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Following Tesla’s Playbook, Volkswagen Will Develop and Test Electric-Vehicle Batteries in the U.S. – Motley Fool

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Danzig

Taking a page from Tesla's playbook, Volkswagen (OTC:VLKA.Y) said that it plans to begin developing electric vehicle batteries -- including battery cells -- at its site in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The German auto giant said that it will soon break ground on a new high-voltage laboratory for its engineering center in Chattanooga. The laboratory, which is expected to be up and running in the second quarter of 2021, will be tasked with developing and testing electric vehicle cells and battery packs for several upcoming Volkswagen electric vehicles aimed at the U.S. market.

Volkswagen's new lab will develop and test batteries for the company's upcoming U.S.-built electric vehicles, including the production version of the I.D. Buzz show car. Image source: Volkswagen AG.

The new laboratory will include equipment needed to test prototype electric-vehicle battery packs under high pressures, at temperature extremes, and under simulated rough-road conditions, the company said.

"There are two ways that auto companies approach the development of electric vehicle batteries," said Wolfgang Maluche, Volkswagen's U.S. engineering chief. "A lot of them will farm out the development and testing of batteries to another company, and some will actually do the work of developing and testing in-house."

"We are doing the latter," Maluche said.

While Volkswagen will develop and test its own batteries in-house, it won't follow Tesla in manufacturing battery cells itself. The cells for U.S.-made VW electric vehicles will be manufactured by Korean battery specialist SK Innovation at a new factory in Commerce, Georgia.

Volkswagen said last year that it will invest $800 million to build a new electric vehicle, believed to be the production version of the I.D. Buzz show car, at the Chattanooga factory beginning in 2022.

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Following Tesla's Playbook, Volkswagen Will Develop and Test Electric-Vehicle Batteries in the U.S. - Motley Fool

US Navy Veterans Mesothelioma Advocate Urges the Family of a Retired Navy Officer or NCO Who Now has Mesothelioma to Call Attorney Erik Karst of Karst…

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Danzig

HOUSTON, Aug. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The US Navy Veterans Mesothelioma Advocate says, "We are appealing to the family of a retired career Navy officer or NCO anywhere in the nation who has just been diagnosed with mesothelioma to get serious about financial compensation and to call attorney Erik Karst of the law firm of Karst von Oiste at 800-714-0303. Erik Karst is one of the nation's leading mesothelioma attorneys and he specializes in assisting Navy Veterans with mesothelioma. Mesothelioma compensation for a person like this could be in the millions of dollars because their asbestos exposure may have been so extreme.

"Attorney Erik Karst of the law firm of Karst von Oiste and his remarkable colleagues have been assisting Navy Veterans with mesothelioma for decades and they are responsible for over a billion dollars in financial compensation for people like this. Erik Karst is also extremely familiar with navy ships, submarines, and shipyards. Having this type of knowledge is a huge advantage because Erik Karst will be able to talk specifics with a Navy Veteran about how, where and when they were exposed to asbestos. It is this information that becomes the basis for a mesothelioma compensation claim. For direct access to attorney Erik Karst of Karst von Oiste please call 800-714-0303 anytime. You will be glad you did."www.karstvonoiste.com/

The US Navy Veterans Mesothelioma Advocate is urging the family of a retired Navy Officer or NCO who has recently diagnosed mesothelioma to not start playing lawyer roulette on the Internet by calling on ads that mention 'free' booklets, calculators, no law suit needed-because if they call on one of these ads-they might create a lawyer stampede.

The average age of a person with mesothelioma in the United States is 72 years old and by the time they get diagnosed they are typically extremely sick. "We want all Navy Veterans who have mesothelioma to receive the best possible compensation results-and we are certain attorney Erik Karst and his amazing team at Karst von Oiste will deliver. For direct access to attorney Erik Karst of Karst von Oiste please call 800-714-0303."www.karstvonoiste.com/

According to the CDC the states indicated with the highest incidence of mesothelioma include Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Louisiana, Washington, and Oregon.

However, based on the calls the US Navy Veterans Mesothelioma Advocate receives a US Navy Veteran who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma could live in any state including New York, Florida, California, Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, or Alaska.www.karstvonoiste.com/

For a listing of all types of current and past US Navy warships please review the US Navy website on this topic:https://www.navy.mil/navydata/our_ships.asp

For more information about mesothelioma, please refer to the National Institutes of Health's web site related to this rare form of cancer:https://www.cancer.gov/types/mesothelioma

Media Contact:

Michael Thomas800-714-0303242066@email4pr.com

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US Navy Veterans Mesothelioma Advocate Urges the Family of a Retired Navy Officer or NCO Who Now has Mesothelioma to Call Attorney Erik Karst of Karst...

Mesothelioma Compensation Center Appeals to the Family of a Waterworks Worker or Plumber with Mesothelioma to Focus on Better Financial Compensation…

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Danzig

HOUSTON, Aug. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mesothelioma Compensation Center says, "We are appealing to the wife or adult son-daughter of a waterworks worker or plumber who has just been diagnosed with mesothelioma anywhere in the nation to please call attorney Erik Karst of the law firm of Karst von Oiste at 800-714-0303. Erik Karst is one of the nation's leading mesothelioma attorneys and he and his amazing team at the law firm of Karst von Oiste will do everything possible to make certain you or your loved one gets properly compensated. A mesothelioma compensation claim for a person like this could exceed a million dollars. The average age for a person with mesothelioma in the US is about 72 years old.

"Attorney Erik Karst and his colleagues at the law firm of Karst von Oiste have been assisting plumbers, pipefitters and waterworks workers with mesothelioma for decades and they are responsible for over a billion dollars in financial compensation for people like this. For direct access to attorney Erik Karst of the law firm of Karst von Oiste please call 800-714-0303 anytime."www.karstvonoiste.com/

The biggest worry the Mesothelioma Compensation Center has for people with mesothelioma or their family is they get distracted by noise on the Internet about-no lawsuits needed, 'free' booklets, calculators, and other nonsense. First of all-mesothelioma compensation may or may not involve a lawsuit, and there is nothing 'free' on the Internet-just lawyers or law firms trying to identify people with mesothelioma. Why would a person with mesothelioma want to order a free book about a rare cancer they already know all about-because they have it?https://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com

The Mesothelioma Compensation Center is focused on helping the following types of waterworks workers and plumbers-pipefitters who have mesothelioma:

For a listing of the nation's largest water/waste water public utility districts please refer to the following website:http://www.utilityconnection.com/page4s2.html

The Mesothelioma Compensation Center specializes in assisting specific types of people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. These people include the US Navy Veterans, oil refinery workers, power plant workers, boiler technicians, nuclear power plant workers, public utility workers, hydro-electric workers, chemical plant workers, plumbers, electricians, pipefitters, millwrights, welders, or oil and gas field workers. In most instances these people were exposed to asbestos in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, or 1980's.http://MesotheliomaCompensationCenter.Com

However, a waterworks worker, a plumber or pipefitter with mesothelioma could live in any state including California, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, or Alaska.www.karstvonoiste.com/

For more information about asbestos exposure lung cancer and mesothelioma please visit the CDC's website on these topics:https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/health_effects_asbestos.html.

For more information about mesothelioma please refer to the National Institutes of Health's web site related to this rare form of cancer:https://www.cancer.gov/types/mesothelioma.

Media Contact:Michael Thomas800-714-0303[emailprotected]

SOURCE Mesothelioma Compensation Center

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Mesothelioma Compensation Center Appeals to the Family of a Waterworks Worker or Plumber with Mesothelioma to Focus on Better Financial Compensation...

Vienna Researchers’ Mesothelioma Discovery Highlights Use of Precision Medicine – Mesothelioma.net Blog

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Danzig

Published on August 11, 2020

Researchers from MedUniVienna have successfully identified a blockade of compounds that activate a rare mutation found in malignant mesothelioma cells, thus halting their unrestricted growth. This highly specific approach makes clear that the best way to treat this rare and fatal form of cancer is through a highly tailored approach.

The mesothelioma investigators focused on the impact that telomerase has on the growth and spread of cancer cells. Telomerase is an enzyme that is active in rapidly dividing cells in our bodies. Though it plays a positive role in most instances, it also facilitates many types of cancer growth and is found in excessive amounts in mesothelioma patients.

The researchers determined that a particularly aggressive subgroup of malignant pleural mesothelioma cells have a distinct genetic mutation that serves to promote the production of the TERT gene, which plays an outsized role in the activation of telomerase. Through this discovery, they were able to identify a new treatment strategy for those suffering from the rare form of cancer and who test positive for the mutation.

Writing in the journalClinical Cancer Research, the researchers explained that the mutation they identified is found in the regulatory region of the cancer cell, which determines how much of a protein is produced. Previous cancer studies have shown that mutations activating the TERT gene are found in families with high genetic tendencies towards cancer, and are associated with other highly aggressive tumors like melanoma and glioblastoma.

Though the TERT gene mutation is only present in a small subgroup of patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, those that have it generally have an extremely poor prognosis. The researchers found that by inhibiting a specific protein linked to the activation of the mutated TERT gene, they were able to block its aggressiveness. According to Walter Berger, Member, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Institute of Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, We are currently investigating whether a pharmacological blockade of the ETS factors has potential as a new treatment option for patients with TERT promoter-mutated MPM. If this proves to be the case, the mutation would be both a biomarker for the selection of suitable patients and a therapeutic target an ideal combination for precision medicine.

Every person diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma has a different story of exposure and a different experience with the disease. The Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help you make sense of your situation. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.

Learn more about and contact Terri

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Vienna Researchers' Mesothelioma Discovery Highlights Use of Precision Medicine - Mesothelioma.net Blog

Mesothelioma Victims Center is Open 24-7 to Make Certain a Person with Confirmed Mesothelioma Receives the Best Compensation Results and They Endorse…

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Danzig

HOUSTON, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The Mesothelioma Victims Center says, "We are open 24-7 to make certain a person with mesothelioma or their wife, and or adult son-daughter has resources and help. We are advocates for people with mesothelioma and there is not much we would not do to assist a family in this difficult situation. Unfortunately, we live in the age of the Coronavirus where we fear many people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma have put their financial compensation on hold because they don't want to deal with lawyers-or because they are so sick they don't want to deal with compensation. If this sounds like you or your family member please feel free to call us anytime at 800-714-0303-we want to help.

