Letter: Andres definition of racism is wrong | Letters – Herald and News

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Andres definition of racism is wrong

It was instructive to read ("Klamath Falls to form equity task force," July 22) about Todd Andres educating the city council on the nature of racism.

His definition is 100% wrong. His definition of racism is one race receiving benefits over another. His concept of benefits should be expanded. Historically, Black Americans received the benefits of plantation slavery, and today, the benefits of disproportionate mass incarceration, high mortality intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, and brutalization and death at the hands of big city police.

If Andres seriously wants to understand the difference between forward and reverse racism, he might imagine himself driving home in Minneapolis after a long day in the unemployment line, out of money and facing eviction. He rolls through a stop sign and gets pulled over, dragged from his car, beaten, tazed, and suffocated by a knee on the neck.

Andres ponders, Are we really, truly tackling the issue? Or are we ... doing something thats popular right now?

Does he mean that opposing the brutality just described is just a fad, an exercise in liberal political correctness? If so, he contradicts himself by emphasizing that racism is 100% wrong and that we must attack all racism.

Fair enough. We should attack the grant proposal for Black business owners with the same ferocity as we oppose the rampant killing of Black Americans. If I see Andres, that social justice warrior in executive clothing, out on the streets of Portland facing down the storm troopers with nude Athena, then Ill send a sharp message to Kate Brown opposing help for Black business owners.

Ed Silling

Klamath Falls

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Letter: Andres definition of racism is wrong | Letters - Herald and News

Doctor Whos David Tennant and The Big Bang Theorys Jim Parsons team up for TV-centric podcast – The Sun

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THE TV worlds of Doctor Who and The big Bang Theory go head to head as David Tennant and Jim Parson team up for a podcast next month.

The pair will join forces for the second season of David Tennant Does A Podcast With... among a host of other big names.

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And with the date confirmed as August 11th, fans could not get enough of the good news.

One simply said: "YESSSSSS!!!!!!"

Another added: "Jim Parsons and David Tennant 2 of my favourite actors."

A third put in a request and asked on Twitter: "Hopefully you bring up why he made the decision to leave the big bang theory".

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David, 49, premiered his first podcast season last year with interviews featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Gordon Brown and Jennifer Garner.

This time around 47-year-old Jim, who played the role of sci-fi fan Sheldon Cooper for 12 years, will kick off the conversation with the Doctor Who actor.

The second season will also features chats with Dame Judi Dench, Star Trek legend George Takei, Succession's and The Good Wife's Cush Jumbo - who also recently starred alongside David in Channel 4's Deadwater Fell.

Spoiler

SALLY TO THE RESCUECorrie's Sally confronts Geoff over his lies about Tim's mum Elaine

'didn't see that coming'Corrie's Elaine revealed as Tims mum & was forced to give him up

'ADORABLE'Kerry Katona's daughter Heidi stuns The Voice Kids fans with her amazing singing

Exclusive

BROTHERS TO LOVERSEmmerdale brothers Max Parker and Kris Mochrie are dating in real life

Spoiler

SHE'S BACK!Debbie Webster returning to Corrie to save Kevin from 'unsuitable' Abi Franklin

ELAINE'S PAINCorrie's Tim will reject mum Elaine when he finds out who she is

Others on the schedule include comedian Tim Minchin, US politician Stacey Abrams, The Handmaid's Tale lead Elisabeth Moss and Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy.

David, a father-of-five can currently be seen in episodes of BBC Two's There She Goes.

The comedy sees David and co-star Jessica Hynes play parents of a child with a severe learning disability.

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But David recently admitted the show left the BBC terrified of political correctness backlash for making light of disabilities.

In a chat with The Guardian, David revealed his pride in the way the show tackles its subject matter, even if it is an uncomfortable watch sometimes.

However, the cast and the BBC had had some trepidation about the show, because it lacked a certain sentimentality and political correctness there was a real fear he said.

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Doctor Whos David Tennant and The Big Bang Theorys Jim Parsons team up for TV-centric podcast - The Sun

Trump’s Greatest Liability Is His Own Incumbency – The New Republic

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Then the pandemic and the protests upended Trumps case for reelection. Boasting about a 2017 tax-cut package or a rising stock market is unlikely to sway most of the millions of voters whove lost their jobs in recent months or know someone who died from Covid-19. This perhaps explains why polls show Trump losing considerable ground among voters on economic issues. A Washington Post-ABC News survey released this week found that he and Biden are effectively tied among voters when it comes to trust in their economic policies. Those numbers may grow even worse for the president if Congress fails to extend or supplement federal relief measures that are set to expire at the months end.

Without a positive message to draw upon, Trump is pouring all of his energy into painting Biden as a cognitively impaired figurehead of a far-left movement that wants to abolish cops and suburbs. White grievance politics helped Trump secure victory in 2016, so its understandable that he hopes to harness them again in 2020. I have a message to every last person threatening the peace on our streets and the safety of our police: When I take the oath of office next year, I will restore law and order to our country, he said when accepting the nomination speech four years ago. I will work with, and appoint, the best prosecutors and law enforcement officials in the country to get the job properly done. In this race for the White House, I am the law and order candidate.

This theme took him all the way to his inaugural address, which struck an unusually divisive and negative tone for the occasion. But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential, Trump said. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.

But this strategy faces multiple shortcomings in 2020. First, its a wildly inaccurate description of Bidens policy stances. Second, Biden is perhaps the least convincing avatar of a purported leftist plot to destroy white America that Democrats could have put forth. (Discussions of Bidens cognitive state have also, thus far, largely revived debates around Trumps own mental faculties instead.) Third, its hard to claim a law-and-order mantle when youre granting clemency to former aides who lied to Congress on your behalf and overseeing a Justice Department that corruptly protects the White Houses friends from consequences.

Perhaps most importantly, however, its impossible for Trump to claim the dog-whistle meaning of law-and-order politics while Fox News is broadcasting wall-to-wall coverage of riots in major American cities. Media Matters for Americas Matt Gertz noted earlier this week that the president and his favorite news network appear to be locked in a strange feedback loop, where footage of protests on Fox inspires Trump to launch a federal crackdown that only provides more footage of protests. The subconscious goal by both the president and the network is to attribute this violence to the cities Democratic leaders, as if to say that Trump is all that stands between the mob and his voters.

This dynamic is dangerous for Americans on its own terms. I also suspect that this feedback loop is more harmful than helpful for the president himself. His first campaign took place amid an earlier wave of public reckoning with police violence and systemic racism. Trump pitched himself as a way to suppress that reckoning and to reverse the gains and achievements made by the nations first black president. To some extent, he succeeded. Colin Kaepernick lost his job. The Justice Department under Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr largely abandoned police reform. Rush Limbaugh, the archfoe of political correctness, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union address.

A more competent leader would have taken steps to confront these various challenges: by wielding the federal governments full power and influence to contain the pandemic, by urging Congress to approve more consistent direct aid to Americans to offset the economic damage, and by trying to address the nations racial inequities, if only superficially. Instead, Trump undermined the national pandemic response and took a sluggish approach to economic assistance for struggling Americans. Perhaps the defining moment of his response to last months civil unrest was his retreat to an underground bunker while protesters gathered outside the White House. A Trump voter who expected him to maintain Americas racial status quo can only conclude that he abysmally failed.

Ironically, what was once Trumps greatest political victory might turn out to be a curse. During the impeachment proceedings in January and February, Trump and his allies told the Republican-led Senate that removing him from office would be tantamount to deciding the upcoming November election. I noted at the time that in past impeachment proceedings, removal from office and disqualification from office were decided in two separate votes. In theory, 20 Republican senators could have voted to convict and remove Trump from office, then voted against permanently disqualifying him from holding it again. Trump would still have been free to run for reelection, leaving the final judgment on his political fate to the American people.

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Spiritual Communion: The real thing? – Catholic Culture

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By Dr. Jeff Mirus (bio - articles - email) | Jul 22, 2020

Over the past year, even before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19, I have received emails from people extolling spiritual communion as even better than the physical reception of communion. A recent article by Nathaniel Peters in First Things (Spiritual Communion) attempts to explore the theology which underlies both Communion and spiritual communion and, while Peters essay is definitely balanced, I find myself wondering whether it is always worded quite carefully enough, as when he writes: Physical reception is good, but spiritual reception is most important.

