There’s more than one disease to worry about – Farm Progress

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When the word "disease" is mentioned in a sentence these days, chances are most people think of coronavirus. But agriculture can't lose focus on the fact that a range of potential bacteria and viruses target crops and livestock everyday.

In this episode of Around Farm Progress, Paula Mohr, editor of The Farmer magazine in Minnesota, shares that the state has developed a framework for farmers to use in developing their own COVID-19 response plans. And Mohr offers a warning on the crops side for two newer diseases farmers should be on the lookout for in 2020.

Ann Hess, editor of National Hog Farmer, has focused plenty of effort on coronavirus coverage, but the swine industry is dealing with some other issue too. Announcement of the new foot-and-mouth-disease vaccine bank being created is good news for the industry and she discusses what that move means. She also shares insight on further research being done with African Swine Fever.

A global pandemic can draw a lot of attention away from the important day-to-day parts of agriculture. Mohr and Hess offer proof that experts that support agriculture aren't losing focus on longer-term issues impacting food production.

Beyond Around Farm Progress we've got more podcasts to share. Check out all our podcast links at FarmProgress.com/farm-progress-podcasts to keep up on not only Around Farm Progress but daily updates from Max Armstrong, and more.

And if you want quick access to top news from Farm Progress, sign up for our mobile text service by texting FARM to 20505. Note that there may be a text or data cost for using the service.

The podcast Around Farm Progress goes live online by 3 p.m. Central time each Friday and will engage editors from around the country. You can listen to this week's episode above and subscribe on Podbean at Around Farm Progress the podcast. And you can now subscribe through Spotify, Google Play and the Apple podcast app. Just search "Around Farm Progress" and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

Farmers are getting their information in new ways. Farm Progress is a leader in reaching them as needed. From top magazines around the country to one of the first agriculture-focused mobile apps from Farm Futures, to the leading television presence with This Week in Agribusiness, the company covers all media for agriculture.

Comments or questions? Just send a note to willie.vogt@farmprogress.com

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There's more than one disease to worry about - Farm Progress

GM releases 10th annual Sustainability Report outlining 2019 progress and plans for the future – Automotive World

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General Motors today released its 10thannualSustainability Report, providing transparency and accountability on its progress and key accomplishments. The report outlines GMs stance on key issues like environmental stewardship, safety, inclusion, and health and well-being.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, GM has remained committed to its vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. In March, GM debuted its newUltium battery technology, which will enable GM to offer an EV for everyone. And while the pandemic caused GM to temporarily suspend operations in the United States, the company continued to make progress on its electric vehicle development, and all Ultium platform EVs remain on schedule.

GM is also on track to:

GM also recognizes the need for companies to leverage resources and leadership to drive positive change for the common good. During the pandemic, GMpartnered with Ventec Life Systemsto build 30,000 ventilators at GMs Kokomo, Indiana facility. In addition to building ventilators, GM employees areproducing face masksat facilities in Brazil, China, Mexico, Canada and the United States. All production is on track, with each site producing millions of face masks each month to help the communities where GM employees live and work.

This is the first sustainability report to be released since GM made a commitment to become themost inclusive companyin the world. To achieve this goal, GM commissioned an Inclusion Advisory Board. Chaired by GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra, the board consists of internal and external advisors dedicated to guiding GMs commitment to building a culture that is safe and equitable.

The past several months have been difficult and our world has changed. As we move through the world in a new way, GM is as determined as ever to create solutions that lead to a better future for all, said Barra. GM remains focused on delivering on our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion, while becoming the most inclusive company in the world.

Highlights from the 2019 Sustainability Report include:

SOURCE:General Motors

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GM releases 10th annual Sustainability Report outlining 2019 progress and plans for the future - Automotive World

Larian Studios says its making good progress on Baldurs Gate III – NME

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Larian Studios has reassured fans that it is making good progress on Baldurs Gate III, and will announce an early access release date soon.