"We are passionate advocates for people with mesothelioma and we want a person with this rare cancer to get the best possible financial compensation results-nationwide. To make certain the best possible compensation results happen we have endorsed attorney Erik Karst of the managing partner of the law firm of Karst von Oiste. Erik is one of the nation's leading mesothelioma attorneys. Erik Karst and his colleagues at the law firm of Karst von Oiste have been assisting people with mesothelioma for decades and they are responsible for over a billion dollars in compensation settlement results for people like this. For direct access to attorney Erik Karst of the law firm of Karst von Oiste please call 800-714-0303."www.karstvonoiste.com/

On a typical year between 2500 and 3000 US citizens will be diagnosed with mesothelioma. By comparison about 225,000 US citizens will be diagnosed with lung cancer. Unfortunately, because of the Coronavius the numbers of people who have mesothelioma or lung cancer will probably be dramatically reduced in 2020. Not because there are fewer people with these cancers-but because these people were misdiagnosed with the Coronavirus-COVID-19. "If you know your loved one had significant exposure to asbestos prior to 1982-and he is now in the hospital with suspected Coronavirus-please tell the physicians treating him about the asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma and the Coronavirus have similar symptoms. There is no compensation for the Coronavirus. Financial compensation for a person with mesothelioma might exceed a million dollars."https://MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com

Each year about 3000 US citizens will be diagnosed with mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. High -risk work groups for exposure to asbestos include US Navy Veterans, power plant workers, shipyard workers, oil refinery workers, steel mill workers, miners, manufacturing workers, pulp or paper mill workers, millwrights, welders, plumbers, electricians, auto mechanics, machinists, construction workers, rail road workers, and firemen. Typically, the exposure to asbestos for these types of workers occurred in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, or 1980's.https://MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com

However, based on the calls the Mesothelioma Victims Center receives a person with confirmed mesothelioma could live in any state including New York, Florida, California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, or Alaska.www.karstvonoiste.com/

For more information about mesothelioma please refer to the National Institutes of Health's web site related to this rare form of cancer:https://www.cancer.gov/types/mesothelioma.

Media Contact:

Michael Thomas800-714-0303[emailprotected]

SOURCE Mesothelioma Victims Center

Mesothelioma Victims Center

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Mesothelioma Victims Center is Open 24-7 to Make Certain a Person with Confirmed Mesothelioma Receives the Best Compensation Results and They Endorse...

Fears Of Virus And Distracted Jury Won’t Stop Asbestos Trial – Law360

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Danzig

By Hannah Albarazi

Law360 is providing free access to its coronavirus coverage to make sure all members of the legal community have accurate information in this time of uncertainty and change. Use the form below to sign up for any of our daily newsletters. Signing up for any of our section newsletters will opt you in to the daily Coronavirus briefing.

Law360, San Francisco (August 11, 2020, 6:05 PM EDT) -- A California judge declined Tuesday to postpone an impending San Francisco jury trial in an asbestos suit against Honeywell International and others, overruling defense attorneys' concerns that in-person trials amid the COVID-19 pandemic are unsafe and that remote jurors can be inattentive as they juggle home life and jury service.

Defense attorneys urged San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harold Kahn to suspend Gary and Karen Garrison's jury trial against more than a dozen companies over occupational exposure to asbestos until it is safe to hold it in person, spelling out for the judgethe potential problem of remote jurors multitasking during court proceedings.

Lindsay Weiss of Manning Gross & Massenburg LLP, counsel for defendant Temporary Plant Cleaners Inc., told the judge that not only is it dangerous for attorneys, the court staff, experts, witnesses and jurors to come into the courthouse as they did for Tuesday's hearing it's also not feasible to do the trial completely remotely.

She said across the San Francisco Bay, in Alameda County, jurors appearing remotely there have been seen working out, cooking and doing childcare during court proceedings. She said attentive jurors are a crucial part of a fair trial and that must not be compromised.

"I believe it is not a fair process," Weiss told the judge.

But Judge Kahn rejected the defendants' motion to continue the Garrisons' trial, saying he saw no other way to proceed except to start preparing for a jury trial.

Part of the urgency appears to be Gary Garrisons' health condition.

Gary and Karen Garrison filed suit in May 2019 alleging Gary suffered permanent injuries as a result of occupational exposure to asbestos fibers.

The defendants which include Honeywell, Scott Technologies, Goodyear and O'Reilly Auto Enterprises, among others intentionally concealed from the public the health risks posed by asbestos and were financially motivated to do so, the family alleges.

The companies negligently exposed Gary Garrison to asbestos causing him permanent injuries, according to the suit.

A rigorous review of the epidemiological data shows that all types of asbestos fibers are causally implicated in the development of various diseases and premature death, the Garrisons say, noting that since the 1960s the scientific evidence linking occupational and environmental asbestos exposure to lung cancer,asbestosis and mesothelioma has become "overwhelming."

The "mainstream scientific and medical community is in consensus that exposure to asbestos at current regulatory levels results in excess incidence of mesothelioma and that any occupational or para-occupational exposure to asbestos even that described as low-level or brief in duration must be regarded as causal in an individual with clinical mesothelioma," the Garrisons said in their complaint.

As a result of exposure to asbestos fibers, Gary Garrison says he has suffered lung cancer, pleural disease, asbestosis and lung damage, as well as emotional distress. He says the injuries have also left him with medical bills and loss of income.

The Garrisons are seeking punitive damages.

According to the Garrisons, the companies' conduct was "willful, malicious, fraudulent, outrageous and in conscious disregard and indifference" to the safety of those exposed.

On Tuesday, Judge Khan attempted to push forward with the trial logistics, working with the attorneys to come up with the best ways to carry out a jury trial in the time of COVID-19.

The parties did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

The Garrisons are represented by Alan Richard Brayton and David R. Donadio of Brayton Purcell LLP.

Temporary Plant Cleaners is represented by Lindsay Weiss and Abigail P. Adams of Manning Gross & Massenburg LLP.

Scott Technologies Inc. is represented by Nicolas P. Martin and B. Gardiner Mckleroy of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP.

Honeywell Technologies is represented by Alice Wong of McDermott Will & Emery LLP.

The case is Gary Garrison et al. v. Honeywell International Inc. et al., case number CGC19276790, in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco.

--Editing by Alyssa Miller.

For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.

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Fears Of Virus And Distracted Jury Won't Stop Asbestos Trial - Law360

Malignant Mesothelioma Market Overview, Major Manufacturers and Production Pric – News by aeresearch

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Danzig

The research report on Malignant Mesothelioma market comprises of insights in terms of pivotal parameters such as production as well as the consumption patterns alongside revenue estimations for the projected timeframe. Speaking of production aspects, the study offers an in-depth analysis regarding the manufacturing processes along with the gross revenue amassed by the leading producers operating in this business arena. The core objective of the Malignant Mesothelioma market report is to help organizations gain aa better understanding of this business sphere in terms of the key growth drivers, restraints, and opportunities influencing the market dynamics.

According to the report, the market is projected to expand with a CAGR of XX% over the review period 2020-2025.

In the midst of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several industries have been forced to halt their operations which has dealt a major blow to their revenues. Some of them are projected to face challenges even after the economy recovers.

Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.aeresearch.net/request-sample/269903

Majority of businesses have realigned their priorities and revised their budget to ensure profitability in the forthcoming years. Our all-inclusive analysis of this industry suggests reliable strategies to help you draft a strong action plan for the future.

Further, the research report forecasts revenues and assesses the trends of each sub-market to identify the prospects of this market.

Major highlights of the Malignant Mesothelioma market report:

Malignant Mesothelioma Market segments covered in the report:

Regional segmentation: North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Australia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia) and Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa).

Product categories:

Market share of each product type based on their sales and revenue.

Application spectrum:

Competitive outlook:

Basic company details, manufacturing sites, and competitors of each company

Highlights of the Report:

Request Customization on This Report @ https://www.aeresearch.net/request-for-customization/269903

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Malignant Mesothelioma Market Overview, Major Manufacturers and Production Pric - News by aeresearch

Lung cancer researchers present new clinical trial data at International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer World Conference on Lung Cancer…

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Danzig

CheckMate 743 Shows That Dual Immunotherapy, Nivolumab + Ipilimumab, Improves Overall Survival for Patients with Previously Untreated Mesothelioma

DENVER, Aug. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The combination of first-line nivolumab and ipilimumab demonstrated an improvement of overall survival for patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma compared to platinum-based chemotherapy.

The study is presented by Paul Baas, M.D., from The Netherlands Cancer Institute and The University of Leiden, in Amsterdam. Watch a video of Dr. Baas explaining his research here: https://vimeo.com/443190432/32a40271f0

Nivolumab is an immunotherapy that works as a checkpoint inhibitor, blocking a signal that prevents activation of T cells from attacking the cancer. Ipilimumab is a monoclonal antibody that works to activate the immune system by targeting CTLA-4, a protein receptor that downregulates the immune system. When administered in combination, this dual immunotherapy has shown clinical benefit in 6 different tumor types, including mesothelioma.

In this large phase III study, Dr. Baas and the global study investigators randomly assigned more than 600 patients: 303 to the nivolumab + ipilimumab arm and 302 to the chemotherapy arm. The study had a minimal follow up of close to two years. Two-year overall survival rates were 40.8% for the patients in the experimental treatment arm vs 27.0% in chemotherapy arm. Of the 30.3% of patients in the study-combination group who experienced grade 3-4 adverse events, 15% discontinued therapy compared with 7.4% of the 32.0% of patients in chemotherapy group.

CheckMate 743 met its primary endpoint of statistically improved OS with nivolumab + ipilimumab vs standard of care chemotherapy in first-line treatment of patients with mesothelioma, said Dr. Baas. These clinically meaningful data represent the first positive phase 3 trial of immunotherapy in first-line MPM and should be considered as a new standard of care.

