Around Ascension for July 29, 2020 | Ascension | theadvocate.com – The Advocate

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Ascension library reopens

The Ascension Parish Library System reopens July 29.

The library closed earlier this month after several employees tested positive for the coronavirus.

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For more information, call library director Jennifer Patterson during operating hours at (225) 647-3955; visit http://www.myAPL.org, or follow the library on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@myAPLibrary).

Ascension public school officials have announced an amendment to a policy for serving meals to students under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for the 20202021 school year.

All students will be served lunch and breakfast at no charge at the following sites:

For additional information, contact the Ascension Public Schools Child Nutrition Program, Leuna Johnson, child nutrition supervisor, (225) 391-7335.

As part of efforts to fight litter and clean up Ascension Parish, President Clint Cointment announced that Ascension Parish is accepting white goods at the Recycling Center on Churchpoint Road.

We have contracted with a company to haul away scrap metal from our recycling center, Cointment said. And they pay us for the metal they take.

White goods are any large machines used in routine housekeeping, such as cooking, food preservation or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting. White goods include refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers and water heaters.

Cointment said the parish has been accepting scrap metal and has a separate bin specifically designated for metals.

The Recycling Center is at the DPW headquarters, 42077 Churchpoint Road in Gonzales. Operating hours are Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Around Ascension for July 29, 2020 | Ascension | theadvocate.com - The Advocate

Zachary girl, Ascension boy selected as Youth Hunters of the Year – The Advocate

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Hagen Reitzell and Douglas Frey had deer hunts in the fall of 2019 that theyll never forget. Both 8 years old, they harvested their first deer, both doing so while hunting with their fathers.

They were selected from among dozens of applicants as the 2019 Female and Male Youth Hunters of the Year, a program that is a joint effort with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and Louisiana Wildlife Federation.

Youth Hunters of the Year will receive a plaque in recognition of their achievement and a gift certificate from Bowie Outfitters.

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Growing the sport of hunting is one of our primary goals at LDWF, said LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet. The stories of Hagen and Douglas are wonderful examples of Louisiana families passing down the sport of hunting from generation to generation. We are pleased to partner with the Louisiana Wildlife Federation in recognizing our states young hunters and hope they all have success as they pursue this great sport.

This program is eye-opening about young hunters enjoying the outdoors and its great to have an opportunity to recognize them and encourage our hunting heritage, said Barney Callahan, a Louisiana Wildlife Federation board member.

Reitzell, the Female Youth Hunter of the Year, of Zachary, detailed her take of a doe on family property in East Feliciana Parish on Nov. 1.

Frey, the Male Hunter of the Year from Gonzales, told of his successful hunt in which he harvested a button buck near Oakdale in Allen Parish on Oct. 12.

Fathers played an important part in both hunts.

For Hagen, the 2018 season was disappointing. It was her first time to hunt and in seven times out she never saw a deer. On the eighth and final hunt of the year, she finally had a shot at a doe but missed.

When we got in the truck, we both made a promise that she would kill one this year, said Hagens father, Scott Reitzell. They made good on that promise during the first hunt of 2019.

I was planning to shoot the first deer that came out but (the doe) turned, Hagen said. So I saw another, and my dad told me to pull the trigger when I was ready. I didnt see it run away so I thought I missed. Then I heard my dad laughing. I looked again and the deer was lying on the ground.

Hagen made the shot count, taking a 135-pound doe as her first deer.

I cried, and I was very happy, Hagen said. My mom and sister came to see it. It was so much fun. I want to (harvest) a buck next season.

ScottReitzell said he was as happy as his daughter. He grew up waterfowl and dove hunting with his father, taking to the outdoors when he was 5.

I was so glad on the first hunt, 20 minutes after sitting down, the does came in and she made a great shot, ScottReitzell said. She is incredibly excited about this award and hunting in general.

While Hagen had a short wait the day she took her first deer, Douglas had to be a bit more patient. His successful hunt actually began the day before when he, his father, Brett, and grandfather, Dave, arrived at the site. Douglas and Brett went to the range to do some practice shooting before retiring for the night.

They went to the tree stand the next morning but came up empty. After three hours, they went back to the camp and prepared for the afternoon hunt. That looked to be futile as well as the trio waited for two hours with nothing moving.

But then I saw a button buck about 80 yards away, Douglas said.

With his sight set on the deers torso, Douglas took the shot. The deer jumped up, he said, and ran into the woods.

We were looking but didnt see any blood, Douglas said. Then my dad shouted, There he is. I was so excited. I thought it was a doe but it was a button buck. My Poppa Dave picked us up and we cleaned it.

It was one of my best hunts because it was my first deer. It was also special because I did it with my dad.

And that meant a lot to Brett Frey, who grew up in Eunice and learned to hunt as a kid with his father, who was also named Douglas. Brett said his father was his best friend, who, like Brett, taught him to hunt as a boy.

My father died when I was 18, Brett said. So I told my wife when we were married that when we had our first son, Id like to name him Douglas. But when she was pregnant, she didnt want to know if it was a boy or girl until he or she was born. It was Douglas, and he was born on Oct. 25. That was my dads birthday. I believe that was a God thing.

Douglas has inherited his father and both grandfathers love of hunting. His first hunt was on a Thanksgiving morning when he joined Brett Frey on a duck hunt when he was 4. He harvested his first turkey when he was 6, and after he took his first deer last fall, he harvested four other deer the rest of the season.

Douglas loves everything about hunting and being outside, Brett Frey said. Its pretty incredible. Ill take him deer hunting with me and he will sit in a stand for three hours and not see anything and hes mad when we leave. Every time I go hunting now, I take him with me.

The 2020 Youth Hunter of the Year contest application will be announced later this year. For information on the program and how to apply contact Eric Shanks at (337) 491-2575 or eshanks@wlf.la.gov or Rebecca Triche at (225) 344-6707 or rebecca@lawildlifefed.org. For information on the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, go to lawildlifefed.org.

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Zachary girl, Ascension boy selected as Youth Hunters of the Year - The Advocate

Sheriff awards honorary sheriff certificates to 2 health care heros – The Advocate

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On July 21, Sheriff Bobby Webre named Coroner Dr. John Fraiche and Our Lady of the Lake Ascension medical director Dr. Chris Trevino as July Honorary Sheriffs for the Month.

Webre said he wanted to recognize the two doctors for their steadfast efforts during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said Fraiche and Trevino demonstrate commitment and dedication to quality health care for the people and families of this region not only during the COVID crisis but daily.

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I take great pride in recognizing two of Ascensions health care heroes, Webre said. Law enforcement officers and health care providers both understand the importance of getting it right the first time. These men represent their profession at its best, and I am thankful for the vigilance and care.

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Sheriff awards honorary sheriff certificates to 2 health care heros - The Advocate

Running for office: Justice of the peace, 1st justice court – The Advocate

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Tamiko Francis-Garrison is running for the Ascension Parish justice of the peace, first justice court office.

The office of the justice of the peace serves to help residents know where to go and settle disputes, Francis-Garrison said.

I have been a resource in our community and proven to be fair and just, always doing my due diligence before making any decisions, said Francis-Garrison. She works in the capacity of manager of the special investigations unit, Louisiana Region, Louisiana Healthcare Connections, a subsidiary of the Centene Corporation.

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Francis-Garrison has been involved in the justice system for over 20 years and if elected, she pledges to "treat every person who appears before her with fairness and respect."

She is a 51-year-old native of Donaldsonville and a product of both the Ascension Parish Public School System and Ascension Catholic Parochial Schools. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting in 1990 from Southern University in Baton Rouge. Francis-Garrison is a certified fraud examiner, an accredited health care fraud investigator and has a national certified investigator and inspector training basic certification.

Francis-Garrison spent 15 years as a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service in Phoenix, Arizona, New Orleans and Chicago, Illinois, before making the life-changing decision to return to Donaldsonville in 2004. Since her return to Louisiana and over the past 16 years, she has owned and operated Francis Investigations, a private investigations firm, served as a director of compliance at Southern University, senior auditor with the state, and the Executive Director of AMIkids Donaldsonville.

In 2012 she became the Executive Director of AMIkids Baton Rouge serving students until she began her disability due to an end stage renal failure diagnosis. Within one year of the initial diagnosis and six months on dialysis, she received a living donor kidney transplant from her brother, BJ Francis Jr. In 2015, she returned to work as a Medicaid investigator with Louisiana Healthcare Connections.

Her community impact extends to serving as the volunteer co-chairperson of the City of Donaldsonvilles Juneteenth Music Festival and the founder and volunteer coordinator of the Donaldsonville Mayor's Youth Advisory Council. She is a charter member of the Ascension Alumnae Chapter and a current member of Baton Rouge Delta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. She is the chairwoman of the Capital Area United Way African American Leadership Council, serves on the board of directors for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and was appointed to serve on the Advisory Board of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. She is the past president of the Tri-Parish Chapter of Southern University Alumni Federation and served as the president of the board of directors for the River Road African American Museum. She also served on the City of Donaldsonvilles Planning and Zoning Commission. She was the first female African-American Ascension Parish Councilwoman. Francis-Garrison is a Democrat.

She has been married to her husband, Ira, for over 13 years and they have one daughter, Tamiko. They are members of St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church. Her parents were the late Bernard and Janet Francis of Donaldsonville.

She said she has dedicated her life to helping others and lives by the Mahatma Gandhi quote, The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

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Running for office: Justice of the peace, 1st justice court - The Advocate

A Black Lives Matter mural is defaced with red, white and blue paint in Washington state – CNN

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The 140-foot mural is on the side of a building in downtown Spokane, Washington -- sponsored in part by Terrain, a local arts nonprofit. Terrain, along with digital advertising agencies 14Four and Seven2, hired 16 artists to decorate and paint each letter in Black Lives Matter, according to CNN affiliate KXLY.

To some, though, it was insulting. The mural, completed less than two weeks ago, was vandalized on Wednesday.

But the community isn't letting the negative response hinder the effort. A fundraiser to restore the mural has already raised more than $10,000.

Artist Nicholas Sironka designed and painted the "A" in "Black" of the mural, a letter that received the brunt of the white paint. He wasn't surprised the mural had been vandalized, he told CNN.

"I just feel that the whole Black Lives Matter now to me has more meaning, unity of purpose. Everybody is unified to one purpose and that is eradicating inequality and injustice and all those things put together," he said.

Kiantha Duncan, vice president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, said she had a visceral reaction to seeing the photos.

This isn't the only BLM mural that has been defaced in recent weeks. In Spokane, a mural of George Floyd was defaced with white paint, though it has now been restored.