The company revealed the games current state in a community update on its Steam page. We know you all want to know when well release Baldurs Gate III into early access but youll have to be a bit more patient before we can announce an exact date. The one thing we can tell you is that we are making good progress, the statement reads.

Larian also detailed the changes made to the game since the company showcased the games reworked combat system at this years D&D Live event on June 18. The update also gave fans a sneak peek at how stealth will work in the upcoming game.

The company has doubled down on the reworked combat system, which now better reflects the Dungeon & Dragons turn order. Battles are also set to be more fluid than Larians previous game, Divinity: Original Sin 2, thanks to improvements regarding how animations are both created and processed.

Baldurs Gate III. Credit: Larian Studios

We invested heavily into what drives our animation pipeline, and specifically made tweaks to improve the feel and motion in combat, it said. The increased brevity and flow is down to many, many changes shaving off microseconds (and sometimes entire seconds).

Stealth is also set to play a big part in Baldurs Gate III, but only if players want it to be, Larian noted. Sneaking is a really useful technique for positioning your party prior to the initiative roll, ensuring you get the first strike.

It added that players will be able to switch from exploration to turned-based battle mode in order to make use of stealth to prepare for combat. Moreover, the system also takes lighting into account, so that even when you are caught in the visibility cones of the enemy, you still have a chance to slip through unseen.

Check out more details on both the combat and stealth systems, as well as brief chips of the two modes, at the official Baldurs Gate III Steam page.

If everything goes to plan, Baldurs Gate III is scheduled to enter early access as soon as August. However, Swen Vincke, the head of Larian Studios, cautioned that the date is just a possibility as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the games development.

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Larian Studios says its making good progress on Baldurs Gate III - NME

Coexisting with covid-19: a catalyst for progress in international arbitration? – Lexology

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As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, infection rates in many countries are starting to fall, and businesses and governments alike are seeking to establish a new normal recognising that the virus will be present in society for some time yet. Other countries still face climbing numbers and a peak yet to come. For all, the prospect of multiple waves of high infection rates throughout the year and beyond remains. As such, we will continue to see an ever shifting patchwork of lockdowns and other government responses internationally.

In our earlier series of blog posts, we highlighted the individual steps taken by different arbitral institutions, organisations and the wider community as an initial crisis response to the pandemic. We produced a table setting out those steps and will continue to monitor and update this information going forward. An updated table, accurate to 16 July 2020, can be found here.

In this blog post, we turn to the future and look at how the arbitration community continues to respond to the challenges of operating internationally, as different countries prepare in different ways to live with the Covid-19 virus in the medium term at least.

A steep learning curve: the initial response

The initial wave of the pandemic created an unprecedented need for arbitral institutions and organisations to adapt at very short notice to new and different ways of working, and offer solutions to parties and practitioners that would enable disputes to continue to be resolved at a time of quarantine, enforced social distancing and fast-changing government guidance from across the globe. What became clear was that there was no one size fits all approach to be taken by those institutions or organisations. Some institutions (such as the SCC) already functioned largely online with online filing systems. For other organisations (such as the LMAA) the majority of their cases were resolved on the papers rather than in face-to-face hearings. Other institutions (such as the ICC or LCIA) needed to introduce changes in their processes, enabling cases to be filed virtually while their secretariats worked remotely and for parties and tribunals to communicate online.

As the truly global nature of the pandemic unfolded, one of the first questions faced by parties, arbitrators and practitioners was whether merits hearings ought to be held virtually or postponed. While electronic communication and the use of other online tools in an arbitration is nothing new, most arbitrations, until now, involved a face-to-face substantive hearing on the merits. For many, a shift to a fully virtual merits hearing was, at least initially, viewed as a step too far. We saw many arbitration hearings in March and early April being postponed to later in the year. However, with the realisation that this new normal might be with us on a global scale for some time came a change in attitude towards virtual hearings.