Phase 3 eXalt3 Study Shows Significantly Longer Progression-Free Survival in Patients with ALK+ Lung Cancer with Ensartinib Versus Crizotinib

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) carrying anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene alterations who received ensartinib experienced substantially longer progression-free survival than a matched group of patients who received crizotinib.

The results were presented today by Leora Horn, MD, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tenn. View a video interview of Dr. Horn discussing the trial here: https://vimeo.com/444703327/6ad043dd00.

Ensartinib (X-396) is a novel next-generation ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). According to Dr. Horn, in Phase 1 and 2 studies, ensartinib showed promising activity in patients with ALK+ NSCLC who were ALK TKI treatment naive or received prior crizotinib or second-generation ALK TKIs, including strong activity in patients with brain metastases.

Crizotinib is an anti-cancer drug acting as an ALK, MET, and ROS1 inhibitor, approved for treatment of some subtypes of patients with NSCLC (including ALK+) in the United States and other countries worldwide.

Dr. Horn and her colleagues at the participating cancer centers randomized 290 patients with ALK+ NSCLC to either ensartinib or crizotinibthe prespecified intent to treat (ITT) population with locally determined ALK+ NSCLC. Patients were stratified by prior chemotherapy, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, brain metastases, and geographic region. Baseline characteristics were well balanced between the two groups: median age was 54.1; 26% of patients had prior chemotherapy, and 36% of patients had baseline brain metastases (5% had prior brain radiotherapy). The modified ITT population (the prespecified patient population that was ALK+ as confirmed by central Abbott FISH test) included 247 patients, of which 121 received ensartinib and 126 received crizotinib.

At the July 1, 2020 data cutoff, based on a pre-planned interim analysis design (at 75% of progression-free survival events) treatment was ongoing in 64 ensartinib-treated patients (45%) and 25 crizotinib-treated patients (17%). There were 139 patients who experienced disease progression (as assessed by blinded independent review committee, BIRC) or death, which represented 73% of progression events in the ITT population and 119 BIRC-events or deaths (63%) in the mITT population.

According to Dr. Horn, the trials analysis demonstrated a statistically significant difference between patients who received ensartinib, with a median progression-free survival of 25.8 months compared with 12.7 months with crizotinib, with a median follow-up of 23.8 and 20.2 months, respectively (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.36-0.75; P=.0003 by log-rank test). In the mITT population, the median progression-free survival has not been reached yet for the ensartinib arm vs. 12.7 months for the crizotinib arm (HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.32-0.71; P=.0002 by log-rank test).

The overall response rate was 75% versus 67% with crizotinib; among patients with measurable brain metastases, the BIRC-assessed intracranial overall response rate was 64% with ensartinib versus 21% with crizotinib.

The time-to-treatment-failure rate in the brain in patients with no baseline brain metastases was also significantly lower with ensartinib compared to crizotinib (4% vs 24% at 12 months).

In patients with ALK-positive NSCLC, ensartinib significantly prolonged progression-free survival over crizotinib with a favorable safety profile, representing a new option in the first-line setting, Dr. Horn concluded.

Addition of Sintilimab to Pemetrexed and Platinum Improved Progression-Free Survival in Patients with Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung CancerResults of ORIENT-11 Presented at IASLC Virtual Presidential Symposium

The interim analysis of ORIENT-11, a phase III double-blind randomized trial has shown a nearly two-fold increase in progression-free survival with addition of sintilimab to chemotherapy in patients with advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer without EGFR or ALK genomic aberrations, according to research data presented today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Virtual Presidential Symposium.

The research findings are also published simultaneously in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

Previously, sintilimab in combination with pemetrexed and a platinum-based chemotherapy had shown promising activity for nonsquamous non small cell lung cancer in a phase 1b study, according to Li Zhang, M.D., of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China.

Dr. Zhang and investigators from centers in China enrolled 397 patients in the study. Of these, 266 and 131 patients were randomly assigned to the sintilimab combination and to placebo combination, respectively. Patients with all ranges of PD-L1 expression (by tumor proportion score, TPS) were included. The median progression free survival per was significantly improved in sintilimab-combination group compared to placebo combination group (8.9 vs. 5.0 months).

Dr. Zhang reported that sintilimab-combination group showed a nominally significant improvement of overall survival The overall response rate also was improved for the sintilimab-combination group (51.9% versus 29%). The safety signal for the sintilimab combination was similar to that found in other studies, but rates of occurrence of grade > 3 adverse events were slightly higher in the sintilimab-combination group (61.7% versus 58.8%).

This study demonstrated that the addition of sintilimab to chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival and a nominally improved overall survival, with an acceptable safety profile in [patients with] first-line non-squamous non small cell lung cancer, said Dr. Zhang. In this study, we collected tumor samples at baseline of treatment. So, our next work will focus on biomarker exploration. By RNA sequencing of tumor samples, we look forward to searching a potential biomarker which can predict the survival benefit from PD-1 combination with chemotherapy.

For more information, visit https://www.iaslc.org/Conferences-Events/Event-Details/iaslc-wclc-2020-singapore-virtual-presidential-symposium

Chris Martin CMartin@DavidJamesGroup.com | 630-670-2745

Lung cancer researchers present new clinical trial data at International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer World Conference on Lung Cancer...

The Culture Wars Have Reached Warhammer 40k – VICE UK

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

Warhammer 40,000 often known simply as 40k has been beloved by sci-fi fanatics since the 1980s. The tabletop wargame, produced by Games Workshop, is a fantasy space where players can become generals of their own futuristic army, locked in an unceasing war on a galactic scale.

In recent years, the game whose players often congregate online has attracted a small but vocal alt-right minority. In 2015, the God Emperor Trump meme began circulating around 4Chans /pol/ board, depicting Trumps face superimposed on an image of a fictional theocratic ruler from the game. Since then, closed 40k Facebook groups have become a repository of racism and far-right content, filled with Warhammer-themed memes mocking everything from specific ethnic minorities to gender equality.

Its easy to see why some players have a fascist reading of Warhammer 40k. Partially written as satire in response to the exceedingly optimistic sci-fi of the 1970s, the game takes place in a hopeless, dystopian galaxy where murderous armies run rampant. Theres a conscious borrowing of fascist iconography, structures and practices. For instance, perhaps the most famous group from 40ks lore, the Imperium of Man, is a bloated, theocratic ethnostate that traverses the galaxy, purging heretics and alien races. In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war, reads the games tagline.

Many Warhammer fans are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the alt-right faction of the fandom flowering in certain online corners. One group taking action is No More Damsels, a charity calling for a more inclusive atmosphere in the London wargaming scene. Members want Games Workshop to outline specific plans to tackle racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of prejudice in the wargaming community.

Last month, No More Damsels co-founder, Sarah Pipkin, helped to write an open letter addressed to Games Workshop, calling out bigotry in Warhammer. Providing open and clear measures around discouraging hatred and abuse would go a long way towards making the community more welcoming and tolerant for all, the letter read. We look forward to your support and seeing the precedent you set by taking repeated and consistent action to address prejudice.

Although the letter, which was signed by over a dozen wargaming groups, was mostly well-received, No More Damsels expected to receive some online backlash. Players who ask for greater representation and a more inclusive atmosphere in the world of 40k are often targeted by far-right trolls, with little in the way of recourse.

If theres a huge pile-on if youre getting trolled for being outspoken about wanting to see yourself represented in the lore theres almost no one to turn to, Pipkin explains over the phone. There was a YouTuber who made a joke about [fictional Warhammer soldiers] Space Marines being gay, who then received death threats for it.

The No More Damsels open letter didnt come out of nowhere. It was published in response to a statement issued by Games Workshop on the 4th of June, which committed to diversifying its models and keeping racism out of its stores. We will never accept nor condone any form of prejudice, hatred or abuse in our company or in the Warhammer hobby, they wrote.

Although Pipkin says that a broad anti-racist message was encouraging, No More Damsels had hoped Games Workshop would have outlined a more practical response. The group also urged Games Workshop to offer an apology to Josh Mallett, a Black wargamer who has spoken publicly about racist comments he says were made to him by Games Workshop staff at a Warhammer Weekender event. Games Workshop did not respond to requests to comment for this article.

Others believe the companys marketing strategy may be inadvertently feeding far-right sentiment in the community. Thomas Parrott freelanced for Games Workshop until June, writing novels for its Black Library publishing arm. He thinks that adopting a surface-level narrative of good guys versus bad guys in a bid to appease the parents of younger customers who might otherwise be put off by 40ks cartoonishly grim lore opens the door to a troublingly simplified reading of the game.

It is really easy to misinterpret the Imperium [of Man] as being presented as a good thing, as opposed to what it originally was, which was lampooning the very idea of this totalitarian state, he says.

But some in the 40k community felt Games Workshop should not have made a statement at all. One such member is Norway-based YouTuber, Arch (known as Arch Warhammer until a recent trademark dispute with Games Workshop prompted a name change). He launched an email campaign in July, urging his 200,000 plus subscribers to email Games Workshop and tell them to keep politics out.

Arch says he does not identify as a member of the far-right, and insists that he was genuinely not aware of any alt-right or fascist section of the 40k community. Rather, he takes the view that Games Workshops statement was tantamount to aligning itself with extremists who support communism and, he says, advocate violence.

For me, this is the same kind of dog-whistling that we hear about for the alt-right, where they talk about some of their code phrases, he explains, via Discord. This seems to me to be a signal to a very small group of extreme people What my campaign is saying is that Warhammer is for everyone, full stop.

Two months ago, screenshots from Archs Discord server were posted on /r/Sigmarxism, a left-wing Warhammer subreddit. Multiple people had used racial slurs, while Arch himself referred to Smi people (an indigenous people of northern Scandinavia) as gypsy but worse. Another poster used the term field exercises a term understood in far-right circles as referring to the activities of the Nazi Einsatzgruppen, which murdered thousands of Romani people, Jewish people and communists in German-occupied territories during the Second World War as a suggested way of dealing with the group.

Prior to the leaks, Arch had made a video in which he referred to the fictional Gnoblar race from the Warhammer fantasy series as house n*****s, and another in which he defended the use of the term White Lives Matter. Asked about his own use of racist language, as well as dog-whistle remarks on his Discord server, Arch tells me that he doesnt really concern himself with how extremists interpret his speech, and that he will continue to allow jokes.

