Jadavpur University to reach out to students with no smartphones as it gears up for new semester – Times Now

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JU to reach out to students with no smartphones 

Jadavpur University will decide on how to send study materials and class notes to students in the coming semester during this pandemic situation, keeping in mind that many of them do not have smartphones, a senior official said on Thursday. The university will certainly do something to bridge the digital divide, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Chiranjib Bhattacharya said.

Jadavpur University Teachers' Association recently urged the institute authorities to reach out to students who cannot afford smartphones and hence will be deprived of study materials if online classes are taken in the coming semester, JUTA General Secretary Partha Pratim Roy said.

JUTA also submitted a proposal of holding classes through phone calls where a student will interact with the teacher over the phone at a particular time, Roy said, adding that modalities to implement this can be chalked out in consultation with every stakeholder. "We will certainly arrive at a decision in the best interest of students but within our financial ability," Bhattacharya told PTI.

Asked about the possibility of the university arranging smartphones for students not having one due to financial reasons, Bhattacharya said, "There are issues like arranging funds for this. We also need to know the number of such students."

Also Read |Model IAS Officer! Aishwarya Sheoran- Ace model, Miss India finalist cracks UPSC Civil Services 2019, Ranks 93

The pro-VC said that the varsity had not done any survey concerning the number of students not having smartphones, while student unions of arts, science and engineering faculties have carried out a fact check on their own.

"We have asked the student unions to share with us the details. We will hold a meeting by next week to discuss these issues and how to make class lectures and other academic activities accessible to the students," he said.

Another varsity teacher said that as per the survey done by students unions, around three per cent of the students in engineering and science faculties do not possess any smartphone.The figure is higher in the arts stream in which many students hail from remote areas of the state, the teacher said.

Bhattacharya said that the university is also positive about JUTAs proposal for uploading audio or video of teachers' lectures in the JU portal which can be downloaded by students of the department concerned. However, this too will not help students with no internet connection, he said.

Roy said that they had also suggested that the university could make an arrangement with a company so that students can get quality handsets. The varsity could fund the project partly or fully with the help of any grant.On this, the pro-VC said that there are lots of financial issues involved and "We can't take a decision on this in a hurry."

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Jadavpur University to reach out to students with no smartphones as it gears up for new semester - Times Now

Revealed: How U.S. Gov’t & Hollywood Secretly Worked Together to Justify Atomic Bombings of Japan – Democracy Now!

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This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! Im Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh. This is The Quarantine Report.

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the U.S. dropping the bomb, the atomic bomb, on Hiroshima, 75 years ago today, ushering in the Atomic Age, August 6, 1945. This is J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist credited with coordinating the creation of the atomic bomb, head of the Manhattan Project, describing his feelings as the first nuclear explosion in history lit up the Trinity blast site in New Mexico, the test site, on July 16th, 1945.

J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER: We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed. A few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the prince that he should do his duty, and, to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.

AMY GOODMAN: Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. Thats the scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita.

Well, we turn now to look at how the U.S. government controlled the narrative about the race to build and use the first atomic bomb, especially by controlling how that story was portrayed in the media. This is the focus of a new book called The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood and America Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The Beginning or the End is also the name of a 1947 movie by MGM.

Well learn more about that and so much more with journalist Greg Mitchell, whos written extensively on Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, also the author of Atomic Cover-up and Hiroshima in America, with Robert J. Lifton, and former editor of Nuclear Times magazine.

Its great to have you with us, Greg. Terrible anniversary, the 75th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb, ushering in the Nuclear Age. Greg, before we talk about the film, The Beginning or the End, that started to recreate a narrative about what happened, for people who are not familiar with what happened then, the significance of J. Robert Oppenheimer, President Trumans decision to drop the bomb? Tell us why the bomb was dropped, and the criticism at that time through to today, that was not so much heard at the time.

GREG MITCHELL: Yes. Thank you. Happy to be here.

Well, you know, the stated reason for dropping the bomb, which has become what I call the official narrative, really, to this day, as weve seen again with the media coverage of the past month, was that it was the only thing that could end the war, it saved a million American lives, the Japanese would not have surrendered, we would have had a costly invasion of Japan, and we really needed to drop the bomb, it was the only thing that worked. This came out in Trumans initial statement, where he called Hiroshima a military base. So, from the beginning, it was important to communicate to the American people that this was a decent and necessary act.

And, of course, evidence has emerged over the decades which shows that there were alternatives. For example, Truman had just gotten Russia to declare war on Japan, to promise to declare war on around August 9th. And there are many people who believe that Japan including Truman believed that Japan would have surrendered quickly after the Russian declaration of war. And so, theres all sorts of evidence that has emerged that the use of the bomb was not necessary, could have been delayed or not used at all.

But what was important was to set this narrative of justification. And it was set right at the beginning, and by Truman and his allies, and with a very willing media, and then, following that, suppression of evidence from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, confiscation of film footage, photographs, censorship office in Tokyo.

My book picks up carrying the story to Hollywood. And I think it tells the whole story of this period and what happened in this crucial turning point, oddly, through this rather entertaining story about this movie, because the way that Truman and the military intervened to make to adjust the movie and totally get revisions in the script to reflect this official narrative, rather than raise questions about the bomb. And then, ultimately, when the movie came out, it was nothing more than propaganda. And so, really, the story of this movie, and as I tell in the book, it really reflects so much about this turning point in America, where we are set on this path to endorsing the use of the bomb, by most in the media and by many among the public, right to this day.

AMY GOODMAN: Greg, a very quick thing, before we talk about the film, that other film you talk about. The U.S. government secretly filmed the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, not just from the sky, but the devastation on the ground, brought that film back to the scientists at Los Alamos, who did the Manhattan Project, made the bombs. And the reports are that these scientists threw up. They were vomiting as they saw this film, horrified, not understanding this would ever be used on Japan. Can you talk about everyone from Albert Einstein to J. Robert Oppenheimer, and how they ultimately felt? That film would be then highly classified for decades

GREG MITCHELL: Right.

AMY GOODMAN: obviously not incriminating, not sharing nuclear secrets, but because of its huge effect.

GREG MITCHELL: Yeah. Well, in fact, as the book shows, the MGM movie, The Beginning or the End, was actually inspired by one of these scientists. And there were so many of the atomic scientists who were appalled by what had happened with the use of the bomb and the dangers for the future. And so, one of these scientists from Los excuse me, from Oak Ridge contacted his former chemistry student, the actress Donna Reed, oddly, and Donna Reed set in motion MGM making this movie. But it was

AMY GOODMAN: This is Donna Reed, the famous actress.

GREG MITCHELL: Yeah.

AMY GOODMAN: Her science teacher?

GREG MITCHELL: Her high school chemistry teacher ended up in the Manhattan Project. He wrote her a letter two months after the bombing, saying that she must get Hollywood to make a big-budget movie that would warn the world about the dangers of remaining on this nuclear path. And, of course, as you mentioned, Albert Einstein was very much allied with that, was probably the leading spokesman for that.

And, you know, Donna Reed set in motion where MGM did start did launch this movie. At Paramount, they launched a competing movie, with Ayn Rand, of all people, as the screenwriter. So, the book talks a good deal about that. Ayn Rands script was ultimately too wacky even for Hollywood, and so Paramount then threw in with MGM on their movie, on their terrible movie.

But in any case, the scientists did a large number of them did very much turn against the bomb. And partly for their troubles, they were the leading scientists were surveilled and followed, and their phones tapped, by the FBI.

You mentioned the confiscation of this footage. Just very, very briefly, both the Japanese a lead Japanese newsreel team and then a U.S. military team filmed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the weeks and months after the bombing. The U.S. footage was all color footage. It was probably all whenever you see any color footage from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it comes from this U.S. military team. And I told this story first in Atomic Cover-up, a book I wrote a few years ago, and now Ive just directed a film, also called Atomic Cover-up, that explores how both the Japanese footage and the American footage was suppressed for decades, because it just it showed too much of the human effects of the bombing.

But thats kind of a related story to my current book, because Hollywood essentially did the same thing. It was different, but it was taking a movie script, completely revising it, changes ordered by even the White House. A costly scene had to be reshot on orders from Truman and the White House, that would explain his decision to use the bomb more favorably, you might say, which MGM did. So, I mean, its quite incredible, just that one example, among many, of a sitting president ordering a movie studio to reshoot the key scene in a movie to reflect more favorably on him and what he did.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, Greg Mitchell, I want to turn to the present day and where the U.S. now stands on the use of nuclear weapons, not just 75 years ago. But today you write that 75 years after the first use of nuclear weapons, its still supported by a majority of Americans. You cite a recent survey conducted by YouGov and The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that found that more than a third would support a nuclear strike on North Korea, if North Korea tested a long-range missile capable of reaching the U.S., even if that meant the death of a million civilians.

GREG MITCHELL: Yeah. I mean, whats really driven my work for almost four decades now is, you know, people say, Why does Hiroshima matter today? or, you know, You cant change history, even if you could. But the simple fact is that America continues to have whats called a first-use policy. It means any president is enabled to order a preemptive nuclear strike in other words, in response to a conventional war or, as you just mentioned, a threat, a perceived threat, from a rival or an enemy. I think most people still think America would only launch in retaliation, but thats not true. Weve had a first-use policy or first-strike policy. And there have been efforts to change it. Its not happened. So we still have a first-use president.

Now we have a president in the White House who, you know, many people are very fearful of what he might do in a crisis, or in response to a tweet even. Hes not exactly the stable genius that he claims to be. And so, we have this policy still in effect.

And thats why I keep coming back to Hiroshima every year and in books and articles, is because the media, particularly, continues to endorse the use back then. Certainly, no president has really come out against it. Top officials continue to endorse it. And the fact that were making you know, on the one hand, well say, We must never use nuclear weapons again. Theyre too terrible, and so forth. But the two times we already used them, you know, was necessary. And so its this endorsement of the use of the bomb then. I think we could all rather easily see if we launched another nuclear attack, the same defenses would come out. We have this in our background. We have this in our history. The world largely condemns it, but it is in our history. And it has been judged

AMY GOODMAN: And at that time, Greg Mitchell, the number of people who died, believed to be over 200,000, the two atomic bombs that were dropped?

GREG MITCHELL: Yes, 200,000 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, Im going to leave it there, on this 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Thanks so much for joining us.

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Revealed: How U.S. Gov't & Hollywood Secretly Worked Together to Justify Atomic Bombings of Japan - Democracy Now!

California students call to remove Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher busts – Campus Reform

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A petition at Chapman University calls for the removal of busts depicting Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and other prominent conservatives.

With more than 700 signatures, the petition demands that the university remove and replace the "problematic" conservative icon depictions.

"There are a handful of busts displayed around Chapman University's campus that do not reflect the ideals of the University, the petition reads. In order to create a safer and more inclusive environment for Chapman's marginalized students and community, we feel the busts of Ronald Reagan, Albert Schweitzer, Margaret Thatcher, Milton Friedman, and Ayn Rand need to be removed and replaced."

"we feel the busts of Ronald Reagan, Albert Schweitzer, Margaret Thatcher, Milton Friedman, and Ayn Rand need to be removed and replaced."

"During these times of reckoning with serious injustice in the U.S. we are asking for your support and for the Chapman Administration to hear our demands," the petition continues. It goes on to include a letter that will be sent to the university's administration "once this petition has been shared enough."

The letter states, in part, "While some believe the removal of busts and statues equates to erasing history and hiding past mistakes, we believe their removal provides opportunity for deeper understanding and engagement in history. We believe the removal provides not only a display of allyship but also a hopeful opportunity for educating students on the ways these historical figures abused their power to mistreat others."

[RELATED: NYC art professors support removal of 'racist' Teddy Roosevelt statue]

[W]e hope this transforms into an opportunity to recognize our history and the ways certain historical figures have abused their power at the expense of marginalized groups," the letter concludes.

The petition suggests replacing the current busts with busts of Angela Davis, Malcolm X, Harvey Milk, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana, John Lewis, Cesar Chavez, James Baldwin, and Dolores Huerta.

[RELATED: 'Stunning image' shows 'toppled' George Washington statue at GWU]

Chapman College Republicans said in response to the petition, This reckless removal of history is dangerous, especially for a University whose job is to educate in an attempt to better their students and their futures. For a school that has put so much effort in pushing for diversity, the removal of these statues would be proof that Chapman University takes no pride in intellectual diversity of their student body."

