Horse racing: Tiz the Law, Gamine clash in Preakness could be just what sport needs – Asbury Park Press

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Im reading an interestingbook by Mark Shrager titled The Great Sweepstakes of 1877.It details a race at Pimlico in the post-Civil War era of Reconstruction between Ten Broeck, the pride of Kentucky and the South, and two top northern horses named Tom Ochiltree and Parole.

It was an eventthat symbolized the time in so many ways, with much of the nation hanging on the outcome.

So as everything was unfolding at Saratoga on Saturday, with two incredibly talented 3-year-olds in Gamine and Tiz the Law dominating the Test and Travers stakes in rapid succession, it didnt take long to start thinking about Pimlico.

John Velazquez and Gamine after winning the Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park on June 20, 2020.(Photo: Michael Karas/NorthJersey.com)

Lets say things go as planned at Churchill Downs next month, with Gamine, having won her last two starts by a combined 25 3/4lengths, emerging in the Kentucky Oaks on Sept. 4, and Tiz the Law, winner of four straight this year, including the first leg of the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes, taking the Kentucky Derby a day later.

A meeting between the two at Pimlico in the Preakness on Oct. 3, some 143 years after The Great Sweepstakes, would be the showdown racing needs now more than ever.

Kentucky Derby:Ranking contenders for Run for the Roses

There would be aTriple Crown hanging in the balance for Tiz the Law, and aBattle of the Sexes, with Gamine as the spoiler. And with the COVID-19 pandemic making team sports look increasingly problematic, the Preakness figures to have a prominent place on the national stage.

Jjockey Manny Franco reacts after crossing the finish line with Tiz the Law to win the Travers Stakes horse race at Saratoga, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.(Photo: Chris Rahayel, AP)

I know. One race at a time. A lot has to happen for that to even be considered. But it's sure nice to dream about the possibilities.

Ifyoure looking for a moment that could transcend sports, this would be it. The two will have been at the same track for three straight starts, running in different races. Getting them together for what could turn into a match race at Pimlico, with immortality on the line, is more than anyone could possibly ask for in a year when the Triple Crown isspread out over 3 1/2 months due to the coronavirus.

Authentic holds on by a nose over NY Traffic to win the 2020 Haskell at Monmouth Park Asbury Park Press

The elongated Triple Crown cost racing that five-week stretch when it hasthe nations attention, with excitement building from one race to the next. Ratings for the Belmont Stakes were the smallest since 1993, down 35 percent from a year earlier.

It also makes sense. Theres no other major race for Gamine between the Kentucky Oaks and the Breeders Cup. And in the aftermath of Gamines 183/4length win in the Test on the Belmont Stakes undercard, trainer Bob Baffert mentioned the Preakness as a possible spot to take on the boys.

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Gamine has never been headed in four career starts, although she was disqualified after winning a May 2 allowance race at Oaklawn Park for a post-race positive drug test for the local anesthetic lidocaine. Baffert is appealing the disqualification and the 15-day suspension he was handed.

In that allowance race, Gamines only trip around two turns, she beat Speech, who came back to win the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes. Her time of 1:41.91 for the 1 1/16 miles was better than one posted by Kentucky Derby contender Swiss Skydiver, who ran 1:42.0 in winning the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes.

Tiz the Laws four races this year, including three straight Grade 1 wins, have been by a combined 16 1/2 lengths, using a stunning turn of foot to accelerate away from his challengers in each.

For now, its on to Churchill Downs for the Labor Day weekend festivities. But its hard not to dream of a matchup that would be as anticipated as any in recent memory.

Stephen Edelson is a USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey sports columnist who has been covering athletics in the state and at the Jersey Shore for nearly 35 years. Contact him at: @SteveEdelsonAPP; sedelson@gannettnj.com.

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Movie Review: ‘The Old Guard’ | The Harvard Press | Features | Feature Articles – Harvard Press

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Directed by: Gina Prince-BythewoodStarring: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Harry MellingAvailable on NetflixRated R, 125 minutes

The war in Afghanistan is already the longest military conflict in American history, but human memories are short, and its hard to comprehend 19 years of continuous war. Halfway through The Old Guard, an action thriller with a supernatural twist, whose two hours are otherwise full of gunfights and fistfights and swordfights and double-crosses and for-the-greater-good clichs, a young woman quietly puts the wars terrible longevity into focus. The young woman, Nile, explains that her father was killed in action when she was 11; she herself is now a U.S. Marine, fighting in the same war.

Charlize Theron and KiKiLayne star in The Old Guard. (Courtesy photo)

However, she wont be killed in action; as she has just discovered, shes immortal. The Old Guard is a literal title, referring to a band of immortal supersoldiers, some of whom are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. Led by Andy (Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road), the groups existence is a perfect secret, their deeds throughout history, from the Crusades to the Civil War, going without notice. This is by design; in previous eras, members of their ranks have been accused of witchcraft and tortured to insanity, so while their lonely way of life is hard, its better than the alternative.

The biggest threat facing the Old Guard these days comes in the form of Big Pharma, specifically a twitchy young CEO, Steven Merrick (Harry Melling, Harry Potter). Helped by a former CIA agent, Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Children of Men), Merrick sends paramilitary squads to ensnare the immortals, hoping to experiment on their bodies and maybe make a few cool billions by synthesizing their genetic material. Sensing the danger theyre in, Andy urges the group to lie low.

Then Nile (KiKi Layne, If Beale Street Could Talk) comes along. New to immortality and unable to comprehend her situation, Nile has questions, but the answers she needs are answers Andy cant give her. When she asks why this small group has been granted immortality, the others cant say with any certainty. When they plot revenge on Copley, Nile stops to ask why others have to die. The next youngest member of the group is over two hundred years old; with a fresh young face in their ranks, the Old Guard is forced, for the first time in centuries, to reckon with the unique advantage they have over mortals.

These moral and philosophical questions arent uninteresting, but what impact these questions have is flattened and diluted by the scripts constant stream of bland dialogue. Are you praying? God doesnt exist, Andy scoffs at Nile on the same day theyve met; This is about science, not profits, Copley pleads impotently when Merrick reveals his true intentions; We dont have all the answers, but we do have purpose, Andy philosophizes in a rambling monologue. The Old Guard is full of lines like these, lines meant to evoke simultaneously the gravitas of superhero movies and the conviction of a political speech. But with understated performances from nearly every member of the cast, these musings, offered in the movies quieter scenes, are unconvincing.

Luckily, quiet scenes are relatively rare; this is an action movie, after all, and a well-designed one at that. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) crafts blistering fight scenes that show off a wide variety of fighting styles, developing characters through wordless choreography. Action movies with high body counts often make us roll our eyes at the absurd scale of their carnage, but The Old Guard homes in on the act of killing, reminding us that death is deeply personal.

What makes The Old Guard linger, though, is the subtle parallel it draws between history and the zeitgeist of this fraught moment in time. Despite its dull dialogue, the movie still articulates an analogy between the eternal violence that haunts Andy and the violence Nile has known throughout her much shorter life. There are historical patterns, the waves that rise and fall over centuries, and then there are the patterns we observe within the smaller span of our lifetimes. Nile may have only ever known wartime, but she still balks when Andy warns her of everlasting cycles of violence. The Old Guard is a violent movie in the tradition of other violent movies, but it challenges us to imagine what it would take to break out of our old habits.

Danny Eisenberg grew up in Harvard and has been reviewing movies for the Harvard Press since 2010. He lives and works in Denver, Colorado.

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‘The Old Guard’ Mixes Diversity and Immortality To Elevate the Superhero Film – Study Breaks

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Netflixs newest action film, The Old Guard, is the latest comic-book-to-screen adaptation on the streaming platform. The comics were written by Greg Rucka, who also penned the film, and drawn by Leanardo Fernandez. Published by Image Comics, the original volume began in 2017 and was picked up for adaptation later that year. A second volume, titled The Old Guard: Force Multiplied, began its run in 2019.

Notably, The Old Guard is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the first woman of color to direct a superhero film. Charlize Theron stars as Andy, born Andromache of Scythia, who leads a group of four pseudo-immortal soldiers. Born to human parents, all were soldiers across history who were killed in combat but they didnt die. Today, the group works as a mercenary team, traveling around the world. Matthias Schoenaertes, Luca Maranelli, Marwan Kenzari, Kiki Layne and Chiwetel Ejiofor also star.

Why pseudo-immortal, you may ask? Because sooner or later, their clock runs out. Wounds wont heal immediately, and eventually, theyll die. Andy discovered so centuries ago when one of her companions was killed in battle. Its a recurring motif in The Old Guard: Nothing that lives lives forever. Much of the tension relies on whether or not each wound will be the last.

Almost any question you have about their abilities, the film answers. Do they heal with the bullets still inside them? No, as shown when a bullet shoots itself out of Joe (Kenzari) as his wounds stitch themselves back together. What happens if they drown? Do they just keep drowning over and over again? Yes, as in the case of Quynh (Van Veronica Ngo). She was tried for witchcraft alongside Andy at some point during the medieval era. As they continued to survive every torture attempt, the presiding priest decided to separate them. He placed Quynh in an iron maiden and tossed her to the bottom of the ocean, where she still lies, unable to be found, drowning over and over again.