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A Black Lives Matter mural is defaced with red, white and blue paint in Washington state - CNN

UMTV’s The Culture sheds light on the Black Lives Matter movement – University of Miami

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A group of University of Miami students take a deep dive through film, photography, and journalism into the history of police brutality and social justice issues Black people are facing in the United States.

As many students around the nation and globe engage in protesting violence by police against Black communities, a group of students at the University of Miami is documenting as much of it as possible.

Jayda Graham and KiAnna Dorsey, executive producers of The Culture, UMTVs award-winning channel which highlights the Black experience at and beyond the University of Miami, have banded together during the summer to lead the charge on a special edition project titled Black Voices Matter. UMTV produces nine different shows, including a weekly live sports show and newscast, a late-night comedy program, and two Spanish-language programs.

We felt like it was really important for us to talk about the issues that Black people are facing in America, said Jayda Graham, a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. I think this is a very unique time in history. Not only are we dealing with these social issues, but were also dealing with a pandemic thats disproportionately affecting black people.

Graham said it feels like an explosion of issues all at once and the U.S. is being forced to recognize what Black people have always been dealing with.

The 30-minute special project will highlight the history of the Black Lives Matter organization and its mission after the killing of teen Trayvon Martin. Members of The Culture will also share their personal perspectives of protests and rallies from their respective cities and towns.

Even though were in the midst of a hard time and everybody is social distancing, I feel like thats whats making this project extra special, said Dorsey, a sophomore majoring in motion pictures with a minor in Spanish. I also think its really special to know people from all over the University are on board.

UMTV station manager Gianna Sanchez, a senior majoring in broadcast journalism, frequently met virtually with Dorsey and Graham to assist with the planning and visual aspects of the project. Sanchez coordinated with every show under the UMTV umbrella so that they would be a part of the project.

It was important for UMTV to show its support of Black voices rather than just make one simple post about it, Sanchez said. All nine shows came together to make one united project, but it was important for The Culture to lead and to have this experience.

The unique project captures voices from across the University, including President Julio Frenk, Black student leaders, and faculty and staff members.

Its a combination of national and UM news, while also putting the focus on Black stories, Sanchez said. While showcasing those difference aspects, we end the show on a positive note by showcasing the things that have changed because of the proteststips on how you can be proactive, self-care advice, and helpful ways you can be an ally.

As Graham and Dorsey return to campus this fall semester, they plan to keep consistently creating similar content to keep their followers and supporters aware of Black community news.

We are pushing the envelope and telling the stories that need to be told, Graham said.

Black Voices Matter can be viewed online Friday, July 31, on the UMTV website.

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UMTV's The Culture sheds light on the Black Lives Matter movement - University of Miami

Gizelle Bryant Explains How the RHOP Cast Is Coming Together to Support Black Lives Matter – Bravo

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Following the August 2 Season 5 premiere of The Real Housewives of Potomac, cast member Gizelle Bryant appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen: @ Home with guest Keke Palmer. During the After Show, Andy asked Gizelle if the RHOP cast has all been in touch on a group chat or anything since the Black Lives Matter movement has heated up so much in the last few months?"

In the video above, Gizelle answered Andys question by explaining, We work together in groups. We cant all be together. Weve still got some unsolved issues, but its nice to know that I can call on obviously Robyn, Wendy, Candiace, Ashley, and really pull on them if I need anything. And we are all in the same boat with regards to Black Lives Matter. I mean, were all Black women trying to just progress, and its gonna be interesting because not everyone feels the same about this movement, so its going to be interesting.

During the episodes Moment of Mazel, Gizelle and Kekeeach featured one of their favorite Black-owned businesses.

I love the Legacy Center, which is in Atlanta, said Gizelle. The center is run by Jay and Ernestine Morrison, and what they do is all kinds of things for the community. But right now, the housing market is really key in allowing Black people to get wealth. So they are teaching Black entrepreneurs to get into the real estate market and stay in it."

Gizelle also noted the special connection between her family and the Legacy Center. Also, this Legacy Center, they are members of Jamals church, and they have opened their doors to give food to the community every Saturday, and my kids have helped them do that.

Keke highlighted candle, tea, and music companyAlexandra Winbush.

When you get the candle, you get a card that has a playlist on it so you can have music and everything like that, she explained. Its just a really cool thing, its a fresh idea, and you can get them online, Alexandra Winbush.

Want more RHOP? New episodes air every Sunday at 9/8c or catch up on this season through the Bravo app.

Bravo is keeping the conversation around race and equality going this August in the upcoming intimate roundtable discussion,Race in America: A Movement Not a Moment, airing Sunday, August 9, at 10/9c.

Preview

Your First Look at Race in America: A Movement Not a Moment

The Daily Dish is your source for all things Bravo, from behind-the-scenes scoop to breaking news, exclusive interviews, photos, original videos, and, oh, so much more. Subscribe to The Daily Dish podcast, join our Facebook group, and follow us on Instagramfor the latest news hot off the presses. Sign up to become a Bravo Insider and be the first to get exclusive extras.

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Gizelle Bryant Explains How the RHOP Cast Is Coming Together to Support Black Lives Matter - Bravo

Survey posted to help determine location of ‘Black Lives Matter Street’ in Buffalo – WKBW-TV

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) In response to a teenager's letter, Buffalo Common Council President Darius Pridgen sponsored a resolution to name a street in Buffalo "Black Lives Matter."

Mekhi Edwards, a 17-year-old student at Frederick Law Olmsted School, wrote the letter suggesting that young people in the city come together and paint "Black Lives Matter" on a street. The letter reads as follows:

Mekhi Edwards

On June 23, the resolution went before the council and each member voted yes to move forward with the resolution.

In addition to renaming a street or section of street, the resolution would also name Mekhi Edwards Honorary Youth Chairperson of the project.

The common council has created a survey which can be found here, to collect the opinions of City of Buffalo residents to help decide the location of Black Lives Matter Street.

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Survey posted to help determine location of 'Black Lives Matter Street' in Buffalo - WKBW-TV

The refugee and migrant crisis is getting worse. Our approach has to change if we want everyone to thrive – The Independent

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I suspect that, during the dramatic news of coronavirus, few people lingered long over two recent stories. One was the report from the Red Cross that a fresh refugee and migrant crisis is building up, with long-term demographic pressures augmented by the economic distress and destitution caused by Covid-19 as it reaches the poorest people in the poorest countries. The second was an analysis of population trends, published in Lancet, predicting an implosion of numbers later this century and a marked ageing in Europe and Asia offset by many more, and younger, Africans.

In my formative years, in the 50s and 60s, the conventional wisdom was that we faced the grim prospect of a population explosion or time bomb detonated by irresistible exponential growth. The planet was fast running out of resources and food supplies would be outstripped by unsustainable demand. The dismal theories of economist Thomas Malthus were rehabilitated and given modern flavouring by the emerging environmental movement. Mass starvation could only be avoided by restrictive population policy, centring on birth control.

Some countries took these warnings seriously including Maos China with its extreme "one child" policy and, briefly, India where, under Indira Gandhis emergency, there was a campaign of mass sterilisation, not all voluntary (as also in China).

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

But the history of countries which developed economically shows that the idea of populations exploding indefinitely is absurd: rather, there was a demographic transition as countries progressed from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates via a period of continued high birth rates and low death rates.

The key factors in shortening the transition was the empowerment of women through education, and reducing child mortality. Once people thought their children had a good chance of survival, the perceived necessity to have several was reduced. This has happened even in parts of the world like Bangladesh and much of India. There has been enormous progress in development, especially in the two decades around the turn of the century, reflected in the success, until recently, in meeting the UNs Millennium Development Goals.

So, how have we got from paranoia about explosions to potential implosions? The recently publicised study suggests the planets population will peak at 9.7bn in 2064 (from 7.6bn today), so we are unlikely to experience loneliness any time soon. But by the end of the century it is predicted that some countries already experiencing population decline like Japan, Spain and Italy will have more than halved their population. China will join them as members of the less than 50 per cent club, and the population they have left will be very old.

More mainstream forecasts have the global population peaking later. But the key insight of the Lancet study is that something new is happening many societies in Europe and Asia are no longer replacing their population from one generation to the next. Female empowerment, leading to the enjoyment of worthwhile careers, is clearly a factor. So is the sheer practical difficulty of raising children in environments where the cost and availability of childcare and housing are prohibitive and jobs are precarious. Added to those is a minority but growing belief that having one child or no children contributes to saving the planet.

Even if there is some rebalancing back to larger families it is unlikely to change the fundamental conundrum of the rich world (including China), which is growing numbers of economically inactive and medically dependent older people, supported by a shrinking working population.

By contrast, the population of sub-Saharan Africa is set to treble by the end of the century. The Lancet study suggests that Nigeria will have grown to 791m people by 2100, surpassing China whose population will have shrunk to 732 million.

The army of people identified by the Red Cross as hovering on the north coast of Africa in desperate circumstances, and hoping to make a new life in Europe, is surely set to grow. They are only too anxious to give developed countries the benefit of their labour, while Western governments have been equally anxious to keep them out. A question at the heart of the identity politics which drives tough immigration policy is whether richer countries want in the long run to be ethnically diverse, youthful, and productive, or homogeneous and geriatric.

The part of the world which will find this dilemma most difficult is Asia. Japanese and Chinese societies, in particular, have a strong sense of racial identity and exclusiveness. Immigration is still a lesser issue and where it is permitted, mostly kept well out of sight (as in the Singaporean dormitories which have incubated Covid-19 with such ease). Japan appears to have consciously opted for planned senescence, and all Chinas muscle-flexing as the worlds new superpower wont conceal its fate. Both are set to be old before their time.

The US is better placed. An open, if ugly, debate about its long-term future is underway. The last two American presidents one the son of an African immigrant, the other a white nativist represent two scenarios facing the country. Trumps imaginary wall is probably the nearest he and his followers will really get to stemming the tide of diversity. Whatever the outcome of Novembers election, the US economy cannot withstand a real and prolonged closure of its borders.

In Western Europe, too, the border is permeable, like the leaky boats which try to breach it. A key turning point was German chancellor Angela Merkels decision to admit one million Syrian refugees. At the time it was damned with faint praise as courageous but foolish; now that the arrivals are being methodically, and apparently successfully, integrated the initiative seems to be a hallmark of modern Germanys strength, self-confidence and optimism.

In its weird and eccentric way, even Britain may yet follow the same script. I took Brexit to be a conscious decision to turn our backs not just on Europe but on the world. It was all about immigration, and we didnt want any more. Now, I am not so sure. Since the convulsion of the EU referendum, immigration has been mentioned by far fewer people in Ipsos MORI polls about the most important issues facing the nation. This peaked at 56 per cent in September 2015 but had fallen to 13 per cent by November 2019.