Pointing out that "diversity comes in multiple forms," including diversity of thought, the group said, We conservatives do not push to remove parts of history that we do not like. we expect the same in return. When you remove history you cannot learn from it, you repeat peoples mistakes and we cannot better ourselves. There are many conservatives on campus who support the Republican Party and Ronald Reagan who feel they are unable to speak out about their beliefs in fear of being shunned by unaccepting members of the student body.

Chapman College Republicans President Justin Buckner further told Campus Reform, "the main reason we felt it was necessary to speak out on this issue was that the petition claimed the statues on campus did not represent the ideals of the University, which is not true."

The removal ofRonald Reagan, Buckner continued, one of the most pronounced modern-day conservative voices in American history,would symbolize that anyone who believes in modern-day conservatism has no place on our campus. We want everyone to have representation and feel welcomed at Chapman University, regardless of your political beliefs.

Chapman University shared an email with Campus Reform that was sent to the campus community in which President Daniele Struppa wrote, "I have carefully read it [the petition] and I appreciate its emphasis on a shared reflection of who we are as an institution and how our physical campus reflects our collective values. As stated in the petition, many believe the removal of particular busts will provide an opportunity for deeper understanding of and engagement with history while creating a safer environment for students. While I am deeply committed to both of these goals, I strongly believe that the removal of these busts is counter to accomplishing those very objectives."

Follow the author of this article on Twitter:@Arik_Schneider

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California students call to remove Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher busts - Campus Reform

The GOP Are Standing on Trump’s Sinking Ship, But Democrats Need a Vision Beyond Electing Biden – Common Dreams

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Reality is finally catching up with our reality TV star President. Faced with an unprecedented economic collapse triggered by his own clear failure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic (something other industrialized nations have managed to pull off), the Donald tweeted hopefully last week that the November election might need to be rescheduled.

No one really knows if Trump is hoping to emulate the strongmen he admires and name himself president-for-life, or if he was just trying to create a distraction from the awful jobs numbers that show what a mess hes made of the U.S. economy.

"Trump has lied so much for so long, people are finally just tuning him out."

Either way, its clear he sees the writing on the wall. The American people have had enough of malignant narcissism and feckless governing. They are tired of living with the disastrous results of this Presidents non-leadership. Joe Biden is ahead of Trump by double digits, and is leading in swing states including Wisconsin. Unless the Republicans up their voter suppression game to previously unimagined heightsor, as Trump suggested, call off the electionTrump is toast.

As terrible as these times areand as terrifying as it is to see things devolve so far so fastthere is something hopeful about Trumps failure.

For one thing, Trump himself is losing the one thing that is most precious to himour undivided attention. The fact that Trumps election gambit failed to elicit a big reaction from either side of the aisle in Congress or from the public shows that weve entered a new phase of politics. Call it Trump fatigue. Trump has lied so much for so long, people are finally just tuning him out. No amount of posturing, preening and shock-jock showmanship can distract people forever from their own circumstances.

Even better, Trumps efforts to start a race war are falling flat. Americans have awakened to the struggle against systemic racism and favor the police reform measures Republicans in Congress have resisted. They dont want federal troops called in to defend their cities against Black Lives Matter protesters. Federal troops who were grabbing protesters off the streets in Portland are quietly retreating. And Trumps fear-mongering campaign doesnt seem to be working, either. Thats partly because the so-called suburban housewives he is trying to appeal to are not the frightened shut-ins he imagines and partly because things are so damn bad already. Its hard to win by warning that if you are not reelected the result will be chaos and collapse while presiding over chaos and collapse.

Trump is so godawful, you would think more Republicans would be jumping ship already. But apart from Mitt Romney, Charlie Sykes, and a handful of other principled conservatives, GOP politicians appear to be willing to go all the way to the bottom with their epic failure of a president.

Dont kid yourself about those principled conservatives, though. While Trump is uniquely bad, he is also a product of the Republican Party. He yells out loud what more respectable politicians used a dog-whistle to convey. The basic outline of Trumpismthe greed-is-good, step-on-the-poor, racist, sexist, rich white male triumphalismhave been baked into the party for a long, long time.

Its no big surprise that Trumps chief enabler is Wisconsins own U.S. Senator Ron Johnson. Johnson, a Republican and one of the richest men in the Senate, who has reportedly doubled his net worth of tens of millions of dollars since taking office, proposed last week that jobless Americans receiving emergency unemployment benefits during the pandemic should take a haircutfrom $600 per week to $200. This would solve the problem, Johnson suggested, of creating an incentive for the unemployed not to go back to worksince $600 a week is more than a lot of American workers earn in their regular jobs.

Never mind that that incentive doesnt existas Marty Schladen reports, a group of Yale economists studying unemployed workers concluded the expanded benefits neither encouraged layoffs during the pandemics onset nor deterred people from returning to work once businesses began reopening. Furthermore, states that had waived work search requirements have started to reinstate them.

Johnson is an Ayn Rand acolyte like his fellow Wisconsin Republican, former House Speaker Paul Ryan. Ryan was often contrasted with Trump. He was lauded as a deep thinker and a man of principle who was serious about balancing the budget. His signature budget proposal would have turned Medicare into a voucher program and he warned that the safety net could become a hammock for lazy jobless people (this in a district where middle class families saw their futures go up in smoke when the GM plant closed).

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Ryan was Trump-litea rich white guy who dreamed up ways of making life harder for struggling workers as a kind of moral improvement program, used racially coded language about welfare and food stamps, and defended the interests of big business and the wealthy.

Like Ryan, Johnson has the soothing aura of money about him, which seems to explain why he is taken seriously, despite spouting jaw-dropping nonsense about how we shouldnt worry too much about COVID-19 and his touting of rightwing conspiracy theories.

Johnsons tolerance for nonsense has earned him a spot as Trumps wingman. As chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Johnson has been busy issuing subpoenas in the Obamagate investigation of wingnut conspiracy theories involving Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.

Good luck with that.

If Trump cant distract voters with his threats to cancel the election and let blood flow in the streets, it seems unlikely that Johnson will get big ratings with his cockamamie investigation.

Heres the good news: Trumps failure is a sign of weakness in the Southern Strategy, trickle down economics, and the whole antisocial Republican program.

Thats a good thing.

The question is what comes next?

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee is not exactly the face of the future. He will no doubt run a more competent administration, and will appoint people who actually care about governing. Thats a good start. But going back to the past is not going to solve our worst problems. The bandages have been ripped off of some deep wounds in our country, and its going to take tremendous energy and creativity to heal. Biden would do well to listen to his more progressive rivals from the primary campaign, who tapped into deep generational angst about inequality, college debt, systemic racism and the fact that we are teetering on the tipping point of total climate destruction.

And, of course, unless the Democrats take back the Senate, there will be no progress at all.

Progressive ideas that Biden himself used to brush off are going to have to get a serious hearing, and urgent actionincluding taking on the brutal, racist system of policing and mass incarceration, providing high-quality health care to every American, radically re-regulating Wall Street, guaranteeing Americans a living wage and access to college, and criminalizing the sociopathic behavior of fossil fuel company executives who are literally killing the planet.

The curtain is coming down on the Trump show. We need to make sure it rises on a better day.

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The GOP Are Standing on Trump's Sinking Ship, But Democrats Need a Vision Beyond Electing Biden - Common Dreams

Is Donald Trump the Republican Partys future, or its past? – Vox.com

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Historically, conservative political parties face the problem Harvard political scientist Daniel Ziblatt calls the conservative dilemma. How does a party that represents the interests of moneyed elites win elections in a democracy? The dilemma sharpens as inequality widens: The more the haves have, the more have-nots there are who will vote to tax them.

This is not mere ivory-tower theorizing. Conservative politicians know the bind theyre in. When Mitt Romney told a room of donors during the 2012 election that there were 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what because they believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it, even though they pay no income tax, he was describing the conservative dilemma. Our message of low taxes doesnt connect, he said, a bit sadly.

If anything, Romney understated the case. Sure, 47 percent of Americans, in 2011, didnt pay federal income taxes though they paid a variety of other taxes, ranging from federal payroll taxes to state sales taxes. But slicing the electorate by income tax burden only makes sense if youre wealthy enough for income taxes to be your primary economic irritant. Thats not true for most people. Romneys 53 percent versus 47 percent split was a gentle rendering of an economy where the rich were siphoning off startling quantities of wealth.

Occupy Wall Streets rallying cry We are the 99%! framed the math behind the conservative dilemma more directly: How do you keep winning elections and cutting taxes for the rich in a (putative) democracy where the top 1 percent went from 11 percent of national income in 1980 to 20 percent in 2016, and the bottom 50 percent fell from 21 percent of national income in 1980 to 13 percent in 2016? How do you keep your party from being buried by the 99 percent banding together to vote that income share back into their own pockets?

In their new book, Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality, political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson offer three possible answers. You can cease being a party built around tax cuts for the rich and try to develop an economic agenda that will appeal to the middle class. You can try to change the political topic, centering politics on racial, religious, and nationalist grievance. Or you can try to undermine democracy itself.

Despite endless calls for the GOP to choose door No. 1 and poll after poll showing their voting base desperate for leaders who would represent their economic interests while reflecting their cultural grievances Republican elites have refused. Take the 2017 tax cuts. Donald Trump might have run as a populist prepared to raise taxes on plutocrats like, well, him, but according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, the bill he signed gave more than 20 percent of its benefits over the first 10 years, and more than 80 percent of the benefits that last beyond the first 10 years, to the top 1 percent. For that reason, its one of the most unpopular bills ever to be signed into law. Its not the kind of accomplishment you can run for reelection on.

Thats left Republicans reliant on the second and third strategies. Hacker and Pierson call the resulting ideology plutocratic populism, and their book is sharp and thoughtful on how the GOP got here and the dangers of the path theyve chosen. Where its less convincing is in its description of where here is: Does Trump represent the culmination of the Republican coalition or the contradictions that will ultimately tear it apart?

Plutocratic populism presents as a contradiction like shouted silence or carnivorous vegan. The key to Hacker and Piersons formulation is that, in the GOP, plutocracy and populism operate on different axes. The plutocrats control economic policy, and the populists win elections by deepening racial, religious, and nationalist grievances.

To advance an unpopular plutocratic agenda, Republicans have escalated white backlash and, increasingly, undermined democracy, Hacker and Pierson write. In the United States, then, plutocracy and right-wing populism have not been opposing forces. Instead, they have been locked in a doom loop of escalating extremism that must be disrupted.

This is their synthesis of the great economic anxiety versus racial resentment debate. Republican elites weaponize racial resentment to win voters who would otherwise vote their economic self-interest. Hacker and Pierson are careful to sidestep the crude version that holds that ethnic and religious division are mere distractions. Voters see racial and religious dominance as political interests as compelling and legitimate as tax benefits, and the demand for politicians to reflect those underlying resentments and fears is real.

This is a key point in Hacker and Piersons analysis: They focus on the decisions made by GOP elites, not the desires of conservative voters. Their fundamental claim is that if Republican elites had chosen a more politically sellable economic agenda, they would have or at least could have resisted the lure of white resentment and still won elections. But once they made tax cuts for the rich and opposition to universal health care the immovable lodestones of their governance, they had little political choice save to power their movement with the dirty, but abundant, energy offered by ethnonationalism.

The most compelling evidence Hacker and Pierson cite for this argument comes from a study conducted by political scientists Margit Tavits and Joshua Potter, which looked at party platforms from 450 parties in 41 countries between 1945 and 2010. Tavits and Potter find that as inequality rises, conservative parties ratchet up their emphasis on religious and racial grievances particularly in countries with deep racial and religious fractures. The pivot only works, Tavits and Potter say, when there is high social demand for ethnonationalist conflict.

The question this raises, and which Hacker and Pierson dont really answer, is what would happen to this demand in the absence of conservative politicians willing to meet it particularly in an age of weakened political parties, demographic change, and identitarian social media? Trumps rise, which Hacker and Pierson present as the culmination of plutocratic populism, can also be read as a symptom of its mounting internal contradictions, and of the way Republicans voters are increasingly capable of demanding the representation they want.

