Letter: Why theres crime in large cities – Danbury News Times

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Published 11:14am EDT, Friday, July 24, 2020

The major causes of violent crime in large American cities are:

1. Easy availability of firearms to civilian population There are 393 million civilian-owned firearms, 30 percent of Americans personally own a gun; 49 percent of Americans report living in a gun household. It is unimaginable that the framers of the Constitution would have intended the Second Amendment to protect a claimed right to own a firearm. If a citizen militia were sufficient to guarantee national security in todays world, why do we sustain a permanent national defense military establishment with the weaponry it has today? Just call out the Minutemen.

2. Inequality in the exercise of police power Policing is a demanding job. Hiring qualifications and training need an overhaul. Biases by race, ethnicity, and wealth must be eliminated.

3. The system by which we reward by income and respect various occupations is crazy. The pandemic shows that one good nurse or one good janitor has more social value than a superb athlete or a successful hedge fund manager or lobbyist, a free labor market be damned.

4. A popular culture which exalts violence as a means of problem solving.

5. Donald J. Trump has made a mockery of the claim that no one is above the law. Who believes that? Our judicial system is failing.

6. The failure to provide an adequate social safety net including: universal, comprehensive, affordable health care and child care for parents who work.

7. Personal responsibility. We need it from people taking to the beaches. We are getting it from vast numbers of people who are exhausting themselves even risking their lives in serving others and caring for their own families. Lets be realistic about what we can ask of them. Lets support them and lets stop hammering them with sanctimonious comments about the need to prod them with punitive incentives.

Daniel C. Hudson

Ridgefield

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Letter: Why theres crime in large cities - Danbury News Times

Letter: There’s a reason you see more Trump flags – HollandSentinel.com

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FridayJul24,2020at12:01AM

In recent weeks polling results have shown that Joe Biden has a compelling lead over Donald Trump. Candidates on both sides, though, are quick to warn against taking early polling results too seriously. Bidens folks rightly warn against complacency.

Locally it appears Trump supporters are way ahead in terms of enthusiasm, camaraderie and visibility. I see red flags everywhere and they look impressive. Recently a friend found an interesting statistic. His internet search revealed red campaign flag and banner hits (Trump) at 716 million, compared to 75 million blue (Biden) hits, a 10-1 enthusiasm discrepancy.

Face it. Trump banners and flags look great flying from powerboats and pickup truck beds, sometimes accompanied by the defiant "Dont Tread On Me" flag. They implicitly speak of power, of domination, of freeing oneself of boundaries, regulations and legal constraints. They shout, "Second Amendment rights" and showcase the macho camaraderie available in boldly intimidating others with weapons of war. They broadcast the increasingly transparent "dog whistle" warnings issued by their leader to affluent neighborhood residents of the upward housing ambitions posed by the Black Lives Matter movement.

How can poor, grey-haired, blue flag Joe Biden compete with all that? What power boat owner wants to fly a blue flag that messages "civility" or "science-based policy" or "reconciliation" or "uncage children" or "foreign policy experience"? Such messaging, commendable as it may be, just doesnt have the Trumpian blood stirring pizzazz of those bright red displays. Where is the thrill for the unthinking?

Poor rational, compassionate, truth constrained, low-key, highly experienced, normally hued Joe Biden. Where is the flash, the empty promise, the subservience to foreign adversaries, the fake bravado, the bombast? Why would America want a president who actually has the qualifications for the job?

Richard Brouwer

Grand Haven

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Letter: There's a reason you see more Trump flags - HollandSentinel.com

Law-abiding people are not the problem – Butler Eagle

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The recent Barbati letter concerned people being afraid because a law-abiding citizen had two guns at a peaceful protest.

I have three main points:

First I can assure you he was not the only one there with a weapon. Barbati then cherry picked two instances where people broke the law by shooting people. There are many instances where people break the law and injure or kill people without guns. In New York City recently a high-level police official and others were attacked by a woman with a cane. People have been stabbed, beaten, hit by cars, hammers, stones, etc. So people were fearful of a law-abiding citizen?

Second Many of these protests become non-peaceful where protesters break, burn, loot, injure, and kill. This has been happening all across America. If that happens at any small peaceful protest where a patriot or two is carrying a weapon, people may be thankful.

Third People become fearful of many things. Juniata College recently called the cops on a college student who sent a hateful e-mail that (according to the college) ... left many of our community members feeling afraid, angry, vulnerable and unsafe. The student e-mail said students can't blame skin color for their problems, but perhaps from a lack of personal responsibility, lack of growing up in a stable two-parent household, or a general disinclination for learning of the college variety. I might concede that could lead to a feeling of anger or vulnerability, but afraid and unsafe?

The First Amendment allows us to use offensive, hurtful speech. Freedom of speech does not mean that you have to use words or phrases that a small minority of people demand. Freedom of speech means I can say Chinese virus, or American Indian or all lives matter ( Jessica Whitiker was killed recently for saying just that!) or other words or phrases without retribution. The Second Amendment allows a person to bear arms. It is not unlawful to open carry in Pennsylvania.

Our society has turned from the rule of law people are angry or fearful, or strike out at law-abiding citizens yet honor praise, and protect those who break the law over perceived injustices.

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Law-abiding people are not the problem - Butler Eagle

Microsoft, Elon Musk, United and Snap – 5 Things You Must Know Wednesday – TheStreet

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Here are five things you must know for Wednesday, July 22:

Stock futures were mixed Wednesday afterChina said the U.S. ordered the closure of its consulate in Houston and President Donald Trump warned the coronavirus outbreak probably will get worse before it gets better.

Contracts linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 105 points, S&P 500 futures declined 10 points and Nasdaq futures were rising 14 14 points.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the move was initiated by the U.S. and China would react with firm countermeasures if Washington didnt revoke this erroneous decision, Bloomberg reported.

Meanwhile, in a resumption of his daily virus briefings Tuesday, Trump said the coronavirus pandemic "will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better.

Something I dont like saying about things, but thats the way it is. Its what we have, the president added during first briefing since he had called them off in late April.

Trump also shifted his stance on masks, encouraging Americans to wear them.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control said the number of coronavirus cases in some states could be much higher than has been confirmed. The CDC estimated the number of infections is about 10 times higher than the confirmed cases.

Global coronavirus infections crossed 15 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, and the U.S. reported more than 1,000 deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday, the first time since June 10 the country has surpassed that mark.

A worry for investors also were talks between Democrat and Republican lawmakers in Washington over the $2 trillion gap in their respective coronavirus rescue packages.

Earnings reports are expected Wednesday from Microsoft (MSFT) - Get Report, Tesla (TSLA) - Get Report, Biogen (BIIB) - Get Report, Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) - Get Report, Las Vegas Sands (LVS) - Get Reportand CSX (CSX) - Get Report.

The economic calendar Wednesday includesMBA Mortgage Applications for the week ended July 17 at 7 a.m. ET,Existing Home Sales for June at 10 a.m. and Oil Inventories for the week ended July 17 at 10:30 a.m.

United Airlines (UAL) - Get Reportdeclined slightly in premarket trading Wednesday after the carrier posted a second-quarter loss of $1.63 billion and called the period "the most difficult financial quarter in its 94-year history."

The airline reported a loss of $5.79 a share, compared with year-earlier earnings of $4.02 a share. Revenue plunged to $1.48 billion from $11.4 billion as travel demand remains severely depressed during the coronavirus pandemic.

United said it expects travel demand to remain weak until a vaccine or treatment for Covid-19 is developed and available.

The carrier also said it had about $15.2 billion of available cash as of July 20 and expected that figure to grow to $18 billion by the end of the third quarter.

The stock fell 0.21% to $33 in premarket trading Wednesday.

Snap (SNAP) - Get Reportdropped 8.25% to $22.70 in premarket trading Wednesday after the company beat Wall Street's revenue estimates but reported slightly lower active users than expected.

For the second quarter, the first that overlapped completely with the Covid-19 pandemic, Snap reported a loss of 23 cents a share on revenue of $454.2 million. Analysts had expected a loss of 22 cents a share on revenue of $442 million.