Perhaps the governments welcome for Hong Kong Chinese will prove sincere. Maybe they will open the door to South Asians and Africans who are rich in points under the new immigration system. This approach to immigration has everything to do with economic pragmatism, and nothing to do with humanitarianism. It wont help many of the people in leaky boats on the Mediterranean. But at least it leaves the door half-open to a rejuvenated population.

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The refugee and migrant crisis is getting worse. Our approach has to change if we want everyone to thrive - The Independent

Shock as 65 out of 85 migrants rescued from sea test POSITIVE for COVID – Daily Express

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It is the single largest cluster of positive cases detected on the Mediterranean island since the first case was reported on March 7. The Maltese Health Ministry said 85 of 94 rescued migrants had been tested so far. It gave no further information about their condition.

The discovery that so many of the group had COVID-19 has bolsterered concerns that a recent increase in new arrivals could undermine local efforts to eliminate the disease.

It has also sparked fresh worries over the safety of the migrants who are already putting their lives at risk on dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean.

The nationalities of the migrants has not been revealed but their dinghy is believed to have set sail from Libya.

A health ministry spokesman said: So far, the swab results of 85 of these migrants are available and 65 of these 85 migrants have tested positive.

"Migrants arriving by boat are immediately quarantined for 14 days and tested.

"The migrants who are positive will continue to be isolated and the rest will remain in quarantine and followed up."

The spokesman tried to play down fears the migrants' arrival could cause a fresh spike in cases on the island.

He said: "This group arrived in Malta together and were in contact with very few other people before they were tested."

READ MORE:Greece accused of horror coronavirus treatment as thousands detained

Malta's armed forces rescued the migrants north of Libya on Sunday and took them ashore at a military base near the capital Valletta.

A volunteer organisation, Alarm Phone, on Sunday morning said the dinghy was overcrowded and taking in water.

It said the boat was located within Malta's search-and-rescue region.

The migrants had issued a distress signal from their packed dinghy on Sunday but it took more than 30 hours for rescuers to reach them.

Non-governmental agencies have accused both Malta and Italy of deliberately slowing down rescue missions in an effort to dissuade people from putting to sea and seeking a better life in Europe.

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Shock as 65 out of 85 migrants rescued from sea test POSITIVE for COVID - Daily Express

Sigourney Weaver & James Cameron Board Secrets Of The Whales Event Series For Nat Geo TCA – Deadline

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Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning actress Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Avatar, Gorillas in the Mist) has been tapped to narrate Secrets of the Whales, a four-part event series for Nat Geo, with Oscar-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-At-Large James Cameron to serve as executive producer. The series, which chronicles the whale way way of life, is set to premiere globally on Nat Geo on Earth Day, April 22, 2021 in 172 countries and 43 languages. The project was announced Monday as part of Nat Geos virtual summer TCA press tour presentation.

From National Geographic Explorer and Photographer Brian Skerry, Secrets of the Whales chronicles the whale way of life and their challenges and triumphs in an ever-changing ocean. Filmed across three years in 24 locations, the series is a personal saga, venturing deep into the world of whales to reveal life and love from their perspective.

Per Nat Geo, Weaver guides viewers on a journey to the heart of whale culture to experience the extraordinary communication skills and intricate social structures of five different whale species. With the help of new science and technology, viewers witness whales making lifelong friendships, teaching clan heritage and traditions to their young and grieving deeply for the loss of loved ones.

Skerrys latest work will also be featured in National Geographic magazine and the National Geographic book Secrets of the Whales timed to the special.

National Geographic has long been deepening our connection to the world around us, and Im honored to team up with them to narrate this stunning series, says Weaver. Viewers get up close and personal and experience the extraordinary emotion, grace and power of these magnificent creatures. They get to know them intimately in order to ultimately realize just how like them we truly are.

Secrets of the Whales has all the elements I love new tech used for scientific inquiry, wrapped in great storytelling that visually excites and emotionally resonates, says Cameron. Im proud to work with my longtime partner, National Geographic, in showing incredible new insights into the inner world of whales, their emotion and culture. These majestic, mysterious animals continue to surprise us.

Capturing these whales on film has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my entire life, and Im thrilled to bring the complexity and beauty of these creatures right to viewers living rooms, says Skerry. It is my hope that in venturing into their world, viewers recognize themselves in these animals joy, pain, love and relationships and are as inspired by them as I am.

One of the worlds top ocean photographers, Skerry has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater, documenting uncharted territory and elucidating environmental issues, often leading to policy change.

Secrets of the Whales is produced for National Geographic by Red Rock Films. For Red Rock Films, Brian Armstrong and Shannon Malone-DeBenedictis are executive producers. For Earthship, James Cameron and Maria Wilhelm are executive producers and Kim Butts is associate producer. For National Geographic, Pamela Caragol is executive producer and Geoff Daniels is executive vice president of global unscripted entertainment for National Geographic Global Networks.

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Sigourney Weaver & James Cameron Board Secrets Of The Whales Event Series For Nat Geo TCA - Deadline

New points-based immigration system will lead to care crisis – The Conversation UK

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The UK is on the brink of losing the highly skilled and experienced migrant workers currently propping up the care sector. If the government does not make changes to its new points-based immigration system a major crisis could emerge. These key workers cannot be replaced by digital innovations, while UK workers are increasingly reluctant to enter into what is a low-paid and extremely stressful profession.

It is estimated that the care sector requires 520,000 additional workers before 2035 to support the UKs ageing population. The sector currently relies on migrant workers. Most migrant care workers are set to be excluded from the governments points-based immigration system, unveiled in July, because the pay is so low.

From 2021, new rules will require a minimum pay threshold of 20,480. This will effectively prevent migrant care workers and home carers from entering the UK because average pay for care workers is 16,500 per year. Low pay means that, regardless of their ability to accrue transferable points, care workers will not be eligible for visas.

Additionally, the work done by care workers and home carers does not meet the skills threshold for the new Health and Care Visa. This visa will fast track migrants in the healthcare sector, offering reduced application fees and exempting them from the Immigration Health Surcharge (624 per year from October 2020). But the new visa is only for doctors, nurses and other health professionals not care workers. Excluding care workers could potentially be disastrous.

For the past decade, approximately one in six or 83,000 of the 1.5m home care and care workers in England have been non-UK nationals. While the proportion of migrants has been stable, their countries of origin have changed. Most migrant care workers came from outside the EU until 2012, when the current minimum pay threshold of 30,000 was introduced. After 2012, EU migrants took up care work jobs because this minimum pay threshold did not apply to free movement.

Brexit will end free movement for EU care workers at the same time as the new salary threshold is applied to migrants. Currently, the sector has an 8% vacancy rate. Where will desperately needed new workers come from? Leading health bodies, care workers and home carers themselves are deeply worried about this change.

Migrant care workers are typically overqualified. Many have professional healthcare qualifications in nursing, or prior experience in the sector. Care work does not offer adequate remuneration to reflect their skills. It involves depressed wages, long hours and difficult work conditions that discourage British workers. Migrants can endure these conditions when they are able to invest their earnings in property, business and family betterment back home (where many will hope to retire).

For British workers, on the other hand, care works low wages rarely lead to better prospects. Many find themselves pushed towards the care sector when they cannot find other work. Often this push comes at a point where they have little security in their housing and personal lives. Adding to their insecurity, around one-quarter of care work is now delivered through zero-hours contracts.

With under-staffing, longer hours or truncated visits, even care workers working steady hours find themselves overwhelmed and exhausted. Research shows that staff shortages and longer hours lead to increased fatigue, irritability, and demotivation for workers and these conditions can lead to potentially dangerous mistakes.

But if migrants are blocked from taking these roles then UK residents will be expected to plug the gaps. In April, the health minister, Matt Hancock, began a recruitment drive for the sector, targeting 20-39 year-olds. Previous recruitment drives have done little to alleviate the sectors chronic labour shortages. Despite a 20% increase in advertised care roles in the first quarter of 2020, applications decreased by 17.8%. Previous drives havent affected the sectors 30% turnover rate which has risen from 23% in 2012. Data on recruitment and retention tell us these are not desirable jobs.

Current care workers report highly exploitative conditions including a lack of adequate sleeping and sanitary facilities. Precarious conditions and low pay have meant some care workers have had to use foodbanks and claim benefits. Meanwhile, in the COVID-19 pandemic, female careworkers and home carers have had the highest death rates of all occupations for women.

Jobs in the rest of the healthcare sector are being transformed. The NHS has furthered its digital first approach during the pandemic, spurred on by social distancing requirements, through NHSX its new digital branch, which was formed in April 2019. With annual investment of more than 1bn, NHSX claims to be the largest digital health and social care transformation programme in the world. But the video/telephone/email consultations that are proving effective for other patient and staff groups will be slow to come to care work. Though these technologies can lower costs in other health settings, the feeding, cleaning and personal care which comprises care work cannot be digitised.

Devaluing care and labelling care workers unskilled has created a sense of alienation and hopeless frustration for British care workers. Long hours, low pay, intensely physical and emotionally demanding work can undermine the ability of carers to care either for themselves or others. Improvements to pay and working conditions are long overdue. But it is a change in the new immigration scheme that is needed most, if the emerging crisis is to be averted.

Huge sections of the UK community rely entirely on these un-cared for workers. A coerced and reluctant workforce will most definitely affect the quality of care the sector delivers.

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New points-based immigration system will lead to care crisis - The Conversation UK

July harder than June, migrants out of work hit economic wall at home – The Indian Express

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Written by Pranav Mukul, Aashish Aryan, Prabha Raghavan, Aanchal Magazine | New Delhi | Updated: August 4, 2020 10:44:23 am Many of them are now realising that the rural economy has hit a saturation point and cannot absorb more workers.

A key bellwether of activity in the manufacturing sector slipped in July after two months of steady growth reflecting the adverse impact of localised lockdowns by states to fight the surging Covid curve. For those who lost their jobs, this fresh metric three months into the lockdown PMI falling to 46 in July from 47.2 in June is a disquieting reminder that a return to normalcy, or even a sustainable uptick, is far away.

More so for the thousands, who because of job losses or lacking a safety net if infected, moved from metros and urban industrial hubs to their hometowns and villages. Many of them are now realising that the rural economy has hit a saturation point and cannot absorb more workers.

Take Chittranjan Kushwaha.

The first in his family to hold a diploma in engineering, 30-year old Kushwaha went to Pune in 2014 and found an assembly line job with a major auto-component maker. Earning a monthly average of Rs 21,000, he was laid off in the lockdown and so returned to his family in Kushinagar, eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Opinion| Despite govt claims, migrants continue to be vulnerable and abandoned

Unlike many, Kushwaha got lucky: his diploma helped him get a job at a Common Service Centre (CSC) but at less than one third of his Pune salary.