If you are the most extreme tankie, or even the most extreme fascist, if you simply want to play a game of 40k, not talk about your politics, simply collect the miniatures I do not view that as Games Workshops duty to stop it, he says. I view that as the rest of societys duty to debate against these people and to prevent them via public discourse, and the public opinion.

Archs views arent shared by everyone. This includes YouTuber and veteran Warhammer player Leakycheese, who prefers to remain anonymous. He says that ignoring the fascist leanings of certain players will likely prevent new members from becoming part of the Warhammer community. And, worse, it could radicalise young people getting into the hobby as part of Games Workshop's Schools Programme, by leading them down a PewDiePipeline towards extremist and far-right content.

Leakycheese suggests that a positive step would be a sign posted in every Games Workshop franchise, making clear to all customers that prejudice has no place in the community. Some changes to the lore of 40k would not go amiss, either; there should be greater ethnic diversity in models, he says, and it should be abundantly clear that the Imperium of Man arent the good guys.

They need to put the satire back into it, he says. The other thing they need to do is stop making Space Marines appear as heroes; people on the alt-right think they are superhuman bermensch warriors they [Games Workshop] do stuff around that; it just needs to be brought back to the fore.

As long as the alt-right factions of the 40k community remain unchecked, and the satirical nature of the modern game remains unimportant, Warhammer has a problem. But hopefully what were experiencing now is a shift in the tide. Warhammer has persisted for decades, and deserves to be opened up, and continue to open up, for all sorts of fans into the future.

@bigpauliedoyle

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The Culture Wars Have Reached Warhammer 40k - VICE UK

A Bible Burning, a Russian News Agency and a Story Too Good to Check Out – The New York Times

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

Mr. Cheong, for instance, does not appear to be in any way complicit. He regularly tweets multiple videos a night from the protests and, he said, It definitely wasnt my intention to drive just the one story.

But the Bible video fit his politics, and his tweet about it caught fire.

After this article was published, Ruptly said in a statement that it was shockingly dishonest, noting that The Times had reported that the video was not manipulated in any way and that the Russian news agency had run a livestream of the event. But, Ruptly said, The Times then claims that this verified evidence is now disinformation; Orwell would be proud.

Most of the Russian efforts garner far less notice, and unfold on far less well known websites. American officials late last month identified one of those websites as Inforos, an outlet that they said is controlled by Russias military intelligence service, the GRU, and used to test out various disinformation themes that target Americans, Canadians and Europeans. Covid-19 disinformation, for instance, has spread with the pandemic, and stories about dangers posed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have by now become an old standard.

Russian intelligence has grown more sophisticated and more highly resourced in their use of online disinformation, said Senator Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democrat, citing a recent State Department report on Russian disinformation. The methods used in 2016, seem almost rudimentary and quaint.

InfoRos, according to current and former American officials, sits atop a GRU-directed network that includes two other nominally independent news sites, OneWorld.Press and InfoBrics. Those sites, in turn, push out stories to alt-right and alt-left sites in North America and Europe that are receptive to the anti-establishment and often-conspiratorial messaging pushed by the Russians.

In some instances, a straight line can be traced from the GRU-run operations to American websites that promote conspiracy theories. One such story appeared in January, when InfoBrics claimed a whistle-blower had revealed that British spies and Ukraines former president, Petro Poroshenko, had orchestrated the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists were fighting government forces. (Investigators determined that the plane had been brought down by a Russian-made missile.)

The story was produced by a research fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies, a think tank in Serbia that is similarly believed to have ties to Russian intelligence. The article was then published by InfoBrics. In turn, it was picked up by The Duran, an independent website based in Cyprus that often spreads Russian disinformation.

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A Bible Burning, a Russian News Agency and a Story Too Good to Check Out - The New York Times

Tim Louis: Is the NPA on life support? – Straight.com

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

When the provincial NDP was elected in 2017, one of its first orders of business was a very positive change to campaign financing at the municipal level. Within months, it passed legislation prohibiting donations to municipal political parties from corporations and unions, and banning individual donations over $1,200.

Vancouvers two developer-friendly municipal partiesVision Vancouver and the Non-Partisan Associationwere dealt a devastating blow. These two parties had been bankrolled almost entirely by very large donations from Vancouvers business elite, including some of the citys biggest real estate developers. In the case of the NPA, this had been happening for a very long time since the party dominated city council for decades.

After the legal change to campaign donations, Vision Vancouver found itself unable to campaign in the 2018 civic election as it had every election since its founding in2005.

It was no more disadvantaged than any other political party because of the new law. But Vision had become so used to spending so much on election ads and its enormous army of paid staff, it found it wiped out at city council, electing zero candidates. Ditto for the park board. Visions sole seat last election was on the school board.

With such poor results, many have predicted that the 2018 election was Vision Vancouvers swan song.

While the NPA, Vancouvers other pro-developer party, did much better than Vision last election, it has shown major cracks since then.

The first crack appeared when the NPA board of directors was taken over at their last AGM in December by conservatives, including several social conservatives. (The term social conservatives is used in a number of ways these days, but youll find examples in the very right-wing Stockwell Day, and groups like the Reform Party, Albertas Social Credit party, Focus on the Family and the Christian Heritage Party of Canada. They believe in all the old-school bourgeois values that privilege Western, Christian, heterosexual, materialistic upper classes. They also want to turn the clock back on feminist gains, like abortion.)

If you can believe it, one of the new directors and the NPAs new chief fundraiser, Christopher Wilson, is the former B.C. director of the alt-right, sensationalist media outlet, Rebel News! Read all about him inthis excellent article by Charlie Smithin theGeorgia Straight. Wilson is known for his sly videos defending Donald Trumps racist views and questioning the motives of Black athletes who take a knee. Hes also a member of the B.C. Conservatives, who want to kill our very successful carbon tax.

He questions climate science, and kept calling our federal environment minister, Catherine McKenna, a Climate Barbie until he got called out by the minister herself andTabatha Southey in Macleans. (He later deleted the tweets.)

Note that two new directors on the NPA board were previously endorsed by an association that opposes SOGI, which helps make schools more inclusive for LGBTQ students. So copy out this paragraph and keep it on your fridge if youre tempted to vote NPA in the coming election.

All this prompted Councillor Rebecca Bligh, who is openly queer, toleave the NPA caucus in December,and sit as an independent. She was a moderate voice, capable of attracting centre-right voters.

More recently, city hall watchers were shocked to see four of the remaining moderate voices on the 15-member NPA board resign, as they were unable to stomach the far-right, undemocratic direction the party is obviously taking.

One of the four moderates, Jane Frost,toldtheGlobe and Mail, they found themselves thwarted by a group of new board members who dont seem interested in holding meetings, speaking out on important issues facing the city or including all current and potential NPA members.

Its easy see that new forces even more right of the usual centrist-right bent of the NPA now have lots of freedom to point the party in a direction that will surely result in its demise. Vancouvers electorate is way too moderate to ever elect a city council dominated by far-right individuals.

Its always a mugs game predicting the future, especially in politics. However, I wont be surprised to see the further implosion of the NPA and a brand new centre-right party born out of the remnants of Vision Vancouver and the moderate wing of the NPA that will be looking for a new political home.

Daily atmospheric CO2[Courtesy ofCO2.Earth]

Latest daily total (Aug. 11, 2020):412.40 ppm

One year ago (Aug. 11, 2019):410.43 ppm

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Tim Louis: Is the NPA on life support? - Straight.com

This is Amerika: Where fascism, totalitarianism and militarism go hand in hand – Augusta Free Press

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

By John W. Whitehead

( mario beauregard stock.adobe.com)

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem, government IS the problem.Ronald Reagan

Theres a pattern emerging if you pay close enough attention.

Civil discontent leads to civil unrest, which leads to protests and counterprotests.

Without fail, what should be an exercise in how to peacefully disagree turns ugly the momentlooting, vandalism, violence, intimidation tactics and riotingare introduced into the equation. Instead of restoring order, local police stand down.

Tensions rise, violence escalates, and federal armies move in.

Coincidence? I think not.

This was the blueprint used three years ago in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, when the cityregularly cited as being one of the happiest places in America, became ground zero for a heated war of wordsand actionsover racism, sanitizing history, extremism (both right and left), political correctness, hate speech, partisan politics, and agrowing fearthat violent words will end in violent actions.

It was a setup: local police deliberately engineered a situation in which protesters would confront each other, tensions would bubble over, and things would turn just violent enough to call in the bigger guns.

It is the blueprint being used right now.

In Charlottesville, as in so many parts of the country right now, the conflict was over how to reconcile the nations checkered past, particularly as it relates to slavery, with the push to sanitize the environment of anythingwords and imagesthat might cause offense,especially if its a Confederate flag or monument.

That fear of offense prompted the Charlottesville City Council to get rid of astatue of Confederate General Robert E. Leethat had graced one of its public parks for 82 years.

Thats when everything went haywire.

In attempting to pacify one particularly vocal and righteously offended group while railroading over the concerns of those with alternate viewpoints, Charlottesville attracted the unwanted attention of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and the alt-Right, all of whom descended on the little college town with the intention of exercising their First Amendment right to be disagreeable, to assemble, and to protest.

When put to the test, Charlottesville did not handle things well at all.

On August 12, 2017, what should have been an exercise in free speech quickly became a brawl that left one dead and dozens more injured.

As theNew York Timesreported, Protesters began to mace one another,throwing water bottles and urine-filled balloons some of which hit reporters and beating each other with flagpoles, clubs and makeshift weapons. Before long, the downtown area was a melee. People were ducking and covering with a constant stream of projectiles whizzing by our faces, and the air was filled with the sounds of fists and sticks against flesh.

And then there was the police, who were supposed to uphold the law and prevent violence.

They failed to do either.

Indeed, a220-page post-mortemof the protests and the Charlottesville governments response by former U.S. attorney Timothy J. Heaphy merely corroborates our worst fears about what drives the government at all levels: power, money, ego, politics and ambition.

