Global Polyethylene Terephthalate Resins (PET Resins) Market 2020 Applications, SWOT Analysis, Remarkable Growth and Competitive Landscape by 2025 -…

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A recently announced report titled Global Polyethylene Terephthalate Resins (PET Resins) Market 2020 by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2025 by MarketandResearch.biz aims to deliver a detailed investigation of all necessary data related to the global market. The report is specialized in-depth industry research detailing historical and current trends of the global Polyethylene Terephthalate Resins (PET Resins) market. These trends are anticipated for the market during the forecast period from 2020 to 2025. The report estimates the performance of the key players along with their new product launches. The report covers definitive information about the market including vertical, market size, and revenue estimation.

Further, all the information regarding global Polyethylene Terephthalate Resins (PET Resins) market competitors, growth rate, revenue ups and downs, regional players, industrial players, and applications has been mentioned in the report. The study focuses on trends, market share, opportunities, and forecast market in terms of product types, by applications and major influencers. The report also studies factors such as estimation of gross margin, sales volume, profitability, pricing structure, product value, cost structure, revenue, and growth rate. The report builds up a far-reaching, verifiable, every year refreshed and financially perceptive data dependent on execution, capacities, and objectives.

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Market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and each manufacturer including Fujikura Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), Agfa-Gevaert N.V. (Belgium), Creative Materials Inc, Inktec Corporation (Korea), Vorbeck Materials Corporation, Advanced Nano Products Co. Ltd. (Korea), Applied Nanotech Holdings Inc. (Texas, U.S.), Conductive Compounds Inc, Novacentrix, Agic Inc. (Tokyo, Japan), Daicel Corporation (Tokyo, Japan), Ppg Industries Inc. (Pennsylvania, U.S.), Bando Chemical Industries, Ltd. (Japan), Methode Electronics, Inc. (Illinois, U.S.), Colloidal Ink Co., Ltd. (Japan), Cartesian Co. (New York), Promethean Particles Ltd. (Nottingham, U.S.), Parker Chomerics (Massachusetts, U.S.), Cima Nanotech Inc. (Oakdale, U.S.)

Geographical Analysis:

The report further looks at the market potential for each geographical region considering macroeconomic parameters, consumer buying patterns and demand, and supply. Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions: North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, etc.), Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa).

Applications described in the market: Bathroom Supplies, Cosmetics Labels, Electrical Label, Other

Product type covered in the market: Fiber Grade, Film Grade, Bottle Grade

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What Will You Discover From The Global Polyethylene Terephthalate Resins (PET Resins) Market Report?

Additionally, the report contemplates the assembling cost structure and presents the different subtleties, for example, crude material, and the business chain structure. The overall report has investigated the principals, players in the global Polyethylene Terephthalate Resins (PET Resins) market, geological regions, product type, and market end-client applications. Moreover, the author of the report focuses on predicting production and production value, forecasting the main producers, and predicting production and production value by production type.

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Global Polyethylene Terephthalate Resins (PET Resins) Market 2020 Applications, SWOT Analysis, Remarkable Growth and Competitive Landscape by 2025 -...

Cabinet Business – Wednesday 15th July 2020 – News – Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

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15 July 2020 | Cabinet Business

President Danny Faure chaired a scheduled meeting of the Cabinet today, Wednesday 15thJuly at which a number of legal and policy memoranda were considered.

Cabinet approved the National Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Strategy.

Cabinet approved amendment to Section 29A of the Central Bank of Seychelles Act 2004.

Cabinet also approved temporary measures for Licensees under the Seychelles Gambling Act due to COVID-19 Pandemic.

Cabinet approved for the signing of Memorandum of Agreement between the Government of Seychelles and Chainvine Ltd on the Seychelles National Asset Management System (SNAMS).

Cabinet approved the Export of Fishery Products (Designated Landing Site) Order 2020.

Cabinet also approved the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), draft initial offer for Seychelles under the Protocol for Trade in Services.

Cabinet approved the Proceeds of Crime (Civil Confiscation) Amendment Bill 2020.

Cabinet approved the Constitution of the Republic of Seychelles (Tenth Amendment) Bill, 2020.

Cabinet also approved the policy on agricultural production.

Cabinet approved proposal to extend Government support to Registered Commercial Livestock producers.

Cabinet approved for the Ministry of Finance, Trade, Investment and Economic Planning to be added as an approval authority for the import permit for the importation of motor vehicles.

Cabinet also approved the setting up of a Culture and Education Advisory Committee.

Cabinet was briefed on the status of the COVID -19 pandemic locally and globally. Cabinet was also updated on progress made on implementation of the National Framework for Integrated Management of the reopening of Seychelles.

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Cabinet Business - Wednesday 15th July 2020 - News - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

The Upside and Downside of Religion, Spirituality, and Health – Psychiatric Times

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COVER STORY

The Bible tells us to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover and will continue to do that without the fear of the spread of any virus. Pastor Tony Spell, Life Tabernacle Church, Baton Rouge, LA1

Can prayer on behalf of those with serious illness be of benefit to a cohort of anonymous recipients? We recently became aware of a randomized, controlled study aimed at answering precisely this question for a population of patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit.2 Whatever ones religious or spiritual beliefsor lack thereofthis study raises profound questions and concerns for psychiatrists. For example, what is the effect on patients and their families if their prayers for ailing loved ones are not answered? What is the potential for religious and spiritual interventions to relieveor to exacerbatethe stress of the COVID-19 pandemic? In this article, we explore the double-edged sword of religious and spiritual responses to the pandemic.

The upside of religion and spirituality during the pandemic

A recent survey sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association highlighted the adverse psychological effects of the current pandemic and the prominent place of religious faith in addressing these effects.3 The survey results indicate that nearly half of Americans (48%) are anxious about the possibility of contracting coronavirus; about 40% are anxious about becoming seriously ill or dying from coronavirus; and even more Americans (62%) are anxious about the possibility of family and loved ones getting coronavirus. The APA survey is cited in a new Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) resource for faith-based leaders assisting their communities to manage the challenges COVID-19 presents to their faith and lives. Importantly for our topic, DHHS cites research that one in four people who seek help for mental health concerns turn to faith leaders before they seek help from clinical professionals.4

Indeed, there is a long philosophical and historical relationship between religion, spirituality, and healing, as well as a modern body of solid empirical evidence showing the beneficial effects that traditional religion and more contemporary spirituality have on physical and mental health.5 Although there is valid criticism of the methodological limits of some studiesincluding, for example, the difficulty in establishing causalitymost health care practitioners, including mental health professionals, have seen these benefits for many patients under their care.

For example, a rigorous 16-year follow-up study showed that women (N = 74,534) who attended religious services more than once per week experienced 33% lower all-cause mortality, including cancer and heart disease, compared with women who had never attended religious services.6 Li and colleagues noted that, There may be many pathways from attendance at religious services to health and that effects on depressive symptoms, smoking, social support, and optimism were potentially important mediators. No single mediator explained more than about 25% of the effect.

Even more pertinent to psychiatry findings from a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggest that persons who endorsed religion and spirituality as being of high importance in their lives had only one-tenth the risk for depression (especially recurrent depression), compared with those for whom religion was of less or no importanceno matter the nature of the religious or spiritual beliefs.7 This association held true even more strongly if an individual had a depressed parent.

We might just say, all well and good: religion and spirituality, through 1 or more mechanisms, can have a positive impact on heart disease and depression. But how could religious belief and spiritual practice be helpful in the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic when we do not even have a vaccine? Intuitively, it might seem more likely that, in the context of such a devastating plague, certain religious beliefs would only worsen fear and despairperhaps conjuring up images of apocalyptic plagues and divine punishment for sin, or leading people to feel that God had abandoned them and then to reject religion and spirituality completely.

Although scientific research on this issue is not yet available, news stories and public opinion polls suggest that the picture is actually more ambiguous, and that there is both an up- and a downside to religion and spirituality in COVID-19, as we will discuss in the remainder of this article.

Many mainstream churches, synagogues, mosques, and templesfaced almost overnight with the need to promote public health restrictions and cancel the services that are the heart of much communal worshipdeveloped an online presence that reduced isolation and offered solidarity in prayer, medication, and religious reading.8

Moreover, a recent Gallup Pollagain belying the scenario that COVID-19 will lead to a loss of faith or negative expressions of religiosityhas found that the COVID-19 crisis has enhanced spirituality and religion for many Americans. During the period when the pandemic was rapidly spreading to many parts of the US (March 28-April 1), 19% of those interviewed felt their faith or spirituality had gotten better during the crisis. Commenting on this finding, Gallup senior scientist Frank Newport, PhD,9 observed that One of the traditional roles of religious individuals and religious entities has been to serve a positive, integrative, pro-social, charitable function in crisis situations.