His expenses are down as he doesnt have to pay rent but the drastic cut in income means he has to cut several corners. One big casualty: his childrens education.

After schools closed, I paid fees for a month. After that I got them de-registered. How will I pay Rs 1500 for three kids? he said.

Kushwahas case is emblematic of the crisis that has hit a majority of those who returned. Their scale is sweeping.

Official records show that of the 64 lakh migrant workers across 116 districts in six states Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha (covered under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan), a quarter returned to just 17 districts across these states.

The highest number of returned migrants under the scheme has been registered for Bihar, with 32 districts accounting for 23.6 lakh or 37.2 per cent of the total migrant workers covered, followed by Uttar Pradesh, with 17.47 lakh returned workers (27.5 per cent of the total) and Madhya Pradesh with 10.71 lakh workers or 16.9 per cent of the total.

Read| Rs 50,000-crore scheme to provide jobs for migrants returning home

The progress of the monsoon and a good summer sowing notwithstanding, the surge in Covid-19 case numbers in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh is beginning to hurt the rural economy and so most of these workers are struggling to make ends meet.

The reduction in disposable income for many families comes on the top of an already increased household savings a metric that indicates people start saving more than they spend to cover themselves in situations like job losses or pay cuts, which, in turn, is an indicator of a slump in the economy.

RBI records show net financial savings went up to 7.7% of GDP in 2019-20, compared with 7.2% in 2018-19.

This improvement has occurred due to moderation in household bank borrowings being sharper than that in bank deposits, except in the fourth quarter of 2019-20 due to COVID-19 related economic disruptionsSeveral studies show that households tend to save more during a slowdown and income uncertainty, the RBI noted.

Explained| Half of 30 lakh workers who returned to UP are unskilled, MNREGA the main avenue for jobs so far

Job opportunities, few and far between, for those who have returned home are largely coming from public setups. A number of states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, have rolled out migrant labour employment schemes, in addition to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA).

In all of the 116 districts covered under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, the number of households availing MGNREGA work in these districts jumped to 89.83 lakh during May 86.27 per cent up from 48.22 lakh in the same month last year.

However, despite these efforts, several are still struggling to find a job.Companies such as Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, Indias biggest carmakers, have been ramping up output but are largely relying on local workers since those from UP and Bihar are yet to return.

Deepak Kumar from Dhagar in Bhiwani district is among those who has queued up at Marutis Manesar factory over the past few days. With the facility restoring output to near normal levels, Kumar and other ITI diploma-holders from nearby towns in Haryana many have prior work experience here have responded to calls to return.

My hope is that even if they keep me as a temporary employee, they should not ask me to leave soon, Kumar said. Until he got the call, he said, he was unemployed and working on a farm.

Similar is the plight of Santosh Kumar, 32, from Dinapatti village in Supaul, Bihar. He ran errands at a small aviation logistics company in Mumbai but went back to his village in May in a three-wheeler auto-rickshaw along with three other persons.

Right now there is a lockdown, how can I go back. I am relying on farming for survival in my village, he said.

When will his company resume operations is anybodys guess. While in the Centres financial package, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were among the main intended beneficiaries, these are yet to recover from the impact.

According to a survey by CARE Ratings conducted over two weeks from June 23 to July 7, one-third of the MSMEs faced revenue losses of over 50% in the last 3 months and over 60% have been unable to pay full salaries to their staff.

Santosh said he received the cash transfer of Rs 1,000 from the government and also got Rs 300 a day during the quarantine. The ration supplies are procured by the family through his fathers ration card as he is yet to get a ration card in his name. Santosh said he would like to return whenever his employer calls him back. That call could take longer now.

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July harder than June, migrants out of work hit economic wall at home - The Indian Express

Submission to the Inquiry into the Implications of the Covid-19 Pandemic for Australia’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade – Human Rights Watch

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The world is being tested by the Covid-19 pandemic, described by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War. It is a health and human rights crisis on a global scale that has swept across borders, leaving no country untouched, and impacting the lives of millions, many of whom are among the most vulnerable. The human rights consequences, including those that flow from inadequate or unequal access to health care, entrenched inequalities, and the impact of devastated economies, will be felt for years to come.

In April 2020, Human Rights Watch prepared a human rights policy checklist to assist governments in developing effective, rights-respecting responses to the Covid-19 crisis.

The checklist sets out more than 40 questions to guide rights responses across a broad range of areas, including access to affordable health care; to water and sanitation; adequate housing, food and education; while ensuring the safety of those in detention; ensuring access to information; maintaining freedom of expression; closing the digital divide; ensuring emergency powers meet international standards, and addressing the needs of groups most at risk, including people living in poverty, ethnic and religious minorities, women, people with disabilities, older people, LGBT people, migrants, refugees, and children.

Because these issues cannot be addressed in the abstract, in April 2020, our published checklist illustrated the policy questions by reference to both good practices and areas of concern, recognizing that these can be neither prescriptive nor exhaustive.[1]

While some jurisdictions have ensured that states of emergency are time-limited and subject to oversight, Hungary and Cambodia, among others, have adopted state of emergency laws that give the government unlimited powers for an indefinite duration.

While some states have prioritized access to information, government officials in countries including Brazil, Burundi, China, Mexico, Myanmar, the US, and Zimbabwe have exhibited disturbing denialism about Covid-19, depriving their populations accurate information on the pandemic.

In countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, and Venezuela, people have been arrested and detained for expressing their opinion about Covid-19 on social media.

Israels 13-year-long closure of Gaza means that restrictions on the import of medical supplies, and denial of transit permits for many requiring vital medical treatment outside of Gaza, is impeding the crisis response.

International law is clear that even amid a public health crisis, emergency measures taken by governments that restrict basic rights must be lawful, necessary, and proportionate. Governments should not exploit the pandemic to silence critics. By curbing information and shutting down criticism of their health policies, governments that do not respect rights put both their citizens and neighboring countries at further risk during the pandemic.

We urge the Committee to recommend to the Australian government to use this checklist to assess the human rights implications of country responses to Covid-19. Where foreign governments are violating rights as part of their Covid-19 response, we urge the Australian government to engage in consistent and principled diplomacy calling out these abuses publicly as well as privately. Consistency is key to avoid allegations of double standards or bias. Indeed, the Australian government itself should strive to meet the human rights standards in this checklist.

Covid-19: A Human Rights Checklist

Prevention and Care

Keeping the Public Informed

Providing Testing and Treatment

Protecting Doctors and Frontline Workers

Reducing Risks in Detention Facilities and Jails

Boosting Access to Water and Sanitation

Helping Across Borders

Rights-Respecting Crisis Management

Using Emergency Powers and Addressing Security Force Abuse

Avoiding Sacrificing Other Rights

Addressing the Economic Fallout

Responding to the Harms of Social Distancing

Psychosocial Support

Keeping Kids Learning

Tackling Violence in the Home and Against Minorities

---------

[1] For policy examples, refer to Covid-19: A Human Rights Checklist, Human Rights Watch, April 14, 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/14/covid-19-human-rights-checklist.

[2] Afghanistan: Surge in Women Jailed for Moral Crimes, Human Rights Watch news release, May 21, 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/05/21/afghanistan-surge-women-jailed-moral-crimes.

[3] Erika Nguyen and Namratha Somayajula (Human Rights Watch), Access to Water Vital in Covid-19 Response, commentary, March 22, 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/22/access-water-vital-covid-19-response.

[4] Joint Civil Society Statement: States Use of Digital Surveillance Technologies to Fight Pandemic Must Respect Human Rights, April 2, 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/02/joint-civil-society-statement-states-use-digital-surveillance-technologies-fight.

[5] Joint Civil Society Statement: European Governments Must Ensure Safe and Timely Access to Abortion Care During the Covid-19 Pandemic, April 8, 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/08/joint-civil-society-statement-european-governments-must-ensure-safe-and-timely.

[6] Covid-19 and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, United Nations Women briefing paper, April 2020, https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2020/issue-brief-covid-19-and-ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-en.pdf?la=en&vs=5006.

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Submission to the Inquiry into the Implications of the Covid-19 Pandemic for Australia's Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade - Human Rights Watch

How Yogi Adityanath is beginning to recast UP as a business friendly destination – Economic Times

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Last year, PepsiCo was scouting for a suitable location for its fourth plant in India. The $67 billion beverages and snack food giant would invest Rs 500 crore to set up a unit to make its popular Lays and Doritos chips. The plant would employ 1,500 people, and bring with it associated benefits contract farming that would assure demand and improve quality and yield for farmers; business for vendors in cold chain, transportation, and so on.

After much deliberation, it zeroed in on a state that is also its largest market in India. The states network of expressways, proximity to the national capital region, an upcoming international airport and the red-carpet welcome rolled out by the state government all helped in the decision-making. Everything applications to clearances happened via a single-window digital platform called Nivesh Mitra. Within months, land was acquired, approvals sought and clearances secured. Despite the pandemic, construction is on in full swing. The MNC is pleasantly surprised that whatever was promised has been delivered.

The plant will be operational next summer. Besides the chief ministers office monitoring the progress, a direct line with the local district magistrate helps in resolving routine glitches.

This is the kind of thing one hears about businessfriendly states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu. But PepsiCos new plant is coming up at Kosi Kalan in Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh. Our plant in UP will not only help us double our snack business over the next few years but also deepen Pepsi-Cos relationship with the states potato farmers, says Ahmed ElSheikh, president, PepsiCo India.

UP occupies a lot of mind space, but mostly for the wrong reasons. It was recently in the news because gang members of a local don with political connections gunned down eight policemen. Once the state police apprehended him, he was killed in an encounter a euphemism for custodial killing.

Right now the state is busy with the groundbreaking ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, due on Wednesday. Its the culmination of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that started in the 1980s and propelled the rise of the BJP, now in power both at the Centre and in the state. These are what UP is often associated with the quintessential heartland cocktail of crime, unemployment, political fault lines of caste and religion, bad governance and poor socioeconomic indicators.

Ever since he came to power in 2017, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his team of ministers and bureaucrats have been putting up a determined effort to attract invest ments into the state. Without improving the states economic prospects, they reckon, the BJP reckons, it wont be easy to retain the voters confidence. It has taken time, but the results are beginning to show.

However, in all the din around UP, Adityanaths take-no-prisoners style, unabashed Hindutva politics and the inevitable controversies, these are easy to miss.

Encouraged by the vision of the chief minister and the efforts of this investment-friendly government, ITC is progressively expanding its footprint in UP, says Chitranjan Dar, member, corporate management committee, and group head (projects), ITC Ltd. Haldirams is setting up two new plants worthRs 500 crore, employing 2,000-plus people, in the next three-four years. Fast-track process, government handholding industry and the upcoming Jewar airport and expressways have helped us decide on UP, says Sanjay Singhania, vice-president (commercial), Haldirams.