When presented with a situation in which the government and its agents were tasked with protecting free speech and safety, Heaphy concluded that the City of Charlottesville protected neither free expression nor public safety.

Heaphy continues: The City was unable to protect the right of free expression and facilitate the permit holders offensive speech. This represents a failure of one of governments core functionsthe protection of fundamental rights. Law enforcement also failed to maintain order and protect citizens from harm, injury, and death. Charlottesville preserved neither of those principles on August 12, which has led to deep distrust of government within this community.

In other words, the government failed to uphold its constitutional mandates. The police failed to carry out their duties as peace officers. And the citizens found themselves unable to trust either the police or the government to do its job in respecting their rights and ensuring their safety.

Despite the fact that1,000 first responders (including 300 state police troopers and members of the National Guard)many of whom had been preparing for the downtown rally for monthshad been called on to work the event, despite the fact that police in riot gear surrounded Emancipation Park on three sides, and despite the fact that Charlottesville had had what reporter David Graham referred to as a dress rehearsal of sorts a month earlier when 30 members of the Ku Klux Klan were confronted by 1000 counterprotesters, police failed to do their jobs.

In fact, as theWashington Postreports, police seemed to watch as groups beat each other with sticks and bludgeoned one another with shields At one point,police appeared to retreat and then watch the beatingsbefore eventually moving in to end the free-for-all, make arrests and tend to the injured.

Police Stood By As Mayhem Mounted in Charlottesville, reportedProPublica.

Instead of establishing clear boundariesbuffer zonesbetween the warring groups and protecting the First Amendment rights of the protesters, police established two entrances into the permit areas of the park and created barriers guiding rallygoers single-file into the parkpast lines of white nationalists and antifa counterprotesters.

Incredibly, when the first signs of open violence broke out, Heaphy reports that the police chief allegedly instructed his staff to let them fight, it will make it easier to declare an unlawful assembly.

This is not much different from what is happening on the present-day national scene.

Commissioned by the City of Charlottesville, thisHeaphy reportwas intended to be an independent investigation of what went right and what went wrong in the governments handling of the protests.

Heaphy found very little to commend.

What went right on Aug. 12 according to Heaphy: 1) Despite the presence of firearms, including members of the militia, and angry confrontations between protesters and counterprotesters, no person was shot and no significant property damage occurred; 2) Emergency personnel did their jobs effectively and treated a large number of people in a short period of time; and 3) Police intelligence gathering was thorough (thats the best he had to say about police).

Now for what went wrong, according to the report:

1. Police failed to get input from other law enforcement agencies experienced in handling large protests.

2. Police failed to adequately train their officers in advance of the protest.

3. City officials failed to request assistance from outside agencies.

4. The City Council unduly interfered by ignoring legal advice, attempting to move the protesters elsewhere, and ignoring the concerns of law enforcement.

5. The city government failed to inform the public about their plans.

6. City officials were misguided in allowing weapons at the protest.

7. The police implemented a flawed operational plan that failed to protect public safety.

8. While police were provided with riot gear, they were never trained in how to use it, nor were they provided with any meaningful field training in how to deal with or de-escalate anticipated violence on the part of protesters.

9. Despite the input and advice of outside counsel, including The Rutherford Institute, the police failed to employ de-escalation tactics or establish clear barriers between warring factions of protesters.

10. Government officials and police leadership opted to advance their own agendas at the expense of constitutional rights and public safety.

11. For all intents and purposes, police abided by a stand down order that endangered the community and paved the way for massive civil unrest.

12. In failing to protect public safety, police and government officials undermined public faith in the government.

The Heaphy report focused on the events that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, but it applies to almost every branch of government that fails to serve we the people.

As the Pew Research Center revealed,public trust in the government remains near historic lowsand with good reason, too.

This isnt America, land of the free, where the government is of the people, by the people [and] for the people.

Rather, this is Amerika, where fascism, totalitarianism and militarism go hand in hand.

What you smell is the stench of a dying republic.Ourdying republic.

The American experiment in freedom is failing fast.

Through every fault of our ownour apathy, our ignorance, our intolerance, our disinclination to do the hard work of holding government leaders accountable to the rule of law, our inclination to let politics trump longstanding constitutional principleswe have been reduced to this sorry state in which we are little more than shackled inmates in a prison operated for the profit of a corporate elite.

We have been saddled with the wreckage of a government at all levels that no longer represents the citizenry, serves the citizenry, or is accountable to the citizenry.

We the people are not the masters anymore.

It doesnt matter whether youre talking about the federal government, state governments, or local governing bodies: at all ends of the spectrum and every point in between, a shift has taken place.

We the people are not being seen, heard or valued.

We no longer count for much of anything beyond an occasional electoral vote and as a source of income for the governments ever-burgeoning financial needs.

Everything happening at the national level is playing out at the local level, as well: the violence, the militarization, the intolerance, the lopsided governance, and an uneasy awareness that the citizenry have no say in how their communities are being governed.

As I have warned repeatedly, the architects of the police state have every intention of manipulating this outrage for their own purposes.

Predictably, the police state is allowing these protests, riots and looting to devolve into a situation where enough of the voting populace is so desperate for a return to law and order that they will gladly relinquish some of their freedoms to achieve it. And thats how the police state will win, no matter which candidate gets elected to the White House, and we the people will continue to lose.

So whats the answer?

As always, it must start with we the people.

Ive always advised people to think nationally, but act locally.

Yet as Charlottesville made clear, its hard to make a difference locally when the local government is as deaf, dumb and blind to the needs of its constituents as the national government.

Charlottesville much like the rest of the nation has had its fair share of government leaders who are tone-deaf, focused on their own aggrandizement, and incapable of prioritizing the needs of their constituents over their own personal and political agendas; law enforcement officials for whom personal safety, heavy-handed militarized tactics, and power plays trump their duty to serve and protect; polarized citizens incapable of finding common ground, respecting each others rights, or agreeing to disagree; and a community held hostage by political correctness, divisive rhetoric and a growing intolerance for any views that may be unpopular or at odds with the mainstream.

It was a perfect storm just waiting for the right conditions to wreak havoc, a precursor of the rage, frustration and fear that is erupting all over the country.

No matter what forces are manipulating these present riots and violent uprisings, howeverand there are definitely such forces at play herenone of this would be happening without the government having laid the groundwork.

Clearly, its time to clean house at all levels of government.

Stop tolerating corruption, graft, intolerance, greed, incompetence, ineptitude, militarism, lawlessness, ignorance, brutality, deceit, collusion, corpulence, bureaucracy, immorality, depravity, censorship, cruelty, violence, mediocrity, and tyranny. These are the hallmarks of an institution that is rotten through and through.

Stop holding your nose in order to block out the stench of a rotting institution.

Stop letting the government and its agents treat you like a servant or a slave.

Youve got rights. Weve all got rights. This is our country. This is our government. No one can take it away from us unless we make it easy for them.

Youve got a better chance of making your displeasure seen and felt and heard within your own community. But it will take perseverance and unity and a commitment to finding common ground with your fellow citizens.

Right now, as I make clear in my bookBattlefield America: The War on the American People, were making it way too easy for the police state to take over.

Stop being an accessory to the murder of the American republic.

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This is Amerika: Where fascism, totalitarianism and militarism go hand in hand - Augusta Free Press

Gun Enthusiasts Celebrate Man Who Shot Himself in the Balls as Their King – VICE

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

Back in May, we wrote about a group of gun enthusiasts who love taking pictures of loaded weapons pointed at their dicks. On a long enough timeline, one of them was inevitably going to accidentally discharge their weapon, and on Tuesday, that appears to be exactly what happened to one member in the San Diego area.

A member of a Facebook group dedicated to taking pictures of loaded weapons pointed at dicks finally shot himself in the balls, according to bloody pictures and video he posted on social media and the Imperial County Sheriff's Office, which confirmed the incident to Motherboard. Rather than step back and start questioning whether the practice is wise, the group made him an administrator and are now celebrating him as their king.

On August 11, a member of the group "Loaded Guns Pointed at [B]enis" posted a video of himself pointing a loaded 1911 handgun at his junk. Theres a brief pause before the gun discharges.

The original video of the man shooting himself in the balls and subsequent thread has been deleted, but members of the group captured the video and aftermath and reuploaded it.

Hey [b]ois, I might have fucked up, the man who shot himself in the balls wrote above a picture of his naked legs and splattered blood on the carpet of his floor. A towel is stuffed between his legs and a printed out copy of the constitution is crumpled on the edge of the photo.

The guy posted through the incident as he bled. Gods caliber [.45] went through my scrotum, mattress, boxspring, and floor, he wrote. Originally the man thought hed just grazed his balls, but a subsequent hospital visit told a different story.

In the last public post from the man, hes in a green hospital gown on a gurney. A pink mask is draped across his face and hes pointing his finger at his crotch like a gun. Turns out it wasnt a graze, that round went right the fuck through me, he posted. What I thought were two graze wounds, turned out to be an entrance and exit wound.

The shooter didnt respond to a request for comment, but an admin for Loaded Guns Pointed at [B]enis said he was doing well. [He] is 100% okay, actually went to work the next day, an admin of Loaded Guns Pointed at [B]enis told Motherboard in a Facebook message. The reason we are calling him king is partially because the poor guy already shot himself, dont think he needs to be chastised as well... Im quite sure hes learned his lesson without the entire world calling him an idiot.

According to his Facebook profile, the man who shot himself lives in the San Diego Area. The San Diego Police Department told Motherboard it had been called to the hospital in the area to follow up on a patient with a self inflicted gunshot wound at 8:30 p.m., August 11. A representative of the police department told Motherboard on the phone that the man was gone by the time officers arrived at the hospital. The shooter posted his picture from the hospital at 8:24 p.m. on August 11.

To understand why this idiotic thing happened in the first place, and why there are several groups online dedicated to posting pictures of gun owners pointing a loaded weapon at their dick besides the Facebook group in question, you need to understand the beef raging between online gun people.