How did the heroes find each other? When each immortal awakens, so to speak, everyone begins to dream until they meet, in order to help them find one another. The dreams arent exactly beacons, though. The flashes of information are brief enough that all four of them together have to pool what they remember, and at one point, Joe rushes to sketch a picture before it fades away. Its apparently enough, since Andy finds the immortal with no problem.

I think my only unanswered question has to do with languages and accents. Booker (Schoenaertes) is French, but his accent is fairly light, while Nicky (Maranelli) is Italian with a much thicker accent. Andy is from Scythia, which is what the Greeks called the central-most part of Eurasia, north of the Arabian Peninsula. She speaks with what I would consider to be a fairly standard American accent. Maranelli is actually Italian, while Schoenaertes is actually Belgian. (French is one of Belgiums three official languages.) Theron is South African, so she is using an accent. While its small, I think the authentic accents add an interesting layer. It makes the immortals seem more out of time and place.

The Old Guard spends a lot of time developing their mythology, which is good, but it does so at the expense of fully defining their antagonists, who are much more one-dimensional. It feels like Harry Melling, who plays main villain Steven Merrick, is just re-playing Dudley Dursley. Even the characters who switch allegiances youll have to watch to find out who do so easily, with little explanation as to why now is the moment to do so.

The same sort of motivation confusion and dimensionality has plagued almost every other superhero or action film Ive seen, with Black Panther being one of the only exceptions I can think of. I think its more a failing of the genre than the films writing. Had The Old Guard been a miniseries of, say, six episodes, though, it might have been able to resolve the issue. Such breathing room would have allowed them to devote time to the mythology and character backstories without sacrificing the pacing.

My favorite part of The Old Guard is the relationship between Nicky and Joe. They met fighting in the Crusades, back when they were still Niccol di Genova and Yusuf Al-Kaysani, enemies. The two killed each other many times, according to Nicky but eventually fell in love. Today theyre rarely apart, even getting kidnapped together and flirting while being medically tortured, and their banter is adorable. Joe even gets a big romantic speech leading to an equally big romantic kiss. The scene originated from the comics, and Rucka put in his contract that it had to be in the film.

The two get real, actual screen time, are full-fledged characters and get to kick ass alongside everyone else. After the token LGBTQ representation in Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Joe and Nicky are a breath of fresh air. The care and attention Maranelli, Kenzari and Prince-Bythewood give the characters raises the bar for future films in the genre.

Another highlight of the film is its action sequences, which are clearly how the film earns its R rating. They are bloody and gruesome, relying on machine guns, handguns, honest-to-God swords and even axes. Rules of ammunition are respected, with the characters paying attention to whats left in their clips and taking guns off corpses as needed. Andys ax is badass and carried around in a case probably meant for an instrument. Perhaps the best part of each sequence is that its earned and narratively significant.

If action films arent your thing, The Old Guard is likely not going to convert you to the genre. It struggles with the same plotting and pacing issues most of them do, and the action scenes include quite a lot of blood and gore. It is still an enjoyable film with a well-executed, gripping idea, strong acting and direction, and a strong sequel hook. It is a win for a good action film you can watch again and again, as well as a win for representation both in front of and behind the camera.

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‘Survivor’: Unpaid Taxes on the $1 Million Prize Led One Winner to Jail – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

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Remember the 1998 movie The Truman Show with Jim Carrey, about a man who found out his entire life was the subject of an elaborately staged reality show? At the time, the idea seemed silly and even outlandish. Instead, the film turned out to be prophetic, as reality shows started to dominate the airwaves, with viewers becoming personally invested in the outcome.

Survivor was among the first big reality show hits. By now, its beyond an institution, but even in its more humble beginnings, the show was the source of controversy such as its first winner getting in trouble with the law.

By now, the phrase voted off the island has become part of the lexicon, but back in 2000, it was only a literal term for a new game/reality show on CBS called Survivor. It places a group of strangers in an isolated location, where they must provide necessities for themselves. The contestants compete in challenges, with the grand prize being $1 million. It was like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in the not always great outdoors.

The first season took place on Borneo, with the final three being Rudy Boesch, Kelly Wiglesworth and Richard Hatch. Boesch seemed like a likely winner, having been in the military, and Wiglesworth had been a whitewater rafting guide. One of Hatchs claims to fame was that he was naked a lot. David Letterman himself dubbed him the naked guy.

So millions of viewers were surprised and disappointed when Hatch ended up becoming the very first Sole Survivor after a 4-3 jury vote. What went right or wrong, depending on your point of view?

RELATED: Survivor: An Early Seasons Theme Could Destroy the Show If It Ever Came Back

Although Hatch has his slice of immortality by being the first winner of Survivor, not much went right for him after his victory. Like so many people who get rich quick, Hatch struggled to manage his money.

As Today reported back in 2006, he was found guilty of tax evasion. Hatch tried to claim that the producers were supposed to pay the taxes, but the jury didnt buy it. He served nearly five years in prison.

But that wasnt the last we saw of Hatch. According to Parade, he returned to Survivor for the all-star season 8. He continued to create controversy by not appearing on the all-star season 40. He said he had been cast in the reunion show before producers pulled the plug, reportedly due to an incident involving his nudity.

Cinemablend quoted Hatch as saying, The hypocrisy is ridiculous, but theyre not gonna talk about that. Theyre gonna just try to make you believe that theyre doing whats in the interest of their viewers and making the show family-friendly. Thats absurd. We had 54 million viewers in the first seasons finale. That was family television. That was appointment TV. We started it. So what hes spewing now is baloney. Dont buy it.

Some reality show stars enjoy the spotlight enough that they try to stretch their 15 minutes of fame by appearing on other shows. Another Survivor contestant, Michael Jefferson, got some attention for appearing on Survivor in 2012 and following that up with an appearance on Naked and Afraid, its bawdier, more risque cousin.

Hatch appeared in other shows, although Naked and Afraid was not one of them. The shows included The Biggest Loser, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and The Apprentice, where he was fired by none other than president-to-be Donald Trump. Parade reported Hatch was living in Rhode Island pursuing a PhD.

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RUMOR MILL: BATWOMAN Season 2 Is Reportedly Casting The Villainous Whisper – CBM (Comic Book Movie)

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In "Rumor Mill," we share the hard to buy rumours that don't come from reliable sources like the trades, but are still more believable (just) than what you might find on Reddit.

Batwoman season two is set to premiere in 2021, but the show is going to be very different when it returns to The CW. Ruby Rose exited the series earlier this year, andJavicia Leslie will be playing a brand new, original character called Ryan Wilder (who dons the cape and cowl after Kate Kane's apparent disappearance).

Needless to say, it's going to be very interesting to seehow the series jugglesall those dangling plot threads with Alice and Hush if Kate isn't around, but could there be a new big bad to take their place?

The Direct is claiming that a new female villainnamed "The Whisper" is being cast for season two of Batwoman. The casting call reportedly seeks an actress of any ethnicity in the 20 - 30-year-old range, though no official description of the character has been shared at this point.

It's previously been reported that Scarecrow will be one of Batwoman's main villains moving forward, but who is "The Whisper"? It's likelyWhisper A'daire, an agent of Ra's al Ghul,who gave her immortality and the ability to shapeshift. She uses these powers to create a small legion of shapeshifting men, and could make for a decentbig bad or a "freak of the week" baddie.

More details about future plans for Batwoman are likely to be revealed at DC FanDome later this month, so we'll be sure to keep you updated as we learn more.

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10 Best Scenes From The Simpsons That Became Memes | ScreenRant – Screen Rant

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The Simpsons has long established itself as a pop-cultural phenomenon, with its earliest seasons forever embedding themselves into the cultural codex, due to the brilliant writing. In the modern era, a few gags have made their way online, showcasing the seeming immortality of jokes written in the 1990s. So here's a look at some memes born out of The Simpsons, or at least a small portion of them.

RELATED: The Simpsons: 10 Milhouse Memes That Make Us Laugh

Comic Book Guy is (somewhat ironically) not the most layered character. He's quite easy to analyze in just a matter of seconds. He loves being a sanctimonious nerd, holding himself in the highest esteem with virtually no self-awareness. And interestingly, his catchphrase of "Worst. ___. Ever!" sort of nails the online nitpick culture or the constant use of hyperbole for criticism. The phrase can be applied ironically or seriously in any situation, and the periods between each word really nail in each word chosen to make the point clear as day.

Lisa tends to be a soapbox character. She is one of the few intellectual and one of the less cartoonish characters in The Simpsons, and frequently is the voice of reason in otherwise insane scenarios. In the Springfield Town Meetings, she has been known to make her points clear with large scale and thoroughly researched points, with pictures for her rather easily distracted audience. So naturally, in an era with instant gratification and little to no research, people love to put hot takes and simple answers or witty jokes on a blank board to satiate an audience's short attention span.

