Worlds fastest supercomputer will be built by AMD and …

Posted on by

The worlds fastest supercomputer will be built in the US by 2021, the US Department of Energy announced today.

The machine, dubbed Frontier, will be built by chip designer AMD and supercomputer manufacturer Cray for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Its expected to produce more than 1.5 exaflops of processing power, and will be used for a range of tasks, performing advanced calculations in areas like nuclear and climate research.

Frontiers record-breaking performance will ensure our countrys ability to lead the world in science that improves the lives and economic prosperity of all Americans and the entire world, said Secretary of Energy Rick Perry in a press statement. Frontier will accelerate innovation in AI by giving American researchers world-class data and computing resources to ensure the next great inventions are made in the United States.

When constructed, Frontier should be the most advanced example of whats known as exascale computing. This is the next-generation of computing capacity, in which processing power is measured in exaflops, or quintillions of calculations per second. A quintillion is a one with a whopping eighteen zeros behind it: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000.

To give an idea of the scale of this sort of machine, AMD says Frontier will have as much processing power as the next 160 fastest supercomputers combined. Itll be able to handle an astonishing amount of data, with a bandwidth 24,000,000 times greater than the average home internet connection, capable of processing 100,000 HD movies in a second. Itll also have a correspondingly huge footprint, taking up 7,300 square feet of space (roughly equivalent to two basketball courts) and containing 90 miles of cabling.

Frontier isnt the only exascale computer the US is currently building either. Earlier this year, the Department of Energy announced a similar project: the supercomputer Aurora, which is being constructed by Intel and Cray at Argonne National Laboratory. Aurora will likely be the first exascale supercomputer in the US, but Frontier will have greater processing power.

These machines dont necessarily mean the US is the worlds greater computing power, though. China is expected to have its own exascale supercomputer up and running by 2020 a year ahead of America. China is also the worlds leader in terms of supercomputer volume, and is currently home to 227 of the worlds fastest computers (compared to just 109 operated by the US). Japan and the European Union are the other main contenders.

The news is a particularly big deal for AMD, says Patrick Moorhead, semiconductor analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. The contract is worth $600 million and Frontier will use scores of AMDs EPYC CPUs, each connected to four of the companys Radeon Instinct GPUs.

The world of supercomputer chips is mostly in the hands of Intel, and AMD hasnt supplied the processors for the worlds fastest supercomputer since 2012, when AMD Opteron CPUs were used to push ORNLs Titan computer to a benchmark of 17.59 petaflops per second.

Moorhead told The Verge that the Department of Energy likely chose AMD for a number of reasons, including the performance of its processors, and its recent successes designing semi-custom silicon for Microsoft and Sony. This bodes well for AMDs future as this is technology that should be in the mainstream market after 2021, said Moorhead.

Link:

Worlds fastest supercomputer will be built by AMD and ...

Inside the Volunteer Supercomputer Team That’s Hunting for COVID Clues – Defense One

Posted on by

The White House's team recently added the world's fastest computer to its informal network of more than 40.

The worlds fastest supercomputer teamed up with the White Houses expanding supercomputing effort to fight the novelcoronavirus.

Japans Fugakuwhichsurpassedleading U.S. machines on the Top 500listof global supercomputers in late Junejoinedthe COVID-19 High Performance ComputingConsortium.

Jointlylaunchedby the Energy Department, Office of Science and Technology Policy and IBM in late March, the consortium currently facilitates more than 65 active researchprojectsand envelops a vast supercomputer-powered search for new findings pertaining to the novel coronavirus spread, how to effectively treat and mitigate it, and more. Dozens of national and internationalmembersare volunteering free compute time through the effort, providing at least 485 petaflops ofcapacityand steadily growing, to more rapidly generate new solutions againstCOVID-19.

What started as a simple concept has grown to span three continents with over 40 supercomputer providers, Dario Gil, director of IBM Research and consortium co-chair, toldNextgovlast week. In the face of a global pandemic like COVID-19, hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime event, the speed at which researchers can drive discovery is a critical factor in the search for a cure and it is essential that we combineforces.

Subscribe

Receive daily email updates:

Subscribe to the Defense One daily.

Be the first to receive updates.

Gil and other members and researchers briefedNextgovon how the work is unfolding, how theyre measuring success and the research the consortium is increasinglyunderpinning.

The ConsortiumsEvolution

Energys Office of Science Director Chris Fall toldNextgovlast week that since the consortiumsfounding, its resources have been used to sort through billions of molecules to identify promising compounds that can be manufactured quickly and tested for potency to target the novel coronavirus, produce large data sets to study variations in patient responses, perform airflow simulations on a new device that will allow doctors to use one ventilator to support multiple patientsand more. The complex systems are powering calculations, simulations and results in a matter of days that several scientists have noted would take a matter of months on traditionalcomputers.

From a small conversation three months ago, we overcame a myriad of institutional and organizational boundaries to establish the consortium, Fall said, adding that the effort is building an international team of COVID-19 researchers that are sharing their best ideas, methods and results to understand the virus and its effects on humans which will [allow] the world to ultimately conquer or confine thevirus.

In a recent interview, Energys Undersecretary for Science Paul Dabbarexplainedthat any researcher interested in tapping into advanced computing capabilities can submit relevant research proposals to the consortium through an onlineportalthatll then be reviewed for selection. An executive committee supports the groups organization and helps steer policies, while a science committee is tasked with evaluating research proposals submitted to the consortium for potential impact upon selection. And a third committee allocates the time and cycles on the supercomputing machines once theyrechosen.

Whats really interesting about this from an organizational point of view is that its basically a volunteer organization, Dabbarnoted.

As of July 1, the consortium had received more than 148 COVID-19 research proposals with 78 approved and 68 up and running via the involved supercomputing resources, Energy confirmed. Though researchers are tapping into the assets free of charge, the work doesnt come without cost. Dabbar said the consortium taps into some of the departments user facilities and resources that were built and funded by taxpayer dollars. The effort induces operating costs such as runtime, electricity and cooling for the machines, which Dabbar said are relatively minor compared to actually building the capacity to beginwith.

It does absolutely cost money, Dabbar said. But at the end of the day, a lot of this is taking advantage of what the American people invested in, and using the flexibility, and shifting it towards thisproblem.

The combined, supercomputing resources are speeding up the chase for answers and solutions against COVID-19, but that faster pace isnt the only metric for success. IBMs Gil said in the early days, the establishment of the consortium and the efficiency we have achieved in expedited expert review of proposals and rapid matching of approved proposals to supercomputing systems, along with rapid on-boarding onto those systems would have to be considered our first majorsuccess.

Those involved also measure success by the number of up-and-running research projects, and highlighted that 27 projects already have experimental, clinical or policy transition plans in place. Insiders also consider the fact that they were able to quickly bring together industry players, as Gil noted many of whom are competitors, labs, federal agencies, universities and several international partners to share their systems to be a majorachievement.

NASA is one consortium member thats been involved in the initiative from the very beginning when it was invited by OSTP, Piyush Mehrotra, chief of NASAs Advanced Supercomputing, or NAS Division toldNextgovThursday.

The division, at Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, hosts the space agencys supercomputers, which Mehrotra noted are typically used for large-scale simulations supporting NASAs aerospace, earth science, space science and space exploration missions. But, a selection of the agencys supercomputing assets are also reserved for national priorities that transcend beyond the agencysscope.

In order to understand COVID-19, and to develop treatments and vaccines, extensive research is required in complex areas such as epidemiology and molecular modelingresearch that can be significantly accelerated by supercomputing resources, Mehrotra explained. We are therefore making the full reserve portion of NASA supercomputing resources available to researchers working on the COVID-19 response, along with providing our expertise and support to port and run their applications on NASAsystems.

Amazon Web Services is another that joined among the consortiums first wave of members and participated in the initial roundtable discussion at the White House where the concept emerged in March. The companys Vice President of Public Policy Shannon Kellogg toldNextgovin late May that, in joining, AWS saw a clear opportunity to bring the benefits of cloud to bear in the race for treatments and a vaccine. The company has since provided cloud computing resources to more than a dozen of the consortiums active projects, and according to Kellogg, provides in-kind credits to the research teams, which provide them with cloud computing resources. The tech-giants team then communicates regularly with the researchers to help address technicalquestions.

This effort has shown how collaboration and commitment from leaders across government, business, and academia can empower researchers and accelerate the pace of their work, Kelloggsaid.

Outside of IBM, NASA and AWS, other early members of the consortium include Google Cloud, Microsoft, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the National Science Foundation, as well as Argonne, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge and Sandia National laboratories. And as the consortium progresses, its alsoexpandingalong the way. In April, the National Center for Atmospheric Researchs Wyoming Supercomputing Center, chipmaker AMD and graphics processing units-maker NVIDIA joined, amongothers.

Dell Technologies also began the process to participate in April, according to Janet Morss, senior consultant, high performance computing. It took about a month for the involvement to come into fruition and the company is now donating cycles from the Zenith supercomputer and otherresources.

View post:

Inside the Volunteer Supercomputer Team That's Hunting for COVID Clues - Defense One

Phase III COVID-19 vaccine trials in the UAE: All you need to know about them – Gulf News

Posted on by

Samples of the COVID-19 inactivated vaccine were tested at a vaccine production plant (Sinopharm) in Beijing earlier Image Credit: AP

Abu Dhabi: On Thursday, Abu Dhabi announced the launch of the worlds first Phase III trials of an inactivated vaccine against the coronavirus. The trials will continue over the next few months, and are expected to enroll thousands of volunteers from across the country.

This is a new step in the UAEs fight against COVID-19. Having already registered the second highest COVID-19 testing rate in the world, and after reporting no deaths in 24 hours on Wednesday, there is cause for excitement, even as the number of COVID-19 cases around the world continues to rise.

Heres everything you need to know about the trials:

Who developed this vaccine?

The vaccine has been developed by Chinese pharmaceutical giant, Sinopharm China National Biotec Group (Sinopharm). The Chinese state-run firm is the worlds sixth largest vaccine manufacturer, and its vaccine is an inactivated vaccine.

What is an inactivated vaccine?

An inactivated vaccine uses a killed virus to trigger an immune response in the human body.

So in essence, administration of this vaccine means the killed novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 will be given to recipients. This, in turn, will induce the human body to produce antibodies to kill the virus in a process known as immune response.

Later, if a vaccinated individual comes into contact with a live virus, the body will know how to launch the same immune response to keep the individual safe.