"Trigger discipline" is a basic gun safety measure drilled into people when theyre learning about firearms. Basic safety says that you always keep your finger off the trigger until youre ready to shoot, and that you point it away from yourself and other people unless you mean to shoot them. Shitposters love taking pictures of a loaded gun pointed at their groin, finger hovering just above the trigger, to irritate responsible gun owners.

Now, Loaded Guns Pointed at [B]enis has made the shooter an admin, and the group is making memes of him as their king. In one meme, Barack Obama is giving him a Presidential Medal of Freedom. The group changed its cover photo to a screenshot of the shooter pointing his loaded 1911 at his dick.

[We] are sick and tired of being demonized as gun owners, and looped together with the alt-right just for owning guns, an admin of Loaded Guns Pointed at [B]enis told Motherboard in a Facebook message. We are sick of republicans (think NRA) telling us what to do with our property, and we are sick of being told that just because we like guns It means we have to be anti woman, pro life and pro trump.

Since the story made its way to Twitter and other gun groups online, many have called the shooter's actions stupid.

Im honestly surprised it took this long, an admin of Gun People Who Hate Gun People, a Facebook group for gun enthusiasts to vent about irresponsible gun owners, told Motherboard in a Facebook message. But of course this is probably one of the dudes crazy enough to actually point a gun at his junk and then actually post a video of him shooting himself. Like most people have the sense of self worth to not share getting so amazingly owned by their own stupidity.

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Gun Enthusiasts Celebrate Man Who Shot Himself in the Balls as Their King - VICE

Lauren Southern is on the comeback trail, and Australian conservatives are all too happy to help – The Guardian

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

Far-right e-celeb Lauren Southern is on the comeback trail. And Australian conservatives are more than happy to offer her a helping hand.

Her bid to be taken seriously as a journalist and commentator was given a small boost recently with a slot on Skys Fox News mini-me culture war platform, Outsiders.

The hosts of that program both the ignominiously departed and those that remain have never met a rightwing chancer they didnt like.

But they seem to have a particular affection for Southern, now resident in Australia, who is coming off a curious hiatus from her frenetic work as a far-right influencer.

She bowed out of public life in 2019, claiming she would be looking for fulfilment in a more private capacity, and saying anything she did in future would not be in the same televised firebrand capacity youve seen before.

Before her withdrawal, Southern had come to prominence as a leading light in the so-called alt right as it proliferated across the western world.

She had a stint on Rebel News, which ended in 2017.

While at Rebel she memorably blasted out false rumours on her Twitter account claiming that a mosque shooting in Quebec was the work of Muslims.

But her main vehicle was her YouTube channel, where, among other things, she promoted the idea that white people were subject to an orchestrated Great Replacement by means of nonwhite immigration.

Southern published a video on that concept which is a key tenet of contemporary white nationalist thought in July 2017. In succeeding months, it received hundreds of thousands of views.

The video is now private on Southerns home channel, and oddly absent on the major internet archiving sites.

But a copy obtained by the Guardian sees Southern hitting familiar white nationalist talking points about racial variation in birth rates, white ethnomasochism, and the failure of nonwhite assimilation.

In August 2017, neo-Nazi demonstrators at the Unite the Right rally chanted you will not replace us over two days of street violence. At the end of the final day, one of those demonstrators murdered Heather Heyer, a leftist counterprotester. The same Great Replacement narrative was so appealing to Australian neo-Nazi terrorist, Brenton Tarrant, that he made it the title of the manifesto in which he explained his motivation for mass murdering 51 Muslims in Christchurch in March 2019.

Beyond the promotion of that narrative, between 2016 and 2019, Southern managed to take her race-baiting into a global cottage industry.

She accompanied European identitarians including Tarrants sometime penpal, Martin Sellner on a shambolic, failed mission to turn back refugee boats in the Mediterranean.

She, Sellner, and fellow YouTuber (and Sellners now-wife) Brittany Pettibone were banned from Britain after an Islamophobic stunt in downtown Luton.

And she promoted the false narrative of South African white genocide in a feature-length documentary film.

Her 2018 Australian tour saw Southern sporting a T-shirt bearing a white nationalist slogan; procuring security services from another neo-fascist group, the Lads Society; and receiving dutiful promotion and softball interviews from an array of News Corp properties, including the ever-obliging Outsiders.

After all of this, and her year-long absence, she reappeared in June claiming to have had a change of heart.

In her comeback video, at least rhetorically, Southern was now positioning herself as a kind of centrist, willing to canvas both sides of any issue.

Former allies, like fellow YouTuber and erstwhile Alex Jones offsider, Paul Joseph Watson, have called Southerns new schtick inauthentic, pointing to the bans YouTube had been handing out in her absence to those who shared Southerns old positions.

Milo Yiannopoulos was also critical, and in June offered the view on Telegram (the only remaining social media platform in which he hasnt received a ban) that Southern had popped out just long enough to be exposed and for everyone to forget about what she did, and now shes gonna come right back to milking her beta orbiter followers.

Fortunately for Southern, the Outsiders crew have credulity to burn.

Rowan Dean, the lead interlocutor, didnt sound a single note of scepticism. Instead, he opened the interview by characterising her ban from the UK as an example of her having suffered a lot of abuse. Going over the details of her stunt handing out flyers in Luton asserting that Allah is gay Southern offered it as proof that blue checkmarks, politicians and rich, wealthy celebrities were scaring the people into submission.

In all of the discussion with Dean and his offsiders the Daily Telegraph opinion editor James Morrow and Herald-Sun columnist Rita Panahi Southern was not probed on why she quit the stage, or who exactly, in that case, might have been trying to cancel her. It became clear towards the end of the discussion that she was also there to promote a Sky special the following week on the evils of cancel culture.

Southern is beginning to look like an Outsiders regular.

And now, Southern has been announced as a speaker at another Australian conservative branch-office institution, the local Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Shell speak alongside MP Craig Kelly, Warren Mundine and Mark Latham, among others.

Why would ostensibly mainstream conservatives go so far out of their way to make Southern feel so at home?

A prosaic answer is that her politics aside, she clearly has a knack for media and communication.

Outsiders is good evidence for the near-absence of these talents on the right in Australia. If people buy Southerns volte-face, she might be useful.

And when it comes down to it, there isnt much daylight between the politics of Southern, which are white nationalist, and those of Australian conservatism as it has developed in recent decades.

After her Mediterranean misadventure, a defiant Southern was quoted as saying: If the politicians wont stop the boats, well stop the boats.

She may be an immigrant, but comments like those show she has what it takes to assimilate.

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Lauren Southern is on the comeback trail, and Australian conservatives are all too happy to help - The Guardian

Why Kamala Harris VP pick could cost Biden the election – Fox Business

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

Republican National Committee chairperson Ronna McDaniel says Kamala Harris is a California progressive radial and calls a Biden-Harris ticket 'frightening.'

In what may go down as one of the worst vice-presidential picks in U.S. history, Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he has chosen Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.,to be his running mate for the 2020 presidential election.

Harris is exactly the opposite of what Biden needed in order to compete with President Trump in November.

BIDEN'S SELECTION OF HARRIS FOR VP MEANS DISASTROUS SAN FRANCISCO ECONOMIC MODEL COULD GO NATIONWIDE

Harris is from California, a far-left state that Biden was certain to win regardless of who he selected to be his running mate.

She garnered so little support and enthusiasm among Democratic Party voters during the primary season that she chose to drop out of the race in December, more than a month before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

Harris has been heavily criticized by many on the far left for her stances on some criminal justice issues while she served as the top prosecutor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011 and attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017.

For example, she previously opposed a statewide police body camera mandate, fought against a reduction to Californias mandatory minimum law, and opposed the legalization of marijuana --a position she has since reversed.

TRUMP VS. BIDEN: STOCK MARKET WILL PICK THE WINNER

She has a long, well-documented record of political opportunism and grandstanding, going all the way back to her days in San Francisco.

According to an SF Weekly report from 2009, The cops, in turn, argue that District Attorney Kamala Harris, a striver and candidate for Attorney General, is loath to take difficult cases lest she blemish her political future with an embarrassing loss.

But worst of all, Harris has in recent years adopted increasingly more radical policy positions, frequently aligning herself with socialist politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

BIDEN PLEDGES TO ROLL BACK TRUMP'S $2 TRILLION TAX CUTS

Perhaps the most notable example is Harriss support for Ocasio-Cortezs Green New Deal, the most radical, socialistic proposal in history.

Among other things, AOCs Green New Deal resolution, which Harris co-sponsored in the Senate in 2019, includes a call for single-payer health care, retrofitting every home and business building in the country, a new system of publicly-owned banks, free college tuition, universal access to healthy food, a federal jobs guarantee, the complete destruction of the fossil-fuel industry and requirements that would prevent Americans from purchasing gasoline-powered cars.

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All told, the American Action Forum estimates the Harris-backed Green New Deal could cost as much as $94 trillion over 10 years, making it the most expensive plan ever proposed.

Harriss support for the Green New Deal and other socialistic policies such as a basic income program for most Americansand a $2,000 monthly stimulus check that would be paid out for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, put her squarely outside of the political mainstream and moves the Biden campaign even further to the left than it has already drifted over the past two months.

When you add up all of Harriss proposals, its hard to see how her platform differs substantially from that of Bernie Sanders. Although Harris denies she is a socialist, her recent track record suggests that is exactly what she is.

KAMALA HARRIS, BIDEN'S RADICAL VP PICK SIGNALS BAD NEWS FOR AMERICAN WORKERS, ECONOMIC RECOVERY

Bidens decision to choose Harris is bizarre, to say the least. She provides almost no political benefits and a whole lot of far-left baggage.

The reason Biden was chosen by Democratic Party primary voters in the first place is precisely because they didnt want a socialist on the ticket, and yet, thats exactly what they have ended up with now that Harris has joined the Biden campaign.

Harriss socialist policy views will not play well in the conservative Midwest and moderate upper Midwest. Middle-of-the-road voters in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as swing states further to the east, like Pennsylvania and North Carolina, have no interest in voting for the socialist policies championed by Harris.

When they find out just how radical Bidens new running mate is, it could very well prove to be catastrophic for his campaign.

With that in mind, the only person who should be happier with this pick than Kamala Harris is Donald Trump.