Snap reported 238 million daily active users, 17% higher than a year earlier, but a slight miss from estimates of 238.5 million.

This has been an extremely challenging time, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said on a conference call. While our revenue growth rate continues to be impacted by ongoing market disruptions, the fundamentals of our business are strong.

The company said revenue so far in the third quarter has risen 32% from last year but expects that to moderate to growth of about 20% during the period.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk qualified for a payout of $2.1 billion, his second massive compensation award from the electric carmaker.

Tesla's average trailing market value over six months rose above $150 billion on Tuesday, according to Bloomberg, meaning the CEO can exercise an additional 1.69 million stock options, though he must wait at least five years before he can sell them.

The options have a strike price of $350.02, meaning Musk would reap a $2.1 billion gain if he exercised and could immediately sell the shares, Bloomberg noted.

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Tesla’s sale of environmental credits help drive to profitability – CNBC

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An aerial view of the Tesla Fremont Factory on May 13, 2020 in Fremont, California.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

During a second quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and CFO Zachary Kirkhorn told investors they hit an important milestone: four consecutive quarters of GAAP profitability. The electric vehicle maker stayed in the black, despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to sales of regulatory credits.

According to its earnings report, Tesla's total revenue hit $6.04 billion for the quarter, with about 7% of that, or $428 million, coming from sales of these credits.To put that in perspective, regulatory credit sales were greater than the company's free cash flow and amounted to four times Tesla's $104 million of net profit for the quarter.

Here's one way Tesla racked up these credits over the past year, according to Mike Taylor, president of the environmental credit brokerage and consulting firm Emission Advisors in Houston: selling them to other auto makers who want to avoid big fines.

In California, and at least 13 other states, any auto manufacturer who wants to sell their cars into that state must sell a certain amount of electric, hybrid electric or other zero emission vehicles (or ZEVs). Auto makers who are not selling these vehicles yet, or not selling many of them anyway, will buy credits from someone who is for compliance. Since Tesla only sells ZEVs, it doesn't need to keep the credits that it earns and can sell them before they expire.

Most states with a ZEV program in place plan to increase their requirements for eco-friendly cars for the next few years, so Taylor expects demand for credits to remain strong in the near-term. That should change dramatically, he cautioned, as other auto makers begin producing their own environmentally friendly vehicles in high volumes.

Prices for ZEV, and other types of regulatory credits, like greenhouse gas emission credits, are not typically disclosed. And environmental regulatory credits are not limited to the states, either.

Last year, Fiat Chrysler made adeal with Teslato comply with new European environmental regulations coming into play in 2021. In their most recentshareholderupdate, FCA disclosed that as of March 31, 2020, its agreements represent total commitments of 1.1 billion. FCA plans to use the credits it's buying from Tesla to stay in compliance through 2023, the filing said. The deal was a boon for Tesla. The Financial Times previously reported on FCA's deal with Tesla.

But a lack of transparency and pricing data around automotive regulatory credits makes it hard for shareholders to predict how sales of these will affect Tesla's bottom line in any given quarter.

Zachary Kirkhorn, CFO, Tesla

Source: Tesla

On Wednesday's earnings call,Tesla CFO ZacharyKirkhorn revealed that while Tesla expects to double its revenue from regulatory credits in 2020 over the previous year, bringing it above $1 billion, he expects regulatory credit sales to decline eventually. In 2019 Tesla sold around $594 million in regulatory credits, up from $419 million in 2018.

On the call, AB Bernstein's Senior Tech Analyst, Toni Sacconaghi, pointed out that even though Tesla reportedGAAP operatingmarginsof5%for the trailing 12 months, that number would fall below 1% without the sale of these credits.

The CFOresponded, "We don't manage the business with the assumption that regulatory credits will contribute significantly to the future." But in the same breath added, "I do expect for our credit revenue to double in 2020 relative to 2019. And it'll continue for some period of time. Eventually this will reduce."

Later, Musk said growing profits was not as important to him as making Tesla's cars affordable, and therefore accessible to a broader base of drivers.

"We need to not go bankrupt obviously that's important because then we will fail in our mission," Musk said during the earnings call Wednesday. "But we are not trying to besuperprofitableeither, if profitability is 1% or 2 %, it's not crazy. Last quarter it was only point one percent. So we want to beprofitable, but we want to be slightlyprofitableand maximize growth and make the cars as affordable as possible, that is what we are trying to achieve."

To that aim, Tesla is working to reduce the cost of vehicle production, especially batteries, and wants to make more money from software over time, executives said, namely the company's yet to be completed Full Self-Driving system.

Although their comments acknowledge regulatory credit revenue should decline in the not too distant future for Tesla, Musk and Kirkhorn are not saying -- and may not know -- just how fast that day will come.

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Jordan’s Prime Minister Says His Country Contained COVID-19 By ‘Helping The Weakest’ – Capital Public Radio News

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Jordanian Prime Minister Omar Razzaz sits in the front room of his family home in a middle-class Amman neighborhood of traditional white stone houses with small gardens and low walls. Unusually, in a region where senior officials typically live in gated compounds far from public view, the residential street has been kept open to traffic to minimize disruption to Razzaz's neighbors.

Razzaz, an MIT and Harvard-educated economist, was appointed by Jordan's King Abdullah II to head a new government two years ago, following anti-government protests that were sparked by IMF-mandated tax increases seen as bypassing the rich. Although he'd served previously as education minister, Razzaz was seen as a relative outsider.

The small, resource-poor kingdom is surrounded by dangers from neighboring countries: a war in Syria, conflict between the U.S. and Iran in Iraq, and Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank it occupies something Jordan says poses a danger to the entire region.

But those issues have taken a back seat to controlling the coronavirus a feat Jordan has accomplished with an early and severe lockdown. The country of roughly 10 million has registered 1,131 coronavirus cases, with 11 deaths.

Razzaz sees vulnerable groups in other countries paying a disproportionate price for policies that don't prioritize them, and says Jordan's approach from the start was to protect the most vulnerable.

"From day one, any discussion of herd immunity or survival of the fittest or, you know, 'Say farewell to the elderly,' are the things that just did not sound right for us," Razzaz tells NPR. "So we went for a very different model in Jordan, based on social solidarity, in fact, helping the weakest. We did everything we can to make sure our children, our elderly, our refugees you know, the haves and the have-nots are protected."

In mid-March, Jordan was one of the first countries in the region to shut its airports and borders for all but essential goods. Arriving passengers were sent into compulsory quarantine. All but emergency workers and security forces were confined to their homes, with even grocery stores shut and the army distributing bread to poor neighborhoods.

The government cut public sector salaries and allowed businesses to reduce workers' wages, but banned them from laying off employees.

Razzaz says in the last four months, almost half of Jordan's population received some form of government assistance.

This week, the country announced it would reopen its airport to flights from a dozen countries where coronavirus rates are also low. With no cases of local transmission on most days, Jordan has stopped enforcing mask wearing and reopened restaurants and shopping malls.

Razzaz says industry production is now back to pre-coronavirus standards, and Jordan is exporting pharmaceuticals and food to other countries.

Jordan took a chance with the lockdown, he says, but felt it had little choice, given the prospect of its health care system being overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases.

"When we took the steps that we took, we did that not because we were certain about the outcomes. So there's always hindsight ... But we're very, very glad we did what we did. And a lot of countries that waited longer, including the U.S., ... are having a harder time containing the coronavirus," he says.

Razzaz and health officials note Jordan remains on guard for a possible resurgence of the virus as its airport reopens.

The longer-term challenge is an already fragile economy in which unemployment is rising sharply. Tens of thousands of Jordanians have lost their jobs in the Arab Gulf states, as those economies decline due to the pandemic and a plunge in oil prices.

The official unemployment rate for the first quarter of the year had already topped 19%. Some economists expect the real rate could reach 30% by the end of the year, with many of the unemployed young people.

Razzaz says, though, he is not worried by the prospect of renewed demonstrations that could be sparked by the economic crisis.

