Our greed, judgment, indifference, and misery are senseless and have to stop now! – Kent Sterling

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by Kent SterlingAugust 7, 2020

We have reduced ourselves to protesting both the need to wear a mask and our right not to. What are we doing?

About 50% get really cranky, answered the Sams Club security guard tasked with reminding shoppers a mask is required attire for entrance.

I had forgotten my mask, and when she reminded me, I thanked her. When I returned, I asked what percentage of people are upset when she reminds them.

Whatever your belief is about wearing a mask, treating people like inconveniences put on Earth to make your life more challenging is just bad policy.

Click herefor your copy of Oops the Art of Learning from Mistakes and Adventures by Kent Sterling

These are tough times. People are on edge. They are either terrified by the possibility of being exposed to COVID-19, or they are brazenly indifferent to it. Each sect responds to the other with negativejudgment. Add the protests for racial equality and defunding the police, political leaders of both parties inciting discontent with their counterparts, and our unquenchable thirst to be annoyed, and 2020 has become a giant pain in the ass.

The correction is simple. Just be nice.

Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendys, always had posters with that phrase hanging in his restaurants Just be nice! When people smile at you, smile back. When people wave at you, wave back. If no one smiles or waves, smile and wave anyway.

If you are having a bad day, try to make someone elses day better. Its not all about you, dummy! The world doesnt spin at your convenience, and everyone in it was not put here to agree with you.

Heres a thought you might be wrong about some of the things you believe. Somewhere over the past 30 years, we decided that being right is the most important thing we can be. Its inconceivable to each of us that our theories about life and how to live it are totally screwy, and yet many of us disagree on almost everything.

We talk more than we listen and I mean actually listen rather than just await your turn to talk again. We listen, we learn. But learning means acknowledging we there is something we already do not know, which makes it difficult for some off us.

Admitting a mistake is an implausible notion, unless someone else is doing it. Being caught making a mistake sends people into an out-of-control emotional tailspin.

We measure our worth as human beings based upon how many zeroes we have onour bank statement. Our scoreboard has real numbers, and those who dont measure up are seen as inferior. Parents spend crazy money to send kids to colleges believing tuition is an investment that will pay off in cash, rather than wisdom and knowledge. How silly.

These are dark times, but not because of out reaction to COVID-19 and racism. Those are the symptoms, not the cause. Sadly, the cause is far more insidious our rampant insensitivity and greed. And the cure is the reversal of our current attitude toward life itself.

We are here for 80 years, give or take. No amount of money buys us immortality, and yet we continue to step on those around us to become more efficient earners of wealth for ourselves and others. Instead of helping each other smile more, we deride givers of happiness and decency as saps who just dont get it.

I usually write about sports, but I have had enough of callousness for this lifetime a great deal of which I have exhibited myself. I apologize for that. If you are one of the thousands of drivers I have flipped off over the years, I apologize. If I made you sad with an offhand remark I found amusing, I apologize. If you felt I judged you as insignificant 10 seconds after we met, I apologize, although I was probably just distracted by something.

Life is sosimple yet we choose to complicate it by running a race no one really wins. Dave Thomas has it right. Just be nice. Im going to try it.

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Our greed, judgment, indifference, and misery are senseless and have to stop now! - Kent Sterling

SB Nation Reacts: Wings fans make hard choices – Winging It In Motown

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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NHL. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Red Wings fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.

As the NHL prepares to restart the 2020 season, fans have reassessed where they think their favorite team stands.

In the latest SB Nation Reacts survey, NHL fans were asked if they believe their favorite team is a serious championship contender. Or, if their team is no longer playing, who that fanbase will turn to now.

The Red Wings are one of seven teams that wont be participating in the rest of the season. Instead, Detroit fans have decided to spread their fandom among teams around the league.

J.J. - Im going to chalk this up to a lot of folks wanting to see a team built by Steve Yzerman being successful and not rooting for Tyler Johnson to win a cup, but Id also put the Leafs on there as teams that want to see win a trip to obscurity way more than I want to see them win one to immortality. At least you animals didnt put the Bruins on here.

To vote in the Reacts surveys and have your voice heard each week, sign up here.

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SB Nation Reacts: Wings fans make hard choices - Winging It In Motown

If not for the glory of God, then for what? – Catholic Review of Baltimore

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Last November 11, on the centenary of its relocation to a 93-acre campus in suburban Washington, D.C., Georgetown Preparatory School announced a $60 million capital campaign. In his message for the opening of the campaign, Georgetown Preps president, Father James Van Dyke, SJ, said that, in addition to improving the schools residential facilities, the campaign intended to boost Preps endowment to meet increasing demands for financial aid. Like other high-end Catholic secondary schools, Georgetown Prep is rightly concerned about pricing itself out of reach of most families. So Preps determination to make itself more affordable through an enhanced endowment capable of funding scholarships and other forms of financial aid for less-than-wealthy students is all to the good.

What I find disturbing about the campaign is its branding slogan. I first became aware of it when, driving past the campus a few months ago, I noticed a billboard at the corner of Rockville Pike and Tuckerman Lane. In large, bold letters, it proclaimed, FOR THE GREATER GLORY. And I wondered, ofwhat? Then one day, when traffic allowed, I slowed down and espied the much smaller inscription in the bottom right corner: Georgetown Preps Legacy Campaign.

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam[For the greater glory of God], often reduced to the abbreviation, AMDG, was the Latin motto of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. Georgetown Prep is a Jesuit school. So what happened to the D-word? What happened to God? Why did AMDG become AM[D]G while being translated into fundraising English?

I made inquiries of Jesuit friends and learned that amputating the D in AMDG is not unique to Georgetown Prep; its a tactic used by other Jesuit institutions engaged in the heavy-lift fundraising of capital campaigns. That was not good news. Nor was I reassured by pondering Father Van Dykes campaign-opening message, in which the words Jesus Christ did not appear. Neither did Pope Franciss call for the Churchs institutions to prepare missionary disciples as part of what the Pope has called a Church permanently in mission. And neither did the word God, save for a closing Thanks, and God bless.

Father Van Dyke did mention that Ignatian values were one of the pillars of Georgetown preps reputation for excellence. And he did conclude his message with a call for men who will make a difference in a world that badly needs people who care, people who, in the words Ignatius wrote his best friend Francis Xavier as he sent him on the Society of Jesuss first mission, will set the world on fire. Fine. But ignition to what end?

Ignatius sent Francis Xavier to the Indies and on to East Asia to set the world on fire with love of the Lord Jesus Christ, by evangelizing those then known as heathens with the warmth of the Gospel and the enlivening flame of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic faith. St. Ignatius was a New Evangelization man half a millennium before Pope St. John Paul II used the term. St. Ignatiuss chief Ignatian value wasgloria Dei, the glory ofGod.

Forming young men into spiritually incandescent, intellectually formidable and courageous Christian disciples, radically conformed to Jesus Christ and just as deeply committed to converting the world, was the originating purpose of Jesuit schools in post-Reformation Europe. Those schools were not content to prepare generic men for others; they were passionately devoted to forming Catholic men for convertingothers, the others being those who had abandoned Catholicism for Protestantism or secular rationalism. That was why the Jesuits were hated and feared by powerful leaders with other agendas, be they Protestant monarchs like Elizabeth I of England or rationalist politicians like Portugals 18th-century prime minister, the Marquis of Pombal.

Religious education in U.S. Catholic elementary schools has been improved in recent decades. And we live in something of a golden age of Catholic campus ministry at American colleges and universities. Its Catholic secondary education in the U.S. that remains to be thoroughly reformed so that Catholic high schools prepare future leaders of the New Evangelization: leaders who will bring others to Christ, heal a deeply wounded culture, and become agents of a sane politics. Jesuit secondary education, beginning with prominent and academically excellent schools like Georgetown Prep, could and should be at the forefront of that reform.

Jesuit secondary education is unlikely to provide that leadership, however, if its self-presentation brackets God and announces itself as committed to the greater glory ofwhatever.

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If not for the glory of God, then for what? - Catholic Review of Baltimore

Slavoj iek: Joe Biden is long-term the same catastrophe as Trump – The Irish Times

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Im 20 minutes into an interview with Slavojiekwhen he propositions sex. As a thought experiment, I stress.

Imagine a love encounter. Lets say you are a beautiful lady. He holds his hands up and grins. Sorry, heterosexual! Im old-fashioned. I am a guy, I want to get you.

Such is the nature of conversation with the Slovenian philosopher that he spins from enunciating Marxist social theory one moment to asking about Irelands record in combating Covid-19 the next. Right now he is focused on the implications of futuristic technology envisaged by the likes of Elon Musk which would transmit thoughts directly from one brain to another.

There will be no promises of seduction. Our minds are in contact and your mind reads a signal in me: I want to screw you. I get it back: Over my dead body, and its over in a split of a second.

Musk says he is developing a device called Neuralink with exactly this capability. The Tesla boss claims it will be ready in as little as five years, after which, according to the hype, human language will be rendered obsolete.

iekdoesnt buy it. Our minds work only through language, I claim. Language is this paradoxical intruder, he says. Because we have to communicate in language, I never know exactly what you mean but the very obstacle generates a surplus of meaning.

iek pronounced Djee-shek divides critical opinion. One camp takes him seriously as the Elvis of cultural theory: an original and invigorating left-wing thinker. A second camp treats him as a joke: a high-brow comic act, or the Borat of philosophy, obsessed with sex, movies and the abstruse writings of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

There is a third faction which takes iekseriously but as a dangerous relativist. One proponent of this view described him as the most despicable philosopher in the West highlighting, among iek'smany crimes of reason, his claim that Gandhi was more violent than Hitler because Gandhi didnt do anything to stop the way the British empire functioned in India.

Many people previously sympathetic to iekwere driven into this third camp a few years ago when he expressed his support for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton in the US presidential election.

I am tempted to changing my position, he tells The Irish Times. I will put it like this. I dont think my old statement Trump better than Hillary Clinton was wrong because my calculation was a simple one: If Trump wins it will give a new boost to the left, and it did strengthen. It almost split the Democratic Party [and helped] not only Bernie Sanders but Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It created, for the first time in I dont know how many decades, a true American left. So I still think the great merit Im sorry for this obscene term to be used with somebody like Trump is Trump mixed the cards in a new way.

Who would he vote for this time, Joe Biden or Trump?

Biden is long-term the same catastrophe as Trump, he replies. While welcoming the chaos of the current incumbent, I think Trump is a little too much. On the other hand, the Democratic contender is sometimes, you can see, painfully senile. Without giving a straight answer, he says he hopes Biden has this talent Ronald Reagan had. I was told . . . Reagan had a good Leninist talent to nominate the right people to positions. I hope [Biden] will build a better quipe around him, which will somehow control the situation.

As a committed Hegelian, or more accurately Hegelo-Lacanian his other lodestar is French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan iekis constantly holding at least two opposing ideas in his head at once. At one juncture, he describes the Hegelian outlook as desperately optimistic but he also says, I dont know a much more pessimist philosopher than Hegel.

To the extent thatiekaccounts for this particular contradiction, it is in the fact that no one is sure what Hegel actually believed; he was, after all, a philosopher described by Arthur Schopenhauer as a flat-headed, insipid, nauseating, illiterate charlatan, who reached the pinnacle of audacity in scribbling together and dishing up the craziest mystifying nonsense.

iekis Hegel incarnate in one sense at least: He has an enormous catalogue of work, producing a book roughly every six months. So frequently, in fact, that he loses track of the title that he is currently promoting.

Which book are you talking about? he asks about five minutes into our Skype call. Ah, its already that one!

The book in question is Hegel in a Wired Brain, a meditation on what the German philosopher born 250 years ago on August 27th would make of technological progress. iekdoesnt use social media and says he has never had a Twitter account; the personalised aesthetic doesnt appeal to him.

I have this old philosophical disdain, when somebody says I personally feel like that, my immediate reaction is: F**k off. I dont care how you feel. Im interested in truth. Truth not in the naive sense of objective truth but truth in the sense of what is the presupposition of what youre saying.

He credits Angela Nagle, the Irish author of Kill All Normies, for influencing his view of online communities. A weird reversal has occurred, says Zizek, wherethe new right almost appropriated all the vulgarity once associated with student reformists, and much of the new left is going into this politically correct direction.

He adds: This is my problem with the tendency to get rid of all reminders of racism, sexism and so on . . . While I am for this struggle, he asks whether ruining monuments is the best tactic. Ren Descartes, for example, is the quintessence of the western mind, pure rationalism, privileged man, no sense of empathy, and so on but wait a minute! Do you know how popular Descartes was among women readers? Why? Because cogito the pure Cartesian I has no sex; its open to contingent sexual construction . . . Without cogito there is no modern feminism.