Justin Haskins (@JustinTHaskins) is the executive editor and a research fellow at The Heartland Institute and the editor-in-chief ofStoppingSocialism.com.He's the author of "Socialism Is Evil: The Moral Case Against Marx's Radical Dream."

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Why Kamala Harris VP pick could cost Biden the election - Fox Business

Two Years of Duques Colombia: Deepening Neoliberalism, Increased Violence and a Public Health Crisis – NewsClick

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

Colombians had a brief moment of celebration following the Supreme Court of Justice's announcement that they were ordering the detention of lvaro Uribe Vlez. Photo: Colombia Informa

August 7 marked two years since Ivn Duque took office as president of Colombia. For the Colombian people, these two years have been marked by incessant attacks on the rights of people, an increase in violence and the deepening of the economic crisis. Added to this, today, Colombia has the eighth highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world and the number of deaths is also steadily increasing.

In this context,Peoples Dispatchspoke to Milena Ochoa, the director of the Corporation for Popular Education and Research National Labor Institute CEDINS and a member ofCongreso de los Pueblos(the Peoples Congress) to understand what two years of the Duque presidency has meant for the Colombian people, and how his poor management has made Colombia one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic. We also asked her about the implications of Colombias Supreme Court of Justice ordering the detention of former president lvaro Uribe Vlez on August 4.

Peoples Dispatch:Two years after the inauguration of Ivn Duque, how do you evaluate his time in office?

Milena Ochoa:We evaluate the two years of the Ivn Duque government as negative for the Colombian people. With respect to democracy, the rule of law and the search for peace, it has been completely negative. The government, led by Ivn Duque, is completely beholden to and acts in favor of the interests of the class that it represents the cattle farmers, the large landowners, the paramilitaries, the drug traffickers and the corrupt. This becomes clearer by the day. We do not have public policies to guarantee rights. Nor do we have possibilities of organization, of opposition and of struggle.

There are two key aspects to point out here. The first has to do with the search for paths to peace with justice. The current government has not respected the agreements with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and it has also blocked the possibility of continuing dialogue with the National Liberation Army (ELN). This is disastrous since the agreements and advances that we made throughout the history of Colombia are steps forward in building a political solution to the social and armed conflict in our country. The agreement with the FARC is understood as a state agreement between governments. But in this case, the government of Duque has not respected these commitments and gone directly against the just struggles for peace in our country and the steps towards building democracy.

Another element is the sharp rise in persecution and political violence. The assassination of social leaders, as well as the persecution and criminalization of social leaders, has increased. Over970 social leaders have been assassinated in Colombiasince the signing of the peace agreement. These killings have not stopped even amid the pandemic. On the contrary, the confinement and isolation measures have created ideal conditions for the continuation of this violence.

Duques rule has also been characterized by the continuation of the neoliberal model with a strong component of repression and social control. Within this neoliberal model, extractivist policies continue despite campaign promises such as a ban on fracking. But they are already doing tests and studies to implement fracking, and in some parts of the country, it has already begun.

These are some of the issues the social organizations are engaging with and struggling against.

PD:Colombia, despite being a relatively small country, has the eighth highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world. How did it get there? How did the Duque government fail in containing COVID-19?

MO:There are a number of reasons for Colombia being in its current situation. A key factor is the measures that were taken by the government. But these should not be seen as mistakes because they are in fact consistent with the politics and interests of the ruling class. Thus, when isolation and physical distancing measures are put in place but without a basic income, without basic needs being met and without basic guarantees for people, they become measures of social control. These measures, accompanied by the growing militarization in rural areas and the cities, seek to avoid social outburst and protests that are imminent in moments such as this when inequality becomes so apparent.

The same is with people having to stay at home, but without the possibility of receiving aid. This is when 70% of the population of our country lives in informality and has completely precarious jobs. These measures become control mechanisms rather than steps to guarantee the protection of people.

Additionally, we have seen a series of reforms that are completely against the interests of the Colombian people. We have seen measures that inject public funds into the private sector and to business owners. We have seen how the economy has been reactivated through days of big sales and offers that led to huge crowds gathering in different parts of the cities in the super markets and in other big areas. Overall, we see a policy that seeks to manage the pandemic in a way that focuses on the functioning of the economy rather than on life.

A second and more structural aspect is how the pandemic has accelerated what was already a trend in the crisis of capital itself. The precarity of life, the privatization of rights like healthcare and patriarchal violence all of this has become worse and is spreading even further during the pandemic. The pandemic is sharpening all of these tendencies that were already inherent to capitalism and patriarchy.

Overall, the workers have borne the brunt of this crisis and the pandemic. In Colombia, more than 70% of the people who have died are from strata 1 and 2 (*). These are the precarious workers who are forced to leave their homes to make ends meet, because we are facing a situation of choosing between survival and infection. A large part of the population has been forced to opt for survival over avoiding infection. In response to this, the government has continued with a management strategy that favors the economy and big business but is against the people and their survival.

PD:On August 4, the Supreme Court of Justice ordered the detention of ex-president lvaro Uribe Vlez. Within hours, President Duque had already expressed his support to Uribe. What does this decision mean for Uribismo? What does this decision mean for the people of Colombia?

The order for the detention of lvaro Uribe Vlez is a serious, destabilizing blow for Uribismo. For example, in the case of Ivn Duque, it implies recalculating this zone of comfort that was allowing him to manage the pandemic and make reforms and push forward policies with ease. In fact, the pandemic, in some respects, had allowed him to get a breather because his popularity was declining.

So in one way, the detention order forces him to change his stance, even with regard to the Supreme Court of Justice, which as a public functionary and as the president, he cannot do. He should actually respect the decision of the court because it is an institution that imparts justice in this country. However, he has taken the opposite route and this could even open up the possibility of sanctions or a disciplinary process because he cannot make this kind of statement in favor of his leader lvaro Uribe Vlez and against the Supreme Court of Justice.

Duque has already talked about reforming the justice system and his party, the Democratic Center, now talks about doing it via a National Constituent Assembly. If they do carry out any reforms to the justice system, it will be in favor of their interests and will lead to greater impunity.

A third aspect is that lvaro Uribe Vlez has always considered himself a powerful man, a patriarch who could not be questioned, someone who was practically untouchable. So the courts decision is an important symbolic victory. However, it must be recognized that this is a first step and the charges he is facing procedural fraud and bribery are perhaps the least serious crimes and least serious problems for lvaro Uribe Vlez at this moment.

What does this mean for the Colombian people? For the Colombian people, achieving justice is an enormous challenge. This is not only with respect to lvaro Uribe Vlez because like many others at different points of the history of our country, he did not act alone. The crimes against humanity, the massacres, the extrajudicial assassinations, his links to drug traffickers all of this makes his criminal record much bigger but he was never acting alone. The businessmen, other political leaders (both local and national), military forces, paramilitaries, large landowners they are all involved in this situation of injustice and impunity and extreme inequality. For the Colombian people, there are many challenges in taking forward the legal process against lvaro Uribe Vlez and we hope that it will actually advance in a process of truth, in a process of justice, and that he will be judged and sentenced for the crimes that he has committed in this country.

(*)In Colombia, municipalities divide the city into strata based on the socio-economic indicators of the residents. Stratus 1 and 2 are the poorest strata.

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch

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Two Years of Duques Colombia: Deepening Neoliberalism, Increased Violence and a Public Health Crisis - NewsClick

Magic Reports Second Quarter and First Half 2020 Financial Results with Record-Breaking Operating Income of $9.8 million, reflecting a 22% Year Over…

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

OR YEHUDA, Israel, Aug. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magic Software Enterprises Ltd. (NASDAQandTASE: MGIC),a global provider of end-to-end integration and application development platforms solutions and IT consulting services, announced today its financial results for the second quarter and first half ended June 30, 2020.

Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2020

Financial Highlights for the Six-Month Period Ended June30, 2020

Declaration of Dividend for the First Half of 2020

In accordance with its dividend distribution policy, the Companys board of directors declared a semi-annual cash dividend in the amount of 17.5 cents per share and in the aggregate amount of approximately $8.6million, reflecting approximately 75% of its distributable profits for the first half of 2020.

The dividend is payable on September 10, 2020 to all of the Companys shareholders of record at the close of the NASDAQ Global Select Market on August 27, 2020.

In accordance with Israeli tax law, the dividend is subject to withholding tax at source at the rate of 30% (if the recipient of the dividend is at the time of distribution or was at any time during the preceding 12-month period the holder of 10% or more of the Company's share capital) or 25% (for all other dividend recipients) of the dividend amount payable to each shareholder of record, subject to applicable exemptions.

The dividend will be paid in US dollars on the ordinary shares of Magic Software Enterprises that are traded both on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

Guy Bernstein, Chief Executive Officer of Magic Software Enterprises, said:

In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in March 2020, our outlook for 2020 has improved due to an increased demand, from existing and new customers, for digital transformation projects, as COVID-19 forced organizations and their employees to adapt to the new forced reality and work environment.

We are pleased to witness that our strong and stable financial position, coupled with our constant efforts to become a trusted advisor of the digital transformation market, are paying off, and we will continue to make our best efforts to enhance our portfolio, both organically and through acquisitions in order to offer the best one-stop-shop for digital transformation.

Conference Call Details

Magics management will host a conference call on Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 10:00 am Eastern Daylight Time (5:00 p.m. Israel Daylight Time) to review and discuss Magics results.

To participate, please call one of the following teleconferencing numbers. Please begin placing your calls at least 10 minutes before the conference call commences. If you are unable to connect using the toll-free numbers, call the international dial-in number.

NORTH AMERICA: +1-888-668-9141

UK: 0-800-917-5108

ISRAEL: 03-918-0609

ALL OTHERS: +972-3-918-0609

For those unable to join the live call, a replay of the call will be available under the Investor Relations section of Magics website, http://www.magicsoftware.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains the following non-GAAP financial measures: Non-GAAP gross profit, Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP net income attributable to Magics shareholders and Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per share.