I will return to this in a moment, but what follows is not intended to be a critique of Peters essay. In fact I recommend reading and reflecting on it. He understands that physical reception of Communion is to be preferred over an exclusively spiritual reception, and he raises interesting questions about the pastoral practice of encouraging those who are forbidden to receive sacramentally to instead receive spirituallyrecognizing at least a potential incoherence in this advice. Indeed, Peters primary emphasis seems to be to encourage us to recognize that our own deliberate spiritual dispositions as we receive sacramentally are important to reaping the full benefit of the Holy Eucharist, a point which is inarguable.

But spiritual reception is an unfortunate term, as we will see, and occasional sentences in the article could be taken out of context in ways which support some of the claims I have received by email. There seems to be a movement afoot to elevate spiritual communion to and even beyond the level of The Real Thing. Thats typical of modernity, unfortunately, and it is a huge error.

The divorce of spiritual and material

It is perhaps the greatest temptation of all of us in the current cultural moment to be so aware of our own thought processes that we elevate the subjective over the objective. This can take many forms, from the notion that our intentions alone determine whether something is right or wrong to the assertion that a man can be a woman or a woman can be man if s/he wants to be. Nobody will have to look far for other examples.

Because of this sweeping cultural tendency, which lies at the heart of the contemporary loss of meaning and the resulting moral crisis of our time, we must be very careful how we deal with the Eucharist. Our priest columnist, Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, warned against the dangers of an excessive reliance on virtual Masses (even those that are live-streamed) in a prescient essay early in the Pandemic Period (see The dangers of live-streaming Masses). I followed this by adding further comments on the nature of sacramentality (see Beware: Sacramental Presence is always person-to-person).

My point is that we live not in an earthy age but in a manipulative technocratic age which insulates our thoughts from material reality, including our own bodies. Our circumstances tend to create within us a mindset which over-emphasizes how we want things to beand leads us to believe that things can be whatever we want. Yet in comparison with all the many religious or quasi-spiritual impulses which seem to be so largely ignored by God, Catholic religious longing is definitively answered by God the Son assuming a human nature, including a human body, and by the consequent principle of sacramentality.

In other words, with both remarkable condescension and shrewd psychology, God has chosen to communicate His life to us through material signs that are very much more than mere symbols. The greatest of these reality signs is Jesus Christ, and the extension of Jesus Christ on earth through history is the great sacrament of the Catholic Church, including the seven specific sacraments which constitute her sacramental system.

Compared with this, every other religious aspiration is just wishful thinking. Or, to be more specific, spiritual communion voluntarily divorced for no good reason from sacramental communion is an exercise in human mythology.

Communion

There is only one real reception of Communion. It occurs when we receive the body and blood of Christ in sacramental form. Not only is this what divinizes us, by assimilating ourselves to Christ, but also the very possibility of reception is inextricably linked to Christs bodily sacrifice on the cross, which is re-presented each time the Eucharist is confected by a priest. Without that connection, there is no Eucharist to receive. It is, then, first and foremost through the tangible reception of Communion that our incorporation into the death and resurrection of Christ, which we receive as an unmerited gift at baptism, is renewed and strengthened within us.

Note that while Catholics recognize the importance of a personal spiritual element in the reception of Holy Communion, they usually do not speak of receiving Communion spiritually but of making a spiritual communionwhich is to express a yearning for Christs presence in the hope that He will respond to that yearning by entering into us and continuing to draw us to Himself, even if we cannot at present receive the Sacrament. Our Lord can certainly do this. But by the economy of salvation established by God and implemented through His Church, even this depends on Christs very real sacrifice, His very real presence in the Church and, in signally unique ways, His very real presence in the Churchs sacraments.

Therefore, while we can agree with Peters thatin the reception of the actual sacrament of Christs body and bloodspiritual reception is most important, we can agree only in the subjective sense (which he doubtless intends), the sense of our own limited role, that is, the spiritual importance for us of an earnest participation in the sacrament. But it is never more important in toto that we receive spiritually. It is only that once we have put ourselves in position to receive the sacrament, we benefit from it most immediately if we receive with genuine personal awareness and the right dispositions.

We know from St. Paul himself that we can eat and drink unto condemnation if we fail to discern the true body and blood of Christ in Communion; we know also that if we receive without a certain sacred recollection we will not immediately receive the greatest benefit from the sacrament. But we also know, when it comes to the sacraments, that we can later unlock those sacramental graces of which we have been imperfectly aware simply by ardently desiring to respond to Our Lords call to conversion, just as we can gain heaven by seeking to work in the vineyard only at the last hour.

The most significant elementindeed, the infinitely most important elementin Communion is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ under the species of bread and wine, which we are privileged to receive. Absent that, any discussion of the most important aspect of reception is meaningless.

Final clarifications

Can God draw us to Himself without our receiving the Catholic sacraments? Certainly, but the graces used are nonetheless the fruits of His sacramental plan for our salvation, beginning with the Incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and continuing through His sacramental Presence in the Catholic Church. Surely this plan is not merely arbitrary! Our Creator knows us better than we know ourselves; He knows that redemption and salvation are open only to human persons; He made us as persons who are a composite of body and soul; and He engraces or divinizes us in and through the fullness of our human nature.

Can those barred from reception of Communion make spiritual communions with profit? Certainly. Their genuine desire is a sufficient starting point, for they are barred by law and not by a final judgment on their souls. It is God who reads hearts. Which of us has not needed a season of prayer and yearning so that we might be opened to a better understanding of Gods will to the point that we are ready to follow it more fully? This prayer and yearning offer no affront to our Blessed Lord. What we call a spiritual communion is possible to make without fully understanding our situation, but it is impossible to make insincerely. Indeed, the highest elements of any prayerthe elements added by the Holy Spirit to our confused sinceritiesare to seek first the wisdom to know Gods will and then the courage to do it.

Finally, we must again grasp the main pointthat our own spiritual impetus in the reception of Communion is most important only when considering our own part in the sacrament. But our part is by far the lesser part when it comes to any of the sacraments, and that is what makes loose talk about spiritual communion so potentially confusing. The objective element of a sacrament is what carries its true power, by which I mean the active Presence, specific to each sacrament, of Jesus Christ Himself.

Saying that our spiritual intentions are the most important element in a fruitful Communion is like saying that the love, desire and romantic endearments between a husband and wife are the most important element in the procreation of a child. No analogy is perfect, but perhaps if we think seriously about that statement, we will at last begin to understand the nature and power of a sacrament. For a sacrament is always the sacrificial self-donation of Our Lord and Saviorthe tangible gift of life from Life Himself.

We are privileged to nurture the Divine life which the sacraments communicate to us just as we are privileged to nurture the children that are born of our coupling. But we do not singularly create that life, any more than we can alter reality to make it something other than it is. As creatures of God, we are completely embraced by the deepest Love, which is the foundation of reality itself. We do not yearn our way into our own heaven. When we are thinking clearly about this reality, we do not call it the Vision of Man and brag of either our wonderful aspirations or our stupendous powers. We call it the Law of the Gift, and we praise our Creator and Lord.

Jeffrey Mirus holds a Ph.D. in intellectual history from Princeton University. A co-founder of Christendom College, he also pioneered Catholic Internet services. He is the founder of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.

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LIVING ON PURPOSE: The constant need for spiritual discernment – Times Tribune of Corbin

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Within the Christian life, there are many pillars of truth which are critical to our spiritual development and one of these is discernment. The word may have several meanings, but mostly its associated with having spiritual sensitivity. Within the Biblical view it is used to identify whether something is is good or evil and being able to interpret and understand Gods voice. You see, we cannot hear what He is saying if we are not walking close to Him or even aware of His presence. Its elementary that the closer we are to God, the more clearly we will perceive what He wants us to do. Im convinced that becoming aware of Gods presence is the key to dwelling in His Spirit, which by the way is the foundation of our salvation. If we do not have any intention of walking in His Spirit, just what do we believe the Christian life is about? Grace does not mean we have been excused from the responsibility to walk holy, its an opportunity to know Him and develop an understanding of who He is.

With being surrounded by deception in this fallen world, we cannot overemphasize the importance of our ability to perceive what is going on around us. Recently, I found myself in a situation where I could have used a stronger sense of discernment, but discovered that my perception was lacking. Lets just say, I was approached by an individual through email who seemed to have good intentions. They said they were a messenger of God and began to relay a few things that was supposedly from the Lord. Its true, Ive encountered people through the years who have prophesied to me and given me good advice, so I was not really alarmed. This person appeared intelligent and had some good things to say, however they also included certain ideas which I sensed were red flags. Nonetheless, we continued to exchange dialogue until I finally came to a point where I realized this was not exactly what I had hoped it would be. Yes, I was disappointed that this was not one of those once in a lifetime spiritual experiences, but even more concerning, I realized that I should have had a stronger spiritual insight and recognized the signs much earlier than I did.

