saw the strictest lockdowns across the country and chances are it will see the sharpest fall in economic activity in a long while.

The composition of growth (or de-growth) in other words, which sector got hit the most will set the tone for the rest of the year. The amount and nature of the damage will point to the type and magnitude of fiscal and monetary policy efforts required to revive the Indian economy.

Most analysts expect the economy to contract sharply. But the expected magnitude of contraction differs sometimes substantially over specific sectors of the economy.

For instance, State Bank of Indias Saumya Kanti Ghosh expects the GDP contraction to be 16%, while Madan Sabnavis of CARE Ratings expects it to be around 20% and Aditi Nayar of ICRA Ltd expect an even bigger contraction of 25%.

Beyond the variation in headline growth numbers, if one compares specific sectors (Charts 2 and 3); one can find two broad trends:

How difficult is it to make these estimates and what is their significance?

It is true that GDP projections over the past year or so have increasingly shortened shelf life. For instance, last year in July, when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the full-year Budget, she pencilled in an 8% real GDP growth. But with each passing month, the projections continued to be scaled back as the underlying economy decelerated faster than expected. Eventually, India ended the year with just 4%.

In this financial year, making these estimates and projections is even more difficult because Covids spread in India has been much worse than the governments expectation. In the early days, the government had expected that India would have no new Covid cases after May 16. In reality, India not only added around 5,000 new cases on May 16 but also overhauled Chinas tally of over 80,000 cases.

As India has tried to open up for work, Covid cases have surged. Last week, India registered the highest single-day count of new Covid cases anywhere in the world since the start of the pandemic. It is now the third-most afflicted country on the planet. What is most worrisome is that the rate of spread of Covid in Indias rural areas is almost twice the rate of spread in urban areas.

All of this points to uncertainty about the shape of economic recovery. In this context, Mondays data would provide the first benchmark around which future analysis can happen.

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Could On-Campus Housing At Local Universities Lead To COVID-19 Outbreaks? – NBC San Diego

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Thousands of college students have returned to local universities for the fall semester, despite decisions by college administrators to transition to online learning due to the risks of COVID-19.

At San Diego State University, an estimated 2,500 students now occupy campus housing. While administrators have capped the number of students to each unit to just two and closed common areas, the potential for an outbreak is undoubtedly present.

Its like unwritten that there is going to be an outbreak, said Senior Brenden Tuccinardi who is also the Editor in Chief of San Diego States student-run paper, The Daily Aztec. Its kind of like a waiting game. Just last weekend there were people out partying and so many were not wearing masks. Thats the reality that a lot of universities are facing.

And while Tuccinardi says the vast majority of students on campus are wearing masks and following health guidelines, he suspects that there were other factors at play in making the decision to have students live on campus despite the move to online courses.

Giving students the freedom to decide on their own, well, that is not necessarily what adults should do with 19-20 year olds. I wouldnt say its purely money making, but I definitely think it factored into this decision, which I think is just a reality of higher education at this point.

Regardless of the reason, one thing is true; universities as well as all educational institutions will face severe budget shortfalls due to the pandemic.

Students that NBC 7 spoke to agree.

Its weird, said one sophomore who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Why are students living in the dorms when all of the classes are online?

Honestly, I think money has something to do with it, I know student housing generates a lot of revenue.

But SDSUs Associate Vice President for Business Operations, Erik Hansen, says money has nothing to do with it.

Our student housing is not for profit, Hansen told NBC 7. Its a misnomer that people think housing is a money generating entity. Its not.

Instead, says Hansen, revenues from housing pays for utilities, student services, and salaries for staff to run and maintain the dorms.

Last fiscal year, Hansen said SDSU collected $57 million from student housing. Now theyve predicted a $47 million loss in student housing revenue due to the pandemic.

Student housing serves other purposes. Namely, administrators say students who live on campus are more likely to stay focused on their studies.

Randy Timm is the Assistant Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students at SDSU.

This is so students can stay on track. To finish their degree on time.

Added Timm, There are some key student developmental issues taking place at this point in life and one of them is independence. Students want independence.

Timm says in preparation for the new school year, administrators sent students training videos on how to follow social distancing guidelines and the importance of wearing face masks. Housing staff is also tasked with educating others on the importance of following the health guidelines.

Timm says that if students dont follow the policies, students could potentially face expulsion.

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Could On-Campus Housing At Local Universities Lead To COVID-19 Outbreaks? - NBC San Diego

35th District Race Brings Three Options to Clinton, Killingworth, and Westbrook – Zip06.com

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Voters in Clinton, Killingworth, and northern Westbrook will find three choices when voting for District 35 state representative In Novermber: Democrat Christine Goupil, Green Party candidate John May, and Republican John Hall III.

District 35 serves Clinton, Killingworth, and northern Westbrook and for the last six years been represented by Republican Jesse MacLachlan. In May, MacLachlan was unanimously endorsed by his party for a fourth term, however he unexpectedly dropped out last month to focus on his new business.

In MacLachlans stead, the Republican vacancy committee nominated Hall, a selectman from Westbrook, to take MacLachlans spot on the ballot.

In addition to Hall, the other candidates in the race include Goupil, Clintons last first selectmen and current Town Council member, as well as May, who is a member of Clintons Economic Development Commission.

Whoever wins the election will have a lot on their plate as a member of the state legislature. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects is sure to spur efforts to provide some kind of relief to towns and businesses. Connecticuts budget and taxes are an annual worry that must be confronted as well as bills aimed at alleviating social injustices and health concerns.

Due to the pandemic, this year absentee ballots can be used by every eligible voter in the state. Town clerks and registrars will use social distancing practices to make in-person voting as safe as possible. Election Day is Nov. 3.

The Candidates

John Hall III

Hall has a long history of experience in municipal government. Hall has been a selectman in Westbrook for more than 10 years and before that was a member of the towns Zoning Board of Appeals for 25 years.

Ive always had an interest in the legislature, Hall said.

Besides his work as a member of the Westbrook Board of Selectmen, Hall is the president of the Middlesex County Farm Bureau Board of Directors. Hall is the owner of Maple Breeze Farm, which has been in his family for hundreds of years and said he has experience working with the legislature on bills that pertain to agricultural issues.

I know most of our reps pretty well. Ive been involved in that aspect of our legislature at times, Hall said.

As for issues hed like to tackle upon taking office, Hall said he was worried about people leaving Connecticut due to high taxes, unfunded mandates to the towns, and the future effects that COVID-19 might have on towns. Hall described himself as a fiscal conservative who has experience helping pass conservative budgets in Westbrook.

Additionally, Hall listed taking care of the environment as an issue of concern.

I farm naturally, so the environment is big concern for me, said Hall.

To learn more about him and his campaign, Hall directed people to his Facebook page John Hall 2020.

Christine Goupil

Goupil referred to a press release from her campaign for information on her key issues. The release states fighting tax increases, investing in transportation infrastructure, and standing up against discrimination are some of the issues Goupil will be interested in.

The release states in part As the last first selectman of the Town of Clinton I learned through experience that a truly resilient and sustainable Connecticut needs to focus on progress in three key areas our economy, equity, and the environment.

Besides serving on the Town Council, Goupil is also a member of the Connecticut River Area Health District Board and Central Regional Tourism District Board.

A major area of concern for Goupil is healthcare.

I support transitioning to universal healthcare. Its become abundantly clear that healthcare cannot be tied to employment. When economies are bad, people lose jobsbut they should not lose their healthcare. To date, there are hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents without insurance due to Covid-19 layoffs, the release states in part.

Goupils release also addresses social issues.

I support tackling gender inequity and empower women and girls freedom, representation, and compensation equity. These last few years have seen a constant attack on womens rights at the federal level. As a result, state-level protections become more important than ever, the release states.

More information on Goupils platform can be found on her Facebook page Christine Goupil 2020 and her website christinegoupil.com.

John May

On Aug. 26, the Green Party officially entered the race when it nominated John May of Clinton to be its representative on the ballot. May was a high school teacher for many years before starting his current job as a financial advisor. May is a member of Clintons Economic Development Commission as well as a member of the Conservation Committee.

May said that as a former political science major, hes always been interested in politics and as a member outside of the traditional Democrat and Republican power structure May said he is used to working with people from all sides.

I see a coalition of natural Greens, Democrats, and Republicans working together. I like listening to people and new ideas, May said.

May said he sees a disconnect between the two major parties and believed his candidacy can fill that void since he has no party to which he has to be beholden.

One major issue on which May wants to work includes bringing ranked-choice voting to Connecticut. Ranked-choice voting is a system in which voters are able to rank their preferred candidates in order from favorite to least favorite. May explained that if no candidates in a race win more than 50 percent of first-place votes, the last place candidate is eliminated from the race, but the candidates still in the race would pick up additional votes based on how they were ranked on ballots cast by people on which they were not the first choice.

Proponents argue that in theory, ranked choice voting would then reduces the chances of an unpopular candidate winning an election and captures the opinion of a larger portion of the public.

May also said he wants to focus on educational issues, and due to the aftershocks of Tropical Storm Isaias he wants to look into Eversources response to the storm.

I want to make sure we have a better electrical system on the shoreline, May said.