Whatever about the quality of his logic, iekis charming company.

I have a personal question, he interjects. Dont laugh at me. I ask every Irish person: de Valera versus Michael Collins? Later, he cites the Dublin-based novelist Tana French a big hit in Slovenia as evidence of Irelands greatness. Every stupid, small nation can have a great poet, a great national novelist. To have a good detective writer means you are in.

Given the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Ljubljanas most famous son is already thinking of the next book. It will be something like Hegel in the Viral World, he says, having already brought out a short tract called Pandemic! in April.

The restarting of tourists flights across Europe is absolutely crazy, he believes. At the same time, I sympathise with the guy who says I dont want to wear a mask. I understand him. We are being asked literally to change our nature.

As for the effect of Covid-19 on the capitalist system, ieksays: What I like like, its an obscene term to use here for what goes on now is that even conservative prime ministers and presidents have to do things which, if you had to mention them a year ago, they would tell you: Are you crazy? This is radical left; it will never be done.

Dont expect any neat conclusions from iek. But even his fiercest critics must admit that, like a stopped clock which tells the right time twice a day, he inevitably hits upon some truth even if its the simple truth that humans are hopelessly flawed and contradictory.

With a nod to his own shortcomings, he suggests the ridiculousness of our species is what makes us special, as its something no superintelligent computer can match.

This example I use all the time Im embarrassed its in at least five of my books, he says, before retelling a joke from the 1939 Ernst Lubitsch comedy Ninotchka: You go to a restaurant and ask: Can I get coffee without cream? The waiter says: Sorry sir, we dont have cream, we only have milk, so you only can get coffee without milk.

This is a properly Hegelian point, iekadds. Both types of coffee, along with plain coffee are materially the same but they are not symbolically, in our space of meaning, the same.

I debated this with computer specialists and asked them a simple question: Could an artificial mind distinguish between plain coffee, coffee without cream and coffee without milk? And I didnt get a good answer.

Hegel in a Wired Brain by Slavoj iekis published by Bloomsbury Academic.

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Slavoj iek: Joe Biden is long-term the same catastrophe as Trump - The Irish Times

Frostpoint brings Multiplayer Shooter Experience to Virtual Reality – mxdwn.com

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Elijah Hunt August 1st, 2020 - 7:34 PM

Announced earlier this week,Frostpoint VR: Proving Groundsis a multiplayer team-based shooter developed by inXile Entertainmentand published byThirdverse Inc coming to Virtual Reality on PC later this year.Frostpoint is inXiles third title of the year, with an unnamed RPG andWasteland 3 set to release later in the fall. inXile has also previously released VR titles including The Mages Tale, a first-person VR dungeon crawler. According to an official press release,the game is set in a dilapidated military training base in Antarctica where strange biomechanical creatures now roam, each team will need to gear up and set out to dominate the opposing team.

Combat is entirely PvP based, as players compete against other teams with a dozen detailed-weapons to select from. The trailer shows off some of the combat, with the familiarity of Call of Dutyin a snowy sci-fi environment.InXile Entertainment has also confirmed that the game will be server-based, allowing up to 20 players in one game lobby (10v10).

According to the official announcement, an Open Beta has been planned for Frostpoint VRfor the near future. Frostpoint will be releasing later this year globally in over 10 different languages for the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Valve Index. No information about a future console version has been announced, but the company will be releasing moresocial media. More information, including news and future updates about the game, can be found on inXilesFrostpoint: VR Proving Grounds official website. Any interested are also encouraged on the website to join the official discord, to find out more about the games release and upcoming beta.

Today were exclusively revealing Frostpoint, the new AAA multiplayer VR shooter from inXile, creators of The Mages Tale and Wasteland.https://t.co/XhEVmkzXnZ pic.twitter.com/aS66d9wL6e

UploadVR (@UploadVR) July 29, 2020

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Frostpoint brings Multiplayer Shooter Experience to Virtual Reality - mxdwn.com

Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Size 2020: Analysis, Share, Sales, Growth, Revenue, Type, Application & Forecast To 2026 – Market Research Posts

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The recent report on GlobalVirtual Reality Cardboard Market Report 2020 by Key Players, Types, Applications, Countries, Market Size, Forecast to 2026 offered by Credible Markets, comprises of a comprehensive investigation into the geographical landscape, industry size along with the revenue estimation of the business. Additionally, the report also highlights the challenges impeding market growth and expansion strategies employed by leading companies in the Virtual Reality Cardboard Market.

Impact of Covid-19 in Virtual Reality Cardboard Market: Since the COVID-19 virus outbreak in December 2019, the disease has spread to almost every country around the globe with the World Health Organization declaring it a public health emergency. The global impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are already starting to be felt, and will significantly affect the Virtual Reality Cardboard market in 2020. The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought effects on many aspects, like flight cancellations; travel bans and quarantines; restaurants closed; all indoor/outdoor events restricted; over forty countries state of emergency declared; massive slowing of the supply chain; stock market volatility; falling business confidence, growing panic among the population, and uncertainty about future.

Download FREE Sample Copy of Virtual Reality Cardboard Report @ https://www.crediblemarkets.com/sample-request/virtual-reality-cardboard-market-558418

Key players in the global Virtual Reality Cardboard market covered in Chapter 4:

Navkar DistributorsArahant EximMaxbox VRNorthern MindTech LLPRGB Electronics And Electronics OpticsDODOCaseZaakI AM CARDBOARDSimson InternationalKnox LabsPowis CustomUnofficial Cardboard

In Chapter 11 and 13.3, on the basis of types, the Virtual Reality Cardboard market from 2015 to 2026 is primarily split into:

Listed ProductsNon-Listed Products

In Chapter 12 and 13.4, on the basis of applications, the Virtual Reality Cardboard market from 2015 to 2026 covers:

Aerospace&DefenseCommercialConsumer ElectronicsIndustrialMedical

Geographically, the detailed analysis of consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate, historic and forecast (2015-2026) of the following regions are covered in Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13:

United States, Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, Belgium, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Rest of the World

Enquiry before Buying this Report @ https://www.crediblemarkets.com/enquire-request/virtual-reality-cardboard-market-558418

Some Points from Table of Content

Global Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Report 2020 by Key Players, Types, Applications, Countries, Market Size, Forecast to 2026

Chapter 1 Report Overview

Chapter 2 Global Market Growth Trends

Chapter 3 Value Chain of Virtual Reality Cardboard Market

Chapter 4 Players Profiles

Chapter 5 Global Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Analysis by Regions

Chapter 6 North America Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter 7 Europe Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter 8 Asia-Pacific Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter 9 Middle East and Africa Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter 10 South America Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter 11 Global Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Segment by Types

Chapter 12 Global Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Segment by Applications

Chapter 13 Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Forecast by Regions (2020-2026)

Chapter 14 Appendix

The research provides answers to the following key questions:

What is the expected growth rate of the Virtual Reality Cardboard market? What will be the market size for the forecast period, 2020 2026?

What are the major driving forces responsible for transforming the trajectory of the industry?

Who are major vendors dominating the Virtual Reality Cardboard industry across different regions? What are their winning strategies to stay ahead in the competition?

What are the market trends business owners can rely upon in the coming years?

What are the threats and challenges expected to restrict the progress of the industry across different countries?

What are the key opportunities that business owners can bank on for the forecast period, 2020 2026?

Grab Maximum Discount on Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Research Report @ https://www.crediblemarkets.com/discount-request/virtual-reality-cardboard-market-558418

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Virtual Reality Cardboard Market Size 2020: Analysis, Share, Sales, Growth, Revenue, Type, Application & Forecast To 2026 - Market Research Posts

Draft Terms of Reference: Adoption of Model Code on Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom – Mirage News

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Adoption of the Model Code recommended by the Hon Robert French AC in his 2019 Review of Freedom of Speech in Australian Higher Education Providers, on a voluntary basis, is intended to ensure a culture of free speech and academic freedom is strongly embedded in institutions across the Australian higher education sector.

All universities have agreed to implement the Code by the end of 2020.

The Minister for Education has asked Professor Sally Walker AM to review implementation of the Model Code by universities, to offer institutions with advice and suggestions on options to address any evident gaps in policies and to provide the Minister with advice on the overall alignment of relevant polices across the university sector with the principles of the Model Code.

Prof Walkers advice is intended to help and support sector-wide adoption of and consistency with the principles of the Model Code, while acknowledging the autonomy of universities to adapt the Model Code to each institutions particular context and circumstances.

Prof Walker will:

1. Validate the alignment of universities suite of relevant policies with the principles of the Model Code on freedom of speech and academic freedom in higher education providers;

2. Consider whether there are areas of particular strength or weakness in institutional responses and offer any suggestions to institutions where she considers alignment with the Model Code could be improved;

3. Identify exemplars of particularly good practice that could be shared or promoted within the higher education sector;

4. Provide advice to the Minister for Education on the overall alignment of universities policies with the principles of the Model Code and, if warranted, any suggestions on how the alignment could be further improved.

5. Provide advice to the Minister for Education on whether the Code needs further refinement or change.

Prof Walker will complete her task and provide advice to the Minister for Education by November 2020.

Prof Walker was formerly Vice Chancellor of Deakin University. Prior to that, she was a practising lawyer and the Hearn Professor of Law at University of Melbourne where she was President of the Academic Board.

Prof Walker will be supported by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

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Draft Terms of Reference: Adoption of Model Code on Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom - Mirage News

Kayaking the Apostle Islands sea caves in ‘more than just a tourist way’ – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2020. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Travis Barningham is the kind of kayak guide you want leading you through sea caves so smallthat in order to get through them,youmustlie back flat against your kayak anduse your hands to scoot through.

Dont worry about your paddles! he shouted as my mom and I squeezed through a formationhe called thewormhole,in Lake Superior about1 mile north of Meyers Beach along the Bayfield peninsula in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

I was glad he had given us permission to not worry about our paddles, because I hadnt even thought about them since we had entered thetiny tunnel.I was solely focused on pushing against the rock that was 6 inches from my face and getting us the heck out of therebeforean errant wave smackedourheadsinto it.

We safely emerged from the cave to a larger one where we could sit upright again, and our relief gave way towhoopsand laughter.

I had kayaked these caves before, but without a guide I had no idea the wormhole existed.And Im not sureotherguideswould have takenusthrough it.

But Barningham, who owns the outfitter Rustic Makwa Den, offered the right mixture of safety and daring you want when youre exploring somewhere like the sea caves.Plus, as a member of the nearby Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, he provided a one-of-a-kind tour of an area that his people have lived in for hundreds of years anarea that holds special meaning to his tribe.The stories hetold shared some of that meaning and made our two-hour paddle more meaningful than just a fun, scenic trip.

Travis Barningham, owner of Rustic Makwa Den, paddles through sea caves north of Meyers Beach in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on July 20, 2020.(Photo: Chelsey Lewis/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

In February, I had gotten a taste of that extra meaning when I went on a snowshoeing tour with Jon Michels, wholives on the Red Cliff reservation and also guides for Barningham and Rustic Makwa Den in the summer.

Were trying to really develop a connection guides as people that can share this place in more than just a tourist way, more of a connected to the culture and the spirit of the place, Michels told me in February. I think most people have walked or been to a place where they feel something, and thats here. Its here and its strong, and its especially strong for us here, but I know that other people come here and feel that. Bringing people to special places and letting them have that experience is one of the things were trying to do. Theres more to this place than I got the T-shirt' kind of tourism.

Barninghamstarted Rustic Makwa Den in 2017 with fellow tribal member Troy Gordon.In addition to summer kayak tours of the mainland caves, theyalsooffer tours of the sea caves along the Red Cliff reservation on the east side of the Bayfield peninsula in the summer and winter.

Becausethat side of the peninsula is more protected from Lake Superiors brutal west winds, the ice freezes more easily in the winter, making it possible to access the caves even when the national lakeshore ones are not open. In the summer the waves are usually calmer,making it possible to kayak there on days whenit might be too dangerous to do so on the other side.

We encountered that situation on our scheduled tour date, when a strong northwest windwhipped up large enough waves to warrant a small-craft advisory.

Barningham moved our tour to the Red Cliff caves, but by the time I got his messageabout the new location, we were already at Meyers Beach.We walked down to the beach where two- to four-foot waves bashed against the shore.Only two kayakers who clearly knew what they were doing wereplayingin the choppy waterswhere there would normally be dozens of kayaks on a nice day.