It may be that the uneasy coalition that married white identitarians to Davos Man is breaking apart. Indeed, reading Hacker and Piersons book, I found myself wondering whether inequality was, itself, the cause of the coalitions collapse: Perhaps the plutocratic agenda is becoming too unpopular to even survive Republican presidential primaries. And if thats so, is the future of the Republican Party more moderate on all fronts, or more purely ethnonationalist?

If you survey the modern Republican Party, the figures most intent on turning it into a vehicle for ethnonationalist resentment are the least committed to the plutocratic agenda. Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, Sen. Josh Hawley, and 2016 candidate Donald Trump are all examples of the trend: They are, or were, explicit in their desire to sever the ties that yoke angry nationalism and a desire for a whiter America to Paul Ryans budget.

Conversely, the Republican figures most committed to plutocracy like Ryan or the Koch brothers or the Chamber of Commerce tend to back immigration reform and recoil from ethnonationalist rhetoric, and in 2016, they opposed Trump in favor of Jeb Bush and Chris Christie and Marco Rubio. They just lost on all those fronts.

Hacker and Pierson emphasize the fact that once in office, Trump abandoned populist pretense and gave the Chamber of Commerce everything it had ever wanted and more. But, as with so much else with Trump, it can be hard to distinguish decision-making from disinterest. Trump outsourced the staffing of his White House to the Koch-soaked Mike Pence and his agenda to congressional Republicans. The question, then, is whether the dissonance of his administration represents an inevitability of Republican Party politics or simply a lag between Trump demonstrating the bases prioritization of ethnonationalist resentment and a politician who will both win and govern on those terms.

This is the central unanswered question of Hacker and Piersons book: If you cut the plutocrats out of the party, either because bigotry drove them out or campaign finance reform neutered them or the Ayn Rand rapture ascended them, would their absence lead to a Republican Party that moderates on economics and eases off the ethnonationalism, or would it lead to a Republican Party that moderates on economics so it can more effectively pursue social division? Put differently, do you get 2000-era John McCain or 2020-era Tucker Carlson? I suspect the latter.

Hacker and Pierson admit they are assessing the GOP as an elite-led institution, and quite often, thats probably the right way to look at it. But they end up virtually ignoring the power that Republican voters actually hold and, when they are sufficiently offended, wield.

Bush and Rubio and Christie were humiliated in 2016. GOP-led efforts at immigration reform failed in 2007 and 2013. Majority Leader Eric Cantor was deposed by Rep. Dave Brat. The Republican autopsy, which recommended that the GOP become more racially and generationally inclusive, was ignored. At key moments, Fox News tried to support immigration reform and deflate Trump, and it lost those fights and remade itself in Trumps image. There are lines even conservative media cant cross.

Hacker and Pierson marshal data showing the very rich are more economically conservative than the median voter, but also more socially liberal. As the GOP becomes more crudely identitarian, theres some evidence that its losing the economic elites who George W. Bush once called my base: Contributions from the Forbes 400 have been tipping toward the Democratic Party in recent decades, and theres reason to believe thats accelerated under Trump. Hillary Clinton won the countrys richest zip codes in 2016 a change from past Democratic performance while Trumps Electoral College win relied on gains among lower-income whites.

Hacker and Pierson dont assess the Democratic Party much in their book, but the future of plutocratic populism likely depends on the direction that coalition takes. Joe Bidens Democratic Party is a tent restive billionaires might feel comfortable in. Yes, theyll pay higher taxes, but theyll also receive competent protection from pandemics and wont have to explain away the white nationalists in their ranks. If Bernie Sanderss vision is the future of the Democratic Party, billionaires will remain in the Republican Party, where they are at least seen as allies.

The most chilling argument in Hacker and Piersons book is that Trumps rhetoric has focused us on the wrong authoritarian threat. The fear that he would entrench himself as an individual strongman has distracted from the reality that his party is insulating itself from democracy:

As their goals have become more extreme, Republicans and their organized allies have increasingly exploited long-standing but worsening vulnerabilities in our political system to lock in narrow priorities, even in the face of majority opposition. The specter we face is not just a strongman bending a party and our political institutions to his will; it is also a minority faction entrenching itself in power, beyond the ambitions and careers of any individual leader. Whether Trump can break through the barriers against autocracy, he and his partywith plutocratic and right-wing backingare breaking majoritarian democracy.

A useful thought experiment in American politics is simply to imagine what would happen if the system worked the way we tend to tell our children it works: Whoever wins the most votes wins the election. In that case, George W. Bush would never have passed his tax cuts nor made his Supreme Court nominations, and neither would Donald Trump. The Republican Party would likely have had to moderate its approach on both economics and social and racial issues, as thered be no viable path forward that combines an economic agenda that repels most voters and a social agenda that offends the rising demographic majority. As Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said in 2012, before becoming first Trumps most slashing critic and then one of his most sycophantic defenders, Were not generating enough angry white guys to stay in business for the long term.

As I argue in my book on polarization, which similarly ends with a call for democratization, if Trump had won exactly as many votes in 2016 but lost the election because of it, he and his followers would be blamed for blowing a clearly winnable contest and handing the Supreme Court to the Democrats for a generation. In that world, the toxic tendencies he represents would be weakened, and the Republican Party, having lost three presidential elections in a row, would have been far likelier to reform itself. Its ability to keep traveling the path of plutocratic populism stems entirely from the minoritarian possibilities embedded in Americas political institutions.

As Hacker and Pierson show, this is a point of true convergence between the identitarians and the plutocrats: Both have lost confidence that they can win elections democratically, so they have sought to rewrite the rules in their favor. What hold on power they retain comes from the way American politics amplifies the power of whiter, more rural, more conservative areas and thats given the conservative coalition a closing window in which to rig the system such that they can retain control.

America does not exist in a steady state of tension between majoritarian and minoritarian institutions. Those institutions can be changed, and they are being changed. A party in power can rewrite the rules in its own favor, and the Republican Party, at every level, is trying to do just that using power won through white identity politics and geographic advantage, but deploying strategies patiently funded by plutocrats. As Hacker and Pierson write:

Recent GOP moves in North Carolina show whats possible in a closely balanced state. Republicans first took the statehouse in 2010. They quickly enlisted the leading Republican architect of extreme partisan gerrymanders, Thomas Hofeller. A mostly anonymous figure until his death in 2018, Hofeller liked to describe gerrymandering as the only legalized form of vote-stealing left in the United States. He once told an audience of state legislators, Redistricting is like an election in reverse. Its a great event. Usually the voters get to pick the politicians. In redistricting, the politicians get to pick the voters. In 2018, North Carolina Republicans won their election in reverse, keeping hold of the statehouse even while losing the statewide popular vote. In North Carolinas races for the US House, Republicans won half the statewide votes and 77 percent of the seats. A global elections watchdog ranked North Carolinas electoral integrity alongside that of Cuba, Indonesia, and Sierra Leone.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has sought to reword the census so Hispanics fear filling it out, in the hope that the political representation theyd normally receive flows to white, Republican voters instead. So far, the White House has been too clumsily explicit about the aims of this strategy for courts to clear it, but thats a mistake that can easily be remedied by savvier successors.

Hacker and Pierson argue that the conservative dilemma matters because conservative parties matter. History shows that democratic systems thrive amid responsible conservative parties parties that make their peace with democracy and build agendas that can successfully compete for votes and they collapse when conservative parties back themselves into defending constituencies and agendas so narrow that their only path to victory is to rig the system in their favor.

This is the cliff on which American democracy now teeters. The threat isnt that Donald Trump will carve his face onto Mount Rushmore and engrave his name across the White House. Its that the awkward coalition that nominated and sustains him will entrench itself, not their bumbling standard-bearer, by turning America into a government by the ethnonationalist minority, for the plutocratic minority.

I spoke with Hacker and Pierson about their book, and the questions it raised for me, on my podcast, The Ezra Klein Show. Listen here, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods.

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Conservative Theologically, but Liberal Politically | Gene Veith – Patheos

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In the United States, if you are conservative theologically, you will tend to be conservative politically. Thats certainly the case with me. But it doesnt have to be that way.

Growing up in the Bible belt of rural Oklahoma, I knew lots of fundamentalists and evangelicals, all of whom were New Deal liberal Democrats. I dont think I had ever met a Republican until college, a party I was brought up to associate with virtue of selfishness atheists like Ayn Rand.

What happened to make Oklahoma and evangelicals in general rock-ribbed Republican, as is the case today? Well, the Sixties happened, with the counter culture, the various liberation movements, and radical politics. Conservative Christians no longer felt at home in the Democratic party. Roe v. Wade happened. Conservative Christians saw in the liberals who championed abortion a great moral evil. Ronald Reagan happened. His coalition gave conservative Christians a place at the table. In this climate, conservative Christians learned more about conservative politics and free market economics and made themselves at home.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the alliance of conservative religion and progressive politics had long manifested itself in the Christian Democracy movement.The evangelicals and confessional Lutherans I have met in Scandinavia tend to belong to the Christian Democratic Party and, as such, are pro-national health care, pro-immigrant, and pro-other social programs.

Ive recently read two articles on this movement and its impact in Europe. To be sure, the specific Christian Democracy parties have become less distinctly Christian as they used to be, in line with the secularization of Europe. But not completely. The Finnish medical doctor and member of parliament Pivi Rsnen, who got herself in legal trouble for writing against the LGBT agenda, is a Christian Democrat. (Probably the most well-known Christian Democrat today is Germanys president Angela Merkel.)

Michel Gurfinkiel has just published a history of Christian Democracyin Europe for First Things,including its rise and then its fall into secularism.

And Texas A&M political scientist James Rogers, a Lutheran Christian (LCMS), has published Lessons for America from Europes Christian Democracy.

It is evident from these articles that orthodox Christians working through these parties played a huge role in the construction of modern Europe. They promoted democracy and liberty in countries long controlled by monarchies and the aristocracy. And the democratic governments they established had as a purpose promoting the common good, giving rise to universal health care and the other social benefits of the so-called welfare state.

Prof. Rogers uses the example of the Christian Democrats to challenge common criticisms of religion in the public square. Contrary to the critics, the history and influence of Christian Democracy shows that the influence of Christianity is not illiberalthat is, opposed to freedombut quite the contrary:

Contrary to the common liberal conceit, however, not only is serious (and orthodox) religious belief consistent with robust forms of liberal polity, one can argue that liberal polities can flourish only in societies that embrace Christian absolutes. Conversely, a liberalism that rejects metaphysical absolutes has rejected the very grounds that sustain liberalism.

At the very least, it is spurious to claim that commitment to religious tolerance, and liberty more generally, can derive only from anti-foundationalism or some pragmaticmodus vivendibetween conflicting religious parties.

Prof. Rogers then raises the question of why a Christian Democratic movement didnt arise in the United States. The reason, he provocatively argues, is baptism.

Christian Democracy arose in Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist countries, in churches that all practice infant baptism. If Christians are those who have been baptized, countries in which nearly everyone is baptized can be considered a Christian nation, so that Christian concepts can be promoted for the entire country. In America, where evangelicalism reigns, a Christian is someone who has converted as an adult, so that most people cannot really be considered Christians at all. This promotes an individualistic approach to religion, which undercuts the possibility of social solidarity. As a result, American Christians tend to be attracted to the individual autonomy of free market, limited government conservatism.

According to Prof. Rogers,

The central political feature of Christian Democracy is its recognition thatbothfreedom and solidarity are essential to human flourishing. This recognition in turns derives from Christianitys essential sacramental core. It derives from the both/and of individual identity and corporate identity created by and reflected in baptism and the Eucharist. Without this sacramental and ecclesial center, there is no image for the polity to reflect, and ideologies resolve into the one or the other: the anomie of individualism or the despotism of collectivism.

I am greatly intrigued by his analysis, but I would add some considerations. Conservatism means different things in Europe and in the United States. The question is always, what do you want to conserve?

In Europe, to be conservative historically has meant supporting the monarchy, with its strong central government and elitism. In the United States, conservatives want to conserve Constitutional government, with its limited government, equality, individual rights, and freedom.