I have thought about this since then and it has reminded me of how we all need to develop our discernment. Gods word warns us that deception will increase and along with the chaos of so many conflicting voices, we should awaken to the fact that we need to know truth from error. Satan is very clever when it comes to mixing truth with fallacy and is the master of lying, fraud, deviousness, pretense, and trickery. His mission is steal every soul he can, and unfortunately he is the leader of many dangerous wolves who are skilled in the art of wearing sheep costumes. Since we know this is true, how can we ignore the danger of not developing our intuition? Building a stronger discernment has everything to do with our priorities and how serious we are about serving the Lord. When a person proclaims to be a believer in God, but has a distant relationship with Him, they are already backslidden and are living in spiritual lukewarmness. This detachment from Gods presence causes the individual to become numb to the conviction of Gods Spirit and unfortunately more receptive to rebellion and carnality. As this cold and callous attitude is personally accepted as a normal way of living, the person continues to fall away from the basic fundamentals of their faith and commitment to Christ. Everyone decides what they will believe and who they will serve.

So how do we maintain the intensity and enthusiasm of our relationship with God which will also keep our discernment on high alert? With much perseverance and determination! We must see our need to abide with God as a lifestyle which is much deeper than just a religious ritual. It will require a fervent passion to be a constant reflection of His attributes. This has everything to do with being obedient and willing to surrender our will to His control while allowing Him to renew our mind. What does renewing our mind mean? Surrendering the independence of our thoughts and embracing His desire for our life. Its learning what it means to love and trust Him with all of our mind, strength, and soul.

Dr. Holland lives in Central Kentucky with his wife Cheryl, where he is a Christian minister, author and community chaplain. To learn more visit: billyhollandministries.com or email him at psalmz103@gmail.com.

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LIVING ON PURPOSE: The constant need for spiritual discernment - Times Tribune of Corbin

Spiritually Speaking: Look to the sky and behold its wonders – Wicked Local Norwood

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When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them? -- Psalm 8:3

Look at up the sky. Look up at the night sky. And then lose yourself, for just a moment, in the wonder and the miracle that is the universe.

Look for comet NEOWISE.

No, its not the most romantic nor roll off the tongue kind of name for such an amazing celestial object. NEOWISE is named for the NASA spacecraft and mission that discovered the comet March 27: Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. This speeding heavenly object that is dropping by to visit planet Earth, is one of only a handful of comets that will be viewable by the naked eye this century.

I know I need something like NEOWISE to give me perspective on the times we are living in, a break from the intensity of the news cycle, and a chance to just pause and breathe and remember how wonderfully mysterious and mystical Creation and all that is within it, truly is. Ive read enough and then some about COVID and the roiling of Americas social fabric and the ugly general election right around the corner and the economy and so on and so on and so on.

All important, certainly and yet, even in the midst of these intense days, NEOWISE teaches us that we little humans living on this little blue ball hurtling through space in an unfathomably huge universe we are just one of so many worlds in the heavens. Scientists report that there are more than 10 septillion planets in our observable universe, and thats only counting planets that are orbiting stars.

The gift of something like NEOWISE reminds us of the relative short stay of humankind in the universe and of each of us on this earth. Our lives matter, absolutely, but we are also just one generation among a vast parade of life, human and otherwise. NEOWISE is actually a remnant from when the universe was created and came into being, which means it is upwards of 13.77 billion years old. It wont return to our solar system again for 6,800 years. And so, me complaining about turning 60 next year: I might want to rethink that!

NEOWISE also reminds us of just how awe-inspiring Creation can be: from comets moving at 40 miles per second or 144,000 miles per hour, to viruses that seem to come out of nowhere, to a species like homo sapiens, who have found some way to adapt and thrive in our environment. A people who for tens of thousands of years have faced into wars and pandemics and revolutions and somehow come through on the other side of that history, sometimes come through the worst, even better than before.

So, heres the way to see NEOWISE. Pick a night very soon when the sky is clear. Find a part of your community relatively dark and free of light pollution: a hill, a field, a dark corner to camp out in, any time after dark. Bring a telescope or a pair of binoculars. Look towards the northeast sky and search out the Big Dipper. Then look just below that constellation and NEOWISE should be visible.

Then look up at the sky. Look up at the night sky. And watch what may be the greatest show both on earth and off earth. Remind yourself that you are a part of the universe, that you are meant to be here, that you have been made by the same power that hurled NEOWISE racing across the cosmos. Let all the anxiety and worries of the day recede. Remember that folks were here before you and that folks will follow you too, and so our job while on terra firma is to do our best and maybe even leave this planet a little better than when we found it.

As Max Ehrman, the author of the poem Desiderata once wrote, Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

It is a beautiful world and universe. Thanks, NEOWISE, for reminding us of this eternal truth.

The Rev. John F. Hudson is senior pastor of the Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, in Sherborn (pilgrimsherborn.org). If you have a word or idea youd like defined in a future column or have comments, please send them to pastorjohn@pilgrimsherborn.org or in care of The Press (Dover-Sherborn@wickedlocal.com).

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Spiritually Speaking: Look to the sky and behold its wonders - Wicked Local Norwood

Addiction how spiritual practices help with seeking sobriety – ABC News

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For people of every faith or none whether you take alcohol or drugs is a big deal. But the rules vary wildly, even within a tradition. Some Christians include alcohol as a core part of their most sacred ritual, but other Christians forbid its use altogether. How come?

James Carleton dives into what helps people choose to use, and how to stop.

In this episode

Is drug addiction a medical issue, or a criminal one? Anglican commentator Peter Hitchens says drug users are a blight on society, and punishments for drug use should be more severe, not less.

As the war on drugs rages, some Christian churches are moving away from Puritanical attitudes of the past, and its having an effect on government policy. Safe injecting rooms and medical marijuana are two policy areas endorsed by some religious groups but of course not everyone agrees.

Meanwhile at Alcoholics Anonymous, members pray the Serenity Prayer but many members are atheists. So, who are they praying to?

Some faiths are incredibly strict when it comes to substance use. For Bahais drugs, and alcohol are absolutely forbidden, and Mormons even swear off tea and coffee.

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Addiction how spiritual practices help with seeking sobriety - ABC News

SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING: Wear the mask and keep your distance – Wicked Local Plymouth

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Lifes most persistent and urgent question is this: what are you doing for others?

- The Rev. Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.

Its just a mask and its just 6 feet.

Thats what Im having trouble understanding, as I watch the country I love fall further and further into the black hole of a virus, spreading like wildfire, while a large percentage of my fellow citizens still refuse to either don that mask or stay 6 feet distant.

Its just a mask and its just 6 feet.

And so, on the day I write this, about four months after our nation first woke up to the threat of this once-in-a-century pandemic, Im sad. Sad at the fact the United States recorded an unprecedented 57,789 new cases of the coronavirus just yesterday, July 12. Thats the highest number of infected folks weve ever faced into in a single day. Multiply that out by a month and thats a possible worst case scenario of 1.7 million new sick folks. Divide that by a conservative infection fatality rate of .5 percent (50 deaths for every 1,000 infected) and that means by mid-August we could be seeing upwards of 10,000 new deaths, on top of the 135,000 who have already died. To put that into perspective: thats as if the city of Cambridge, Mass., or Springfield, Mass., were wiped out overnight. Every last man, woman and child.

Its just a mask and its just 6 feet.

And yet it took our President until this past weekend to actually be photographed wearing a mask in public. Why his reluctance? Doesnt fit into his self-inflated oversized ego? Or his insistence at various times that COVID is overblown, or a plot by the Democrats to defeat him, or a weaponized virus created in some secret Chinese labs to destroy America? And now we are hearing of a coordinated effort on the part of this administration, to contradict and even discredit the nations highest and best scientific civil servant, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Words and actions from a leader have consequences. These can either inspire a people to step up and unite and do their part for a greater good like public health (thank you, Governor Baker); or these can tear a country apart, sabotage any sense that as Americans we are all in this together. No thank you, Mr. President.

Its just a mask and its just 6 feet.