The institutional joint statement in April 2020 mirrored the approach of many national courts in encouraging parties to continue with the resolution of disputes, and many arbitral institutions began encouraging arbitrators to adopt virtual hearings wherever possible. As a consequence, many parties with upcoming merits hearings found their arbitrators inclined towards that option.

Where a decision has been taken to hold a hearing virtually, the arbitrators, practitioners and clients involved have been on a steep learning curve. Just as we have all become used to operating through Skype, Teams and Zoom in the workplace, we have adapted to using that same virtual technology (and others) to hold hearings.

There has been a very positive response from a number of practitioners who have participated in virtual hearings, with many surprised at how well they have worked. We have seen the development of guidelines, protocols and procedural orders to govern the efficient and effective running of virtual hearings and to ensure that the hearing remains fair to all.

We have also seen other new ideas and initiatives come from within the community during this challenging time. New websites and initiatives have been launched to help keep practitioners up to date with Covid-19 developments or to facilitate the use of online platforms to enable cases to truly operate virtually.

Responding to an ever-shifting international picture: the need for flexibility

So what does the new normal mean going forward?

Commercial arbitration has grown in popularity over the past decades as parties recognise the benefits it brings in cross-border transactions by offering a neutral forum and an adaptable, international, procedure. But the international nature of the parties, practitioners, institutions and arbitrators also means that arbitration must be able to adapt and flex to fit the unique requirements of those international participants, both in terms of their transactions and disputes, but also to the specific implications of the pandemic for each country in which those participants reside.

Clearly, if circumstances require it, all those involved in the process should be able to revert back to lockdown ways of working. And if circumstances require it, all the learning of the past months will be able to be put into use in continuing to hold wholly virtual substantive hearings. But what seems more likely is that we will see more flexible and adaptable approaches to respond quickly to the immediate, and often changing, circumstances.

Hybrid or semi-virtual hearings are likely to be the answer to that need for flexibility. A mixture of virtual and physical attendance will help to mitigate the effects of travel restrictions and local or national lockdowns. They will also enable those involved in hearings (such as the parties and their counsel, the Tribunal and any witnesses or translators that might be involved) to participate to the fullest extent possible. Some participants may meet in a single or in multiple locations, with appropriate social distancing, while others attend virtually. These hybrid hearings can be set up to change format at short notice, enabling those involved to plan for a myriad of different scenarios but ensure that the final hearing remains fair, offering each party the opportunity to put their case.

Impact on the future: a catalyst for change in the post-Covid world?

Many sectors of the economy have proven themselves to be extremely adaptable in the face of the pandemic, and arbitration is no different in that regard. At this stage, however, it is difficult to gauge the longer term impact of Covid-19 on the process and procedure of arbitration globally, particularly if a future vaccine were to reduce or remove the need for social distancing.

However, the longer arbitral participants are required to work in a different way, the more those new ways of working will be seen as the norm. The more positive experiences participants have of virtual or hybrid hearings, the more likely it is that these will remain at least options for future merits hearings. When faced with participants from across the globe, parties may become less comfortable with the expense of holding a face-to-face hearing if they are reassured in the effectiveness of a virtual or hybrid option. Indeed, the dramatic reduction in the carbon footprint of these virtual and hybrid hearings may lead to an environmental silver-lining to the pandemic in terms of changes in business practice for many, including in international arbitration.

Most importantly, we have seen innovation and blue sky thinking at its best in the last few months. And that shift in mind-set towards different ways of delivering the product of arbitration effectively and efficiently has been exciting to see and experience. That ability to adapt and change to challenging circumstances is likely to continue, and we will see the longer term impact of that innovation for many years to come.

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Coexisting with covid-19: a catalyst for progress in international arbitration? - Lexology

Fatal overdoses climbed to record high in 2019, reversing historic progress – POLITICO

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"It seems that 2019 is the new high for drug overdose deaths," said Bob Anderson, chief of mortality statistics at the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics. "Data are still provisional at this point, but the increase in the last few months of 2019 was steep enough to push it over the top by a little more than two hundred deaths."