This in contrast to vaccines that use:

-Live, weakened viruses (live-attenuated vaccines against measles, chickpenpox and yellow fever)

-Parts of the antigen (subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide or conjugant vaccines against Hepatitis B, HPV, pneumococcal disease and meningitis)

-Toxins produced by the antigen to cause the disease (toxoid vaccines against diphtheria and tetanus).

Is it dangerous to inject the same virus that causes the disease?

There are no known risks of using a killed virus or inactivated vaccine. The virus is grown in lab cultures under strict, top-level biosecurity standards, and then killed with heat, radiation or formaldehyde. This killing eliminates the virus ability to trigger the disease, in this case, COVID-19.

All of this is done under strict safety conditions so that even the bio-engineers and lab technicians do not contract the virus.

An inactivated vaccine [such as this] cannot cause the disease. Sinopharm, and indeed many other vaccine manufacturers have been producing vaccines in this manner for years, assured Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, UAE principal investigator, chief medical officer at Abu Dhabis Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and chairperson of the National COVID-19 Clinical Management Committee.

What other vaccines use killed viruses in them?

Currently, inactivated vaccines are used to protect against Hepatitis A, the flu via the flu shot, rabies and polio via the polio shot.

What are the stages of vaccine development?

Under international protocols, vaccine development goes through four different clinical stages. These happen after animal testing, and studies into the drugs ability to elicit an immune response. The first three stages are pre-marketing, and the final stage is conducted post-marketing.

In Phase I, safety and immunogenicity studies are performed on a small number of closely monitored subjects. Researchers look at safe dosage levels and side effects.

In Phase II, hundreds of human subjects receive the vaccine to determine its efficacy and safety in a wider group of people.

In Phase III, thousands of individuals are enrolled. The vaccines efficacy is studied, it is compared to other interventions in use, and adverse effects, if any, are noted so that the vaccine can be safely licensed.

In Phase IV, the administration and impact of the vaccine is studied in the general population, and reports of side effects after widespread use are collected.

How safe and effective is the Sinopharm vaccine?

Sinopharms vaccine has undergone Phase I and Phase II trials in China, and the company reported that the vaccine triggered a strong neutralising antibody response.

A total of 1,120 volunteers participated in PhaseI/II. They received two doses of the vaccine either 14, 21 or 28 days apart at low, medium or high dosing strengths, or a placebo. The company reported in June that all patients who received the medium-strength vaccine 28 days apart produced detectable levels of antibodies against the vaccine, known as seroconversion rate. Also, 97.6 per cent of those who received low or high doses 28 days apart produced detectable levels of antibodies.

No adverse effects were reported.

When did the Phase III trials begin in the UAE?

The trials were effectively kicked off on Wednesday, July 15 when Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Hamed, chairman at Abu Dhabis healthcare regulator, the Department of Health (DoH), and Dr Jamal Al Kaabi, DoH acting undersecretary, were assessed and administered the vaccine at SKMC.

By taking the vaccines themselves, the senior officials demonstrated their confidence in the safety of the trials, and also the UAEs keenness to advance the fight against COVID-19.

Dr Jamal Al Kaabi also told Gulf News he was feeling fine after 24 hours, and that he had a great feeling about the trials.

Public recruitment for the trials is expected to start next week.

Who is running the trials?

Sinopharm has partnered with G42 Healthcare, a privately-held artificial intelligence and cloud computing firm based in Abu Dhabi.

Ashish Koshy, chief executive officer at G42 Healthcare, said the company is sponsoring the trials, with the medical portion, including medical assessment, vaccine administrations and follow-ups, to be run by Abu Dhabi public health provider, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company.

He said the company has set up a massive throughput laboratory to speed up the detection of the disease, which can process 15,000 to 20,000 samples a day.

We also have the 32nd fastest supercomputer, which can build models to accelerate the clinical trial, Koshy said.

In addition, G42 has manufactured essential PPE, conducted research into new vaccines and drug therapies, and used AI capabilities to map and predict trends in the outbreak and virus mutations.

How many people will be recruited for the Phase III trials?

UAE health authorities have issued a permit for 15,000 participants in the Phase III trials, with 5,000 in the first stages to be conducted in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

Who can participate in the trial?

People of all nationalities aged between 18 and 60 years, and living in the UAE, are eligible to participate in the trials, as long as they meet other inclusion criteria.

Dr Al Kaabi explained that there are strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, in accordance with international standards.

So anyone who is suffering from a severe disease like cancer, is immunocompromised, has received a recent live vaccine or blood products, or suffered from COVID-19, will be excluded, Dr Al Kaabi told Gulf News.

In the first stages, people will be recruited from Abu Dhabi and Al Ain alone.

Again, who cannot participate?

Quite a few groups of people cannot participate in the trials, in accordance with standards set by the WHO and the United States Food and Drug Administration.

-People who have contracted COVID-19 in the past or are suffering from it

-People suffering from severe diseases like cancer

-People who are immunocompromised

-People who have recently received a live vaccine or blood products

-People who are younger than 18 years, or older than 60 years

How can I participate in the trial?

Officials said a dedicated website will soon be launched to allow people to register. They can do so on 4humanity.ae. The dedicated website requires potential volunteers to submit their personal details and contact information. A special hotline has also been set up at 02 8191111 to respond to volunteer queries about the trials.

What happens after I register for the trials?

Participants will be asked to come down to one of five Seha facilities in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and will undergo a physical exam. Tests will be conducted to ensure that they are fit for the trials.

If approved, the volunteer will be administered a vaccine shot, akin to the flu shot. They will then be given a vaccine diary to record all signs and symptoms, and a healthcare team will follow up via in-person consultations and teleconsultations.

Three weeks later, a second shot of the vaccine will be administered.

Why are two vaccine shots required?

Dr Al Kaabi said that in the case of inactivated vaccines, more than one dose is required to trigger an immune response.

How long does the trial last?

For each individual, the trial will last 42 days.

The overall trial period in the UAE is expected to be between three to six months.

Who will ensure my safety during the trials?

Healthcare teams from Seha will follow up with trial volunteers during the trial itself, and on a monthly basis for a year after it concludes.

The trials also follow all international guidelines stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Food & Drug Authority (USFDA).

Why has the UAE been chosen for these Phase III trials?

The UAE was the preferred choice for the cooperation partnership to conduct the Phase III trials for the inactive vaccine as the nation is home to over 200 nationalities, allowing for robust research across multiple ethnicities and increasing its feasibility for global application on the success of the trials.

The study, if successful, will be approved and accredited by the Ethics Committee for Scientific Research in the wmirate of Abu Dhabi.

Authorities said the Sinopharm-G42 partnership will also allow UAE residents to gain quick access to a vaccine, if it proves safe and effective.

Who will produce the vaccine, if all goes well?

Dr Walid Abbas Zaher, group research director at G42 Healthcare, said the agreement with Sinopharm also allows for the vaccine, if it passes the third phase successfully, to be produced in Abu Dhabi.

The agreement allows for production in Abu Dhabi, and a production plan will be announced after the end of the trial, he said.

How can I be sure that my patient data will be safe?

All patient data will only be held by Seha healthcare facilities, and any information shared with external parties will be de-identified, as per international standards.

Koshy said entire process will be monitored by two clinical research organisations one local and other international.

When can this vaccine be ready for mass marketing?

G42 and Sinopharm are hoping to accelerate the development of a safe and effective vaccine that could enter the market by the end of 2020 or early 2021.

What do the officials say?

Our participation in this trial enables us to make a major contribution in the global fight to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a matter of national pride that we are able to help facilitate the trial process that could have a worldwide impact and help people around the world to benefit from research and if successful the manufacture of a vaccine to fight back against this disease, said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, UAE principal investigator, chief medical officer at Abu Dhabis Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and chairperson of the National COVID-19 Clinical Management Committee.

I am really excited about this trial as a physician. I have always believed in the importance of developing a research ecosystem, and personally supported research initiatives. Fortunately, we received support from our leadership for these trials. It is the beginning of a historic moment, and God willing, we will have a great conclusion to these trial. I have a good feeling, said Dr Jamal Al Kaabi, acting undersecretary at the Abu Dhabi Department of Health and the second person to participate in the Phase III trials.

This partnership highlights the UAEs broad multifaceted approach to combating the virus, which includes innovative research into effective treatments, enhanced testing capabilities, and continuous cooperation with the international community. The UAE will spare no effort in contributing to solutions to the current pandemic, solutions that will aid humanitys ability to overcome the current pandemic, said Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Hamed, chairman at the Abu Dhabi Department of Health and first person to participate in the Phase III trials.

Now more than ever, nations need to work in close partnership between the government and private sectors to create new initiatives, launch programs, develop policies, drive rigorous research, and develop capacity. It is for this reason that the United Arab Emirates welcomes all contributions by countries of the world, innovative entities and creative individuals who are committed to creating opportunities for joint collaboration towards confronting the threat of COVID-19 and defeating this global pandemic, said Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, UAE Minister of Health and Prevention.

The United Arab Emirates is a nation of innovation and tolerance, that is home to individuals from every part of the world and ethnic background. We will work closely with our partner to complete this clinical trials successfully, and make this vaccine available to the people in need worldwide. With the full support of local authorities, cutting-edge technologies provided by our partner G42 Healthcare, and high-quality services and supports from the medical and clinical entities, we will jointly contribute to the battle against COVID-19 worldwide, said Mr. Jingjin Zhu, president of biological products at Sinopharm Chinese National Biotec Group.

We are enormously proud that Sinopharm has partnered with G42 Healthcare in this groundbreaking phase III clinical trial in the UAE. Using our AI solutions, super-computer, advanced diagnostics solutions for COVID-19, G42 Healthcare is uniquely postured to conduct these trials. G42 Healthcare will be responsible for running clinical operations for this trial. We will be leveraging our groups technical and our own business capabilities to compute, correlate and provide fast and synthesised insights by deploying multiple AI models on the data generated during the trials to accelerate the much awaiting results. G42 Healthcare will be mobilising the logistical management of the trials taking in learnings from its proven capabilities in CRO management, clinical sites initiations and other E2E programme management activities, said Ashish Koshy, chief executive officer at G42 Healthcare.

Read more:

Phase III COVID-19 vaccine trials in the UAE: All you need to know about them - Gulf News

[Eye Interview] I want to show authenticity – The Korea Herald

Posted on by

Director Kim Do-joon poses before an interview with The Korea Herald on June 26. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)

I strained to hear what was being said, but the words bounced off the building walls, becoming incomprehensible echoes by the time they reached my ears through the open window.