In a very easy template to play around with, nearly every episode of The Simpsons opens with Bart Simpson writing down what he did wrong as a form of punishment. The old school punishment of making an offender write them crime on a chalkboard over and over might not have been the most effective way to curb bad behavior, but it certainly must have been tedious.

RELATED: The Simpsons: 10 Moe Memes That Make Us Laugh

Gluttons for self-loathing love to list out their vices as a gag, and people with a bone to pick also love to call out others' bad behavior in doing so.

The beauty of The Simpsons is that the comedy is universal. Sometimes, there doesn't need to be an in-depth explanation of why something is funny. When the primitive old Jasper subs in as a substitute teacher for the 2nd-grade class at Springfield Elementary, his archaic inclinations towards physical punishment make for one of the best gags from the show, threatening to "paddle" the kids who step out of line.

One of the most over the top Simpsons episodes featured Homer going to space. And thankfully, it's regarded as one of the best. While in space, the inept and ill-prepared Homer accidentally crashes into an ant farm onboard the space shuttle, releasing them in the gravity-free space. When the ants swarm by the fish-eye lens cameras onboard, which broadcast live to the public, the terrified Kent Brockman (Springfield's new anchor) instantly assumes giant space ants have attacked the crew.

The simple and down to earth welcoming of the new danger is a great way to capture the blas or opportunistic attitude people can take in such developing scenarios.

There are so many wonderful Simpsons videos on the Youtube community. The talented creators love to take these scenes and remix them. New creations tend to keep some of the original Simpsons content while adding their own hilarious nonsensical spins to it. There are various examples of this: The Dud, Lemonposting, Livers and Onions gags, and Sugarposting. The jokes are heavily tailored to dedicated Simpsons fans who practically memorized the early seasons, but that just makes the memes all the more rewarding.

Principal Skinner is a very bizarre and straight-laced person. He consistently manages to be unable to empathize to the very unruly children he is in charge of, and the disconnect between what he perceives as normal or naturally bound to occur is vastly different from what children see. While hunting down a truant Bart Simpson, Skinner continually keeps assuming children engage in educational and adult-oriented locations. He pauses in a moment of disbelief, asking "Am I so out of touch?" but doubles down and says "No. It's the children who are wrong." It's a perfect example of people's inability to admit their own lack of understanding.

This entry is quite a cheat, as it actually originates from South Park. However, as it's a reference that relies specifically on The Simpsons, it's a perfectly cromulent entry. In an episode of South Park, a baffled Butters continually keeps trying to think of creative ideas but is informed at each turn that The Simpsons already had a similar idea in one of their episodes. Seeing as how The Simpsons truly has covered so many bases, it makes for a very eerily accurate way to track things down.

RELATED: The Simpsons: 10 Times The Show Predicted The Future

A three-eyed fish was found by a nuclear plant in Argentina? Simpsons did it. Paul McCartney answers an old letter from a fan? Simpsons did it. Siegfried & Roy are attacked by tigers? Simpsons did it. Disney buys out 20th Century Fox? Simpsons did it. A Trump presidency? Simpsons did it.

Homer, in a parody ofTerminator 2: Judgement Day acts like the liquid-like Terminator from the film, who is able to morph between surfaces. In this case, the victim of stalking is Ned Flanders, who Homer takes an uncharacteristic liking to. When he's rebuffed by Ned with a white lie after wanting to spend time with him, he creepily sinks back into the bushes, never blinking. The expressionlessness on Homer's face can be inferred depending on whatever situation the scene is used in, and makes for a great escape.

What else could possibly take first place? In one of the series' most episodic entries, "22 Short Fields About Springfield," various citizens of the town are briefly seen in loosely connected short sketches. The most known of these is when the ever-intimidating Superintendent Chalmers arrives at Principal Skinner's house for a luncheon. The always-brownnosing and subordinate Skinner has to keep good face to Chalmers (his boss), but his dreadful ability to tell lies only digs himself further into his hole.

The scene is so well-executed and written that it can be enjoyed with no context and without any knowledge of The Simpsons, so naturally, it made for the best meme material. Among the best are versions of the meme that emulate the style of Spongebob Squarepants, VR versions, a Jeff Goldblum read-through, animated collaborations, and perhaps best of all, a remix of "Feel Good Inc."

NEXT: The Simpsons: 10 Best Recurring Characters

Next How I Met Your Mother: Barney Stinson's 5 Best & 5 Worst Traits

I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and am Spanish/Venezuelan-American. I graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in History, and in Film. I write for both ScreenRant and CBR, along with other projects on Medium, so feel free to stalk me. I love to read discussion, even when it's totally awful, so leave comments all over my articles, folks.

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Doctor will send daughter back to school, ‘but with angst’ – Newsday

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Sending children into New York classrooms this fall should be relatively safe if infectionrates remain low, safety protocols are strictly enforced, and family circumstances dont put them at higher risk, doctors and public health experts said.

With state infection rates hovering at 1%, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Friday that school districts statewide could reopen in-person instruction pending approval of their individual plans. These would include protocols to dampen the spread of the virus causing COVID-19, testing and contact tracing, and options for online alternatives.

But medical experts cautionthat infection rates could rise in the cooler weather of the fall, as people spendmore time indoors, and urge districtsto be prepared to quickly reverse course if conditions worsen.

The risk is low, but not zero, and if were not cautious, things can flare and well have to take steps backward, said Dr. Leonard Krilov, chairman of the pediatric department at NYU Winthrop and chief of itsdivision of pediatric infectious diseases.

He said he and his wife, Barbara, often are asked what they plan to do with their daughter, Jordan, 10, wholl enter fifth grade in the fall. Weve come up with the standard line, Yes, we will send our daughter back, but with angst, he said.

K.C. Rondello,clinical associate professor at Adelphi Universitys College of Nursing and Public Health, agreed that it was reasonable to consider opening schools and that New York was in an enviable position compared to many other states.

Weve gotten infection rates down,"Rondello said. But, Having said that, there are many caveats. Just because the region of a state has met a certain health metric doesnt mean thats the right decision for every family and every child. We have to consider this is a dynamic and rapidly changing situation.

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Krilov saidthere are no cases of children hospitalized with the coronavirus at his hospital or under treatment at the hospital'soutpatient clinics, notingthat the vast majority of the children who developed a multisysteminflammatory syndromeafter a COVID-19 infection did well after treatment. More than 200 statewide contracted the disease.

He said parents should keep children home if they showany sign of illness, and added he's worried about districts not having enough resources to provide personal protective equipment, enhanced ventilationand disinfectants. Teachers, he said, should have some empowerment if they are not getting the support they need.

I like to think we wont have to close down, but we have to be vigilant and prepared to do it, he said. Its the schools responsibility, but it is also each familys responsibility to be as careful and compliant if we are going to make this work.

Krilov said he's worried more about older teens compliance than that of younger children: Im not naive. Its the teenagers that have the sense of immortality. I worry about clustering, if not in school, then after school.

Dr. Aaron E. Glatt, chairman of Mount Sinai South Nassau hospitals department of medicine and chief of its infectious diseases division, agreed it's OK to reopenschools, with appropriate safeguards and precautions.

Everyone needs to take a deep breath, he said. The alternative to school isnt absolute safety. Theyre going to be associating with other kids, theyre going to be playing.

He added, Get them into a school environment where it will be as controlled and safe as possible while recognizing that in many cases there may be exposures. But that doesnt mean they wouldnt have had those exposures playing with their friends in their yards.

Glatt cautioned parents to keep their children at home if they have symptoms of infection, including any fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Any time anyone has a sniffle doesnt mean they have COVID, but they shouldnt be going in if they have signs and symptoms of COVID, even if medication had reduced a childs fever, he said. I think everyone should be on hyper alert.

Many children with COVID-19 infections show no symptoms, but you cant do much about that, Glatt said. You can only follow the rules about masks and isolating.

In making his announcement about reopenings, Cuomo talked about COVID-19 testing by districts to monitor for infections, which surprised some superintendents, as guidelines had called for testing to be performed in conjunction with local health departments.

Rondello said districts may not have access to enough tests for routine monitoring, but at a minimum, we have to test all those we have a reason to suspect have been exposed.

Parents will have to weigh their own family members health vulnerabilities against the benefits of their child's returnto the classroom, he said.

New York was in a far better situation than other states with higher infection rates. Butpointing to photos that circulated recently showing packed hallways and unmasked high school students on their first day of school in Georgia, Rondello said, We can do better and we have to do better because thats not going to cut it.

Were in extraordinary times and we cant go about business as usual and expect the situation is going to improve. We cant create a 100% safe environment, but we can certainly do better than that."

Carol Polsky writes news and features on wide-ranging topics, from superstorm Sandy, 9/11 and presidential elections to healthcare and the economy.