Trump campaigned on ending the opioid crisis and, along with Congress, invested more than $21 billion in the effort over the past four years, according to figures supplied by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Trump during this year's State of the Union address touted a 4.6 percent drop in overdose deaths in 2018, which was the first decline in fatal overdoses in nearly 30 years.

With unyielding commitment, we are curbing the opioid epidemic, Trump declared in early February.

It's still possible the overdose data may be adjusted slightly when it's finalized later this year. But experts say that progress made in 2018 was short-lived, as the epidemic shifts toward more potent opioids and deaths from other drugs are on the rise.

It was premature to declare victory in 2018, said Chuck Ingoglia, president and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, a trade association for mental health and addiction treatment providers. We still dont have enough capacity to reach people who need it. Even with the new investments we are still woefully underfunded.

A year after administration officials struck an optimistic but cautious tone that the tide was beginning to turn on the deadly drug epidemic, they warned on Wednesday that a tough fight lay ahead.

"We understand that there is an extraordinary amount of work to do, especially now as we are also dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic that could markedly affect our nations mental and psychological health and risk of substance use," said Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir in a statement.

White House spokesman Judd Deere said the new data is "an important reminder that the Crisis Next Door is not over and continues to evolve."

Anderson, the CDC expert, said last year's increase was largely driven by synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl, though deaths involving methamphetamine and cocaine have been increasing.

A substantial portion of those are combination drugs, where fentanyl is being mixed with meth or cocaine, he said.

Dan Barden, vice president of clinical services at Tucson, Ariz.-based CODAC Health, Recovery and Wellness, noted a dramatic rise in illicit synthetic opioids like fentanyl. His state saw a nearly 14 percent increase in overdose deaths in 2019, according to the CDC data.

Some of it is homemade fentanyl," Barden said. "Were finding it in everything pressed into pills to look like Xanax. Its been laced into marijuana and added to prescription opioids.

Addiction experts say the federal focus on opioids has been too narrow and should be extended more broadly on all substances, including alcohol.

We lobbied heavily with our congressman to say get the word opioid out of any bill youre putting out there, said Lenette Kosovich, the CEO of Rimrock Foundation, an addiction treatment center in Billings, Mont. Focusing on the word 'opioid' didnt do us any favors out here in the West and Midwest.

CDC data from 2018 and 2019 showed a significant uptick in meth-related deaths largely in regions of the country, while opioid-related deaths remained more prevalent in the Northeast. Montana saw a 19 percent increase in drug overdose deaths last year, according to the CDC data.

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Fatal overdoses climbed to record high in 2019, reversing historic progress - POLITICO

Progress against the multiple dimensions of poverty was made before the pandemic but now it is at risk – UNDP

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New York New figures released today show that before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, progress was being made in tackling multidimensional poverty, according to the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), a measure that looks beyond income to include access to safe water, education, electricity, food and six other indicators. Now that progress is at risk.

The data, released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), shows that 65 out of 75 countries studied significantly reduced their multidimensional poverty levels between 2000 and 2019.

Sierra Leone made the fastest progress in reducing their global MPI value. It is one of seven Sub-Saharan African countries in the top ten fastest-moving countries, alongside Cte DIvoire, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Rwanda and Sao Tome and Principe.

India saw the most people moving out of multidimensional poverty some 270 million people between 2005/6 and 2015/16. 70 million people in China left multidimensional poverty between 2010 and 2014. In Bangladesh, numbers declined by 19 million between 2014 and 2019.

COVID-19 is having a profound impact on the development landscape. But this data from before the pandemic is a message of hope. Past success stories on how to tackle the many ways people experience poverty in their daily lives, can show how to build back better and improve the lives of millions, says Sabina Alkire, Director of OPHI at the University of Oxford.