By the same token, liberalism means something different in the two contexts. In Europe, liberal, which again derives from the Latin word for freedom, means free market economics and liberty in general. Which is why the Liberal Party in Australia is actually what Americans would describe as the conservative party. Whereas in the United States, liberal has come to mean progressivism, openness to change of every sort, and left-leaning ideologies. Including, ironically, support for strong central governments and opposition to free market capitalism. Which in Europe would imply conservatism.

There is, by the way, a third-party calledthe American Solidarity Partythat is committed to Christian Democracy ideology.

But, given the different definitions of both conservative and liberal, American Christian conservatives are arguably not that different from European Christian liberals.

Illustration: Logo of the Italian Christian Democratic Party by Danrolo / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) via Wikimedia Commons

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Conservative Theologically, but Liberal Politically | Gene Veith - Patheos

Who is Jonathan Swan, the reporter who grilled Trump? And what do kangaroos have to do with it? – The Guardian

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Michael, I couldnt help but notice the reporter grilling president Donald Trump in the White House this week had a peculiar accent. Is he one of yours?

Hi Matthew! Very perceptive of you. The Axios reporter with the furrowed brow and comically perplexed expression is Jonathan Swan, a former Sydney Morning Herald journalist. After making his name as a political reporter here in Australia, Swan moved to the US in 2014 to work as a Congressional aide as part of an academic fellowship. Since then hes worked as a reporter at the Hill before moving to Axios in 2016. Since the Trump interview he has become a hugely popular meme thanks to his quizzical response to the presidents insistence the US was doing better than any other country in tackling Covid-19.

So hes sort of adopted the US as his home country. Has he ever been involved in any particularly Australian stories?

Here in Australia, Swan is best remembered for his scoops about politicians abusing their parliamentary entitlements. Oh, and a story about a senator throwing kangaroo faeces at his brother.

Sorry, what?

The kangaroo poo story. You dont know about it?

No

Weird! Well, in 2013, thanks to a bizarre trick of electoral maths, a bunch of candidates from so-called micro parties found themselves elected to the Australian Senate despite receiving a minuscule number of votes. One of those lucky few was Ricky Muir, a candidate for the Motoring Enthusiasts party. While the rest of the country was still figuring out how the hell it had happened, Swan went digging into Muirs past and unearthed a video of the soon-to-be senator running around a campsite hurling kangaroo faeces at his brother while laughing hysterically.

Not all his stories were so, um, faecal, though. In 2014 Swan was awarded the prestigious Wallace Brown young achiever award for journalism after a string of scoops about the questionable use of taxpayer funds by politicians, which led to an overhaul of the rules governing parliamentary entitlements and expenses.

So, sounds as though he was well prepared for interviewing our president.

It certainly seems like it. Things didnt go so well the last time he interviewed Trump, though. Swan faced a ferocious backlash in 2018 and was labelled a bootlicker and called grotesque for the way he handled the presidents admission that he wanted to end automatic citizenship for immigrant children born in the US. In the interview, Swan smiled widely as Trump confirmed the news, and, as the New York Times put it, his tone-deaf delivery on Twitter (excited to share) left him open to criticism that he favours access over accountability. Despite landing a string of exclusives, including being the first to reveal the US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, Swan was pigeonholed as the kind of inside-the-beltway reporter who cares more about the scoop than the audience.

This time, though, he treated Trump respectfully without bowing down as youd treat a friend who decides theyre a libertarian after reading Ayn Rand. His running commentary (what manuals?, who are you talking about?) felt like an echo of my own internal monologue whenever I listen to that guy.

Swans big insider guy energy seemed to help this time around. To me, the whole interview felt a little bit like being a fly on the wall in the kind of on background conversations journalists have all the time with sources. Swan is not a TV host, so his delivery was sort of ambling and chatty, which seemed to help. He pushed back, but he also got on Trumps level and gave the president all the rope he needed.

But, OK, lets get to the serious stuff. Is Jonathan Swan his real name? He sounds like an 18th-century poet or a 90s heartthrob.

Its real! In fact, hes from a famous line of Australian journalist Swans. His father, Norman Swan, is a physician and health reporter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and is a celebrity in his own right. Norman has become ubiquitous during the pandemic, hosting a wildly popular podcast and showing up on our televisions to explain important subjects such as why we should wear face masks and whether our farts can spread Covid-19.

OK. Im starting to get a weird vibe from your countrys news cycle.

Right back at you!

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Who is Jonathan Swan, the reporter who grilled Trump? And what do kangaroos have to do with it? - The Guardian

Global Lactoferrin Market, Forecast to 2026 with Profiles of NOW Foods, Jarrow Formulas, and Life Extension Among Others – PRNewswire

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DUBLIN, Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Lactoferrin Market Size, By Product, By Application, Sales Channel, By Region, Trend Analysis, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The increasing consciousness amid consumers concerning health and diet, along with the rising prevalence of skin-related health circumstances, is predictable to boost the demand. Lactoferrin is alleged to have antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, catalytic, and anti-allergic functions and properties, which is predicted to drive the product demand from pharmaceutical and personal care industries.

The acne cure market is also consequently predictable to see healthy development during the estimated period. Numerous clinical trials have proven the capability of lactoferrin to treat acne and other such skin disorders efficiently.

Due to its anti-provocative properties, lactoferrin eliminates the main food foundation for pathogens by nullifying its contributors. Increasing consumer consciousness towards gut fitness, joined with the increasing demand of lactoferrin to avoid bad-tempered bowel drive and bloating and reduces colonic inflammation, is expected to boost this section's request for the prediction period. Consumer consciousness due to product advertising creativities taken by brand owners coupled with an inclination toward organic products with minimum side effects and higher efficiency is probable to additional boost the demand.

Rising health awareness among consumers is a significant cause driving the development of the lactoferrin addition market as lactoferrin controls iron metabolism, acts as an antibacterial agent, has antioxidant properties and thus, helps in refining immunity. Besides, there has been a growth in the request for sports diet products due to the growing fitness trend among youths, which is likely to drive the lactoferrin addition market as lactoferrin offers nourishing value and is easy to eat.

The Asia-Pacific developed as the leading regional section in 2019. China, India, and Japan were found to be the most important local markets for the product. This important share of Asia Pacific can be attributed to the growing spending volume of the consumers. The presence of a major consumer base in these countries, along with increasing birth rates among the population, is anticipated to create development opportunities.

Growth Drivers

Rising Awareness Amongst Consumers Regarding Health and Diet

The increasing awareness amongst consumers regarding health and diet, along with the rising prevalence of skin-related health conditions, is predictable to increase the request. Lactoferrin is assumed to have catalytic, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-parasitic, and anti-allergic functions and properties, which is expected to drive the product demand from pharmaceutical and personal care industries.

The acne treatment market is also consequently expected to witness strong development during the prediction period. Numerous clinical trials have proven the capability of lactoferrin to efficiently treat acne and other such skin circumstances.

Strong Growth Potential in the Developing Countries

The consumer's fondness for cosmeceutical products that syndicate cosmetic and pharmaceutical features, such as acne conduct and anti-aging, is increasingly becoming famous and is projected to see growth at 10%-20% per annum in the Asia-Pacific region. Personal care is the primary market in China, Australia, and India. Lactoferrin is expected to record a surging demand in acne care products.

Lactoferrin, combined with vitamin A and zinc, acts as a critical ingredient for mild to moderate acne. Dairy proteins are measured the most significant foundations of bioactive peptide. There has been a growth in the usage of these peptides in various sports nourishment and nutraceuticals, due to the rise in mindfulness on numerous health issues, along with rising people and growing disposable income.

Key Topics Covered

1. Research Framework

2. Research Methodology

3. Executive Summary

4. Global Lactoferrin Industry Insights4.1. Industry Value Chain Analysis4.2. DROC Analysis4.2.1. Growth Drivers4.2.2. Restraint4.2.3. Opportunities4.2.4. Challenges4.3. Technological Landscape/Recent Development4.4. Regulatory Framework4.5. Company Market Share Analysis, 20194.6. Porter's Five Forces Analysis4.7. Impact of COVID-19

5. Global Lactoferrin Market Overview5.1. Market Size & Forecast by Value, 2016-20265.1.1. By Value (USD Million)5.2. Market Share & Forecast5.2.1. By Product5.2.1.1. Spray Dried Powder5.2.1.2. Freeze-Dried Powder5.2.2. By Application5.2.2.1. Food & Beverage5.2.2.2. Personal care products5.2.3. By Sales Channel5.2.3.1. Direct Sales5.2.3.2. Indirect Sales5.2.4. By Region 5.2.4.1. North America5.2.4.2. Europe5.2.4.3. Asia-Pacific5.2.4.4. Latin America5.2.4.5. Middle East & Africa

6. North America Lactoferrin Market

7. Europe Lactoferrin Market

8. Asia-Pacific Lactoferrin Market

9. Latin America Lactoferrin Market

10. Middle East & Africa Lactoferrin Market

11. Company Profiles11.1. NOW Foods11.2. Jarrow Formulas11.3. Life Extension11.4. Fonterra Cooperative Group11.5. Glanbia Nutritionals11.6. Synlait Milk Ltd.11.7. Metagenics, Inc.11.8. Naturade11.9. Ingredia SA11.10. Agennix Inc.11.11. Morinaga Milk Industry Co. Ltd.11.12. Other Prominent Players

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/d8jcpk

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

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

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Global Lactoferrin Market, Forecast to 2026 with Profiles of NOW Foods, Jarrow Formulas, and Life Extension Among Others - PRNewswire

Why Silicon Valley Execs Are Investing Billions to Stay Young – Robb Report

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Entrepreneur Dave Aspreys end-of-life plans are quite simple, really, even if some of his ambitions sound laughably optimistic to most of us.I want to die at a time and by a method of my own choosing, and keep doing awesome things until that day, he tells me. I dont think its outrageous to believe Ill make it to 180 years old. And if I run out of energy, itll just be because I did too much cool shit for my own good.

Asprey is strolling across his lush property in British Columbia, holding up his phone and pointing out the specimens in this years garden as we chat over Zoom in the midst of the global pandemic. Hes protecting his skin from the sun with a goofy Outdoor Research hat and wearing a long string of beads that he says are each over a hundred years old, from cultures around the world.

Asprey, 48, is the founder of the Bulletproof wellness empire and a vocal champion of the movement to extend human life expectancy beyond 100 years. Hes made millions by experimenting on his own body and packaging his home-brewed discoveries into books, a podcast, consulting services and consumer products (you may have even tried his butter-laced coffee). Asprey, who was a web-security executive before he became the Bulletproof Executive, is just one of a cadre of tech elite who have begun directing their attentionand truckloads of moneytoward the problem of life extension. Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, Sergey Brin, Larry Ellisonname a Silicon Valley A-lister and he or she is likely funding longevity research, experimenting with anti-aging interventions or both. These are the masters of the universe who see no reason they cant take the tech industrys optimization obsession and apply it to the ultimate challenge: conquering death itself.

And their efforts appear to be paying off: Thanks to a recent explosion of advances in longevity medicine, Aspreys vision of living healthfully into his second century might not be so crazy. In fact, for people in middle age right now, a handful of therapies in clinical trials have the potential, for the first time in human history, to radically transform what old age looks like. If the life extensionists are right, a person whos 40 today might reasonably expect to still be downhill skiing, running a 10K or playing singles tennis at 100.

Dave AspreyDave Asprey

If you do anti-aging right, Asprey insists, youll have a level of resilience and energy to fight what comes your way. If you get Covid-19, youre less likely to become very sick. The idea is that at a cellular level, youre making yourself very hard to kill.

The most extreme of the controversial interventions Asprey has undergone involved having stem cells extracted from his own bone marrow and fat and then injected into hundreds of locations on his body. Into every joint, between every vertebra and into my cerebrospinal fluid, face and sex organs, he tells me cheerfully. For what I spent on that, I could have bought a really nicely appointed Tesla.

He trots up a flight of stairs to his home office, which sits above a million-dollar lab filled with health gadgets, such as a cryochamber, a hypoxic trainer and an AI-enabled stationary bike. For a wealthy person, investing in your body should be a major part of your Im rich strategy, he explains. Personally, I think you should be spending at least 2 to 3 percent of your net worth on health and longevity. Get a personal chef who can cook you the right food. Its not that hard.