Makes me wonder what might happen if tomorrow, the United States faced an actual war, a real threat from an outside enemy, that called for the mustering of all of us, to do our parts, to unite, to be as one nation, ready to make sacrifices for a common good. Could we meet that test, now, in 2020, given our fractured and piecemeal response as a country to COVID-19? Do we still have within our civic DNA the willingness to sacrifice, or would too many of us balk? Not my fight! You are not taking away my right to do nothing! Have we as a people just spent so much time on the couch, watching Netflix, that we could not even be bothered to get up and do something, do anything, to help our nation!?

Its just a mask and its just 6 feet.

I want to believe, I need to believe, that somehow we will pull it together as a country. Make what is really a tiny sacrifice of discomfort, to just wear a mask and to just stay 72 inches away from others, and all to ensure that the least among us wont get sick, wont die. Why is this so hard for so many? Why do some folk actually think this is a partisan request, somehow tied up in our political fights? Does anyone think COVID cares if we are a Democrat or a Republican? I just dont get it. Why is this request twisted by some into the absurd idea that by actually following these public health mandates, we are somehow giving up our civil liberties? Are you serious? Is it really all that hard?

Its just a mask and its just 6 feet, people!!

Makes me thank God that I live in Massachusetts, that though our track record on wearing a mask and physically distancing is far from perfect, still, weve done a good job of flattening the curve and preparing for the worst and caring for each other as citizens and neighbors and friends.

And all that has taken is this: wise and prudent governmental leadership. A shared sense that yes, we are all in this together, and what I do or do not do: this can help or hurt another. And a mutual commitment to walk with each other, through the best and the worst, of these strange and amazing days.

Wear a mask. Stay 6 feet apart. Repeat, until a vaccine is discovered and distributed.

Now that isnt so hard, is it?

The Rev. John F. Hudson is senior pastor of the Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, in Sherborn (pilgrimsherborn.org). If you have a word or idea youd like defined in a future column or have comments, please send them to pastorjohn@pilgrimsherborn.org or in care of The Press (Dover-Sherborn@wickedlocal.com).

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SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING: Wear the mask and keep your distance - Wicked Local Plymouth

Paddy Slattery: Film could be poetic. It could be spiritual – The Irish Times

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As a teenager, Paddy Slattery recalls being a bit of a rogue, but only a bit, hopping walls and robbing apples. He lived very much in his body as he puts it, playing football, boxing and he smiles at the thought chasing girls.

At 15, Slattery, the eldest of eight siblings, left school and headed for London to work on the building sites.

I loved hard work, he says. I loved working on the bog from an early age. And I saw my mother and the work she had to do: she raised the eight of us on the childrens allowance and odd jobs. So working on the building sites, I was able to send money home. But I missed my mas cooking and I missed my family and there was a girl back here that I fancied . . . There was no social media then so you were kind of cut off once youre over there. So I packed my bags and came back and got an apprenticeship painting and decorating with a local company in Tullamore. It wasnt much money but at least I was at home.

On Monday, October 14th, 1996, Slattery and two friends set out from his native village of Clonbullogue. Ordinarily, the gang headed to Dublin at weekends in their work van. On this occasion, however, the van was in the garage. Slattery could hardly believe his luck when a stranger pulled up offering a lift. But not too far into the journey, the car crashed.

On the operating table, thinking he would be returning to football practice in a matter of weeks, a doctor informed him that he would never walk again.

You can imagine that at 17 and youre in a crash and youre left paralysed, your whole world changes, says Slattery. Suddenly you are in the head and you are relying on emotional experience as opposed to physical experience. So that alone was a shock. But as Ive said before and I say to this day: I genuinely feel like that was the moment when my body switched off and my imagination on. Because once that happened, it sent me on a psychological quest. I had to dig deep inside myself to figure out who I was and where I was going. I think thats where the real journey started for me. Thats where the real magic happened.

This isnt some kind of positive spin gleaned in hindsight. Speaking from his family home in Clonbullogue, Co Offaly the same one where he was born and reared Paddy Slattery recounts his accident and the years of rehabilitation that followed with a smile on his face. He was, he says, simply happy to be alive. You do get second chances in life, he insists. Even the tedium of extensive periods in hospitals proved to have an upside.

There were a few years of sheer boredom to be honest, he says. Initially, after the crash, I was in Dn Laoghaire rehabilitation hospital for a year. And then I was in other hospitals for maybe a year after that for lots of physical therapy. So that was three years of my life that was eat, sleep, exercise and watch telly. I started watching movies and listening to music during those years.

Initially, I was driven by the desire to walk again. I was trying to learn different ways figuring out mind over matter. I was learning kinesiology and reiki and all this kind of stuff. I learned lucid dreaming. I started wandering off into my imagination a lot. And slowly, during that time, I started to fall in love with movies.

That love, at first, was for what he calls lads movies. From rewatching Martin Scorseses Taxi Driver and Quentin Tarantinos Pulp Fiction, he developed a taste for DVD extras, and from there, he discovered the Artificial Eye imprint.

I started buying films made by Tarkovsky, Werner Herzog, Ingmar Bergman, Alejandro Jodorowsky and they just blew my mind, says Slattery. Because suddenly I realised that film wasnt just about popcorn. It could be poetic. It could be spiritual. I started to look at the medium completely differently.

As another avenue of escape, Slattery began writing poetry and short stories. When friends and family were impressed with his doodlings, he graduated to music and screenplays. His debut album, Stand and Deliver, was completed in 2006.

People started to say: you should consider maybe making a short film, he says.

I had so much pent-up frustration from doing nothing and so many frustrations about the world. I started to think that if I could make something then someone might watch it or listen to it and maybe be inspired or entertained. Thinking that felt like a power had been handed to me.

There were, of course, logistics to consider. Slattery accordingly reached out to director Declan Recks, who shot Pure Mule on Slatterys LaoisOffaly home turf, to ask for advice.

I sent him an email, recalls Slattery. I told him I was quadriplegic and that I wanted to be a director. And he said, Paddy, with the technology we have today, theres always a way to direct a film. You can direct on a wireless monitor.

Since he completed his first short film, Out of Tune, in 2006, Slattery has amassed more than a dozen credits as a writer, director and producer. To date he has won awards at Indie Cork, the Royal Television Society, and the Mexico International Film Festival. In 2015 he produced the IFTA-nominated Skunky Dog starring John Connors.

Connors, alongside upcoming actor and director Tristan Heanue and Slattery, have formed an unofficial collective as they wander in and out of each others projects. Heanue has directed Connors in the 2015 short, Today. All three parties are involved in Slatterys hotly tipped debut feature, Broken Law.

I worked with Tristan back in 2012 on my second short film, says Slattery. And from the minute I met him, I saw young Henry Fonda. It wasnt really even an audition; he had the gig immediately. So Ive produced some of his shorts. And I always knew he was going to be in Broken Law. I worked with John on a short film called Skunky Dog. And I immediately hit it off with John. Hes an old head on young shoulders. He has the soul of a Celtic warrior. We could sit and talk for hours. Especially after the days shoot when youre back in the hotel lobby having a few nightcaps and sneaky sing songs.

It has taken more than a decade for Slatterys debut feature Broken Law to make it to a cinema near you. First conceived as a choral drama in the style of Paul Thomas Andersons Magnolia, Slattery put what was then called The Broken Law of Attraction back in the drawer in order to learn the trade. Over the years, it morphed into a Dublin-set noir concerning two very different brothers.

Joe (Graham Earley) is released from prison and is immediately picked up by his neer-do-well chums, Wallace and Pete (John Connors and Ryan Lincoln bring the bickering). Like many of the movieverses ex-convicts, Joe wants to go straight, if not quite as straight as his respectable garda brother David (Heanue). Schemes and shenanigans ensue.

I have three brothers myself, says Slattery. One of my brothers, James, and I hope he doesnt mind me saying this hes sort of the black sheep of the family. So I was inspired by that dynamic between myself and James. Because he was always the scallywag and I was the golden boy because I was the eldest son and I was out earning.

The production was a seat-of-the-pants affair. Following a few years stuck in development limbo or possibly development hell a crowdfunding campaign, lots of called-in favours, and the assistance of the Centre for Independent Living, the cameras started rolling in 2018.

We shot in August and September for four weeks in East Wall, says the writer-director. It was brilliant crack but hard work. Leading up to the whole thing, there were a few times that my family looked at me and I was just physically, mentally, emotionally and financially broke.But I somehow persevered even through many moments where I thought, this is insane.