Addressing Multidimensional Poverty in a post-COVID-19 world

While data is not yet available to measure the rise of global multidimensional poverty after the pandemic, simulations for 70 countries in the developing world, based on the anticipated impacts of the virus on just two components of the global MPI nutrition and school attendance suggests how much impact the crisis could have unless it is addressed.

In three scenarios of varying deterioration in which 10, 25 and 50 percent of people who are multidimensionally poor or vulnerable become undernourished, and half of primary school-aged children no longer attend school, poverty levels could be set back 8 to 10 years. But even if we look only at the impact on nutrition, if anticipated increases in undernutrition are not prevented or swiftly reversed, the setback could range between 36 years.

COVID-19 is the latest crisis to hit the globe, and climate change all but guarantees more will follow soon. Each will affect the poor in multiple ways. More than ever, we need to work on tackling poverty and vulnerability to poverty - in all its forms. This is why the Multidimensional Poverty Index is so important says Pedro Coneico, Director of the Human Development Report Office at UNDP.

Among the 1.3 billion people still living in multidimensional poverty today, more than 80 percent are deprived in at least five of the ten indicators used to measure health, education and living standards in the global MPI. The data also reveals that the burden of multidimensional poverty disproportionately falls on children. Half of the 1.3 billion poor have not yet turned 18. While 107 million are 60 or older.

The MPI with its information on both the level and composition of poverty provides the data needed to pinpoint where and how poverty manifests itself. Otherwise policymakers are flying blind, unable to know how or where to target resources and interventions, adds Alkire.

For instance, in Sub-Saharan Africa, 55 percent of the population (558 million people) is multidimensionally poor. Of these, 98 percent (547 million people) do not have access to clean cooking fuel, 84 percent (470 million people) lack access to electricity and 66 percent (366 million people) do not have access to clean drinking water.

Addressing each challenge requires a different approach, many of which need to go beyond improving income. This is particularly true in the light of UNDPs work encouraging societies everywhere to take the opportunity to rethink development pathways and build back better post-COVID.

Access full data and publication:http://hdr.undp.org/en/2020-MPI

***

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Anna Ortubia/ anna.ortubia@undp.org / +1 646 642 4071

Lesley Wright / lesley.wright@undp.org

Maya Evans / maya.evans@qeh.ox.ac.uk / +44 751 502 8985

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Progress against the multiple dimensions of poverty was made before the pandemic but now it is at risk - UNDP

Markets hope for progress over EU recovery fund; US consumer confidence drops as it happened – The Guardian

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Angela Merkel, the EUs longest-serving leader, who is seen as a crucial broker in the talks, said she expected very, very difficult negotiations. But before getting down to business, gifts were exchanged. It was Merkels 66th birthday, and she was presented by Macron with a bottle of fine white bourgogne. Borisov gave her a traditional silver flask containing Bulgarian rose oil.

Merkel posed for a photo with Portugals prime minister, Antnio Costa, also marking his birthday. She gave him a copy of a 17th-century map of Goa, a former Portuguese colony where Costa has family ties.

Michel, the European council president, wished the pair a happy birthday and offered congratulations to the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, who got married on Wednesday. She had had to change plans three times when a general election, coronavirus and then this weekends summit got in the way.

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Markets hope for progress over EU recovery fund; US consumer confidence drops as it happened - The Guardian

Great and Terrifying, Says Elon Musk on Neuralink Brain Device’s Ability to Cure Depression – News18

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File photo of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. (Image Source: Reuters)

Elon Musk has said his mysterious brain-computer chip startup Neuralink could help cure mental conditions like addiction and depression.

In 2019, Neuralink said that it had developed a "sewing machine-like" device which could connect brains to the computers, even though not much has been revealed about the working of the technology, The Independent reported. Musk had founded the startup Neuralink in 2016. More on Neuralink is expected to be revealed on August 28, Musk has said.