The state is fast becoming a mobile manufacturing hub. In 2018, Samsung inaugurated its worlds largest mobile factory in UP as part of its $715 million India investment plan. Many more like Vivo and Lava are following. In May-June, even as the state dealt with the pandemic and the migrant labour crisis, the important work of wooing investors didnt stop.

The states Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) auctioned via video conferencing 63 acres of land for 27 industrial units, entailing investments ofRs 1,600 crore, which would create over 32,000 jobs. Its CEO Arunvir Singh is pitching UPs network of expressways and the Jewar international airport to woo investors for its upcoming industrial parks. These include a 300 acre park for small businesses, a 700 acre electronic city and a 200 acre textile park. When completed, they would create 7 lakh new jobs, he says.

In Lucknow, Minister for MSME, Investment & Export Promotion Sidharth Nath Singh is focusing on global investors. In July, he reckons, in one fortnight he would have made virtual presentations to executives in the US, UK, Russia, Thailand, Germany, South Korea and Japan, to invest in UP. Targeting those looking to derisk from China, UP has set up dedicated foreign desks for outreach helped by the Centre and embassies. Thats how the Microsoft deal happened. I got to know at a webinar that Microsoft was planning a campus in North India. I immediately reached out, says Sidharth Nath Singh.

Land parcels in Greater Noida have been sold out. The Yamuna Expressway has got a good response and 53 hectares of its Aligarh node, part of the defence corridor, have been allotted. At the UP Investors Summit 2018, 1,045 MoUs were signed, entailing investments of Rs 4.28 lakh crore. With two ground-breaking ceremonies, 34% MoUs have matured, says the minister. Numbers confirm this.

Project UptickOf late, UP has seen a robust growth of both public and private sector project investment (See chart). According to Projects Today, a tracker of projects, UPs cumulative investments funnel has doubled from Rs 4.22 lakh crore in March 2015 to Rs 8.07 lakh crore in March 2020. Its project implementation ratio a proxy for projects getting off the ground has improved from 36.86% to 43.88% during the period. Fresh annual investments grew fromRs 39,193 crore in March 2018 to Rs 52,211 crore in March 2020, even as the share of private sector grew from 29.45% to 42.18%.

UP is doing well. If this continues we may see a new UP in the next five years, says Shashikant Hegde, director, Projects Today. Since 2017, it has got some of its biggest infrastructure projects off the ground completing old ones and kicking off new. Take theRs 30,000 crore Jewar airport. First proposed in 2001, it is now on track to be ready by 2022-23. Proposals to build 12 new airports, including in Ayodhya and Varanasi, have been cleared. The Agra-Lucknow Expressway (302 km) got completed and the Rs 39,000 crore Ganga Expressway (602 km) has been kicked off.

Both Purvanchal and Bundelkhand expressways will be built on time. We are working seriously on the defence corridor project with the Aligarh node, says Awanish Awasthi, additional chief secretary (home), UP government.

Turnaround Scepticism Is this for real? Can UP actually turn a corner? Over the last month, ET Magazine spoke to at least two dozen people who are stakeholders in UPs economy, including corporate executives, businesspeople, real estate developers, representatives of industry bodies, including MSME chapters in towns like Bulandshahr, Deoria, Varanasi, Muzaffarnagar and Agra, and a number of sectoral experts, to piece together the real picture. The view is unanimous the gap between UPs image and reality as a destination for business is growing rapidly.

UP is relentlessly wooing businesses, projects and investors. There are several underlying reasons. The NDA government at the Centre deems UPs economic performance to be key to retaining its voters. Hence, it is deploying all resources political, economic, religious and financial to build a robust foundation. UP today has Indias best expressway network and it is set to only get better. Mega projects like airports and its audacious greenfield defence corridor project have been flagged off. For the first time, I am seeing this aggressiveness and dynamism in UP to woo investors. UPs defence corridor is greenfield while Tamil Nadus is brownfield. The Centre will play a critical role in directing these investments, says a defence sector expert.

Growth in Projects & Investments

Growth in Projects & Investments

All the top ministers, bureaucrats and the CM were to come to the campus in buses without their VIP bandobast. The CM led from the front, getting into the bus first. Everyone just followed, she says. For her, two things stood out the CMs clarity of thinking and determination to deliver results. Two people a minister and a senior bureaucrat recall instances of projects being stuck in Raibareli and Gorakhpur because concerned officers were delaying clearances. In his weekly review of delayed projects, Adityanath pulled up the officers, found their explanations wanting and suspended them right away. His message is clear. Such behaviour will not be tolerated, says minister Sidharth Nath Singh.

This even as the state is tweaking norms and redrafting incentive packages to woo industries like shoe manufacturing and agri-processing away from China. Suspending labour laws for three years was among them. In May, German footwear maker Von Wellx decided to move its entire production from China to UP with its partner Latric Industries.

Its CEO, Ashish Jain, says, Government support and CMs ability to make the bureaucracy move were remarkable. He has been promised that footwear will be included as part of the garment policy incentive package. His `110 crore project will set up two plants, create 10,000 jobs and will produce 3 million pairs annually.

Eliminating CrimeAccording to the National Crime Records Bureau 2018, UP has the second highest incidences of crime under IPC in the country, after Maharashtra. The state has been rightly criticised for a spate of extrajudicial killings since Adityanath came to power. The CM has made his tough line on crime quite clear.

Shortly after taking office, in 2017, Adityanath had openly said that criminals would either go to jail or be killed in police encounters. Under Adityanaths watch, 119 such killings have occurred, according to media reports. The cops have been acquitted in 74 cases where a magisterial enquiry has been completed. Many entrepreneurs and executives say the crime situation has improved, going by their experience. Pankaj Agarwal, promoter of Bindlas Duplux Ltd and head of the Muzaffarnagar chapter of the Indian Industries Association, says in the past his manager was once shot at.

THE SHIFT : The Yogi Adityanath government has rolled out a slew of initiatives-

THE SHIFT : The Yogi Adityanath government has rolled out a slew of initiatives-

Avinash Kumar, an IITian and IAS officer with stints in private sector and startups, is special secretary to the CM and oversees the platform. He was brought to Lucknow in 2017 to build a robust, user-friendly, single-window clearance digital platform to monitor all applications and approvals. Through Nivesh Mitra, CM directly monitors key projects with his Team 11 to remove hurdles, says Awasthi. (Team 11 is a group of top bureaucrats.) Today, Nivesh Mitra offers 149 services across 20 departments. In 20182020, it got 2.05 lakh applications and gave 1.63 lakh clearances.

Despite lockdown, between April 1 and July 20, 34,361 applications were filed and 28,248 clearances were issued. With timebound deadlines for bureaucrats and a transparent view of where files are stuck, the application-to-approval cycle has been smoothened. Weekly project reviews by the CM is creating a hustle culture in a sclerotic bureaucracy. Time to get the factory licence has halved from three-four weeks earlier to onetwo weeks now, says Sanjeev Agarwal, CMO of phone maker Lava International. Sunil Chaturvedi, chairman of Gainwell Commosales, recalls how pleasantly surprised he was when the electricity duty discount due to him was credited to his account without any follow-up or palm-greasing.

Perception vs Reality

But livelihood and rehabilitation of so many will not be easy for any government." MSMEs in UP are in deep crisis. From Bulandshahr to Varanasi, they are hurting and many won't survive. Says Sanjeev Arora, head, Deoria chapter (Gorakhpur), Indian Industries Association: "The government announced many pandemic schemes. We have got nothing. It is all in the air, more promises than action." Add to this the skewed development within the state.

Says Sunil Kumar Sinha, principal economist, India Ratings: "The dichotomy between east and west UP is stark. UP has to grow faster to fill the deficit." From Bundelkhand Expressway to the defence corridor, the Centre is helping UP attract investment and develop some of its most backward regions. But this is easier said than done. The top-down approach of driving change from Lucknow also has its limitations. DS Verma, executive director, Indian Industries Association, says: "Intention at the top is good. But lower and mid-level (government) machinery is rusted."

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How Yogi Adityanath is beginning to recast UP as a business friendly destination - Economic Times

The World This Week: Forthcoming elections in Sri Lanka + two other issues – TheDispatch

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The latest edition of The World This Week covers:Forthcoming elections in Sri Lanka, a migrant problem turning political in Italy, and the Second wave in Vietnam| Contributors to this edition are: Chrishari de Alwis Gunasekare, Sourina Bej, Aparupa Bhattacherjee, Harini Madhusudan

Sri Lanka: Getting ready for the general elections this week, amidst the COVID-19

What happened?The General Election in Sri Lanka to form a new Parliament, which was initially scheduled for April and then postponed to June, will be finally held on 5 August 2020. Despite experiencing a second wave of the coronavirus in mid-July, the voting will take place as planned under strict health guidelines and safety measures on the scheduled date.

What is the background?First, the uncertainties surrounding the elections. After the Presidential elections in 2019 bought Gotabaya Rajapaksa to power, the opposition-controlled Parliament was dissolved in March 2020. Initially, the 16th Parliamentary election of Sri Lanka was scheduled in April. However, with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and an island-wide curfew in effect, the Election Commission postponed the elections indefinitely, despite the Presidents insistence to hold the election as scheduled. Since the constitution calls for a dissolved Parliament to be replaced within the three months, the Election Commission decided to open the polls on 20 June in order to avert a constitutional crisis. However, the election again had to be rescheduled to 5 August.

Second, a look at the contending political parties. The political party with the highest stake in this election is Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by the Rajapaksas. The party looks for the opportunity to consolidate power with a two-thirds majority in order to enable the newly formed government to repeal the 19th Amendment. The Opposition, on the other hand, is fractured; it is divided between the United National Party (UNP) under former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and the newly formed Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) under the leadership of Sajith Premadasa, which is a breakaway group of UNP. This significantly weakens both parties as neither will be able to secure the required number of Parliamentary seats to challenge SLPP. Besides these parties, the Leftist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), now reformed as an alliance named Jathika Jana Balavegaya (NPP) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) are smaller parties, expected to secure a few seats in the upcoming poll.

Third, the election campaign during the pandemic.The campaigning for the general elections took place in a subdued manner as the Covid-19 Pandemic prevented the candidates from conducting mass rallies. Most activities were conducted through social media, advertisements and through a door to door campaigning in strict compliance with health guidelines, as the candidates tried to connect with the voters from their electorates.