It might be an exaggeration to say BioViva CEO Liz Parrish believes death is optional, but for her, Aspreys goal of living to 180 shows a distinct lack of ambition. If you can reach homeostasis in the body, Parrish says, where its regenerating itself just a little bit faster than its degrading, then what do you die of? An accident or natural disaster, probably. Theres no expiration date at 90 or 100 years old.

Tall, blond and fit, Parrish cuts a strikingly youthful figure at 49one that might convince you to order whatever shes having. But, like Asprey, she has received criticism from the longevity research community for becoming patient zero in her own experimental drug trial, aimed at halting aging at the cellular level. In 2015, Parrish underwent telomerase and follistatin gene therapies in Bogota, Colombia. The procedures involved receiving around a hundred injections of a cocktail of genes and a virus modified to deliver those new genes into her bodys cells. The objective was to prevent age-related muscle loss and lengthen her telomeres: the caps at the end of our chromosomes. Scientists have identified their unraveling as not only a marker of aging but also a potential cause of age-related decline.

Liz ParrishLiz Parrish

Parrish told the media about her clandestine experiment and has published periodic updates on her condition in the five years since, and she reports that she has indeed increased her muscle mass and lengthened her telomeres. Parrishs punk-rock approach stems from her conviction that the medical-research communityboth the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and researchers who arent business-mindedis moving too slowly, with too much red tape, when it comes to advancing aging therapeutics. But gene therapy is a relatively new area of medicine that brings with it a host of new risks, including cancer, severe immune reactions and infections caused by the viral vector used to deliver the drug.

Parrish downplays such worries. There may be risks, she tells Robb Report. But the known risk is that youre 100 percent likely to die. So you have to decide for yourself if the potential benefit outweighs that.

Humans have always aspired to find the fountain of youth, so people might be skeptical about the fact that anti-aging technologies are working now, says British investor and businessman Jim Mellon. But the fact is that this is finally happening, and we need to seize the moment. Mellon cofounded Juvenescence, a three-year-old pharmaceutical company thats investing in multiple technologies simultaneously to increase the odds of bringing winning products to market.

Mellon, 63, has made his fortune betting on well-timed investment opportunities, and he predicts that a new stock-market mania for life extension is just around the corner. This is like the internet dial-up phase of longevity biotech, he enthuses. If youd invested in the internet in the very early days, youd be one of the richest people on the planet. Were at that stage now, so the opportunity for investors is huge. According to a report by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, hes not wrong: The market for technologies to increase human life span is projected to grow sixfold to $610 billion in just the next five years.

When I talk to Mellon in the late spring, hes sequestered on the rugged coast of the Isle of Man, a tiny spit of land in the Irish Sea. Despite being what he describes as imprisoned there for 15 weeksand countingduring the Covid-19 shutdown, hes jovial and chatty and wants to make it clear that his interest in life extension is much more than financial. Working to extend life is an ethical cause, he says. If we can help people to live healthfully until the end of life, well transform the world completely. Well reduce a huge amount of pressure on failing health-care systems, and well have to reimagine pension and life insurance. This should be the number-one tick in anyones investment portfolio.

If youd like to get on board with this social-impact view of longevity, it helps to understand the trajectory of aging today. In Americas most affluent neighborhoods, the average life span is about 88 years. (Meanwhile, in this countrys poorest, it hovers around a meager 66 because of a raft of inequalities, such as diet, stress, smoking, pollution and health care.) For most people, health starts gradually diminishing in the last 15 years of life with the onset of chronic conditions, including arthritis, neurodegeneration and diabetes. If we could eliminate such diseases of aging, experts say, the US could save an estimated $7.1 trillion in health-care costs over the next 50 years. (Quite where all these sprightly centenarians might live on this already densely populated planet remains to be seen.)

Jim MellonEric Verdin

One of Mellons bets is on a class of drugs called senolytics, which destroy senescent cells: the so-called zombie cells that, for complex reasons, stop dividing as we age. Senescent cells harm the body by secreting compounds that cause inflammation in surrounding tissues. Many age-related conditionsarthritis, diabetes, Alzheimers, cancerhave an inflammatory component, and studies suggest that a buildup of senescent cells is a large part of the problem.

A number of biotech start-ups are devel- oping drugs that target cell senescence, but the furthest along is Unity Biotechnology, a company in South San Francisco that has three drugs in clinical trials to address aging conditions, starting with osteoar- thritis of the knee. Unity raised more than $200 million from such big names as Thiel and Bezos, who chipped in through their investment firms, before going public in 2018. Since then, Mellon has also bought a small stake.

The holy grail of senolytics will be the development of a preventive therapy to wipe out senescent cells in the body before they cause conditions of aging, theoretically extending life span. In June, a team from Sloan Kettering published new breakthrough research showing that CAR T cellstypically used for precision cancer therapycan also be used to target and kill senescent cells. Prescription senolytics for anti-aging therapy are still years away, but unsurprisingly, theres an audience of longevity enthusiasts who want to access such anti-aging miracles yesterdayand no shortage of FDA-unapproved ways to chase after them. For instance, after a few studies examined the senolytic effects of a chemotherapy drug called dasatinib, the website FightAging.org published a step-by-step guide to senolytic self-experimentation using chemotherapeutics.

It doesnt take a Ph.D. in biochemistry to guess that taking off-label chemo drugs might come with harmful side effects, but that hasnt stopped a zealous group of body-hackers from trying it themselves and chronicling their efforts online. The internet is littered with novice longevity adviceand sketchy anti-aging companies eager to separate the hopeful and desperate from their money, like the company that charges $8,000 for transfusions of plasma from the blood of teenagers and early-twentysomethings (yes, just like Gavin Belson on HBOs Silicon Valley). Many of these are at best ineffective and at worst deadly, since the same cellular systems that fuel growth in young people might cause cancer when tipped into overdrive. Imagine the tragic irony of paying tens of thousands for a therapy that promises to help you live longer but actually causes the cancer that kills you.

Adobe

Beyond the obvious red flags of repurposed chemo drugs and the bloodletting of teens, it can be difficult for a layperson to separate the world-changing longevity breakthroughs from the terrible ideas. Enter one of the worlds leading experts on longevity to help make sense of things.

Eric Verdin, 63, is president and CEO of the Buck Institute, a globally renowned center for aging research just outside San Francisco in Marin County. Verdin is bullish on the promise of living healthfully to at least 100. Today. But 180? Dont count on it. My prediction, based on everything we know today, is that getting to 120 is about the best we can do for the foreseeable future. Ill bet my house were not going to see anyone live to 180 for another 200 years, if ever, he says. But making everyone a healthy centenarian, this is something we can do today. And thats something to be excited about.

Verdins own lab at the Buck Institute studies the aging immune system and how its affected by lifestyle factors, such as nutrition and exercise. Informed by this research, Verdin follows a time-restricted diet in which he eats all of his meals in an eight-to-nine-hour window (similar to the Buchinger Wilhelmi process) and gets plenty of exercise mountain biking in Marins steep hills. The good news is that over 90 percent of what causes diseases of aging is environmental, and that means its within your control, he says.

But he emphasizes that responsible management of your health comes with limits, like avoiding experimental therapies. A group of people have decided to try some expensive and dangerous interventions, but there is zero evidence that any of these are going to help them live longer, he says. The problem, according to Verdin, is that the results of aging interventions in mouse trials can look very promising but rarely translate to success in humans. Theres a huge delta between the health of a stressed lab mouse and an optimally healthy mouse, Verdin says. So when you treat lab mice with longevity therapeutics, you see an outsized result that doesnt at all guarantee the same result in humans.

On the other hand, Verdin tells Robb Report, there are definitely new protocols worth getting excited about. Take, for instance, rapalogs, a class of drugs that interact with a protein called mTOR, which serves as a linchpin for multiple critical biological processes, including cell growth and metabolism. Rapalog drugs tamp down mTOR, possibly preventing age-related diseases such as diabetes, stroke and some cancers. The drug rapamycin, the most heavily studied formula, was approved in the US in 1999 to help prevent organ-transplant rejection. Last year the medical journal Aging published a rapturous opinion piece by oncologist Mikhail Blagosklonny in which he made the case that rapamycinin small or intermittent dosesis effective as a preventive treatment to ward off diseases of aging, and that, in the elderly, not taking rapamycin may be even more dangerous than smoking.

Eric VerdinJim Hughes Photography

Later this year, a biotech firm called resTORbio, which was spun out of the Swiss-based Big Pharma company Novartis in 2017, is expected to seek FDA approval for its rapalog RTB101, which clinical trials have shown to slow age-related decline of the immune system and improve immune response in elderly people by more than 20 percent, a key factor in protecting vulnerable aging populations from disease. (It is currently in trials on elderly patients with Covid-19.) This is the furthest-along program of anything in the aging field, Joan Mannick, cofounder and chief medical officer of resTORbio, told MIT Technology Review last year. If health authorities approve this drug well have a product for people to prevent age-related diseases. Not just in our lifetime, but in, you know, a few years.

One of the many effects of rapamycin is that it mimics the mechanisms of calorie restriction. As Verdins lab and others have shown, fasting provides a number of anti-aging benefits, including insulin regulation, reduced inflammation and, to put it colloquially, clearing out the gunky by-products of metabolismpart of the reason Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and other tech titans eat just a few meals per week. For lesser mortals, fasting is extremely hard to commit to and not much fun, hence the huge interest in calorie-restriction mimetics like rapamycin, which provide all the benefits without the downer not-eating part.

Of all the calorie-restriction mimetics, the one sparking the most excitement among longevity researchers is already on the market: metformin, a decades-old diabetes drug. Metformin became a part of the Silicon Valley health regimen several years ago after an epidemiological study showed that Type 2 diabetics who took the drug lived longer than non-diabetics who didnt. Just about everyone in the longevity industry takes metformin, Verdin tells me. He takes it himself, and nearly everybody I interviewed is taking or has taken it, too.

In April, Nir Barzilai, the renowned endocrinologist who spearheaded research on the anti-aging properties of metformin, announced in an opinion piece he co-authored in the journal Cell Metabolism that his lab is launching a large clinical trial to investigate the anti-aging effects of the drug on non-diabetic populations. Barzilais goal is to prove to the FDA that aging itselfrather than conditions associated with it, like Alzheimers and arthritiscan be targeted as a disease. If Barzilai is successful and the FDA approves aging as a treatment indication, the process of bringing longevity therapies to market would accelerate rapidly.

Just as the FDA was able to move faster to bring Covid-19 therapies to market this year, we will reach a tipping point when public opinion pushes the FDA to approve aging as an indication, and the longevity-research field will make leaps as a result, Mellon says. He has contributed funding to Barzilais metformin research, which he believes will be instrumental in proving that there are compounds that can extend human life across the board.

The fact of the matter is that the US has the best regulatory system for new drug development in the world, Mellon says. Were in the first era ever when humans can be bioengineered to live longer. And in 10 years, well have solutions that are even better than today. Just wait, its coming.

Liz Parrish

Jim Mellon

Diet:Vegetarian.Mindfulness practice:Nightly meditation.

Exercise regimen:30 minutes of cardio and 10 minutes of weights,five days a week.

Anti-aging Rx:Regenerative gene therapies. Im certain most peoplewill take them in the next couple decades.

180th-birthday wish:Solving another critical issue.

Sleep routine:7.5 hours plus a 30-minute nap; in bed by 9 p.m.

Vitamins/supplements/ prescription meds:Vitamins D and B12, metformin.

Exercise regimen:Walk or run minimum 10,000 steps a day;weights three times week.

Anti-aging Rx:Green tea.

100th-birthday wish:Another 25 years.

Dave Asprey

Jim Hughes Photography

180th-birthday wish:Either a cruise to Mars or a 1970 Mustang Fastback,which by then will be 210 years old!

Sleep Routine:Avoid: coffee after 2 p.m., heavy workouts after 6 p.m.,alcohol during the week and heavy eating in the evening.

Vitamins/supplements:Vitamin D, omega fatty acids, NMN, citrus bioflavonoidcomplex, fiber supplement, prebiotic supplement.

Diet:Fasting-mimicking diet once every four to six months;roughly 16:8 intermittent fasting at other times.

Mindfulness practice:Daily meditation.

Anti-aging Rx:I love cooking and eating, so I do not restrict foodon the weekend. Happiness with friends and family is thesurest path to longevity.