But once the train left the station, once we were shooting, I knew there was no going back. And then we had to beg, steal and borrow again for post-production. And then we are racing for the finishing line for a Dublin premiere in February.

Following some last minutes edits to reduce the number of swear words from 173 to 131, Broken Law debuted at the Dublin International Film Festival, where it picked up a Special Jury Award from the Dublin Film Critics Circle, the Aer Lingus Discovery Award and a positive notice from The Guardian.

I cried like a baby at the premiere, says Slattery. I have no shame in telling you. A couple of months leading into Dublin we were already in very advanced talks for distribution and with an international sales agent. So we were already getting those pinch-me moments. And then we were in the Imax at the premiere.

Honestly, the sense of accomplishment and the sense of relief knowing we did it; its like a massive weight taken off my shoulders. It was unreal. I cant even remember the Q&A afterwards.

Broken Law is in cinemas from July 31st

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Paddy Slattery: Film could be poetic. It could be spiritual - The Irish Times

Nancy Lynne Harris selected as Top Shaman & Spiritual Teacher of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) – Life…

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UNITED STATES, 07-22-2020 (PRDistribution.com) Nancy Lynne Harris, Shaman, Spiritual Teacher & Author, of GodSpirits United LLC, was recently selected as Top Shaman & Spiritual Teacher of the Year for 2020 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for her outstanding leadership and commitment to the industry.

Inclusion with the International Association of Top Professionals is an honor in itself, only a few members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, longevity in the field, other affiliations and contributions to their communities. All honorees are invited to attend IAOTPs Annual Awards Gala at the end of this year for a night to honor their achievements.www.iaotp.com/award-gala With over 25 years of professional experience as a Spiritual Counselor and Shaman, Nancy has certainly proven herself as an accomplished professional and expert in her field. She is a dynamic, results-driven leader who specializes in spiritual counseling and shamanic treatments. Nancy is widely known for her ability to heal depression and glaucoma.She is the Founder of GodSpirits United, LLC, a company that helps people recover from medically incurable illness and addictions by teaching them how to shift their energy for healing. Nancy offers energy treatments and spiritual readings in person or remotely by telephone. She offers training by internet entitled 12 Steps to Heal Yourself Without Medicine.Nancys deep understanding of how Jesus moved energy led her to the highlight of her career. She was able to heal herself after her left femur (leg bone) separated from her hip bone shortly after the suicide of her oldest son, Jeff. After several months of limping in great pain, she healed herself by realizing that she felt disconnected from her son, and her attitude was manifesting on her body. By thinking Nothing can separate me from the love of God she reversed her feelings of disconnection, and her bones reconnected almost instantly. Nancy healed her son Michael of congenital glaucoma, which is medically incurable, after the doctors had performed eye surgery twice to prevent high pressure from damaging his optic nerve, which would have resulted in blindness if left untreated.Before embarking on her current career path, Nancy graduated from The Four Winds Society, the worlds most extensive professional training in Andean energy healing and shamanism. She completed advanced training in Theta Healing, and also received training in spiritual healing through the Eschatology Foundation in Los Angeles, CA. Nancy has worked with mentors such as Dr. Alberto Villoldo, Don Oscar Miro-Quesada, James VanPraagh, and Dr. Hank Wesselman. In addition to her spiritual achievements, Nancy holds a Master of Arts Degree in Music Theory and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Piano Performance. She is also Nationally Certified as a Teacher of Piano by Music Teachers National Assn.The President of IAOTP, Stephanie Cirami, stated Choosing Nancy for this award was an easy decision for our panel to make. She is brilliant at what she does, empathetic to those she serves and is a highly skilled Healer. We felt she would make an amazing asset to our organization. We are looking forward to meeting her at our Annual Awards Gala being held at the magnificent Plaza Hotel in New York City this December.Throughout her illustrious career, Nancy has received awards and accolades and has been recognized worldwide for her notable leadership and dedication to the profession. This year she will be considered for a feature article in TIP (Top Industry Professional) Magazine and was selected as Top Shaman and Spiritual Teacher of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP). For 2021 she will be considered for the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award given by IAOTP. In past years, Nancy received an award from Worldwide Whos Who for excellence in energy medicine. She also belongs to the Oregon Music Teachers Association.Aside from her successful career, Nancy is a sought-after speaker who helps people understand how to shift the creative energy to change their blood chemistry and heal themselves. She also conducts educational workshops that focus on thinking specific positive thoughts to help bathe the bodily organs in nourishing healthy fluids, which regulate body chemistry and shift the energy to heal your illness.As a published author through Amazon.com, Nancy has written numerous books on these subjects. Her publications include, Miracles Master the Art: Healing Medically Incurable Illness; Mental Illness Heal Yourself; Invasion Revealed: Healing Alcoholism, Mental illness & Drug Addiction; Heal Yourself of Anything: Example Glaucoma; COMI: How to Consciously Overcome Mental Illness; and How to Heal Your Hang-Ups: Depression, Alcohol and Drug Addiction.Looking back, Nancy attributes her success to her training, insightfulness, and her unique ability to teach others how to heal themselves without medicine. When not working, Nancy enjoys playing jazz piano. For the future, she hopes to continue helping people stay healthy and free of pain while freeing the body and aura from negative emotional energy. For more information on Nancy Lynne Harris please visit: www,nancylynneharris.comAbout IAOTPThe International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) is an international boutique networking organization who handpicks the worlds finest, most prestigious top professionals from different industries. These top professionals are given an opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas, be keynote speakers and to help influence others in their fields. This organization is not a membership that anyone can join. You have to be asked by the President or be nominated by a distinguished honorary member after a brief interview.IAOTPs experts have given thousands of top prestigious professionals around the world, the recognition and credibility that they deserve and have helped in building their branding empires. IAOTP prides itself to be a one of a kind boutique networking organization that hand picks only the best of the best and creates a networking platform that connects and brings these top professionals together.For More Information on IAOTP please visit: http://www.iaotp.com

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Y Combinators Vitable Health is bringing basic healthcare to underserved populations – TechCrunch

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Joseph Kitonga, the 23-year-old entrepreneur behind Vitable Health, first saw the need for a new kind of healthcare service growing up in Philadelphia and seeing the experience of the home healthcare workers who worked at his parents business.

The Kitongas immigrated to the United States a decade ago and settled down in Philadelphia, where they started a home-care business matching workers with patients in need. What was surprising to the younger Kitonga was that the people who worked for his parents taking care of others couldnt afford basic healthcare coverage themselves.

It was that observation that provided the seed for the business idea that would become Vitable Health, Kitongas first business and a recent member of Y Combinators latest summer cohort.

The company provides affordable acute healthcare coverage to underinsured or un-insured populations and was born out of his experience watching employees of his parents home healthcare agency struggle to receive basic healthcare coverage.

A lot of caregivers make $10 per hour, which is too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to afford health insurance, Kitonga says.

Even with the Affordable Care Act, many workers in the home-care business that Kitongas parents ran in Philadelphia were unable to receive care.

So Kitonga built a service that could cover everything but catastrophic coverage for lower costs than the companys customers would have to pay if they went to an urgent care facility.

Vitable is able to lower the cost of care through its use of nurse practitioners instead of doctors to provide the care. For a small monthly fee, the company will send providers to make house calls or customers can receive a consultation over the phone.

We focus on acute and preventive coverage, says Kitonga. Most high deductible plans are geared toward providing catastrophic coverage.

What Kitonga saw with his parents employees was that they would wind up going to the emergency room and put $1,300 in charges on their credit cards rather than pay for insurance per month.

Vitables lowest plan levels start at $15 per month and the co-payment is $30, according to Kitonga. Vitables technicians will do in-home lab tests.

Theres just no low-cost care option available for the population that Kitonga wants to serve, he said. These are people who will be referred to emergency rooms by nearby care providers because they lack the necessary insurance. The population that we service has been ignored by healthcare providers, said Kitonga.

For now, the service is only available in Philadelphia, but Kitonga says there are already 1,000 people who receive care through Vitable. We work with a lot of small businesses that might have 10 or 20 employees, Kitonga said.

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Y Combinators Vitable Health is bringing basic healthcare to underserved populations - TechCrunch

This isnt Nazi Germany: NM health care prover lets patients choose whether to wear masks – ABC27

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by: Brady Wakayama, KRQE and Nexstar Media Wire

(Credit: Courtesy of Andre Hunter)

ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE) In shocking defiance of a statewide mandate, a New Mexico health care provider has posted a sign outside his clinic saying patients do not have to wear a mask.