When the shrill noise reverberated through the apartment buildings again the next Saturday, I left the book I was trying to read and headed to the entrance of the apartment complex on the pretext of getting something from the nearby convenience store. I was sure I would see the protesters on the way. I was curious who they were, what grievance had brought them to this run-of-the-mill apartment complex. In my more than 20 years in the neighborhood, something like this had never occurred before.

On the way back home, I saw a small group of people wearing labor union vests, one of them speaking into a microphone, which magnified the sound manifold. They were protesting against the firing of highway toll collectors. While picking through ice cream bars at the convenience store, I very briefly debated whether I should try to interview them. But it ended at that -- an internal debate. After all it was my day off, the heat of the midday sun was unbearable and I thus justified my decision to not pursue the matter.

Kim Do-joon, a 33-year-old student at Korea National University of Arts, was in Gwanghwamun in downtown Seoul one day last August, doing groundwork for a film project when he happened upon a group of protesters. Unlike me, Kim, who had his camera with him, went over and immediately began interviewing the protestors, effectively starting work on a new film.

Kims documentary feature Bora Bora, which was screened online in early June as part of the Jeonju International Film Festival, answered the questions I did not ask that Saturday morning last August.

In an interview prompted partly by a sense of guilt at having ignored the protests and motivated by a desire to make it right, I ask Kim what led him to drop what he was doing and run over to the protesters.

These were women who were my aunts, my mothers age protesting under the blazing sun, Kim says. The sight debunked for Kim, who had had no previous experience with labor movements and whose knowledge about such movements came from reading, the stereotypical image of protesters as strong, robust men.

Bora Bora -- the Korean term for Look Look also refers to the name of a workers dance team featured in the film, as well as the desire for a single unified labor union at the company -- is an insiders look into the protests that were sparked by the firing in July 2019 of 1,500 non-regular workers who had demanded regular worker status as employees of Korea Expressway Corp.

The documentary film follows the protesters as they talk about the families they have not seen in months, as they debate the next course of action and as a protester has her hair done by a fellow protester. Emotions are not withheld and the camera does not shy away from conflicts among different groups.

Such an intimate look was possible because of the footage taken inside the protest venues by protesters themselves during the more than 200 days of rallies calling for the reinstatement of fired workers as regular employees of KEC.

Kim Mi-young and Kim Seung-hwa, who are named as directors along with Kim Do-joon, shot the footage from inside the protester-occupied KEC headquarters in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, and from atop the Seoul Tollgate canopy, respectively.

When Kim began filming, the protests had been going on for three weeks. Unable to get inside the Korea Expressway Corp. headquarters building occupied by the unionists and cordoned off by police, Kim had to contend with interviewing people protesting outside the building. In the process, he learned the women protesting 10 meters above ground on the Seoul Toll Gate canopy were sent up food twice a day via a pulley system.

Kim, who had decided against the use of a drone to shoot the group on the canopy as it would have meant a mere glance at a protest scene, sent up a video camera to the protesters, hiding it in the pulley delivering food.

My interest was in what the unionists were talking about. I did not want a television interview. I was curious about the story that unfolded once the camera was put down, the story that took place behind the camera, Kim says.

Getting a camera to the protesters occupying the headquarters building since Sept. 9 proved more challenging, and Kim had to bide his time until the police watch relaxed somewhat. Kim hid a video camera and other accessories inside boxes of tonic drinks and made a dash for a gap in the police barricade. He was stopped by police but, fortunately, only two of the six boxes Kim was carrying were inspected. The two boxes contained bottles of Ssanghwa-tang, the four unopened boxes held a camera and other filming paraphernalia.

Once the cameras were inside, Kim asked the protesters to shoot. I asked them to treat it like a toy, to play with it and to film every day as if keeping a diary, Kim says.

By the time the protests ended in late January, Kim had some 1,000 hours of footage in his hands. He was surprised at how good the footage taken by the protesters was. They were not conscious of the camera, says Kim. While media and documentaries typically portray protesters as suffering -- as people in need of help -- what he saw in the footage taken from inside was anything but.

What was really surprising was how bright, cheerful, strong, dignified, confident they were, Kim says. I was shocked and moved.

Editing was a Herculean task -- it would have taken two months just to watch the 1,000 hours of footage and about one to two years to edit -- but circumstances demanded it be done as soon as possible. The situation had resolved by the end of January and I thought the film needed to be quickly sent out to the world, Kim says.

Working at a speed that most people would find incredulous, editing was completed in one month. The final film is 2 1/2 hours long -- 50 minutes of footage by the unionists and 100 minutes shot by director Kim and the films director of photography. What the audience sees is 1/400th of what was filmed, he explains.

It helped that he had continued to view the footage by the unionists as it came in so that he could give feedback and also so that what he filmed outside would meld seamlessly with what was filmed inside.

Bora Bora took form as it was being shot. The film had to reflect the changes in my thoughts because my thoughts changed too, living with the unionists for half a year, says Kim.

Early on, Kim had decided that for the footage shot by the unionists and his own -- as an outsider -- to merge harmoniously, a close relationship with the unionists was a must.

It seemed a daunting task at first, but relentlessly tailing the unionists and spending time together, the distance between them gradually faded. In a follow-up email, I ask how the feeling as if he were part of the community he was filming may have influenced his work. I moved in a position that was somewhere between being a member of the community and an outsider, Kim replies. But the principle of staying side by side with them, not observing them from above, remained consistent.

Laid-off toll collectors perform synchronized dance movements as they protest on top of Seoul Tollgate in a scene from documentary film Bora Bora. (Kim Do-joon)

Noting that directors today tend to rely on the image of workers inside their own heads, Kim says they are squeezing workers and minorities into a frame of a victim narrative, competing to show who is the bigger victim in an increasingly sensational manner. It must be asked if this is right, says the so-far mild-mannered Kim, raising his voice in anger and frustration.

While collaboration with the unionists began as a way to overcome the limits of not being able to get inside the protest sites, as filming progressed Kim saw that it could be a breakthrough for the current state of indie film.

I pursued collaboration with the workers as I thought that through such collaboration perhaps the workers real thoughts, faces, history may be shown, he says, adding that he believes that Bora Bora may present an alternative in Koreas indie film scene.

The director has a lot to say about independent cinema in Korea, including how indie films are increasingly becoming more like public interest commercials or sentimental human drama.

In these films you only see pain, but as Bora Bora shows, there is also joy, festivity and conflict, Kim says. I wanted to show what is authentic.

In making Bora Bora, Kim followed his conviction that authenticity would have a far greater persuasive power to change the minds of those hostile to the toll gate protests and the issue of non-regular workers than eliciting viewers sympathy to appeal to low-level humanism.

Kims desire for authenticity is apparent in his cinematography as well. Rather than close-ups of individual faces against a blurred background, which effectively eliminates the context of the emotion, Kims camera pans the scene, looking at the individuals as well as the surroundings in depth.

Have the unionists been able to watch the film together, I ask, since an important part of a film experience is shared viewing and the discussions that follow.

COVID-19 made that impossible, but the unionists who watched the film online expressed wonder at how the film was shot from their perspective, Kim explains. They didnt think it would come to this. They said they hadnt imagined that it could be made into a movie and be seen by many people, says Kim.

Kim admits that without background knowledge about the tollgate workers protests, the film may be strange and unfamiliar initially. I agree but add that the film also has a way of pulling you in and you soon become oblivious to its length. I would like the audience to think of it as their problem as well. After all, there is no one that does not engage in labor, Kim replies.

Kim has four films to his name: three shorts and one feature-length documentary.

While Bora Bora is Kims first documentary feature, his previous short films are also grounded in the realities of the marginalized.

His first work, a 2008 film about the homeless, starred actual homeless men, including one who was also an activist. Juliana, a story of an elderly woman living like a ghost in a condemned apartment building and a man his 40s with nowhere to go, evolved from Kims interviews with three elderly women tenants facing eviction from Sky Apartment in Jeongneung, Seoul, and the life story of the elderly actress he had cast for the film. After listening to the 80-something actress tell her story, Kim rewrote the script over a two-day period.

Since his teenage years, Kim had always known that he wanted to create. That it would be in the medium of film that he would create was decided after watching Deep End, a 1970 coming-of-age film by Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski, as a second-year high school student. Thinking about it now, it is a wonder that EBS aired it in 2003, albeit with some scenes with nudity deleted, says Kim.

Unlike so many Hollywood movies, the Polish films genre could not be defined and it did not depend on a narrative, Kim recalls many years later. But, it had a power to keep you watching, entranced, he says. He would later learn that these were the characteristics of modern cinema.

After graduating high school, Kim chose to attend cinematheques rather than going to university. I thought, This is a place I can study film, he says. For more than two years, he watched films every day, focusing on classics and art films.

This was a time when films were all I thought about every single day, says Kim.

Kim cites Jeanne Dielman by Belgian film director Chantal Akerman as his first cinematic experience. It was as if an electric current went right through me, he says. In 3 1/2 hours, the feminist director shows a widow living with her son going about her daily routine over a course of three days. The housewife who performs household chores with mechanical precision, much like performance art, is also a prostitute who receives clients daily at her home. After giving the womans work around the house the time it takes to complete, the films climax comes in the last few minutes. It made me think differently about time, he says, adding with a laugh, If you like this kind of movies, your life gets difficult.

Watching films, he not only ruminated over aesthetics, he also became interested in politics and history, eventually leading to his joining a civic movement and finding himself at a crossroads: film or civic activism. Thinking it would be unfair to give up on filmmaking without ever having actually made one, he enrolled at a filmmaking academy, and by the time he graduated six months later he had his first short film about homelessness.

Moviemaking came to an end as he joined the military at the end of that year. It was upon starting university a few years after his discharge from the military that he began making films again, although, initially his reason for going to a university had nothing to do with film.

I wonder if Bora Bora a film a distributor is likely to pick up.

The director has been asked if it could be shortened, so he knows that there is an interest. On top of the sheer length of the film, distributors also express reservations about the use of amateurism, according to Kim. Indie films dealing with serious topics have a slim chance of theatrical release, usually passed over in favor of romance stories that pander to those in their 20s, who make up the majority of the indie film market.

In a later email response, Kim, who is currently reediting Bora Bora, is adamant that he would not reedit solely for the purpose of shortening it at the request of a distributor. If the typical screening avenues are closed to the film, Kim will seek alternative ways.