The downside of religion and spirituality

In our view, the best available evidence points to a predominantly positive effect of spirituality/religion on mental health and coping, especially during times of crisis. However, as Mosqueiro and colleagues10 observe, there is also a downside to this relationship . . . [as] religion can be a major source of stress for many people.

Thus, Rosmarin, Malloy, and Forester11 have described what they call a spiritual struggle in some individuals, defined as any dysfunctional religious or spiritual belief that is capable of generating or exacerbating suffering. This is also called negative religious coping and may include religious guilt, the belief that God is malicious, and the fear of [divine] retribution.11

In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, clinicians may need to consider the following questions: What happens to religiously oriented people when things go badly, despite their faith and prayer, when for example, a loved one dies of COVID-19 despite the prayers and faith in God of family members? Might the family think that they did not pray hard enough or were not cheerful and positive enough? Or that their loved one was somehow unworthy of being saved? Consider how people of faithespecially someone with a psychiatric disorder, such as major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or posttraumatic stress disorderwould feel if a priest, rabbi, or other religious leader assured them that if they attend a large religious gathering, God will protect them from COVID-19; and later, the individual becomes ill and learns that other members of the congregationincluding, the leader himselfhave died of COVID-19. This is exactly what befell a respected Virginia pastor who had promised his congregation that God is larger than this dreaded virus.12 Not only may the members of that congregation experience an exacerbation of their underlying mental health condition, they may also lose trust in the very community and beliefs that were providing support and purpose.

We are not aware of any systematic research that has examined these questions with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still at a relatively early stage. However, studying these issues may have important implications for psychiatry and mental health treatment. For example, Rosmarin and colleagues11 found that spiritual struggle (negative religious coping) was a strong predictor of greater symptoms of both depression and mania and appears to be a common and important risk factor for depressive symptoms. However, religious affiliation, belief in God, and frequency of religious service attendance were all unrelated to affective symptoms. These findings suggest that it is not religious belief or religiously oriented behavior per se that negatively affects mood; but rather, the dimension of spiritual struggle and its accompanying cognitions (eg, God must be punishing me, I must be unworthy of being saved).

Negative religious coping may be more common among faiths and congregations that encourage the belief that people can will themselves into remission from some disease through prayerand that continued disease is a sure sign that the person has failed in some respect. Thus, Christina Puchalski, MD, MS, FACP, FAAHPM, Director of the George Washington University Institute for Spirituality and Health, reports Ive had very religious patients who told me that my church group said I didnt pray hard enough, because otherwise my diabetes would have been cured.13

We wonder how such a self-blaming belief may be playing out in very religious patients who are suffering prolonged and severe bouts of COVID-19but again, we are not aware of research in this area, at this stage of the pandemic. Nevertheless, we note with concern CNN reporter Miguel Marquezs observation at a recent protest against restrictions imposed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.14 Marquez caught sight of a truck that bore the message, Jesus is my vaccine.14 As clinicians, we wonder what happens to people of strong religious faith when the Jesus vaccine does not work for them or their families.

Psychiatry and religious faith

Healthy religious and spiritual expression has almost always offered solace in disaster, consolation in bereavement, hope in sickness, and peace in death, for millions of human beings over the millennia. These are powerful reasons why, despite Freuds prediction in Civilization and Its Discontents nearly 100 years ago, that religion was a mass delusion that reason would soon banishreligious and spiritual expression has retained its vital significance in human life. Until quite recently, Freuds view captured the ambivalent, if not frankly adversarial, relationship psychiatry has had, historically, with religious belief. In our view, such animus is not in the best interest of our religiously oriented patients. Fortunately, as Professor of Medical Humanities, Farr Curlin, MD,15 has noted, This historical antagonism appears to be waning.

We believe that mental health and religious professionals must work together to help persons of faith toward an authentic understanding of spiritual practice and religious devotion. Furthermore, we believe that certain religiously based misconceptions can actually work against the interests of the patient. For example, a purely instrumental view of prayer can inhibit what we would call the experience of relational openness to God. In this regard, Daniel Sulmasy, MD, PhD,16 a former Franciscan monk and philosopher physician, has pointed to the danger of trying to control or manipulate Gods power, even for a good purpose, such as healing . . . . Dr Sulmasy specifically relates this to the matter we raised at the beginning of this articlethat of the unanswered prayer. He writes:

One approach to these mysteriesespecially in some Asian religions and in existential psychotherapyis to shift the focus of prayer from the narrowness of ones ego to a wider vision of the self that encompasses empathy for the suffering of others. Religious leaders have urged the faithful to see the immense human anguish and economic dislocation the pandemic has wrought as an invitation to spiritual transformation. Thus, the Abbott of Wat Pasukatoa Buddhist monastery in Thailand, the Venerable Phra Paisal Visalo,17 offers this sage advice, regarding the COVID-19 pandemic:

Conclusion

Like any intervention with the power to effect emotional change, religious and spiritual approaches to serious illness have risks and benefits. As psychiatrists, we need to understand both the positive and negative interactions of religion and spirituality with the particular patients physical and emotional needsand this will likely differ considerably from patient to patient. We can address maladaptive responses stemming from religious guilt and fear, while supporting beliefs and practices that foster hope and resilience. Finally, we believe that psychiatry can play a useful role in re-framing the distressing aspects of the current pandemic in the altruistic and prosocial terms so eloquently expressed by Phra Paisal Visalo.

Dr Pies is Professor, Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY and Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA; he is Editor in Chief Emeritus of Psychiatric Times (2007 to 2010). Dr Geppert is Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine, and Director of Ethics Education, University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque, NM; she is also Health Care Ethicist, Ethics Consultation Service, VA National Center for Ethics in Health Care. She is also an Editorial Board Member of Psychiatric Times and serves as the Ethics Chair.

References

1. Kaur H. 4 reasons why the rush to reopen churches goes beyond politics. May 24, 2020. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/24/us/churches-reopening-state-orders-trnd/index.html

2. Gjelten T. Clinical Study Considers the Power of Prayer to Combat COVID-19. NPR. May 1, 2020.

3. American Psychiatric Association. New Poll: COVID-19 Impacting Mental Well-Being: Americans Feeling Anxious, Especially for Loved Older Adults are Less Anxious [press release]. Washington DC; March 25 2020.

4. Wang PS, Berglund PA, Kessler RC. Patterns and correlates of contacting clergy for mental disorders in the United States. Health Serv Res. 2003;38:647-673.

5. Koenig HG. Religion, spirituality, and health: the research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry. 2012;2012:278730.

6. Li S, Stampfer MJ, Williams DR, VanderWeele TJ. Association of religious service attendance with mortality among women. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176:777-785.

7. Miller L, Wickramaratne P, Gameroff MJ, et al. Religiosity and major depression in adults at high risk: a 10-year prospective study. Am J Psychiatry. 2012;169:89-94.

8. Amy J, Schor E, Lavoie D. Worshippers go online, those at services keep at distance. Associated Press. March 15, 2020, 2020.

9. Newport F. The Religion Paradox. Polling Matters. May 8, 2020. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/310397/religion-paradox.aspx

10. Mosqueiro BP, de Rezende Pinto A, Moreira-Almeida A. Spirituality, religion and mood disorders. In: Rosmarin DH, Koenig HG, eds. Handbook of Spirituality, Religion and Mental Health. London: Academic Press; 2020:1-19.

11. Rosmarin DH, Malloy MC, Forester BP. Spiritual struggle and affective symptoms among geriatric mood disordered patients. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2014;29:653-660.

12. NBS News, Bishop who preached God is larger than this dreaded virus dies of COVID-19. April 14, 2020.

13. Shomon MJ. Living Will With Hypothyroidism, revised ed. New York, NY: HarperCollins; 2005.

14. Marquez M. Jesus is my vaccine is one of the more colorful messages. https://twitter.com/miguelmarquez/status/1252262768591491072?lang=en

15. University of Chicago Medical Center. Psychiatrists: Least Religious but Most Interested in Patients Religion. Science News. December 11, 2007.

16. Sulmasy DP. The Rebirth of the Clinic: And Introduction to Spirituality in Health Care. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press; 2006.

17. Lewis C. Senior Thai Monk Offers a Buddhist Perspective on Dealing with COVID-19. Buddhistdoor. March 25, 2020.

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The Upside and Downside of Religion, Spirituality, and Health - Psychiatric Times

Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler Galleries Host Conversations on Religion and Spirituality in Museums – Hyperallergic

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Join the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonians National Museum of Asian Art, for a series of three timely and wide-ranging online conversations about religion and spirituality in the museum. Featured speakers include Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, Krista Tippett of the On Being podcast, American Zen priestess Reverend angel Kyodo williams, Chase F. Robinson, director of the Freer and Sackler, and many more.

Wednesday, July 22, 6pm EDTAmerican Zen priestess angel Kyodo williams, art historian Yukio Lippit of Harvard University, and museum curator Frank Feltens will discuss Buddhism, spirituality, and engagement with the world.