"While some countries worry a lot about social unrest, we see it as people expressing views about that hardship," he says. "We're going to be proactive with employment and job creation. And if you get frustrated and want to shout, we have a constitution and set of laws and institutions that allow that to happen in democratic ways."

The other wild card facing the kingdom is Israel's annexation threat. Jordan, along with Egypt, is one of only two Arab countries in the region to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. Jordan's king says he might suspend the 26-year-old treaty if Israel takes unilateral steps to claim sovereignty over parts of the West Bank.

Israel cites Jewish ties and a strategic need for it, but most of the international community opposes such a move, which could doom Palestinian hopes for an independent state.

Jordan, where a majority of citizens are of Palestinian origin, would be the country most affected by Israel's move, and instability could ripple across the region.

Razzaz says Jordan has not changed its insistence on the need for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"If you don't provide a just solution for the Palestinian people and sovereignty, you are pushing them and the region towards despair and extremism. So will there be conflict under such conditions? Yes, there will be, definitely," he says. "I think what His Majesty and Jordan have been doing is sounding the alarm bells."

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Jordan's Prime Minister Says His Country Contained COVID-19 By 'Helping The Weakest' - Capital Public Radio News

More Star Wars Shows Coming to the TV Screens and Thats Great – GameSpace.com

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The Star Wars movies have spawned their cult following. George Lucas has been quite adept at developing great franchises. But, the movies on their own, werent satisfactory enough. Over the years, fans took bits and bobs from the franchise and plastered the names mentioned in brief passing, and plastered them together to recreate an exciting world that Lucas would have been challenged to create himself. In many ways, Star Wars is like blackjack. The game appeared as a very simple and straightforward game of cards, but it has resurfaced in the years to come under many different names. One of those games is 188bet thai, but thats barely scratching the surface of the games evolution.

In a similar way, the original three movies werent enough. George Lucas crafted the first chapters that explained the backstory and what had happened in the past to lead up to current events and reception has been mixed. Well, despite the few critics out there, the Star Wars franchise has definitely progressed in the right direction.

Star Wars has managed to spawn its own cult following and this is great news. The Clone Wars Series on Cartoon Networks have been fantastic. Anyone, regardless of their bent on Star Wars or whether George Lucas has really disappointed fans, will appreciate the quality animation and production of the cartoon series.

Of course, some hardcore fans would object to the point where they would be arguing, and even fighting with each other, but for a true Star Wars expert, the most important thing remains as always has developing the storyline, discovering new plotlines, and finding out more about each individual in the franchise.

This is where Disney+ comes in. You may be a little skeptical of the streaming service as a whole and argue that Disney hasnt been able to create any captivating shows, but this is not true. We have the Mandalorian and he has been an absolute blast. Star Wars fans could never suspect that Disney, a service mostly related to the production of some of the most disappointing Star Wars movies according to fans would be able to create such a thrilling and captivating story.

Well, Disney has succeeded and this is great news for anyone who truly enjoys the Star Wars franchise. But dont worry, because the Mandalorian isnt the only great show about Star Wars. In fact, Disney is producing another one.

Disney Plus has managed to bank on a rather unpopular character the clones in Star Wars. Known for their treacherous obedience to the Siths, many fans have argued that the clones were right to enact the murderous spree in the third movie. After all, they represented the state and they had to obey a direct order.

Yet, fascination with the clones has grown and Dave Filoni, the successful producer behind Rebels, Clone Wars, and the Mandalorian has decided to give another show a whirl. In the Bad Batch, the story follows an elite squad of clones who have gone wrong.

Because of some genetic misfire, they have ended up with special abilities. Uniqueness isnt valued highly among the clones, but the subjects have been saved and put to some good use. After all, when you are on the hunt against the jedis, you might benefit from some force-like abilities to get a surprising upper hand.

Of course, Filoni wouldnt risk creating a series about an elite squad hunting down jedis just yet, but the idea is there. The Bad Batch highlights the empires ability to keep law and order without necessarily subscribing to lawful methods. Just like an exciting new version of blackjack, we cant wait to see the new show that will bring more joy to Star Wars fans.

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Choosing a Casino – How to Find the Best Places for Casino Gambling – BestUSCasinos.org

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Perhaps the most critical choice a gambler can make is which casino to play at. Most people overlook the significance of this decision. The fact of the matter is that picking the right casino not only affects your entertainment level, but it can also have a severe impact on your bank account.

You might be wondering what the secret formula is for how to pick a casino. There are a ton of options available for casino gamblers. Obviously, you want to choose the casino that fills all your gaming needs.

How do you assure you are getting the best bonuses, best games, and everything that makes a casino amazing while avoiding the numerous pitfalls that some online casinos present?

Im going to answer that question today. After reading this post, youll be the leading authority on how to pick a casino among your circle of friends. Or at least be able to select a casino with confidence, and feel secure in the fact that youve made the right choice.

Casinos can be as unique as snowflakes. There are so many small subtleties between casinos; it may be akin to choosing a bottle of wine. You are going to have a different experience with a bottle of Chateau Montelena than you will with a bottle of Boones Farm.

Sure, theyll both get you drunk. The ride will be different, though. It depends on what you are looking for as to which experience youll choose.

This comparison applies to casinos as well. To accurately answer the question of how to pick a casino, you must consider a few things.

What games are you interested in? Do you prefer endless choices of slots over table games? Do you crave blackjack variations with anything less than a dozen options unacceptable? What about online casino bonuses?

Are you seeking a cash back bonus with minimal requirements? Maybe you are only interested in a no-deposit style bonus? The bonus is of paramount importance because it can save you or cost you some significant cash.

Whats your gambling style? Do you only play occasionally when the itch strikes? Or are you a regular player that cant wait for Friday night to get here for a marathon session to start the weekend?

If you are an avid player who spends several hours a week playing, the casino loyalty program may likely be of more interest to you.

After answering these questions, you may not have a clear choice. Thats totally acceptable as you should at least have a solid start. Knowing what the dealbreakers are at this stage will ensure you dont get into any precarious spots with your bankroll.

Look, you have thousands of choices when selecting what casino youll be playing at. You shouldnt have to sacrifice anything that is a must-have feature at the casino you choose. I promise you there will be a casino that fills every one of your needs and wants.

First, you must honestly evaluate your own skill level. Im not referring to your ability to count cards or knowing how to play any starting hand in Texas Holdem. Im talking about your familiarity with casino gambling.

Regardless of whether youve been playing casino games for years or looking to dip your first toe into the waters of casino gambling, reliable reviews by industry experts can help for picking the right casino.

If you were out to dinner for a special occasion, would you ask the bathroom porter for wine recommendations? No, youd ask the sommelier.

So, I encourage you to exercise the same discretion in choosing your casino.

Once you have poured catalogs of reviews and found the one youre interested in, its time for a test drive. This is of particular importance when picking an online casino. After all, I can spend all day extolling the greatness of Topo Chico, but youll have to pop a bottle for yourself to see if you love it as much as I do.

The first thing youll want to do is browse, much as youd do at a department store. Does the site run smoothly? Does it continue to lag or fail to load?

These are possible design flaws that could severely impact your overall gaming experience. You certainly dont want to spend 15 minutes waiting for the game to load when you finally get the chance to play.

Take this opportunity to give the games a spin. Most of the premier casinos will let you play most of the games online for free. Youll quickly gain a great insight into the actual games youll be playing for hours at a time. You probably agree that games are the most crucial factor in your overall casino experience.

You shouldnt have to search very long before you come across the promotions tab for the casino. Here you will find all available promotions, including the welcome bonus youll receive. Make sure the bonuses fit your needs and carefully read all terms and conditions.

I cannot stress enough the importance of actually reading these. If you fail to do so, and something comes up later that youre not happy about, you will have nobody to blame but yourself.

I encourage you to ask questions. You should not hesitate to try out the customer service department. You can get a decent idea about the casinos customer service by reading consumer reviews, but I believe its better to ask questions yourself. Some casinos only offer customer service to registered accounts. If thats the case, no problem. Assuming everything else checks out, go ahead and sign up, youll have plenty of time before you commit large sums of cash.