A copy could be sent to a school, workplace or other communities where they could be shown on their screening system, Kim says, citing a recent inquiry about screening from a labor union of non-regular workers at Korea National University of Arts.

He also sees crowdfunding as a possible way to fund theater screenings. If the problem of distribution could be solved this way, the film would have set a significant precedent in the history of Korean indie films, Kim says.

When the film is more widely screened, Kim believes it will be evaluated not only on its story but also on the way it was made by the collaborative efforts of workers and students. This has significance as an attempt by the workers to record their history by themselves without relying on the intellectuals. It also shows that the arts can be a means for the workers to educate themselves, and in this context, it is related to the question of the artists role, he says.

Bora Bora has been submitted to several local and international film festivals, including the Vancouver International Film Festival and DOK Leipzig, with plans to send submissions to International Film Festival Rotterdam, Sunday Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, among others.

Kims next film is a mix of documentary, drama and essay on post-1987 Korean history that he plans to finish in the first half of 2021. No one really talks about the 87 regime, he says, referring to Koreas democratization in 1987. I think movies could be an outlet for those stories, he says.

Kim, who regretted not being able to share Bora Bora with an audience in a theater setting and receive critical reviews, will get his day in the sun soon.

Bora Bora is among a selection of films that JIFF will be screening in theaters in Jeonju from July 21 to Sept. 20 and in Seoul for three weeks starting Aug. 6 as part of its extended festival. Screenings will be followed by artist talks and discussions.

What would he like to make if he could make any movie? A movie that requires a lot of money! he says with a big laugh.

Turning serious, he says, I would like to make many films. Ive found that I have a lot of stories I want to tell.

By Kim Hoo-ran (khooran@heraldcorp.com)

Go here to see the original:

[Eye Interview] I want to show authenticity - The Korea Herald

‘This is real’: Doctors, nurses who helped New York with coronavirus surge warn their home states – NBC News

Posted on by

When Dr. Ray Baule, a neurosurgeon, sees fellow residents of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, not wearing masks or practicing social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, he grows frustrated and worried.

That's because Baule knows exactly what it could all lead to he saw it firsthand during the three weeks he volunteered at New York City's Elmhurst Hospital in April, when it was overwhelmed with coronavirus patients while the city was the center of the global pandemic.

"I've seen a lot of stuff in my life, but when I went into the ICU, I was shocked. It was just the most incredible thing I had ever seen," said Baule, who completed a general surgical internship at Elmhurst in 1992. "These patients were very, very sick."

Medical professionals from across the country rushed to New York City when it became the center of the pandemic in the U.S. in March and April, but now they are alarmed by what they're seeing in their own backyards as their home states report record numbers of cases.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Almost 1 in 5 new cases of the coronavirus reported around the world one day this week came from just three U.S. states Texas, Florida and California an NBC News tally revealed Tuesday. The 27,574 cases recorded in those states Monday accounted for 18.9 percent of the global total and represented more than a third of the 61,751 new cases reported in the U.S.

Baule remembers well the chaos of those days at Elmhurst, when medical staffers were doing anything and everything just to keep up. Pediatricians were transporting patients, plastic surgeons were doing ventilator inventory, and he was working in the intensive care unit managing critical care patients, he said.

Now, back home in Rocky Mount, a town of about 55,000 less than 60 miles northeast of Raleigh, it seems like a completely different world, even as cases peak in the state.

"Recently I go into the store and I feel I'm the only one there wearing a mask. Even the people working there aren't wearing masks, which just blows my mind," said Baule, who said he wears a mask whenever he leaves the house. "People just don't realize. You don't realize it until you see how bad it is."

Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak

Ivette Palomeque, a nurse in Houston, also volunteered at Elmhurst Hospital during the peak in New York.

"It was definitely overwhelming, nothing like any health care provider has seen in their lifetime," she said. "I've seen death constantly, I've seen death frequently, but to this magnitude? Never."

Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.

Palomeque arrived March 27 and didn't return home until June 29. She is back to treating patients at Memorial Hermann at Texas Medical Center, where she has worked for seven years.

"Let's say New York is full-blown chaos. This is controlled chaos," Palomeque said of what she's seeing in Houston. In Texas, the two-week death total was up by 99 percent over the previous two weeks.

"The patients are presenting the same in ... that they're getting very sick, requiring enormous amounts of oxygen and ventilation and things that clearly only an ICU would manage," she said. "So that's the dangerous part of this. If enough people get sick, it can definitely create a situation like a bed crunch."

She said that while the number of coronavirus patients isn't what she saw in New York, "that doesn't mean that it may not get there."

Palomeque said of Texans who weren't practicing social distancing or wearing masks: "I really wish they would've had a chance to see what I saw and experience what I experienced trying to take care of these people.

"For some of the general public, this will never be real unless they witness it with their own eyes or it hits them close to home, unfortunately," she said. "It's really disheartening to see so many people just not wearing a mask, not even caring, and it's just, like, I don't understand."

Her message: "Please wear your mask. People are dying. This is real."

Counties in Texas and Arizona have requested refrigerated trucks to use as makeshift morgues as the numbers of deaths have continued to rise, replicating disturbing images seen in New York City during its coronavirus peak.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego told MSNBC last week that Maricopa County, Arizona, announced that it was going to be getting refrigerated trucks because the Abrazo Health system had run out of morgue space.

"It is very scary out here," she said.

In response to the comment, Melissa DeRosa, secretary to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, asked on Twitter: "How could the rest of America have watched what happened in New York in March and let this happen in July?"

Jess Esperti, a nurse from Arizona who also treated patients at Elmhurst Hospital in April, said the hardest part was that so many patients were dying that there wasn't always enough time to inform family members or let them grieve.

"New York was such a whirlwind, because we didn't have time to do that with our patients," said Esperti, who works for several Phoenix-area hospitals. "People would call and ask for an update and find out that their loved one had passed.

"That's not any way that I would want anyone to go, not being able to talk to their family," she said.

Esperti said that while cases are rising in Arizona, she still has time to do what she wasn't always able to do in New York.

"Maybe it's going to get worse, but we at least have some time to be able to do those things for people that we weren't able to do at the very beginning," she said.

She said she recently treated a 74-year-old woman who wasn't going to be able to come off a BiPap machine, which helps push air into a patient's lungs.

"As soon as we got her in touch with all of her kids from around the country, all at once she felt better, like, 'Yeah, I can go now,'" Esperti said. "We got her family in a group video chat, and all of her kids watched as we took the BiPap off and she passed away."

Esperti said it was a sharp contrast from not always having time to give every family such intimate final moments during New York's coronavirus peak.

"It's something that I will forever, you know, try to be better at," she said. "I know what 'I don't have time' means because of New York."

Esperti said she was humbled by her volunteering experience and the teamwork of the medical staff in pushing through the crisis.

"You know, all of us nurses that were in New York, you can't really explain this to anybody," she said. "I mean, the only people that are going to understand is the people that actually worked there, because it's just impossible to explain fully what it was like."

Read more:

'This is real': Doctors, nurses who helped New York with coronavirus surge warn their home states - NBC News

The coronavirus crisis was already bad. Extreme heat waves are making it worse. – Environmental Defense Fund

Posted on by

Climate pollution is making heat waves longer, hotter and more frequent. As communities throughout the United States face surges in COVID-19 infections, more intense heat is creating additional public health challenges, with sweltering conditions complicating efforts to contain the virus and leading to a cascade of difficult choices.

The current heat wave across the South and Southwest has seen heat warnings and advisories for at least 11 states, stretching from Southern California to the Florida Panhandle. Last weekend in Phoenix, temperatures hit a record high of 116 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, July 12and were measured at or above 110 degrees for at least ten consecutive days.

This is part of a long-term upward trend in global temperatures caused by climate pollution. Over the last 60 years, each decade has been decisively warmer than the previous one. The number of deadly heat waves in 50 major cities across the U.S. has increased dramatically from an average of two heat waves per year during the 1960s, to more than six per year during the 2010s.

Now layer in a deadly pandemic.

Up to a quarter of all American households dont have access to air conditioning, and they are often the poor and the elderly, for whom coronavirus poses the greatest risk. Moving them to crowded cooling centers like public libraries, community centers and senior centers increases the likelihood of exposing and possibly killing those most vulnerable to the disease.

Consider, too, the millions of Americans who work outdoors who, for example, deliver mail or labor on highway construction crews as temperatures soar and heat waves worsen. These conditions set up an impossible choice between a persons health and the job that feeds their family.

Then there are the 25 million Americans with asthma: As temperatures climb and heat waves become more frequent, the metaphorical rope around their chests will tighten. Heat and humidity encourages mold growth and seasonal pollen, which are asthma triggers. On very hot days, the problem of ozone pollution which happens when heat and sunlight combine with pollutants to create ozone also increases. Ozone causes damage to everything from human lungs to crop yields. While this is especially worrisome for people with asthma and related illnesses, ozone is bad for all peoples health, triggering problems including chest pain and coughing. It can also harm lung tissue and reduce lung function, which is especially worrisome amid the threat of COVID-19, which itself can cause serious lung damage.

Because the burden of asthma is strongly related to social and economic status, access to health care and exposure to environmental triggers, the most vulnerable are most at risk here, too. African Americans, Latinos, and the poorparticularly poor childrenhave a higher incidence of the illness.

If you think putting up with a spell of hot weather is not a big deal, look at recent history. In France, record heat waves in June and July 2019 killed more than 1,400 people. In India, an intense heat wave in 2015 killed more than 2,300 people and had temperatures hot enough to melt pavement in New Delhi.

All across the United States, temperatures are climbing. According to a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists, the number of days in Minnesota with a heat index above 90 degrees could quadruple by around mid-century if no action is taken to climate pollution. And in Florida, the average number of days when the heat index is 105 degrees or higher is projected to increase more than five times by then from 25 dangerous heat days a year to 130 more than any other state.

There are also agricultural and economic impacts. Rising temperatures increase the likelihood of droughts and spread insect borne diseases. They will also have a profound impact on outdoor recreation and sports heat is already a leading cause of death and disability among high school athletes.

We have to tackle both health threats defeating the immediate threat of COVID-19, while also dramatically reducing the pollution thats heating up the planet. That means transitioning to clean energy, electrifying transportation, putting limits on pollution and prioritizing communities that carry the highest burden and health disparities.

As we move to repair the COVID-battered economy, we have a chance to make it better than it was before. In the U.S., we can rebuild better by investing in clean energy to create more jobs and less pollution. In doing so, well reduce shocks to the system from the global pandemic to devastating heat waves made worse by climate change.