100th-birthday wish:A bike tour across the US, from coast to coast.

Originally posted here:

Why Silicon Valley Execs Are Investing Billions to Stay Young - Robb Report

After the harvest – The Indian Express

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By: Editorial | Updated: August 11, 2020 4:22:22 amIn the US postal system, there is no room for Putin or Guccifer 2.0, and no possibility of a man in the middle attack.

After having issued ordinances removing stockholding restrictions on major foodstuffs and dismantling the monopoly of regulated mandis in the trading of farm produce, the Narendra Modi government has launched a new Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. A financing facility for setting up warehousing, cold chain, processing and other post-harvest management infrastructure, it provides an interest subvention of 3 per cent on loans of up to Rs 2 crore for a maximum seven-year period. The borrowers are mainly to be farmer producer organisations and primary agricultural cooperative societies, with a targeted disbursement of Rs 1 lakh crore over the current and next three fiscals. In order to make it attractive for banks, the loans would also have government-backed credit coverage against defaults. All in all, a good scheme at least on paper. No one can doubt the need for investments in produce shelf life extension and value addition. Also, there can be nothing better than this infrastructure coming up closer to farms and established farmer-owned institutions, thereby complementing the recent reforms that essentially aim at improving producers realisations and their share in the consumers rupee.

But theres a need to temper expectations. To start with, organisations such as the National Horticultural Board are already providing credit-linked subsidy on capital investments in pre-cooling units, controlled/modified atmosphere cold stores, reefer vans, ripening/curing chambers and other such post-harvest infrastructure. There is no dearth today of cold stores in potatoes, just as a lot of storage capacity, including low-cost scientifically-built on-farm structures, has been created for onions under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. So why one more scheme, is a natural question to ask. If at all, it would make sense to merge all existing schemes with the new fund so as to better leverage government money.

Secondly, cold chains and agro-processing cannot be a panacea. More than three-fourths of Indias sugarcane crop is processed by mills. Organised dairies, likewise, handle nearly a quarter of the officially-estimated milk production. Many have even installed bulk coolers allowing milk to be chilled at source in the village collection centres itself. But all that hasnt solved the problem of cane payment arrears or stopped the current crash in milk procurement prices. The same goes for onions and potatoes. Being able to store certainly enables farmers to harvest their crop, say, in March and make staggered sales till November to take advantage of higher off-season rates. But again, it has not ended price volatility that ultimately benefits neither producers nor consumers. The focus of policymakers during the first 40 years after Independence was raising farm production. In the subsequent two decades, they started paying more attention to agro-processing. The next revolution, especially in todays age of surplus, should be in crop planning and information dissemination to help farmers better align their production decisions what to grow and how much to market demand.

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After the harvest - The Indian Express

Treating Our Shared World as an Extension of Our Homes – The New York Times

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Welcome. The At Home team got a lovely email recently from a woman in Brooklyn who lives near Prospect Park. One of her pandemic activities, she reported, is to go to the park to collect trash. She walks in one direction, gloved and masked, picking up detritus and filling a plastic bag. Then she walks back across the fields shes made pristine. It looks clean, she wrote, and Im filled with happiness I can share by protecting this recreational area as a sanctuary during a pandemic.

Its worth giving that activity a try yourself this weekend, treating our shared, outside world as an extension of our own homes, places to care for and clean. I did with my kids, taking a long walk along a shoreline where people come to escape their hot apartments, to catch a breeze, to shoot the breeze. We managed three full garbage bags walking in one direction. And we thrilled to the beauty of our return journey, just as the letter writer did.

Life during the pandemic can be lonely, even if youre lucky enough to have a pod. Picking up garbage in public, amazingly enough, can help alleviate it. People called out thanks and kudos as we walked. Conversations abounded, of just the sort we used to fall into with strangers before the virus came, albeit at a distance, albeit with masks.

More good ideas for living a good life at home and near it appears below. Please write and tell us what else youd like to know about: athome@nytimes.com. And well try to be helpful to you, as this week a nice reader from Brooklyn was to us.

Sign up to receive the At Home newsletter. You can always find much more to read, watch and do every day on At Home. And let us know what you think!

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Treating Our Shared World as an Extension of Our Homes - The New York Times

EDF Energy prolongs outages at Dungeness and Hunterston units : Regulation & Safety – World Nuclear News

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07 August 2020

The restarts of three advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) units at EDF's Dungeness B and Hunterston B nuclear power plants in the UK have been postponed.

Dungeness Reactor 22 and Reactor 21 were taken offline, respectively, on 27 August and 19 September, 2018 - for pre-planned outages. During that work, EDF uncovered issues to do with the main steam line and then corrosion. In recent months attention has been focused on issues to do with the site's boilers.

Restart dates were 11 Septemberfor Reactor 22 and 21 Septemberfor Reactor 21, but these were re-forecast yesterday as 10 December for Reactor 22 and 20 Decemberfor Reactor 21.

Located in Kent, England, Dungeness B's two 520 MWe AGR reactors started up in 1983 and 1985, respectively. In 2015, EDFannounced a ten-year life extension for Dungeness B to 2028 as part of the company'sstrategy to keep its UK nuclear fleet in operation until at least 2023 - the yearthat its Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant - under construction in Somerset, England - was due to be commissioned. That commissioning date has since been moved to 2025 for the first of the plants two UK European pressurised water reactors.

John Benn, station director at Dungeness, said: "The team at Dungeness continues to work tirelessly to prepare the site for a return to operations. The issues identified early in this outage have been addressed, as part of our significant investment programme over the last two years. As more work has been done, further issues have surfaced that require further detailed analysis and engineering work. To enable this work to be done, and to givethe Office for Nuclear Regulation [ONR] sufficient time to consider its response, the decision has been made to push back our restart dates until mid-December."

Hunterston Reactor 3 and Reactor 4 were taken offline on 9 March and 3 October, 2018 to work on issues related to their graphite cores. Following the approval of a safety case with the ONR, Reactor 4 was returned to service on 25 August, 2019 until 10 December, 2019.

Hunterston Reactor 3 had been due to restart on 20 August, but that has now changed to 30 August. The restart date for Reactor 4 remains 17 September.

An EDF spokesman said: "The ONR is continuing its assessment into the Hunterston B return to service case, using the information EDF has provided after extensive rounds of modelling and analysis. In the last few years, EDF has invested over GBP200 million in understanding the likely impacts on the graphite reactor under a range of worse case scenarios, including up to a 1 in 10,000 year seismic event, much larger than the UK has ever experienced. We remain confident that we would be able to shut down the reactor in all such scenarios."

Hunterston Reactor 3 (also known as B-7) and Hunterston Reactor 4 (B-8) were taken offline when cracks were found during routine inspections. EDF has said it still expects Hunterston, which is in North Ayrshire, Scotland, to close in 2023. The 475 MWe and 485 MWe reactors began operations in 1976 and 1977.

The reactor cores of all 14 AGRsin the UK are made up of graphite bricks. Channels run through these bricks for nuclear fuel, and also for control rods which can stop the nuclear reaction if needed. This graphite was always expected to change over time. How it ages is one factor which will determine how long Britain's AGRs will operate.

EDF Energy publishesupdates to its plant outage schedules here.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

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EDF Energy prolongs outages at Dungeness and Hunterston units : Regulation & Safety - World Nuclear News

New Project: Benefit/Cost of Applying a Higher Asphalt Film Thickness vs. Doing a Chip Seal at One Year – Crossroads – A Minnesota Transportation…

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In Minnesota, reducing the effects of oxidation is a continuous challenge.

In a new study, funded by the Local Road Research Board, researchers will compare the effectiveness of two different methods: applying a surface treatment (typically a fog or chip seal) and increasing the asphalt film thickness during original construction.

The purpose of this study is to provide recommendations for keeping the pavement structure as moisture resistant as possible for the least amount of cost.

Required minimum asphalt film thickness (AFT) is an important parameter when assessing the long-term durability of an asphalt mixture. Research shows higher film thicknesses create more durable mixtures. Minnesota specifications require a minimum AFT for mixture design acceptance. If the ATF is below acceptable limits during production, large payment reductions or orders to remove and replace may result.

Pavement preservation treatments are gaining momentum as cost-effective ways of enhancing pavement life. To prevent deterioration of pavements, chip seals are a proven preservation method and have been widely used in Minnesota.

A Minnesota study estimated that a chip seal placed at the time of construction will be cost-effective if pavement life is extended by approximately 0.45 years (Wilde et al. 2014). Typical life extension for chip sealed roads range 5-7 years. The value of AFT specifications has been debated within the paving community.

This project offers an opportunity to validate current specifications, investigate the role of chip seals in pavement durability, and use lab and field data to perform a cost-benefit analysis of increased AFT and chip seals placed at 1 year.

Data for the analysis will be collected from both laboratory performance testing and field performance. Pavement projects especially of interest are projects that incurred pay deductions due to low AFT and if/when chip seals were placed to preserve those roadways.

Details of the research study work plan and timeline are subject to change.

To receive email updates about this project, visit MnDOTs Office of Research & Innovation to subscribe.

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New Project: Benefit/Cost of Applying a Higher Asphalt Film Thickness vs. Doing a Chip Seal at One Year - Crossroads - A Minnesota Transportation...

Information regarding Food and Nutrition Services certification period extension and Automated Supplements released – The Robesonian

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August 10, 2020

PEMBROKE Resiliency is the defining characteristic of The University of North Carolina at Pembrokes spring 2020 graduating class, according to ceremony speakers and well-wishers.

The class educational journey was marked by hurricanes and ended amid a global pandemic, forcing their final semester to be completed remotely and unable to celebrate with a traditional commencement ceremony in May. But people who wished the graduates well during Saturdays combined virtual and drive-through graduation ceremony remarked on how these experiences shaped who they are and will become.

Youve experienced, as a student, what few experience in a lifetime, Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings said in his virtual remarks. But you stuck with it, you stayed focused, you completed your degree and you accomplished what you came to UNCP to do. Through all this, youve become resilient.

On Saturday morning, many graduates returned to campus some for the first time since March and donned academic regalia and decorative black-and-gold face masks, to take part in the universitys first-ever drive-through graduation.

For hours, vehicles adorned with congratulatory and inspirational messages paraded down Prospect Road toward the main campus entrance. With safety measures in place, graduates exited their vehicles, walked across a stage at the roundabout and snapped photos, with the new gateway entrance serving as a backdrop.

These graduates have proven they can adapt to get through lifes experiences, Cummings said.

You accept and understand that life is full of challenges and change. You bend but you dont break, he said. As your chancellor, I could not be more proud of this class.

Lifes challenges made the moment more meaningful for Adrienne Chavis, a graduate of the RN-BSN program. While her success was evident on Saturday, she said it certainly wasnt easy getting to that point. But earning a four-year degree was worth the effort.

Balancing a full course load, she simultaneously put in 65 to 70 hours a week as a nurse on the graveyard shift at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

It was tough, she said. I would get off work, come home, and maybe sleep four hours. It was a struggle, but professor Kathy Locklear made it super easy to contact her whenever I needed her. She helped me through the whole experience.

Raised in the Prospect community, Chavis said she is especially proud of her Lumbee heritage since UNCP was founded to educate American Indians.

Obtaining my nursing degree will open more doors for me, she said. I would love to be a nurse practitioner, but my short-term goal is to become a nurse manager.

Jahvae Jay Giddens also balanced full-time responsibilities with his pursuit of a Master of Business Administration degree. Giddens previously received a bachelor of science in exercise and sports science in 2017 from UNCP.

His UNCP experience allowed him to grow both professionally and personally during his seven-year journey as an undergraduate, Braves Club coordinator and, most recently, MBA student, Giddens said.

UNCP challenged my thought process and my knowledge of the world, he said. The small classes allowed me to grow. The professors are amazing. They taught me how to persevere through anything. I couldnt imagine learning anywhere else.

Giddens came to UNCP from Raleigh to pursue his passion for athletics and business in the classroom and with hands-on work experience in UNCP Athletics and University Advancement.

While Giddens and Chavis always knew UNCP was their college home, Justin Jones was a little less certain at first, but has since come to understand the value of his UNCP experience.