May said at press time he is working on a Facebook page for his campaign that should be ready soon.

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Beware the Chinese Economy Recovery Trap – JAPAN Forward

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Although China may lack power in the global arena amid the COVID-19 pandemic, its economic growth is quickly getting back on track.

The Xi Jinping regimes determination to revive Chinas economic expansion to the height of the post-Lehman collapse the unprecedented financial crisis in September 2008 is achingly clear. Beijings sweeping authoritarian rule over Hong Kong through its new national security law for the semi-autonomous region is part of the scheme.

Once and for all, Japan needs to break free from the illusion of thenewera ofChina-Japan relations.

The graph indicates data for manufacturing productivity and trade in China after March 2020, when the coronavirus outbreak that began in Wuhan had abated in China and spread to other regions of the world. It also shows shifts in the SSE Index (Shanghai Stock Exchange), Shanghais main stock market index.

Chinas automobile production, which symbolizes its role as the factory of the world, is recovering with speed. The cement production trend, reflecting the countrys fixed assets investment taking up around half of Chinas GDP, is showing positive recovery in condominium building constructions.

Chinese exports remain at the same level as the previous year despite the struggling global economy amid stagnation brought about by the pandemic. Imports rose in June with strong domestic demands.

Stock prices will be discussed later, but they have soared as a result of the leverage plan with the Hong Kong market serving as a medium.

On July 16, it was announced that Chinas GDP growth bounced back for the first time in six months, expanding by 3.2% year-on-year during the three months of April to June. Because of long standing suspicion of GDP manipulation in China, the figures cannot be taken at face value. However, considering the previously mentioned production index, the data doesnt seem too off.

There are concerns. One is the increase of the potentially unemployed. Migrant workers in citieswho have gone home to rural regions amid the coronavirus pandemic are not included in the unemployment count.

Some 600 million people, more than 40% of the Chinese population, still only earn a monthly income of barely 1,000 RMB (around 15,000 JPY), Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in May. Most of these low-income people are migrant farmers.

Li also pointed out that government support for street vendors serving food such as grilled meatis an important measure to consider. Street stalls, which were once popular features of cities across China, have recently been banned. Lis remarks were criticized by the national media and his recommendations were not carried out. However, the severity of the countrys unemployment issue was unintentionally exposed.

Another concern lies in the problem of foreign currency. Substantially, Chinas currency system is based on the dollar standard, and the central governments Peoples Bank of China (PBC) issues the Chinese yuan (RMB) according to the amount of foreign currency inflow that is, the United States dollar.

When the Lehman crisis hit, China held foreign currency assets that far exceeded the dollar value of its outstanding RMB issuance. PBC used those assets as collateral to issue vast amounts of Chinese yuan and supplied them to state-owned banks. Then the banks all at once extended loans to various industries, local governments, and consumers. With sufficient financial backing at the time, Beijing launched a large-scale fiscal policy.

However, in 2015, foreign currency, on a per yuan balance basis, accounted for less than 100% of PBCs total assets. It dropped to less than 70% in 2017, a condition that has continued to the present.

As a result, the banks ability to expand financial volume in response to the coronavirus recession has been limited, and the governments own fiscal policyhas also beenextremely meager.

Lis street-stall revival proposal, mentioned earlier, was a last-resort initiative.

Capital flight has been the main cause of Chinas decline in foreign reserves. In the summer of 2015, the yuan was devalued against the U.S. dollar. This was followed by a downturn in the real estate market. Finally, in the summer of 2018, the U.S.-China trade war broke out.

The Xi administration tried to stop capital flight by cracking down on the illegal gains by Chinese Communist Party leaders. Vast amounts of wealth, which were illegally made by senior party members and their families, were converted to foreigncurrenciesand smuggled out of China. Hong Kong was the financial hub for their escape.

The new security law deprives Hong Kong of political freedom, as well as the right to freedom of expression. It will strengthen surveillance in order to block the route for capital flight. But, China says, profit-making freedom in the Hong Kong market will remain as is.

This is typical totalitarianism. The dictatorial government will leech off the avarice of the capitalist economy, and totalitarianism will take over Hong Kong.

At the end of June, Chinese companies accounted for 78% of the Hong Kong stock market capitalization, as mainland investors invested RMB in Hong Kong-based Chinese corporate stocks and boosted the market rate. This allowed for huge trading profits. Meanwhile, Shanghai shares will likely see a rise as a result of cash flowing back from Hong Kong to the Shanghai stock market.

This is how the Xi administration will try to attract foreign capital to mainland China and Hong Kong, and is the very formula for Chinas economic expansion strategy funded by foreign currency.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that the U.S.-China conflict over the Xi administrations repression of Hong Kong is an issue of democracy vs. authoritarianism. Against it, he called for unity in the Western world, including Japan.

The threat of Chinese territorial expansionism is also obvious, with the frequent incursions by Chinese vessels in waters around Japan, even during the pandemic.

If Japanese politics is influenced by greed, as evidenced in the expectations that money can be made just as before in China and Hong Kong in the growing post-coronavirus market, Japan will be completely devoured.

(Find access to the original column in Japanese here.)

Author: Hideo Tamura, member, The Sankei Shimbun editorial board

Hideo Tamura is a senior staff writer and a special commentary writer for the Sankei Shimbun.

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Beware the Chinese Economy Recovery Trap - JAPAN Forward

At RNC, here’s what Trump, Republicans have to say our country and economy if they want to win – Fox Business

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Forbes Media Chairman Steve Forbes reflects on this weeks Democratic National Convention and discusses what to expect from next weeks Republican National Convention

At this weeks Republican National Convention (RNC), the GOP has the opportunity to correct the narrative and push back on the absurdities Americans heard at last weeks Democratic National Convention (DNC).

By staying on message, the GOPcan find success in November.

DEMOCRATS' 2020 AGENDA CARRIED OUT BY BIDEN-HARRIS WOULD HURT WORKING PEOPLE: EX-MCDONALDS USA CEO RENSI

The GOP would do well to drive home three key points.

First, contrary to what Democrats would lead you to believe, America is not a fundamentally flawed country.

Second, economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic comes from getting businesses back on track and Americans back to work, not government stimulus.

Third, that left-wing calls for systemic overhaul are blatant power grabs that fly in the face of everything that has made America a success.

Throughout the convention, Republicans must affirm what most Americans have always believed: that the United States is founded on the timeless principles of liberty and self-government, and that all of us are created equal.

This is not to say that America is without faults-- far from that-- but that as a nation we always strive to do better.

Enough of the self-hating narrative we saw at last weeks DNC. America is and continues to be the land of opportunity for all. As usual, the Republicans will be the ones to remind us of this. They are not wrong.

Under President Obama, the economic recovery amounted to a lackluster two percent GDP growth, which was dubbed the new normal.

DNC PLATFORM SHOULD WAKE UP TRUMP-WARY SUBURBANITES HERE ARE 7 REASONS WHY

Talking heads have revived this term in the past few months in the middleof the coronavirus pandemic that has put millions out of work and shuttered thousands of businesses nationwide, many of which may never reopen. With the federal deficit approaching three trillion dollars, future stimulusbills are a frightening liability for the nations long-term fiscal outlook.

The GOP knows that our only option is to get the American economy back up and running safely and responsibly as we inch closer to a vaccine.

Prior to the pandemic, President Trump and the GOPs pro-growth agenda of tax cuts and deregulation helped spur the US economy to record heights.

The path towardeconomic recovery requires a hands-off approach. This is in stark contrast to what Democrats have promised to do.

Where Democrats want to kill jobs by banning fossil fuels, the GOP understands that low emission natural gas is what has helped drive the American economy.

Where Democrats want to ban private insurance and burden small businesses with "Medicare-for-all," the GOP wants to give employers and employees health care freedom by way of expanded Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and health plan portability.

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The GOP understands that the best way to move the economy forward is to let the private sector flourish.

Economic freedom should be a core tenet of this weeks RNC.

Economically, the system doesnt need and cannot afford a total overhaul, especially in the form of the lefts "Medicare-for-all" or the Green New Deal. These proposals would cripple the economy and inhibit innovation, while at the same time granting the federal government more power.

Our nations history clearly shows that power corrupts.

Americas strengths come not from our government or our politicians, it comes from our shared values of free enterprise, individual liberty and freedom.

Now more than ever, Democrats are proposing new ways to strip Americans rights. Whether it is to abolish the Electoral College, pack the Supreme Court, or institute risky widespread mail-in voting, the GOP will rightly point out that these are power grabs under the guise of ending systemic injustice.

For all the talk from Joe Biden about returningto normalcy, his party has shown no qualms toward upending Americas established democratic norms.

If the GOP wants to win this November, they will promise to make sure everyday Americans, not bureaucrats or Congress, have the agency to make their own decisions. However, it is up to the American voter to hold them accountable to govern as they campaign.

If they remain on message and control the narrative, America will emerge from this year stronger than before.

In calling the Democrats out for what they are, Republicans will also make the case for why President Trump deserves another four years in Washington.

Republicans are lucky to have the last word at this year's RNC.

Adam Brandon is the President of FreedomWorks.