ALSO READ: Elon Musk is Now the Seventh-Richest Person in the World After Surpassing Warren Buffett

Responding to a query on Twitter on the device's ability to help cure depression and addiction, Tesla boss Musk said that it can help that also. This is both great and terrifying, he said. "Everything weve ever sensed or thought has been electrical signals. They early universe was just a soup of quarks and leptons. How did a very small piece of the universe start to think of itself as sentient? he said in a tweet.

The device is likely to be used in conditions like Parkinsons and in the long-term, it will delve into artificial intelligence, competing with humans. To insert the device in the brain will require removing part of the skull and the device with its electrode threads will be fitted in the brain, according to reports.

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Great and Terrifying, Says Elon Musk on Neuralink Brain Device's Ability to Cure Depression - News18

Perforated metal panels strengthen green wall and brand at new ASICS Oceania HQ – Architecture and Design

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Perforated metal panels from Arrow Metal are not only making a strong branding statement for the new ASICS Oceania headquarters in Sydney but have also formed the basis for a vertical garden at the property.

Designed by architects Reid Campbell, SBA, Siren Design and UK-based WDC, the impressive hub of sports giant ASICS at Sydney Business Park, Marsden Park spans a massive 57,000 square metres.

Arrow Metals aluminium perforated sheets provided the base for ASICS green wall logo installation. Tasked with creating perforated sheets to become the perfect planter for the green wall, the Arrow Metal team used 3mm aluminium to fabricate 36 perforated panels.

Perforated metal delivers multiple benefits over common living wall materials such as mesh in green wall and vertical garden installations:

Customised perforations

ASICS architects chose a classic, standard perforation style, with bespoke tweaks to suit the specific needs of a green wall. Each panel featured a customised perforation of 70mm diameter round holes, with a pitch of 87mm. It was based on Arrow Metals popular P287 perforation, but with the holes punched closer together.

Customised growing

The climbing plants below the installed panels will naturally grow into the carefully-positioned holes of the aluminium perforated sheet, eventually circling the ASICS logo at the centre.

Stable and strong

Perforated metal is durable, strong and very stable, making it perfect for a green wall base installation.

Improved aesthetics

Each panel created for the ASICS project is finished in a Windspray colour, in keeping with the contemporary building envelope. Perforated metal can be customised with colours and effects for better aesthetics than traditional mesh.

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Perforated metal panels strengthen green wall and brand at new ASICS Oceania HQ - Architecture and Design

Global Urology Imaging Systems Market on a Steady Growth Trail; FMI Provides Projections in Light of – PharmiWeb.com

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VALLEY COTTAGE, N.Y. Urology Imaging Systems Market: Global Industry Analysis 20132017 and Opportunity Assessment 20182028

A recent market study published by FMI Urology Imaging Systems Market: Global Industry Analysis 20132017 and Opportunity Assessment 20182028 comprises a comprehensive assessment of the key market dynamics. The report provides detailed information about the current and future growth prospects of the Urology Imaging Systems market in the most comprehensive way for the better understanding of readers.

UROLOGY IMAGING SYSTEMS MARKET TAXONOMY

The global Urology Imaging Systems market is segmented in detail to cover every aspect of the market and present a complete market intelligence approach in front of the reader.

For more insights into the market, request a Sample of this Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8911

By Product Type

By End User

By Region

WHATS INCLUDED

Chapter 01 Executive Summary

The report commences with the executive summary of the Urology Imaging Systems market, which includes the summary of key findings and statistics. It also includes the market value (US$ million) estimates of the prominent segments of the Urology Imaging Systems market.

Chapter 02 Market Introduction

Readers can find the detailed taxonomy, definition and parent market analysis of the Urology Imaging Systems market in this chapter, which will help them understand the basic information about the Urology Imaging Systems market. This section also highlights the inclusions and exclusions, which helps the reader understand the scope of the Urology Imaging Systems market report.