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The God of High School Makes Its Dragon Ball Connection Unmistakable – CBR – Comic Book Resources

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The God of High School already bears a lot of similarities to Dragon Ball, but Episode 6 makes the link all the more obvious.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 6 ofThe God of High School, "fear/SIX," now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Even in a world populated by super-powered martial artists,The God of High Schoolhas made it clear that its main protagonist, Jin Mori, isstilla cut above the norm. While readers of the source material by Yonje Park will already be well aware of the teenager's true identity, the anime has been coy about this secret so far. After previously dropping hints about Mori's inhumanity, Episode 6, "fear/SIX," provides the biggest tease yet -- and it's one that also strengthens the series' clear ties to Akira Toriyama'sDragon Ball.

RELATED:The God Of High School: Breaking Down Mori, Mira & Daewis Fighting Styles

Park Mujin covertly put Mori to the test in Episode 3 when he fed him a strange fruit that would either make or break the teenager. After a night of hallucinatory sickness, Mori did indeed make it to the other side, confirming whatever suspicions the tournament boss has about him. In Episode 6, Mujin discusses this with another member of the mysterious organization he's part of, The SIX, known asthe Divine Doctor, Nah Bongchim. Through this chat, we find out that the fruit is called the Sage Fruit. Though it's an off-hand comment, that name is important to keep in mind.

Later, during a conversation that Mujin has with Daewi about his future in the competition following last week's upheaval, we're finally given greater insight into what the heck is going on behind the scenes. "The world has already begun to move," Mujin explains, gazing at his office mural. "Essentially, everyone you face at the national tournament will be people like that [supernaturally-powered]. Savage gods, evil beings, messengers from heaven, heroes who changed the world... Your opponents will borrow otherworldly powers from beings that transcend human understanding." He adds that the nano-tech wristbands "express the latent potential of those who use charyeok. Drawing forth the powers of the gods and making them ones own is what our God of High School is about."

The most revealing part of this monologue is as Mujin says "heroes who changed the world," the camera pans over a section of the mural -- which depicts many mythological beings -- that contains Sun Wukong,Journey to the West's legendaryMonkey King, and the central inspiration forDragon Ball's Son Goku. If this wasn't enough, the episode also includes snapshots of a huge, magical battle Mori's grandpa fought against the cultists we've seen lurking in the series' shadows. "This world will see its end," they promise him, "our God will descend!" As if making good on this promise, a giant sword splices the heavens from a spell circle and drops down over the elderly man.

RELATED:The God Of High School: The Buddhist Palm Techniques Kung Fu Film Roots

When asked about his family by Mira and Daewi, who visit Mori's depressingly sparse city apartment, Mori admits he has no idea who his parents are, stating that he used to live in the mountains with his grandpa before he moved to Seoul to attend school. This is the final piece of the puzzle the episode offers and though it's the most minute detail, it's perhaps the most significant one toDragon Ballfans keeping their ears pricked.

As well as sharing many visual and personality traits with the Saiyan, as well as his martial arts mastery, Mori also apparently shares an element of Goku's backstory, too -- as Toriyama's alien warrior was also raised in the mountains by his adoptive grandfather, Gohan. This isn't to say that Mori is a Goku rip-off, however. The mention of Sage Fruit could allude to the Monkey King's self-proclaimed "Great Sage" title, as well as the prominence of immortality-giving fruits in his story. Viewers with almost no working knowledge ofJourney to the West, meanwhile, couldn't have missed the close-up of Sun Wukong on Mujin's wall. In essence,The God of High School has seemingly all but confirmed that Mori shares the same source of inspiration asDragon Ball's Goku, and may justbea modern incarnation of the Monkey King himself.

In a tournament in which humans can "borrow" the powers of gods, will this potential advantage make enough of a difference for Mori to become the God of High School, though?

KEEP READING:Old Man Goku: The Effect Of Old Age On Super Saiyans, Explained

Dragon Ball: Goten Vs. Trunks - Trunks Wins, Even if He Loses

Fangirl burdened with trashy purpose. Anime/manga Features editor for CBR. Contributor to Digital Spy, The Mary Sue, Anime Feminist and Ranker.

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The God of High School Makes Its Dragon Ball Connection Unmistakable - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Freedom and the pursuit of safety – The Boston Globe

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I was outraged reading Jay Samonss article about us losing freedoms in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic (The dangerous pursuit of safety, Ideas, Aug. 2). With more than 156,000 deaths in the United States as of Aug. 5, and that number continuously rising, we need to get this virus under control, as other countries have.

Samons says freedom costs lives and we have to accept that more people are going to die from the virus. Maybe a lot more people. I think his acceptance of lives lost to the virus in the name of freedom is ridiculous. Any inconvenience we have to endure (mask-wearing, social distancing, and staying home) is acceptable and temporary. Our freedom will still be alive, and, hopefully, so will we, when we get this virus under control.

Patricia Tong

Ashland

Surrender or reawakening?

Jay Samons argues that the Romans chose to change their republic for an empire because they preferred security to the chaos of freedom. He sees the actions taken to contain the coronavirus as akin to that trade-off. We are engaged in the greatest act of cultural surrender in human history, and, we must accept that unless we choose to destroy our own culture, more people are going to die from this virus. But there is another future that does not just rush back to the culture that we were living with until this year. Other writers have argued that this pandemic provides an opportunity to overhaul global economic and cultural institutions and behaviors. Our previous culture was unsustainable unequal education, not enough decent housing, unfair wages, and lack of health care for all. Change in the old order is starting to emerge with the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that may not have been possible without so many people not in a normal working routine. If this temporary loss of freedom to behave as we did before the pandemic leads to a more equitable and sustainable future, then it will not have been a cultural surrender as much as a cultural reawakening.

Susan Haltmaier

North Andover

Flawed reasoning

Jay Samonss The dangerous pursuit of safety is rife with false analogies and flawed reasoning. He starts with the specious claim that those trying to keep the COVID-19 pandemic contained are striving for complete safety, which he then rightly states is impossible. He claims that this imagined quest for complete safety is undermining our freedoms (freedom to assemble in large numbers during a pandemic?). After badmouthing military analogies to the pandemic, he then proceeds to use one to argue that wars are won when the attacked party decides that casualties are better than oppression. He concludes that we must accept the loss of life as the price of maintaining our freedoms and that Freedom costs lives.

The casualties of this pandemic are innocent victims, not warriors or currency to be bartered for freedom. They are defending nothing by dying. To call for limiting public health measures based on an analogy couched in superficial historical erudition is academic and intellectual malpractice.

Carl M. Cohen

Newton

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Freedom and the pursuit of safety - The Boston Globe

Texas History: Sizing up daily lives in the states freedom colonies – Brownwood Bulletin

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Welcome to Think, Texas a weekly column about Texas history.

Last week, we studied the importance of post-Emancipation freedom colonies in Texas.

In that column, I cited four main published sources that bolstered our previous understanding derived from interviews with descendants of the independent Black Texans who founded those colonies, which totaled in the hundreds.

These sources are worth repeating: Andrea Roberts primarily digital "Texas Freedom Colonies Project," Michelle M. Mears "And Grace Will Lead Me Home: African-American Freedmen Communities in Austin, Texas, 1865-1928," Richart Ortons "The Upshaws of County Line: An American Family," and Thad Sitton and James H. Conrads "Freedom Colonies: Independent Black Texans in the Time of Jim Crow."

Also last week, I shared some of the salient stories from Sitton and Conrads book. Today, Ill dig out a few more choice historical nuggets, and save others for later. The book is packed with on-the-ground storytelling.

Many interviewees commented on (the) austerities. Interviewed during 1990, Grover Williams recalled with amusement remarkable frugalities and recycling of his early life at the Flat Prairie settlement in Washington County. During cold weather, Williams and his brothers wore "jumper jackets" made of old cotton sack material fastened with baling wire instead of buttons. Baling wire also functioned as all-purpose repair material for the familys Model T Ford and farming equipment.

Williams fashioned turkey bells for their hen turkeys from snuff cans with little rocks inside. Family members wore every item of clothing until it had patches on its patches, then women salvaged every square inch of sound fabric to make into "britches quilts," rough quilts suitable for use on the floor. Williams brother Cecil went a step too far when he recycled his grandmothers plum jelly as pomade. At the rural school the brothers attended, a cloud of flies soon made Cecil a laughingstock.

Ed Stimpson offered a wonderful description of Collin County juke joints where wayward folks from freedmens settlements might or might not show up. Bootleggers circulated among the crowds in these places, identifiable because "they always wore ducking overalls and a coat too big" in which to carry their wares. Local police normally had been paid off by joint proprietors but operated in an unpredictable way.

Sometimes they raided the joint and arrested bootleggers and patrons carrying weapons; sometimes they came in, sat down, drank free booze, and joked with the ladies. Professional gamblers at the juke joint fascinated Stimpson; they were cold, calculating, sober men with hard eyes, who almost always won. Desperate amateurs might cry to their dice, "I need this point bad as a deadman needs a coffin!" but when they played the real gamblers, the dice or the cards rarely fell their way.

(A) common pattern of community origin involved a preacher leader and his assembled congregation colonizing the wilderness. After Emancipation, some freedmen felt the call to preach and gradually drew congregations of believers around them, worshiping in private homes or brush arbors. After a few years of accumulating resources, the ministers located cheap or unclaimed land and white neighbors willing to allow Black people to settle, and the congregation pulled up rent-farm roots and followed their "Moses" into the wilderness.