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When we went to remote learning I could feel every teacher’s eyes on me – Sydney Morning Herald

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It was his YouTube channel Wootube (of course!) that brought him to the public eye in 2012. The site quickly amassed millions of views; to date almost 60 million people have seen his work. The high school teachers straightforward, personable, real-world approach and genuine enthusiasm is clearly infectious.

"I love mathematics," he declares at the beginning of his TED Talk. "It's exactly the thing to say at a party if you want to spend the next couple of hours sipping your drink alone in the least cool corner of the room."

The idea of filming classes came to him when a student was diagnosed with cancer. I remembered struggling through mathematics when I was his age and thought the camera in my pocket has a pretty decent resolution, maybe it would be more useful than sending home work and crossing my fingers, Woo says. It seemed I was scratching an itch that I didnt even know existed. People around the country and indeed around the world mathematics is a universal language after all had been tuning in.

In 2018, Woo was nominated as Australian of the Year and then listed as one of the top 10 teachers in the world by the Global Teacher Prize. Now an education ambassador for Sydney University, he teaches maths and technology at Cherrybrook High School and is a policy adviser for the New South Wales Education Department.

Growing up with parents who migrated to Australia from Malaysia "with little more than the shirts on their backs", Woo says his approach to money is generally frugal. When I go to the shops, I still have that mentality of tightening my belt and not being a big spender, he says. I still have that poor uni student mindset.

Kinn Niyom's pad Thai with chicken and tom yum soup.Credit:Janie Barrett

Family background can influence behaviours in Teenage Boss. The kids show varying degrees of responsibility; some are remarkably astute and insightful, others not so much. A classic area for mishaps involves food under catering to the familys needs or going hard on treats.

One boy loved pickles ... he just bought jar after jar of pickles. He didnt realise this is not a food group, you cannot live on pickles alone, Woo says. "He soon realised being boss doesnt just mean 'I get to call the shots', it means people will not necessarily be happy with me.

For them to realise that that fiscal power comes with not only responsibility but also accountability, its a real eye-opener.

One family spends thousands a month on coffee the equivalent of another familys entire budget for the month. Again and again, we see the teenagers rethinking things they thought they knew. Its something teachers know: the hypercorrection effect, whereby you think you know something but are confronted with the fact you are wrong and how much you have to reassess it.

Receipt for lunch with Eddie Woo.

So, when is the right time to talk to children about finances? Its never too soon, Woo says, to help them appreciate the cost of things - not just the price of things but the full cost in terms of money and time and other options being sacrificed. Most families wait far too long and includes himself in that: I waited until I moved out!

Extensive online experience meant Woo was ideally positioned to deal with remote learning this year. At a meeting in March, his principal addressed staff about the pandemic-driven move to online learning. "There are 135 teachers at my school and I just suddenly felt that feeling, you know, when all these eyes are looking at you.

I wonder if COVID-19 means our kids are growing up more quickly. The kind of news they interact with is completely different today, he says. His nine-year-old knows about the Black Lives Matter movement, for example, while he knew nothing of the civil rights movement at that age. He is concerned that very young children have to grapple with hugely challenging issues but aren't equipped to deal with them. "One thing we cant forget is their emotional needs and their emotional maturity. I dont think they are growing up any quicker than I did their emotional intelligence hasnt changed."

Today Woo is in relative freedom in Sydney, able to teach face-to-face again. Despite his online and TV success, he is passionate about working in schools. The short answer is I love being in the classroom, my intent is to stay there as a long as possible. Its what animates me and gives me energy.

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When explaining why mathematics matters, Woo says it is an incredibly powerful tool - and it's everywhere. A project he worked on recently with the Sydney Opera House looked at the role of maths in Jorn Utzon's design of those magnificent, instantly recognisable sails.

Asked to provide an example of maths in the environment, he cites the most timely of all: viruses, which are made up of simple mathematical shapes. Picture a cube but in place of squares, imagine a series of 20 triangles. There are tens of thousands of viruses across the world that are made in this very simple shape, called an icosahedral.

Were living and breathing these pieces of geometry that have ground our world to a halt, Woo says. Geometry can be a thing of great beauty in the natural world but its also something that can create great danger.

Teenage Boss screens at 6.30pm Mondays from August 31 on ABC ME and ABC iview. Eddie Woos Magical Maths 2 is published in September.

The bill, please:

Kinn Niyom Thai, shop 7, Castle Tower Shopping Centre, Castle Hill; (02) 9899 5669

Sun-Wed 11.30am-2.45pm; 5pm-9:30pm; Thurs-Sat 11.30am-2:45pm; 5pm-9:45pm

Kerrie is a senior culture writer at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald

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Bad bank not only necessary but unavoidable in present situation: Subbarao – THE WEEK

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Former RBI Governor D. Subbarao made a strong case for setting up a bad bank saying it is not just necessary but unavoidable in the present circumstances when NPAs are likely to balloon and much of the resolution will have to take place outside the IBC framework.

Even the Economic Survey 2017 had proposed this idea, suggesting the creation of a bad bank called Public Sector Asset Rehabilitation Agency (PARA) to help tide over the problem of stressed assets.

The standard advantage of a bad bank is that the entity taking a decision on the sale price is different from the entity accepting that price. Conflict of interest and corruption are avoided, and importantly, are seen to be avoided.

There are some successful models of bad banks with carefully designed carrots and sticks. Danaharta of Malaysia, for example, is a good model to study in designing our own bad bank, Subbarao said in an interview to PTI.

The former RBI Governor noted that with the economy contracting by at least five per cent this fiscal year, non-performing assets (NPAs) will balloon.

Also, according to RBI's Financial Stability Report, gross NPAs of banks may rise to 12.5 per cent by March 2021 under baseline scenario, from 8.5 per cent in March 2020.

"The bankruptcy framework is already overloaded and it simply will be unable to deal with this huge additional burden. It is important, therefore, indeed more than ever before, that much of the resolution takes place outside the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) framework," he said.

Before COVID-19 crisis hit India, the economy was already decelerating, real gross domestic product (GDP) growth had moderated from 7.0 per cent in 2017-18 to 6.1 per cent in 2018-19 and 4.2 per cent in 2019-20.

The growth projections for the current year by various global and domestic agencies indicate a sharp contraction of Indian economy ranging from (-)3.2 per cent to (-)9.5 per cent.

Earlier on, Subbarao said he had some reservations about a bad bank but, in view of recent experience, he is veering towards the idea of it.

"First, I believed the bankruptcy framework will put resolution on track and help clean up the system," he said, adding that in hindsight that faith seems misplaced.

Subbarao admitted that he also had concerns about the capital structure of the bank.

"Where will the funding come from? If capital has to come from the public sector banks (PSBs), the problems that bogged down PSB chiefs from taking bold decisions fear of retribution will persist.

"If it's got to come from the private sector, there will be issues of crony capitalism. If it's got to be from the government, the question is, wouldn't the government be better off using that money to capitalise individual banks which, at any rate in theory, looks more efficient?," he added.

Replying to a question on RBI's inflation targeting framework, the former RBI Governor said the point remains that the inflation targeting framework has not been fully tested.

"There has been no extraordinary circumstance to challenge the efficacy of the inflation targeting framework... Globally, there have been no hiccups on the financial stability front up until the corona crisis hit us six months ago," he said.

Subbarao pointed out that sure, the coronavirus crisis has turned our world upside down and caused a host of problems, but not much on the inflation front.

Noting that there have been no inflation pressures either from domestic or external forces, he said private demand for credit has been low because of, among other things, the NPA problem; so, not much demand push inflation.

The former RBI Governor, however, wondered if the inflation targeting framework will allow the MPC the flexibility and freedom to deal with an unusual situation such as stagflation or volatile capital flows.

"The inflation targeting framework is up for review next year and I hope the 'flexible' inflation targeting framework will be allowed further flexibility to deal with unusual economic situations,' he observed.

On consumer price index (CPI) inflation staying outside the mandated 2-6 per cent target for some months, Subbarao said he does not see that as a failure on the part of the MPC.

"We are in a very unusual economic situation, hit simultaneously by a demand slump and supply disruptions," he said adding that and there is a great deal of uncertainty from outside the financial system.

Stating that the MPC had to make a judgement call in this very unusual situation, he said its decision to keep rates unchanged at its meeting earlier this month was in fact informed by the inflation number.

"Contrary to what you imply, in its statement, the MPC has emphasised that it remains conscious of the inflation situation," he said.

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Bad bank not only necessary but unavoidable in present situation: Subbarao - THE WEEK

Derby Day tradition to return to Waveland – ABC 36 News – WTVQ

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) While the Kentucky Derby will run without fans this year due to the pandemic, a tradition at Waveland State Historic Site will continue.

We will be serving an elegant breakfast in our beautiful mansion, saidCharla Reed, Park Manager at Waveland State Historic Site.

The annual Derby Day breakfast will include a wide variety of beverages and other breakfast staples, We will have our hot brown dish, cheese grits, fruit, vanilla bean scones and homemade lemon curds and jam. Of course, we have to have the Derby pie bar.

Reed says servers will also be dressed in period clothing.

And to ensure everyones safety,Reed says there will be some added safety precautions, We wont be serving on fine china this year as we normally do.