Obviously, the best way to pick a casino is by trying one out without any risk at all.

If you have made it to this stage and taken the proper steps. Then, you are likely interested in a fair casino at the minimum, and youve probably landed on a solid choice.

Now, these excellent incentives arent available everywhere, nor are they always available at the casinos where theyre offered. When you come across them, you should jump on them.

Can you think of a better way to play casino games without any risk to your bankroll? You might even get a few breaks and end up winning something. You should note that these no-deposit bonuses typically have requirements associated with them. So, you cant take your $100 bonus and turn it into $1k in the first hour. Then, just cash out and walk away.

This is important. Do not. I repeat, do not attempt to cash out your bonus. This will not only void the bonus, but it will also negate your winnings. Make sure to honor all wagering requirements before cashing out. If you are unsure for any reason, you should contact customer service.

Dont be afraid to mix it up. Youre playing with house money after all. Spread the wealth. Enjoy a selection of slots, try your luck on the roulette wheel, get in a little blackjack, and even try the live games.

This will be hugely beneficial to you in the long run. Playing the real thing without assuming any risk will give you all the information you need and more to make a decision on the right casino for you.

Just because you take Casino A for a test spin doesnt mean you cant simultaneously try Casino B. I wouldnt suggest you stick to the first casino you try out. Thats not to say you cant circle back to it after trying others out.

I know some casino gamblers with over 20 accounts. Now, this may be overkill, but thats not for me to decide. The fact of the matter is there is no better way of optimizing the vast array of available bonuses and game selection.

I encourage you to follow this same strategy. Im not recommending you immediately dive headfirst into casino gambling with a dozen accounts. Id say three is a good starting point. If you decide you want more variety, you can always add more accounts. Conversely, if you are already feeling overwhelmed, itll be far easier to choose your favorite and delete the others.

I understand that this can be a lot of information to process and that this may be a big decision. Remember that its a process, and you are on nobodys timeline but your own.

I encourage you to be confident when you pick a real money casino online or otherwise. You have all of the tolls on how to choose a casino.

The key here is to avoid all scam sites or poor casinos while finding your favorite reputable casino. Theres no better authority on knowing what you like than you. So, youre already halfway home.

Reading reviews and minimal research on your part will take care of the rest. Happy hunting. I hope you enjoy the process of finding a casino.

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Choosing a Casino - How to Find the Best Places for Casino Gambling - BestUSCasinos.org

Twitter Wouldnt Be Hacked if It Were Backed by Blockchain Technology – Cointelegraph

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Murphys law states: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. It always happens with centralized services. A year ago, we saw how half a million Facebook accounts were leaked online, exposing personal data. We will see it many times more with other services. The recent Twitter hack underscores this once again. The accounts of Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Mike Bloomberg, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, among others, were hacked to push a fraudulent offer with Bitcoin (BTC).

Writing for the BBC, cybersecurity commentator Joe Tidy opined: The fact that so many different users have been compromised at the same time implies that this is a problem with Twitters platform itself. All accounts were vulnerable; it was just a matter of choice for the hackers: Using celebrities is better to endorse scams.

The problem is that even if Twitter or any other service with similar architecture continues building the cybersecurity walls around its system, it will become more complicated and expensive, but not safer. The current paradigm of centralized services cannot offer a safer solution for users authentication.

I have recently written about new technologies that could protect data and digital identity, using the example of Australia and the European experience and how public key certificates could be protected with blockchain technology against distributed denial-of-service and man-in-the-middle attacks. Although my analysis was quite technical and thorough, perhaps it would be better to take a step back and comb through some general yet pertinent details that may enhance data protection.

Here is some terminology for you to use when asking your service provider, your online store or your government about whether they are protecting your personal data:

To put things into perspective, lets go through a hypothetical situation.

Alice generates her cryptographic pair: a private and public key. The private key encrypts transactions, using a digital signature; the public key decrypts them. The public key is used to verify whether Alice signed in, signed the contract, signed the blockchain transaction, etc.

To protect the private key, she will store it on a secure hardware device with PIN protection, for instance, on a smart card, a USB authentication token or a hardware cryptocurrency wallet. Nevertheless, a cryptocurrency address is a representation of a public key, meaning Alice can use it as her coin and token wallet.

Although the public key is anonymous, she can also create a verified digital identity. She can ask Bob to certify her identity. Bob is a certificate authority. Alice will visit Bob and show her ID. Bob will create a certificate and publish it on a blockchain. Certificate is a file that announces to the general public: Alices public key is valid. Bob will not publish it on his server the same way other traditional certificate authorities do now. If a centralized server were ever disabled in a DDoS attack, no one would be able to confirm whether Alices digital identity is valid or not. In the MITM attack someone can fake her identity. This would be impossible if the certificate or at least its hash sum were published on-chain.

With a verified ID, she can perform official transactions, for example, registering a company. If Alice is an entrepreneur, she may want to publish her contacts, such as a telephone number. Using a blockchain is a safer choice because when data is published on social media, a hacker can break into an account and replace it to redirect calls to another number. None of this would be possible on a blockchain.

If Alice goes to a liquor store, she can use her verified DID. The seller, Dave, will use his app to verify and confirm Alices DID instead of her paper ID. Alice does not need to disclose her name and date of birth. She will share with Daves app her identifier, which Bob certified, her picture and an Above 21 y.o. statement. Dave trusts this record because Bob is a certificate authority.

Alice can create various pseudonyms for online shopping, social media and crypto exchanges. If she loses her private key, she will ask Bob to update his record on the blockchain to announce that Alices public key is invalid. Therefore, if someone stole it, everyone who interacts with her public key will know that they should not believe transactions signed with this key.

Of course, this is a simplified scenario, but it is not unrealistic. Moreover, some of these processes already exist. For example, the Estonian e-Residency card is nothing more than a smart card with the users private key. With this card, you can remotely register a company in Estonia or even sign contracts. Being integrated into a larger market, Estonian digital signatures are recognized across the European Union. Unfortunately, its governments still do not protect certificates on blockchains.

Knowledge is power. Users should know that their cybersecurity is not only in their hands, as one might say. Software and social media giants ought to make the shift to improve security standards, and users ought to demand it.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Oleksii Konashevych is the author of the Cross-Blockchain Protocol for Government Databases: The Technology for Public Registries and Smart Laws. Oleksii is a Ph.D. fellow in the Joint International Doctoral Degree in Law, Science and Technology program funded by the EU government. Oleksii has been collaborating with the RMIT University Blockchain Innovation Hub, researching the use of blockchain technology for e-governance and e-democracy. He also works on the tokenization of real estate titles, digital IDs, public registries and e-voting. Oleksii co-authored a law on e-petitions in Ukraine, collaborating with the countrys presidential administration and serving as the manager of the nongovernmental e-Democracy Group from 2014 to 2016. In 2019, Oleksii participated in drafting a bill on Anti-Money Laundering and taxation issues for crypto assets in Ukraine.

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Twitter Wouldnt Be Hacked if It Were Backed by Blockchain Technology - Cointelegraph

2020: the year blockchain came of age – Information Age

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Rob Coole, vice-president, cloud technologies at IPC, provides a round-up of developments that blockchain has undergone in 2020

The technology has come on leaps and bounds over the course of the year.

It may have had a slow start, but 2020 has been the year weve really seen the true potential of blockchain. The true benchmark is in the implementation of real-life deployments, be that in the form of blockchain start-ups or new infrastructure projects. Only then can blockchains true value to the financial industry be measured. Sure enough, 2020, despite its unprecedented challenges, has heralded a new dawn for blockchain.

Nevertheless, the slow uptake of blockchain adoption isnt unusual due to the fact that its value lies in highly regulated, complex markets, such as the financial services industry. It would be unfair to compare adoption to the rise of cloud, Internet of Things and AI, simply because blockchain is suited for complex, collaborative, multi-party, and critical application use-cases.