Thankfully we were able to reschedule our tour for the next afternoon an important reminder to leave yourself a cushion if youre planning to kayak ordo anything else in the Apostle Islands. Lake Superior weather can be unpredictable and change quickly, and the lake is the boss.

Kayakers paddle through sea caves north of Meyers Beach in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.(Photo: Chelsey Lewis/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

The next day we pulled into Meyers Beach around 2 p.m. for our tour, andcars already filled the small parking lot and lined the road leading out to Highway 13.

Kayaking in the islands has become popular onlyin the last 20 years, and especially in the last five years after the ice caves went viral on social media in 2014 and made the areaand its cavesworld-famous.

Bob Mackrelworked as the parks west district manager atMeyers Beachin the 90s andsaid"you never saw that kind of traffic parked along thatroadback then, when the parking lot was even smaller. It was expanded about 10 years ago,and he said they thought that expansion would besufficientfor the future.

It wasoverwhelmedvery quickly. Nobody anticipated it, he said.

Barningham and his assistant guide, Ethan Gordon,were waiting by their van in the busy lot andoutfitted our group of seven with life jackets and spray skirts and helped us carry ourtandemseakayaksto the beach(where there thankfully werent as many boats as the traffic in the parking lot would have indicated).

After a safety lesson on the beach, we paddled into Lake Superior, which was much calmer than the day before, heading northeast toward the sea caves.

Downed trees line the sandstone cliff above a rock formation that resembles a skull north of Meyers Beach in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on July 21, 2020. (Photo: Chelsey Lewis/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Along the way, we saw evidence of an intense storm that had passed through a couple nights before.Downed trees lined the cliffs, some of which looked freshly eroded. The mainland trail that follows the cliffs had been closed since the storm and wouldn't reopen for a week. When we kayaked in the caves later, Barningham said it was weird to notsee people walking along the cliffs above. Sometimes they'll ask you to take photos from below, he said.

Before we reached the caves, Barningham searched the remaining trees for a large bald eagle nest he usually points out on his toursbut couldnt find it in its usual spot.The eagle is sacred to the Ojibwe, who consider it a messenger that carries their prayersto their creator.Barningham said he might hike the cliff top the following day to search for eagle feathers. While it is illegal for most people to keep eagle feathers they find, he said their treaty permits tribal members to keep anythey find.

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore off the northern border of Wisconsin.(Photo: Lou Saldivar)

Enlarge map

Like many people who live in Red Cliff, Barningham has ties to that treatybeyond the fact that it helped establish the reservation he lived on. His sons mother is a descendant of the tribal chief who made it happen Chief Buffalo (Kechewaishke).

I had never heard of Chief Buffalo untilMichels told me about him on our snowshoeing tour a sad whitewashing of the Apostle Islandshistory, perhaps, considering how instrumental he was in maintaining peace in the area and securinga permanent reservationfor his tribe.

If he hadnt been overshadowed by all the Indian wars, I think he'd probably be one of the most famous and respected native leaders in the country, Michels said.

For background, Michels shared some history of the area and the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He said Lake Superior made the area a great place to live, providing good fishing and a transportation avenue, as well as some of the best wild rice beds in the world. On land, the Ojibwe did prescribed burns on sandy soil, which provided habitat for the bison and elk that they hunted.

The French arrived in the 1600s, establishing a trading post on Madeline Island, which had been the spiritual and economic home for theOjibwe.They mostly had a good relationship, Michels said, noting that the French seemed to respect and assimilate to native culture rather than trying to bend the Ojibwe to their culture.

Things began to change in the 1800s. While the Indian Removal Act of 1830 affected southern tribes more than the Ojibwe, pressure for the tribe to be moved to Minnesota grew after Wisconsin became a state in 1848.

Michels said a cabal of characters(in the federal and local government)wanted the tribe to live in Minnesota so they could have access to the tribes annuity payments, issued in October. In 1850, the federal officials changed the payment location from La Pointe on Madeline Island to Sandy Lake, Minn. A group of Ojibwe went to Sandy Lake to retrieve the money and supplies, not expecting to stay long. But the payments were delayed until December, and 400 Ojibwe died of starvation, freezing or disease while waiting and on the journey home.

Barningham called it Wisconsins trail of tears, and it cemented the tribes resolve to stay on their lands.

As the area inched toward a possibly violent conflict,Chief Buffaloled a delegationtoWashington to convince President Millard Fillmore to rescind the removal order.The chief who was well over 90 years old at the time and others made their way from La Pointeto Sault Ste. Marieby birch bark canoe, then by steamship and trains to Washington D.C. There, a New York congressman got them in to see the president. They met for a few hours and smoked apeacepipeBuffalohad brought from Wisconsin.The presidentso enjoyed the meeting that he invited them back for another the next day, thenrescinded the removal order for the Lake Superior Ojibwe and ordered treaty negotiations to begin.

The 1854 La Pointe Treaty came out of those negotiations and established reservations including those for the Lac du Flambeau, the Lac Courte Oreilles and the Bad River bands in Wisconsin. The Red Cliff Reservation, however, was not directly established through the treaty. The land, known as the Buffalo Estate, was initially given to Buffalo for his work in the negotiations. The rest of the La Pointe people were supposed to move to the Bad River reservation, but many stayed with Buffalo at Red Cliff. In 1863 the U.S. government attached Buffalo's land to the 1854 treaty and established the Red Cliff Reservation.

Chief Buffalodied in 1855 at the age of 100 and was buried on Madeline Island. Two busts of the chief one marble and one bronze are in the U.S. Capitol building.

This marble bust of Chief Buffalo, created in 1856 by Italian sculptor Francis Vincenti, is on display in the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol building.(Photo: U.S. Senate Collection)

He is also immortalized in the name of the bay that Rustic Makwa Den launches its kayaks from for tours of the Red Cliff caves.

This year, as the park service celebrates the national lakeshores 50th anniversary, they have shared bits of its history, including Chief Buffalo and the 1854 treaty, on their Facebook page.

But outside of that, his history is largely unknown by most white visitors.

For whatever reason, history was overshadowed by so much other stuff, Michels said. "All the relations with natives in history was all about warfare, and Buffalo did the opposite. He used the political process and was successful at it, and it just didnt catch historical traction.

Thats partially what Michels and Barningham hope to change with their tours.

We continuedoursalongthemainlandsea caves, paddling intoany openingsin thered-brownrockthat stood more than 40 feet tallin spots.

We had the caves to ourselves, including a narrow gorge known as the crevasse or the crack that Barningham said you sometimeshave towait for other tour groups to get out of before you can explore.

Kayakers paddle into a rock formation known as the crevasse or the crack on Lake Superior north of Meyers Beach in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.(Photo: Chelsey Lewis/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

It was unusualfor the caves to not be swarming with kayakers on a sunny summer afternoon, even on a weekday.

Part of that could have been due to outfitters choosing not to operate or offering fewer trips because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Barningham said hes decreased his offerings, opting for quality over quantity and having either himself or Michels lead all trips.

Fewer boats meant we could take our time inall ofthe caves, including one ofBarninghamsfavorites, which he called the singing cave for the noise the waves made bouncing and echoing off the rock inside.

Kayakers paddle through sea caves north of Meyers Beach in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.(Photo: Chelsey Lewis/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Hesaid the wormhole is also among his favorites, anddespite high lake levels making it an even tighter squeeze than usual, everyone in our group which included a young couple in a tandem kayak, and a father and his two young children in a triple managed to get through it. Only our assistant guideaborted on his attempt. Barningham saidits sometimes easier to get atandem kayak through because theyre heavier and sit lower in the water than single kayaks.

The beauty of our trip wasit was a choose-your-own-adventure trip with no pressure to kayak anywhere you werent comfortable.Dont want to squeeze through the wormhole? No problem. You could hang out along the caves outside and explore larger ones while you waited.

And if youre more adventurous than your kayak partner, you can do what I did and put herin the front so you can pretend to not hear her objections when you steer the kayak toward it. (Disclaimer: Not recommended for married couples.)

But adventure is about pushingyourcomfort zone, and under the safe guidance of an experienced guide,it wasworthpushingfor the reward ofexploring one of the most beautiful and unique natural features Wisconsin has to offer.

Kayakers paddle along sea caves north of Meyers Beach in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.(Photo: Chelsey Lewis/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

More information:A handful of Apostle Islands have sea caves, but the biggest and most popular are along the national lakeshores strip of mainland near Meyers Beach, about 15 miles west of Bayfield.

Lake Superior is cold and can be dangerous for inexperienced kayakers.Its much more like an ocean than an inland lake.Unless you havethe proper equipment(a sea kayak, not a sit-on top one)and experience(including the ability to self-rescue, since there is nowhere to swim ashore once you reach the caves), you should only explore the caves with an authorized guide.

Some outfitters rent kayaks, but they require you to pass a safety course that includes self-rescue techniques before you head out.

Rustic Makwa Denrents kayaks andoffers a variety of tours, including of the Meyers Beach caves.Thebeginner-friendlytwo-hour tours departat 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. daily throughthe beginning of October.Tours are weather-dependent and may be rescheduled ifconditionsare too rough on Lake Superior; leave yourself an extra day or two in the area in case you need to reschedule.Tourscost $110 for a tandem kayak (two paddlers) and $145 for a triple (two paddlers and one childbetween ages 5 and 12).For reservations and more information, seerusticmakwaden.com.

For more NPS-authorizedoutfitters, see the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore website, nps.gov/apis.

This is part of a series of stories about the Apostle Islands as the national lakeshore, the only one in Wisconsin, celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Related: Apostle Islands cruise is one of the best ways to see the national lakeshore

Related: No longer a Midwestern secret, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore celebrates 50 years

Contact Chelsey Lewis atclewis@journalsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chelseylew and@TravelMJS and Facebook at Journal Sentinel Travel.

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Kayaking the Apostle Islands sea caves in 'more than just a tourist way' - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Essential Releases: Theremin Dub, NYC Hip-Hop, Improvised Jazz and More – bandcamp.com

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SEVEN ESSENTIAL RELEASES Essential Releases: Theremin Dub, NYC Hip-Hop, Improvised Jazz and More By Bandcamp Daily Staff August 07, 2020

Welcome to Essential Releases, our weekly roundup of the best music on Bandcamp. This column began as a way to recommend crucial new albums. However, until further notice, well be using it to spotlight the records that are resonating with us right now, regardless of when they were released.

Deltalite Odyssey, Melbourne artist Rory McPikes debut effort as Cactus Head, is the perfect lounge-around-and-do-nothing album: a cozy blend of balearic pop and lo-fi rock, smoothly paced and sun-soaked to perfection. Like many of his projects (Rings Around Saturn, Bleekman, Pickleman, etc.), its an electronic project underpinned by numbing texture and new-age blissbut whereas those endeavors channeled that dreaminess into techno and ambient, Deltalite Odyssey offersto quote the colorful album descriptionDMT-induced 80s ballads and drum machine-driven mid-fi boogie. What its songs lack in sheer impactcuts like Elevate and Red Bluff sound like mall music heard from underwater, pop hooks drifting among murky snares and synthsthey make up for with a strong devotion to form, expressed through minimalist savvy and psychedelic warmth. Sometimes, the best things in lifeand musicare understated.

The New York rapper Flee Lord opens his June album Alter Ego: Fleeigo Delgado with an apology. So, we had to pull an audible, he says. We was working on Loyalty & Trust the second edition, but we wasnt sure if it was gonna make this month. So I put this together. Hes talking about the fact that he hasnt finished the follow-up to last years Loyalty & Trust, but he has nothing to be sorry for. Over the last 24 months, Flee Lord has been churning out albums at a staggering pacesolo LPs as well as collaborations with Eto and 38 Spesh. He turned up on the last album by Trust Army, a collective of kindred-spirit rappers like Che Noir, Planet Asia, and Rome Streetz. He also makes an appearance on the upcoming, career-best album from Griselda rapper Conway. In other words, when he told us last year that his goal was, To make more music than anybody else, he wasnt kidding. But if Fleeigo Delgado is, as he puts it, an audible, then it stands as yet another testament to just how good Flee really is. Not one bar on the albums 10 songs feels shrugged off or phoned in. Instead, Flee leans in hard, his voice grinding insistently against the beats like rusted-over cogs cranking away inside a turbine. On the dazzling Funeral Home, over a tense, organ-driven backdrop from the producer Dolla, Flee offers boasts like, Droppin albums like my hands greasy, its mad easy, Yall bums in the booth, I come with the truth, and All my verses high-speed, thatll cost you 9Gs. No matter whos behind the boards, the production maintains a kind of humid, August-in-New-York vibe, and Flees voice on every song is as jagged as the blade of a buck knife. Its the kind of record that makes you excited to hear what the artist is going to do next. Knowing Flee Lord, well find out in about three or four weeks.