Its time to act.

See the rest here:

The coronavirus crisis was already bad. Extreme heat waves are making it worse. - Environmental Defense Fund

From farmed mink to your pet cat, here’s what we know about coronavirus and animals – CNN

Posted on by

While the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there's no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus, there have been reports of pets being infected.

And since the coronavirus is believed to have infected wild animals before jumping to humans, this is an area scientists need to learn more about in an effort to control the spread of Covid-19 and future illnesses.

Covid-19 was found in three of 11 cats at one mink farm, and the government said cats may play a role in the spread of the virus between farms.

At a farm in Teruel, Spain, 92,700 mink are to be culled after 78 of 90 animals tested were found to have the coronavirus -- 87% of the sample.

Can I catch coronavirus from my pet?

The CDC says the risk of animals spreading Covid-19 to people is "considered to be low" and the agency does not recommend routine testing of pets.

A YouTube video released by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in mid-June said that "it doesn't seem like animals can give you the virus," although you may be able to give it to them.

Since animals can spread other diseases to humans, it's always best to wash your hands after touching a pet and before touching your face.

Didn't the coronavirus originate in wild animals?

Researchers believe the coronavirus spent some time infecting both bats and pangolins before it jumped into humans. Scientists suspect humans first came into contact with an animal sick with the disease at a wet market in China.

What is clear is that the coronavirus has swapped genes repeatedly with similar strains infecting bats, pangolins and a possible third species, a team at Duke University, Los Alamos National Laboratory and elsewhere reported in the journal Science Advances in May.

What's also clear is that people need to reduce contact with wild animals that can transmit new infections, they concluded.

How can I protect my pet from Covid-19?

Consider avoiding dog parks and other crowded public places, the FDA advises. The six-foot distancing rule applies to leashed pets, as well as to other people.

The FDA also suggests avoiding contact with animals if you are sick -- if possible, have someone else care for your pet until you're well again, or wear a face covering around them.

If your pet gets sick after contact with a person with Covid-19, call your veterinarian and find out about telemedicine consultations or other plans for seeing pets.

Animal rights groups warned that a bigger risk than the spread of the virus from animals to humans is the "spread of fear" causing owners to abandon their pets.

Should this change how we behave around animals?

Fur farms such as those where the mink outbreaks occurred are banned in many countries because of concerns around animal welfare and ethics.

Research published in Science Advances warned that humans are setting ourselves up to be infected with new viruses by operating "wet markets" where many different species of live animals are caged and sold, and by moving deeper into forests where animals live.

They said "reducing or eliminating direct human contact with wild animals is critical to preventing new coronavirus zoonosis [transmission from animals to humans] in the future."

Jane Goodall, the pioneering chimpanzee expert, said she hoped that the coronavirus would make us reflect on our relationship with the natural world.

She said humans had "disrespected" nature and animals, "and as we destroy the forests and the habitats, species which normally wouldn't interact have been crowded together" and have been forced into closer contact with humans.

Goodall noted that HIV originated with the hunting of chimpanzees, that Middle East respiratory syndrome -- another coronavirus -- comes from camels, and that modern farming practices create ideal conditions for a virus to jump from an animal to a human. The climate crisis could also bring further problems and more diseases.

"So, let's hope we come out of the pandemic and can work out together, a greener future economy, and a better way to live in harmony with the natural world," Goodall said, "for the sake of the environment, animals, our own health and future generations."

CNN's Maggie Fox, Laura Prez Maestro, Mick Kerver, Rob Picheta and Jen Christensen contributed reporting.

Excerpt from:

From farmed mink to your pet cat, here's what we know about coronavirus and animals - CNN

Testing Is on the Brink of Paralysis. Thats Very Bad News. – The New York Times

Posted on by

As Covid-19 cases surge to their highest levels in dozens of states, the nations testing effort is on the brink of paralysis because of widespread delays in getting back results. And that is very bad news, because even if testing is robust, the pandemic cannot be controlled without rapid results.

This is the latest failure in our national response to the worst pandemic in a century. Since the Trump administration has abdicated responsibility, governors must join forces to meet this threat before the cataclysm that Florida is experiencing becomes the reality across the country.

Testing should be the governors first order of business.

Despite President Trumps boast early this month that testing is so massive and so good, the United States two largest commercial testing companies, Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, have found themselves overwhelmed and unable to return results promptly. Delays averaging a week or longer for all but top-priority hospital patients and symptomatic health care workers are disastrous for efforts to slow the spread of the virus.

Without rapid results, it is impossible to isolate new infections quickly enough to douse flare-ups before they grow. Slow diagnosis incapacitates contact tracing, which entails not only isolating those who test positive but also alerting the infected persons contacts quickly so they can quarantine, too, and avoid exposing others to the virus unwittingly.

Among those who waited an absurdly long time for her results was the mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms. We FINALLY received our test results taken 8 days before, she tweeted last week. One person in my house was positive then. By the time we tested again, 1 week later, 3 of us had COVID. If we had known sooner, we would have immediately quarantined.

Another complaint came this week from Mr. Trumps former acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who wrote in an op-ed commentary for CNBC that my son was tested recently; we had to wait 5 to 7 days for results. Noting, too, that his daughter was told she didnt qualify for a test, he added, That is simply inexcusable at this point in the pandemic.

As summer turns to fall, slow and fragmented testing will fatally undermine the reopening of schools and universities, whose plans are predicated on quickly identifying outbreaks and suppressing spread. Testing for millions of students will feed into an already failing national system.

Vice President Mike Pences casual invocation of an extraordinary national success in testing in a recent call with governors was flatly wrong, as is the presidents similar trumpeting of testing success. These claims contribute to a false sense among the public that testing may have had early stumbles but is ramping up slowly but surely.

The reality is that the spread of the virus has vastly outpaced the expansion of testing capacity. That spread in turn results in more illness and therefore more tests to process, which further slows down turnaround time in a vicious cycle. The dedication and patience of thousands of people waiting in serpentine lines of cars for hours to be tested are wasted when the results arent returned quickly enough.

We are at this point because of the absence of a coordinated federal plan, and, indeed, because of a White House that seems actively hostile to producing one. The nations governors and state legislators must fill the void.

Unity among the states is not just about neighborliness but also about self-interest. So long as interstate travel continues, inadequate testing anywhere threatens public health everywhere, including in places that have found or developed localized testing capacities and are less sensitive to the bottlenecks that Quest and LabCorp are experiencing.

The signal difference between federal and state leadership is that the former can print money and the latter cannot. If states are to step up, they will need resources: money from Congress without executive branch holdup, coordination and mutual aid from one another, and cooperation and expertise from the public itself.

Heres what the governors need to do to bolster the overall testing capability before the end of the summer, best begun with a summit in the next two weeks.

Governors must work collectively to fill gaps in their own testing and contact-tracing programs. The National Governors Association helped in a similar effort to curb the spread of the Zika virus.

In March there was a mad scramble and competition for personal protective equipment. Now, the allocation of tests and test processing may end up in another free-for-all. A coordinated approach by all states would avoid that. Consistent metrics must be established for accountability and to identify trigger points that call for rapid policy responses. Acting in concert can make it easier to undertake tough or controversial decisions like ordering lockdowns when testing shows renewed spread.

Governors should also agree to assist in sharing local test processing capacity, including by university labs, so it is available wherever it is most needed. Relying largely on two large commercial testing companies, as we are now, has proved to be a major vulnerability.

For example, the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard has stepped up in Massachusetts with more testing capacity so much so that it is not being fully used. But no process is in place for a doctor in, say, Arizona to prescribe a test that the Broad will process. Thats a problem that governors can help solve. They can also find ways to subsidize investments by labs to expand capacity, to help untangle medical insurance complications so tests are covered and to prompt innovations in testing.

In particular, they should encourage the academic and commercial sectors to develop, test and produce new, rapid, point-of-care testing. More broadly, they should recruit data scientists and experts in science communication ready to lend their skills to a unified effort.

We cant allow the delays at Quest and LabCorp to mark the start of a downward spiral. Instead, we must marshal a nationwide strategy to place the United States in the ranks of other countries that are successfully beating back the pandemic.

Sorting out testing is foundational to slowing the spread of the virus. From there, governors can build a comprehensive national plan of attack. Doing so will require new forms of coordinated governance. In the absence of federal leadership, its up to governors to step to the fore.

Margaret Bourdeaux is research director of the Program of Global Public Policy at Harvard Medical School. Beth Cameron is the vice president for Global Biological Policy and Programs at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Jonathan Zittrain is a professor of law and computer science at Harvard and co-chair with Dr. Bourdeaux of the Berkman Klein Centers Digital Pandemic Response Practice.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

Read the original post:

Testing Is on the Brink of Paralysis. Thats Very Bad News. - The New York Times

How To Protect Yourself From The Risk Of Airborne Coronavirus Transmission? : Goats and Soda – NPR

Posted on by

I'm hearing a lot of talk about the coronavirus spreading through aerosols is wearing a mask in a grocery store enough protection? What else should I do to stay safe?

Quick answer first: Going to the grocery store where you and everyone else is wearing a mask and keeping a distance from each other is still considered a low-risk activity. Go get your summer strawberries!

For background, aerosols are tiny microdroplets containing the virus that can be expelled when we talk or breathe and can stay aloft and travel on air currents. It's still unclear how much of a role they play in spreading the virus, but recently more than 200 scientists wrote an open letter asking the World Health Organization to pay more attention to them.

The agency still maintains that the greater risk of spread appears to be from droplets larger particles, also expelled when we talk or breathe, which settle more quickly and are less likely to accumulate in the air. However, WHO released a new scientific brief on July 9 saying that airborne transmission might be contributing to spread in crowded, poorly-ventilated indoor spaces such as gyms, choir practice rooms and nightclubs. But how much transmission aerosolized particles are responsible for, versus droplets and contaminated surfaces, they can't say for sure.

"What we are calling for is more systematic research to be done in these types of settings," said Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for WHO's health emergencies program, at a press conference on Friday. In other words, stay tuned.

Bottom line: It's impossible to rule out that some amount of transmission may be caused by aerosols. If you want to err on the side of caution, here's what some infectious disease researchers say can help minimize the risks:

Face away from people when you talk: When you're talking face to face with someone, you're in direct line of the plumes of breath that come out of their mouths when they speak. "If there's any scenario where I'm face to face, with someone, I move my head off-center so I'm no longer inhaling that direct plume," says Seema Lakdawala, a flu transmission researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. One tip that helps her is to not make direct eye contact with people. It can be awkward, she acknowledges, but "it's not just about protecting myself, but also about protecting other people," since it's possible to shed the virus without knowing you're infected.