We are seeing an increase in optimism of blockchain in the financial industry, particularly in the enterprise space, with customers truly seeing the practical purposes in deployment, leading to more investment in time and money in blockchain. Gartner predicts that blockchain will be fully scalable by 2023. IPCs sense of the future of blockchain, particularly in the enterprise space, is just as positive.

The technology behind Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has a growing use of applications for a number of industries. Here, four experts explore the strategic business value of blockchain in finance and beyond. Read here

Next-generation blockchain organisations are leading the way in showing how the technology can be used intelligently for the world we live in today. For example, R3, an enterprise software company, is working with an ecosystem of over 200 financial institutions, regulators, trade associations, professional services and technology companies to develop Corda. This is a blockchain platform designed specifically for businesses to deliver two interoperable and fully compatible distributions of the platform which addresses issues such as transactional certainty, data privacy, and the scalability limitations.

Both application service providers and subscribers should partner with respective service and product providers at an operational level, prioritising integration to stay ahead of the blockchain curve. Real value is provided with the integration and support from the hyper-scale platform community such as Microsoft Azure and AWS together with open industry platforms, such as IPCs Connexus Hub, creating end-to-end solutions that solve business problems. The importance here is APIs. We believe in an API partner integration approach, which gives institutions the ability to easily access data, provide insights and inspire innovation for the company/market need.

Service providers, like IPC, can play a critical role here by supporting operationalisation in the systems-oriented context. Such providers are a natural connector embedding connectivity to key market participants. IPC, for example, has access to all asset classes and trading methods with over 2,000 sell-side, 4,000 buy-side and over 75 exchanges.

Covid-19 has provided unprecedented circumstances and situations that has impacted every aspect of our lives. Though this pandemic is devastating from a health, societal and economic perspective, blockchain may help the global economy rebound. The World Economic Forum believes technology such as blockchain will benefit all countries currently impacted by Covid-19, as it provides an efficient approach to reduce trade cost on a global scale.

The digitisation accelerated by Covid-19 has changed the insurance industry forever but how will traditional companies adapt? Read here

Digital initiatives such as blockchain is non-partisan and open to all, which allows users to act quickly at low cost with low barriers for innovation all valuable factors in supporting the economy in an economic downturn. So, although blockchain adoption was slow in its early stage, 2020 seems to be the year blockchain comes of age.

Written by Rob Coole, vice-president, cloud technologies at IPC

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2020: the year blockchain came of age - Information Age

Dr. Seuss comes to the blockchain thanks to the maker of CryptoKitties – TechCrunch

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From CryptoKitties to the NBA,

Dapper Labs has paved the way

for blockchain popularity

beyond speculation thats purely monetary

and now with Dr. Seuss Enterprises

another collectible application arises.

Featuring the Lorax, Thing One and Thing Two

The Cat in the Hat and Horton too,

fans of Dr. Seuss can collect

characters who in retrospect

may prove to be more valuable

than almost any other collectible.

As the world moves increasingly online, so has consumers desire for discovering and collecting digital memorabilia that brings them one step closer to their favorite athletes, musicians and iconic characters, said RohamGharegozlou, the chief executive and founder of Dapper Labs, in a statement. With our new Dr. Seuss digital decal experience, we are marrying the best of both worlds allowing fans to interact and discover something entirely new, while tapping into our collective nostalgia for the characters that mean so much from our childhood. We are thrilled to be working alongside Dr. Seuss Enterprises to launch this first of its kind endeavour that is bound to bring joy to Dr. Seuss fans around the globe.

In September, Dapper Labs raised $11 million in financing from a slew of investors, including Andreessen Horowitzs crypto fund, with participation from investors including Accomplice, AppWorks, Autonomous Partners, Fenbushi Digital and Warner Music Group.

Those investors followed on a slew of other venture firms like Union Square Ventures, Venrock, Digital Currency Group, Animoca Brands, SV Angel, Version One and CoinFund, among others.

That whos who of investors are buying in to the underlying platform Dapper developed called Flow, a specialized blockchain designed for the entertainment industry, according to Gharegozlou.

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Dr. Seuss comes to the blockchain thanks to the maker of CryptoKitties - TechCrunch

From Seed-To-Sale With Blockchain Technology – Green Entrepreneur

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July24, 20204 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Blockchain is the cannabis industrys answer for stealing market share from the unlicensed market.

While we wait for government regulators to catch up to the speeding train called cannabis innovation, consumers needprotection from rogue growers and distributors. Blockchain is capable of many use cases, but its a perfect fit for supply chain management.

RELATED:NBA Players Are Smoking A Bunch Of Marijuana In The Playoff Bubble

So what is blockchain? Blockchain is a digital ledger that records and tracks data and physical assets from point A to B in the supply chain. The information on the blockchain is cryptographically secure and tamper-proofwhich means that no one can change data once it has been entered and verified.

The blockchain technology can strengthen consumer confidence in the cannabis industry by verifying product origin, compliance, seed verification, proof of ownership, cultivating and manufacturing processes, transactional information, location tracking, and supply chain paper trail.

Lets break it down:

Lets get the technical stuff out of the way first- A smart contract is the mechanical function of the blockchain that controls how the information recorded and received on the ledger. Miners play a role too, but thats for another day.

A smart contract is a computer code of instructions that sets the terms of who, what, where, and when transactions occur in the supply chain. This automated system gathers signatures, enters time stamps, tracks shipping and deliveries, and any other actions required in the process. Smart contracts execute accurate transactions and eliminate human error that currently afflicts the paper and manual based system.

RELATED:How Did Oklahoma Become The Country's Hottest Cannabis Market?

In addition to automating tasks, the smart contract code triggers payments between parties. It works on the if/then system- if this happens, then that happens. For example, once a shipment of goods has been delivered, payment for the goods will get released automatically.

Like biotech and drug companies, cannabis growers need to follow strict manufacturing guidelines for safety and quality assurance. Blockchain offers proof of standard operating procedures (SOP).

There are safety issues, like controlled pesticide use, accurately measured nutrient solutions, storage temperatures, and sanitation measures that need adhering.

For instance, the manager of a plant and horticulture staff, together, would verify and record on the blockchain, a nutrients solution recipe, or the amount of pesticide used.

Cannabis cultivation is a delicate process that requires consistency and nurturing. Blockchain will validate SOP processes as they occur; plant care is monitored through all stages of the plants life cycle to verify product outcome and authenticity.

The USDA 2018 Farm Bill legalized Hemp cultivation and extraction for commercial use, but there are still many areas that need legalization for the CBD consumer product industry to move forward. The FDA for one.

Because of the absence of laws governing the cannabis space, everyone along the supply chain from grower to seller is in danger of breaking the law if they do not stay in step with it.

The Schedule 1 law impedes the progress in research, but once the government declassifies cannabis as an illegal substance, more opportunities will open up.

Companies also benefit from blockchain as a way to document activities and paperwork in a time-stamped method. Its as a sure-fire defense in a court of law in the case of lawsuits or compliance accusations.

Blockchain also tracks the physical property of cannabis as it moves through the supply chain by attaching a GPS tracking device to the shipment. The device communicates the location to the blockchain as a monitor in real-time.

RELATED:Planet 13 Gets Massive Cultivation Deal

HEFTY fines will occur if a company does not comply with KYC (Know Your Customer) or AML (Anti-Money Laundering) laws. Verified client data on the blockchain is immutable and eliminates the worry of falsified records and nefarious activity.

There is the opportunity to enter false information, but its unalterable once recorded.

Consumers have the right to know the origin of the product, manufacturing process, and how it landed in stores. Currently, they go on blind trust that growers and retailers will deliver on their claims.

The GPS tracking device system verifies where cannabis came from and who handled it along the supply chain. Smart contracts collect signatures, documents, certificates, time stamps, and other data as evidence of product authenticity.

Thanks to the discovery of smart devices paired with blockchain technology to make the supply chain more efficient and transparent.

Many believe that blockchain technology is ushering in the fourth industrial revolution and impacting our economy for the better.