This exact scenario unfolded for the sharecroppers of John Wynns congregation at Hog Eye (Webberville) in Travis County. After Wynn found unoccupied sand-hill wilderness along the Bastrop-Caldwell county line and whites willing to sell it cheaply, Wynn and most of his congregation launched a wagon train to the promised land one day in the 1870s. The place became known as Wynns Colony and later St. John Colony.

The actual day of Juneteenth each year was first and foremost a great feast and picnic, prefaced by certain ceremonies and competitions. Parades were common if there was someplace to parade. Clarksville near Austin, for example, featured a procession of decorated horsemen accompanying a "Juneteenth Queen" dressed as the Statue of Liberty.

Big baseball games followed the noon meal at many Juneteenths, but Peyton Colony favored horseback competitions. In "needle races, men raced their horses to women partners standing in wagons, handed them a needle to thread then raced back to the starting place. "Cigar races" were similar, but required no partners; the men had to jump up on wagons and light cigars before racing back. Another equestrian competition was called "tournament," with horsemen trying to spear four hanging rings while riding at high speed.

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Texas History: Sizing up daily lives in the states freedom colonies - Brownwood Bulletin

Columbia Professor Sarah Seo to Talk about ‘Cars, Police and Freedom in the United States’ on Thursday – Redheaded Blackbelt

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This is a press release from the Coalition for Responsible Transportation, EPIC, Centro Del Pueblo, Humboldt Climate Change Action and the North Coast Environmental Center:

Professor Sarah Seo of Columbia University

Professor Sarah Seo of Columbia University will be presenting a talk for North Coast audiences [on] Thursday, August 13th, at 5:30 pm entitled Policing the Open Road. The talk will be based on Professor Seos award-winning 2019 book of the same name, which documents how the rise of the automobile in the first half of the 20th century led to a dramatic expansion of police departments in America, and to courts granting wide law enforcement discretion to police. The discriminatory patterns of policing seen in America today are in part a legacy of this legal, political and technological history.

Professor Seos groundbreaking book has been called fascinating and remarkable by theNew Yorker. The publisher, Harvard University Press, describes it this way: When Americans think of freedom, they often picture the open road. Yet nowhere are we more likely to encounter the long arm of the law than in our cars. Sarah Seo reveals how the rise of the automobile led us to acceptand expectpervasive police power. AsPolicing the Open Roadmakes clear, this radical transformation in the nature and meaning of American freedom has had far-reaching political and legal consequences.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the talk will be held on Zoom. There will be an opportunity to ask Professor Seo questions about her work after the presentation. The event is sponsored by the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), Centro Del Pueblo, 350 Humboldt, and the Northcoast Environmental Center.

The sponsors encourage any interested North Coast residents to attendespecially transportation and social justice advocates, environmentalists, planners, and local elected officials. Cars and driving play a central role not just in law enforcement but also in the climate crisis, in public health, in the design of our communities, and in the everyday lives of most Americans. Anyone who wants to changeor preserveour current transportation system should first understand it. Professor Seos work sheds light on one of the least understood but most pervasive impacts of this overwhelming presence in American life.

The event is free and open to the public. People can register to receive the Zoom link athttps://transportationpriorities.org/policingtheopenroad/.

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Columbia Professor Sarah Seo to Talk about 'Cars, Police and Freedom in the United States' on Thursday - Redheaded Blackbelt

Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand Harry and Meghan and the making of a modern royal family – The Guardian

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Prince Harry HRH as was has long had to endure cruel snarks about, among other things, his paternity, yet in Finding Freedom, he confirms one thing beyond a doubt: he is 100% his mothers son. Just as 1992s Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words, by Andrew Morton, gave readers an intimate look at the royal family from the perspective of a disgruntled member of the firm, so this book repeats the trick with Dianas younger son and his wife, Meghan Markle. What this semi-sequel lacks in novelty, it makes up for in cattiness (aimed largely and this is the only real surprise of the book at the woman born Kate Middleton, now known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Well return to that in a tick.)

Writers Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie insist Harry and Meghan were not involved in the book. Given the deluge of personal minutiae from Harrys emoji habit to Meghans favourite hair highlight shades as well as their litigiousness when it comes to undesired invasions of privacy (they are currently engaged in legal battles with the Mail on Sunday and an American paparazzo), this seems about as credible as Dianas similar protestations of innocence, all of which Morton scotched about 10 seconds after she died. But whereas Diana chose a tabloid hack as her Boswell, who knew a good story when he saw it, Harry and Meghan opted for two royal journalists. This means the reader is subjected to the Sylvie Krin style of writing that is de rigeur in the genre (I could just about stomach Harry and his famed ginger locks, but details of his and Meghans glamping trip to Botswana, on which their days were spent getting closer to nature and their evenings, closer to each other made me briefly furious that the book hadnt come with a health warning). Less forgivable than the predictable fluff is how the authors fluff the tale. Because Harry and Meghan definitely have a story to tell, but it is not the story in this book.

By now, everyone and certainly everyone who will buy this book knows the outlines of this saga: Harry, the scampish prince, meets Meghan, the beautiful American actor, who wows him with her glamorous civilian ways (In fact, Harry, Durand and Scobie exclusively reveal, lived within a bubble of sorts). They marry and live happily ever after if by living happily ever after we mean the British tabloids were wretched to Meghan, her father Thomas behaved even worse, Harry fell out with his brother and then he and Meghan opted out of the whole shebang and moved to Los Angeles. (The book opens with a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote beloved of people who post slogans on Instagram: Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Whether shacking up in director Tyler Perrys $18m mansion in Beverly Hills is quite the pathless existence Emerson had in mind is a question for another day.)

Morton proffered up Dianas eating disorder and Charless affair with Camilla; the most Scobie and Durand get are that Buckingham Palace was bad at protecting Meghan from the press, and William and Kate werent very warm to the new couple. That Meghan was treated abominably by an institutionally racist and sexist British press is a fact, and the book, with satisfying brevity, alludes to one particular tabloid columnist whose obsession with Meghan ranges from hysterical to certifiable. He is deftly dismissed as a social-climber with a grudge after not receiving an invite to the wedding.

It is not Harry and Meghans fault that their book has come out in the middle of a global pandemic, but it does underscore their occasional tone deafness in the latter half of the book. Even in the best of times, one would be tempted to break out a tiny violin to accompany their complaints about the institution directly following on from details of their luxury holiday in Ibiza and a stay chez Elton John in Nice. Finding Freedom chokes the reader with banal details (if you ever wondered if Meghan craved sweets during pregnancy, this is the book for you), yet it is opaque when it comes to real insights, such as how much Meghan encouraged the press in the early days of her relationship with Harry. Perhaps the most WTF moment is a casual mention that they were forced to let [their sons night nanny] go in the middle of her second night of work for being unprofessional and irresponsible. Call me shallow, but Im a lot more interested in why a couple would sack a nanny in the middle of the night than Meghans cravings. As for Harry, he comes across as goodhearted but oversensitive and impetuous to a degree one can only describe as Diana-esque, whereas chilly William is 100% a Windsor.

The Sussexes were hung out to dry by the palace and the press; the question the book fails to answer is why, when they were such a boon to the brand. Last year there was a widely circulated rumour that they were being used to distract from some ugliness involving William. Finding Freedom has the space to respond to every other media claim, but on this it stays schtum.

Yet the real story here is Prince Andrew. While palace courtiers bitchily leaked Meghans yoga schedule, the spare from the previous generation merrily lived his life, despite his known friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The couple prefer to keep their thoughts [on that matter] to themselves, Scobie and Durand coyly note in one of only two references to Epstein in the book, yet here is where Harry and Meghan have a real argument: why were they given such a rough time when a man accused of sleeping with trafficked young women (which he denies) was granted so much leniency for so long?

Their silence may tell its own story. Despite all the fuming, the book is very cautious when it comes to the senior members of the royal family, and its interesting that its Kate who is the focus of the criticism rather than William. It may well be that, despite claiming he has finally found freedom, Harry is keeping a door open to his gilded cage. His mother could have told him that pulling punches doesnt make for a satisfying book, but perhaps he also learned from her that burning bridges doesnt make for an easy life.

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family is published by HQ (20). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

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Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand Harry and Meghan and the making of a modern royal family - The Guardian

She Wanted More Freedom and Meaning From Her Career – The Story Exchange

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Madeline Pratt wanted a different kind of career. The corporate structure wasnt working for her anymore and she wanted more flexibility with her schedule to meet the needs of her family. Thus Fearless in Training, her female forward consulting firm, was born. Pratt and her team work directly with entrepreneurial women, progressive accountants, and technology innovators to offer them help in starting, growing and scaling successful enterprises. Today the Poulsbo, Washington-mompreneur enjoys the freedom being her own boss has given her as well and the satisfaction that she is living a meaningful life.