Wednesday, July 29, 6pm EDTSmithsonian leaders and broadcaster Krista Tippett explore how the role of museums has shifted and how we can plan for our post-Covid existence.

Wednesday, August 5, 6pm EDTLeading scholars of religion and sociology conduct a thought-provoking discussion about the changing role of spirituality in our country today.

***

Interested? Registration is now open!

Visit asia.si.edu to learn more about each event in the series and the featured panelists. Contact [emailprotected] with questions.

This series of events is made possible by the Lilly Foundation Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.

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Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries Host Conversations on Religion and Spirituality in Museums - Hyperallergic

Practicing Spirituality should be the New Normal in post-COVID times – Thrive Global

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COVID-19 type pandemics happen when our immunity is compromised. Immunity is reduced by unsustainable and stressful lifestyle. This article is an attempt to show how both sustainable lifestyle and less stress can be achieved through spirituality. And in future if the mankind needs to avoid repetition of such pandemics then we need to practice spirituality regularly and sincerely.

Practice of spirituality has always been preached by enlightened souls and gurus but COVID pandemic has made us evaluate our life priorities and possibly look for solutions. Focus on spirituality is a part of it.

When COVID-19 lockdown took place in March 2020 it somehow did not impact me and my family since our lives have been mostly based upon thinking, writing, contemplating and working on our research endeavors. I and my wife live in a fairly sustainable way in rural Maharashtra.

However for most people who are very much extroverts, gregarious and fun-loving the lockdown was harsh. They could not socialize, shop, travel or meet friends. Most of these activities take up large amount of resources, energy, and time and sometimes are unsustainable.

In a way forced lockdown has taught us some lessons and have shown a way to travel less, do less binge shopping and use more technology effectively for communication and commerce.

Thus all the Zoom and other platforms for meetings and working from home have reduced travel time, energy and stress. This is a first and a right step towards sustainability.

Forced lockdown has also helped some of us give more time to ourselves and to our family, which in the hustle bustle of daily life was missing from our routine. It helps in reducing stress and brings in happiness. These positive things should become a regular feature in our daily life.

The lockdown has also helped the environment tremendously. Clean air in cities, less noise, clean water in rivers and lakes have been unintended benefits of lockdown. These benefits teach us a great lesson that if we reduce our wasteful energy usage in unnecessary travel, binge shopping, etc. then we can have a less stressful and sustainable lifestyle. Basically pandemic has forced us to reduce our greed and possibly altered our lifestyle. Practice of such a lifestyle can be further helped by practicing spirituality.

Spirituality is concerned with the matters of spirit. When we think deeply and for a long time about anything whether it is an idea or an object then the brain has a tendency of focusing on it like a laser and in that process the object vanishes from the vision field and only its germ or the spirit remains. Then complete knowledge of that idea or object results and is called Sanyam by Patanjali. This is the mechanism by which all great discoveries are made. It is this deep thinking on anything which makes us spiritual and gives us a sense of peace and happiness.

Happiness is a state of mind. We feel happy and enjoy life through our senses and the mind. Brain processes the information received from the senses and our level of happiness is dictated by its processing power. A powerful brain (the processor) which produces deep thought can therefore extract more information from the sensory signals and can give us more happiness since the mind gets satisfied easily. Besides it can look at a greater number of eventualities and hence can resolve the issues amicably. Resolving of issues helps in reduction of psychological knots and hence produces contentment and happiness.

A smaller processor obviously needs many more inputs to reach the same enjoyment or satisfaction level. Thus weaker brains need more resources to occupy them and this leads to greed and unsustainable lifestyle. Therefore one of the prerequisites to having a sustainable lifestyle is development of a powerful and smart brain. Such a brain allows us to think deeply or concentrate during which we can get lost in processing that information and it also takes our mind away from our insecurities, helps us resolve conflicts and hence gives us a feeling of calmness and well-being.

A powerful brain or a processor also changes the priorities in life and helps in focusing on getting personal happiness through mental peace rather than on material needs. Also the desire to show off gets reduced. This leads to being satisfied with whatever one has and is a major step towards sustainability.

Spirituality also helps us to have a compassionate view of nature and as we evolve spiritually we become more tuned to it which helps us in preserving it. Besides it helps us live in harmony with each other and enables everybody to work together for the common good. This is the genesis of non-violence and sustainability.

One of the easier mechanisms for practicing spirituality is by believing that things will be alright or have tremendous faith in ourselves. This feeling helps take a huge burden off from our head. In Indian philosophical system it is called Bhakti Yoga which means having faith in a higher entity which will take care of you. I am not sure if there is an angel or higher entity that looks after you but this feeling allows the brain to be free of fear and to focus on issues at hand. This helps the brain get sharpened and we can think clearly and cooly. All great people are basically fearless since they either have faith in themselves or in some higher entity.

This feeling of faith however can only result when we are secure and that security comes by developing a powerful processor ! If we have doubts then this feeling will not come because we will always keep on thinking about failure and fear of losing out. Faith provides a great pillar of psychological support to ego sense.

Faith also releases us from the planning syndrome since it gives us a feeling that whatever we do will be for the good of ourselves and the society.

When we plan then the implicit bottom line in the process is to maximize our gains and harness resources. This leads to greed because the basic impulse is accumulation whether of wealth or resources. Nature never does any planning. It evolves by coming in equilibrium with its surroundings and as the environment changes it adopts and evolves accordingly. In our scheme of things we should adopt this strategy. Faith helps us follow this strategy.

If all of us work for our basic needs and not for our greed then we can also reduce the stress. Accumulation of resources because of greed also leads to accumulation of stress. Reduction in greed and stress will lead to sustainable living and happiness.

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Practicing Spirituality should be the New Normal in post-COVID times - Thrive Global

‘Telechaplaincy’ is Effective and Can Lead to Meaningful Spiritual Conversations – Jewish Journal

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In this era of physical distancing, one of the most urgent questions we all face is how to remain or become connected to others. Whether we tap newer platforms such as Zoom or FaceTime, or use the good old telephone, many of us worry these forms of connection still are too detached and cant replace coming together in person.

This is why an intriguing and timely study published this month in the Journal of Supportive Care in Cancer surprised me. In this unique study, titled Feasibility and acceptability of a telephone-based chaplaincy intervention in a large, outpatient oncology center, researchers examined the use of the telephone in chaplaincy. They found that patients reported very high satisfaction with spiritual and emotional support by phone. More than 90% of surveyed participants were very satisfied with a chaplains ability to listen to them and to make them feel comfortable on the phone. They expressed high satisfaction with the ability to pray, tap into their inner strengths and resources, and overcome their fears and concerns with the chaplain on the phone. In fact, many of the respondents reported preferring the anonymity of the phone over in-person support.

I frequently have been surprised that meaningful connections can be created by phone, and that patients and families have expressed tremendous appreciation.

In Jewish law, there is a longstanding debate regarding whether one fulfills the mitzvah of bikur holim (commandment to visit the sick) over the phone. Most rabbis who write about this question have concluded that visiting the sick by phone does fulfill the mitzvah, but not in its full and ideal sense, because one may not be moved to pray with the same intensity for a patient they have not seen in person, and because they cannot offer the same type of physical assistance by phone. While some of that concern may be mitigated by Zoom or FaceTime, this study is an important reminder that even when we cant provide support in person, making a phone call can be an excellent alternative that should not be quickly dismissed.

Our chaplains at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have continued to see patients in person throughout this pandemic, believing we need to be right there alongside patients and staff who need us during times of uncertainty and confusion. However, some of our chaplains are unable to be in the hospital during this time, and some patients are not allowed to have any visitors, so we also utilize tele-chaplaincy in some instances. It took some practice and getting used to, but we consistently have been surprised at the depth and profundity of many of these calls, and the ability to forge meaningful connections over computer or phone.

When there have been patients whose rooms I could not enter during these past few months, I also had to rely on phone calls. While the phone rang, I found myself getting nervous, an emotion I generally dont feel when knocking on a patients door in person. When the patient answers the phone, I have to be very careful not to make him or her afraid because the chaplain is calling. After we begin to speak, I have to be extremely sensitive to exactly what the patient is saying and even the tone of voice because I cant rely on facial expressions and nonverbal clues that usually are crucial aspects of communication. But even with all of that, I frequently have been surprised that meaningful connections can be created by phone, and that patients and families have expressed tremendous appreciation, just as the journals study found.

It is not only true in hospital chaplaincy, but in all of our lives. I am afraid that because we cannot be in physical proximity to most people in our community right now, many of us simply feel there is no way to truly connect for the time being. It is indeed a frustrating and difficult time, but it is a time when we need supportive connection more than ever. Even if it is not ideal, it is worthwhile to pick up the phone and call the people in our lives. The likelihood is that they will benefit from it, and may appreciate it now more than ever.