Jones was among the graduates who took part in the historic drive-through ceremony. As a high school senior, he wasnt considering attending college at first. All that changed following a visit from an admissions recruiter.

Adam Hardin helped me get in, Jones said. I dont know where I would be if it wasnt for his help.

The Jacksonville native enrolled in the College Opportunity Program, or COP, which provides academic support to freshmen.

My freshman year was a little rough. I was an introvert and was thinking about leaving, but I stuck with it and my grades improved every year, he said.

He received an exercise and sports science degree this spring and secured a position with Carolina Orthopedics in New Bern.

I had a great experience at UNCP, Jones said. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great education. Its a great school where the professors know you by name. I cant say enough good things about UNCP. I dont think I wouldve been successful anywhere else.

Richard Varner II, a transfer student from Oklahoma, excelled academically, which he said is a testament to the overwhelming support he received from the faculty and staff. A member of the Maynor Honors College and recipient of the Outstanding Senior Award, Varner graduated with cum laude honors with a degree in history.

He is enrolled in graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and plans to pursue a secondary education teaching career and work toward obtaining a doctoral degree in history.

In his virtual keynote, University of Houstons head mens basketball coach and 1978 UNCP graduate Kelvin Sampson referred to students success in spite of many obstacles while sharing some of his own journey.

When we think of adversity and resiliency, we will always think of the Class of 2020, Sampson. Think about what you have endured throughout your four years hurricanes, floods, tough economic times and a pandemic.

You guys are prepared for just about anything.

Sampson also recalled feeling a need to prove himself professionally early in his career, referring to it throughout his speech as a chip and encouraging students to carry their chip with them as motivation to succeed.

I always had a competitive edge and thats something every one of you graduating seniors will relate to, Sampson said. You have a chip.

Wherever you go, dont lose your chip. To the Class of 2020, the world is yours now. I cant wait to see what you guys do.

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Information regarding Food and Nutrition Services certification period extension and Automated Supplements released - The Robesonian

Gateway Regional’s Steve Estelle named Girls Soccer Coach of the Year by the MIAA – GazetteNET

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Gateway Regional girls soccer coach Steve Estelle has been named the sports coach of the year by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Estelle was the lone coach from Hampshire County among the 29 honorees, announced Monday by the MIAA. A subcommittee of the MIAAs Coaches Education Instructors made the selections.

Estelle coached the Gators to a 12-2-2 regular season and a trip to the Western Massachusetts Division 4 semifinals, where they lost 1-0 to eventually sectional champion Lenox. The 2019 season was Estelles 30th on the sideline in Huntington.

I believe that athletics are an integral part of the education experience, Estelle said about his coaching philosophy in a release by the MIAA. I feel that athletics help shape the lives of the participants. My coaches strive to be good role models to all of our student-athletes.

According to the MIAA, the award seeks to recognize and honor teacher coaches who have had an impact on the lives of student-athletes, by encouraging them to succeed and by helping them develop self-confidence, ambition, a sound work ethic, and other skills or values necessary or helpful for success in their later lives. Award candidates should have a record of encouraging student-athletes to be wellrounded (i.e. displaying excellence in areas of scholarship, citizenship, fine arts, etc.), as well as a reputation, among their peers and the athletic community, for fair play, good sportsmanship, and the development of these attributes in their student-athletes.

Three other coaches from western Massachusetts were honored.

Pope Francis coach John Goda earned the award in girls outdoor track and field.

One of the reasons I have always loved coaching track and cross country is that every athlete has the opportunity to grow and improve during the season regardless of how many meets are won or lost, Goda said. Success for us has always been about how much better we can get as a team and as individuals, and about making the most of our potential.

Agawams Kathy Georgina and Karen Gomez won the awards in softball and field hockey, respectively.

Georgina said, Athletics are an essential part of the students learning experience. Many of the lessons learned through participation in athletics are life lessons that can be carried over into all aspects of life such as developing a strong work ethic, teamwork skills, cooperation, determination and most importantly how to succeed and how to build the character to lose gracefully. Athletics are an integral part of building self-confidence and selflessness and build pride that teaches students to be part of something bigger than just themselves.

Added Gomez, Athletics is an extension of the classroom. Athletes are students first. I take a mastery approach to sport rather than a scoreboard approach. It is my goal to teach athletes to put forward hard work and maximum effort, continuously learn and improve, and not let themselves be stopped by mistakes or fear of mistakes. I encourage my student-athletes to love yourself, love the game, have fun, and give back to others.

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Gateway Regional's Steve Estelle named Girls Soccer Coach of the Year by the MIAA - GazetteNET

Considering subsurface drip irrigation? Here’s what you need to know. – Las Cruces Sun-News

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Bernd Leinauer, Southwest Yard and Garden Published 2:21 a.m. MT Aug. 9, 2020

Manifold made from a flexible 0.75-inch diameter pipe follows the contours of the turfgrass area. Drip lines are connected to header line using a PVC tee and an adapter.(Photo: New Mexico State University)

This week, the question comes from yours truly (i.e., Dr. Marisa Thompson, regular writer of this column). Ive heard about subsurface drip as an improved way to irrigate turfgrass, so I invited NMSU Extension Turfgrass Specialist Dr. Bernd Leinauer to bring us up to speed. See photos of subsurface irrigation athttps://nmsudesertblooms.blogspot.com/2020/08/subsurface-drip-irrigation-for-new.html

Despite their proven inefficiencies, pop-up sprinklers are still the most common systems for irrigating lawns or other turf areas. Sprinkler overspray, overlap, wind driftand evaporation losses all contribute to water losses that increase overall water consumption and/or decrease plant quality. An alternative to sprinklers is subsurface drip irrigation (SDI). Drip irrigation systems have been frequently used to irrigate trees, shrubs, flower bedsor vegetables, but theyve received little acceptance for turfgrass irrigation. They offer a solution for lawns that are difficult to irrigate, such as narrow strips, slopes, or unusual, irregular-shaped areas, which is the case for many residential lawns.

SDI systems irrigate either from a point (equally spaced emitters) or a line source (e.g., soaker hoses) using polyethylene pipes buried at shallow depths. SDIs benefits have been extensively studied in agriculture, but SDI has received very little acceptance or attention for turf irrigation, despite strong evidence of its water savings.

Advantages of SDI compared to sprinklers include energy savings due to a lower operating pressure, no human exposure to irrigation water, reduced plant disease pressure, and water savings. Water savings of 50% to 90% have been reported when turf was irrigated using SDI. With SDI, water is applied directly in the rootzone only to the area requiring water. Savings result from improved distribution uniformity (no sprinkler overlap), no water loss due to wind drift, and no evaporation losses during irrigation. Another advantage is that turf areas can be used during irrigation, which is important for golf courses or athletic fields.

Arguments against SDI include higher installation costs and difficulty in determining spacing and depth of pipes or emitters. Other arguments against SDI are based on inaccurate assumptions, including a perceived inability to establish SDI irrigated turf from seed or sod, a perceived interference with regular maintenance, and a perceived inability of SDI irrigated rootzones to leach salts.

Potential additional costs of SDI depend on a number of issues, and therefore will vary from substantially more to less than sprinkler systems. Costs for material and installation (labor) depend on the soil type, sizeand shape of the irrigated area. Areas that require many connections to the header lines can be significantly more expensive than a sprinkler system for the same area. However, SDI systems used on areas that require only a few connections to header lines (e.g., long and relatively narrow areas of turf) can be less expensive than sprinklers

Research has shown that SDI-irrigated turf can be fertilized with granular fertilizer without any loss in color or quality. If sufficient soil water is present, nutrients from the granule will become plant-available regardless of whether water is applied from the surface or subsurface. However, most large turf areas with an SDI system have an injection system and apply liquid fertilizer. Home lawns can also be fertilized with a hose-end sprayer (foliar/liquid fertilization tool). If granular pesticide applications require watering-in from the surface, either hand watering or a temporary surface irrigation system may have to be used. Core aeration can be applied if the drip lines are installed below the penetration depth of the core aerator. Deep tine aeration cannot be conducted on SDI-irrigated turf.

We have no published data available on the longevity of SDI systems. We recommend that all SDI systems be installed with filters (disk, screen, or sand) and flush valves to prevent clogging from sediments/particles. Potential root intrusion can be addressed by using products (e.g., Toro DL2000, Netafim TECHLINE HCVXR, or Rainbird XFS) that offer technology that protects the emitter from root intrusion. Our oldest SDI system was installed in 2003 and is still working fine.

SDI systems in lawns should be installed 3 to 6 inches below the surface. It is easiest to install if the pipe network can be placed directly on the ground and subsequently covered with soil up to the appropriate depth. However, an SDI system can also be trenched into soil that is already in placeor trenched into an existing lawn

The drip line depth and emitter spacing depend on the type of soil, type of grass, and whetherthere is a slope. Our general recommendation is to place emitters and drip lines 1 foot apart, particularly in sandy soils. However, for finer-textured soil, such as silt or clay, emitters can be spaced up to 18 inches apart. On slopes, lines should be placed closer together at the top but farther apart at the bottom to account for internal downhill water flow. If SDI is used close to driveways, walkways, or other hardscape, place emitters no more than 6 inches away from these surfaces to avoid dry soil along that border.

Drip lines are usually connected to header lines, also called manifolds. Commonly used SDI lines are 0.5 inches in diameter, but manifolds should be larger and can be anywhere from 0.75 to 2 inches, depending on the length of each drip line and the lawns size. Larger manifolds should be used on each end of the drip line and allow for sufficient water supply at the appropriate pressure to each drip emitter. If areas are small and drip lines are relatively short, manifolds can be made of drip line.

For more gardening information, including decades of archived Southwest Yard & Garden columns, visit the NMSU Extension Horticulture page (http://desertblooms.nmsu.edu/), follow us on social media (@NMDesertBlooms), or contact your County Extension office (https://aces.nmsu.edu/county).

Guest author Dr. Bernd Leinauer (NMSU Extension Turfgrass Specialist, @NuMex_Turf) is based in Las Cruces and performs research in turfgrass water conservation. Regular author Dr. Marisa Thompson (NMSU Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist) is based at the NMSU Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas.

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Considering subsurface drip irrigation? Here's what you need to know. - Las Cruces Sun-News

Coopers extension of Phase II order stirs strong, mixed opinions in Lumberton – The Robesonian

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Sidewalks in downtown Lumberton are devoid of pedestrians Friday, two days after Gov. Roy Cooper announced he was extending Phase II restrictions on, among other things, businesses, gyms and mass gatherings.

Tomeka Sinclair | The Robesonian

LUMBERTON Residents and business owners here have mixed feelings about Gov. Roy Coopers Wednesday announcement to extend the states Phase II reopening plan for an additional five weeks.

The plan requires bars, gyms, movie theaters and amusement parks to remain closed and requires face coverings in public places. The plan first announced May 8 has been extended four times.

Phase II of Coopers reopening plan allows the opening of dine-in restaurants with limited seating, barber shops, salons, parks and public pools. The order was first extended May 22 after expiring, then extended again June 24 with the addition of mandatory wearing of masks when in public places that dont offer opportunities for social distancing.

The order was again to expire July 17, but Cooper announced yet another extension July 14.

While some residents stand by the Coopers decision, others feel the state is ready for some normalcy.

Daven McCall, part-owner of Ooh La La Boutique, closed for three weeks after the initial stay-at-home order was issued. He said the governor should have more trust in businesses to reopen.

I think everybody is ready to open, McCall said. I think people now understand the importance of social distancing. If Im in the elevator and I see other people, Ill get out of the elevator. Now its all about being safe.

McCalls exception is bars and clubs. Being in an environment with people being intoxicated, more germs in the air, and just a close environment, the risk is much higher for being infected with COVID-19, he said.

Gyms should be treated like restaurants and limit the amount of people entering, while also cleaning thoroughly, he said.

McCall believes keeping things closed will only make reopening that much harder.

Its probably going to be harder to keep social distancing if we stay closed, he said.

Tony Paylor, owner of Diamonds Cuts and Styles barbershop since 2016, was forced to close his shop because of Coopers initial shutdown order. His business, and barbershops across the state, wasnt allowed to reopen as part of Coopers Phase I plan.

Although Paylors business took a hit during the time, and he is still feeling the effects now, he stands by the extension of Phase II.