Krasimir Hristov, a nurse practitioner who owns and runs Reinecke Medical and Chiropractic in Roswell, compared the current public health order to Nazi Germany and said he believes masks are useless against the virus.

The sign outside the clinic reads, This isnt Nazi Germany and we arent the Gestapo. If you do or do not want to wear a mask you are still welcome here.

When we enforce our rule on people, that is a dictatorship, said Hristov. When we have the freedom to inform people so they can make an educated decision, thats democracy.

Hristov, who has owned the medical center since 2013, said his own research shows masks are proven useless against airborne viruses.

Your eyes are very much exposed regardless of what kind of mask you have, said Hristov. So when people come in and they have a mask and their eyes are exposed, basically what that means they still have an open portal of entry where the virus could get in.

That advice goes against the guidance from the World Health Organization,the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and New Mexicos top doctor, Dr. David Scrase.

Scrase, New Mexicos human services secretary,said wearing a mask both protects people and helps prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If you had to have an upcoming surgery, how comfortable would you feel with your operating team not wearing masks or not wearing gloves, said Scrase. I havent run into anybody yet who would feel comfortable with that kind of scenario.

The New Mexico Human Services Department responded to Hirstovs sign by email, saying in part:All New Mexicans are required to wear masks at this time, especially when visiting medical clinics. It is shocking that a medical provider would encourage their patients not to wear masks and blatantly put them at risk of contracting COVID-19.

The department said violators could face criminal and/or civil penalties.

Hristov still doesnt think masks should be a requirement. People are exposed to the virus or to peoples germs no matter where they go, he said.

Last week, the city of Roswell voted not to enforce the states mask requirement. However, the New Mexico Department of Health and the State Police are still enforcing the mandate.

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This isnt Nazi Germany: NM health care prover lets patients choose whether to wear masks - ABC27

DAL Law Firm: The importance of a Healthcare Power of Attorney – The B-Town (Burien) Blog – The B-Town Blog

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A Healthcare Power of Attorney allows you to appoint a person or persons to make healthcare decisions if you cannot act for yourself. A Healthcare Power of Attorney only comes into effect when you are deemed incapacitated by a doctor by written confirmation of your incompetence and in most cases, two physicians are required to make this determination.

Life is very unpredictable. What if you had a major medical issue that left you physically and/or mentally incapable of taking care of yourself? Who would make your healthcare decisions on your behalf while you were incapacitated? It is also important that healthcare providers are able to contact someone during a medical emergency. At DAL Law Firm, we have helped many people who needed to complete a Health Care Power of Attorney for themselves so that their loved ones can make decisions on their behalf if needed.

What can the person you appoint do on your behalf?

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Democratic Leaders Have Blocked Real Healthcare Reform for Decades. Time to Give ‘Em Hell. – CounterPunch

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In 1948, Harry Truman pushed for a national nonprofit health insurance program in his successful, come-from-behind presidential campaign. When Trumans plan was denounced as socialized medicine and un-American by the powerful American Medical Association, Give Em Hell Harrystood his ground,defending his proposal as simple Christianity.

In 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson secured passage of Medicare (and Medicaid), he traveled to Missouri to formally sign it into lawin Trumans presence declaring that the real daddy of Medicare was Truman. Medicare was federal health insurance for those 65 and older, but proponents hoped it was step one on the way to Medicare for all.

In the 1970s, it remained the Democratic Partys official position to support a federally-provided health insurance program for all (single payer) and its strongest advocate was the chair of the Senate Health subcommittee, Ted Kennedy. Supported by unions and seniors,Kennedy introduceda Medicare for all proposal in 1971: the Health Security Act. Worried about the plans popularity, President Nixon countered with a supposed reform that would preserve for-profit, private insurance: the Health Insurance Partnership Act. Kennedy declared, Its really a partnership between the administration and insurance companies. Its not a partnership between patients and doctors of this nation.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter promised a national health insurance plan in his victorious campaign for the presidency. Kennedy later called it a missing promise and their discord over healthcare continued through Kennedys failed challenge of Carter for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination.

As harsh neoliberal capitalism dawned in the Reagan 80s there was a sea change in the country and within the Democratic Party. Democratic leaders calling themselves New Democrats scarcely even pretended to resist greedy corporate interests. Those interests were invited into the party and into policy formulation.

Enter Bill Clinton.

By the 1990s, as day-to-day healthcare decision-making shifted from patients and their doctors to insurers and for-profit corporations,many physicianshad joined the call for all Americans to get their insurance from a single federal plan.

But none of these physicians were invited to the table as the Clinton administration developed its healthcare reform policy under the leadership of first lady Hillary Clinton. The policy was largely created by corporate healthcare lobbyists and lawyers known as theJackson Hole Study Group. The February 28, 1993New York Timeshad a photo of the group beneath this headline: Hillary Clintons Potent Brain Trust On Health Reform.

In 1993, aMother Joneswriter accurately described the impossible task Hillary Clinton had been handed by the White House:Build a better, leaner, cheaper mousetrap (healthcare system) but include a player piano (private insurance industry) in the middle of your contraption.

The goal of the Jackson Hole group was to devise a reform that kept the healthcare system in the hands of for-profit corporations. The plan that was ultimately developed called Managed Competition was so bureaucratic and complicated that the Clintons 1,342 page bill never got off the ground.

At the time, Norman Solomon and I were the only nationally-syndicated columnists critically examining the corporate greed and elite policy-making that was dooming healthcare reform. In onecolumn, we wrote:The imprint of the insurance industry is all over the managed competition idea. The Jackson Hole study group that originated the scheme is made up of big insurance companies like Prudential, Metropolitan Life, Aetna and Cigna, plus hospital and pharmaceutical interests.

Wecitedan article in which Jackson Hole leaders bluntly argued that managed competition is the only way to avert a government takeover of health care financing and the elimination of a multiple-payer private insurance industry.

Wecomplainedthat the Clinton administration and mainstream media were sidelining a nonprofit single-payer insurance bill endorsed by 95 members of Congress plus groups like Consumers Union and Public Citizen. At the same time the Clinton bill went nowhere, the White House made sure that real reform a streamlined plan not devised by Aetna, Cigna or Big Pharma never got voted on.

What was true in 1993 is true today: Health insurance companies do not heal anyone. All theycontribute to healthcareis excess bureaucracy for medical professionals, devious advertising, sales commissions plus exorbitant profits ($10 billion in one quarter last yearfor the Big 8 insurers) and lavish executive salaries. Compensation for healthcare CEOsaveraged $18 million in 2018.

Single payer doesnt justcut costsby eliminating the waste caused by a multiplicity of for-profit insurers but also because the purchasing power of a federal plan can rein in pharmaceutical and other exploding costs.

Jump forward from the Clinton to the Obama years, and we saw a similar dynamic from Democratic leaders. Powerful healthcare lobbyists made sure that cost-effective Medicare for All would not even be considered, while these same lobbyists wereat the tablehelping todevisereform. Who was at the table explains why giant insurance and pharma companies have been so enriched in the last decade.

Dont get me wrong: Its a good thing that people with pre-existing conditions could get coverage under Obamacare (although too expensive) and that Medicaid was expanded (in the states where the GOP didnt block it).Itsnota good thing that roughly 30 million people were left without health insurance BEFORE the jobless crisis caused by Covid-19, and that millions more were under-insured. And not a good thing that healthcare costs were hardly contained.

History teaches a clear lesson: The fact that our nation is the only advanced industrial country without universal healthcare cannot be blamed on Republican obstruction alone. It was also caused by Democratic leaders whove spent decades catering to corporate interests (while collecting their campaign donations) and refusing to fight for universal coverage.

This history of Democratic obstruction and vacillation is whyhundreds of elected delegatesto next months Democratic convention haveput their foot down. Theyve signed apetitionpledging to vote down the party platform if it does not include a plank supporting universal, single-payer Medicare for All. The petitions initiator is Judith Whitmer, chair of the conventions Nevada delegation. She toldPolitico:This pandemic has shown us that our private health insurance system does not work for the American people. Millions of people have lost their jobs and their healthcare at the same time.

By demanding of the party leadership what Harry Truman called for 72 years ago, Whitmer and other Democratic activists are indeed giving em hell.