2020 marks the 100th birthday of the theremin, one of the most beautifully strange instrument in recorded music. Originally, the theremin operated within a classical, albeit futuristic, context; a century later, its eerie song permeates horror and sci-fi scores, avant-garde electronica, and electro-jazz, among other highlights, as explored by Jim Allen in his story on the theremins centennial this past April. The celebration continues this week with a new compilation from London producer Gaudi that recasts the theremin as a starring dub player. For all its sci-fi mystique, the theremins gliding ghost-song is a perfect fit for these buoyant riddims, carrying the melodies along in a gentle, winding current. A stacked roster of board wizards sweetens the deal; Mad Professor, Adrian Sherwood, the Scientist, Prince Fatty, and Dennis Bovell come through with their own unique takes on the instrument, from the balmy (Smoking Dub) to the James Bond-esque (Secret Service Dub). Dub has always been about exploring space, the very principle on which the theremin operates in the first place: in other words, the two are a match made in heaven.

Released in 1972, Buddy Terrys Pure Dynamite captures a fertile time in jazz, when purists wrongly predicted its demise, opening the door for musicians like Terry to fuse it with funk, soul, gospel, and West African rhythms and create something new. Because jazz had become less popular in the mainstream, Terry flew under the radar. That means Pure Dynamite didnt get the credit it deserved as a spirited set of post bop and fusion meant to unite past and present sounds. It was his second album for Mainstream Records, following the equally great Awareness from 1971. With players like drummer Billy Hart, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, and percussionist Mtume on the album, Pure Dynamite is a fluid interplay between some of the genres best purveyors of Afrocentric jazz. Terry favored shape-shifting orchestration; on Awareness, it came in the form of its 13-minute title track. Here, on the album opener Quiet Afternoon, the band opens with a sauntering groove that picks up steam around the two-minute mark, as the trumpet and Terrys saxophone ascend to the fore. The song, with all its crescendos, finally congeals, ending as a stellar psych-funk hybrid. Then theres Baba Hengates, the albums regal 17-minute closer: Jazz heads might recognize this from Mtume Umoja Ensembles album, Alkebu-Lan Land Of The Blacks (Live At The East). But where Mtumes version felt looser, Terrys rendition is a tightly-coiled procession of a few different subgenresavant-garde, ambient, and swing. You need Pure Dynamite in your collection right away.

Merce Lemons Moonth has a kind of self-possessed steeliness beneath its indie pop delicacy, yet the Pittsburgh songwriters gentle touch imbues her music with an inviting warmth that tempers its heartfelt expressions of emotional vulnerability. Not to imply this is a bummer record, because its not. Theres actually a lot of playfulness here, especially in its lyricism. Lemon writes highly intelligent songs without being overly intellectual in her approach nor overly childlike, even when using myriad food metaphors to delineate the pains of heartbreak and resignation. Moonth is also stylistically diverse, with songs ranging from hushed and folky acoustic guitar ditties to more atmospheric explorations and twangy ballads. Theres even an indie rock song or twothough theyre the exception rather than the rule, and always err on the twee side of the spectrum. A deceptively simple-sounding record,Moonth will draw you in with its accessibility, but its Lemons fearless honesty that leaves the deepest impression.

UV-TVs proclivity for shading their twinkly pop-punk with doomy streaks of post-punk, coldwave, and shoegaze was already evident on their excellent 2017 debut Glass, but the formula coalesced even more formidably on last years Happywithout sacrificing the big, big hooks that makes the bands music irresistible to anyone with a love for a great rock song played breathlessly fast la Tiger Trap. What sets this band apart from many in their particular milieu is how theyre able to pair such high-energy, seemingly throwaway songs with deeply felt emotions that feel as expansive as the running times are short. Bassist Rose Vastolas velvety vocals remain a balm on the ear and they benefit immensely from Happys higher production values than what was found on their comparatively garage-y debut. But so does everything, really, because music that is tightly wound and locked-in always sounds better when you can cleanly hear all the moving parts. Highlights include the fractured Inside Out, the buzzy title track, and the dissonant Gold, which is matched in its upbeat expressions of joy by gross squeals of guitar straight out of some anonymous music video that aired on 120 Minutes in 1992.

Named for a poetic fragment by the late David Berman(If Christ had died in a hallway we might pray in hallways/ or wear little golden hallways around our necks), Golden Hallway Music is the moniker under which Zack Tornaben records whimsical, wondrous daydream miniatures in the hallway of his New York apartment. Rules & Chance is his second self-released collection, and its songs triangulate kosmische circus themes, pastoral new age, and African keyboard modalities, creating a humble fantasia of open-horizon melodies and electric sunset textures, all of them inspired by moments of quotidian beauty: highway rest stops, light pollution, city rooftops at night. Its a quiet gem, full of meditative moods and minimalist means, pulled from the mouth of the metropolis into beatific spheres above.

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Essential Releases: Theremin Dub, NYC Hip-Hop, Improvised Jazz and More - bandcamp.com

Joe Biden attacks Donald Trump for ‘shameful’ claim he is ‘against God’ – The Guardian

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Donald Trump has claimed Joe Biden is against God in an attack on the presumptive Democratic presidential candidates faith.

In provocative remarks during a trip to Ohio, a key election battleground, the US president said Biden was following the radical left agenda.

Trump added: Take away your guns, destroy your second amendment. No religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt God.

Hes against God, hes against guns, hes against energy, our kind of energy.

Biden, who is leading in the polls, has frequently spoken about how his Catholic faith helped him cope with the deaths of his first wife and daughter in a 1972 car accident.

In a statement, he said Trumps comments were shameful.

He added: Like so many people, my faith has been the bedrock foundation of my life: its provided me comfort in moments of loss and tragedy, its kept me grounded and humbled in times of triumph and joy.

And in this moment of darkness for our country of pain, of division, and of sickness for so many Americans my faith has been a guiding light for me and a constant reminder of the fundamental dignity and humanity that God has bestowed upon all of us.

For President Trump to attack my faith is shameful. Its beneath the office he holds and its beneath the dignity the American people so rightly expect and deserve from their leaders.

Bidens stance on abortion has antagonised many of his fellow Catholics. In 1973, he said the Roe v Wade supreme court decision went too far, but now believes Roe v Wade is the law of the land, a woman has a right to choose.

Biden is dealing with a controversy of his own, after suggesting the African American community was homogenous a comment Trump described as very insulting.

Biden said: What you all know but most people dont know, unlike the African American community with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things.

He later tweeted: Earlier today, I made some comments about diversity in the African American and Latino communities that I want to clarify. In no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolith not by identity, not on issues, not at all.

My commitment to you is this: I will always listen, I will never stop fighting for the African American community and I will never stop fighting for a more equitable future.

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Joe Biden attacks Donald Trump for 'shameful' claim he is 'against God' - The Guardian

Why people must stop worrying that Donald Trump will delay the election | TheHill – The Hill

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American democracy may or may not have died this week, but you could not tell from the news. Several experts and members of Congress warned that we face nothing less than a coup against the people. Others called for organized protests because it is clear the intent was blood chillingly real as shown by Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpBiden says his faith is 'bedrock foundation of my life' after Trump claim Coronavirus talks on life support as parties dig in, pass blame Ohio governor tests negative in second coronavirus test MORE. One leading academic even called for his impeachment as a fascist out to destroy our political system.

We have not seen such rhetoric since Aaron Burr tried to cut off the entire southwest territory of the United States. The reason today is the question on social media from the president. Returning to the subject of saying that mail ballots will be a disaster, he ended his recent tweet by asking, Delay the election until people can properly, securely, and safely vote?

I have said that the tweet was reckless and repugnant. However, cries of an online coup were equally as disconnected from reality. I have written repeatedly about this wild conspiracy theory that Trump will never allow an election to take place this year. It has raged over liberal websites and cable outlets since soon after his inauguration four years ago.

The president does not have the authority to delay the election. Even if he could persuade Congress to change the date, with implausible assistance from House Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiCoronavirus talks on life support as parties dig in, pass blame On The Money: Pessimism grows as coronavirus talks go down to the wire | Jobs report poised to light fire under COVID-19 talks | Tax preparers warn unemployment recipients could owe IRS Top Democrats say postmaster confirmed changes to mail service amid delays MORE, the Constitution still stipulates that his term ends at noon on January 20. In the interim, not only do citizens have to vote but delegates also have to cast the ballots in the Electoral College, and those votes must be certified and counted by Congress.

So it is not much of a coup when you do not extend your time in office. It does not matter what Trump would like. It is about what the Constitution will allow. A demand to delay the election has the same impact as Trump declaring that he will change his name to Joe BidenJoe BidenBiden says his faith is 'bedrock foundation of my life' after Trump claim Biden clarifies comments comparing African American and Latino communities Kanye West may have missed deadline to get on Wisconsin ballot by minutes: report MORE if needed to claim victory. It is why this election conspiracy theory is so crazed.

Indeed, I criticized Biden when he picked up the conspiracy theory over the president, triggering another round of panic. He added another idea to this baseless fear when he suggested that Trump opposing funding of the Postal Service was part of plans to steal the election. I also criticized Jared Kushner when he raised uncertainty about the election.

While I portrayed Biden as a nut for raising this conspiracy theory earlier this year, many have now proclaimed him a nostradamus after the tweet by Trump. But Biden was not right and neither is Trump. It is no surprise, and no sign of a plot, that Trump might suggest something outrageous, like a delay of the election, on social media. Such behavior is a fact that occupies many of us on a daily basis in this era. The conspiracy theory is to suggest that Trump could really halt or delay the election.

In fairness to Trump, he has not declared that he can unilaterally delay the election but rather asks if the country should do so. He then later denied actually wanting a delay. Yet the tweet still showed terrible judgment and rekindled this conspiracy theory on the internet. Northwestern University professor Steven Calabresi wrote a column in the New York Times calling for the swift impeachment of the president for his question.

I certainly have no delusions of how impeachment is often the magnet for claims of high crimes and misdemeanors. Indeed, over the last few years, various experts and members of Congress have demanded impeachment for everything from tweets to criticism of the football players who do not stand during the national anthem. Yet Calabresi is not an internet lunatic. He is a respected academic who suggested that asking if an election can be delayed because of the pandemic is grounds for removal.

Keep in mind that it is legal for Congress to delay the election, so Trump was asking about something allowed under the Constitution. It would be impossible with Democrats in control of the House, however, it would be entirely legal. So is the president to be considered removable for asking about legal measures? Imagine that as a standard in history.

Trump has objected that a shift to mail voting will cause problems. I have covered elections as a legal analyst for decades. Each contest has had its issues, including the controversy in 2000 resolved by the Supreme Court. While we regularly use absentee ballots, we have not done mail voting on such a massive scale across the country. It will add more challenges. The president is also right that it will likely delay the final count.

There is every reason to be worried. We have a short window before the Electoral College meets on December 14 to certify the results. While the date could also be changed, it would soon collide with January 6, when Congress meets to certify the results. There is the chance for floor fights over the results and the possible failure to certify any states tied up with litigation. It is even possible that such legal challenges could continue to January 20. What is not in doubt, however, is Trump staying in office. He will not be president on that day unless he wins the election.

The only thing scarier for Trump than losing is if no duly elected president is determined. Pelosi could then become the acting president as the next in line. It should be enough incentive for the administration to ensure the Postal Service is fully prepared for Election Day. That is why we should set this conspiracy theory aside. Trump cannot unilaterally delay the election. Our real concern must be what will happen on November 3.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. You can find his updates online @JonathanTurley.

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Why people must stop worrying that Donald Trump will delay the election | TheHill - The Hill

Aerospace Industry Market: Manufacturer’s Revenue All Realized Positive Growth: GE Aviation, Airbus, Raytheon – Press Release – Digital Journal

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Aerospace Industry Market: Manufacturers Revenue all Realized Positive Growth

This press release was orginally distributed by SBWire

Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/07/2020 -- COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Aerospace Industry Market Report-Development Trends, Threats, Opportunities and Competitive Landscape in 2020 is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market, highlighting opportunities, risk side analysis, and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. The study provides information on market trends and development, drivers, capacities, technologies, and on the changing investment structure of the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Aerospace Market. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Raytheon, Stokvis Tapes, Rockwell Collins, GE Aviation & United Technologies Corporation, Airbus, The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Safran Group, General Dynamics Corporation, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman Corporation & Reutech Radar Systems.