Chapter 03 Key Market Trends

The chapter provides key macroeconomic factors that are expected to impact the market growth during the forecast period and explained opportunity analysis. This sections also consists of PESTLE analysis and integrated treatment services in the US and Europe

Chapter 04 Key Success Factors

This chapter include scheduled workflow in radiology and a comparative analysis of top urology ultrasound imaging systems

Chapter 05 Global Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182028

This section explain the global market value analysis and forecast for the Urology Imaging Systems market between the forecast periods of 2018 2028 is highlights in this section. This chapter includes the detailed analysis of the historical Urology Imaging Systems market, along with an opportunity analysis of the future. Readers can also find the absolute opportunity for the current year (2018 2019), and an incremental opportunity for the forecast period (2018 2028).

Chapter 06 Market Background

This chapter includes a global healthcare market outlook, Influencing key drivers, trends and restraints and a proper value chain for urology imaging systems

Chapter 07 Global Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 2013 2017 & Forecast 2018 2028, By Product Type

Based on product type, the Urology Imaging Systems market is segmented into ultrasound systems and fluoroscopy based systems. In this chapter, readers can find information about the key trends and developments in the Urology Imaging Systems market and market attractiveness analysis based on the product type

Chapter 08 Global Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 2013 2017 & Forecast, 2018 2028, By End User

This chapter provides details about the Urology Imaging Systems market on the basis of end user, and it has been classified hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, diagnosis centers and clinics. In this chapter, readers can understand the market attractive analysis based on end user

Chapter 09 Global Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 2014 2018 & Forecast, 2018 2028, By Region

This chapter explains how the Urology Imaging Systems market will grow across various geographic regions, such as North America, Latin America, Europe, South Asia, East Asia and the Middle East & Africa (MEA)

Chapter 10 North America Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 2014 2018 & Forecast, 2018 2028

This chapter includes a detailed analysis of the growth of the North America Urology Imaging Systems market along with a country-wise assessment for the U.S. and Canada. Readers can also find information on the regional trends in the Urology Imaging Systems market, along with regulations and company share analysis along with market growth on the basis of product type, end user and country.

Chapter 11 Latin America Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 2013 2017 & Forecast, 2018 2028

Readers can find detailed information about factors such as Urology Imaging Systems pricing analysis, and regional trends that are impacting the growth of the Latin America Urology Imaging Systems market. This chapter also includes the growth prospects of the Urology Imaging Systems market in prominent LATAM countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and the Rest of Latin America.

Chapter 12 Europe Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 2013 2017 & Forecast, 2018 2028

Important growth prospects of the Urology Imaging Systems market based on product type and end user in several European countries, such as Germany, the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Russia and the rest of Europe have been included in this chapter.

Chapter 13 South Asia Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 2013 2017 & Forecast, 2018 2028

India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of South Asia, are the prominent regions in the South Asia market. Thus, they are the prime subject of assessment to obtain growth prospects of the South Asia Urology Imaging Systems market. In this chapter, readers can find thorough information about the growth parameters of the South Asia Urology Imaging Systems market for the period 20182028.

Chapter 14 East Asia Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 2013 2017 & Forecast, 2018 2028

Japan and China are the prominent regions in the East Asia market. Thus, they are the prime subject of assessment to obtain growth prospects of the East Asia Urology Imaging Systems market. In this chapter, readers can find thorough information about the growth parameters of the East Asia Urology Imaging Systems market for the period 20182028.

Chapter 15 Oceania Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 2013 2017 & Forecast, 2018 2028

In this chapter, readers can find detailed information regarding several parameters influencing the Oceania Urology Imaging Systems market during the forecast period 2018-2028. Australia and New Zealand are the leading countries in Oceania that are the prime subjects of assessment to obtain the growth prospects of the Oceania Urology Imaging Systems market.

Chapter 16 MEA Urology Imaging Systems Market Analysis 2013 2017 & Forecast, 2018 2028

Readers can find thorough information regarding the growth factors that are impacting the MEA Urology Imaging Systems market, and gain insights on how the Urology Imaging Systems market is likely to impact the main countries/region in MEA.