What does it mean?The outcome of the election will significantly reshape the Sri Lankan political stage. While it is not certain that the SLPP will be able to secure the two-thirds majority, it is evident that the party would dominate this election. The pandemic situation favours the Rajapaksa rule where the citizens look for stability which might result in the repeal of the 19th Amendment. If the SJB manages to secure a significant number of seats over the UNP, then the newly formed party will emerge as the leading Opposition Party while the UNP will look for a change in leadership.

As indicated by the number of postal votes already cast, it is expected for the voter turnout to drop as low as 70 per cent this election, because voters seem discouraged by health restrictions, political apathy and wariness of the political system stimulated by the pandemic.

Italy: Former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini to go on trial for blocking ship carrying migrants

What happened?The Senate in on 30 July voted to lift the immunity of former interior minister and the leader of the opposition Matteo Salvini, thereby initiating a possible trial against the minister for refusing to let a ship carrying 150 migrants dock in Italy in 2019. The prosecutors initiated the charge against the minister, in Sicily. They have sought to bring accountability to Salvinis policy to illegally detain the migrants on a ship operated by a Spanish charity. The trial could start later this year in Sicily, the place where the boat eventually docked after almost three weeks at sea in 2019.

What is the background?First, Italy is in the front line of two overlapping crises- migration and pandemic.The initiation of the trial against Salvini comes at a time when the country is facing a dual crisis of incoming migrants and the pandemic. Italy has been one of the southern European countries in the front line of Europes migration crisis from 2014 to 2017, with thousands of migrants and refugees arriving by boat from Libya.In the first quarter of 2020, ever since the pandemic started, about 12,500 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea. As the migrants keep arriving, the country has an added burden of screening a larger number of people. Also, with a dozen of Bangladeshis migrants (who have arrived in Italy legally) testing positive for the virus, Italy is grappling with imposing the quarantine rules. The migrant centres are filled beyond their capacity with a risk of contagion. In order to stop the spread of the virus, the government has continued to impose strictest initial quarantine rules in the migrant centres leading many to break out. The Italian government had to deploy soldiers in one of the migrant centres in Sicily to stop the breakouts.

Second, the trial is politically motivated but first to bring to justice an anti-immigration policy.As an interior minister from 2018 to 2019, Salvini pursued an anti-immigration policy that drew both criticism and applause. While he was globally criticized for his pushback and denying entry to migrants, domestically, he had the public support who continues to view the migrant influx as a reason for an economic burden. In his tenure, Salvini refused docking rights to several ships captained by Spanish charity non-governmental organizations.

The present trial charge follows another trial he was slated to face for one of the other ships he declined entry to. The Senate, however, upheld his immunity, in that case, thereby making this case the first when Salvini will have to justify his policy in court. The Senates decision to lift Salvinis immunity this time is also because his anti-immigration policy had led to a split in the ruling coalition. As he left the government in 2019 to join the Opposition, the ruling coalition has since grappled with falling approval ratings but still remains one of the strongest political alliance in the country.

What does it mean?First, once Matini faces the trial in court, it is likely to open the debate on the sharing of the refugees and the migrants in the region between the north and the south European countries. Italy is not the only country that has followed a strong anti-immigration policy. Greece also follows a similar policy where the Coast Guard is seen restricting the rafts full of migrants coming to its shores. For the migrants, Italy and Greece are the first stops in their journey. Several looks to move to the Scandinavian or the Northern European countries and frequent breakouts have been reported where the migrants have taken to travel to Stockholm or Berlin but have been sent back to the landing countries of Italy and Greece. Italy has long wanted a dialogue over the migrant sharing, and the reason for Salvini in 2019 to continue stopping the migrants at sea is to pressurize for a deal with the EU countries to take them in.

Second, this will be the first time a populist far-right leader riding on the anti-immigrant sentiment is going to face a trial. But putting the leader on trial will definitely humanize the issue but not solve it. Around 39 per cent of the people have miffed sentiments towards the immigrants. During the pandemic, when the economy is in a recession, the immigration issue will open the social fault lines where the people will fault the migrants for being a burden on their falling economy.

Vietnam: The second wave

What happened?After a gap of three months, Vietnam has declared a high-alert due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country. Till date, more than 30 cases reported including in its capital Hanoi and business capital Ho Chi Minh City. On 29 July, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the Prime Minister, warned the country and stated that every city and province are at risk and warned that this new wave is stronger than the previous one.

What is the background?First, Vietnam has been revered globally as a success story. A centralized quarantine programme and an aggressive contact tracking system have been the reasons for success. During the first wave in February, Vietnam managed to keep its tally to total 450 cases, with zero fatality and none reported to be locally transmitted infections. This was commendable due to two reasons; one, Vietnam is a highly populated country with 95 million people. Second, although it shares a border with China, which has been the source country of the virus, it decided to take a risk and did not close the border unlike the rest of Chinas neighbours.

Second, the eagerness to revive the economy could have backfired. Vietnams enthusiasm and desperation to open were aided by its initial success and the need to sustain its economy. Vietnam, in June, started domestic travel, schools, and offices. Along with the opening of the job sector, the government to boost the slugging tourism industry encouraged discounts on travel and stay and also provided an incentive for people to travel. This explains the large crowd in Da Nang, a popular tourist destination of Vietnam.

Third, Vietnam is not the only country, to start the process to return to normalcy. Several other countries, even with a growing number of cases, are compelled to do so due to the negative impact of the pandemic on the economy. This could be one of the reasons for the second wave in most of the countries around the globe.

What does it mean?As the source of the new transmission is yet to be discovered, there could be several more cases in the coming days. The current total tally does not include the 18,000 are to return to Ho Chi Minh from Da Nang. Additionally, the Vietnamese scientists have said this strain of the virus is more infectious than the previous one. The government is taking necessary measures such as banning large gatherings; nevertheless, as stated by the Chairman of the city administration, the country needs to to act now and act fast.

Although the governments quick economic recovery plan is one of the primary reason for the second wave, it seems they are in denial. The wrath of the second wave is being faced by the immigrant labours working in the country. Instead of managing the tourist, the police in Da Nang and the rest of the country have been arresting illegal migrants and people suspected to be part of the human trafficking racket. This has a larger good as these rackets are to be curbed; however, this timing is not suitable. The illegal migrants in the country are desperate; additionally, the thriving construction works and packaging industry in Vietnam are also heavily dependent on them. Also, the government seems not to realize that unlike the previous time, when the virus was transmitted in the country through a traveller, this time it is a community transmission. Focusing only on the illegal migrants will not be helpful.

ALSO IN THE NEWS

South Africa: Confirmed cases reach almost half a million

South Africa has become the worlds fifth-highest infection burden. With its death toll at 8,000, South Africa recorded 193 deaths over the weekend. The number of positive cases in South Africa stands at 493,000 with a 66 per cent recovery rate- 326,171 patients recovered so far. However, South Africa reported the production of 10,000 batches of its first self-designed ventilators to cope with the increasing cases.

Hong Kong: Police arrest four and seek warrants for six, pro-democracy activists

In the context of the National Security Law, the Hong Kong police on 29 July, arrested four student protesters for creating a platform to promote the Independence of Hong Kong. On 1 August, the police issued arrest warrants, the first of its kind, against six individuals outside Hong Kong, seeking extraterritorial provision on the grounds of inciting secession and collusion with external and foreign forces.

Hong Kong: Elections postponed by a year

Citing the risks to the health of the citizens and the third-wave of the pandemic as a reason, Carrie Lam invoked emergency powers to postpone Hong Kong Legislative Council polls by a year. This announcement was made one day after the election officials in Hong Kong banned 12 pro-democracy activists from contesting in the elections. Though there was a denial of any pollical motive in the delaying of elections, many believe that the postponement has to do with the recent security law and the arrests.

Afghanistan: More than 1200 civilians killed in Afghanistan during Jan-June 2020

A UN report published on 27 July, states that there were 1,282 civilian deaths in the first half of 2020, and 2,176 wounded. The report says Taliban and Islamic State are behind 58 per cent of these attacks and the pro-government forces were responsible for 23 per cent of them. Though the numbers this year show a thirteen per cent decrease in the deaths compared to 2019, these numbers are despite heightened efforts to achieve peace in Afghanistan.

Pakistan: Government presents an ordinance on the Kulbhushan Jadhav Case

The government passed the ICJ Ordinance 2020 before the National Assembly, to allow consular access in-line with the ICJ verdict. Pakistan court announced the formation of two-member bench to hear the case and review the petition filed by the Pakistan government. The bench comprising Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah and his fellow judge Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb would take up the government plea on 3 August.

The United States: Set to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany

President Trump announced the removal of 12,000 troops from Germany as a response to Germanys failure to meet NATO defence spending targets. While describing it as strategic repositioning of its forces in Europe, 6,400 troops would be sent home, and the rest would be moved to other countries such as Italy and Belgium. This move has raised concern among senior officials in Germany as well as received Opposition in the US Congress.

The United States: Americans views on China sores, according to a survey

According to a new Pew Research Centre survey, unfavourable views of China reach a new high, with the majority supporting a tougher stand on human rights. The survey conducted between 16 June and 14 July among 1,003 adults in the United States, finds that while Republicans and Democrats both have negative views of China and are critical of Beijings handling of the coronavirus, and the criticism is more prevalent among Republicans. More Americans also think the US should hold China responsible for the role it played in the outbreak of the coronavirus than think this should be overlooked in order to maintain strong bilateral economic ties.

The United States: NASA launches its Mars rover

On 30 July, NASA launched its 2020 Mars rover named Perseverance. After its successful launch from Cape Canaveral, the cold atmospheric temperatures forced the spacecraft into a safe-mode. The rover is known to carry seven instruments to explore the geology and climate. The rover also carries NASAs Ingenuity helicopter, a tiny rotorcraft that would attempt to fly in the atmosphere of the red planet.

Europe: The EU restricts exporting surveillance technology to Hong Kong

The member states agreed to a package of measures as a response to the National Security Law in Hong Kong that the bloc believes would extensively erode peoples rights and freedoms. The European Union announced export restrictions to Hong Kong of any equipment that can be used for internal repression, interception of internal communications or cyber surveillance, as measures, Germany announced that it would now treat Hong Kong like it treats mainland China.

Chrishari de Alwis Gunasekare is a postgraduate scholar at the UMISARC, Pondicherry University.Sourina Bej is a Project Associate at NIAS. Aparupa Bhattacherjee and Harini Madhusudan are PhD scholars with the School of Conflict and Security Studies, NIAS.

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The World This Week: Forthcoming elections in Sri Lanka + two other issues - TheDispatch

PewDiePie shares reason behind not wanting to take photos in public – Dexerto

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YouTube king Felix 'PewDiePie' Kjellberg opened up to viewers during his August 2 upload, and explained why he will no longer be taking selfies when approached in public.