Reed says everyone must wear a mask and tables will be spaced out both indoors and outdoors.

A lot of people love the tradition of dressing up, putting on a hat and making a big day out of it, said Reed.

Despite the change in date, Reed says Lets celebrate the Derby and Kentucky and theres no better place than Waveland.

Reservations must be made by calling 859-272-3611. Tickets are $45 per person. The breakfast takes place on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 10 a.m.

For more information, click HERE.

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Derby Day tradition to return to Waveland - ABC 36 News - WTVQ

Ballhawks at Wrigley Field stay on the lookout – Chicago Sun-Times

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Wrigleyville looks different this summer than in years past. Normally, in the hours before a perfect August night game, youd see armies of Cubs fans hopping from Sluggers to The Cubby Bear to Murphys Bleachers before packing 40,000 deep into Wrigley Field. Not so much this year.

Peer behind the left-field bleachers to the corner of Waveland and Kenmore Avenues, though, and a familiar sight remains: A dozen or so people scattered around the intersection with gloves and lawn chairs, eyes cast toward the top of the wall in hopes that theyll be the first to spot a freshly smacked home-run ball sailing over.

The pandemic has forced a shortened MLB season and kept fans out of Wrigley, but for the tried-and-true ballhawks, the routine hasnt changed much, albeit it now is done with masks: Post up for batting practice about three hours before the first pitch, say hi to the regulars and catch any balls that come your way.

On a mid-August afternoon before a game against the Brewers, only one ball made it over the left-field wall during batting practice, bouncing squarely in the middle of the intersection at Waveland and Kenmore before landing in the mitt of Ken Vangeloff, a 30-year ballhawking veteran.

It was the third ball Vangeloff has caught this season. He said that while the general experience remains the same, the coronavirus has brought a few changes. The scads of pedestrians doing their pregame bar crawl are nowhere to be seen, replaced by more first-time ballhawks seeking a new way to experience the game in a season like none before.

For old-timers like Vangeloff, though, the pandemic has given this years ballhawking experience an air of nostalgia. Because there are no fans to fill the seats, there has been no reason for police to implement game-day traffic restrictions on streets around Wrigley, which were only instituted in the early 2000s. This is according to Vangeloff. This means that ballhawks may have to dodge cars as they chase down homers, much like they did when sluggers like Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were belting balls out of the park.

Not only did you have to worry about looking for the ball and catching it, you had to watch out for cars going back and forth, Vangeloff said. So thats brought back an element of risk and danger and fun into it all.

Rich Buhrke, who has been ballhawking since 1959, hasnt noticed changes brought on by the new circumstances as much as those implemented by the Ricketts family ownership over the last decade.

Theres nowhere near as many baseballs [flying over the wall] with all the junk that they put up. They raised the bleachers and moved them back, then they put all this stuff up, Buhrke said, gesturing broadly towards the neighborhood, which, among other things, has seen a hotel, an outdoor plaza and an apartment building sprout up next to the ballpark in recent years.

Most ballhawks miss having fans around, though, if only because they can gauge where a home-run ball might be headed by the reaction of the crowd in the bleachers.

No fans does not help a ballhawk, said Dave Davison, another 30-year veteran. Back in the day you could see the ball coming out of the infield, because there was just a chain-link fence. Now youre waiting for the reaction.

Jodi Swanson, for one, is glad that the ballhawks are coming out despite it all. Though she doesnt chase down balls herself, the single mother began bringing her son to the corner during the Cubs 2015 playoff run and theyve been coming back ever since. The ballhawks set up tees for her boy to practice and have even helped him with his math homework in the past.

Its a very interesting dynamic to watch over the years, they protect each other and theyre straight shooters, Swanson said. Its really kind of a beautiful thing to watch ... its like Field of Dreams, when you get to the end of the movie and you get a feeling for the old baseball you miss. Theyre the old baseball.

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Ballhawks at Wrigley Field stay on the lookout - Chicago Sun-Times

On The Podcast: Snapchat Is The Biggest Media Company Whose Content Youve Never WatchedBut Thats About To Change – Tubefilter

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Subscribe to Planet Upload on Apple Podcasts, but were everywhere else, too. Just go to PlanetUploadPod.com.

Snapchat is the biggest multimedia messaging and video-sharing social networking service whose content youve never watched.

Yes, its self-identified by its founders as a camera company. Its that, too. By leveraging the power of one of the most powerful computers/photo-taking devices ever created (aka your phone), the platforms augmented reality offerings are used by over 170 million people every single day and are getting more robust by the quarter. Wouldbe competitors with literal billions in venture funding cant get sticky with consumers. Snapchat makes it looks easy.

And yes, I realize youve seen Snapchat before from vomiting rainbows circa 2015 to both sanctioned and pirated compilations of the apps user-generated ephemera on YouTube. But, unless youre between the ages of 13 to 24, youre more likely to get your daily quota of media consumption from some other source.

Snapchat announced in April its daily active users rose 20% year-over-year to 229 million in Q1 2020. During the companys NewFronts presentation in June, it revealed 100 million of those daily active users are from the U.S. (which is around TikToks same number, but more on TikTok comparisons down below) and its national reach among 13 to 24-year-olds is 90% of the total market. Doing some rough math with 2018 population statistics, that equals out to 47 or so million very-hard-to-reach individuals. The company says thats more users in that demographic than Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook messenger combined.

And those teens, young adults, and the rest of Snapchats userbase are consuming a healthy amount of the platforms original programming. The company says that over half the Gen Z population in the U.S. has tuned in. Breakout hits include Will Smiths quarantine-themed Will From Home (35 million viewers), the YouTube beauty vlogger docuseries Nikita Unfiltered (22 million viewers), mental health-themed Mind Yourself (12 million), and horror series Dead Of Night (15 million).

Those numbers are big, but are they impressive?!? Who knows!!!

They certainly arent when you compare them to YouTubes biggest stars. (MrBeast and Mark Rober, for instance, dont have regular uploads with less than 10 million views a piece.) But they are when you realize the only way you can watch them are on your phone from within the Snapchat app. The public URL for Will Smiths show doesnt even have a trailer. Its just a QR code and accompanying with language on how to download the application.

This is all about change. Taking cues from TikToks content strategy of aggressive user-led ubiquity, Snapchat is reportedly testing a feature where users can share direct links to Snap Originals, videos from its Discover page, and celebrity clips for easy dissemination and consumption on other social networks and around the internet at large.

Couple this with the TikTokification of Snapchats feed and its recent music licensing deals, and you have a multimedia messaging service, video-sharing and social networking site, media company, or whatever you want to call it that has a huge pre-existing userbase in a coveted demographic and is about to do some landscaping on the walled garden thats concealed its content. As Shots CEO John Shahidi said, This is going to be very interesting.

And you can hear me talk about all this and more (including how David Dobrik may or may not acquire Instagram within the next several years) in the latest installment of our shiny new podcast, Planet Upload.

Subscribe to Planet Upload on Apple Podcasts, but were everywhere else, too. Just go to PlanetUploadPod.com. The episode where I talk about all the above is also embedded below. I hope you dig it.

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On The Podcast: Snapchat Is The Biggest Media Company Whose Content Youve Never WatchedBut Thats About To Change - Tubefilter

Yes, John Carmack Will Speak Live At Facebook Connect – UploadVR

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In case you were worried, yes, John Carmack will be talking live at Facebook Connect in September.

Carmack confirmed as much in a tweet following Connects announcement yesterday. In fact, Carmack suggests his talk will be the only live element of the show which takes place on September 16 adding that everything else will be pre-recorded with nice production values. Production values were never much of a concern in his marathon keynotes, for what its worth.

Two factors had us wondering if the legendary developer would be putting in an appearance at the show. Firstly, Carmack stopped working full-time at Facebook in November of last year. He instead transitioned to a consulting role, while spending more of his own time working on AI. Second, this is the first-ever Facebook Connect; the developer event was previously called Oculus Connect 7, and Facebook says this years show will also have a focus beyond just VR. With that in mind, we had wondered if Carmack would be putting in an appearance at this years show.

Rest assured that Carmack will be giving another of his ridiculously detailed technical overviews at this years digital show, then. At last years talk, he offered a eulogy for the Gear VR. 12 months on, he may well do the same for the Oculus Go, which Facebook will stop selling this year, with no plans for another 3DOF headset. Hopefully we might hear some insights into the next Oculus Quest, too, which is heavily rumored to be revealed at the event.

Well be covering Facebook Connect extensively, so make sure to tune in.

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Yes, John Carmack Will Speak Live At Facebook Connect - UploadVR

Grab’s Asha Gourinath on why it’s time for brands to re-evaluate their messaging – The Drum

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Asha Gourinath, Grabs lead for digital marketing, CRM and growth markets in South East Asia, who is set to be the chair for The Drums Digital Advertising Awards APAC, discusses how shes led her team through the recent, difficult months of lockdown and recession.

Whats it been like running the digital marketing team at Grab, while dealing with all the sudden changes of recent months?

These are quite challenging times. The business has had to evolve, given changing consumption and demand patterns. There are also always debates about how we go about creating savings and efficiencies; should we cut marketing expenses or something else? Should we go dark or should we continue spending?