Wear your mask properly: Wear a layered cloth mask in public spaces, especially if you're indoors or in a setting where you can't socially distance. Make sure it covers your nose and mouth. This will catch many of the droplets that come out when you breathe or speak and prevent them from getting into the air. Ideally, to take precautions against tiny, aerosolized microdroplets, "we should be masking everyone with better masks," says Abraar Karan, a physician at Harvard Medical School. But the N95 masks that effectively filter most aerosol particles are in short supply and uncomfortable to wear. Karan suggests well-fitting KN95 masks which have similar protection (but make sure your mask isn't counterfeit).

Make the indoors more like the outdoors: "You limit aerosol transmission by increasing ventilation and increasing air circulation by opening a window, putting on a fan and just moving the air," says Lakdawala, who keeps several fans running at all times in her lab and office space. Moving air disperses the particles in the air and makes it less likely that someone will breathe in a concentrated cloud of infectious virus. Donald Milton, an infectious disease aerobiologist at the University of Maryland and lead author on the open letter about aerosols, also recommends cleaning indoor air, through air filtration and ultraviolet sanitizing light. "You wouldn't drink water downstream from another town without treating it. But we breathe air from other people without treating it," he says.

Limit the amount of time you're in close contact with people: The public health rule of thumb for what counts as an exposure is close contact with an infected person for 15 minutes or more, so uncrowded grocery stores where everyone is masked and moving represents a relatively low-risk situation, both Lakdawala and Milton agree. Hopefully, you're not standing in one aisle for very long, but you're going to shop efficiently, says Lakdawala, "So even if there are fine aerosols that are getting released by somebody who is infected, they're getting diluted out as these people move in air currents." Indoor bars, restaurants and other situations where people are staying in one place for a period of time, and speaking or singing loudly, make Milton more wary. "I don't know how to drink a beer with a surgical mask on," he says. "And I wouldn't go sing at choir practice, OK?"

Keep a buffer of personal space: This isn't just important for the spray of droplets, it may also help when it comes to tiny airborne particles. If you are planning to sit and talk to a friend, keeping a distance of at least 6 feet creates more opportunities for airflow between you and others. "We have a happy hour in our neighborhood where everybody brings our chairs, and we sit on someone's lawn," says Lakdawala. "Everyone is spatially distanced, and we bring our own drinks and talk." Maintaining a distance from others means there's more ventilation and space for air to pass between you, says Lakdawala.

Each precaution adds another layer of safety from aerosolized particles, says Milton. "Wearing a mask means you're putting less virus droplets into the air, sucking less out [of the air]. Keeping distances means there's less of it near you. And having good ventilation or air sanitation means what's in the air is getting removed. All of those things add up to giving you good protection."

See the article here:

How To Protect Yourself From The Risk Of Airborne Coronavirus Transmission? : Goats and Soda - NPR

OPINION – Macau’s Solution to the Pandemic Crisis – Macau Business

Posted on by

An eye-catching headline in a local newspaper exposes the dangers of believing what you read when it comes to advertising or marketing. How to catch your reader, client or customer is a key feature of promoting your product or service; how to do it?

Opinion | Keith Morrison Author and educationist

One way is to impress your reader with namedropping and making text impenetrably replete with high-sounding phrases. But it doesnt necessarily work. Take this example from Bhaskar, writing in 1994: Hegel served only to replicate in his actualistic monovalent analytic reinstatement in transfigurative reconciling dialectical connection, while in his hubristic claims for absolute idealism he inaugurated the Comtean, Kierkegaardian and Nietzschean eclipses of reasons, replicating the fundaments positivism through its transmutation route to the superidealism of Baudrillard. Brain torpor is setting in. Im lost. I think Ill put that back on the bookshop shelf.

Or how about this one: We incorporate data, machine learning and analytics alongside a strong behavioural science and visual design capability to provide lasting value across all the projects we deliver (https://mudano.com/why/). Spare us.

Or how about going for a piece of talking-up jingoism: attach the word solutions to everything. Ask yourself how many times is it really meaningful or simply sleight-of-hand hyperbole? For example, fictitiously speaking: bathroom redesign for customized, client-centred living solutions: paint; international luxury-living solutions for your own designer bedroom: new curtains; revolutionary innovatory solutions to information-age management: spreadsheets; health-giving, protective vitalizing solutions to promote your childs well-being: formula milk. Try attaching the word solutions to sales-talk; it seldom fails to expose the nonsense at work in promotional statements, where problems are conflated mistakenly with ideas.

There seems to be a restricted code of grotesque terms which seem to be de rigueur in promotion-speak from a cabal of cognoscenti, in which deliver, solutions, value (or, better still, value-added), maximize, win-win (or, even better, win-win solutions) and innovative or their cognates frequently figure. Look at this: our core strengths are the combination of our consulting expertise, technical skills, and product development capability to provide government and commercial organizations with innovative solutions to maximize business values (http://win-winsolution.com/). Yawn.

Talking of solutions, how about making claims that bring a tear of laughter to the cheeks of readers? A Macau newspaper reported that the solution to the pandemic crisis in Macau, discussed in Macaus Legislative Assembly, is tourism diversification, which could include sport tourism and medical tourism. Really? Adding the word tourism to other possible solutions to the pandemic in Macau deflates any cachet of tourism.

But wait; in Macau, how about other kinds of tourism solutions: environmental mess tourism; roadwork tourism; hole tourism; congestion tourism; stink tourism; crowd tourism; how not to build a light rail system tourism; how to wait for ages in a hospital tourism; how to go round endless government departments to get an answer tourism; how to be squashed in supermarket tourism; how to survive a bus ride tourism? Appending tourism to a statement does not necessarily make it more attractive or add anything worthwhile.

My point is very simple: be real and realistic in what to say and plan when promoting Macau. If Macau really is to become the much-talked-about World Center of Tourism and Leisure other than for gambling, a bit of quaint heritage visitation, and eating, then we must staunch the flow of over-statement, of selective statements, and of claiming the impossible.

Maybe George Orwell had it right when he remarked that advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket. For Macau to diversify its tourism needs more than a few high-sounding terms; it needs to have something real to offer, and I simply do not see this in the suggestion of sports or medicine.

With some very high profile exceptions, sports events and medical tourism are typically restricted to participants rather than tourists. And, anyway, I thought that the solution to the pandemic crisis was to halt the pandemic, in which the Macau government has excelled to date, not to diversify tourism. Silly me.

Link:

OPINION - Macau's Solution to the Pandemic Crisis - Macau Business

As Trump attacks, China sees a worrying trend for its future – Macau Daily Times

Posted on by

A Beijing supporter displays a placard during a protest against the U.S. sanctions outside the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong yesterday

On Monday, it was the South China Sea. On Tuesday, it was Hong Kong. On Wednesday, Huawei and human rights.The Trump administration appears to be accelerating a push to define China as a strategic threat, a worrying trend for the countrys leaders as the ambitions of a rising economic and military power collide with Americas.A senior official accused the U.S. this week of using the Hong Kong issue to try to obstruct Chinas development.Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang told U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad in a meeting in Beijing that threats of U.S. sanctions and the withdrawal of special trading privileges for Hong Kong are not about democracy and freedom in the semi-autonomous territory but an attempt to contain China.I want to warn the U.S. sternly that any bullying and unfairness imposed on China by the U.S. will meet resolute counterattack from China, and the U.S. attempt to obstruct Chinas development is doomed to failure, he said, according to an account carried by state media.Behind the tough words is growing concern. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech last week that U.S.-China relations face their most severe challenge since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1979. He asked if bilateral relations will be able to stay the course after a more than four-decade voyage.At one level, the Trump administrations attacks on China are seen as election-year politics, an attempt to woo voters and distract them from problems at home. President Donald Trump has sought to blame the coronavirus outbreak on China, rather than on any shortcomings in how his government dealt with it.But Americas differences with China go beyond Trump. The tone could change if he is not re-elected in November, but the underlying issues will remain.Ahead of the election, the factors leading to a possible free-fall in relations are becoming more intense, said Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University in China.After the U.S. elections, a window might emerge for serious dialogue, but the overall situation will not be reversed, he said. He added that he doesnt see a strategy the two governments could adopt to ease tensions.The two countries have a fundamental divide in their thinking. The U.S. has always hoped that China would become more democratic as its interactions with the rest of the world grow. Chinas long-ruling Communist Party says the two should respect their differences.China and the U.S. should not seek to remodel each other, Wang said in his speech. Instead, they must work together to find ways to peaceful coexistence.The divide is playing out in Hong Kong, where the U.S. and other Western democracies have grown increasingly concerned over Chinas imposition of a security law that is seen as a threat to freedom of speech and the right to protest.China views outside pressure on Hong Kong and other human rights issues as interference in its domestic affairs.Branstad expressed to Zheng deep American concern about Chinese decisions that erode fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, according to a statement posted on the U.S. Embassy website yesterday.It said Branstad explained the Trump administrations finding that the city of 7.5 million people is no longer sufficiently autonomous from China to merit special treatment in trade. He also called on China to restore Hong Kongs liberties.Trump signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act on Tuesday, a law that sanctions officials who undermine the citys autonomy, as well as an executive order affirming an earlier decision to eliminate the preferential trade treatment.That followed a declaration by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday that the U.S. would not recognize most of Chinas maritime claims in the South China Sea. On Wednesday, Pompeo said the U.S. would ban employees from Huawei and other Chinese companies who aided alleged human rights abuses in places such as Chinas Xinjiang region.The U.S. has interfered with Chinas internal affairs and harmed Chinas interests on the issues of Xinjiang, Tibet and the South China Sea, further exposing its nature of naked hegemony, Zheng told Branstad.While Zheng urged the U.S. not to go further and further on the wrong path, Branstad called on China to refrain from any further erosion of Hong Kongs autonomy.Chu Yin, a professor at the University of International Relations, offered a glimmer of hope. He said frictions between nations always rise during times of economic slowdown.Chinas foreign diplomacy is facing grave and complicated challenges, but the situation will improve a lot with the easing of the epidemic situation and the recovery of the economy, he predicted. KEN MORITSUGU, BEIJING, AP

Read the original here:

As Trump attacks, China sees a worrying trend for its future - Macau Daily Times

Patriotic education base to open at Macao Handover Gifts Museum – Macau News

Posted on by

A patriotic education base is being set up at the Handover Gifts Museum of Macao and slated to be ready by the end of the year, Tsang Hio Ian, who heads the Education and Youth Affairs Bureaus (DSEJ) Documentation, Information and Public Relations Centre, said on Thursday.