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Democratic Leaders Have Blocked Real Healthcare Reform for Decades. Time to Give 'Em Hell. - CounterPunch

Family of 86-year-old COVID-19 victim suing the healthcare center he passed away in – YourCentralValley.com

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VISALIA, California (KSEE/KGPE) Family members of a man who died from COVID-19 are taking a Tulare County healthcare center to court for what they allege is their role in his passing.

The family of Santiago Gonzalez a resident at the Redwood Springs Healthcare Center in Visalia is suing the facility for elder abuse, wilful misconduct, and wrongful death, after the 86-year-old died from COVID-19 in April.

In the lawsuit filed earlier this month, the Gonzalez family claims the health care center failed to protect staff and residents from the virus after an outbreak began at the facility in March.

YourCentralValley.com has reached out to Redwood Springs Healthcare Center for a response to the lawsuit.

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Family of 86-year-old COVID-19 victim suing the healthcare center he passed away in - YourCentralValley.com

COVID-19 Impact on Robotics Surgical Simulation Systems Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace Over 2020-2026 – Market Research Posts

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The recent report on COVID-19 Impact on Global Robotics Surgical Simulation Systems Market Size, Status and Forecast 2020-2026 offered by Researchmoz.us, comprises of a comprehensive investigation into the geographical landscape, industry size along with the revenue estimation of the business. Additionally, the report also highlights the challenges impeding market growth and expansion strategies employed by leading companies in the COVID-19 Impact on Robotics Surgical Simulation Systems market.

The Global COVID-19 Impact on Robotics Surgical Simulation Systems Market report covers Important contents analyzed and discussed in the report include market size, operation situation, and current & future development trends of the market, market segments, business development, and consumption tendencies. Moreover, the report includes the list of major companies/competitors and their competition data that helps the user to determine their current position in the market and take corrective measures to maintain or increase their share holds. To make the report more potent and easy to understand, it consists of info graphics and diagrams. Moreover, the report includes the list of major companies/competitors and their competition data that helps the user to determine their current position in the market and take corrective measures to maintain or increase their share holds.

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To summarize, the global COVID-19 Impact on Robotics Surgical Simulation Systems market report studies the contemporary market to forecast the growth prospects, challenges, opportunities, risks, threats, and the trends observed in the market that can either propel or curtail the growth rate of the industry. The market factors impacting the global sector also include provincial trade policies, international trade disputes, entry barriers, and other regulatory restrictions.

For More Information Kindly Contact: ResearchMozMr. Rohit Bhisey,90 State Street,Albany NY,United States 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: [emailprotected]Media Release @ https://www.researchmoz.us/pressreleaseFollow me on Blogger: https://trendingrelease.blogspot.com/

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COVID-19 Impact on Robotics Surgical Simulation Systems Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace Over 2020-2026 - Market Research Posts

Global Military Robots and Autonomous Systems – Market and Technology Forecast to 2028 – ResearchAndMarkets.com – Business Wire

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Military Robots and Autonomous Systems - Market and Technology Forecast to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Military robots are autonomous robots or remote-controlled mobile robots created for military functions, from transport to search & rescue and strike mission. Some of these robotic systems are presently in use, and several such robots are under development. These military robots and autonomous systems just rolling out or already in the prototype stage are far more proficient, logical, and autonomous than ones now in Iraq and Afghanistan. As new add-ons are developed, military robots will be able to take on a wider set of battlefield roles. As of now, the United States military remains the largest user of these robots, however, countries like China and Russia are investing billions in robotics research and development that will allow them to narrow the gap with the US.

This latest report Global Military Robots and Autonomous Systems - Market and Technology Forecast to 2028 examines, analyzes, and predicts the evolution of airborne military robot systems, technologies, markets, and outlays (expenditures) over the next 8 years - 2020-2028 in the military robots and autonomous system industry. It also examines military robot markets geographically, focusing on the top 95% of global markets, in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Throughout the report, we show how military robots and autonomous systems are used today to add real value. To provide the most thorough and realistic forecast, this report provides a twin-scenario analysis, including steady state, the emergence of a new military robot and autonomous system technology.

In this report, we have classified military robots and autonomous system industry under 5 major groups. We will research these 5 major groups and also provide forecast figures from 2020 to 2028. These are:

1. Technologies - We have divided technologies under two heads. Software and Hardware:

2. Applications: The 8 key areas where military robots & autonomous systems will make a big impact:

3. Operations: In this category military robots and autonomous systems have been divided into 2 categories:

4. Platforms: We focus on the 3 major types of platforms

5. End Users: There are 3 major users of military robots and autonomous systems

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

1.1 Objective

1.2 Market definition

1.3 Methodology

1.4 Events based Forecast Scenario

1.5 Who will benefit from this report

1.6 Language

2 Executive Summary

2.1 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems - Trends and Insights

2.2 Major Findings

2.3 Major Conclusions

2.4 Important Tables and Graphs

3 Current and Future Technologies Overview of the Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Types of Military Robots & Autonomous Systems

3.3 Current Technologies

3.4 Future Technologies

4 Current and Future Market Overview of the Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Number of Military Robots & Autonomous Systems - Per Region

4.2.1 Americas

4.2.2 Europe

4.2.3 Asia

4.2.4 Middle East

4.2.5 Africa

4.3 Current Markets

4.3.1 North America

4.3.2 Europe

4.3.3 Asia

4.3.4 Middle East

4.3.5 Rest of The World

4.4 Future Markets

4.5 How to reach scale

4.5.1 Challenges Involved in Scaling

4.5.2 Strategy for Scaling

5 Market Analysis

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 Industry Chain Structure

5.1.2 Support for Local Industry

5.1.3 Policy

5.1.4 Drivers

5.1.5 Inhibitors

5.1.6 Opportunities

5.1.7 Challenges

5.2 Porter's 5 Forces Analysis

5.2.1 Competitive Rivalry

5.2.2 Supplier Power

5.2.3 Threat of Substitution

5.2.4 Threat of New Entry

5.3 Macro environment

5.3.1 Macroeconomic factors

5.3.2 Political

5.3.3 Economic

5.3.4 Social

5.3.5 Technological

5.4 Forecast factors

6 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems by Regions to 2028

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market by Regions overview

6.2.1 Americas - in Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market

6.2.2 Europe - in Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market

6.2.3 Asia - in Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market

6.2.4 Middle East - in Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market

6.2.5 Africa - in Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market

7 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market by Technology to 2028

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems by Software Technologies overview

7.3 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems by Hardware Technologies overview

8 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market by Applications to 2028

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market by Applications overview

9 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market by Operations to 2028

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems by Operations overview

9.2.1 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems by Operations - Fully Autonomous

9.2.2 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems by Operations - Semi-Autonomous

10 Global Military Robots & Autonomous System Market by Platforms to 2028

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market by Platforms overview

10.2.1 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems - Land-Based Platforms

10.2.2 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems - Air Based Platforms

10.2.3 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems - Sea Based Platforms

11 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market by End Users to 2028

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems by End Users overview

11.2.1 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems by End Users - Army

11.2.2 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems by End Users - Air Force

11.2.3 Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems by End Users - Navy

12 Events based forecast for the Global Military Robots & Autonomous Systems Market to 2028

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Global Military Robots and Autonomous Systems - Market and Technology Forecast to 2028 - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire

Virtual Reality Market by Segment, Equipment Applications and Solutions 2020 – 2025 – ResearchAndMarkets.com – Business Wire

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Virtual Reality Market by Segment (Consumer, Enterprise, Industrial, Government), Equipment (Hardware, Software, Components) Applications and Solutions 2020 - 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This research provides an in-depth assessment of the virtual reality market including analysis of VR ecosystem and role of value chain partners, evaluation of recent VR patent filings and intellectual property, and analysis of current price metrics VR devices, apps, and content. The report also provides an assessment of key VR companies and solutions with SWOT analysis, analysis of emerging business models and evolution of VR monetization, analysis of VR component market: devices, software, hardware, platforms. The report also presents key VR growth drivers, market challenges, and emerging opportunities.

Previously encumbered by a combination of technology gaps and consumer readiness issues, the virtual reality market is poised for substantive global growth, providing abundant opportunities for service providers, content developers, and ecosystem component providers. However, the high-growth phase for VR is anticipated to start within approximately two years, which is coincident with substantially lower broadband costs as a whole (wired and wireless connections) as well as greater user acceptance within both the consumer and business market segments.