Its important to be present for your customers. Its also a good time to be spending on advertising; if your competitors are going dark, you can get premium ad placements and slots they might otherwise have taken. Its a good time to figure out how to get the most from your spend and its a good time to increase your extra share of voice.

By maintaining or increasing advertising budgets as your competitors go dark, I also feel like its a great time for brands everywhere to evaluate how we reframe our messaging. How do we still stay relevant to our customers? Maybe there needs to be more empathy in our communications, given that there are so many negative news stories about theyre the only thing you see while you are gorging on media.

Has empathy featured in Grabs marketing strategy of late?

Its in the small things. For example, our USP has always been ride-hailing or food delivery. Its about how we also adapted and evolved in time, right before the pandemic came into place. I don't think we ever had contactless deliveries or hygiene precautions before but providing your passengers with hand sanitizers or ensuring that your drivers feel safe is important.

Another example was the huge rush for restauranteurs who were, like all of us, forced to work from home in the first weeks of the pandemic, alongside their kids. We tried to marry the two business problems for our consumers, as well as our merchants on the restaurant chain for food delivery.

Thats why we partnered with Google on an AI solution where we got kids to start doodling food items. We had 10,000-plus drawings, which we would then upload to train the AI to come up with a system to recognize the things on our menu. And then we made a campaign out of it, even with the limits on shooting. We selected kids from within the scheme who then came up with our first advertising campaign. It was all done in-house. It was a great way of seeing how we could, via media consumption habits in real-time, solve that problem and come up with one of our most cost-efficient ad campaigns. We got a lot of word of mouth and PR out of it.

We were simply saying: So if your kids could draw anything, you draw this, and we will get it for you. They would then draw and upload it, and then it gets delivered. At the same time, it helped us shape-up demand even for the merchants, who were struggling. Its about trying to marry data insights and at the same time, find a solution to the question: if this was your main brand messaging, how do you reframe it to be relevant at this time?

So where did the insights come from that actually drove that campaign?

The insights for this particular campaign were actually from the partnership that we had with Google. It was a Google AI product that highlighted that this was a business problem after we shared out data with them. We needed a tech partner with whom we could collaborate, and that's how the partnership came up.

Weve seen such a sharp rise in the use of online and e-commerce strategies, what are the longer-term lessons you have learned?

We were looking at our marketing and at our vertical for groceries and item delivery. This was an area which was growing in certain markets, even before the pandemic, but when the pandemic hit, it became even more relevant [to the business]. And that's when we had to speed up our operations and try to see how we could help cater to that particular user base.

Logically, Im sure all of us have been talking about mobile marketing or mobile-first for years now. That's what we talk about. Probably this pandemic has actually become the year where mobile and internet trading finally arrived.

Historically, when people experienced the internet for the first time, it was probably on a desktop. This is probably the first time, because all of us are stuck at home, that we're spending more time on a mobile screen. In the past when users did research on mobile, it was never the place where conversions would happen. Businesses like us nowadays are spending so much screen-time on mobile as people are stuck at home. Its a great alternative.

You have to innovate and adapt. So say, for example, if the restaurant was in one corner [of the city], maybe the customer was always restricted to a three-kilometre radius right? The delivery would only happen there. Right now, even if you were 15 kilometres away, the delivery can still happen from your favourite restaurant, because earlier, you could just drive over or just go. But now, given the restrictions, maybe you can't. So you have to readapt the way you're working and the way you're thinking to reach that last mile. These are more-or-less the changes that all of us have adapted to, in terms of how we're working to be relevant during this.

What would you offer as one takeaway as to how you think digital advertising is evolving, especially when it comes to the use of data?

There's a lot of emphasis on data, right, because there will always be this pressure where they want to understand What's the ROI reading? That is huge when there is a surge in demand in some verticals. Maybe in some verticals, it isn't right, depending on the market and the dynamics and the regulations. Data does give you a directional sense, not just from a business perspective, but even from the media ad slots you're buying or in terms of the consumption patterns, or the customers, or what is their interest that they're looking into.

We do have to look at the life cycle journey of the users and at the same time marry that with the data points on how we want to tweak or come up with a particular campaign or business idea to ensure that we are headed in the right direction. When it comes to digital marketing, it's very important to then experiment and test out things to figure out what's working or what doesn't work, because what probably worked earlier may not necessarily work in the current scenario. It's about adding data and having a clear use-case, which is tied on to your business objectives to ultimately see how we are reaching the right mind to then prove your ROI and work.

Do you think the data what was relevant six months ago before the pandemic is still relevant now?

It really depends on the business and the data points you want to use, especially in digital marketing, data points are evolving on an ongoing basis. It's not just about historical data.

A customer has different likes; maybe I was listening to a particular band, which was heavy metal. Last month, I was totally into it, but probably this month I'm only listening to hip hop. That doesn't necessarily mean that I don't listen to heavy metal anymore. It really depends on how we slice-and-dice the data. And ultimately, what is the key takeaway or input or action that you want from me? I'm maybe listening to hip hop, but that doesn't mean that I'm not interested in food. So, it's multiple varieties of options, right? Be-it cuisine-related or entertainment-related because many times we, as marketers, have these assumptions that he-or-she likes this particular cuisine, maybe they're not going to try this, or maybe let's try showing them the same thing.

It also depends on your creative strategy. Maybe you could show multiple options and let the customer decide rather than us zooming by data patterns. Data helps us in coming up with a great manifesto and curating certain testing strategies, but ultimately it's about how great or brilliant your campaign messaging was and how relevant your brand is. And ultimately, if people are loyal to you, if your customers keep coming back, that is a great thing, which stays long term.

As finally, as chair of The Drum Awards for Digital Advertising APAC, what will you be looking for when casting your eye over the entries this year?

First of all, it's an honour to even be part of this jury. Im quite excited because this will be quite challenging and dynamic versus any other year and it'll be really interesting to see what kind of submissions or entries we received from advertisers and brand marketers within the region. How they have innovated, and what have they done differently to still be relevant during those times and all of those amazing results. It's a great forum to learn and share and replicate those ideas with a broader audience. Many people might say; Okay, this has been so challenging. A lot of people might say; we don't want to be associated with any awards, or there's nothing to show, but the ones who do, we should appreciate them. To see those out-of-the-box ideas, what have they done so differently? Why not share it with the rest of the world?

To enter The Drum's Digital Advertising Awards APAC, visit the dedicated website.

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Grab's Asha Gourinath on why it's time for brands to re-evaluate their messaging - The Drum

Tired Of Looking Online? These New Business Ideas Are Mind-Blowing To Start With! – Inventiva

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Online business is a great idea to start in 2020. Nowadays, everyone is trying to build their business online as it is very easy. You can work from home and you dont have to rush here and there for any work, except for a few. The article will help you to find the best online business which will make enough money. Online business is a great start for your career. But, it is important to find out which job you are suitable for. And in which business you can drive through better.

Now, without hard work, no business can bring you success. Therefore, you should follow the guidelines to get success. There are two rules, which are mentioned below. If you follow these two rules you will make greater achievements. These rules will help you drive your business easily, you can be successful and can make enough money.

Rules to give a great start in online business

First rule: The business is all about the customer and not about you:- Starting an online business is not so easy. And you have to think about your customers benefits and not all about yourself. If you always think about yourself like, the business will give me money, I will be my boss, and all i centralized words are not the goal of your business. When you put effort into what your customers want, you will get success. When you look into your customers needs, it will make your dreams come real.

Second rule: Fascination should not be everything in your business:- its a great idea to start a business on your passion but its not everything. Therefore, you have to do something, which will make a profit. Making business your passion will not give you an idea of how to maintain it, will consumers give you money, how to get traffic and how to maintain customers, etc.

These are the rules you have to keep in mind before starting an online business. Now lets look at what are the money-making businesses you can start in 2020.

Promoting other product or affiliate marketing:-

Affiliate marketing means facilitating somebodys product and taking a commission for it. There are two ways you can do it. Knowledge of copywriting and SEO shall help you to start affiliate marketing.

Partner of the online site:-

Many marketers profit from online sites. There are many products to choose from as well.

Informative products:-

Products like sites of membership, electronic book, series of video. The technique can help you to earn more than half of the commission.

Coaching online:-

Online coaching is a great idea to start your business with. You can start your work as soon as possible. You can start your website where you will advertise your online coaching. You have to make an eye-catching website which will help customers to stick to it. You have to give interesting content easy to understand and will make customers join your coaching class.

Write blogs:-

Writing blogs is the easiest way of earning money online. Writing up anything will not give you the money you have to add content that is useful or entertaining for customers. The content should be eye-catching and thrilling. The more people visit your site and stick to it the more your profit increase.

Web Development:-

Web development is also easy but you have to learn coding for it. Learning different computer languages is not any task. But if you already know to code then its a great idea to start your online business with web development. Web development can bring you enough money you have to just put a little effort.

Starting an e-commerce business:-

E-commerce makes your way of earning online easy. You have competitors who are not so familiar with the online e-commerce business. Many people have outdated websites, so all these things make your competition easy. But, it is still a hard thing as you have to confront many online stores. If you start the business in a unique niche and your marketing strategy is good you can be a successful business person.