COVID-19 Outbreak- Aerospace Market Overview:

If you are involved in the COVID-19 Outbreak- Aerospace industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Commercial Aviation, Military Aviation & General Aviation, , Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing, Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhauling Services & Aerospace Support and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing and major players. If you want to classify different company according to your targeted objective or geography we can provide customization according to your requirement.

You can get free access to samples from the report here: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/2707816-covid-19-outbreak-global-aerospace-industry-market

COVID-19 Outbreak- Aerospace Market: Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2025

COVID-19 Outbreak- Aerospace research study is to define market sizes of various segments & countries by past years and to forecast the values by next 5 years. The report is assembled to comprise each qualitative and quantitative elements of the industry facts including: market share, market size (value and volume 2014-19, and forecast to 2025) which admire each countries concerned in the competitive examination. Further, the study additionally caters the in-depth statistics about the crucial elements which includes drivers & restraining factors that defines future growth outlook of the market.

Important years considered in the study are:Historical year 2014-2019 ; Base year 2019; Forecast period** 2020 to 2025 [** unless otherwise stated]

The segments and sub-section of COVID-19 Outbreak- Aerospace market are shown below:

The Study is segmented by following Product Type: , Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing, Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhauling Services & Aerospace Support and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing

Major applications/end-users industry are as follows: Commercial Aviation, Military Aviation & General Aviation

Some of the key players/Manufacturers involved in the Market are Raytheon, Stokvis Tapes, Rockwell Collins, GE Aviation & United Technologies Corporation, Airbus, The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Safran Group, General Dynamics Corporation, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman Corporation & Reutech Radar Systems

Enquire for customization in Report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/2707816-covid-19-outbreak-global-aerospace-industry-market

If opting for the Global version of COVID-19 Outbreak- Aerospace Market analysis is provided for major regions as follows:- North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)- Europe (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Russia , Italy and Rest of Europe)- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, India and Southeast Asia)- South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, rest of countries etc.)- Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

Buy this research report @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=2707816

Key Answers Captured in Study areWhich geography would have better demand for product/services?What strategies of big players help them acquire share in regional market?Countries that may see the steep rise in CAGR & year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth?How feasible is market for long term investment?What opportunity the country would offer for existing and new players in the COVID-19 Outbreak- Aerospace market?Risk side analysis involved with suppliers in specific geography?What influencing factors driving the demand of COVID-19 Outbreak- Aerospace near future?What is the impact analysis of various factors in the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Aerospace market growth?What are the recent trends in the regional market and how successful they are?

Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/2707816-covid-19-outbreak-global-aerospace-industry-market

There are 15 Chapters to display the COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Aerospace market.Chapter 1, About Executive Summary to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Aerospace market, Applications [Commercial Aviation, Military Aviation & General Aviation], Market Segment by Types , Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing, Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhauling Services & Aerospace Support and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing;Chapter 2, objective of the study.Chapter 3, to display Research methodology and techniques.Chapter 4 and 5, to show the COVID-19 Outbreak- Aerospace Market Analysis, segmentation analysis, characteristics;Chapter 6 and 7, to show Five forces (bargaining Power of buyers/suppliers), Threats to new entrants and market condition;Chapter 8 and 9, to show analysis by regional segmentation[North America (Covered in Chapter 7 and 14), United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe (Covered in Chapter 8 and 14), Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others, Asia-Pacific (Covered in Chapter 9 and 14), China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Others, Middle East and Africa (Covered in Chapter 10 and 14), Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Others, South America (Covered in Chapter 11 and 14), Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile & Others ], comparison, leading countries and opportunities; Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain AnalysisChapter 10, to identify major decision framework accumulated through Industry experts and strategic decision makers;Chapter 11 and 12, COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Aerospace Market Trend Analysis, Drivers, Challenges by consumer behavior, Marketing ChannelsChapter 13 and 14, about vendor landscape (classification and Market Ranking)Chapter 15, deals with COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Aerospace Market sales channel, distributors, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.

Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand].

About HTF Market ReportHTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the "Accurate Forecast" in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their "Goals & Objectives".

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/aerospace-industry-market-manufacturers-revenue-all-realized-positive-growth-ge-aviation-airbus-raytheon-1299536.htm

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Aerospace Industry Market: Manufacturer's Revenue All Realized Positive Growth: GE Aviation, Airbus, Raytheon - Press Release - Digital Journal

Detection of H1 Swine Influenza A Virus Antibodies in Human Serum Samples by Age Group – CDC

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Disclaimer: Early release articles are not considered as final versions. Any changes will be reflected in the online version in the month the article is officially released.

Author affiliations: Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium (E. Vandoorn, A. Parys, K. Van Reeth); Ghent University and Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium (I. Leroux-Roels, G. Leroux-Roels); National Animal Disease Center, Ames, Iowa, USA (A. Vincent)

Humans and swine are susceptible to influenza A viruses (IAVs) of hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes H1 and H3, which are widespread in both species. Human IAVs frequently are transmitted to swine, after which the HA surface protein generally undergoes slower antigenic evolution (drift) in swine than in humans (13). Therefore, swine can be considered a reservoir for past human IAVs. Because antigenic drift variants of human IAVs replace each other over time, younger persons only have been exposed to more recent strains and human population immunity against older human IAVs gradually decreases (4). Consequently, human-origin swine IAVs (swIAVs) can be reintroduced into the human population after a certain period and cause a pandemic, as illustrated by the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus (pH1N1) (5). The H1 of this swine-origin virus is related to the H1 of human seasonal H1N1 IAVs that circulated in 19181950. In 2009, only persons born before the 1950s had cross-reactive antibodies against H1N1 viruses, so a pandemic was possible (6,7).

The evolution of swIAVs is different from and more complex than that of human IAVs because of multiple introductions of human IAVs into swine and geographic separation of swine populations (8). H1 swIAV colloquial names indicate their origin and region of circulation. An improved classification system subdivides H1 swIAVs into 3 lineages and 28 clades on the basis of H1 nucleotide sequence homology (9). The lineages are 1A, 1B, and 1C, with the number representing the subtype (H1) and the letter representing the lineage. Clades and subclades are indicated with 13 digits. Classical swine lineage 1A contains IAVs with the human 1918 pandemic H1N1 virus as a common ancestor. Most clades are restricted to America and Asia, but pH1N1 viruses (1A.3.3.2) circulate in swine and humans worldwide. Human seasonal lineage 1B contains swIAVs with an H1 derived from human seasonal IAVs. These human-like H1 swIAVs emerged in Europe in the late 1980s and in North America in the early 2000s. Eurasian avian lineage 1C contains swIAVs that originated from avian IAVs. These avian-like swIAVs emerged in Europe in 1979 and spread to Asia in 1993 (1013). Apart from antigenic evolution in the HA, IAVs also can evolve via exchange of gene segments with other IAVs of different subtypes or clades infecting the same cell, called reassortment (14), which frequently occurs in pigs. A reassortant IAV with an antigenically novel HA and the capacity to infect and spread in humans could cause a pandemic.

Since 2010, 35 zoonotic infections with H1 swIAVs were reported in North America and 10 in Europe (1517; Parys et al., unpub. data). Human population immunity is a major factor determining the pandemic risk for swIAVs. Hemagglutination inhibiting (HI) and virus neutralizing (VN) antibodies in serum are accepted correlates of protection (18). Evaluating humans of different age groups for HI and VN antibody titers against a range of antigenically different swIAVs might help clarify the public health risk.

In a previous seroprevalence study for H3 swIAVs in humans from Luxembourg, we demonstrated a correlation with the nature of the swIAV and its relation to human IAVs on the one hand and the persons birth year on the other (19). A large comparative seroprevalence study for H1 swIAVs is lacking. Previous studies examined limited numbers of H1 swIAVs or samples or did not evaluate the relation between birth year and antibody responses (12,13,2025). In addition, most studies were conducted before or during the 2009 pandemic, but the circulation of pH1N1 viruses in humans likely changed the serologic profile against H1 swIAVs. We assessed prevalence and titers of protective antibodies against all major H1 swIAV clades in various age groups in Belgium in 2017. We also examined the relation between antibodies against human-like swIAVs and their presumed human seasonal ancestor IAV. The results will help assess the public health risk for different H1 swIAVs.

During August 2017January 2018, a total of 549 anonymized serum samples were collected from immunocompetent persons with unknown influenza vaccination or infection history born during 19202017 at Ghent University Hospital (Ghent, Belgium). Samples included 6 per birth year with 1:1 ratio between male and female patients. Exclusion criteria included active oncologic disease or hematologic malignancies, immunosuppressive treatment, organ transplantation, admission to intensive care, and end-stage renal disease on dialysis treatment. This study was approved by the Commission for Medical Ethics of the Ghent University Hospital (approval no. 2017/0834).

Samples were evaluated for antibodies against 11 viruses representing 7 major H1 swIAV clades circulating in Europe, North America, and Asia; 2 human seasonal progenitor IAVs for European and North American human-like swIAVs; and 1 human seasonal IAV that circulated right before the pH1N1 virus (Table 1). We used epidemiologic data (1012) and the H1 classification system (9) to select major H1 swIAV clades. We selected test viruses on the basis of amino acid homology and antigenic relatedness to currently circulating swIAVs of each clade. We selected the human progenitor IAVs based on the literature (26,27).

We downloaded nucleotide sequences of the viruses HA1, the main target of neutralizing antibodies, from Genbank and translated these to amino acids. We used the MUSCLE algorithm for sequence alignment and the Jones-Taylor-Thornton model and nearest-neighbor-interchange heuristic method to construct maximum-likelihood trees in MEGA7 (28). We determined the percent of amino acid homology between test viruses and numbers of identical amino acids in presumed antigenic sites (29) with MEGA7 and R version 3.2.2 (30).

We obtained North American swIAVs and corresponding swine serum from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service. We obtained human seasonal IAVs and corresponding ferret serum from Francis Crick Institute (London, UK), and Asian swIAV from Hong Kong University (Hong Kong). We antigenically characterized test viruses in cross-HI and cross-VN assays with postvaccination swine serum for swIAVs or postinfection ferret serum for human seasonal IAVs. Because serum against A/Brisbane/59/2007 was not available, we used ferret serum against A/Egypt/10/2007 instead; the HA sequence is identical in both. We propagated viruses in MDCK cells; all passages were <6. We calculated antigenic distances from HI and VN titers as described previously (31) and converted these into antigenic dendrograms by using the neighbor-joining method in MEGA7. One antigenic unit represents a 2-fold difference in HI or VN titer.

We tested individual samples in HI assays and pooled samples per birth year in VN assays for antibodies against each test virus. Both assays were performed according to standard procedures (32,33). We expressed antibody titers for HI as the reciprocal of the highest serum dilution showing complete hemagglutination inhibition of 4 hemagglutinating units of virus or, for VN, 50% neutralization of 100 TCID50 (50% tissue culture infective doses) of virus. The starting dilution was 1:20, and we considered a titer of 40 positive.

We calculated geometric mean titers (GMTs) and 95% CIs for HI and VN antibody titers of samples from each birth decade against each test virus by using log2-transformed data. Samples with a titer <20 were assigned a titer of 10. For non-stratified data, we calculated Spearman correlation coefficients (CCs) between HI titers or between VN titers against different viruses. We used Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests to compare antibody titers between age groups for a certain virus or between viruses for a certain age group. We used Fisher exact test to compare proportions of positive samples. For all statistical tests, we applied Bonferroni adjustment of the p values and we considered corrected p values of <0.05 statistically significant. We performed all analyses by using R version 3.2.2.

Figure 1

Figure 1. Epidemiologic, phylogenetic, and antigenic relationship between influenza A test viruses from classical swine lineage 1A, human seasonal lineage 1B, and Eurasian avian lineage 1C. A) Schematic representation of the H1 IAV...

We tested samples for antibodies against 11 IAVs from the classical swine 1A, human seasonal 1B, or Eurasian avian 1C lineage. HA1 aa sequence homology between viruses of different lineages was <75% with 1935/50 identical amino acids in presumed antigenic sites. Classical swine and avian-like IAVs were phylogenetically most closely related (Figure 1, panel A; Table 2). Within-lineage HA1 aa homology was 82%97%, with 3649 identical amino acids in antigenic sites. Human-like swIAVs and their presumed human seasonal progenitor IAV shared 90%94% aa in the HA1 and 3642 aa in antigenic sites.

Antigenic dendrograms based on cross-HI and cross-VN assays showed similar trends to the phylogenetic tree, except for swOK13 (Tables 35; Figure 1). This North American human-like 1b swIAV (1B.2.2.2) clustered separately from other IAVs of its lineage, including its presumed human ancestor, NC99.