For many, PewDiePie has been the face of online entertainment for the last decade. The content creator went from his humble roots in Sweden in 2010 to being YouTube's biggest star with a staggering 106 million subscribers to his channel.

On August 2, the entertainer explained to his audience why fans asking him for selfies has began to take a toll on him. The 30-year-old said taking photos had started to feel "dehumanizing" and "uncomfortable" for him.

The YouTuber took time out of his latest episode of Last Week I Asked You to address viewers about taking selfies with them out in public. "I've decided, no more selfies," he announced. Pewds then said he was worried that people would take his decision out of context, and asked fans to watch until the end.

"I love meeting you guys. I love doing these meetups where it's a set place to hang out and just talk. But I think my life has just become to a point where whenever I go outside, I have to just be ready whatever I'm doing to just stop, and take a photo," he said.

He then clarified that he doesn't mind talking with his fans in public, but rather he hates the photo aspect. "I don't mind to just stop and chat with you guys, but the whole photo process to me... I don't like it. You do like a thousand of them, and after a while you feel like an animal at a zoo that's like a prop for someone. And I don't like it. I'm tired of it. I don't want to do it anymore."

The creator stated that he didn't expect everyone to understand, but believed his fans would respect his point of view. He revealed that taking pictures would sometimes give away where he lives. "I don't always want people to know where I am. If everyone just took their photo and didn't share it, fine. But the problem is people share it online. It's so uncomfortable!"

PewDiePie wrapped up the announcement by clarifying that he would love to take selfies with fans at meet and greets or scheduled events, however that he will no longer take photos out in public.

With over 106 million subscribers, the Swedish star is not only the biggest individual YouTuber, but one of the most recognized entertainers in the world. His lack of privacy is something most could not comprehend.

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Heres how to identify the cause of your slow internet speed – KTAR.com

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(Getty Images/Brendon Thorne)

We all know the pain of slow internet: videos buffer, downloads take ages and a single page can take forever to load. We wonder whether its our browser, our device, or the website were visiting.

It could be your Wi-Fi signal. Wireless networks are notorious for connection problems. Tap or click for ways to boost your Wi-Fi coverage for good, including changing the routers channel, which hardly anyone does.

Speaking of, your router or modem also be the culprit. You may be tempted to unplug yours and plug it right back in, but thats a mistake. Tap or click here for the way tech pros reboot their routers where patience can pay off in a more reliable signal.

Beyond that, how can you pinpoint the issue? Your first step is to check your connection speed. Afterward, compare the results of the test to the speed advertised by your internet provider.

Note:Before you test your internet speed, make sure no one in your home network is doing bandwidth-hogging tasks like downloading or sharing files, streaming videos, gaming, etc. You dont want any activity skewing results.

Internet speed typically is measured in megabytes per second or Mbps. Every provider promises different tiers of internet speed rates. In general, the pricier the plan, the faster your internet should be.

1-3 Mbps Good enough for web surfing, email, social, casual online gaming (if you dont mind some latency) and email. However, this is not ideal for video streaming.

3-4 Mbps This is the minimum speed for standard video streaming from services like Netflix. This speed may be enough for a one-computer household, but with all the HD content available on the web right now, you should expect constant video buffering.

5-10 Mbps Netflix recommends at least 5 Mbps for a single HD stream, and youll double that for two simultaneous HD streams. Although this is the baseline speed required for HD content, it could still lead to buffering, especially if you have multiple connected gadgets.

10-20 Mbps This is the minimum speed for a consistent and reliable internet experience. If you continuously download files from the web and cloud storage services, get a plan with this advertised speed at the very least.

20 Mbps and higher Now were talking. Households with multiple computers and gadgets, video streaming services, smart appliances, and simultaneous users should aim for at least a 20 Mbps plan.

Now that you know what internet speed is required for certain activities, its time to test your actual bandwidth and compare it to the speed you should be getting. Here are the most popular sites to use. Its a good idea to conduct the test at more than one site. Your mileage may vary.

Compare the results you get against the speeds that your internet service provider promises you. Be sure to run multiple tests over several days at different times. Write your results down, so you dont forget. This will give you an overall picture of your connection speed.

You also might find specific periods when its slow, depending on your areas network congestion. This is especially true if many of your neighbors work from home and hogging up bandwidth on video conferences or streaming presentations.

RELATED: Windows computer acting up? Tap or click for seven DIY tools you can use to diagnose the problem.

One of the most well-known internet speed test services available is Speedtest by Ookla. This service can measure your connections ping response and download and upload speeds from a remote server.

As for download and upload speeds, measurements are given in bits per second. Higher numbers are better. Download speeds will typically be much faster than upload speeds.

Tap or click here to try Ookla Speedtest now.

Netflix has its internet speed test called Fast.com. Fast.com is entirely browser-based, so you dont have to download an app or program.

Just point your web-based or mobile browser to Fast.com and the test will automatically run and show your download speed when its done.

For more details about your connection, tap or click the Show more info box. This will show your latency, upload speeds and the servers used for the test.

Another excellent web-based speed test isSpeedOf.Me. Whats great about this tool is the real-time graph that tracks the speeds fluctuations while the test is running. It can also provide you with a graphical history of all the tests youve run for comparison.

Click here to try SpeedOf.Me now.

You can also access speed tests straight on the search engine of your choice. For example, search for the keywords speed test on Google and the first hit will show Googles very own speed test tool.

The same service is available from Bing. Just search for speed test via Bing and the first result is a handy speedometer-style internet speed tool that measures ping response plus download and upload speeds.

Whenever available, always use a wired connection for more accurate and consistent results. Why? The culprit of your slower speeds may lie on your Wi-Fi connection and not on your ISP connection itself.

Do multiple tests and if the average of the results is only about 5-10 Mbps off, that should be tolerable. Factors like congestion during peak times and your distance from the relay hardware will contribute to slight variations on your speed. (For more accuracy, you could turn your Wi-Fi radios off during the wired tests.)

If your wired results are way lower than advertised, a consistent 20 to 30 Mbps difference, perhaps, then there might be something else going on.

Check your hardware first and see if its compatible with your providers recommendations. For example, older DOCSIS 2.0 modems cant go beyond 38 Mbps. If you have a rate plan of 50 Mbps and above, better upgrade your modem to DOCSIS 3.0 or 3.1.

What if you already have newer hardware and you still see less-than-advertised speeds? Then check your network for unauthorized devices that may be stealing your bandwidth.

If you do find Wi-Fi thieves, better kick them off, then change your network password quickly! Tap or click here to make sure no ones stealing your Wi-Fi.

If all else fails, give your internet service provider a call. Tap or click here for seven ways you can lower your internet bill while youre at it.

What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call Kims national radio show and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to or watch The Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television or computer. Or tap or click here for Kims free podcasts.

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Breaking News – Amazon Studios Orders Second Season of the Hit Thriller "Hunters" – The Futon Critic

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AMAZON STUDIOS ORDERS SECOND SEASON OF THE HIT THRILLER "HUNTERS"

CULVER CITY, Calif. - August 3, 2020 - Amazon Studios announced today it has ordered a second season of the Amazon Original seriesHunters, the hit conspiracy thriller created by David Weil and executive produced by Jordan Peele, to stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The acclaimed first season of Hunters, starring Al Pacino, Logan Lerman, and Jerrika Hinton, premiered February 21.

"I am beyond grateful to Jen and the Amazon family for their continued extraordinary support of Hunters," said Weil. "Alongside our magnificent cast, incredible crew, and brilliant writers and producers, I am more eager than ever to share the next chapter of the Hunters saga with the world."

"With Hunters, David Weil's bold vision and fearless imagination powered a thrilling, twisty, action-packed first season that engaged Prime Video customers around the world," said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, "We are thrilled that David, Jordan and theHunters will be back with us for more."

The debut season of Hunters followed a diverse band of Nazi hunters living in 1977 New York City. The Hunters, as they're known, have discovered that hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials are living among us and conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the United States. The series also stars Josh Radnor, Kate Mulvany, Tiffany Boone, Greg Austin, Louis Ozawa, Carol Kane, Saul Rubinek, Dylan Baker and Lena Olin. Season one of Hunters, produced by Amazon Studios, Peele's Monkeypaw Productions and Sonar Entertainment, was executive produced by David Weil who served as co-showrunner alongside executive producer Nikki Toscano. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directed the pilot and was an executive producer alongside Win Rosenfeld from Monkeypaw Productions; Nelson McCormick; and David Ellender from Sonar Entertainment.

About Amazon Studios:

Amazon Studios is the home for talent, creating and producing original films and television series for a global audience. Original series all premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, which is available in over 200 countries and territories. Recent hit Amazon Original series include the Emmy Award-winning comedies Fleabag, created by and starring Emmy Award-winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel from Emmy Award-winners Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino; the action thriller drama Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan starring John Krasinski; the irreverent superhero series The Boys; Upload from Greg Daniels; Jordan Peele's Hunters starring Al Pacino and Logan Lerman; and fantasy drama Carnival Row starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne. Amazon Originals also include culturally relevant and buzzed-about content such as Rihanna's Savage X Fenty music and fashion event, Donald Glover's Guava Island and Chasing Happiness, a documentary about pop superstars Jonas Brothers.

In film, Amazon Studios produces and acquires original movies for theatrical release and exclusively for Amazon Prime Video. In 2017, Amazon Studios became the first streaming service to win Oscars for Manchester by the Sea and The Salesman. Amazon Studios' recent releases include Troop Zero starring Viola Davis, Alison Janney, and Jim Gaffigan; Tom Harper's The Aeronauts starring Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne; Scott Z. Burns' The Report starring Adam Driver and Annette Bening; Honey Boy from director Alma Har'el based on a script written by Shia LaBeouf; Benedict Andrews' Seberg starring Kristen Stewart; and the Academy Award-nominated Les Misrables from director Ladj Ly.

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Breaking News - Amazon Studios Orders Second Season of the Hit Thriller "Hunters" - The Futon Critic

Start the Year With a ‘Primary Focus’ on Relationship-Building – Education Week

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(This is the final post in a multipart series. You can see Part One here and Part Two here.)

The new question-of-the-week is:

What introductory activities are you planning to do, or have done already, with students to begin this highly unusual new school year (specificallyfirst day, first week, second week)?

In Part One, my colleage and co-author Katie Hull Synieski and I shared a book excerpt from a chapter on long-distance learning with English-language learners. It's coming from our upcoming second edition of The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide.

In Part Two, Andi Jackson, Ann Stiltner, and Kelly Love offered their suggestions.

Today, this three-part series is "wrapped up" by commentaries from Emily Burrell, Melanie Gonzales, Dr. JoEtta Gonzales, and Dr. Theresa Capra.