Publish your book on an online site:-

Are you interested in writing a book? Then do it soon and publish it online on any site. With the help of those sites that publish books, you can earn enough money. If you make more than a hundred sales in a week then the online site will start advertising your book. Take tips from your friends, relative to the topic. These will help you to increase the sale and understand the preference of different people.

Becoming YouTube:-

YouTube videos are nowadays growing popular. If you like cooking or acting or doing creative things then its great. Start doing the things you enjoy, make a video. Then edit the video, put some animation, and then finally upload it to your YouTube channel. The content of your video should be interesting which will increase the number of subscribers to your channel. And one of the advantages is, you dont need an expensive camera. You can make your video on your mobile and edit it there itself. Therefore becoming a YouTuber is very easy but the content should be unique and eye-catching.

Development of new applications:-

AB development is a good idea to start an online business. But it is easy if you know how to develop an app. Learning application development is quite a hard task as well it needs time. If you already know how to develop applications and coding you can start making gaming online, online marketing apps, online clean on-demand apps, etc. The application should be unique and should contain upgraded features which makes your competition easy. You will face a tough competition as almost all types of applications are there to help you out.

Graphic Designing:-

You can see various types of designed pages on different pages. All these sites are designed by a graphic designer. Being a graphic designer you can design various online pages like pages of sales, website, etc. You can be a graphic designer if you have a college degree and you dont need to know how to draw. You simply have to make an idea of how the website will look attractive. Graphics designing is also an interesting job. You have to design pages using different pictures tools and other things needed for designing.

Writing a letter or making a resume:-

Resume is important for all Job seekers. A good resume will help you to get a good job. And if you have an idea about how to make the resume unique and interesting then your business will be successful. Writing an official letter will also help working personnel who dont have fluency in English. If your resume creator or letter writing gets popular and people start visiting your site. You will get more money. Even many companies can hire you to create a different pattern of resume or writing letters for their company. This can also help you to build-up your business.

Writing about the technical product:-

Writing television, refrigerator, air conditioner, or any other product manuals can be an example of technical writing. If you can write and have an interest in writing such things you can apply online for the post. You have to write

SEO learning:-

Search engine optimization is a technique of making your website rank higher in the search engine. Knowing SEO or mastering SEO can help you to make customers stick to your site for a long time. Therefore, you can apply for different online jobs who need people mastered in SEO. You should always try to add new and upgraded features to the content, to make them rank higher.

Conclusion

There is a vast opportunity for you to startup with a new business. You have to work hard and then your dreams will turn to be real. Then, what are you waiting for? Rush towards your dreams. Once you get established in business the next year you can be one of the best business personnel. Working from home online can be very helpful. You dont have to go out for any work. Online business is a great start for your career, just find out the path in which you can fit perfectly.

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Start with a fresh page: Former Moray journalist on life as a tour guide in Barcelona and her new book – Press and Journal

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There is a chorus of chirping as Emma Christie comes on the line; she laughs and apologises for the noise.

Im sorry, its the parakeets, she says, as if the presence of these colourful birds is perfectly normal.

Their exotic song is a far cry from the piercing call of seagulls in the north-east, where Emma worked as a young journalist at the Press and Journal.

Indeed it was Aberdeenshire which sparked an idea for Emma, a feeling that she had something to say beyond the confines of hard-hitting news stories.

With her 30th birthday approaching, she took the plunge and decided to start a whole new life abroad with a particular goal in mind. It has been a decade since Emma swapped Elgin for Barcelona, and she can at last say mission accomplished.

Her debut thriller, The Silent Daughter, is due to be released next week and Emma is already working on her next book.

She believes lockdown has given her the chance to take time away from her job as a tour guide, and bring her vision to life.

The Silent Daughter tells the story of news reporter Chris Morrison, whose wife ends up in a coma.

As he attempts to reach their daughter, Ruth, who is away travelling, he unravels one secret after another.

From the influence of the world of journalism, to how easy it can be to fake a life online, Emma admits to taking inspiration from her former career.

Now happily settled in Barcelona, her choice of relocation was no accident.

I actually moved to Barcelona for a year and a half after graduating from university, said Emma, who grew up in Ayrshire.

I taught English before returning to Aberdeen where I had studied.

I always had Barcelona in my mind as somewhere I wanted to move to, but life took me in other directions first.

I had Ruths character in my head for years before I actually wrote the book.

When I was still working at the Press and Journal, I went to visit a friend in Huntly. We went for a walk in the woods, and I said I had this notion to write a book. I didnt know what to do with it though, I didnt think I was capable of writing a book. I needed to find a story to put the character in.

Emma initially wanted to set her book in Latin America, before her agent suggested Scotland as a backdrop.

I hadnt even thought of that, the idea grew from there, she said.

The character was the most important part to me, although Ruth isnt based on anyone I ever met.

Having travelled widely, Emma was intrigued by the concept of faking a life online.

I used social media to stay in touch with my family, it was quite new back then, she said.

So Id upload pictures, I could quite easily have just been making it all up.

No one would have questioned it, my mum would ask where on Earth in the world I was and then shed go and get the paper atlas out.

I could have been 20 minutes away, so I found that whole concept quite fascinating.

There is no real way of knowing if the life we present is the life we actually live even when it comes to my life now.

Emmas role as a tour guide is certainly different from life as a journalist, particularly during the pandemic.

I lead American groups, where we educate about the culture and history, said Emma.

I was leading a group just prior to lockdown, we had just arrived in Madrid. I had 48 hours to get 23 people out of the country.

Then I got a train home to Barcelona on Sunday night; we went into lockdown on Monday morning.

All work is cancelled until spring next year; economically it is very bad.

My lockdown was spent working on the edit, I have never been so immersed.

One of the things I loved as a reporter is that you would see your work printed every day. So it can be quite tortuous at times, youre writing for years and you dont know if you will ever be published.

It is such a different mentality.

Obviously Ruths dad is a newspaper reporter; a lot of my experiences are expressed through him and his relationship with his colleague, Sandy.

I was a young journalist, whereas other people had been around for 30 years.

I know what a journalist can and cannot do, and also our ability to get information.

These experiences have been woven into The Silent Daughter, and Emma believes she always knew how the book was going to end.

The whole process took a lot longer, as I was travelling and seeing things, she said.

When I left the Press and Journal, I was beginning to think I wasnt sure I wanted to be a journalist for the rest of my life. I was turning 30, young enough to start again, although you can start at any time.

The Silent Daughter will be published 11 days before my 40th birthday.

Id love for people to like it, although I am aware that some people wont.

Im just so chuffed and excited, and now its on to book number two.

The Silent Daughter is released on September 3, priced 8.99.

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Start with a fresh page: Former Moray journalist on life as a tour guide in Barcelona and her new book - Press and Journal

How to Record and Transcribe Audio in Microsoft Word – Beebom

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Last year, Google released a simple recorder app on Pixel 4 which could transcribe real-time audio without even using the internet. On similar lines, Otter.ai continues to be a first-pick among professionals for its ability to accurately transcribe audio. So when everyone is offering this sought-after feature, how can Microsoft remain behind? The Redmond-giant has now released an audio transcription feature and its integrated right into Microsoft Word. You can either upload your audio or record directly within MS Word to transcribe audio within minutes. So without any delay, lets go ahead and learn how to record and transcribe audio in Microsoft Word.

Before we get to the steps, there are a few notable points that you should keep in mind:

1. Open office.com on a web browser and sign in with your Microsoft account. After that, create a Word file.

2. Under the Home section, you will find the Dictate option in the far-right corner. Click on the arrow next to it and select Transcribe.

3. A mini pane will open up on the right side. Here, you can either upload an audio file or record directly using Microsoft Word.

4. Now, Microsoft Word will start transcribing the audio file using Azure Cognitive Services which is its AI platform in the cloud.

5. After a while, you will have the transcription on the right pane. The best part is that its AI service is able to distinguish different voices which help in separating the transcription under multiple speakers.

6. Now, you can simply click on Add all to document and the transcription will move to your main Word file. You can also play the audio and edit out anything that is not in place.

So that is how you can record and transcribe audio in Microsoft Word. At present, the service is available only on the web version, but I expect Microsoft to bring this sought-after feature to native apps too. Also, it could have been better if Microsoft offered audio transcription feature to free users with a shorter time limit.

Still the addition of this new feature is welcomed and it puts the Microsoft word a notch above its alternatives. Anyway, that is all from us. If you found the article helpful then do comment down below and let us know.

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How to Record and Transcribe Audio in Microsoft Word - Beebom

Using tech to define the ‘new normal’ in classrooms | Business Post – Business Post

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The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a world turned upside down. Nowhere is this more evident than in education where the pressure to reopen schools, for the sake of the students themselves as well as for the economy, is being balanced against the likelihood of further outbreaks.

When Ireland shut up shop in March, technology rushed in to fill the gap: home working became the norm for anyone who could, while schools scrambled to teach online.

As in business, the results in education were mixed. Some schools had the technology and know-how to ensure that disruption was minimised, while others suffered.

I think some schools have been tech savvy and some havent, said Beryl Furlong, director of digital learning specialists Wriggle Learning. In that regard, teachers usage of technology and their level of competence and confidence varies.