It is important to note that the virtual reality market and other immersive technologies will also be important to many industries for a variety of enterprise purposes including internal operations, managing supply chains, and supporting customers. Important industry verticals include commercial real estate management, automotive, public safety, education, and training. The leading sector is anticipated to be the instruction (education, training, and simulations).

For the consumer virtual reality market, we see entertainment and lifestyle enhancements leading the way with the former including VR enhanced gaming and the latter including a plethora of new apps such as virtual location experiences in which groups of people get together virtually in the cyber-world. Examples include everything from virtual alumni events to watching your favorite football team play in a virtual stadium with ultra-real sights, sounds, and even feelings and smells of game day. The advancement of AI embedded within the VR market will add to the realism by introducing random events that happen within a given experience.

For enterprise and industrial virtual reality market segments, simulations and training are leading the way. We see everything from situational training to more traditional expectations such as VR enhanced simulations for flight and vehicle training. Businesses will also seek to use VR as a means to destress employees by offering them a virtual experience of their everyday work with random events thrown into the mix, both to add interest/amusement as well as to test and train them to see how they might react given a real-world experience such as how to best deal with a senile shoplifter.

This research provides an in-depth assessment of the VR market including the following:

Forecasts in Report:

Report Benefits:

Key Topics Covered:

1.0 Executive Summary

2.0 Virtual Reality Market Segmentation

3.0 Introduction

4.0 Virtual Reality Ecosystem Analysis

5.0 VR Company Analysis

6.0 Virtual Reality Market Analysis and Forecasts 2020 - 2025

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/uwh2ne

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Virtual Reality Market by Segment, Equipment Applications and Solutions 2020 - 2025 - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire

Global Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming Market 2020 Analysis by Geographical Regions, Type and Application Till 2027 with Top Key Players – Owned

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This latest report studies Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming Market globally, particularly in North America, Europe(Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Poland), China, Japan, Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam) the Middle East and Africa(Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria), India, South America(Brazil, Mexico, Colombia), with revenue, import, and export, production, consumption in these regions, from 2015 to 2019, and forecast 2020 to 2027. Global Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming market 2020 research report is replete with precise analysis from radical studies, specifically on queries that approach market size, trends, share, forecast, outlook, production, and futuristic developments trends and present and future market status.

Then, the report focuses on world major leading industry players with information like company profiles, product picture and specifications, Sales Revenue, Price, gross margin, market share, and contact info. In addition, the Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.

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https://www.reportspedia.com/report/semiconductor-and-electronics/-global-virtual-reality-(vr)-in-gaming-industry-market-research-report,-segment-by-player,-type,-application,-marketing-channel,-and-region/64960#request_sample

Analysis of Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming market Key manufacturers (Sales Revenue, Price, gross margin, main products, etc.):

NewzooZEISS InternationalSAMSUNGKanevaLLCHTC CorporationElectronic Arts IncGoogleVirZOOM, IncLEAP MOTION, INC.Oculus VRSony Corporation

Analysis of Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming Market By Product Types(Market Size & Forecast):

HardwareSoftware

Analysis of Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming Market By Applications(Market Size & Forecast):

Gaming ConsoleDesktopSmartphone

In additional, the manufacturers dominant within the global Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming Market are highlighted inside the competitive landscape section of the report. The competitive state of affairs and trends current within the market have additionally been encapsulated underneath this section of the study. moreover, the mergers and acquisitions that passed off within the market in the past few years and their impact on the markets development has in addition been bestowed underneath this a part of the report.

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Furthermore, it describes the in-depth analysis of key Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming market segments and sub-segments, particularly includes evolving Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming industry trends and dynamics, challenges, and competitive insights, technological breakthroughs for Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming market development mapping with different opportunities. The report also analyzes the Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming industry potential for every geographical region consequently.

With the list of tables and figures, the report provides key statistics on the condition of the business and could be a valuable supply of steerage and direction for firms and people curious about the market.

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https://www.reportspedia.com/report/semiconductor-and-electronics/-global-virtual-reality-(vr)-in-gaming-industry-market-research-report,-segment-by-player,-type,-application,-marketing-channel,-and-region/64960#inquiry_before_buying

TOC of Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming Market Contains Following Points:

Table of Content & Table Of Figures

https://www.reportspedia.com/report/semiconductor-and-electronics/-global-virtual-reality-(vr)-in-gaming-industry-market-research-report,-segment-by-player,-type,-application,-marketing-channel,-and-region/64960#table_of_contents

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Global Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming Market 2020 Analysis by Geographical Regions, Type and Application Till 2027 with Top Key Players - Owned

Khronos Group announces multiple OpenXR conformant devices and platforms from Microsoft, Oculus, and others – Auganix

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In Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality News

July 29, 2020 The Khronos Group, an open consortium of industry-leading companies creating graphics and compute interoperability standards, has announced that multiple conformant implementations of OpenXR are now shipping from Oculus and Microsoft, leveraging the newly opened OpenXR 1.0 Adopters Program and open source conformance tests. In laymans terms, this means that both companies are now offering hardware and software solutions that conform to the OpenXR standard.

OpenXR is a royalty-free, open standard that provides direct access into augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) runtimes (software/instructions that are executed while a program is running) across a range of platforms and devices. Again, in laymans terms, and explained by Brent E. Insko, Lead XR Architect at Intel and OpenXR Working Group Chair: OpenXR seeks to simplify AR/VR software development, enabling applications to reach a wider array of hardware platforms without having to port or re-write their code and subsequently allowing platform vendors supporting OpenXR access to more applications.

The Khronos Group added that The OpenXR Adopters Program helps to enable consistent cross-vendor testing and reliable operation of OpenXR across multiple platforms and devices with OpenXR-conformant products published on the Khronos Conformant Product Registry.

So, now Khronos members Microsoft and Facebook each have multiple conformant OpenXR-enabled devices showcasing how OpenXR enables portability across different platforms. PC-enabled virtual reality devices include Microsofts Windows Mixed Reality and Oculus Rift headsets, enabling these HMDs, and any future OpenXR-compatible devices, to run the same application executable (app or program) on Windows. In addition, Microsoft has released an OpenXR-conformant runtime for its HoloLens 2 mixed reality device, and Facebook has shipped a conformant runtime for the Android-based Oculus Quest, demonstrating OpenXRs flexibility to enable portable VR and AR applications across standalone and tethered XR devices that use different underlying operating systems.

In addition, Valve has released a developer preview implementation of OpenXR 1.0 with new features on SteamVR expected to now appear through OpenXR, rather than OpenVR APIs. Similarly, Varjos developer preview implementation of OpenXR enables the use of OpenXR applications with Varjo headsets. The Monado open source XR runtime founded by Collabora is also growing in compatibility and capability and is approaching conformance with OpenXR 1.0.

In parallel with finalizing the OpenXR 1.0 conformance tests, the OpenXR Working Group has also announced two OpenXR cross-vendor extensions for eye and hand tracking. These new extensions expand the range of advanced UI techniques that can be portably deployed through the cross-platform, cross-vendor API.

OpenXR enables XR games and applications to target the widest range of hardware with maximum performance. Along with the announcement from the Khronos Group, Microsoft has announced that Minecrafts new RenderDragon rendering engine is building its desktop VR support using OpenXR. Adding to OpenXR ecosystem momentum, other open source projects have also incorporated OpenXR, including 3D creation suite, Blender 2.83, which has integrated OpenXR to deliver native VR scene inspection capabilities. Google also recently released Chromium 81 with OpenXR as its default backend for WebXR, enabling Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers to use any OpenXR-compatible hardware. Finally, Microsoft has released its OpenXR Samples for Mixed Reality Developers as open source, demonstrating how to use OpenXR to access the full capabilities of HoloLens 2. Firefox Reality also supports OpenXR browser for the HoloLens 2 platform.

The OpenXR 1.0 Conformance Test Suite has been published as open source under the Apache 2.0 license on GitHub for continued public development and for use by any company as they implement the OpenXR API on their platform. Any implementers, whether or not a Khronos member, are welcome to become an OpenXR Adopter and submit conformance test results for working group review and approval in order to use the OpenXR trademark and gain patent protection under the Khronos Intellectual Property Framework.

Image credit: The Khronos Group / Twitter

About the author

Sam Sprigg

Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he covers news articles on both the AR and VR industries. He also has an interest in human augmentation technology as a whole, and does not just limit his learning specifically to the visual experience side of things.

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Khronos Group announces multiple OpenXR conformant devices and platforms from Microsoft, Oculus, and others - Auganix