Figure 2

Figure 2. Number of positive human serum samples in the hemagglutination inhibition assay (titer >40) for each test virus compared with the total number of samples tested per birth cohort. Birth cohorts...

Figure 3

Figure 3. Number of positive human serum samples in the virus neutralization assay (titer >40) for each test virus compared with the total number of samples per birth cohort. Birth cohorts are...

We tested human serum samples against human seasonal IAVs related to 1B swIAVs from 1986 (TW86), 1999 (NC99), and 2007 (BR07) to evaluate a persons potential exposure to or vaccination with these IAVs. Overall, 39% were seropositive for TW86, 31% for NC99, and 22% for BR07 in HI and 48% were seropositive for TW86, 51% for NC99, and 29% for BR07 in VN (Figures 2, 3). Seroprevalences and GMTs against TW86 were highest for persons born during 19771986 and lowest for the 2 youngest groups, those born during 19972017 (Tables 6, 7). For NC99 and BR07, HI responses were highest for those born during 19871996, and VN responses were highest for those born during 19371946 (NC99 only) and 19972006. Persons born during 20072017 had minimal responses. Antibody responses against human seasonal IAVs were related to birth year and the year of virus isolation, with peak responses in persons born right before the virus circulated and lowest responses in persons born afterwards.

The major avian-origin swIAV clades are European avian-like 1C.2.1, represented by swG10, and Asian avian-like 1C.2.3, represented by swHK11. For swG10, 10% of all samples tested positive in HI and 7% in VN (Figures 2, 3). Seroprevalence was <20% and GMTs were <20 for all age groups except the oldest, those born during 19201926, with 40% seropositive in HI and GMTs for HI and VN of 24 (Tables 6, 7).

For swHK11, overall seroprevalence was 25% in HI and 34% in VN. Like swG10, responses against swHK11 were highest for those born during 19201926; 52% in HI, 72% in VN, and GMTs 38. Responses were minimal in both HI and VN for persons born during 19471956; 11% in HI, 10% in VN, and GMTs <20.

European human-like swIAV swG12 (1B.1.2.1) represents the human-like H1 swIAV clade circulating in Belgium, and TW86 was selected as its presumed human ancestor virus. At least half of all samples tested positive for swG12, 50% in HI and 59% in VN (Figures 2, 3). We noted statistically significant differences in seroprevalences and GMTs, which were higher (62% in HI and 74% in VN; GMTs 44) in persons born before 1996 than in persons born during 19972017 (5% in HI and in VN; GMTs <20; p<0.001) (Tables 6, 7). GMTs peaked (87) in HI in those born during 19771986 and in VN for those born during 19671976. Results for swG12 were similar to those for its presumed human ancestor virus, TW86.

North American human-like H1 swIAVs (1B.2) result from the introduction of a human IAV in the early 2000s, and we selected NC99 as their presumed human ancestor. For the most prevalent 1 clade (1B.2.2), swAL16 represents subclade 1a (1B.2.2.1), whereas swIL10 and swOK13 represent subclade 1b (1B.2.2.2).

Among samples, 24% tested positive for swAL16 in HI and 39% in VN (Figures 2, 3). Seroprevalences and GMTs were highest in those born during 19871996 in HI (55%; GMT 35) and in those born during 19471956 in VN (70%; GMT 59), but no antibodies against swAL16 were detected in the youngest group, those born during 20072017 (Tables 6, 7). Like for European human-like virus swG12 (1B.1.2.1), antibody responses against North American 1a virus swAL16 (1B.2.2.1) resembled those against its presumed human ancestor virus, NC99.

For the 1b swIAVs (1B.2.2.2), <10% were seropositive (swIL10, 10% in HI and VN; swOK13, 5% in HI and 4% in VN) (Figures 2, 3). We did not see statistically significant differences in seroprevalences between the 2 1b swIAVs or between age groups, with following exceptions. HI-seroprevalence of those born during 19271936 was statistically significantly higher for swIL10 (13%) than for swOK13 (2%; p<0.04). HI seroprevalence for swOK13 of those born during 19771986 was statistically significantly higher (21%) compared with groups born during 19271936 (2%), 19571966 (0), and 20072017 (0; p<0.04). GMTs were <20 in all age groups except those born during 19371956, who had VN GMTs of 2230 against swIL10 (Tables 6, 7). Unlike the other 2 human-like swIAVs tested, responses against 1b swIAVs (1B.2.2.2) did not concur with those against the presumed human ancestor virus NC99. Responses against swIL10 and swOK13 were generally statistically significantly lower than against NC99 (p<0.05).

We used swOH07 as reference virus to evaluate antibody responses against classical swine virus clade (1A.3.3.3) and CA09 as reference virus to evaluate classical swine virus clade pH1N1 (1A.3.3.2), which derived its HA from swIAVs. Overall, 50% of the samples tested positive for swOH07 (50% in HI; 78% in VN) and CA09 (54% in HI; 81% in VN), with high seroprevalences in all age groups (36%100% in HI; 50%100% in VN), except in those born during 19471956 in HI (swOH07, 17%; CA09, 24%) (Figures 2, 3). HI titers peaked in the 2 oldest groups, those born during 19201936; VN titers peaked in the 2 oldest groups and in those born during 19972006 (Tables 6, 7). No statistically significant difference was noted in responses against classical swine (1A.3.3.3) and pH1N1 (1A.3.3.2) IAVs.

Antibody titers against epidemiologically related human and swine IAVs were highly correlated for classical swine viruses swOH07 (1A.3.3.3) and CA09 (1A.3.3.2), European human-like swIAV swG12 (1B.1.2.1) and human ancestor IAV TW86, North American human-like 1a swIAV swAL16 (1B.2.2.1) and human ancestor IAV NC99, and European and Asian avian-like swIAVs swG10 (1C.2.1) and swHK11 (1C.2.3) (CC=0.680.86 in HI; CC=0.630.77 in VN; Table 8). Of note, titers against avian-like and classical swine IAVs also were strongly correlated (CC=0.550.68 in HI; CC=0.490.67 in VN). In contrast, CCs were low between titers against North American human-like 1b viruses swIL10 and swOK13 (1B.2.2.2) and human ancestor virus NC99 (0.420.43 in HI; 0.300.39 in VN [the first value of which is not statistically significant]).

Our results show that serum antibody responses of immunocompetent persons in Belgium against major H1 swIAV clades depend on the swIAV tested and its relation to human seasonal IAVs and the persons birth year. Overall seroprevalences were high (50%) for classical swine (1A.3.3.2, 1A.3.3.3) and for European human-like (1B.1.2.1) swIAVs, intermediate (24%) for North American human-like 1a (1B.2.2.1) and Asian avian-like (1C.2.3) swIAVs, and low (<10%) for North American human-like 1b (1B.2.2.2) and European avian-like (1C.2.1) swIAVs. Our results are consistent with previous studies that aimed to compare antibody responses in nonswine workers with those in persons with frequent swine contact (7,2025), although those studies examined only a limited number of swIAV clades or samples. Overall, most previous studies showed lower seroprevalences for Asian avian-like (2%10%) and European avian-like (05%) swIAVs in the general population or in nonswine workers (13,20,2224). A 2010 study in the United Kingdom also found a lower seroprevalence of 11% for a European human-like (1B.1.2.1) swIAV (24). The major difference between our study and studies conducted before or during the 2009 pandemic is the lower seroprevalence of 3%15% for classical swine IAVs in previous studies (13,20,2224). The circulation of pH1N1 viruses (1A.3.3.2) likely contributes to increased seroprevalence rates against these related classical swine IAVs. In our study, the oldest group, those born during 19201926 who are 9197 years of age, had the highest antibody responses against H1 swIAVs of classical swine (1A.3.3) and avian-like (1C.2) lineages, for which antibody titers were correlated (13,20,21). Responses against human seasonal IAVs and related European and North American 1a human-like H1 swIAVs (1B) generally were highest in those born during 19771996, who are 2140 years of age, and lowest in those born during 19962017, who are 020 years of age. Responses against North American 1b human-like H1 swIAVs (1B.2.2.2) generally were low across all age cohorts.

Antibody responses against past human seasonal IAVs TW86, NC99, and BR07 generally peaked in persons born near the time during which the respective IAV or similar viruses circulated, whereas responses were low in most persons born after. Within an age group, responses generally were highest against an antigenic representative of the virus encountered first. These findings concur with the theory of antigenic seniority: humans are expected to have antibodies against human seasonal IAVs that circulated after their birth, with highest responses against the virus encountered first. Antigenic seniority likely occurs because of periodic boosting of these antibodies by subsequent exposures to related human seasonal IAVs (4,34,35). Antibody titers against European human-like swIAV swG12 (1B.1.2.1) and North American human-like 1a swIAV swAL16 (1B.2.2.1) concur with those against their respective human ancestor viruses TW86 and NC99 because of close antigenic relationship to their ancestor IAV. Overall high seroprevalences against pH1N1 virus CA09 (1A.3.3.2) and antigenically closely related classical swine virus swOH07 (1A.3.3.3) can be explained by recent exposure to currently circulating pH1N1 viruses. Because the oldest persons were born during 19201936, when human IAVs closely related to the 1918 pandemic virus, the ancestor of classical swine IAVs, circulated, they could have had cross-reactive antibodies against classical swine IAVs before 2009. These antibodies might have been boosted by later exposure to pH1N1 viruses, which might account for the high responses in this group (6,7). Consistent with results for serum samples collected after pH1N1 virus infection in a previous study (21), cross-reactivity was higher against the Asian than against the European avian-like H1 swIAV, which differ by only 1 aa in antigenic sites (Table 2). Whether this single amino acid mutation is the reason for the difference in seroprevalence is still unknown (36,37).

European human-like (1B.1.2.1) and North American human-like 1a (1B.2.2.1) H1 swIAVs are antigenically more closely related to their human ancestor than North American human-like 1b (1B.2.2.2) H1 swIAVs (Figure 1; Tables 3, 4). North American human-like H1 swIAVs (1B.2) have been shown to drift 4 times faster than European human-like H1 swIAVs (1B.1). Increased antigenic diversity of the former since 2008 has led to the emergence of swIAVs that are antigenically distinct from the human precursors, mainly within the 1b subclade (3,27). This evolution can explain the recognition of selected European human-like and North American human-like 1a but not North American human-like 1b H1 swIAVs by human serum samples. Because the human ancestor IAVs no longer circulate in humans, swine can be considered a reservoir for old human IAVs. Seroprevalences for European human-like and North American human-like 1a H1 swIAVs are expected to decrease over time because the youngest age groups were never exposed to these human IAVs. On the basis of our results, we estimate that it could take <80 years for the population to become fully susceptible.

Seroprevalences of immunocompetent persons in Belgium for swIAVs representing major H1 swIAV clades suggest that North American human-like 1b (1B.2.2.2) and European avian-like (1C.2.1) H1 swIAVs currently pose the highest risk to public health. North American human-like 1b (1B.2.2.2) swIAVs rapidly drifted away from its human ancestor, whereas European avian-like (1C.2.1) swIAVs never circulated in humans. Seroprevalences of <10% for these viruses are comparable to 2%19% against the pH1N1 virus right before the pandemic (7). Our results suggest that the risk of reintroduction of these H1 swIAVs in the human population might be higher than for H3 swIAVs, given that 20% of persons 0100 years of age from Luxembourg tested seropositive for representative European and North American cluster IV H3 swIAVs in 2010 (19). Seroprevalences against the other currently circulating human-like H1 swIAV clades were higher than against 1B.2.2.2 and 1C.2.1, but these viruses, along with H3 swIAVs, also keep evolving in swine. As they continue to drift away from their human ancestor and population immunity wanes with lack of exposure, these viruses might also pose a risk to public health soon.

We evaluated human population immunity against H1 swIAVs on the basis of serum HI and VN antibodies, which are directed against the highly variable head region of the HA. We did not measure antibodies or T-cell responses against the HA stalk, the neuraminidase, or internal viral proteins, such as the nucleoprotein. Although these immune mechanisms are much less potent than neutralizing anti-HA antibodies, their targets are more conserved between IAVs of humans and swine (3842). Therefore, persons with minimal antibody titers in our study still might have some degree of immunity and protection against zoonotic infection with swIAVs. Furthermore, population immunity is only one aspect determining the pandemic potential of swIAVs (18). Another factor is their ability to spread in humans, which is difficult to investigate (43). Our results stress the need for continuous surveillance and characterization of circulating swIAVs and frequent monitoring of humans for antibodies against these swIAVs.