Rabbi Jason Weinerisseniorrabbi and director of spiritual care at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

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'Telechaplaincy' is Effective and Can Lead to Meaningful Spiritual Conversations - Jewish Journal

The Cafe of Eternal Youth Is the Spiritual Way Station in Night Shops New Single – American Songwriter

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Like a McDonalds or a Walgreens, cafs are ubiquitous in basically every concrete jungle. Aside from serving up that needed jolt of java, cafs also serve as social settings for bohemian youth looking for a momentary escape from the bustle of the city. It often catered to creative types and musicians, just looking for inspiration.

For Night Shops Justin Sullivan, the coffee shop at the center of his new song The Caf of Eternal Youth is a place of reflection to muse about his dead end job as a barista while imagining himself half dead on a mountaintop and all I saw were stars.

This is a song about youth and growing up in a music scene that was really exciting, but realizing that it was never about the bands or even the sound, he says. It was about ideas and creating and connecting with other people and how that feeling still fuels me. This idea of a caf as a centerpoint or a spiritual way station in between destinations is something he contemplates.

Hoping to be a storyteller like Jonathan Richman or a less cynical Tom Waits, Sullivan planned for this song to thematically connect this song to his earlier material or at least, that was his original intention. To be honest, it was borne out of something I loved about the early Ramones records, where each successive record feels like part of an overall unit with only slight changes in the songwriting, he explains. I always liked that idea, and so when this song felt really similar to a particular song on my first record, I thought, Alright, its like Ive begun writing my Leave Home.

While it seemed like a really awesome concept to piece together, building that framework didnt quite pan out the way he had hoped. Of course, as with many grand concepts for records, this perspective was quickly abandoned in subsequent songs as I decided to just let the natural flow of writing have its way, he laughs. Still this one remained as a bridge from the last record to what came next.

Abandoning that plan to construct that overarching storyline, he opted to create a much smaller microcosm a two-song yarn with the recently released Hello Take Me Anywhere being Part 1 to his Part 2 of The Cafe of Eternal Youth.

I wanted to pair these two songs as part of a single because I think they both work upon a similar theme of being in love with movement and traversing the landscape, he replies, revealing the silver thread that connects the two. And, of course, they both reference cafes as a sort of spiritual way station that I look for in every new city. They are both very much about the romance I have with finding the places in cities that serve as a hub of new ideas and where you can feel the bubbling possibility of what might come next. And, of course, these songs are also infused with romantic feelings for the same person, so it felt only natural to put these two paeans of longing and possibility together.

Like the metaphorical caf as spiritual hub, The Caf of Eternal Youth also served as a collaborative intersection that connected his musician friends. My favorite thing about this song is the contributions that my friends made to it, he confesses. Meg Duffy of Hand Habits is one of the great guitar players of our time, but as I learned serving as a rhythm section with them during some early Kevin Morby tours, they are also one of my favorite bass players in the world. Similarly, Will Ivy (my bandmate in Flat Worms) offers his signature, melodic guitar leads which really make the song come alive and of course, the great Anna St. Louis vocals at the end bring the song home better than I ever could have.

Returning to the image of the caf as an escape from city congestion, he weighs it against the great outdoors. Being among people is where I find the same peace that Ive heard people talk about being alone in nature, he answers, ultimately choosing a caf over a campground. Give me the boulevard any day.

St. Elmo Village. T-shirt can be found here.

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The Cafe of Eternal Youth Is the Spiritual Way Station in Night Shops New Single - American Songwriter

Churches Keep Country’s Spiritual Health Alive And Well, Says PM Harris – ZIZOnline

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BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, July 20, 2020 (PLP PR Media Inc.) St. Kitts and Nevis prides itself as a Nation Under, a fact that was declared publicly way back in 1983 in the Constitution, and Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris is complimenting the church for the role it plays in keeping the spiritual health of the country alive and well.

Prime Minister Harris who is the National Political Leader of the Peoples Labour Party (PLP) and Area Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher Seven made the remarks on Sunday July 19 at the House of Deliverance New Testament Church of God on Main Street in Tabernacle Village where he had joined the Leadership and membership of the church for worship.

I want to on behalf of all of us, those who are visiting today, to say a very special thank you to Pastor Octavia Charles-Warner for allowing us the opportunity each time we desire to come and to worship, said Dr Harris. Certainly each time we come, we leave better for having come and we want to thank the church for keeping the spiritual health of the country alive and well.

The Honourable Prime Minister was accompanied by Deputy Speaker Senator the Hon Dr Bernicia Nisbett, Peoples Labour Party Women Arm Representative Mrs Sonia Henry and members of Constituency Number Seven Group. Also present were officials of PLP Constituency Number Five Branch Executive, Mr Glenville Mills (Chairman), Ms Marsha Lewis (Vice Chairperson), and Ms Janice Lewis (Women Representative).

I want to thank the church for playing this powerful role, reminding us when you would have forgotten that God is still a good God, and God is still the powerful God and our God is enough, observed Dr Harris.

He told the congregation: It is not the house that is enough it is our God that is enough. It is not the perfect job that is enough it is our God that is enough, because the job brings its challenges and its troubles and its worries and its covetousness, and so you know you cant make it about the job, even though you are thankful that you have a job.

Prime Minister Harris hailed the talent of two singers, Ms Availyn Lybert and Ms Shinelle Willett, who performed in church. He called them back on the stage where he praised them for their selections and requested an encore from each of them for the congregation to hear their wonderful singing again.

This morning I was pleasantly surprised to hear two of our constituents come and do two wonderful selections, he said of Ms Shinelle Willett, and Ms Availyn Lybert. All of them did some very lovely selections, and Shinelle reminds us in her song that God is so love and that He is giving us so much love would you believe it? We want to thank her for reminding us that we have a reason to be thankful.

Ms Availyn Lybert who is from Christchurch was described by Prime Minister Harris as having a real sweet voice and we want to encourage her to music, I think she is one of our teachers.

The encouragement by the Prime Minister fits in well with the wider Team Unity Administrations commitment to harness the massive untapped talent the countrys young people possess. This was actualised with the creation of the new Ministry of Entertainment, Entrepreneurship and Talent Development, which is headed by the Hon Akilah Byron-Nisbett.

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From the Pulpit…Milking it – ECB Publishing

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I received some words of wisdom about milking cows this week. I chewed on that cud of information a bit and began to realize certain things about milking a cow could be applied to my spiritual life.

Once you start milking your cow, she will have to be milked every day or she can dry up. If I don't do Bible study on a regular basis, I can begin to dry up. Furthermore, if I don't do Bible study on a regular basis, it makes me dependent on someone else's cow and milk. There is something very satisfying about milk I have worked for, sweated over, and delivered to my table and am able to share with family and friends.

Finally, with hands-on milking, I get to know the cow really well! Theres a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. Its important to have a hands-on personal relationship with our Creator who gives us the spiritual milk of life.

Along with spiritual milk, God has also blessed us with the gift of earthly milk. I have to admit there are times when I really enjoy this earthly blessing. For me, its hard to beat having a nice ice-cold glass of milk with a warm brownie or chocolate chip cookie right of the oven.

I was pandemic baking this last week when the desire arose to follow the warm cookie I had in my mouth with a refreshing glass of milk. I reached in the refrigerator, took out the milk, and because Im married, poured the milk into a glass rather than drinking straight from the jug. Taking a big sip, the cookie experience and all the good that went along with it was ruined. The milk had turned.

Theres a price to be paid for keeping milk bottled up a long time without checking it. Sweet milk turns sour if left bottled up too long or not kept cool. If you think about it, sweet dispositions can turn sour for the same reason.

In these current times where we find ourselves having to stay bottled up inside longer than normal; if we let frustrations or aggravations or irritations simmer too long, we can stew ourselves into a bad attitude. Just as sour milk can ruin something good, so can sour attitudes.

Satan knows that. Satan uses that. The adversary wont turn you against the church; he will turn you toward yourself in the church. He wont take you away from your good works; with your sour attitude he will spoil the gift you are offering and take away your joy in doing it.

There is a life-lesson here for us to embrace. To keep an attitude from souring, treat it like you would a cup of milk: Keep it cool and dont just keep it bottled up somewhere. Check it regularly to make sure its still good.

Pleasant words (and attitudes) are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24 KJV)

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From the Pulpit...Milking it - ECB Publishing

Spiritually Speaking: Wear the mask and keep your distance – Wicked Local Sharon

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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: Silver linings from a dark cloud of a year – Wicked Local Pembroke

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Was I deceived? or did a sable cloud

Turn forth her silver lining on the night?

I did not err, there does a sable cloud,

Turn out her silver lining on the night

And casts a gleam over this tufted grove.

- John Milton, 1634

We can all recite the litany of woes and ills visited upon us in this remarkable year of 2020. We recite it so often now, usually in disbelief, as in, How can so much bad happen in such a short period of time?