I think its the right thing to do for right now, Paylor said. The disease is still up. Its not getting much better.

A lot of people are still scared to come out.

Paylor said he tries to see hope, but doesnt feel confident about where the state is now.

I look forward to things getting back to normal, but its going to be a while, he said. Its going to get rough before it gets better but I hope things change.

Jordan McNeill and Kim Locklear, both cashiers at Sweet Candy Cafe in Lumberton, have mixed feelings about the reopening.

Locklear said she understand why bars and gyms still cant reopen.

Bars are not big open spaces, Locklear said.

Theres no way to social distance in those types of settings, McNeill agreed.

However, McNeill believes its not fair that other businesses can reopen.

I understand hes (Cooper) taking extra precautions, but we still got all this other stuff open, McNeill said.

Jack Taylor, owner of Jacks Electronics, for nine years, is completely against the governor shutting down the state to begin with.

I think its all just a bunch of bull, Taylor said. Im just ready for it all to be over with, really.

Taylor questions the legitimacy of COVID-19 being a major threat.

It was never a pandemic to start with, Taylor said. I think everything needs to get back to normal.

He agrees that more safety measures should be in effect for the elderly, but no more than what has been done for the flu, Taylor said.

I can see for older sick people, but 40 minus, no, Taylor said. Its no different than the flu is in the winter.

Susan J. McNeill, an employee at the Taylors business, said she has no opinion on the matter but she does have personal boundaries.

I dont have no opinion, but Im sick and I dont want you in there (Jacks Electronics) coughing on me, McNeill said.

Joyce Thompson, a traveling certified nursing assistant, is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Taylor.

You gotta think about your life, Thompson said. I think about me every day going back to work and having to worry about catching COVID-19 and bringing it back to my kids.

I dont disagree with that (extending Phase II), no I dont.

Thompson said keeping essential businesses, and barbershops and salons open is a necessity, but bars and gyms are not.

Thats different, something to enjoy life, she said. Thats not something thats got to be open. Thats fun.

Bars and gyms offer opportunities for too much clutter, she said.

Hospitals are cluttered, but we need that, Thompson said. Thats saving a life, not taking a life.

One of Thompsons clients, Ernest Page, disagreed and argued that keeping businesses closed leaves young people idle and increases crime and homelessness.

Theres a lot of them out of work and theyre killing each other, Page said. They should open back up to give young people the opportunity to work. Jobs, school, work, they need to open back up.

He sees the impact the order has caused on businesses.

Look how this foundation is going down, he said. Theres people out here homeless. They need to get this thing going.

The Phase II expansion is to expire Sept. 11.

Tomeka Sinclair can be reached at [emailprotected] or 910-416-5865.

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Coopers extension of Phase II order stirs strong, mixed opinions in Lumberton - The Robesonian

Spotted lanternflies have infested Winchester – The Winchester Star

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WINCHESTER Just because something is pretty doesnt mean you want it around.

Such is the case with the spotted lanternfly. With its yellow and black body, and its red, white and black wings and dark spots, its eye-catching.

Unfortunately, these are beautiful insects, said Mark Sutphin, a Virginia Cooperative Extension agriculture and natural resources horticulture agent based in Frederick County.

But this invasive species is destructive to trees, crops and other plantings.

All of Winchester is considered infested, Sutphin said last week.

Spotted lanternflies also have been observed in northern parts of Frederick County between U.S. 11, Interstate 81 and the West Virginia line, as well as eastern parts of the county toward Opequon Creek.

A few were discovered in western Clarke County north of Harry Byrd Highway (Va.7) last year. Sutphin said he doesnt know of any found in Clarke so far this year.

Extension officials are monitoring the spread of spotted lanternflies in hopes of finding a way to get rid of them.

Spotted lanternflies often congregate on hardwood trees such as black walnuts and maples.

Theyre a piercing, sucking insect, drinking the sap of the tree in large volumes, said Sutphin.

Afterward, he said, they excrete a sticky waste substance called honeydew. As it builds up on a surface, the substance turns into sooty mold, a black fungal growth covering anything it comes into contact with, including vine leaves.

Spotted lanternflies can destroy or damage crops such as grapes, peaches, apples, cherries and hops.

Infestations in Pennsylvania have resulted in death and destruction among tree of heaven, an invasive tree species originally from Asia. Locally, declines in tree of heaven and black walnut trees have been attributed to the insect, Sutphin said.

Large numbers of spotted lanternflies also can be a nuisance to homeowners, with their honeydew covering ornamental plants and even patios and vehicles.

They impact numerous aspects of human life, Sutphin said.

Scientists believe the pest from Asia made its way to Pennsylvania in 2014 on a delivery of ornamental landscaping stone. Infestations spread in the United States as the stone was distributed elsewhere.

Spotted lanternflies (scientific name Lycorma delicatula) apparently found their way to Winchester in 2018. They have since spread within a 60-square-mile radius of the city.

Their eggs typically hatch in April or May, so they are becoming more noticeable as nymphs start growing into adults.

They can occur in aggregations in the thousands, Sutphin said. You can have several thousand in a single location.

Whats the best way to get ride of them?

Were still figuring that out, Sutphin said.

Its going to require multiple steps at all life stages to eradicate spotted lanternflies in large numbers, he said.

If you see them, kill them, if possible experts advise.

Small numbers of spotted lanternflies can be squished.

Sutphin also suggests removing trees of heaven from properties and treating hardwood trees with insecticides such as carbaryl, bifenthrin or pyrethrin. Or use a systemic insecticide such as imidacloprid, which can be injected into a tree or applied to the soil around it.

Egg masses within trees can be destroyed during the winter, and sticky paper can be wrapped around trees to trap young lanternflies. But sticky paper can catch harmless insects as well as birds and small animals, Sutphin cautioned.

Sutphin asks that anyone in Frederick County or nearby areas who finds spotted lanternflies to call the Cooperative Extension office at 540-665-5699.

Winchester residents need not call, though, because Extension officials have determined that lanternflies are pretty much everywhere in the city.

As for the long-term effects of spotted lanternflies, We honestly dont know, Sutphin said.

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Spotted lanternflies have infested Winchester - The Winchester Star

Genentech Provides Update on Phase III Studies of Etrolizumab in People With Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis – BioSpace

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Aug. 10, 2020 05:00 UTC

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), today announced topline results from its Phase III study program evaluating the investigational medicine etrolizumab in people with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Mixed results were seen in studies evaluating etrolizumab as an induction therapy, and both studies evaluating etrolizumab as a maintenance therapy failed to meet their primary endpoints, showing no significant difference in the proportion of people achieving remission with subcutaneous etrolizumab versus placebo.

In the HIBISCUS I induction study, in people without prior anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment, etrolizumab met the primary endpoint. In contrast, the HIBISCUS II induction study, which also included people without prior anti-TNF treatment, did not meet its primary endpoint. In the HICKORY study, in people with prior anti-TNF treatment, etrolizumab met the primary endpoint at induction but not at maintenance. In the LAUREL maintenance study in people without prior anti-TNF treatment, etrolizumab failed to meet its primary endpoint. The safety profile of etrolizumab was consistent with previous studies and no major safety issues were identified in the four Phase III clinical trials reported to date.

We are disappointed with these results, because we know that people with ulcerative colitis need new treatment options, said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. We are fully analyzing these data to learn more about how we might address the needs of people with this devastating disease. These studies were part of the largest clinical trial program ever undertaken in inflammatory bowel diseases, and we thank all the patients, investigators and healthcare professionals for their participation.

Further analyses of the data, including secondary endpoints, are ongoing and will be submitted for presentation at upcoming medical meetings.

Etrolizumab continues to be studied as an investigational induction and maintenance treatment in people with moderately to severely active Crohns disease with and without prior anti-TNF treatment in a global Phase III study (BERGAMOT) and open-label extension and safety monitoring study (JUNIPER), involving more than 1,100 people with Crohns disease. In addition, Genentech is studying other investigational medicines in inflammatory bowel diseases and is committed to further understanding this disease.

About inflammatory bowel diseases and ulcerative colitis

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a group of chronic gastrointestinal disorders affecting almost 7 million people worldwide. The two main types of IBD are ulcerative colitis (mainly affecting the colon and rectum) and Crohns disease (affecting the entire gastrointestinal tract). Patients can experience unpredictable symptoms that include abdominal pain and cramping, frequent and urgent bowel movements, diarrhea, leakage, rectal bleeding, weight loss, energy loss and fatigue. About 80% of all individuals with IBD do not experience lasting remission, which can have a long-term impact on quality of life and leave many feeling like they have little control over their daily lives.

Ulcerative colitis is most commonly diagnosed in young people aged 15 to 30 years, affecting them over the course of their entire future lives. Up to a quarter of people with ulcerative colitis will require a colectomy within 10 years of diagnosis, in which all or part of the colon is removed.

About etrolizumab

Etrolizumab is the first investigational dual anti-integrin studied in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). It is designed to target IBD on two fronts by selectively inhibiting 47 and E7 to control both trafficking of immune cells into the gut and their inflammatory effects on the gut lining.

About the etrolizumab study program

Etrolizumab is being studied in the largest clinical trial program in inflammatory bowel diseases to date, comprised of eight randomized-controlled and open-label trials. The landmark study program includes more than 3,100 patients across six Phase III studies, plus two open-label extension (OLE) and safety monitoring studies for ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease, spanning more than 40 countries globally, including head-to-head trials against the most common current treatments.

The etrolizumab study program consists of:

About Genentech

Founded more than 40 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200809005022/en/

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Genentech Provides Update on Phase III Studies of Etrolizumab in People With Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis - BioSpace

Latin America & The Caribbean – Weekly Situation Update (3-9 August 2020) as of 10 August 2020 – Bahamas – ReliefWeb

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KEY FIGURES

5.5M CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN AS OF 9 AUGUST

REGIONAL: COVID-19

Cases are referenced from PAHO/WHO 9 August COVID-19 Report - https://bit.ly/2O25YQw

As of 9 August, PAHO/WHO report 5,519,857 cases and 218,708 deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as 3,740,226 recovered cases.

KEY FIGURES

$5.9B IN REMITTANCES TO GUATEMALA FROM JAN-JUL 2020, 1.4% MORE THAN JAN-JUL 2019

CENTRAL AMERICA: COVID-19

PANAMA

A group of mostly Haitian migrants stranded in Darin, near the eastern border with Colombia, damaged emergency camps in protest, setting fire to shelter tents and the camps medical station. Protesters are threatening to burn more camps in Darin, home to some 2,000 migrants, if they are not transferred to the western border with Costa Rica to continue their journey, despite the border closure due to the pandemic.

The violence forcibly displaced local families as well. Authorities detained 12 migrants over the fires and announced they will deport any migrant detained for disorderly conduct.

GUATEMALA

The Central Bank reports that remittances totalled US$5.9 billion from January to July, a 1.4 per cent increase from the $5.8 billion sent during the same period in 2019, despite the ongoing pandemic. Remittances increased slightly in June and July following drastic declines from March to May. Remittances are a major source of foreign income in Guatemala, especially for rural families; 2019 remittances totalled $10.5 billion, just under the $11 billion in exports.

KEY FIGURES

3.1M STUDENTS IN BOLIVIA AFFECTED BY SUSPENSION OF SCHOOL YEAR DUE TO COVID-19

SOUTH AMERICA: COVID-19

BOLIVIA

The Government suspended the rest of Bolivias school year over the COVID-19 pandemic and its threat to the health of students and faculty, affecting some 3.1 million students, 88 per cent of whom are in the public system. The Government said they could not guarantee free and universal education as most rural areas do not have adequate internet access. The UN in Bolivia is expressing concern over the measure and is urging the Government to find formal alternatives to keep schooling on track and guarantee the right to education.

PERU

The Government is exempting qualified foreign medics and nurses from validating their degrees in Peru a bid to provide overrun health services with additional staffing and support.

The exemption will allow those among the 830,000 Venezuelans in Peru with qualified degrees support medical workers, who account for 7,000 cases and 200 deaths. Those qualified will be able to earn income outside a battered informal economy that has prompted many who are unable to earn livelihoods to return to Venezuela.

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Latin America & The Caribbean - Weekly Situation Update (3-9 August 2020) as of 10 August 2020 - Bahamas - ReliefWeb