Furlong said that this is not necessarily a simple case of age, with younger teachers having more native tech skills. Instead, it is a question of professional development.

The best teachers tend to have been out there teaching for ten or 15 years, and they have a sense of how the technology can enhance teaching and learning, she said.

If there is a silver lining to be found it is that the situation fast-tracked technology adoption in schools.

A couple of principals said to me that they were able to achieve more in terms of professional development in just a few months than had been possible in years, said Furlong.

It forced a change in practice. I think many teachers surprised themselves; they did brilliantly, she said.

Indeed, Wriggles new online learning platform is aimed at training teachers in their use of technology.

Wriggle Connect is a professional development platform, designed by teachers, for teachers. The content library contains over 500 bite-sized videos aimed at helping teachers get to grips with the nuts and bolts of how technology can support learning.

Its self-paced learning on the common technologies being used in schools, like how to use Microsoft Forms for grading in maths, for example. All of our content creators are teachers from around the country who relate their video demonstrations to real world contexts, said Furlong.

Teachers can take ownership over their professional development and engage with the training on their own terms and at their own pace. On completion of the courses they get a certificate and can earn badges as they progress through the platform.

Bridging the gap

Of course, essential as teaching the teachers is, the ultimate goal is to support the educational experience of the students themselves. To this end, Wriggle supplies software and services to schools, as well as devices directly to parents.

Some schools, such as Old Bawn Community School in Tallaght, decided to roll out Windows devices for all teachers and students, with the aim of fostering students independent learning.

This one-to-one package is not the only possible configuration, though it is typically the preferred one.

We work with hundreds of schools and 150 of those are one-to-one, where every student has a device, said Furlong.

Devices are managed in order to provide security and data protection, including GDPR compliance, and, crucially, to ensure students cant install personal apps and social media platforms on the devices.

Parents know that its managed, and its also a secure environment like the classroom itself, she said.

However, while social media is clearly to be avoided, not all sharing is bad.

A lot of sharing takes place, both between teachers and students and peer-to-peer between students themselves, which is particularly important within the new Junior Cycle framework. One of the skills is managing myself, which is about managing my learning. Technology helps to build those skills, she said.

As blended learning comes to the fore and we all hope that few further closures mean entirely remote working will be rare ensuring that technology supports collaboration and learning is key.

Meanwhile, for Wriggle, keeping the educational mission at the centre of the experience is what makes its offering different.

We compete with a lot of companies selling devices, but were not just selling devices, said Furlong.

Were supporting schools with a bespoke service tailored especially for schools, and we have several teachers as well as technology specialists and a customer service team on staff to ensure that schools get the support they need.

Scratching the surface

Other schools, such as Claregalway College in Co Galway and Sacred Heart School in Tullamore, Co Offaly, have also turned to Wriggle to deploy Microsoft-based educational solutions.

Notably, many schools are choosing to work with Surface tablets.

Furlong said that this choice provides not only the interactivity benefits of tablet computing, but also integrates seamlessly with Microsoft software and cloud storage.

Though Microsoft Teams has been front-and-centre in the public mind, with classes delivered using their video-conferencing software, Microsofts other software has more direct relevance in education than people might realise.

We would [all] traditionally know Office 365 as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and e-mail, and many schools may only use it that way, but its a shame, she said. When used as an educational tool, Office 365 brings interactivity to learning.

In a classroom, a teacher can use a Microsoft Surface stylus to write and record themselves solving a problem and when the student returns home it is there, saved for them, and they can go over it. They can also hear it in any language, which is useful for non-native speakers.

Theres a very powerful combination between Office 365 and Surface.

The objective is not to replace traditional teaching methods. Rather, it is to bring new ways of working to the classroom, all squarely aimed at supporting education rather than technology per se.

The student may or may not have a traditional textbook. More and more teachers are using technology to supplement traditional teaching methodologies.

Teachers can upload content and students can, likewise, upload their work. Marking can then be performed on-screen, including leaving audio comments for the student which, again, can be translated into other languages.

Furlong is not suggesting that the future will be easy. It will require a lot of flexibility, but it also offers the opportunity to support educators and students as they travel down this new road as long as we all keep an open mind.

Were not going back to a normal situation. We all use this term the new normal, but we dont even know what it is yet. We know what it is for going to the shops or going to a restaurant, but when it comes to schools, no one yet knows, she said.

For details visit http://www.wrigglelearning.ie

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A Day in the Life: NBA Journalists Living Inside the Orlando Bubble – Sportscasting

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The NBA season restarted with 22 teams convening at Disney World in Orlando. The league implemented strict protocols to keep COVID-19 at bay. Some rules shocked NBA players. But they arent the only ones who must adjust virtually every aspect of their lives to stay safe. The bubble also contains a small group of sports journalists. Lets look at life in the Orlando bubble for reporters and other staff.

RELATED: Carmelo Anthony Looks Like a New Man After the NBA Restart

Only a small number of the NBA journalists received approval to enter the Orlando bubble around 15, according to The Miami Herald. Before those reporters could get to work talking to players and watching games, however, they had to go through a strict preparation process. First, they had to quarantine for seven days before arriving at the campus.

Then they had to quarantine for another seven days on-site. During that time, the journalists remained strictly confined to their hotel rooms. Staff would drop food outside the door each day, and medical personnel would administer a daily COVID-19 test. Only after a week of negative results were reporters allowed to leave their rooms.

Even then, journalists do not have complete access to the campus or the players. Theyre prohibited from approaching coaches or athletes for interviews in the hotels or on the grounds. That can prove tricky since the hotel lobbies where the players and journalists stay are conjoined. Reporters find themselves frequently bumping into players.

RELATED: Athletes Will Need to Rethink These Sports Habits After COVID-19

Journalists and non-player staff are expected to conform to a number of other protocols as well. Theyre required to wear a proximity sensor, a special device that beeps if two people with sensors come within six feet of one another. For players, those proximity sensors are optional. From reports so far, few players are choosing to wear them.

One of the first things reporters do each day is self-administer a basic health screening, measuring their body temperature and oxygen saturation levels. In order to pass through checkpoints, they must upload this info to a special app. At 9 a.m., they must also submit to a coronavirus test consisting of three throat swabs and two nasal swabs.

Youd think that with the many rules journalists face in the bubble not to mention being away from their families for months they wouldnt be optimistic about the assignment. That isnt the case, however. Most reporters seem grateful to be on-site. The Athletics Joe Vardon described it as possibly the last, great American sportswriting assignment.

Ask anyone in the NBA how they feel about the success of the bubble, and theyll likely give you a cautious reply. Thats because they know full well that things could go wrong at any moment. A single outbreak of the virus could be enough to bring the entire playoffs to a grinding halt.

Yet if you zoom out, it becomes clear that the NBAs model has been a success. Through the first five weeks and counting, reports CBS Sports, not a single player has tested positive for COVID-19. To understand how impressive that is, just compare it to problems faced by MLB. Baseball failed to even make it to the two-week mark before outbreaks crippled entire teams.

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A Day in the Life: NBA Journalists Living Inside the Orlando Bubble - Sportscasting

Trump Embraces Fringe Theories on Protests and the Coronavirus – The New York Times

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What does President Trump think will happen when he continues to insist on fanning the flames of hate and division in our society and using the politics of fear to whip up his supporters? Mr. Biden asked. He is recklessly encouraging violence. He may believe tweeting about law and order makes him strong but his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak he is.

The latest social media outburst by the president came just days after he accepted the nomination for a second term in an election in which he has been trailing for months. Mr. Trump sought to capitalize on any momentum generated by the Republican National Convention, posting a series of tweets asserting that he is actually leading in polls.

A new poll by Morning Consult, however, showed that Mr. Trump had narrowed Mr. Bidens lead but that the president still trailed. The survey, conducted on Friday, the day after the conclusion of the Republican convention, found Mr. Biden ahead 50 percent to 44 percent, a six-point lead compared with the former vice presidents 10-point advantage a week ago after his own convention. Another poll by Yahoo News and YouGov likewise showed Mr. Bidens lead shrinking to six percentage points, down from nine points.

A post-convention bounce is typical in presidential years but it does not always last, and an ABC News-Ipsos poll showed that Mr. Trump did nothing to improve his own standing with voters, only 31 percent of whom reported a favorable view, roughly the same as before the Republican convention. Democrats, however, are growing more concerned that Mr. Trump is successfully using violence in the streets after police shootings of Black Americans to energize his own supporters and tar Mr. Biden and his party as weak on law and order.

In that vein, many of Mr. Trumps Sunday morning tweets focused on the violence in Portland, where the shooting death of a man exacerbated an already tense situation. The man was wearing a hat with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a far-right group based in the Portland area that has clashed with protesters before.

Updated August 27, 2020

Mr. Trump repeatedly assailed Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland for resisting federal help and delighted in showcasing a peaceful protest held at the mayors own home on Friday, even retweeting a post accusing the Mr. Wheeler of committing war crimes. Rather than calling for calm, Mr. Trump seemed to justify aggressive action against demonstrators by his supporters.

The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing, Mr. Trump wrote, as he retweeted a journalists post reporting that Trump supporters were firing paintballs and pepper spray, including at the reporter. The people of Portland wont put up with no safety any longer. The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard!