COVID-19 and a global pandemic. Shut down and lock down. Economic collapse. The death of George Floyd and the ensuing days and nights of rage and anger and heartbreak. A November election shaping up to be ugly and divisive and tribal and unprecedented.

And the year is only 190 days old or so! 2020 is barely half over. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? Heres a first-class ticket on the Titanic! Or as the perpetually downhearted and pessimistic donkey Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh might conclude, Were doomed.

Or maybe not.

Maybe we might be able to actually glean some silver linings from that which has been a train wreck of a year so far. Maybe we might actually find some good among all the bad, some hope among all the pessimism, and some courage among all the fear.

I want to do that. I need to do this: to find hope.

To see hopeful places and movements and ideas and people amidst all the wreckage. I have to do this, to be an explorer for the positive in the midst of all the negative. My faith compels me: my belief in the basic goodness of human beings and my belief in a God who is constantly pushing Creation towards redemption and renewal and rebirth. Im not denying whats broken. Not imagining it never happened. No. But always, to look for the light where it is tempting to only see the shadows.

I can do that. We can do that.

And so, I am grateful that the pandemic has reminded me of one great truth: how much we humans really need one another: for care and mutual support and love and laughter. Since mid-March when I first shut the front door and stayed in, Ive actually connected more deeply and more consistently with those I love.

There was the surprise 85th Zoom birthday party for my Mom last month. Thirty-five folks from across the country showed up to wish her the happiest of birthdays. Who could have imagined that party last January? Or my weekly Zoom connections: with my choir friends on Wednesday evenings every single week, as we laugh and joke and check in. How are you? Or my weekly Zoom meeting with grad school friends, friends Ive loved for more than 30 years. We never gathered so frequently pre-COVID.

COVID has actually connected me more to others, not less. I hear the same from other folks about socially distanced beer and wine gatherings in a neighborhood driveway. Precious time with children now that youth sports are on hold. We actually eat dinner together every night now, they tell me. In the church I serve we actually have seen an increase in folks coming to worship and classes and fellowship who knew the virtual might sometimes trump the face to face?

Silver lining: staying connected, one to another.

And I am hopeful, that the rising up of millions of my fellow citizens in anger and frustration at the sin of racism, filling the streets, pushing for real change, seizing this singular moment to imagine and hope; that maybe this time America will have the courage to face itself in honesty. To begin to redress that most original of civic sins: dismissing the other because they are different than you.

Who could have imagined Black Lives Matter signs appearing on suburban lawns and church yards, or folks of all ages and religions and classes and races, so many people, taking a stand, taking a knee? Statues representing an oppressive and violent history toppling over? Corporations committing to more diversity of voices and employees. Mississippi finally taking the Confederate flag off its state flag?

I know this movement is still in its infancy, that it will be mighty hard to actually move beyond symbolic acts and protests to actually achieve real and lasting societal change a just society but hope for this I must. We must. It will take long and hard work to begin to undo 400 years of injustice but what if we have finally begun this journey as a country?

Silver lining: waking up to the truth of who America is while also dreaming of who she might become someday, one great day.

Give me hope. Show me a silver lining in the midst of the storm clouds. Enough with the bad. Look for the good. Its out there. We just need to look for it with eyes of faith.

Onward.

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: Silver linings from a dark cloud of a year - Wicked Local Pembroke

The value of hearing and doing – The Post-Searchlight – Post Searchlight

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During a Bible study at church we discussed the value of hearing. Good responses were given regarding the benefits of physical hearing, which helped us focus on the importance of being able to hear spiritually what God desires to speak to our hearts. After church a gentleman, who has difficulty hearing even with the help of hearing aids, shared something that he misses due to his poor hearing: the singing of birds. I have never given much thought to what a pleasure and blessing it is to be able to experience that part of nature. The ability to hear affects many parts of our lives.

Then on the other end of the spectrum, there are those situations in which the ability to hear is fine, but the willingness to act on what is heard is lacking. The classic case of going in one ear and out the other is demonstrated in our lives more often than we would like to admit.

When I got home from work one day, I could see in Addysons eyes that she was worn out from being at school all day. She was behaving a little cranky, but it was tolerable. However, when her Nana instructed her to pick up a school folder that she had thrown in the floor, the standoff was on. She could hear just fine as Gale sternly commanded her to do as she was told, but she chose not to respond properly. As she squirmed around on the floor with a defiant look on her face, there was no way Gale and I would ignore the situation and let her have her way. After the exercise of some loving but stern discipline, she finally complied and everything was fine. It would have been much quicker, easier, and less dramatic if we had simply picked up what she had thrown in the floor ourselves, but that would have been unfair to Addy and irresponsible on our part. She needed to learn the importance of hearing and obeying those in authority over her, and we had the responsibility of helping to teach her the value of obedience.

The little episode just mentioned took place several years ago when Addy was about four. She has grown a lot since then and she has learned some things about listening and obeying. That does not mean she has it down to perfectionshe has more to learn just like we all do. But the good thing is that we can learn to be better listeners and better doers of what we are supposed to do. This is especially important when it comes to hearing Gods instructions and following them.

In the Book of John these words of Christ are preserved for us: I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him Who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life (5:24, New International Version).

In His day, many were hearing the words of Christ with their physical ears yet failing to apply His words to their lives; they were hearing but not believing, thus missing out on what He desired for them to experience personally. If they would hear and believe His words they could know a new life through faith that would move them from the deadness of the sinful life to the vibrancy of spiritual life. Christ gave those of His day the opportunity to hear Him, and either believe what He said and experience eternal life, or to reject His message and experience eternal condemnation. He offers us those same choices today.

The ability to hear the singing of birds is a wonderful gift that we should not take for granted. The opportunity to hear and act upon the Word of God is an even greater gift which we cannot afford to reject. May we all keep our spiritual ears open and our hearts willing to obey all of Gods instructions.

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The value of hearing and doing - The Post-Searchlight - Post Searchlight

The Spectre of the Big Three – IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

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Viewpoint by Glauco Benigni*

This article was originally published by Other News and is reproduced with permission.

ROME (IDN) They are called Vanguard, BlackRock and State Street Global Advisors and they are the world's 3 largest mutual funds. They are also known as asset managers or investment funds, operated by professional experts who collect "fresh" money from an immense and varied number of investors and savers. With this "fresh money" they buy securities in the various stock exchanges of the planet and redistribute profits (when things go well) to those who have entrusted them with the surplus of their capital and/or savings. Investors can be of a commercial or institutional nature, but also simple private individuals who access the various investment plans attributable to and controlled by the Big 3.

The 3 appear closely interconnected with each other, thanks to proprietary intersections and extremely confidential and personal links among their representatives at the head of operations and the respective boards of directors.

Basically, when we speak of "financial capitalism", of "neoliberal imperialism", or when we evoke "finance" tout court, we speak of or rather "evoke" them as a compass for guide the destinies of today's world and the future without mentioning them. Like any true power, they are already taboo.

The 3 are at the centre of a vast galaxy of acronyms, in which other important mutual funds and financial entities appear (including Fidelity, T-Rowe, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley). The financial masses managed by them act as within a gravitational system, causing attractions and repulsions on the entire constellation of banking and insurance. Thanks to strategic positions in the various shareholdings, made up of their monumental investments, the Big 3 are able to "condition" the direction of each area of activity: production, distribution of goods and services, transport, healthcare, research, etc..

Imagine that, in the last 12 years, 3 massive new planets have grown dramatically, in a planetary system, dynamic but fundamentally balanced, and have assumed a central position in the system, thus determining new balances and imbalances and new orbits of all the previous planets and satellites that were present in the system.

The 3 obviously enjoy maximum respect, but they really scare all those who rightly fear the verticalisation of power.

As early as 2017, Jan Fichtner, Eelke M. Heemskerk and Javier Garcia, three researchers from the University of Amsterdam, explained that: "Since 2008, a massive shift has occurred from active toward passive investment strategies (see below, ed.). The passive index funds sector is dominated by the 'Big Three'. We have comprehensively mapped ownership of the Big Three in the United States and found that together they make up the largest shareholder in 88% of the 500 companies in the S&P index."

In other words, this means that the Big Three are the largest shareholder in almost 90% of the companies in which most people invest. To give an idea, the S&P 500 lists both old giants of the 'old economy' (such as ExxonMobil, General Electric, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson and JP Morgan) and all the new giants of the 'digital age' (Alphabet-Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple). This means that their influence also extends to the major vehicles of information and e-commerce.

These are exceptional findings. If as seems they correspond to reality, the scenario that appears contravenes any previous vision of free competition and describes a dominant position that had never been achieved in history.