Tsang made the remarks at a press conference after this years second plenary meeting of the government-appointed Youth Affairs Committee, which was held on the bureaus premises on Thursday.

Tsang said that the base would include an exhibition area, a training area and a multimedia theatre. The base will be a venue for schools and organisations to learn more about the importance of educating local residents about the Loving the country and loving Macao concept.

Cheong Man Fai, who heads the Youth Department, told reporters that the budget for setting up the base was 2.5 million patacas. Cheong added that the base will show movies and host conferences to educate youth about patriotism.

Cheong pointed out that there will be translations for non-Chinese speakers to learn about patriotism.

Meanwhile, during the press conference, Choi Man Chi, the acting head of the Youth Departments School Sports and Youth Activities Division, said there were around 29,000 people registered for the bureaus summer activities, and 24,000 people had already signed up for them. Over 99 per cent signed up via online platforms.

The press conference did not elaborate as to whether those who registered could still sign up for activities, or when the activities begin.

Choi underlined that the bureau has implemented a raft of COVID-19 prevention and control measures, including rescheduling and class-size reductions, to ensure the participants safety.

(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)

Go here to see the original:

Patriotic education base to open at Macao Handover Gifts Museum - Macau News

US warns of ‘arbitrary detention’ risk in China – Macau Business

Posted on by

The United States on Saturday warned citizens of heightened risk of arbitrary detention in China as tensions between Beijing and Washington soared over issues including Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.

US citizens in China may be subjected to prolonged interrogations and extended detention for reasons related to state security', the State Department warned in a security alert.

The State Department said Chinese authorities may also impose exit bans as part of arbitrary enforcement of local laws for purposes other than maintaining law and order.

Beijing and Washington have traded barbs and sanctions on a slew of issues in recent months, including the coronavirus pandemic and Chinese policies in the far west regions of Tibet and Xinjiang, with Chinese authorities threatening retaliation this week for US sanctions on Chinese officials.

A controversial security law pushed on Hong Kong by Chinas central government in June has alsocaused international concern over the wording of the legislation, which bans subversive acts and speech against the Chinese government made anywhere in the world.

Australia and Canada have also issued travel warnings over fears of arbitrary detention by Beijing.

Last year China arrested Australian-Chinese writer Yang Hengjun, who was indicted earlier this year for espionage.

China has also arrested two Canadians after Canada detained a high-profile executive of Chinese telecom giant Huawei in late 2018.

See the original post:

US warns of 'arbitrary detention' risk in China - Macau Business

Former bank officer in Penang duped of RM167,999.50 in Macau scam – Malay Mail

Posted on by

Barat Daya district police chief Supt A.A. Anbalagan said the victim, aged 65 and living in Taman Desa Ara, Bayan Lepas here, claimed that on June 4, someone claiming to be from a courier company telephoned him to inform that there was a package containing a MyKad and five bank cards addressed to him. Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

BALIK PULAU, JULY 17 A former bank officer lost his life savings of RM167,999.50 after falling victim to a Macau scam syndicate.

Barat Daya district police chief Supt A.A. Anbalagan said the victim, aged 65 and living in Taman Desa Ara, Bayan Lepas here, claimed that on June 4, someone claiming to be from a courier company telephoned him to inform that there was a package containing a MyKad and five bank cards addressed to him.

The victim said the call was then connected to a man who claimed to be a police officer in Sabah, who then informed him (victim) that his name was linked to a money laundering activity before the call was transferred to a police sergeant and an officer, with the rank of ASP, for further review of the victims case, he said in a statement today.

He said the suspect then asked the victim to send his online bank account identification and password for verification before asking for the TAC number that was sent to his (victim) phone.

Upon checking, the victim found RM9,999.50 had been deducted from his bank account, he said, adding that the victim, as instructed by the suspect, also transferred all his money to a given account.

The victim is believed to have deposited RM167,999.50, including the initial amount deducted from his account into the account given by the syndicate from June 20 to July 1, and the transfer transactions were done through an automatic teller machine (ATM) as well as via online, he added.

Anbalagan said the suspect was also ordered to tear the receipts of the money transfer made through the ATM machine.

The victim lodged a police report after realising that he was cheated. Bernama

More:

Former bank officer in Penang duped of RM167,999.50 in Macau scam - Malay Mail

Nicholson’s latest single Sunrise is a fast-paced Trance number with heart-stopping beat drops – Press Release – Digital Journal

Posted on by

Born and based out of London,Nicholsonis a talented music producer who has been honing his craft for over 2 decades now. Having been taught the art of music by legendary, late Tony De Vit, his excellence in his craft cannot be questioned. With such great background Nicholson was sure to do wonders, which he eventually did, by playing at big and renowned UK festivals such as Glastonbury and Bull Dog Bash. His journey is not limited to the UK; he has had the experience of performing worldwide for Soundscape and LHHR (NZ) and Tranceport (ARC), along with many others. He has also bagged various BBC Radio 1 plays, including one for his track The Dawn by Kutski, a popular radio DJ on British national radio.

After performing and exploring harder music genres, Nicholson ultimately was drawn towards his forever love for trance music and has been concentrating on it full time, since 2013. 2020 marked the beginning of yet another round of success, first with Jam And Spoon Remix Right in the Night, that hit Number 1 spot on Beatport, and now with his recent release Sunrise, that has been winning the listeners hearts ever since it was released. Sunrise has already received plays on regular broadcasts and special programs by the people the Godfathers of Trance music. But Nicholsons charm doesnt end here; he has a lot more coming up for his fans this year. With his new album titled Reverent, scheduled to get released by the end of July 2020 on legendary label Tidy Two, Nicholson is sure to win over his fans from across the world.

Apart from late Tony Di Vit, Carl has had the experience of learning alongside industries finest artists like Fatboy Slim, Paul van Dyk, and others. He won the BPI award for his popular track Times like These, that was also featured in Extreme Euphoria series. With his comeback in trance music since 2013, Carl has made sure to level up his music game, by remixing the music of some of the biggest names in trance music like Binary Finary, Marmion, Tony de Vit & Quench. His music is played worldwide and has earned loyal support from some of the industrys best artists like Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Paul Van Dyk, Jordan Suckley, Alex M.O.R.P.H, and Sean Tyas.

With an amazing track record,Nicholsonis definite to take over the industry with a force anytime soon. His music is loved and supported by his fans from all over the world, for which he feels extremely blessed and thankful. Nicholson assures that he will continue to make astounding music and keep on amusing his fans.

Listen to the single Sunrise now onSpotify.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicholsonTrance

Media ContactCompany Name: M Suess PR for TFG Group Ltd Contact Person: Mandy SuessEmail: Send EmailPhone: 0064 22 0130424Country: United KingdomWebsite: http://www.tfggroup.nz

Read the rest here:

Nicholson's latest single Sunrise is a fast-paced Trance number with heart-stopping beat drops - Press Release - Digital Journal

Meet the 15-year-old Belfast DJ headlining shows throughout the country – Belfast Live

Posted on by

He may be young in years but 15-year-old Belfast lad Tyler Jack has already built up a wealth of experience since turning his hand to dance music.

Having been gifted his first set of decks when he was just 12, Tyler has amassed a huge following in the techno/trance scene in Belfast over the last few years.

He's also become an in-demand name at dance events throughout Northern Ireland and beyond, performing alongside the likes of Belfast Vital headliner Timmy Trumpet and meeting up with the likes of Ben Nicky.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Tyler said: "I've always had a love for music from when I was very young. I got my first set of decks when I was 12, then I was uploading videos on social media. It kind of blew up really quickly from there and all of a sudden the videos were reaching a really wide audience."

Tyler was catapulted to a much larger audience with his live-streaming sets taking off on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. This has also proved even more popular during the lockdown period, with people to turning to the likes Tyler to get their dance fix while nightclubs are shut.

"I started doing live streams a few years back and that caught the attention of a lot of promoters in Belfast," he said. "From then, it went from playing birthday parties to playing social clubs, to playing nightclubs and making my way onto the festival circuit."

Tyler found himself sharing a stage with one of his music icons last year - Timmy Trumpet. He performing as part of Timmy's Belsonic after-party at the Telegraph Building in front of hundreds of people.

"I was putting my videos up on social media and I caught the attention of a promoter in Belfast," said Tyler. "I went up to meet up with her and she said, 'I have a lot of gigs coming up. What do you think about playing the Belsonic after-show with Timmy Trumpet?'. And with him being one of my idols for years, it was a brilliant thing to do."

Tyler also recently met up with the hugely successful producer and DJ Ben Nicky, who is scheduled to perform a massive outdoor Belsonic gig in Belfast next summer.

"Since I started, Ben's always followed my stuff and supported me," he said. "Whenever he came over here, I went up and met with him and we had a really good conversation about music. He's been a massive help to me and given me loads of advice, which I obviously value highly because this is someone who plays shows to 15,000 people."

Describing his music and a mix between techno, trance and hardcore, Tyler has performed to audiences up and down the country in recent years, with plans to tour as soon as he's able to. Despite the obvious challenges that come with being a dance musician when you're under 18 years old, Tyler says he's taking things in his stride.

"At the start, it was hard to be this young and try to perform gigs and stuff," he said. "I mean at the very start, I was doing this at the age of 12! But once I got to know the promoters and the club owners, they obviously knew I wasn't going to be messing about if they gave me a chance to perform. I'm not going to be drinking and I'm there with someone who's older than me. At the end of the day, I'm there to play the music."

The same goes for the balancing act of playing gigs and managing school life.

"It can be hard at times," he says. "But I've always managed it all. You come home from school, do some studying and coursework, then you make music - that's how I've balanced it. Then at the weekend, Fridays and Saturdays I'd be playing gigs, and Sunday I'd be setting up for school again."

Go here to read the rest:

Meet the 15-year-old Belfast DJ headlining shows throughout the country - Belfast Live

Ajay Devgns Shivaay title track BTS video showcases how devotion was fused with trance – Republic World – Republic World

Posted on by

Bolo Har Har Haris one of the few fan-favourite tracks of Bollywood which has been created with the right blend of devotion and trance. The song brings together a number of artists who excel in their particular genre. Before the release of the film, Shivaay, the team had released a making video in which the artists involved in creating the piece couldbe seenbe speaking about their contribution and the overall effect of the song. All of them could be seen complimenting Mithoon for composing such a powerful and effective piece.