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Trump Embraces Fringe Theories on Protests and the Coronavirus - The New York Times

Governor Cuomo Announces New Record High Number of COVID-19 Tests Reported to New York State – ny.gov

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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that 100,022 test results were reported to New York State yesterdaya new record high. Hospitalizations dropped to 429, a new low since March 16, and intubations dropped to 47, a new low since March 14. New York State's infection rate has been below 1 percent for 23 straight days. The number of new cases, percentage of tests that were positive and many other helpful data points are always available atforward.ny.gov.

"Yesterday's highest-ever number of tests and infection rate of 0.69 percent are great news, especially when you consider what's going on around the country and around the world,"Governor Cuomo said."The state is doing extraordinarily well, and again, kudos to allNew Yorkers because there's no mystery as to how this happens. It's a social action and it's the community of the people of the State of New York acting out of mutuality and concern for one another. Everyone should continue to wear masks, socially distance and wash their hands, and local governments should continue to enforce state guidance so we can get through this together."

Governor Cuomo also reminded Western New York residents that ongoing rapid testing is being conducted at eight sites in the region. Residents can call 833-NYSTRNG to make an appointment. On August 27, the governordeployed a testing SWAT teamto Western New York to address the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in the region. He also announced the eight sites, which can be found here:

Delavan-GriderCommunity Center

877 E. Delavan Ave.

Buffalo, NY 14215

True Bethel Baptist Church

907 E. Ferry St.

Buffalo, NY 14211

Northwest Buffalo Community Center

155 Lawn Ave.

Buffalo, NY 14207

Dunkirk Fire Murphy Training Grounds

665 Brigham Road

Dunkirk, NY 14048

SUNY ECC North

6205 Main St.

Williamsville, NY 14221

Union Fire Company

1845 Union Road

West Seneca, NY 14224

John A. Duke Senior Center

1201 Hyde Park Blvd.

Niagara Falls, NY 14301

YWCA of the Niagara Frontier

32 Cottage St.

Lockport, NY 14094

Yesterday, the State Liquor Authority and State Police Task Force visited 1,734 establishments in New York City and Long Island and observed 11 establishments that were not in compliance with state requirements. A county breakdown of yesterday's observed violations is below:

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

Of the 100,022 test results reported to New York State yesterday, 698, or 0.69 percent, were positive. Each region's percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:

REGION

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Capital Region

0.5%

0.7%

0.6%

CentralNew York

0.8%

0.4%

0.8%

Finger Lakes

0.3%

0.5%

0.6%

Long Island

0.5%

0.6%

0.8%

Mid-Hudson

0.9%

0.8%

0.8%

Mohawk Valley

0.1%

0.6%

0.5%

New York City

0.6%

0.7%

0.7%

North Country

0.8%

0.2%

0.4%

Southern Tier

0.5%

0.4%

0.3%

WesternNew York

1.2%

1.2%

1.6%

The Governor also confirmed 698 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 434,100 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 434,100 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

County

Total Positive

New Positive

Albany

2,764

10

Allegany

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Governor Cuomo Announces New Record High Number of COVID-19 Tests Reported to New York State - ny.gov

How Italy’s ‘father of the swabs’ fought the coronavirus – Science Magazine

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Lock down the village, test everybody, and isolate the positives. It really works, Andrea Crisanti says.

By Douglas StarrAug. 27, 2020 , 12:00 PM

Sciences COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Pulitzer Center and the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Andrea Crisanti was on a 30-hour flight from Italy to Australia for a conference on 22 February when some disturbing news appeared on his phone. Italy had just had its first COVID-19 death, and more cases were accumulating fast. He asked conference organizers to move his talk to the first day, and made the grueling trip back home after that. Its something I do not recommend, he says.

Crisanti, head of the microbiology department at the University of Padua, already knew trouble was coming and had geared up his lab to do large-scale testing for the new coronavirus. As it began to devastate his nation, Crisanti put his university and region at the forefront of the fight with an all-out campaign of testing and quarantine, even when that meant defying conventional wisdom.

A soft-spoken 65-year-old with graying hair and soft brown eyes, Crisanti has a matter-of-fact way of stating his opinionseven when he opines that something is bullshit. Hes an innovative person who knows his own worth and has confidence in his judgments, says Jules Hoffmann, a Nobel Prize winner and professor of integrative biology at the University of Strasbourg. His decisiveness helped rein in his regions outbreak and show the rest of Italy how to tame the virus, which hit the country early and hard.

Crisanti, who trained in immunology and biotechnology in Rome before spending 25 years at Imperial College London, was used to fighting another scourge: malaria. Last fall, the University of Padua recruited him to continue his research on genetic strategies to block mosquito reproduction. But when news about the coronavirus began to emerge from China, Crisanti immediately shifted his focus.

In late January, when Chinese scientists published the genetic sequence of the new coronavirus, Crisanti began to test university students returning from China, symptomatic or not. He had conducted a few hundred tests when the regional health department told him to stop. Guidelines from the World Health Organization and Italys National Institute of Health said to test only patients with symptoms, he was told. Crisanti says the restriction made no sense: I know very few infectious diseases where asymptomatic people do not play a major role.

Thats where things stood when he got word of the first Italian COVID-19 fatality. The patient was from Vo, a prosperous village in the region of Veneto, about 50 kilometers west of Venice. The regions governor ordered a 2-week quarantine of the town and testing of almost all 3300 residents. Anyone who tested positive was put on lockdown.

At the time, anecdotal reports were emerging from China about asymptomatic transmission, but no one had produced definitive evidence. Crisanti saw Vo as an ideal place to conduct an epidemiological experiment: a small population, universally tested, whose progress could be monitored closely. He got approval to retest everyone in the village 9 days after the first round of testing.

The numbers confirmed his thinking about asymptomatic transmission. In the first round of testing, 73 residents were positive for the virus. More than 40% of them had no symptoms yet had levels of the virus similar to those who were visibly ill. The Vo study also confirmed that isolating people helps stem transmission. Everyone who had tested positive was confined to their home, regardless of whether they had symptoms. By the second round of testing, a week and a half later, the number of positives had dropped to 29; they, too, were isolated. A third round of tests 2 months after the second found no positive cases.

If you want to eliminate a cluster you have to lock down the village [or neighborhood], test everybody, and isolate the positives, Crisanti says. It really works.

Crisanti persuaded the regional government of Veneto to test anyone with even the mildest of symptoms, and to trace and test their contacts as well. The effort targeted medical personnel and essential workers, such as supermarket cashiers. It helped that Veneto has a long tradition of taking strong public health measures, dating back to the invention of the quarantine during the 14th century plagues. (The word quarantine is derived from the word for 40 days in an old Venetian dialectthe period for which incoming ships had to anchor in the harbor to avoid bringing in plague.) The regions infrastructure was ready for a pandemic, with a health care policy that emphasizes decentralized primary care. In this case,that meant sending well-equipped nurses to test people at home or admitting them to small local hospitals with dedicated COVID-19 units.

In contrast, neighboring Lombardy, the prosperous region in which Milan is located, has emphasized large, urban hospitals offering first-rate surgical and specialty care. That system backfired in the pandemic, funneling sick people into the hospitals, which in turn became sources of infection. Lombardy became the worst affected region of Italy, with 2.5 times the number of cases and four times the number of deaths per capita as Veneto.

From the beginning, Crisanti was prescient. In late January he ordered enough reagent to process half a million swabs; then had his lab analyze the reagents and begin to produce its own. Thus, when other regions were running short, Veneto had a surplus of reagents. Later he ordered a piece of equipment that could process tests at high speed, tracking down a demo machine in London when he couldnt procure one through the usual means because of heightened demand from the pandemic. We got the only one in Italy, he says. The machine quadrupled his laboratorys throughput to more than 6000 swabs per day. Along the way, Veneto became an example of the value of extensive testing, tracing, and isolationand ensuring the means to do it.

Newspapers hailed Crisanti as the father of the swabs, and the rebel scientist, for his defiance of official policy in the early days of the pandemic. He received the Lion of Veneto award for his service to the region, the seal of the city of Padua, and was honored by a special concert in Vo. Yet it hasnt all been smooth. As the outbreak began to abate, the regions governor, Luca Zaia, downplayed Crisantis contribution in comments to the press and claimed that he and his government deserved credit for taming the virus. Eager to reopen Veneto for tourism, Zaia became irritated by Crisantis insistence to go slow and turned to other scientists for advice. The freeze-out became so severe that in July, Crisanti said he would resign from the regions advisory board, only to be talked out of it by colleagues and admirers.

Now, theres a truce between the scientist and the politician. It may have been a joint effort, says Antonio Cassone, professor emeritus of medical microbiology at the University of Perugia. But Andrea proved essential.

Moving forward, Crisanti is analyzing the genetic and blood samples his team collected during the Veneto outbreak to learn more about individual susceptibility and antibody response. He remains undaunted by his encounter with politics. The most important thing is to convey simple, clear, and honest messages, he says. And if you dont know something just say it openly. People need to know the truth.

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How Italy's 'father of the swabs' fought the coronavirus - Science Magazine