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From Seed-To-Sale With Blockchain Technology - Green Entrepreneur

Home Office urged to protect workers amid Boohoo slavery allegations – Metro.co.uk

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Home Secretary Priti Patel has been urged to act to protect workers (Picture: PA)

The Home Office is facing increasing pressure to take action against the exploitation of garment factory workers in the UK.

More than 90 retailers, MPs and other organisations have come together to urge the Government to act.

It comes after online fashion giant Boohoo came under fire following an article which alleged workers in a Leicester factory making clothes for the company were paid as little as 3.50 an hour.

In a letter sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel on Saturday, the coalition called for a licensing scheme to ensure textile factories are fit to trade.

The letter said: These reports on the terrible working conditions people face in UK garment factories add weight to concerns which have been raised over the last five years by academics and parliamentary committees about the gross underpayment of the national living wage and serious breaches of health and safety law in these workplaces.

Unless action is taken now, thousands more people will likely face exploitation.

The licensing scheme would ensure workers are paid the national minimum wage and encourage retailers to source clothing locally, the letter states.

Coordinated by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the letter has been signed by fashion retailers ASOS, Missguided, New Look, Next and River Island among others.

Boohoo has not signed the letter but on Friday its chief executive John Lyttle sent his own note to Ms Patel in which he backed calls for a licensing scheme.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, added: While there is no silver bullet, licensing is a critical step toward resolving this issue.

The public want to know that the clothes they buy have been made by workers who are respected, valued and protected by the law.

Minister for safeguarding, Victoria Atkins, said: Exploiting vulnerable people for commercial gain is despicable and this Government will not stand for it.

We expect all companies implicated in these allegations to conduct a full and thorough investigation to ensure that their supply chains are free from labour exploitation. We have liaised with relevant agencies regarding alleged working practices at garment factories in Leicester. We await the results of these investigations.

Boohoo had more than 1 billion wiped from its share value in two days, while other retailers such as Next and Asos dropped its clothing from their websites.

The fast-fashion company said it will investigate the allegations and end relationships with any supplier it finds to have broken its code of conduct.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.

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Home Office urged to protect workers amid Boohoo slavery allegations - Metro.co.uk

Progressively Speaking: Do not ignore the exploitation of workers – Jewish News

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Do not oppress a needy and destitute hired labourer, whether a fellow Israelite or a stranger in one of the communities of your land. You must pay out the wages due on the same day, before the sun sets, for his life depends on them (Deuteronomy 24:14-15). In the Torah we find such inspiring, universal and timeless statements.

And it was a Jew, Ren Cassin, who might have been motivated by such refrains, who co-drafted Article 23 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights concerning work. It states, among other things: Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of socialprotection.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFree Sign Up

Some see such statements as idealistic. But the Jewish motif of knowing slavery underpins our obligation to uphold ethical business and employment practices. Well that and simply doing the right thing.

Until the day he died, my grandfather-in-law answered the question how are you? with I makea living. Wrapped up in this reaction is the vitality of work, to earna just living that provides physical and mental wellbeing and dignity.

Judaism has no problem with wealth generation, but it expects justice for those whose backs it is built upon.

The majority of Torah and Jewish employment law concerns the behaviour of the employer because, in most cases, they hold power over employees.

The exposure of a Boohoo-supplying factory in Leicester that allegedly paid workers just 3.50 an hour, offered no protection from coronavirus and had appalling working conditions, caused outrage. If true, it would be akin to modern-day slavery. Outrage was justified: we wish business well, but not by exploiting labour. We should continue our push for employees to earn a Real Living Wage.

But the outrage was also self-righteous. We have encouraged fast fashion. Our expectations drive an economy that seeks immediate gratification at the lowest price.

We should not ignore exploitation in the production of our goods, here or abroad.

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Progressively Speaking: Do not ignore the exploitation of workers - Jewish News

The weight of racism – The News International

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The weight of all forms of American racism on Black people African, American, Afro-Latinx, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Caribbean on Indigenous peoples, on people of colour with proximity to Blackness (collectively, BIPOC) is often overwhelming.

At sea level, the Earth's atmosphere exerts 14.7 pounds per square inch on us all. Or, for metric-system lovers, 1 kilogram per square centimetre. Racism has a weight that is equal to atmospheric pressure, doubling the effect of the Earth's air on every square inch of every Black and Indigenous person's body, mind, and spirit.

All that weight, all this constant pressure, equivalent to being 10 metres underwater, slowly drowns many a Black and Indigenous person, outside-in and inside-out.

From conception to the afterlife, this weight is inescapable.

Black hyper-masculinity and Latino patriarchy cannot shift it. Nor can socioeconomic mobility and educational achievements. Nor can alcohol or drugs or sex. Nor can Christianity or respectability politics or virginity or "doin' the right thing." No matter a BIPOC's class standing, this weight and pressure is always there.

It constricts skin and muscle, crushes bone and bone marrow, entangles neurones and blood vessels. Leaving so many Black and Indigenous persons in a constant state of anxiety-ridden awareness. No human should be on alert for attacks and oppression their whole lives.

I have been an American Black male for more than half a century. There have been only a handful of times since turning seven and watching the mini-series Roots for the first time in 1977 when I have not felt this excess weight, this otherwise unyielding pressure. Like when I went to Toronto in 1999 to do a conference presentation, leaving the US for the first time. Or when I visited an Athabascan village in the middle of Alaska during the summer solstice in 2001. Both put me outside the weight and pressure of my life in the US. Otherwise, anxiety, bouts with depression, a quiet yet deep well of rage, the nagging feeling that my work and my accomplishments are never good enough, the everyday struggles with being Black in the US, all have been my companions over the past 43 years.

This weight, this pressure, has consequences, for me and millions of others. A lower life expectancy and a lower quality of life. Hypertension, high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes are often on this toxic menu. Justified paranoia that with the weight of racism can contribute to clinical depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, real and socially constructed.

"If only all the contradictory voices shouting inside my head would calm down and sing a song in unison ... I wouldn't care as long as they sang without dissonance ... But there was no relief," Ralph Ellison's bodiless narrator says in his 1952 classic 'Invisible Man'.

Imposter syndrome for the small percentage of BIPOC folks who find themselves among America's elite is another consequence. "People of colour ... are particularly vulnerable to this debilitating sensation ... imposter syndrome isn't just an imaginary voice in our heads. We ... receive almost daily messages from society that we truly don't belong," HuffPost Life reporter Jolie A Doggett wrote in 2019.

Expressions that denigrate achievement, like telling a Black student who received an acceptance letter from an elite university they got in because of race, or congratulating an accomplished BIPOC orator for being "articulate," exacerbate imposter syndrome. These not-so-micro aggressions feed that sense of not belonging, of being a fraud, of using the white gaze as the means for measuring BIPOC self-worth.

But the most common consequence is being constantly at war. War with one's self as WEB Du Bois identified it in 'The Souls of Black Folk' (1903), part of his definition of "double consciousness," of using the white lens to see one's self rather than one's own self-reflective ID. Or, "two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder," as Du Bois wrote.

And, with white patriarchy, there is also an intraracial and intersectional war, as whiteness and the narcissism that whiteness nurtures is a world more insidious than anything seen in The Matrix. The intersection between racism, colourism, misogynoir and narcissism nourishes many BIPOC men into internalised racism, domestic violence, rape and other forms of dehumanisation. Leaving Black and Indigenous women, LGBTQIA folx of colour, and BIPOC living with poverty fighting on multiple fronts, with that much more weight to carry and that much more pressure on their beings.

There is also the culture of resistance in which African diasporic and Indigenous people especially have engaged for centuries. Resistance to slavery, by escaping and freeing oneself. Resistance to cultural erasure, by combining the remaining shards of African folk traditions into music, into prayer, into family, with medicine and with food. Resistance to Jim Crow, in building civil rights movements, in self-defence, in Pan Africanism.

Resistance to marginalisation, to lynchings, to law enforcement-sanctioned murders, to rapes, to wage theft, in "protesting with their feet" and migrating for the opportunity "to 'joy" their "freedom" (to quote Princeton historian Tera Hunter indirectly) to cities all over the US.