Ms. Vandoorn was a PhD student at the Laboratory of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, during the study period. Her primary research interests are swine influenza A virus surveillance in Belgium and the Netherlands and broadly protective vaccination strategies for influenza A viruses.

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Suggested citation for this article: Vandoorn E, Leroux-Roels I, Leroux-Roels G, Parys A, Vincent A, Van Reeth K. Detection of H1 swine influenza A virus antibodies in human serum samples by age group. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Sep [date cited]. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2609.191796

The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.

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Detection of H1 Swine Influenza A Virus Antibodies in Human Serum Samples by Age Group - CDC

New York Attorney General Files Suit Seeking To Dissolve The NRA – Connecticut Public Radio

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The attorney general of New York called for the dissolution of the National Rifle Association in a lawsuit filed Thursday.

The suit, filed by Attorney General Letitia James, accuses top NRA leaders of using the gun rights groups funds for personal gain and engaging in a pattern of fraud to conceal their actions.

James office has been investigating the organization for more than a year. The investigation found a a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement, and negligent oversight at the NRA that was illegal, oppressive, and fraudulent, and that contributed to the loss of millions of dollars, according to a statement by the attorney generals office.

The NRA is headquartered in Fairfax County, Virginia, but is chartered in New York, giving James jurisdiction. The New York Attorney Generals office brought a case that led to the closing of President Trumps foundation in 2018.

The suit targets NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre specifically, as well as current and former lieutenants. LaPierre was re-elected as executive vice president and chief executive officer after a bitter internal battle and a controversial vote at the organizations 2019 convention, which saw the ouster of Oliver North as NRA president.

James suit lists dozens of instances of alleged financial wrongdoing, including the use of millions of dollars for personal gifts and travel expenses. It also claims that LaPierre retaliated against those who questioned his practices.

The NRA, and LaPierre, have been dogged by allegations of self-dealing and misspent funds for years. And though gun sales have skyrocketed during the pandemic, the NRA has stumbled financially.

Meanwhile, the NRA released a statement blasting the lawsuit as a baseless, premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment and seemed to imply they were filing a countersuit.

Its a transparent attempt to score political points, the statement says, and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda.

The groups financial troubles are well known and it recently laid off dozens of staffers. James Fishman, a former New York assistant attorney general who wrote a book on the states non-profit laws, said he thinks the NRA may feel pressure to settle the case.

The cost of litigation will be in the millions of dollars for the NRA, Fishman said. And I dont think the NRA at this particular point in time has millions of dollars to spend on it.

Attorney Doug Varley, an expert in non-profit law, said the lawsuit is an example of oversight of big non-profits shifting from the federal government to state regulators.

I think this action by the New York attorney general is really a dramatic confirmation that the states are taking regulation very seriously, he said. And in particular that theyre investing the resources to take on major institutions, not just the small nonprofits.

President Donald Trump weighed in on Twitter, tying the lawsuit to his re-election campaign: Just like Radical Left New York is trying to destroy the NRA, if Biden becomes President your GREAT SECOND AMENDMENT doesnt have a chance. Your guns will be taken away, immediately and without notice. No police, no guns!

The NRA reportedly contributed more than $30 million to Trumps 2016 election campaign. The organization was accused of being a foreign asset for Russia in the period leading up to the 2016 election, according to an 18-month investigation by the Senate Finance Committees Democratic staff.

If James lawsuit is successful and the NRA is dissolved it wouldnt necessarily mean the end of the organization. It could reform in a new, perhaps more gun-friendly, state.

Guns & America is a public media reporting project on the role of guns in American life.

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New York Attorney General Files Suit Seeking To Dissolve The NRA - Connecticut Public Radio

What Site Offers the Best Online Poker Bonus in 2020? – PokerNews.com

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The match offer is a reliable choice, plus it gives you a great way to start playing anywhere. Check your website of interest to see what match bonuses are available where you wish to play.

It is one of the best online poker bonus options you can find. This is different from other online poker bonuses in that you don't have to place a deposit on a site to collect the pffer.

You will register for an account and then collect the free money for poker play. You don't have to spend any money on the no deposit bonus. You should review a few points surrounding how you can use your no deposit bonus:

You might also have to provide some payment information to the site to confirm your identity. You would not be charged anything when you do this and you collect your no deposit reward. But the data will be saved, so you can complete a real money deposit in moments when the time comes.

A tournament ticket may be offered among first deposit poker bonuses. A ticket is a voucher that you can use to join a tournament. There are many rules to note for a ticket, including:

The rules for these tournaments will vary by each site. It is possible that you could win a great deal of money in a tournament, although this is all based on your skills and how well things can work.

Reload bonuses occur after the first deposit. You will collect your money off of a deposit you utilize to add more money to your account. The offer is for people who stick around on a site and enjoy playing here, plus it encourages loyalty.

Reload bonuses aren't as substantial as first deposit poker bonuses. Whereas a first deposit bonus would entail a 100% match, a reload bonus might be worth 50 or 75%.

There might also be a limit over how much money you could collect. You might get up to $50 on a reload bonus instead of $100 or so. But a reload bonus will give you a great opportunity to play with more money, especially if you are satisfied with the website.

You can qualify for a VIP bonus if you stick around a website long enough and earn reward points. The offer can be the best online poker bonus for any player, what with it often having better terms than many welcome deposit bonuses.

You would earn a VIP bonus based on one of these factors:

You have to review the VIP bonus rules on your site when seeing what the rules are and that you have an idea of what you can do to qualify for them. Most places will automatically place you in the VIP club, but you might have to put in the effort depending on what you wish to utilize.

You can also utilize a referral bonus through some websites. A referral bonus works with a few steps:

The terms for collecting a referral bonus vary, as your friend would have to deposit enough funds and play through them before you can collect anything. The total you will gather from the bonus will also vary by offer. The website can provide details on what you'll get from your work.

The best online poker bonus may include some playthrough requirements. These are rules where you have to play through your bonus funds enough times before you can withdraw the money.

These rules apply to ensure people who sign up and deposit funds aren't going to take out the free money right away.

The playthrough rule might entail going through the bonus value a few times. The total can vary by site.

Poker bonuses are great for how they provide players with the opportunity to try out different poker sites. These deposit poker bonuses and other offers can help new players get started in enjoying online poker.

These bonuses also make the online poker industry more competitive. Every website will aim to produce the best online poker bonus, giving more rewards to new members. There's no limit as to what these virtual rooms can offer when producing the best bonuses around.

You can use your bonus funds to play real money, although that depends on how much you have. You should review the value of your bonus and how much it would cost to enter a game.

The best online poker bonus is the one that fits your desire. You should look at how great a poker bonus is based on:

Anything that provides entries to specific tournaments is always worthwhile.

Not all poker rooms require bonus codes for when you're claiming a bonus. You can automatically get a bonus off of most places. But others might require a bonus code that you can enter when funding your account.You can review a virtual poker website to see what bonus codes are necessary for an offer. You could also look around third-party sites to see what bonus codes are open, but there's no guarantee that the information you will find is accurate.

You can only collect a signup bonus once. You will have to sign up for the site and provide your contact info and payment data. You cannot establish a second account with the website to collect more bonus money.You could still get a bonus from referring people to the site. Reload bonuses are also available in some places.

The playthrough rules are terms associated with wagering enough money on poker games before you can collect your bonus. You must play through the bonus enough times before it can become real money that you can withdraw later.Gaming websites have these requirements to ensure people don't abuse the free money offers at these places.

You can contact the help desk at the poker website you are on if you did not receive your bonus. Explain to the help desk what happened and provide information on your account and the deposit method. Most cases where people are missing their bonuses come from people forgetting to complete their deposits as necessary.

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What Site Offers the Best Online Poker Bonus in 2020? - PokerNews.com

60-year-old man arrested in connection with Oakland Co. professional poker player’s death – WXYZ

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OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (WXYZ) A 60-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of a well-known professional poker player in Oakland County.

On July 30, detectives from the White Lake Township Police Department secured search warrants regarding Susie Zhao's homicide investigation. The detectives and FBI task force began searching for a suspect vehicle named in one of the search warrants.

The next day around 9 a.m., investigators were notified by the FBI task force on the location of the suspect vehicle. Police say the vehicle was stopped in the area of I-275 and Michigan Ave. and the search warrants were executed.

A 60-year-old white male resident of Pontiac was taken into custody, according to the White Lake Township Police Department. The complaint will be forwarded to the Oakland Co. Prosecutors office review.

Susie Zhao's body was found badly burned in a parking lot at the corner of Maceday and Cross roads in White Lake Township the morning of July 13.

The 33-year-old was a professional poker player who most recently lived in Los Angeles but came home on June 9. Her mother and step-father live in northern Oakland County.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI or submit tips online to tips.fbi.gov.

Susie Zhao Poster - Hotline Number by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd

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DST Expands Digital Transformation and Innovation across Brunei with Tech Giant, MultiSys from the Philippines – Yahoo Finance

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei, Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A Partnership Agreement was signed virtually between Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST) and MultiSys Technologies Corporation (MultiSys), a Software Engineering Solutions company based in the Philippines to strengthen their core into the realm of digital transformation and innovation in Brunei and the Philippines.

The virtual signing ceremony was officiated by both Radin Sufri Radin Basiuni, Chief Executive Officer of Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST) and David Almirol Jr., Chief Executive Officer of MultiSys Technologies Corporation (MultiSys) together with the Guest of Honour, Yang Mulia Haji Sofian bin Haji Mohammad Jani, the Chairman of Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST).

In attendance to witness the virtual signing ceremony in Brunei were His Excellency, Christopher B. Montero, the Ambassador of the Philippines to Brunei, Her Excellency, Puan Hjh Johariah Hj Abd Wahab the Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to the Philippines, who has joined us virtually from the Philippines and Yang Mulia Tuan Hj Muhammad Yazid bin Dato Paduka Hj Mahadi, Deputy Chairman of Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST). Present virtually in the Philippines were Al Panlilio, President of Smart Communications, Inc. and Jovy Hernandez, President and Chief Executive Officer of ePLDT, Inc.

With this partnership between DST and MultiSys, both parties are leveraging in each other's strengths in telecommunication technology and software engineering solutions to be able to deliver a better access and a smoother user experience across any environment. This collaboration will also present an amazing opportunity to jointly develop and tap the overseas market with innovative solutions.

The proposed development of various technologies will potentially pave the way for DST and MultiSys to expand their Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) solution offerings within their respective ecosystems. Furthermore, MultiSys' existing platforms will also be powered by DST and gradually expand into various MultiSys solutions.

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Radin Sufri Radin Basiuni, the Chief Executive Officer of DST commented "To be successful in the quest of DST's digital transformation, as a Digital Service provider with its key mission in 'Creating Convenience and Value through a leading Digital Lifestyle Ecosystem,' DST is collaborating with likeminded key players who share similar digital DNA with DST. Multisys is the collaborative partner to DST. Multisys will provide the digital building block that will be powered by DST."

He continued, "Our partnership with Multisys will enhance further with layering digital services on top to better the customer services and engagement to our customers."

MultiSys is working with several government units across the Philippines for its Smart City project. This project is a flagship program launched in 2019 to further ease local government transactions through the creation of application and installation of cashless payment kiosk machines in various government offices and local communities. MultiSys is also in partnership with global tech giants such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google for its projects.

David Almirol Jr., the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of MultiSys said, "We are particularly excited about the strategic partnership with DST as we will jointly explore and develop various opportunities that would present a greater digital transformation for both markets. This is especially monumental, not just for the company, but for our country as well as to further highlight the Filipino's tech ingenuity abroad."

This partnership will complement DST in continuing its digital transformation journey in enhancing their digital customer experience to provide a better Smart lifestyle and supporting the Brunei Government's Smart Nation objectives, as MultiSys' system platforms has the capability to support paperless transactions and streamline government processes.

This will enable and empower DST to fully explore and exploit the possibilities of enhancing their service offerings beyond the traditional telecommunications service providers' standard services. DST's digital platform is not an end to DST's transformation agenda. DST is poised to collaborate with other leading digital key players in Brunei Darussalam and abroad in building and integrating further digital platforms outside the realm of telecommunications. This venture will allow DST to utilize this Digital Platform in the region and even to the extent of going beyond Brunei Darussalam.

Company Profile

About Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST)

DST is Brunei's largest telecommunications service provider offering mobile and fixed telecommunications services. With over two decades of providing nationwide mobile services, DST continues to strive in improving and providing the best quality of products and services. Now, DST continues its roadmap of transformation by evolving from a telecommunications service provider to an integrated services provider whilst supporting the Nation's Vision 2035 pushing towards a dynamic and sustainable economy.