Look for the next question-of-the-week at the bottom of this post!

A two-week plan

Emily Burrell is a mathematics teacher and co-lead mentor teacher at South Lakes High School in Fairfax County, Va.:

I teach high school mathematics students who have been marginalized by the public education system. Traditional teaching methods have failed them. It may not be surprising that many of them have failed a math class. My students are uninspired to do math that doesn't matter to them. I reach these students by providing a curriculum that does matter: a project-based curriculum that provides choice and helps students build their voice. Relationships are the first key because this type of active learning, while more engaging, is also more work. Explicitly teaching executive-functioning skills is the second key to helping students who have not yet developed habits for successful learning.

On Day 1, we will begin to build the working norms necessary for students to feel comfortable taking the risks necessary for learning and sharing understanding. Then we will introduce ourselves by decorating a Google Slide with words and pictures that describe ourselves Students will add comments to each others' slides about how they connect to their classmates. Finally, I will ask students to fill out a survey to learn more about their interests and talents and to determine whether there are any students in class with whom they would or would not work well.

Armed with information about my students, I will build their first collaborative groups. On Day 2, the groups will complete an activity about why they like group work, why they dislike group work, and how an ideal group works together. Then I will give the students a scavenger hunt to see which group can be the first to find all of the items in their houses. We would also play "unique and shared," an ice-breaker where the group has to find one thing they all have in common and one thing that makes each group member unique from the others. At the end of class, students would reflect on what worked well in their groups, what didn't work well, what challenges they could work to overcome, and what challenges their group might need the teacher's help with.

If we have any time for math in the first two weeks, we will analyze and discuss graphs from the news. I cannot build relationships with my students if I ignore the ways their lives have been directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and recent developments in the Black Lives Matter movement. This will also give us an opportunity to grow as digital citizens as we discuss news sources and their perspectives and biases.

Through the first few weeks, our primary focus will remain relationship-building and our secondary focus will be building executive-functioning skills. Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child has a helpful Executive Functioning Activities Guide. In the spring, my virtual students became extremely unfocused. This year, I will explicitly teach executive-functioning skills in my class. We will make plans for building sustained attention by identifying our distractors and committing ourselves to ignoring them. We will get organized by scheduling and prioritizing tasks. We will set goals and monitor our progress toward them with rubrics. By focusing our first few weeks on relationships and executive-functioning skills, my students will be ready to be successful learners and doers of mathematics all year long.

"Consider students' emotional and psychological needs"

Melanie Gonzales is an elementary math curriculum, advanced academics, and early-childhood coordinator in Texas. She has been in education for over 25 years and has served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, interim assistant principal, session speaker at local and national conferences, and continues to be a passionate learner. She is a member of the Texas Association of Mathematics, the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and is active in her local McMath organization:

In the past two years, in my role as curriculum coordinator, I have asked teachers to start their math units with "The First 20/30 Days" document that consists of lessons for the first 20-30 days of school to guide teachers in establishing a mathematical community of learners and teach the routines and procedures necessary to be a successful mathematician. These lessons are based on The 1st 20 days of Independent Reading by Irene C. Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell but put the lessons into a mathematical context. I built on the work of Fountas and Pinnell as well as math consultants Allison Lentz and Jennifer Jones. I took parts of their ideas and rewrote the lessons to match my district's scope and sequence and particular audience.

This year, it will be even more important to consider students' emotional and psychological needs before attending to content. Teachers were given the opportunity to take a virtual, self-paced professional learning session that provided information about Maslow's and Bloom's hierarchies and how we will need to consider both when planning for the first few weeks of school. Teachers were asked to consider how to integrate both models. In addition to checking in on students after being out of the classroom for an extended period of time and re-establishing or building relationships with students, the other goals of these lessons are: to help students think of themselves as mathematicians who enjoy and actively participate in math; to establish consistent classroom roles, rituals, routines, and procedures that support teaching and learning; and to increase rigor by having students explore, express, and better understand mathematical content though process skills (communication, connections, reasoning, representations, and problem solving).

Some of the activities and lessons include learning and discussing what math is and what mathematicians do and inviting students to draw a self-portrait of themselves as a mathematician. Classrooms will create a "Treatment Agreement" or agree on norms for their math community. Students will read about and discuss math that is found in our everyday lives. Teachers will introduce their routines and procedures and provide time for students to practice. Time will be provided to set up individual math notebooks and math tool boxes (especially important in these times of social distancing and limiting cross contamination).

Students will be asked to work in small groups (most likely virtually through Google Slides or Seesaw) and agree on what makes "groupwork" successful such as equitable participation, setting up roles and norms, agreeing on quality work, etc. Teachers will teach how to appropriately respond to each other, how to disagree respectfully, and how to include more students in discourse vs. just calling on one student at a time. Sentence frames, graphic organizers, and math walls will encourage precision with vocabulary and be a support for all students, especially those whose first language is not English. Students might be surveyed about their feelings and attitudes toward math.

Armed with this knowledge, teachers can then work together to debunk myths about mathematics such as "only some people are math people," "math is only about one right answer," "math is hard," and "I'm not good at math". Based on the work of Carol Dweck and Jo Boaler, teachers will encourage students to build a growth mindset. Additionally, time will be spent reminding students that mathematicians notice things, are curious, are organized self-starters, and effective communicators and problem solvers. Finally, they will use their math skills to count out a specific number of snack items and celebrate being mathematicians already!

By providing clear expectations and guidelines, honoring each student for what they bring to the class, checking in on each student emotionally, and establishing how mathematics will look, sound, and feel this year, teachers can launch a successful year!

Beginning with "family-student-teacher conferences"

Dr. JoEtta Gonzales is the superintendent of the Casa Grande Elementary school district in Arizona. She has been a teacher, principal, district office administrator, director of a national equity center, and has taught courses in multicultural and bilingual special education at Arizona State University, and leadership in special & inclusive education at the University of Kansas. She serves a community that sits halfway between Phoenix and Tucson:

Our students were last in school on March 13 and will return to learning on Aug. 17. After carefully considering various ways to help usher our students back to learning, our district developed an innovative plan for student re-entry. It involves: 1) having individual hourlong family-student-teacher conferences to build strong relationships; 2) taking the time upfront to assess student social, emotional, and academic skills; 3) teaching students and family members how to access our online learning resources; 4) distributing devices and distance-learning kits (to include modems, routers, etc.) for those that need them; 4) assessing and addressing food and/or housing insecurities; 5) teaching students and families about our new safety protocols; and 6) helping parents understand ways they can support student routines for success. Conferences will take place in lieu of instruction from Aug. 3through Aug. 14.

As a district that encapsulates urban, suburban, rural, and remote areas with high rates of poverty, we believe this approach to startup will net more academic gains for students as they will become better accustomed to our new procedures and will build better communication avenues should we have to shift models of instruction abruptly.

Because of our current situation with the pandemic, many of our students: are at greater risk to fall behind academically in school, have experienced trauma during the closure, and/or have suffered emotionally in the absence of friends and teachers. Survey and anecdotal data show that members of the community and staff have wide and varying opinions about the safe reopening of schools. Sentiments include: concerns about their own/family health; excitement for a return to normal; anger/stress, uneasiness about unknowns; lack of clear expectations; skepticism of a "new normal"; student academic uncertainty; and a need for social/emotional focus. Transitioning back to school will require clarity, confidence, and community buy-in. Positive engagement between all school stakeholders will play a critical role in establishing a unified partnership toward our vision: A Community of Learners, Leaders & Innovators.

Teachers and support staff are developing an agenda for family-teacher-student conferences to ensure authenticity and consistency. A conversation guide is in the works that helps facilitate strength-based discussions that are positive, engaging, and focused on establishing trusting relationships. The goal is to support students' social, emotional, and academic learning in a way that honors their present situation and fosters a sense of compassion, collaboration, and connection.

Emphatically, we believe this is the better model for our community. We understand that our students won't learn from us until they know we care. After being out for five months, we believe an approach that keeps the student learning experience at the center to be foundational for our teaching and learning success.

Ice-breakers!

Dr. Theresa Capra is a professor of education and clinical supervisor for teacher-candidates. She is the founder of edtaps.com, which focuses on research, trends, technology, and tips for educators:

The first day of school is a cherished milestone that has, in recent years, turned into a social-media frenzy with viral pictures of adorable children clutching customized signs noting their incoming grades. But what will the first day of remote school look like? Educators know the first days are critical to establish rapport and create a classroom culture conducive to learning. How can these objectives be achieved in virtual formats? There are some strategies to help.

Break the ice!

Ice-breakers are widely used by educators to ease student anxieties and cultivate a comfortable learning environment. They range from sharing summer adventures to exchanging personal information and academic goals. Students might partner up, chat, and introduce each other to the larger forum or individually share out in a whole-group setting through candid dialogue or a fun activity that lightens the mood. Mainly, the goal is rapport while simultaneously introducing learning expectations.

This can still happen in remote courses using appropriate technology. For example, Flip Grid is an application that can be easily downloaded on a smartphone or laptop to record and upload short videos on a thread for invited members to view and comment. Instructors can create an initial recording on the thread to kick off the welcome topic. Make it personallet your new students know who you are as both a person and educator. Consider sending a welcome note (or a YouTube video) in advance with instructions making the activity even more personal while getting in front of any potential technological issues.

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Visual media is a powerful way to motivate students and elicit engagement, so why not harness this for remote introductions? Instead of a typical text-based discussion board riddled with platitudes such as, hello, tell us about yourself, ask students to upload a favorite picture with brief captions, not a full description. Prompt students to ask each other questions about the picture to further the introductions in a more personalized manner. This simple tweak can make remote introductions more engaging.

Look out for confusion!

It has been documented that students typically move through predictable stages during a computer-mediated course: confusion, frustration, adjustment, and managing. Confusion that does not abate leads to frustration, which is a risk factor for unsuccessful outcomes and noncompletion. How can you tell if your students are confused? Well, perhaps they're asking good questionsshould I do it this way or that way? Or maybe they're making an effort, but it's slightly off. If you notice any signs of confusion, a phone call or FaceTime can usually set it straight. Keep an eye out for early signs that usually pop up during the critical first days.

Remote learning is new for both students and teachers alikethe challenges are irrefutable. But implementing these simple strategies can help kick the school year off right!

Next question!

The next question-of-the-week is:

Using the framework of "Do's and Don'ts," what would you list as the do's and don'ts of teaching in a COVID-19 environment?

Thanks to Emily, Melanie, JoEtta, and Theresa for their contributions!

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at[emailprotected]. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it's selected or if you'd prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at@Larryferlazzo.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It's titledClassroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching.

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Start the Year With a 'Primary Focus' on Relationship-Building - Education Week