Bolo Har Har Har is the title track from the film Shivaay whichreleased in the year 2016. The song is an ode to Lord Shiva who is regarded as the destroyer in the Hindu mythology, which is why a considerable part of the audience was able to connect with the powerful song. In the making video of the song, which was released as a promotional piece, the artists can be seen coming together and speaking about the significance and meaning of the song. Music composer Mithoon can be seen talking about how Ajay Devgn wanted the energy of the song high, throughout, which is what theytriedto do. He also speaks about Sukhwinder Singhs pivotal role in the piece as the strength in the song brings a special kind of effect to it. Mithoon can also be seen speaking about Mohit Chauhans uniquestyle and the zone that he creates through his verse.

ReadFrom Ajay Devgn's Film To ICSE Results Fan Debate, Here Are The Top Memes Of The Week

Also readAjay Devgn's 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' Climax Was Shot At THIS Place & Not In Italy

Mithoon can also be seen putting special emphasis on rapper Badshaahs part as he believes he brings the right kind of attitude to the song. On the other hand, Badshah can also be seen expressing gratitude over being able to be a part of this musical journey. Megha Sriram Dalton can be seen chanting meaningful mantras and putting a spell on the listener through her strong and heavy voice. Mithoon also revealed that Megha has been associated with tribal music which helps the piece. Ajay Devgn can be seen talking about the motive of creating a song like Bolo Har Har Har. He reveals that it is not a Bhajan but does carry elements of devotion. He also says that the aim was to keep the song relatable, to people of all age groups. Ajay Devgn also adds that he is happy with the outcome as the youth have been tripping on the track as well.

ReadAjay Devgn's 'Darkhaast' Song From 'Shivaay': Here's What Went Into The Making Of The Song

Also readAjay Devgn's 'Ek Hi Raasta', Other Films With Actor Saeed Jaffrey

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.

See the original post:

Ajay Devgns Shivaay title track BTS video showcases how devotion was fused with trance - Republic World - Republic World

Football, Boyne and the Dee – Drogheda Independent

Posted on by

The memories of Jack Charlton abounded this week as the region recalled a legend of the game.

As part of his role with Ireland - and as a football man - he visited Drogheda on a number of occasions during his 'glory days' - indeed his first visit to United Park coming in February 1990 for an under 16 clash between Scotland and Ireland.

He arrived into the Press area, sat down and just watched the action unfold, almost in a trance.

Had he come just for the game, 'No,' he replied, 'I was down Ardee way earlier for a spot of fishing on the Dee!.

You had to take that comment with a pinch of salt.

The game ended 2-2, Gary Hanrahan scoring one of the Irish goals and a certain Eddie Van Boxtel playing in goals, denying future Irish star Nick Colgan a run.

Two months later, he was back again.

This time it was a Drogheda Utd gala dinner and what a star attraction he was.

But he had the flu and when he walked into the Boyne Valley Hotel, immediately hit the bed for two hours!

He revealed later that on his way from Navan to Drogheda he spotted a stretch of the Boyne he had not fished before and decided to investigate. Followed by his companion (in best Sunday suit) thc keen fisherman walked for up to four miles along the bank.

Among the guests for the evening was none other than Ronnie Whelan snr., father of Livcrpool and Republic of Ireland star, Ronnie jun., and during the course of the evening he recalled his days at Drogheda "Young Ronnie often talks about coming down on the bus to Drogheda during those days and hc used to play about on the steps at the Lourdes Stadium,' he said.

Down the years, he returned to the Boyneside on a number of occasions, as popular as that first day when he stepped foot into United Park.

Drogheda Independent

Read the rest here:

Football, Boyne and the Dee - Drogheda Independent

Standard Chartered and Universities Space Research Association join forces on Quantum Computing – PRNewswire

Posted on by

LONDON andMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Standard Chartered Bank and Universities Space Research Association (USRA) have signed a Collaborative Research Agreement to partner on quantum computing research and developing quantum computing applications.

In finance, the most promising use cases with real-world applications include quantum machine learning models (generating synthetic data and data anonymisation) and discriminative models (building strong classifiers and predictors) with multiple potential uses such as credit scoring and generating trading signals. As quantum computing technology matures, clients should benefit from higher quality services such as faster execution, better risk management and the development of new financial products.

Kahina Van Dyke, Global Head of Digital Channels and Client Data Analytics at Standard Chartered, said: "Similar to other major technological advancements, quantum computing is set to bring widespread benefits as well as disrupt many existing business processes. This is why it's important for companies to future-proof themselves by adopting this new technology from an early stage. The partnership with USRA gives us access to world-class academic researchers and provides us with a unique opportunity to explore a wide range of models and algorithms with the potential to establish quantum advantage for the real-world use cases."

Bernie Seery, Senior VP of Technology at USRA noted that "This partnership with the private sector enables a diversity of research through a competitively selected portfolio of quantum computing research projects involving academic institutions and non-profits, growing an ecosystem for quantum artificial intelligence that has already involved over 150 researchers from more than 40 organizations that produced over 50 peer-reviewed publications over the last seven years."

Alex Manson, Global Head of SC Ventures, Standard Chartered's innovation, fintech investment and ventures arm, stated: "The world is currently in the process of identifying commercial use cases where quantum computer capabilities will surpass classical computers. We have a conviction that some of these use cases will transform the way we manage risks in financial services, for example by simulating portfolios and exponentially speeding up the generation of market data. We will work with USRA to identify such use cases in financial services, with a view to implementing them within our bank, as well as potentially offering this service to other market participants over time."

Mark Johnson, Vice President, Processor Design, Development and Quantum Products at D-Wave said: "Quantum computing research and development are poised to have a profound impact on the industries responsible for solving today's most complex problems. That's why researchers and businesses alike are looking to quantum computing today to start demonstrating tangible value. We're proud to work with USRA and Standard Chartered Bank as they improve global access to quantum systems and undertake essential research and development."

At USRA's Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science, Dr. Davide Venturelli, Associate Director for Quantum Computing, notes that quantum annealing is implementing a powerful approach to computing, featuring unique advantages with respect to other traditional and novel approaches, that should be studied, theoretically and experimentally, to advance the state of art of computing technologies for the benefit of nearly all disciplines.

Standard Chartered's team, led by Dr. Alexei Kondratyev, Global Head of Data Science and Innovation, and USRA have collaborated in quantum computing research since 2017. An earlier success in investigating the quantum annealing approach to computational problems in portfolio optimisation use cases led to this strategic partnership, where USRA will continue to support fundamental academic research in quantum physics and artificial intelligence and Standard Chartered will focus on future commercial applications.

In 2012, USRA partnered with NASA to found the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (QuAIL): the space agency's hub to evaluate the near-term impact of quantum technologies. With QuAIL, the USRA team has investigated the physics, the engineering and the performance of multiple generations of quantum annealing processors built by D-Wave Systems. It has also participated in U.S. government research programs that looked into application of quantum annealing for combinatorial optimization, aviation, earth science and machine learning. NASA Ames Research Center is currently hosting a D-Wave 2000Q annealing system, thanks to the support of this partnership.

Standard Chartered and USRA intend to develop this initial collaboration beyond quantum annealing to all unconventional computing systems that could provide an advantage to applications of interest, such as gate-model noisy-intermediate scale quantum (NISQ) processors and Coherent Ising machines.

For more information, contact: Standard Chartered: Group Media Relations Contact: Shaun Gamble, [emailprotected] Tel: +44 2078855934

USRA: PR Contact: Suraiya Farukhi, [emailprotected] Technical Contact: David Bell, [emailprotected]

About USRA

Foundedin 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities, and conducts other major research and educational programs, under Federal funding. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise.RIACS is a USRA department for research in fundamental and applied information sciences, leading projects on quantum computing funded by NASA, DARPA, the US Airforce and NSF.

More info at: https://riacs.usra.edu/quantum/and http://www.usra.edu.

About Standard Chartered

We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 59 of the world's most dynamic markets, and serving clients in a further 85. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, Here for good.

Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges as well as the Bombay and National Stock Exchanges in India.

For more stories and expert opinions please visitInsightsatsc.com. Follow Standard Chartered onTwitter,LinkedInandFacebook.

SOURCE Universities Space Research Association

http://www.usra.edu

View original post here:

Standard Chartered and Universities Space Research Association join forces on Quantum Computing - PRNewswire

Hollywood Wants to Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in the Movies – Chemistry World

Posted on by

Rick Edwards and Michael BrooksAtlantic Books2019 | 282pp | 12.99ISBN 9781786496928

Buy this book on Amazon.co.uk

Can you really die from insomnia? How would a tree kill an antelope? Why should you stay out of the water? And particularly relevant in the current climate why should we be terrified of pig farms?

These are just a few of the questions answered in Hollywood Wants to Kill You. In the book, Rick Edwards and Michael Brooks take some of the greatest disaster movies ever made and turn them into case studies for the various ways in which all we are all doomed.Brooks did PhD in quantum physics, but now works as a journalist, co-hosting the podcast Science(ish) together with fellow journalist Edwards.

Each chapter examines a different way to die: nuclear fallout, viral epidemic, massive superstorms, killer robots, giant predators and so many more. For each genre of death and destruction, Edwards and Brooks take key storylines from some of your favourite films and dissect what Hollywood got right. I have to admit, learning about the physiological effects of sleep deprivation makes Freddy Krueger much more scary (although he was already quite scary thanks to the knives and the creepy nursery rhyme).

The book is interspersed with engaging mini side-stories about real-world examples of Hollywood storylines. For example, in an incident reminiscent ofThe Day of the Triffids, 3000 antelopes died suddenly on a South African game ranch killed by acacia trees. The trees had produced antelope-killing levels of tannins, warning each other of the hungry herbivores by emitting volatile compounds. These stories, in addition to the authors playful cartoon-style commentary,create a mix of realism and whimsy throughout, making the book fun and entertaining.

As you might expect from a book about movies, there are quite a few spoilers, but I dont think thats a negative it gave me ideas for several films to watch and analyse. Besides, if you didnt already know that Armageddon was about a totally plausible story of deep-sea drillers going into space then maybe this isnt the book for you.

Id recommend for bedtime reading, but its actually quite hard to put down and apparently not sleeping is bad for you.

Read the original:

Hollywood Wants to Kill You: The Peculiar Science of Death in the Movies - Chemistry World