Magic believes that these non-GAAP measures of financial results provide useful information to management and investors regarding certain financial and business trends relating to Magic's financial condition and results of operations. Magic's management uses these non-GAAP measures to compare the Company's performance to that of prior periods for trend analyses, for purposes of determining executive and senior management incentive compensation and for budgeting and planning purposes. These measures are used in financial reports prepared for management and in quarterly financial reports presented to the Company's board of directors. The Company believes that the use of these non-GAAP financial measures provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating ongoing operating results and trends and in comparing the Company's financial measures with other software companies, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures to investors.

Management of the Company does not consider these non-GAAP measures in isolation or as an alternative to financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. The principal limitation of these non-GAAP financial measures is that they exclude significant expenses and income that are required by GAAP to be recorded in the Company's financial statements. In addition, they are subject to inherent limitations as they reflect the exercise of judgment by management about which expenses and income are excluded or included in determining these non-GAAP financial measures. In order to compensate for these limitations, management presents non-GAAP financial measures in connection with GAAP results. Magic urges investors to review the reconciliation of its non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures, which it includes in press releases announcing quarterly financial results, including this press release, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate the Company's business.

Non-GAAP measures used in this press release are included in the financial tables of this release. These non-GAAP measures exclude the following items:

Reconciliation tables of the most comparable GAAP financial measures to the non-GAAP financial measures used in this press release are included in the financial tables of this release.

About Magic Software Enterprises

Magic Software Enterprises Ltd. (NASDAQ and TASE: MGIC) is a global provider of mobile and cloud-enabled application and business integration platforms.

For more information, visit http://www.magicsoftware.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Some of the statements in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "will," look forward, "expect," "believe" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements (although not all forward-looking statements include such words). These forward-looking statements, which may include, without limitation, projections regarding our future performance and financial condition, are made on the basis of managements current views and assumptions with respect to future events. Any forward-looking statement is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statement. These statements speak only as of the date they were made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. We operate in a changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risks that may affect us. For more information regarding these risks and uncertainties as well as certain additional risks that we face, you should refer to the Risk Factors detailed in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019 and subsequent reports and filings made from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Magic is a registered trademark of Magic Software Enterprises Ltd. All other product and company names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and are the property of, and might be trademarks of, their respective owners.

Press Contact:

Noam AmirMagic Software Enterprisesir@magicsoftware.com

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Magic Reports Second Quarter and First Half 2020 Financial Results with Record-Breaking Operating Income of $9.8 million, reflecting a 22% Year Over...

Starlink satellites tracker UK: How to see SpaceX’s Starlink over the UK this week – Daily Express

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

Elon Musk's internet service has taken another great stride after 57 more Starlink satellites were launched on Friday, August 7. Mr Musk has said Starlink needs to have about 800 satellites in orbit before it can begin to roll out initial services. But even if the company is not yet supplying internet yet, you can still see SpaceX's physical work dotted across the night's sky.

Express.co.uk gives you the complete rundown of the times the Starlink constellation will be visible over the UK in the coming days.

August 11: Travelling west to east at 2.51am

August 11: Travelling west to east at 4.24am

August 12: Travelling west to east 1.57am (poor visibility)

August 12: Travelling west to east at 3.29am

August 12: Travelling west to east at 5.04am

August 13: Travelling northeast to east at 2.36am

August 13: Travelling west to east at 4.09am

August 14: Travelling west to east at 3.15am

August 14: Travelling west to southeast at 4.49am

The website Find Starlink also allows you to track the satellites in real-time.

At the time of writing, the fleet of miniature satellites is currently travelling over the North Atlantic Ocean, heading from South America to Europe.

It has been a busy few weeks for SpaceX, with the company reaching other major milestones on top of its latest Starlink launch, with the company safely returning two NASA astronauts from the ISS on Monday, August 3.

Doug Hurley and Bob Benken returned from the orbiting laboratory on the Dragon capsule, prompting Mr Musk to welcome in a new era of the space age.

READ MORE:SpaceX latest - South Koreas secret military satellite launched in US

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Starlink satellites tracker UK: How to see SpaceX's Starlink over the UK this week - Daily Express

SpaceX is building the road to the moon and Mars in Texas | TheHill – The Hill

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

Elon MuskElon Reeve MuskHillicon Valley: GOP lawmaker says 'no place in Congress' for QAnon after supporter's primary win | Uber CEO says app could temporarily shutdown in California if ruling upheld | Federal agency warns hackers targeting small business loan program Top Republican criticizes Twitter's briefing on massive hack SpaceX is building the road to the moon and Mars in Texas MOREs SpaceX has had an incredible week. It started with the triumphant return of Dragon astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley from the International Space Station. The conclusion of their space mission was a curious combination of the modern and the retro. The Crew Dragon is a state-of-the-art spacecraft, yet it splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico dangling from parachutes just as they did during the Apollo program.

In the meantime, SpaceX scored another success at its growing spaceport in Boca Chica, Texas, when it sent a prototype of its Starship interplanetary craft on a 150-meter hop. The stainless-steel vehicle lifted off and, more importantly, landed without cracking up. Eventually Musk intends to use the Starship, to be launched by the Super Heavy first stage, to take people and cargo to the moon, Mars and beyond.

SpaceX closed out the week with another successful launch of satellites for its Starlink constellation.

Imagine living in Texas a few decades from now and suddenly being possessed with the desire to visit the moon. Traditionally, the only way such a dream could become reality would be for you to go through the arduous process of becoming a NASA astronaut and then hoping that Congress would fund a back-to-the-moon program.

If SpaceXs Elon Musk has his way, a new road will be devised to go to the moon and Mars and beyond. The scrappy, entrepreneurial space launch company is planning to build an offshore spaceport to launch its Starship spacecraft. The rocket ship would not only fly to far distant destinations in space, but to similar offshore spaceports around the world. Travel to Europe and Asia would be cut from many hours to tens of minutes.

If he has his way, you will be able to travel down to the now-thriving port community of Boca Chica, possibly on a Hyperloop, the mass transit-system inspired by Elon Musk, and book passage on a SpaceX Starship for a vacation on the moon. You might look forward to hiking across the lunar landscape in a spacesuit, like Neil Armstrong so long ago and visiting the Tranquility Base monument and see where he and Buzz Aldrin first trod the moons surface.

You might need to take a suborbital hop to Tokyo or Dubai on business and need to be there in time to have dinner with some clients. If Musks vision is realized, a few minutes in your seat experiencing the G forces of takeoff and landing, and youd be making your way halfway across the world, with dinner reservations in hand. You wouldnt be confined for hours on end in a stuffy cabin with little leg room and bad food to make that journey.

Or maybe you might move to Elon Musks Mars settlement. Like the immigrants who boarded a ship to the New World centuries ago, you and your family would embark in a Starship for a new life on a real New World 100 million miles away. The Texas Gulf Coast would be the last sight of Earth that youd ever see close at hand.

Such a vision would seem to be science fiction. But even before the past week, Musk already accomplished a lot, from the reusable first stage of the Falcon 9 to the Falcon Heavy, capable of flinging huge payloads across the interplanetary vastness. Anyone who wants to wager against SpaceX opening space with what amounts to a galleon with rocket engines may be making a bad bet.

It is fitting that Texas will be the site of the first offshore spaceport. Texas engineers have built large structures in the Gulf of Mexico for decades to extract the oil and gas that have been the lifeblood of civilization. While fossil fuels may be replaced in the fullness of time by renewables, nuclear power and eventually fusion energy, the skills honed to build offshore drilling platforms will be used to construct launch pads that rocket ships will depart from, carrying passengers and cargos beyond the Earth.

A long time ago, people imagined that the 21st century would be a time of space travel and people living on other worlds. So far, the current century has been a time of terrorism, civil strife, political mendacity and a worldwide pandemic that seems to come out of a different kind of science fiction future. Perhaps, thanks to entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, working alone and in partnership with NASA, the future of a space frontier, not to mention rocket travel from one point to the other on Earth, will just be a little late in coming.

Mark Whittington, who writes frequently about space and politics, has published a political study of space exploration entitled Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? as well as The Moon, Mars and Beyond. He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner. He is published in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, USA Today, the LA Times, and the Washington Post, among other venues.

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SpaceX is building the road to the moon and Mars in Texas | TheHill - The Hill

SpaceX plans to build luxury spaceport resort in a tiny Texas town – Chron.com

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Danzig

BOCA CHICA, TX - SEPTEMBER 28: A prototype of SpaceX's Starship spacecraft is seen at the company's Texas launch facility on September 28, 2019 in Boca Chica near Brownsville, Texas. The Starship spacecraft is a massive vehicle meant to take people to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. (Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

Photo: Loren Elliott/Getty Images

SpaceX plans to build luxury spaceport resort in a tiny Texas town

SpaceX, the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company, is currently building its new passenger and cargo aircraft, Starship. According to the website, the aircraft will offer 'service to Earth orbit, Moon, Mars and beyond.'

The company has plans to chauffeur passengers to Mars in the near future, and part of this endeavor will include a luxury resort stay. The SpaceX site, in Boca Chica, Texas, is seeking a "Resort Development Manager" with the hopes that the city will become a 21st century Spaceport.

Boca Chica is one of Texas tiniest towns-- so small, it could probably be considered a tiny village. Once a quiet beach town, it is now occupied by spaceships.

The job posting,spotted by CNBCs Michael Sheetz, stated that SpaceX is looking for a talented Resort Development Manager to oversee the development of SpaceXs first resort from inception to completion.

The company is looking for candidates with experience in "high end brand luxury development."

According to Tech Crunch, SpaceX's CEO Elon Muskshared his intent to build floating spaceports for both interstellar and point-to-point Earth travel back in June, when the company announced it was seeking Offshore Operations Engineers, also to be located in Brownsville.

The aerospace company is preparing its own vehicles for plans to offer oribtal return flights for paying customers using 'Dragon.' Tech Crunch also reported that Dragon is now closer than ever to human flight certification thanks to having completed a return trip to Earth with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on board.

Private interstellar travelers could be on their way as early as next year. Now, I'm all for luxurious trips, but I can't say I'm too sold on astronomical travel just yet-- especially if it's spearheaded by Elon Musk.

SpaceX plans to build luxury spaceport resort in a tiny Texas town - Chron.com

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