"Through an analysis of proxy vote records," continue the Amsterdam professors, "we find that the Big Three do utilise coordinated voting strategies and hence follow a centralised corporate governance strategy. They generally vote with management, except at director (re-)elections. Moreover, the Big Three may exert 'hidden power' through two channels: first, via private engagements with management of invested companies; and second, because company executives could be inclined to internalising the objectives of the Big Three."

BlackRock recently claimed that it is not legally the "owner" of the shares it holds. "We are rather the custodians of money entrusted to us by investors," they said.

This is a technicality to be interpreted: what is undeniable is that the Big Three exercise the voting rights associated with these shares. Therefore, they must be perceived as de facto owners by corporate executives. It is easy "to be prone" when your post and your millionaire liquidation depends on who is "custodian" of the controlling share package of the company you work for.

As long as the accusing finger was pointed by the Europeans and notwithstanding the concerns of the EU Antitrust Commission the scene in the USA was minimised and the risks associated with it were underestimated. However, the US Antitrust and Justice Department woke up last year. The real reasons for the new state of alert are obviously political and attributable to the power structures in and around the White House. Officially, the authorities showed concern because among those putting the Big Three under the magnifying glass appeared the Harvard Law School. From their prestigious benches, Lucian Bebchulk and Scott Hirst, two academics considered among the top experts in corporate governance, produced an alarming study called "The Specter of the Giant Three".

Basically, figures at hand, it is shown that the 3 alone manage 16 trillion dollars (in 2019) and that in this way they find themselves controlling 4 out of 10 shares of the major US corporations.

As explained by Vincenzo Beltrami on Startmagazine: "The Harvard paper has the merit of photographing the exponential growth that especially BlackRock and Vanguard will have in the coming years in the financial structures known to date, triggering a change of global paradigm of which it is already today possible to predict the effects. The Harvard academics have calculated that the masses managed by these giants, with the relative power of representation that derives from them, are destined to increase respectively by 34% in the next ten years and by 41% calculating a period of twenty years."

Now let us look at some "details" published on Wikipedia:

The Vanguard Group is based in Malvern, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1975 by John C. Bogle, it manages 6.2 trillion dollars in assets and has approximately 17,000 employees. The current CEO is Mortimer J. Buckley.

BlackRock is based in New York. It manages a total of 7.5 trillion dollars in assets, of which one-third invested in Europe and 500 billion in Italy alone. It was founded in 1988 by Laurence D. Fink (CEO), Susan Wagner and Robert S. Kapito. It has 15,000 employees

State Street Global Advisors is the investment management division of State Street Corporation. It manages around 3 trillion dollars. It is based in Boston, Massachusetts. The CEO is Cyrus Taraporevala. It has 2500 employees.

These data confirm that the total assets managed by the Big 3 amounted to 16 trillion dollars in 2019. Now the question is: if the funds are equal to 4 times the German GDP or, if you like, 8 times the Italian public debt ... what is the vision of the future of who manages it?

But above all, going back to the projections of the Harvard academics, if you exceed 20 trillion in 2030 and fly towards 30 trillion in 2040, then the funds will be equal to half the GDP of the entire planet Earth.

Adding up all the employees of the Big Three, equal to 35,000 people, how is possible to manage a similar financial mass that is equivalent to that produced by half the population, or 3.5 billion humans? Something serious is going on. Antitrust authorities are therefore right (but are they able to intervene?). If there is one, where is the catch?

Enrico Marro gives us a first "technical" answer from the columns of Sole 24 Ore. "It should be clarified that the main driver of growth is represented by passive management: that is, by ETFs, destined to reach 25 thousand billion dollars in assets managed within the next seven years according to estimates by Jim Ross, president of State Street".

ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, are a type of investment funds belonging to ETPs (Exchange Traded Products), or to the macro family of listed index products, with the aim of replicating a reference index (benchmark) with minimal interventions. Unlike mutual investment funds and SICAVs (collective investment schemes), they have passive management, are released from the manager's ability and are listed on the stock exchange in the same way as shares and bonds.

Passive management means that their return is linked to the listing of a stock exchange index (which can be equity, commodity, bond, monetary, etc.) and not to the fund manager's ability to buy and sell. The manager's work is limited to verifying the consistency of the fund with the reference index (which may vary due to company acquisitions, bankruptcies, collapses of quotations, etc.), as well as correcting its value in the event of deviations between the fund's quotation and that of the reference index, which are allowed to the order of a few percentage points (1% or 2%).

"Passive management" makes these funds very economical, with management costs usually lower than the percentage point, and therefore competitive with respect to active funds. Their large or huge diversification, combined with stock exchange trading, makes them competitive with respect to investment in single stocks. And there you have it!

They were born in the United States in 1993, negotiated in the AMEX to reproduce the trend of the Standard & Poor 500 index.

ETFs can also be called "financial clones" because they faithfully mimic the performance of a particular index.

Enrico Marro continues: "There now exist 'clones' of all kinds, from those related to pink quotas to those following the Bible, from those that invest by listening to Twitter to those guided by artificial intelligence or that focus on therapeutic marijuana. Not to mention the ETFs that follow sophisticated "smart beta" strategies, more or less countercurrent, sometimes extravagant. All that's missing is a "clone" on Bitcoin, nipped in the bud by US regulators for obvious reasons of financial stability and common sense."

I would like to add some macro financial policy considerations to this technical explanation. Before the stock market boom, and in detail before the start of Nasdaq, which replaced "human" buying and selling with digital buying and selling managed by algorithms, exchange value (financial capitalisation) was strongly correlated with use value (produced by the real economy). Simplifying, it can be said that material wealth (GDP) had a reasonable counterpoint in the wealth dealt with in stock exchanges. With the advent of Nasdaq and the first placement on the stock exchange of "all digital" companies, finance begins a path of numerical virtualisation, favoured by digital exchanges that take place in a space-time where speed and volumes tend to infinity while times of access and exchange tend to zero. In this new "numerical-financial dimension", the production of exchange value is exalted and its volume grows exponentially, "untying itself" from the material counterpoint (the real economy). This has allowed speculators to have access to the production and management of endless financial masses, which are created continuously thanks simply to the multiplication of "exchanges" and have nothing to do with the real material economy. So much so that it is now known that for each dollar or euro corresponding to use value (real economy) there is a slightly higher equivalent value in circulation on the stock exchanges (according to the IMF). XXXX According to other sources, however, the value of market capitalisation would be 4 to 8 times higher than that of planetary GDP.

Here is another explanation quite disconcerting of why 35,000 employees manage a value equivalent to what is produced by 3.5 billion humans.

Let's now look at the scene from the point of view of regulations:

In 1933 in the USA, the Banking Act was incorporated into the wider Glass-Steagall Act. It was the response to the financial crisis of 1929, aimed at introducing measures to contain speculation by financial intermediaries and prevent situations of banking panic. The measures included the introduction of a clear separation between traditional banking and investment banking. Under the law, the two activities could no longer be exercised by the same intermediary, thus creating the separation between commercial banks and investment banks. The real economy was in fact prevented from being directly exposed to the influence of finance. Due to its subsequent repeal in 1999, precisely the opposite happened in the 2007 crisis: insolvency in the subprime mortgage market, which began in 2006, triggered a liquidity crisis that immediately spread to traditional banking, because the latter was mixed with investment activity.

Among the effects of the repeal, the creation of banking groups was permitted which, within them, allow, albeit with some limitations, the exercise of both traditional banking activity and insurance and investment banking activity. After the new Great Recession of 2008, during the Obama presidency, attempts were made to at least partially restore the Glass-Steagall Act with the Dodd-Frank Act. In reality the stable door had opened and the horses had already all bolted. Today some observers believe that the triumphal march of mutual funds was made possible precisely by repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act.

And, in fact, the extent of the change is surprising: from 2007 to 2016, actively managed funds recorded outflows of approximately 1,200 billion US dollars, while index funds had inflows of over 1,400 billion US dollars.

We now come to historical-philosophical considerations-conclusions concerning the collective behaviour of the human species. Following the Great Revolutions, the idea of equality spread and rights, in some seasons, appeared better than interests. This referred to the idea of distribution of wealth, to be pursued thanks to bargaining between the labour force and capital. It was an action that was proclaimed with the hypothesis that the means of production should belong to those who actually produced wealth and not to the masters of capital. Notwithstanding the many civil and political battles, with the unconditional surrender of the USSR and the decline of socialist and communist ideas, capitalism and its substitutes have won the arm wrestling with the working and peasant masses and with the class of intellectuals who supported them. The elites imposed a neoliberalism that is based no longer and not only on the hegemony deriving from the accumulation of surplus value obtained from the production of goods, but on a series of new sources of income, among which as described the uncontrolled production of exchange value on stock exchanges.

Well, this is where the choice has been made by the world population in the last 30 years: is it better to struggle to own the means and infrastructure of production or is it better to try to participate in the profits that the neoliberal system produces on the stock exchange?