Pratts story, as told to The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project:

Fearless In Training is a female forward consulting company that works directly with entrepreneurial women, progressive accountants, and technology innovators to offer them help in starting, growing, and scaling successful enterprises. Built on a foundation of expertise in the realms of technology, marketing, education & business development, the firm offers collaborative & catered consulting services to help clients achieve their wildest business dreams.

Corporate work wasnt for me, and the more I talked with many of my friends, I learned it wasnt for them either. We women want to be engaged in business and building businesses that we believe in, but our lives are complex and require flexibility. It can still be so hard to find that in a corporate environment, and as much as I learned during my time working for someone elses company, I knew that I could find more balance and fulfilment in starting my own. More than meeting my own needs though, I wanted to be able to show other women that entrepreneurship can accelerate them on the path of equality and help them earn more without having to constantly compromise their needs.

Success for me has always been about seeing the impact that my work has on other people, and rather than being a destination, its a path that I think we proceed down when weve aligned our highest work with what we do every single day. For me, this looks like envisioning future goals clearly, and then aligning my life towards achieving them. Ive always said that the goal of anything that I do is to make a difference in the life of at least one person a day. Each time someone reaches out to me to let me know that something I said, wrote, or shared made an impact on them, I see that as a reminder that I am living a deeply meaningful and successful life.

My biggest success to date has been building out my team at Fearless in Training and a company culture that encourages us to show up and be seen as we are. Ive always loved growing teams and mentoring new hires to find their place inside the company and the work that theyre truly passionate about. When I first dreamed of starting my own company, I always pictured us as a team of incredibly talented and creative women from all walks of life. Bringing that vision to life and getting to work together with these amazing women is one of the greatest highlights of my career.

My greatest goal for my company is to grow our reach and connect with more female entrepreneurs to empower them on a path of business equality. Weve grown our revenue by 500% YoY and with it were growing our team and our capacity to serve more clients. I believe that the COVID crisis will inspire a lot more women to take control of their careers and begin working on a business of their own, and my goal is for us to continue to grow our company in order to be able to connect with these ambitious entrepreneurs to provide them the education, resources, and support they need to build thriving businesses of their own.

My greatest challenge as a woman and entrepreneur is integrating the growth of my company with the needs of my family. As my kids grow and change, they go through stages and need different things from me, so Im constantly having to sit down and reassess what needs to shift and what needs to come first. Its an ongoing process, but I was smart enough to choose a husband that not only supports my work, but also partners with me completely to figure out how to best integrate our work and our family. It takes a lot of communication and childcare, but over the years weve figured out how to build a life that allows us both to have our dream careers while raising our two kids.

On a personal level Ive dealt with anxiety for just about as long as I can remember. Only in the last half of this decade have I really begun to know the words I need to describe it to other people. You see up until recently, people didnt even talk about anxiety much less describe what it felt like for them.

My most important role model has always been my mother. She has always been a trailblazer, completely unafraid to blaze her own path and follow her dreams. Watching her everyday growing up built within me the confidence that I could start my own company, and that I didnt have to build a life around anyone elses expectations. She is my greatest supporter, and Im her biggest fan.

Website http://www.FearlessInTraining.comTwitter @madelinekprattFacebook http://www.facebook.com/fearlessintrainingofficial

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She Wanted More Freedom and Meaning From Her Career - The Story Exchange

This Week in Washington IP: Injunctions for SEPs, How Innovation Flourishes in Freedom, and Reviewing SBIR/STTR at the National Science Foundation -…

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This week in Washington IP, both houses of Congress are quiet during August recess but patent and IP policy issues are front and center at the Hudson Institute, which is hosting events to explore how light regulatory frameworks can increase innovation, as well as the importance of injunctions for standard-essential patent owners. Elsewhere, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine look at how federal R&D and commercialization funding programs for small businesses have been implemented by the National Science Foundation, and both the Urban Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science look at how data collection practices and technological platforms intersect with issues of racial equity.

The Hudson Institute

Author Matt Ridley on How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom

At 12:00 PM on Monday, online video webinar.

Throughout history, technological revolutions have been able to spring to life thanks in part to reduced levels of regulatory interference and few, if any, laws protecting entrenched interests. This event will feature a discussion with Matt Ridley, member of the UKs House of Lords and author of How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom, to discuss various case studies featured in the book on how governmental regulatory frameworks affected innovation during the Industrial Revolution, the Digital Revolution and the Biotech Revolution. Moderating the discussion with Ridley will be Adam Mossoff, Chair, Forum for Intellectual Property, Hudson Institute.

The Brookings Institution

Why The World Is At a Turning Point With Artificial Intelligence and What To Do About It?

At 3:00 PM on Monday, online video webinar.

The advent of artificial intelligence has inspired reactions ranging from doomsday concerns over threats to humanity to hopes that AI will usher in a wave of productivity that can spur the next economic revolution. This event, hosted by Brookings Center for Technology Innovation, will explore the current state of AI technology as well as policy decisions that could shape AI as a social force for either good or ill. The event will feature a discussion including John Allen, President, The Brookings Institution; Darrell M. West, Vice President and Director, Governance Studies, and Senior Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation; and moderated by Nicol Turner Lee, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, and Director, Center for Technology Innovation.

The Hudson Institute

Injunctions for Standard-Essential Patents: Safeguarding Innovation in the United States, Europe, and Beyond

At 12:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

Standards in cellular communications, like 4G LTE and 5G, as well as other digital communication technologies are enabling a rapid pace of innovation in the form of smart facilities and connected cars. The interplay between patents and communications standards is complex and injunctions can be an important tool to ensure that a technology implementer is paying a fair and reasonable royalty to tech developers for the use of their technology. This event will feature a discussion with a panel including Claudia Tapia, Director of IPR Policy and Legal Academic Research, Ericsson; Adam Mossoff, Chair, Forum for Intellectual Property, Hudson Institute; Urka Petrov?i?, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute; and Christoph Ann, Professor of Law, Technical University of Munich.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Review of the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs at the National Science Foundation: Committee Meeting 3

At 6:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

Both the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs facilitate the distribution of federal R&D expenditures to aid American small businesses in commercializing technologies. Seed funding made available through SBIR and STTR by the National Science Foundation between 2007 and 2016 has funded early stage commercialization efforts for about 400 companies per year. This event will begin with introductory remarks by Maryann Feldman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Scott Stern, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The event will also feature discussions with Michael Kearney, The Engine, and Jason Rathje, AFVentures.

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Race to the Future? Values and Vision in the Design of Technology and Society

At 11:30 AM on Thursday, online video webinar.

The increasing use of algorithms, which often reflect the viewpoints of their creators, in technological platforms has led many to look at the ways that modern technologies can reinforce systemic inequalities along racial or other lines. This event will feature a discussion with Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Professor of African American Studies, Princeton University, and author of Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code.

Urban Institute

Centering Racial Equity in Data Use

At 2:00 PM on Friday, online video webinar.

While researchers and data analysts strive to gain an objective view of a particular study subject through data collection, practices regarding data collection can be used to disadvantage those whose demographic data like race or income can be abused. This event, co-hosted in partnership with the Urban Institute, the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership and Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy, will explore recent findings on equitable data practices that are responsive to the needs of various communities. Speakers at this event will include Bridget Blount, Senior Director of Data Initiatives, Baltimores Promise; Sue Gallagher, Chief Innovation Officer, Childrens Services Council of Broward County; Leah Hendey, Codirector, National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, Urban Institute; and Kassie Scott, Research Assistant, Urban Institute.

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This Week in Washington IP: Injunctions for SEPs, How Innovation Flourishes in Freedom, and Reviewing SBIR/STTR at the National Science Foundation -...

Adolescent bodily integrity and freedom from violence in Ethiopia – Ethiopia – ReliefWeb

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By Nicola Jones, Elizabeth Presler-Marshall, Sarah Baird, Joan Hicks, Guday Emirie, Workneh Yadete, Yitayew Alemayehu, Bezawit Bekele and Elshaday Kifle Woldevesus

Introduction

Existing evidence suggests that most Ethiopian adolescents have experienced at least one form of age- or gender-based violence (Pankhurst et al., 2018; Save the Children, 2011), and although declining over time, according to the latest Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) (2016), harmful traditional practices are estimated to affect a significant proportion of the countrys girls, including child marriage (40% of girls 1519 years) and female genital mutilation and cutting (47% of girls 1519 years), (CSA and ICF, 2017).

This report on adolescent bodily integrity and freedom from violence is one of a series of short baseline reports focused on emerging mixed-methods findings from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) longitudinal study baseline data collection. Drawing on a gender and capabilities framework, the report focuses on adolescents experiences and perceptions of age-, sexual and gender-based violence in Ethiopia, paying particular attention to gender and regional differences in risks and access to services as well as those between adolescents with disabilities and those without. The report also discusses the range of change strategies currently being implemented to fast-track social change, as well as the related gaps in the policy and programming landscape.