And as with any organised resistance, freedom fighters from Nat Turner, Ida B Wells, and Marcus Garvey to Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Angela Davis, and Assata Shakur have faced repression, detention, assassination and exile.

We can possibly add Ferguson and St Louis Black Lives Matter activists like Darren Seals, Deandre Joshua, and Bassem Masri to this mix. For those activists who do not die young, there is also the toll on their physical and mental health, the ostracism they face, the loss of income that occurs.

Being a resistance fighter in the war against American racism can crush spirits and bodies like a tin can caught in the gravity well of a black hole.

To expect Black, brown, and Indigenous people to respond to these lethal weights and pressures with nonviolent protest and instant forgiveness is simply ignorance and racism defying all logic. Like Du Bois, I believe it is a wonder that there is not more violence directed at individual white people and individual American institutions for their everyday anti-Black and anti-brown violence. Like author and activist Kimberly Jones, I understand why so many would want to "burn this bitch to the ground," and agree the US is "lucky that what Black people are looking for is equality and not revenge".

But, the weight of American racism is backbreaking, the pressure suffocating. How long are marginalised Americans supposed to wait before the US restructures itself to remove the weight and release the pressure?

Excerpted from: 'The weight and pressure of American racism'.

Courtesy: Counterpunch.org

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The weight of racism - The News International

Bender: The official presidential cognition test – The Dickinson Press

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1. What is your name?

a. Mud

b. Daryl

c. My other brother Daryl

d. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!

2. When is a good time to wear a mask?

a. In public during a pandemic

b. In private during role-playing

c. While stiffing contractors

d. When you no longer want to be free, you Leftist tool!

3. When should you release your tax returns?

a. When you promise to do so

b. Vikings win Super Bowl

c. Mercury aligns with Mars

d. Only after the IRS sets Guinness world record for longest audit

4. Top candidate for full presidential pardon:

a. Roger Stone

b. Son of Sam

c. Zodiac Killer

d. Petula Clark

5. Reason Fisher Industries border wall is falling down:

a. To make you look bad

b. Bad batch of Elmers Glue

c. Trump University engineering degree

d. Who knew thered be weather?

6. How should we address the $26.5 trillion national debt?

a. Drown Grover Norquist in the bathtub

b. Not right now, Honey, Im watching the game.

c. Blame poor people

d. Place fingers in ears and chant, La-la-la-la-la loudly

7. Who got taxpayer-funded PPP bailouts?

a. Socialists

b. Rugged individualists

c. Ayn Rand Institute. To buy more bootstraps.

d. Dire Straits. Money for Nothing. Chicks for free.

8. Who are the unidentified men in unmarked cars abducting protesters in Portland?

a. Your Tinder date

b. I dont know, but you should pay your parking tickets.

c. The tyrants your well-regulated militia promised to rise against.

d. Relax, theyre just practicing for Ghislaine Maxwell.

9. Who can you trust in a pandemic?

a. Pandemic! At the Disco

b. Chuck Woolery

c. Woolery Bullery

d. Facebook memes

10. Official product of White House:

a. Goya beans

b. Magic beans

c. Beano

d. Fisher Temporary Wall Corp.

Bonus: Why polls show Joe Biden in the lead:

a. Trump supporters too busy defending Confederate statues to answer the phone

b. Statistician forgot to carry the one

c. Puzzling outbreak of sanity among probable voters

d. Fake news

Answers: 1. a; 2. d; 3. a; 4. d; 5. d; 6. a; 7. b; 8. c; 9. d; 10. d; Bonus: a.

Scoring: 11-9: Okay, who took the test for you? 6-8 correct: Good enough. At this point, the American people will settle for average. 3-5 correct: Dont feel bad; once Eric Trump lost a game of checkers to a Rhode Island Red. 0-2 correct: The doctors were so impressed that you found your desk.

Tony Bender writes an exclusive weekly column for Forum News Service.

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Bender: The official presidential cognition test - The Dickinson Press

How, and Where, Covid-19 Is Spreading in Africa – World – ReliefWeb

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Lessons from Ebola are being applied continent-wide, and could work in U.S., says WHO doctor

By Noah Smith

Africa currently has the second-fewest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the world, except for the World Health Organizations Western Pacific region, according to the most recent WHO figures. In total WHO Africa member states have 623,851 confirmed cases, including 12,666 in the past 24 hours. More than half of these cases are in South Africa. Across the continent, at least 10,116 have died from Covid-19.

However, African nations also have some of the lowest rates of testing in the world, with Nigeria offering one test daily per 100,000 people (18.44% positive), Ghana at 10 tests daily per 100,000 (10% positive) and South Africa at 26 tests daily per 100,000 (7.25% positive). For comparison, the U.S. offers 168 tests daily per 100,000, with 6.51% coming up positive, according to data sourced by Johns Hopkins University.

Assessing the full scope of the situation among its member states, Dr. Miriam Nanyunja, regional advisor for emergency risk management for WHO Africa, said the pandemic has not spread to all countries within Africa in the same way. In Mauritius, six recent were all imported in Seychelles, local transmission ended in April.

She pointed out that 88% of confirmed cases are in 10 countries, led by South Africa, and also including Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, Cameroon, Cte dIvoire, Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Egypt, which has over 89,000 cases, is not part of WHOs Africa region. Sixty percent of cases are in people under 60 years old, and the average age of people with confirmed cases of Covid-19 is 38 years old, according to WHO figures.

Community transmission is present in about 70% of WHO Africa countries, but the Nairobi-based Nanyunja said its not nationwide in any situation, even as overall rates of increase are problematic.

It took Africa 100 days to reach 100,000 cases, but then only 18 days to double to 200,000. It took 20 days from there to 400,000 and now we are at over 620,000. We see the increase and we are not happy about it, she said. Addressing the testing issue, she said capacity is increasing without a correlated increase in cases.

What we see is that, even with increasing testing, the cases do not rise so significantly, she said. What we are seeing is more of a good proxy of what is on the ground.

Direct Reliefs Research and Analysis team has been tracking vulnerability in the region based on case counts per capita, number of hospital beds, HIV case counts, food insecurity, population over 60 years old, and other factors. This month, Mali, Mauritania, Benin, Chad, and Tunisia have reduced their vulnerability while Lesotho, Namibia, Congo, Swaziland, Zambia, Madagascar, and South Africas vulnerabilities have increased.

Nanyunja said many member states, especially in West and Central Africa, have been able to incorporate principles from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, even as Covid-19 presents unique challenges.

Ebola outbreaks have taught us one big lesson about the importance of communication in effective response: Build trust in the local community. We have to include cultural sensitivity in the response. We have to communicate why we are proposing a change in their social norms, otherwise, they will not listen much.

During the Ebola outbreak, WHO used anthropologists and social workers in order to tailor their advice to local communities. Survivors of the disease also provided to be effective mobilizers for response initiatives, she said.

Social distancing and masks have not been a social norm, so we have to engage communities to adjust. In general, we are seeing countries that faced Ebola putting into good consideration all these factors.

Amongst member states, unlike in the U.S., there has not been widespread resistance to the advice of public health officials, but, We are seeing increasingly a level of fatigue and complacency resulting in apathy in the implementation of the interventions, Nanyunja said.

Initially, the countries took on prevention measures and there was goodwill in the population and they tried their best in social distancing, staying home, and with restrictions on travel. In some circles, there was inadequacy in completing this, more to do with socioeconomic reasons: staying at home was affecting livelihoods. And segments of the population would not comply due to these challenges, she said.

She said another challenge has been the inconsistent use of masks in several countries, due to misconceptions, including that masks hinder breathing.

Looking at the U.S., Nanyunja said she was surprised by the response.

We all believed the public health system in the U.S. could mount a response that could control the pandemic, like in China, or even faster, but things have turned out different.

She thinks applying some of the Ebola lessons will help matters in the U.S. as well.

What would be good is for the U.S. is to adopt strategies to the local context. The principles remain, but it is adapted to the context to the different states in the U.S. and then also using local data to guide the implementation see which areas are most affected and implement the strategies in those areas.