Given the disadvantageous gap between the volumes of the real economy and those of numerical finance, having regard to the respective tax rates that favour finance, together with political propaganda, the seduction of advertising and the induction of lifestyles favourable to individualist liberalism, the choice is increasingly turning towards the second option. And so the Anglo-American neoliberal weltanschaung, characterised by the acceptance of the "gamble" outpoints visions characterised by the search for "certainties". Right now tens (perhaps hundreds) of millions of savers and millions of small and medium-sized companies are not re-investing their savings and capital surpluses in productive structures and only a small minority imagines generating work for themselves and for their "equals". They are not even thinking of it! As soon as there are some savings, a severance indemnity, a hereditary bequest or an immobilised capital, the overwhelming majority look for "a short way" to make it bear fruit, or the best way to invest it to derive profits and position without tiring and worrying about "the next guy".

An eloquent figure: according to a Morningstar analysis reported by the Financial Times, in 2018, BlackRock and Vanguard alone collected 57% of what flowed globally in the varied panorama of mutual funds.

Let's say that in the eternal swing between individualism and collective solidarity, the pole that represents immediate and measurable personal interests is leading the game on a ground that has totally escaped the control of supportive humanism.

To return to the issue of mutual funds and conclude: many believe that everything is legitimate and that their success is determined by historical circumstances and knowledge that is high and above the average of mass capabilities. But we know that behind this image of efficiency lurk very opaque and ambiguous practices. Practices that could even allow, given the enormous amounts of money involved, the buying not only of company managers but also of the governments and oppositions in democracies. Let's take this into account.

* Italian journalist and writer, Glauco Benigni holds a BA in Mass Communication Sociology. For 20 years he was a correspondent and media editor for Italian newspaper La Repubblica, followed by 15 years in RAI, Italys national public broadcasting company, where he was responsible for relations with the foreign press and for the promotion and technological development of RAI International. [IDN-InDepthNews 20 July 2020]

Collage of the images of Van Guard, BlackRock and State Street Global Advisors.

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A life in mathematics, music, institution building, humanism – The Indian Express

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By: Express News Service | Pune | Published: July 19, 2020 4:54:21 am Celebrated mathematician and teacher C S Seshadri

Celebrated mathematician and teacher C S Seshadri, who is globally acclaimed for his work in a branch of mathematics known as algebraic geometry, died in Chennai late Friday. He was 88.

Seshadri, who was also an accomplished exponent of Carnatic music, set up the Chennai Mathematical Institute, a leading centre of excellence in mathematics, computer science and physics, and was considered to be one of the finest teachers of mathematics in the country.

In passing away of Professor C S Seshadri, we have lost an intellectual stalwart who did outstanding work in mathematics. His efforts, especially in algebraic geometry, will be remembered for generations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

President Ram Nath Kovind described Seshadri as a multifaceted personality and mathematical genius. In his passing, we have lost an institution builder, Kovind said.

Hailing from the temple town of Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu, Seshadri spent his most productive years in research at the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) before moving to the Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Chennai.

He established the Chennai Mathematical Institute, which was born out of his desire to integrate undergraduate and post-graduate studies with advanced research.

In an interview to the mathematical magazine Bhavana a couple of years ago, Seshadri said he had seen that many great mathematicians in other countries were actively teaching undergraduate students apart from indulging in their own research, something that was not common in India. The Chennai Mathematical Institute, according to him, was set up to play that kind of role.

Many of Seshadris students at the Institute are now noted mathematicians and professors at some of the worlds best universities.

The passing of Professor C S Seshadri is a great loss to mathematics in particular, and to science and teaching in general. He was among those who built the TIFR School of Mathematics to global acclaim, K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to the government, said in a statement.

Seshadris lasting contribution is that he has ensured there will be many more like him from the CMI, and from all over India. A life in mathematics, music, institution building and humanism. Worth understanding and its core values worth emulating, no matter what we do, he said.

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Becoming comfortable in Phase 3 will take time, says Brock prof – ThoroldNews.com

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'Rather than trying to make ourselves invulnerable, we recognize our vulnerability and use it to make better choices as a society,' Brock U professor suggests

NEWS RELEASEBROCK UNIVERSITY*************************While much of the province will be moving to Stage 3 reopening on Friday, July 17, it will still take time for people to become comfortable with their vulnerability and rebuild trust in each other, says Brock University Professor of Philosophy Christine Daigle.

Daigle, who also serves as the Director of the Posthumanism Research Institute, has been researching how the pandemic and quarantine experience has affected how we experience ourselves and others.

While many of us have been able to socialize through online apps, the computer as a tool never entirely replaces being in the presence of others, she says.

I think there is a need for everyone, especially people who have been really cautious about isolating, to readjust to being in the presence of others, says Daigle.

We humans are fundamentally trustful that other people are OK. Thats why were always surprised, shocked and hurt when people fail to meet expectations, she says. Now people are still well intentioned, but they may still be a threat. You cant entirely trust that someone is not a threat.

While there is still a great amount to learn about how the virus operates, taking precautions, such as wearing masks, signals to others that we know we may be a threat but we are trying to minimize that threat and be trustworthy and responsible, says Daigle.

St. Catharines became the first Niagara municipality to mandate masks be worn inside public places when council passed a bylaw Monday, July 13. The Ontario government is allowing much of the province, with the exception of Niagara and several other regions, to move into Stage 3 reopening.

Despite measures by organizations to revive trust, it will take a long while for people to regain their trust in others and it may never come back to what it was, says Daigle. This pandemic may serve to make us realize that we were never invulnerable the way we thought we were.

She suggests that rather than trying to make ourselves invulnerable, we recognize our vulnerability and use it to make better choices as a society.

Vulnerability is a fundamental characteristic, says Daigle. We feel it is a negative and want to be invulnerable. But we can come to understand it and embrace existing as vulnerable beings.

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The Explosive Firing of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Director Has Become a Messy International Affair. Heres What Happened – artnet News

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Quebec Culture Minister Nathalie Roy is investigating theMuseum of Fine Arts in Montreal(MMFA) for its abrupt dismissal of director and chief curator Nathalie Bondil.

Roy said she was flabbergasted when she first learned that Bondils job was in jeopardy, telling Le Devoir: the Montreal Museum of Fine ArtsisNathalie Bondil.

Roy is hiring an outside firm to look into the museums management,CBC Newsreports.

The investigation follows an international outcry, includingthe Muse dOrsay in Paris allegedly taking the drastic step of cutting ties with the MMFA.

Laurence des Cars, the head of the Muse dOrsay, toldtheArt Newspapershe was appalled by the absolutely unacceptable and shocking conditions of Bondils sacking.

A planned joint exhibition, The Origins of the World: The Invention of Nature in the 19th Century, about the work of naturalist Charles Darwin and the intersection of the arts and sciences in the period, will reportedly no longer travel to Montreal. (The MMFA toldLa Presse Canadiennethat there had not been any decisions regarding the exhibition.)

The investigation also comes on the heels of a Change.org petition from museum members calling on the MMFA to hold a special assembly to offer insight into the decision-making process that led to Bondils firing.

Started by Thomas Bastien, who served as thedirector of the MMFAs education and wellness department until February, it has over 3,000 signatures.

Museum regulations provide for a special assembly if a request is made by a minimum of 100 members, Bastien told the Montreal Gazette.

The museums first woman director, Bondil joined the institution in 1999 as curator of European art, was named chief curator in 2000, and director in 2007.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Photo courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

MMFA terminated Bondils contract on Monday, citing a staff union letter alleging that she had created a toxic work environment that led several high-level employees to step down from their posts.

Despite efforts on the part of the board to resolve the issue, the situation was becoming steadily more problematic with disturbing accounts and allegations of psychological harassment, the museum said in a press release announcing her termination.

The board of directors initially proposed an arrangement in which Bondil would have continued in her post through the end of her contract in June 2021, reports La Presse.

Under the proposal, which Bondil rejected, she would have retained her title and salary, but any choices regarding museum programming for two final exhibitions of her tenure would have to be approved by Michel de la Chenelire, the president of the board of directors.

Before firing Bondil, the board sought an external audit from a human resources management company, Le Cabinet RH, which found a significant and multifactorial deterioration in the work climate, according to the Montreal Gazette.Bondil denies those findings.

Roy, the culture minister, said in astatement that she asked to see the report twice, but that the museum refused.

In response, the museum announced that it would cooperate fully with the investigation.

We nonetheless remain convinced that the decision to terminate Ms. Bondils contract was the right decision in respect of our role as trustee, Chenelire, the board chair, said.

Bondil told theGlobe and Mail that she was also never shown the report, andclaimsthat the reason she was fired was because of her objections to thepromotionof Mary-Dailey Desmarais to thenewly created post of director of the curatorial division.