Research methodology

In Ethiopia, our research sample involves a survey with more than 6,800 adolescent girls and boys from two cohorts aged 1012 years (younger adolescents) and 1517 years (older adolescents), and more in-depth qualitative research with 240 adolescents and their families. The baseline data was collected in selected sites in Afar, Amhara and Oromia regional states and Dire Dawa city administration during 2017 and 2018. The sample includes some of the most disadvantaged adolescents (adolescents with disabilities, married girls and adolescent mothers, adolescents from pastoralist and remote rural communities, adolescents from internally displaced households and child-headed households). Three subsequent rounds of data collection will be carried out in 2019/2020, 2020/21 and 2022/23 with the younger cohort when they reach 1214 years, 1315 years and 15 17 years, and with the older cohort at 1719 years, 1820 years and 2022 years. The main qualitative research will happen at the same junctures, but we will also undertake peer-to-peer and participatory research from late 2018/ early 2019 onwards on an annual basis to explore peer networks and the experiences of the most marginalised adolescents in more depth..

Key findings

Overall our findings highlighted that adolescents face significant and multidimensional risks in terms of bodily integrity and violence, but that the patterning of these risks differs considerably by gender, age and geographic location.

Age-based violence: Most adolescents experience corporal punishment at the hands of their parents and by teachers in the case of school-attending adolescents. For boys, who tend to be less compliant, this punishment can be quite severe. Girls are more likely to be punished for violating gender norms and for misdeeds beyond their control, including being late for school on account of domestic and care work responsibilities.

Peer-to-peer violence: Primarily perpetrated by boys against other boys, peer-to-peer violence is widespread and is rooted in boys need to demonstrate their masculinity.

Sexual and gender-based violence: For girls, the links between verbal violence, physical violence and sexual violence are complex and difficult to disentangle. Girls are at risk of verbal harassment when they are young and increasingly at risk of sexual assault as their bodies mature. Although at lesser risk, some boys in our research sites reported incidences of sexual violence perpetrated against boys something that is still a taboo to discuss.

Political violence: Adolescents were also at heightened risk of being caught up in the political violence that was widespread during the baseline data collection period in 2017/2018. This was especially pronounced in East Hararghe where there were large numbers of internally displaced persons due to ethnicity-based violence between communities in Oromia and Somalia regional states.

Child marriage: Rooted in attempts to control girls sexuality, child marriage shows remarkable variation in incidence and patterning across locations. In South Gondar (Amhara), for example, child marriage is often still arranged by parents but is overall declining; in Zone 5 (Afar), there are limited signs of change with the majority of girls married before 18 years; while in East Hararghe (Oromia), girls in some locations are choosing child marriage in a context where there are few other options for adolescents (and adolescent girls in particular).

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C): FGM/C is a deeply rooted cultural practice carried out on girls at very different ages in our research sites (ranging from early infancy to early adolescence). Our findings suggest that in Afar and Oromia, where historically the practice was more invasive, there appears to be a trend towards the less invasive sunna form rather than elimination of the practice.

Change strategies

In terms of programming and policy efforts, very little is currently being done to reduce corporal punishment within the home and within schools as well as peer violence, whereas there are some multi-layered efforts to address sexual and gender-based violence especially child marriage and, to a lesser extent, FGM/C. GAGE findings, however, highlight that tailored approaches are lacking to address harmful traditional practice in hotspot communities.

Policy and practice implications

Our mixed-methods research findings on the patterning of adolescent girls and boys perceptions and experiences relating to age- and gender-based violence, including harmful traditional practices, as well as current programming efforts to tackle such violence, point to a number of key policy and practice priorities as follows:

Engage with adolescents to address underlying social and gender norms that perpetuate violence: Directly tackle the social norms that leave boys at risk of age-based violence, including bullying, and girls at risk of sexual violence and harmful traditional practices, focusing on masculinities and beliefs about girls' sexuality (including those related to age at marriage and FGM/C) by expanding and strengthening attention to these topics into civics classes, youth centres, and other non-school-based platforms. Complement classroom-based approaches with the design and rollout of mass media and social media campaigns to tackle harmful social norms underpinning age- and gender-based violence, beginning with urban adolescents where mobile phone and internet connectivity is considerably higher.

Engage with parents and communities to raise awareness about adolescents vulnerability to multiple forms of violence and prevention and response pathways: Community conversations and messaging by health extension workers, traditional and religious leaders as well as Ethiopias new social worker cadre are needed to tackle corporal punishment in the home and at school, bullying and sexual and gender-based harassment and violence. Guidance for parents in the form of parenting classes, community conversations and media campaigns (in urban areas) could help parents of adolescents understand the risks their children face, become exposed to nonviolent parenting practices, and also how to report and follow up on cases of violence. It is critical that such community engagement efforts also highlight the risks of child marriage and FGM/C, especially the most damaging forms. Given considerable variation across and within regions in terms of the underlying drivers, perpetrator profiles, and age at which adolescents are most at risk of harmful traditional practices, care needs to be taken to tailor approaches and messaging to context specificities. This is important if the governments ambitious targets to eliminate child marriage and FGM/C by the mid-2020s are to be realised, especially given that our findings along with the broader literature suggest that social norm change processes are often complex and non-linear.

Work with schools to support non-violent classroom management techniques, backed up by anonymous reporting options for students and teacher discipline where needed. Parentteacherstudent association efforts to codify punishments should be reshaped to focus on the rationale for and practical guidance regarding positive discipline approaches.

Strengthen formal justice mechanisms by increasing awareness of and response mechanisms to age-, gender- and sexual-based violence as they affect both boys and girls within the police, prosecutors and judges, whilst simultaneously expanding the coverage, resourcing and mandate of local gender units to provide more specialist inputs. Reform efforts should engage with traditional justice mechanisms given their resonance at community level but be careful to avoid reinforcing discriminatory gender norms and local community cleavages, and to promote formal reporting and improved prosecution rates.

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Adolescent bodily integrity and freedom from violence in Ethiopia - Ethiopia - ReliefWeb

Breaking the loan shackle: How to win freedom from debt – Moneycontrol.com

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Raj Khosla

Borrowers who opted for the loan moratorium must be a worried lot as the RBI-mandated relief programme ends this month. The prospect of missing EMIs and reducing credit scores is giving them sleepless nights. Debt and stress are lifelong partners. Even in normal times, the burden of debt causes uneasiness, which takes the form of a mild discomfort for the financially comfortable to an overwhelming anxiety and fear among those with unstable finances. COVID-19 has added a new dimension by throwing pay cuts and job losses into the mix: quite debilitating!

The mixed use of debt

Debt can be both good and bad. Good debt should be embraced because it uses future income to create assets and helps build a credit history. Bad debt however, should be avoided, like the pandemic, because it steals from the future and misallocates precious resources to unproductive expenses. A high level of debt pushes an individual into long-term financial distress.

Good or bad, the best debt is one that is paid off comfortably and at the earliest. There are obvious benefits of foreclosing a loan. The longer it continues, the higher is the interest outgo. Investments build wealth for you; debt burdens you with interest.

ALSO READ:Loan moratorium: When interest compounding works against you

In the current situation, where stock markets are looking jittery and fixed income options are offering low returns, pre-paying outstanding loans seems like the best utilisation of funds. Bank deposits are relatively safer but the post-tax returns cant beat the savings from paying off outstanding loan. Keep in mind that a penny saved is a penny earned. For a loan at 8.5 per cent, every Rs 1 lakh you pre-pay saves Rs 8,500 in interest. If the interest rate is 12 per cent, for every Rs 50,000 prepaid, you stand to earn Rs 6,000 by saving on interest.

There are two broad strategies to get rid of outstanding debt: the avalanche technique and the snowball method. Both have the same underlying goal: achieve freedom from debt at the earliest. It is a great feeling that gives peace of mind to the individual. Let us examine the two methods in detail.

Triggering a debt avalanche

This method pays off debt by attacking the costliest loan first. Start by making a list of all your debts. Mention all the loans, including credit card outstanding, car, personal, education and home loans. Even loans from friends and relatives should be in the list.

Next, rank these loans on the basis of the interest rates they charge. Typically, credit card debt is the costliest loan, charging an annualised interest of 36-48 per cent. Paying off credit card outstanding should be everybodys top priority. Then comes other unsecured debt such as personal loans and travel loans, followed by car loans and loans for assets. At the bottom of the heap are tax-advantaged loans, such as education loans and home loans. These loans have a very low effective rate of interest due to the tax benefits the borrower gets on the interest paid. For instance, if an individual in the highest 30 per cent tax bracket takes a home loan at 8.5 per cent and claims deduction for the interest paid, the effective interest rate works out to less than 6 per cent.

Making a repayment snowball

The avalanche method gets rid of high-cost debt at the earliest. But while it makes eminent mathematical sense, the snowball method has a greater impact on the mindset of the borrower. The snowball method ranks the loans in the order of size and attacks the smallest loan first before moving on to the next debt.

This method may not be financially correct, but tends to click with a lot of borrowers. It is very heartening for the borrower to see a loan getting repaid in full. The sense of accomplishment tends to motivate her to save more. As the snowball gathers pace, all loans get paid off.