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Ray of light for region’s economies – The Southern Times

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Timo Shihepo

Windhoek In the gloom of COVID-19, Mauritius and Tanzania have cast a ray of light for Southern Africa as the two countries economies continue to grow.

The World Bank recently classified Tanzania as a lower-middle income economy, while Mauritius classification was enhanced from upper-middle to high income.

The World Bank classifies economies in four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle and high.

For its assessment, the World Bank uses gross national income (GNI) per capita, which entails dividing the gross annual income by the population to determine what a person earns on average per year.

The GNI per capita model is linked to indicators that measure social and environmental wellbeing, and classifications are updated every 1st of July 1.

Lower-middle income refers to GNI per capita of between US$1,026 and US$3,995; and upper-middle income as GNI per capita between US$3,396 and US$12,375. A high income economy has GNI per capita of US$12,375 and above.

The majority of Southern African countries are in the broad middle income bracket.

For 2020-2021, the World Bank said Mauritius GNI per capital had risen from US$12,050 to US$12,740, thus making it a high income economy.

Tanzania was this year classified lower-middle income with GNI per capita of US$1,080, up from US$1,020.

We had envisaged achieving this status by 2025 but, with strong determination, this has been possible in 2020. God Bless Tanzania, President John Magufuli said on Twitter after the World Bank published its 2020 classifications.

Tanzania has achieved high growth rates on the back of revenue from natural resources and tourism. The countrys GDP growth from 2009 to date has been between six and seven percent per year.

The government has used fiscal stimulus measures and monetary policy tools to lessen the impact of the global recession, while the country also benefited from low oil prices.

While Tanzania is transitioning to a market economy, the government retains a presence in the telecommunications, banking, energy, and mining sectors.

The economy largely depends on agriculture, which accounts for slightly less than a quarter of GDP and employs about 65 percent of the work force. Gold production has been on the rise and now accounts for 35 percent of exports.

All land in Tanzania is owned by the government, which can lease land for up to 99 years. Proposed reforms to allow foreign land ownership are widely unpopular.

Meanwhile, the Seychelles remains one of Africas top performing economies.

The Indian Ocean archipelago achieved high income status with GNI per capita of more than US$12,000 in 2013, a figure that grew to US$13,990 the following year and surpassed US$17,000 in 2019.

It has the highest GNI per capita in SADC.

With its recent accession to the World Trade Organisation, an upswing in tourism and steady progress towards ocean-floor oil and gas exploration, the Seychelles is on the path to increasing its GNI per capita in the 2021 fiscal year.

On the other hand, Namibias government wants its upper-middle income classification revised as it feels the country misses out on financial facilities available to low-middle and low income economies.

Namibias GNI per capita is US$5,931.45.

Namibias government contends that the criteria used by the World Bank to elevate the country to upper middle-income status did not reflect the reality on the ground.

Namibia's classification as an upper-middle-income country has made it difficult for the country to access loans at favourable rates, and has hampered development efforts, President Hage Geingob has said.

Despite the headwinds brought by COVID-19, which has led to a slump in economic output and massive job losses, South Africa remains classified as an upper middle-income economy with GNI per capita of US$6,374.03.

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Ray of light for region's economies - The Southern Times

Ras Al Khaimah has been internationally recognized for their COVID-19 recovery strategy and is now re-open for U.S. tourists – Travel Daily News…

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RAS AL KHAIMAH, UAE - Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) confirmed that the city has been certified as a safe destination by Bureau Veritas, the global leader in testing, inspection and certification services, as it completes its Safeguard Assurance program. It is first city in the world to receive both the Bureau Veritas Safeguard Assurance Label and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp which recognize the heightened safety standards, training and hygiene protocols in place across the Emirate.

Through a strategic partnership with Bureau Veritas, the Authority has led the way in implementing stringent health, safety and hygiene measures across all Ras Al Khaimah hotels to mitigate any possible risks for employees and guests and providing complete confidence in the destination. Through an ongoing series of independent audits of all its hotels in the Emirate, the partnership was designed to further validate the measures and processes already in place, and takes RAKTDAs Stay Safe Hotel Certification Program to the next level. In addition, the close to 50,000 sqft Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Center is following the detailed protocols developed by Bureau Veritas global health, safety and hygiene specialists and will become the first certified MICE (meeting, incentive, convention & event) facility in the region.

Adding to the global validation, Ras Al Khaimah is the first Emirate in UAE to receive the World Travel and Tourism Councils (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp, the worlds first ever global safety and hygiene stamp for the travel and tourism industry, designed specifically to address COVID-19 and similar outbreaks. The protocols were developed in collaboration with WTTC members (including RAKTDA), leading industry associations and international organizations and covers operational and staff preparedness, ensuring a safe experience, re-building trust and confidence and implementing enabling policies. They also follow the current guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and will continue to be updated as new information about COVID-19 becomes available.

Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, comments, As travel starts to resume, our role as a tourism development authority is to ensure that robust measures are in place to protect the health and safety of our visitors and provide the peace of mind they need for a truly well-deserved holiday. We are immensely proud to be the first destination in the world to be certified as safe by Bureau Veritas and receive the WTTC safe travels stamp and believe it will go a long way to restore confidence and bring tourists back to Ras Al Khaimah. It also validates the huge efforts of our hospitality partners who are focused on delivering the highest global safety standards, today and every day, as we navigate this new normal for the industry.

He added: WTTC is a very important partner for RAKTDA and one we wholeheartedly support in its efforts to restart and speed up the recovery of the sector in the wake of COVID-19. The WTTC Safe Travels Stamp is an important vehicle to demonstrate alignment with essential safety protocols of the highest level and we are delighted that we can reassure visitors that Ras Al Khaimah meets these global standards.

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Ras Al Khaimah has been internationally recognized for their COVID-19 recovery strategy and is now re-open for U.S. tourists - Travel Daily News...

A High-Tech Array of Travel Tools: Smart Health Cards,Temperature-Reading Glasses and More – The New York Times

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Tour guides, too, are going artificial. Alex Bainbridge was at work on an interactive tour guide to embed in a driverless car when the pandemic hit. The chief executive of Autoura, which creates and delivers vehicle-based sightseeing experiences, knew that while robotaxis and autonomous vehicles are in the works, theyre not ready for the market yet. But with just a bit of work, his guide, SAHRA (Sightseeing Autonomous Hospitality Robot by Autoura), could be.

Powered by an app, SAHRA speaks 17 languages and asks her clients a number of questions before creating a location-guided tour itinerary. Although she currently only offers food tours, in a handful of cities, including New York, London and Seville; Mr. Bainbridge says a wider range of experiences and options for 25 cities are being developed.

Updated July 23, 2020

While traditional city tours involve packed hop-on, hop-off buses or a single guide shepherding a large group of strangers from location to location, SAHRAs tours are physically distanced and tailored to individuals or families. They are designed to be carried out on bicycles, electric scooters or in private cars. SAHRA is part chatbot, part interactive map, and the plan is to eventually embed the tours in autonomous vehicles, which Mr. Bainbridge predicts will be commonplace in the travel market by 2025.

The move toward A.I.-enhanced travel experiences, Mr. Bainbridge said, is an egalitarian one.

In the future, the definition of luxury will be having a human tour guide, he said. Were not trying to recreate the human, were not even providing the same product that humans provide. Its a different experience, at a completely different price tag, and were not disrupting the industry as much as transitioning the industry using technology that already exists.

Yet researchers and sociologists say that as more such services enter the market, they have the potential to amplify divisions in society. The Pangea Pass Card costs about $140. Rokids temperature-reading glasses, about $7,000. Many people will not be able to take advantage of these tools, said Deborah Raji, a technology fellow at the AI Now Institute at New York University.

Theres an inherent exclusion by giving some people the power to access these tools over others, she said.

And then theres privacy. Pass cards that contain sensitive health data, and glasses that reveal health information are powered by potent technology, and there is the danger that the technology could fall into the wrong hands.

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A High-Tech Array of Travel Tools: Smart Health Cards,Temperature-Reading Glasses and More - The New York Times