Desmarais is the wife ofPaul Desmarais III, whose late grandfatherPaul Desmarais Sr. was a major donor to the museum. TheDesmarais name is attached to a pavilion added to the museum after a major 1991 expansion.

Mary-Dailey Desmarais. Photo by Stephanie Badini, courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Paul Desmarais IIIs uncle, Andr Desmarais, is currently on the museums board, and is one of three private donors funding half of the CAD$20 million (about $18 million) wing for artist Jean-Paul Riopelle, set to open in 2023.In 2018,Canadian Businessmagazine found that the family was the nations seventh wealthiest.

The toxic workplace allegations are a lie meant to cover up irregularities in recruitment, Bondil toldCBC Radio-Canada.

Three other candidates were seriously considered for the new post now occupiedby Mary-Dailey Desmarais, and internal documents ranking the finalists reveal thatDesmarais was given the lowest score, just 97.5 out of a possible 180 points, reports Le Devoir.

The top-ranked candidate got 175 points, but the boards human resources committee unanimously selectedDesmarais. Bondil favored hiring the candidate with the near-perfect score, and proposed that Desmarais instead be promoted to a new deputy chief curator role.

Desmarais joined the MMFA in 2014 as an associate curator, the first job listed on her LinkedIn, and has been the curator of international Modern and contemporary art since 2018.

She did her undergraduate work at Stanford University in American studies, and earned a masters in art history at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Desmarais went on to receive her PhD from Yale University in 2015, with the dissertation, Claude Monet: Behind the Light.

Museum of Fine Arts, Jean-Noel Desmarais Pavillon, Montreal. Photo by Thomas Ledl, via Wikimedia Commons.

Following media coverage of the controversy, the MMFA released a statementsigned by 11 of its curators, conservators, and other top employeesaimed at counteracting numerous comments, many of which are damaging to [Desmaraiss] reputation and that of the museum.

We feel strongly that Mary-Dailey Desmaraiss outstanding educational background coupled with her experience as curator at the museum, will make her a valued and trustworthy director of the curatorial team, the letter said.

At least a dozen former and current museum employees have anonymously corroborated complaints about an unhealthy atmosphere and a regime of fear at the MMFA during Bondils tenure, according to La Presse. The employees didnt take issue with Bondils own behavior, but contend that she did not do enough to address their complaints.

One museum patron, Pierre Bourgie, published an opinion piece inLe Devoir supporting Bondils dismissal, arguing that her inability to handle growing staff complaints undoubtedly weakened the museum.

In 2020 it is impossible to close ones eyes to a toxic workplace environment. Such allegations are every serious, the board president, Chenelire, told theMontreal Gazette.

But many high-profile figures have voiced their disappointment over Bondils dismissal, including Montreal Mayor Valrie Plante and Emma Lavigne, the director of Pariss Palais de Tokyo.

Bondil has put the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on the international mapand showed us and millions of visitors that art and humanism could be a tangible reality, Lavigne told the TAN. She called the abrupt dismissal an act of pure violence.

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Melco, MGM recognized for COVID-19 prevention efforts by Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macau SAR – Inside Asian Gaming

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The Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in the Macau SAR has recognized the efforts of concessionaires Melco Resorts & Entertainment and MGM China in preventing the spread of COVID-19, the companies announced on Monday.

According to respective press releases, each company was presented with a certificate commending their epidemic prevention efforts in both mainland China and Macau by Yao Jian, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in the Macau SAR.

Melcos certificate was received by representatives including Chief Advisor Dr Kent Wong, Senior Vice President, Property General Manager, Altira and Mocha Clubs, Raymond Lo, and Manager, Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility, Diana Yao at a ceremony held at Morpheus at City of Dream.

We are grateful for the leadership of Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in the Macau SAR and the local Macau SAR Government for their continued, proactive and decisive responses in helping contain the spread of the coronavirus, said Dr Wong.

We strive to continue embracing Melcos philosophy of giving back to the community not only through donations such as that to Wuhan and Hubei in late January this year, but also in helping the community in need through our Simple Acts of Kindness volunteering activities.

MGM received its certificate in a ceremony at MGM Cotai attended by MGM President, Chief Strategic & Financial Officer Kenneth Feng, President & Chief Operating Officer Hubert Wang and Executive Vice President of Human Resources Wendy Yu.

MGMs initiatives included a MP$20 million donation to Hubei, 500,000 face masks to the Macau SAR government and the launch of the MGM SME Anti-epidemic Support program to increase the cash flow of SMEs during the pandemic.

We are grateful to the Central Peoples Government and the SAR government for their unceasing effort and exceptional leadership since the outbreak of coronavirus disease, said Feng.

This, together with the cohesion among Macau citizens, has brought us to the road to recovery. Our hearts are always with our fellow countrymen and every community, and we should be able to create a better tomorrow if we continue to work in unison.

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EU recovery deal will see growth return in 2021: Altmaier – Macau Business

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The new EU recovery plan will help the bloc bounce back faster from economic devastation triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, and grow in 2021, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said Tuesday.

After a marathon four days of talks, European Union leaders agreed on an unprecedented 750-billion-euro ($858-billion) stimulus package to help the bloc weather a historic downturn, including 390 billion in grants for the hardest-hit member states.

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Altmaier called the deal good news for millions of people in Germany and across Europe.

It will ensure that it will be easier for many people survive the crisis and that the recovery will happen faster than would have been the case otherwise, he said.

Altmaier added that the breakthrough in Brussels had greatly increased the chance that Germany, Europes top economy and an export powerhouse, will experience a cautious, slow recovery from the end of October.

He said the situation would be similar in several EU member states, while others in the 27-nation club would only feel the full economic impact of the pandemic in the second half of the year.

But I expect that in 2021 all member states of the EU will again enter a phase of growth and recovery, he forecast.

The German government expects Europes biggest economy to contract by a record six percent this year, but then grow by more than five percent in 2021.

The European Commission expects the EU economy to contract by 8.3 percent in 2020 before rebounding and expanding by 5.8 percent in 2021.

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Putin pushes back goal to halve poverty to 2030 – Macau Business

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pushed back the deadline for ambitious social and economic targets he set himself on re-election to the Kremlin, including halving poverty numbers, from 2024 to 2030.

In 2018 after winning another six-year term, Putin set targets including halving the poverty rate from the 2017 figure, increasing pensions and boosting the average life expectancy to 78 by 2024.

The latest goals published Tuesday give a new deadline of 2030.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that goals on raising life expectancy and cutting poverty had been pushed back due to the unfavourable world economic conditions that will slow the development of all countries without exception.

Official statistics for 2019 say that more than 18 million Russians live below the poverty line, or 12.3 percent of the population. This is defined as having monthly income of less than 10,890 rubles ($154).

Life expectancy has grown in recent years from extremely low levels in the early post-Soviet years, especially among men. In 2019, it was 67 for men and 77 for women.

When he issued a decree with the original goals, Putin did not have the right to extend his rule beyond 2024. He has now changed the constitution to allow himself to serve two further consecutive terms until 2036.

During his latest term, Putin has introduced unpopular measures to increase the state pension age from the Soviet-era level and to raise VAT, which put a dent in his approval rating.

This year Russia has seen its economy, dependent on exports of hydrocarbons, hit by a collapse in oil prices as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

Peskov acknowledged that Russia had entirely dropped a goal to become one of the worlds top five economies, which Putin included in his 2018 decree on national aims and strategic tasks.

The international economic conditions are highly, highly unfavourable, Peskov said.

Undoubtedly a certain readjustment is needed.

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Putin pushes back goal to halve poverty to 2030 - Macau Business

Nearly 2/3 of non-resident workers are mainlanders – Macau News

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According to data from the Macao Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), at the end of May, the number of non-resident workers stood at 189,274, of whom 115,941 were mainlanders or 61.3 per cent of the total.

In order to avoid the 14-day quarantine required by the Macao government, a large number of non-resident workers who live in Zhuhai moved to Macao to live here temporarily shortly before the implementation of the measure on 20 February, according to local media reports. Before the 20 February quarantine measure, tens of thousands of mainland non-resident workers employed in Macao lived in Zhuhai.

Among those who benefit from Sundays quarantine lifting are mainland non-resident workers employed in Macao and living in places even further away than Zhuhai such as Zhongshan, which lies some 40 kilometres north of Macao.

The Guangdong government-imposed 14-day quarantine on arrivals from foreign countries as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan on 27 March. The Guangdong government lifted its 14-day quarantine requirement for all arrivals from Macao from Wednesday last week. Guangdongs quarantine measure for arrivals from elsewhere remains in force.

The lifting of quarantine on Sunday for mainland non-resident workers means that the Guangdong governments quarantine lifting for arrivals from Macao on Wednesday last week is now applicable to Macao residents holding Home Return Permits and all mainlanders mainland visitors and mainland non-resident workers. The measure does not include foreigners who live in Macao.

(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)PHOTO Government Information Bureau (GCS)

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