ALSO READ:Extension of COVID-19 loan moratorium - know the implications

However, there can be problems because some loans come with foreclosure penalties. Be mindful of the charges that you will be slapped with when you pay off a car loan or personal loan before the due date. Also, neither the avalanche nor the snowball will work if you dont stop piling up more debt. Theres no point in pre-paying a personal loan at 18 per cent when you have added more credit card debt that charges 36 per cent.

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Breaking the loan shackle: How to win freedom from debt - Moneycontrol.com

Behind The Blue: ‘Embattled Freedom’ And Confederate Memorials – Patch.com

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The discussions over removal of Confederate memorials in the United States have been some of the more prominent ones in our current cultural landscape. Gaining momentum from other recent social movements that are happening concurrently, from Black Lives Matter to #MeToo and beyond, the focus of these discussions now seems to have widened to include memorials and statues that go well further back than the American Civil War, and beyond the borders of this country.

Amy Murrell Taylor, the T. Marshall Hahn Jr. Professor of History at the University of Kentucky, last appeared on "Behind the Blue" in September of 2017. On this newest episode, Taylor returns to discuss how this movement has progressed over the past three years, and how the university and Lexington are approaching these conversations. "I think Lexington has gotten past the most contentious part of the monument piece of all of this," says Taylor. "But monuments are just one piece of a much bigger struggle for racial justice."

Taylor also talks about her recent book, "Embattled Freedom: Journeys Through the Civil War's Slave Refugee Camps," and its themes of freedom not just coming to people despite the war and its resolution, but that it had to be sought after in the midst of it.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of "Behind the Blue" each week. UK's latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what's wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

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Behind The Blue: 'Embattled Freedom' And Confederate Memorials - Patch.com

Mapping Media Freedom: Big Increase in Threats Reported in Albania During 2020 – Exit – Explain Albania

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Since the beginning of 2020, Albania has registered a total of nine threats against media freedom on the ECPMF Mapping Media Freedom Website.

This is a concerning number for a country of such a small size and is more than double the incidents from 2019. If you combine the number of threats over the last 12 months, rather than just the last eight months, the total rises to 13

The most recent incident was that of ReportTV journalist Elvis Hila who was obstructed and detained by police as he tried to report on the demolition of properties by the National Inspectorate of the Protection of Territory on a local beach. As he was filming one incident, the Chief of Lezhe police approached him and took the phone from his hands. He was then escorted to a police vehicle where he was kept for some moment while the footage he filmed was deleted. The police and the Ministry of the Interior have not provided any information on why he was detained.

Also recorded was the violent detention of Politiko editor Alfred Lela as he was reporting on the demolition of the National Theatre. Photos and video footage showed him being handcuffed and dragged as well as lying down on the pavement while in the custody of several officers. He claims he was assaulted by the police while in custody.

The recent attempt by the state to close down Ora News was also mentioned. In May, RTV Ora was informed it had to pay a fine by the National Health Inspectorate for supposedly violating COVID-19 measures. It then had additional fines levied against it before the Inspectorate said that the station must close. AMA then backtracked and said there was no decision to close the station.

Exit News also received a mention following a cyber attack it experienced in April of this year. The platform was hit by a targeted cyber-attack which took down the website for 24 hours and tried to delete all data from the websites database. Mapping Media Freedom noted that Exit is one of the few critical media in Albania and had recently published articles criticising the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Had the cyber attack been successful, Exit would have lost every article written in the last five years. Thankfully, the attack was stopped but was described as having a high level of sophistication by IT experts engaged by Exit.

Other incidents include harassment against Ora News journalist Sonila Meco, the detention of editor and journalist at FAX News, Bekim Bici, threats against Ora News journalist Elio Laze by employees of government-favourite contractor Salillari, and the voicemail left by Prime Minister Edi Rama advising citizens to protect themselves from the media.

Fjal kye: Albania, ECPMF, media freedom, press freedom

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Mapping Media Freedom: Big Increase in Threats Reported in Albania During 2020 - Exit - Explain Albania

Flight to Freedom: Pilot lands in Nueces County to pick up two abandoned dogs due to pandemic and flies them to their new foster home – KIIITV.com

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The pilot, a volunteer himself with the Pilots and Paws Organization, along with a local rescue advocate with the Nueces County Animal Services made it all possible.

ROBSTOWN, Texas After a Kingsville family fell homeless during the pandemic they were forced to give up their two retrievers that had been in the family for eight years.

The dogs ended up at the Kingsville Animal Control, with limited time, officials say.

Thats when local animal advocate and volunteer rescue coordinator for Nueces County Animal Services, Lisa Bockholt, stepped in and set out on a mission to find a place for these two dogs to go.

I reached out to my rescue partners with the news, several wanted to help and then one came forward with a plan for the dogs, said Bockholt.

Bockholt then coordinated getting the two dogs, Bailey and Ginger, transported to a local veterinarian and put them on a plane to fly to their temporary foster home in Athens, Texas.

The pilot is a volunteer himself, with the Pilots and Paws Organization. Eventually, the two dogs will be then placed together in a permanent loving forever home by their rescue, Chicagoland Labs.

Rescue can be stressful at times but its times like this that make it all worth it, said Bockholt.

For more information on how you can help shelter dogs in our area contact South Texas Shelter Dogs at (410) 608-2195.

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Flight to Freedom: Pilot lands in Nueces County to pick up two abandoned dogs due to pandemic and flies them to their new foster home - KIIITV.com

Opinion | With Trump appointing anti-abortion judges, the fight for reproductive freedom is critical – Street Roots News

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Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregons director urges Oregonians to remain united against the White Houses harmful policies

Donald Trump has broken plenty of campaign promises, but this summer, we were reminded of one that he kept. He pledged to appoint justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade and he has been making good on that promise.

Trump has spent the past four years pushing policies that threaten our health, our rights and our lives. He and his right-wing allies are putting our lives at risk every single day they are in office,and Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon is committed to doing everything we can to vote them out in November.

As the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and stands up to state-sponsored violence against Black people, its clearer than ever the public wants engaged, competent leaders who will work to keep us safe and increase healthcare access not undermine it.

We know we can win this. Weve done it before, and we will do it again.

Just look at 2018, when our collective power brought in a sea change, radically shifting whos in office. We elected the first pro-reproductive health majority to the U.S. House of Representatives, and here in Oregon, we soundly defeated the anti-abortion Ballot Measure 106.

But, all of those achievements could be undermined by judges who will affect our rights for generations to come. Since 2016, the courts have often become the last and sometimes only line of defense against dangerous and unconstitutional attacks on basic rights. Yet Trump has remade the federal courts with judges hostile to the right to access sexual and reproductive health care. To date, he has appointed nearly 200 judges to the federal bench, with 20% of the federal judiciary appointed by his administration.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowly struck down an anti-abortion law in Louisiana that was identical to a Texas law that was ruled as unconstitutional four years earlier. The Louisiana law would have forced abortion providers to obtain local hospital admitting privileges, a medically unnecessary move meant to make abortion more difficult to access. Surprisingly, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the majority not because hes newly supportive of abortion rights, but because he felt bound by the Texas precedent.

While access is protected for now, more than a dozen other abortion lawsuits are one step away from the court. These cases include a dangerous Arkansas law that would ban medication abortion, as well as a deeply unethical policy by the Trump-Pence administrations Office of Refugee Resettlement that seeks to prevent young, undocumented women in government custody from accessing abortion.

And its not just abortion. All reproductive care is on the docket. Last month, the Supreme Court upheld Trump administration rules that allow employers and universities to push their religious or moral beliefs on employees and students by denying them access to insurance that covers birth control.

Birth control should not be controversial. Nearly nine in 10 women will use it in their lifetimes. It is essential, time-sensitive care that treats serious conditions and allows people to plan if and when they get pregnant.

IN OREGON:Reproductive rights prevail even as pandemic limits some services

This year marks not only the 100th anniversary of womens right to vote, but also the 60th anniversary of the FDAs approval of the first birth control pill. Since that historic moment, access to birth control has been responsible for one-third of womens wage gains relative to mens. The ability to get the pill before age 21 has been found to be the most influential factor enabling women already in college to stay there.

The Affordable Care Acts birth control benefit expanded contraceptive coverage with no out-of-pocket costs for more than 62 million women. Now, because of the Supreme Courts ruling, many of their health plans may no longer cover birth control based on the personal objections of bosses and universities.

On top of that, the Trump administration has dismantled Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. It has pushed ineffective abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. It has denied care to immigrants. It has gagged Title X health providers and forced Planned Parenthood health centers out of the federal program that provides affordable reproductive health care to people with low incomes.

OPINION:Adding a citizenship question to census an attack on immigrant health care

Opening the door to reduced health care access would have been a mistake in any environment. But as we struggle against the dual public health crises of COVID-19 and systemic racism, the dire implications of this decision are clearer than ever.

Our ability to control our own bodies and futures lie in jeopardy like never before. Fortunately, Oregonians have elected leaders and have passed landmark laws that will safeguard us from many of Trumps harmful policies. Thats why we must remain vigilant to continue holding politicians accountable for their records targeting our health, rights and safety.

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Opinion | With Trump appointing anti-abortion judges, the fight for reproductive freedom is critical - Street Roots News