About MultiSys Technologies Corporation (MultiSys)

MultiSys is a leading software engineering solutions firm based in the Philippines that provides a wide range of cost-effective, full-scale software services, system platforms and integration services that are being used by more than 2,500 companies and organizations. MultiSys is the technology arm of the MVP Group of Companies which includes PLDT and Smart, two of the Philippines' telecommunications service providers, as well as Meralco, a major electric power distribution company in the country, including its capital region, Metro Manila.

Media Contact

Name: Nurul Nabihah Haji Mokhsen Position: Copywriter, Sales and Marketing, DST Email: nabihah.mokhsen@dst.com.bnTelephone: +6738928383

Name: Freddie Ting Position: Associate Vice President, Digital Business, DST Email: freddie.ting@dst.com.bnTelephone: +6737179293

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200805/2877106-1-aPhoto - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200805/2877106-1-b

SOURCE DST

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DST Expands Digital Transformation and Innovation across Brunei with Tech Giant, MultiSys from the Philippines - Yahoo Finance

Mike Pompeo says US is cracking down on the way Chinese tech giants store sensitive data – SBS News

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The US is expanding its China-targeted Clean Network program to include Chinese-made cellphone apps and cloud computing services that it claims are security risks, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Wednesday.

Mr Pompeo said the US wants to ban untrusted Chinese apps from the app stores of US mobile carriers and phonemakers.

"With parent companies based in China, apps like TikTok, WeChat, and others are significant threats to the personal data of American citizens, not to mention tools for CCP content censorship," he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.

But he added that the US also wants to block American-made apps from being pre-installed, or made available for download, on Chinese-made phones and wireless equipment from global giant Huawei and other makers.

"We don't want companies to be complicit in Huawei's human rights abuses or the CCP's surveillance apparatus," the top US diplomat said.

Mr Pompeo also said the US government will seek to limit the ability of Chinese service providers to collect, store and process sensitive data in the United States.

He cited specifically Chinese tech giants Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent.

His announcement came two days after President Donald Trump told Chinese tech company ByteDance to sell its hugely popular TikTok app to an American company or see it shut down by mid-September.

Washington says TikTok gleans massive amounts of personal data from hundreds of millions of users, which could be passed on to Chinese intelligence.

The targeting of app usage and cloud services expands the 5G Clean Path program the State Department unveiled on 29 April.

At its core the program is a multi-country initiative to prevent Huawei and other Chinese telecom suppliers from dominating next-generation or 5G wireless telecom services.

The United States says Huawei technology could open the door for Chinese intelligence to easily tap communications in other countries.

The US government has banned Huawei equipment and strongly discouraged authorities and businesses around the country from using it.

China's ambassador in London Liu Xiaoming condemned on Wednesday the Clean Network program as bullying and called it contrary to free trade ideals.

"The US bullying on the issue of 5G not only undermines fair international trade rules, but also damages the environment of free global market. The US is not qualified at all to build so-called 'Clean Network,'" Mr Liu said in a tweet.

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Mike Pompeo says US is cracking down on the way Chinese tech giants store sensitive data - SBS News

BigPanda Invests in Partner Ecosystem to Deliver on Customer Demand for Improved IT Operations – GlobeNewswire

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SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BigPanda, Inc., provider of the first Autonomous IT Operations platform, today announced the expansion of their partner program to address a growing demand from the market for event correlation, powered by AIOps. BigPanda's partner ecosystem comprises four segments: Value Added Resellers (VARs), strategic technology partners, Systems Integrators (SIs), and Managed Service Providers (MSPs). To guide the growth of each of these channels, BigPanda has hired two new Alliance Directors, Nisa Spyker and Matt Biehler.

Large enterprises must manage increasingly complex IT environments as they move to the cloud, adopt more digital strategies, and deliver software in new ways. To continuously optimize their IT Operations, these companies rely on partners, including AHEAD, CDI, Sirius and Trace3, to guide their NOC, IT Operations and DevOps strategies. With time-intensive rip-and-replace approaches and AI science projects proving untenable for customers, partners want to offer solutions that easily integrate with current technology stacks and deliver rapid time to value. These resellers are choosing BigPanda to support their customers and capitalize on the fast-growing AIOps market (slated to grow to $237 billion by 2025) with the confidence that they have a partner focused on mutual success.

"Companies are under immense pressure to do more with less as they search for new technologies and processes that enable them to remain competitive," said Paul Szymczyk, vice president of sales, North America, BigPanda. "But, throughout this process, they struggle with outages and resolution times and are often left asking, 'how can I make all of this work? Our ecosystem makes it easier for partners to offer a single solution to customers who need to achieve operational and cost efficiencies, while driving growth at the same time."

Alliance Directors to Guide Partnership ProgramJoining BigPanda are Biehler and Spyker, who have deep expertise leading partnership and sales organizations at enterprise software companies.

Matt Biehler, Director of Alliances and Channel Sales - East, is an experienced sales and partnerships professional with a strong track record at high-growth software organizations. Biehler will work with partner organizations, including AHEAD, CDI, and Datadog. Prior to joining BigPanda, Biehler served in partner and alliance roles at Datadog and Bluecore.

"I'm thrilled to join a company that has such a high demand from partnerships," said Biehler. "There is clearly a huge need in the market for IT Operations solutions that add value, not noise. BigPanda's product is the exact tool our partners are looking for, it's something customers want, and the company's sales process is designed specifically to embrace the channel. This trifecta is the ideal foundation to build partner alliances around, and I'm excited to be a part of the team guiding these partnerships forward."

Nisa Spyker, Director of Alliances and Channel Sales - West, will help lead BigPanda's partner strategy as the company continues to accelerate and grow its ecosystem. Spyker will work with partner organizations, including AWS, Sirius, NTT Data and Trace3. Before joining BigPanda, she spent a decade at Cisco in various roles, including Global Accounts Leadership and Enterprise Sales. She is an expert at helping companies leverage technology to achieve their objectives.

"BigPanda already plays an important role in supporting the success of partners and their customers, and I am excited to help the company grow and expand in that capacity, said Spyker. The great news is that BigPanda already has a world-class team generating momentum with its channel relationships. Now its time to scale.

Tech Partnerships to Accelerate Customer Success In parallel with the expansion of their reseller channels, BigPanda will continue to invest in strategic technology partners like AWS, Datadog, AppDynamics, and LogicMonitor, with enterprise-grade competencies and tighter integrations that further accelerate deployments and meaningful outcomes for joint customers.

BigPanda recently received AWS DevOps Competency status, a recognition illustrative of its ability to help companies transform into agile organizations. The status differentiates BigPanda as an AWS Partner Network (APN) member that delivers proven customer success.

About BigPandaBigPanda helps IT Ops, NOC and DevOps teams detect, investigate and resolve IT incidents and outages, faster and more easily than ever before. Powered by Open Box Machine Learning, BigPanda captures alerts, changes and topology data from all your disparate tools and uses machine learning to reduce IT noise, detect incidents and outages, and surface their probable root cause, in real time. Customers such as Intel, TiVo, Warner Media and Workday rely on BigPanda to reduce their operating costs, improve service availability and performance, and de-risk and accelerate their digital transformation initiatives.

Founded in 2012, BigPanda is backed by top-tier investors including Sequoia Capital, Mayfield, Battery Ventures, Greenfield Partners and Insight Partners. Visit http://www.bigpanda.io for more information.

Media contact:Sammy TotahBOCA Communications for BigPandabigpanda@bocacommunications.com

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The IoT Community Internet of Things Community Announces Phizzle Has Joined Its Elite IoT Ecosystem as a Gold Level Corporate Member – Business Wire

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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The IoT Community (Internet of Things Community), the worlds largest community of CxOs and IoT professionals and practitioners, announces Phizzle, the leader in software that solves the power and data complexity challenges of edge computing, joins the IoT Community ecosystem of elite IoT thought leaders. Phizzle will work collaboratively with the community to address the wide variety of barriers, inhibitors, and technical and operational issues that accompany the IoT, IIoT, and Intelligent Edge ecosystems.

Ben Davis, CEO Phizzle, joins the IoT Community board of advisors, and will serve on the IoT Communitys recently formed Converged Edge Center of Excellence (CECoE), which aims to address the rapidly growing needs of the emerging technology frontier underpinned by the IoT the edge. The Converged Edge CoE focuses on the 3 Cs of an IoT solutions architecture Connect, Compute, Control, and their convergence in processes, data, and physical integration.

At the August 19th, IoT Slam 2020 virtual event, Phizzle CTO - Ryan Brady, joins a lineup of elite IoT thought leaders and executives and will give a keynote titled, Location, Location, Location, The Power of the Edge. The keynote will explore how moving computing workloads to the edge can have surprising benefits that lead to entirely new ways of interacting with data. Take one classic edge exercise: bringing millions of time series records per second into a time series database from varied IoT data sources. High-performance time series databases require data to be inserted in order. Geographically decentralized networks then lead to significant delays in delivering data to the database. This delay is measured not just in milliseconds but seconds. The larger this window, the more data must be sorted before insertion into the database. This problem of windowing and sorting at the edge is a simple and powerful example of the true value of localized performance computing.

Full details of the Keynote can be viewed here: https://iotslam.com/session/location-location-location-the-power-of-the-edge/

This session will be streamed live at 4.45pm US Eastern (1.45pm Pacific Time)

Our team is excited to be joining the growing, vibrant community built at IoT Slam over the last five years. The edge market is at a tipping point and we are grateful to come aboard as a Gold member at this time, said Ben Davis. We look forward to this long-term partnership creating even more value in the IoT marketplace for customers.

We are delighted to welcome Phizzle to our IoT Community. Phizzle is on the cutting edge of innovation across Edge, and will be key in community discussions. We look forward to their insights and expertise. said David Hill, Executive Director of the IoT Community.

Dr. Tom Bradicich, VP, Hewlett Packard Fellow, and Global Head of IoT & Edge, at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and IoT Community Advisory Board Chair: We are pleased Phizzle will join our Board of Advisors, and look forward to hearing their learned vision and plans for the intelligent edge and IoT, at our IoT Slam 2020 event on August 19.

In addition, Phizzle CIO, Vijji Suryadevara, will join an exclusive IoT Community - Women in IoT Center of Excellence (WIoTCoE), panel discussion, alongside fellow industry leaders from SAS, F5, Cisco, IBM, and CBT. The panel is pursuant to the IoT Communitys commitment to the practice and advocacy of gender diversity, inclusion, fairness and equal opportunities across the IoT and broader business, technology and societal landscape; promoting diversity of thought to realise impactful outcomes. The goal of the Women in IoT CoE is to engage and enable organizations and leaders to create and sustain an inclusive culture to advance the development of IoT solutions globally.

Full detail of the WIoTCoE panel can be viewed here:

https://iotslam.com/session/panel-women-in-iot-center-of-excellence-2/

The WIoTCoE panel will be live streamed at 2.00pm US Eastern Time (11.00am Pacific Time)

IoT Slam 2020 Registration Details

Virtual Broadcast: Access to the IoT Slam 2020 virtual event on August 19th, is FREE to all. To register for the live and real time global broadcast, visit: https://iotslam.com/register

IoT Community Practitioner Membership (Free Individual membership)

IoT Practitioners seeking to expand their knowledge in the IoT are welcome to join the worlds largest community consisting of 24,500 member here for FREE. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4662022

Collaboration Opportunities

IoT solution providers seeking accession to the IoT Community should email info@iotcommunity.net

About IoT Community (Internet of Things Community)

The IoT Community is the worlds largest CxO community of senior business leaders and IoT practitioners consisting of 24,000+ members. The function is to focus on adoption and application of IoT in commercial environments, overcoming variety of barriers, inhibitors, and technical and operational issues. For more information about IoT Community, visit http://www.iotcommunity.net Twitter: Follow @IoTCommunity @IoTChannel or hashtag #IoTCommunity, LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/9370944/

About Phizzle

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in San Francisco, Phizzle is the first IoT software company to break through the performance requirements of edge device computation, enabling enterprise customers to automate and rely on IoT devices in mission-critical environments. The core innovation in the companys enterprise-class software stack is Regenerative Engineering, which solves the power and data complexity challenges typical of edge computing in an entirely new way. Phizzles EDGMaker solution benefits many manufacturing, pharmaceutical, transportation, oil and gas, and smart cities initiatives around the world. The company's go-to-market partners include Cisco. Phizzle has a history of creating innovative products from consumer data to machine data. For more information visit phizzle.com.

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The IoT Community Internet of Things Community Announces Phizzle Has Joined Its Elite IoT Ecosystem as a Gold Level Corporate Member - Business Wire