Request for covid19 Impact Analysis @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/covid19/rep-gb-8911

Chapter 17 Competition Analysis

In this chapter, readers can find a comprehensive list of all the leading stakeholders in the Urology Imaging Systems market along with detailed information about each company, including company overview, revenue shares, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Market players featured in the Urology Imaging Systems report include GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, Toshiba Medical, Hitachi-Aloka Medical, Siemens Healthineers, Mindray, Samsung Medison, Fujifilm Sonosite, Esaote, Analogic

Chapter 18 Assumptions and Acronyms

This chapter in the Urology Imaging Systems market report includes a list of assumptions and acronyms that provide a base to the statistics and information included in the report.

Chapter 19 Research Methodology

This chapter in the Urology Imaging Systems market report provides readers with a detailed research methodology employed to obtain various conclusions and important qualitative and quantitative information regarding the Urology Imaging Systems market.

About Us: FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

Contact Us: Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com

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Global Urology Imaging Systems Market on a Steady Growth Trail; FMI Provides Projections in Light of - PharmiWeb.com

FMI Provides Silk Protein Market Projections in its Revised Report, COVID-19 Pandemic Shaping Global Demand – Cole of Duty

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Silk Protein Market Analysis 2019 2029

A recent market study published by Future Market Insights Silk Protein Market: Global Industry Analysis 2014-2018 & Forecast 2019-2029 offers a comprehensive assessment of the most important market dynamics. After conducting thorough research on the historical, as well as current growth parameters of the silk protein market, the growth prospects of the market are obtained with maximum precision.

Theglobal silk protein marketis segmented in detail to cover every aspect of the market and present complete market intelligence to the reader.

Product

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Download Sample [emailprotected]https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-7299

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Chapter 01 Executive Summary

The executive summary of the silk protein market includes the market country analysis, proprietary wheel of fortune, demand- and supply-side trends, opportunity assessment, and recommendations on the global silk protein market.

Chapter 02 Market Introduction

Readers can find the detailed segmentation and definition of the silk protein market in this chapter, which will help them understand the basic information about the silk protein market. This section also highlights the inclusions and exclusions, which help the reader understand the scope of the silk protein market report.

Chapter 03 Global Silk Protein Market Overview

The associated industry assessment of the silk protein market is also carried out such as market trends, market dynamics, trade analysis, and supply and value chain. The history, processing, and global snapshot are provided in this chapter. This also highlights price point assessment by product, the average price of different types of silk protein in different regions throughout the globe and its forecast till 2029. The factors influencing the prices and the global trends of the silk protein market are also explained in this section.

Chapter 04 Global Silk Protein Market Analysis and Forecast 2014-2029

This chapter explains how the silk protein market will grow across the globe in various segments. Based on product, the silk protein market is segmented into sericin and fibroin. Based on form, the silk protein market is segmented into powder and oil. Based on application, the silk protein market is segmented into haircare, skincare, eye care, color cosmetics, lip care, toiletry, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. Based on region, the silk protein market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia, Oceania and Middle East & Africa.

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Chapter 05 North America Silk Protein Market Analysis 2014 2018 & Forecast 2019 2029

This chapter includes a detailed analysis of the growth of the North America silk protein market, along with a country-wise assessment that includes the U.S. and Canada. Readers can also find regional trends, regulations, and market growth based on end-users and countries in North America.

Chapter 06 Latin America Silk Protein Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Forecast 2019 2029

Readers can find detailed information about several factors, such as the pricing analysis and regional trends, which are impacting the growth of the Latin America silk protein market. This chapter also includes the growth prospects of the silk protein market in leading LATAM countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Rest of Latin America.

Chapter 07 Europe Silk Protein Market Analysis 2014 2018 & Forecast 2019 2029

Important growth prospects of the silk protein market based on its end users in several countries such as Germany, Italy, France, the U.K., Spain, BENELUX, Russia, Poland, and Rest of Europe are included in this chapter.

Chapter 08 East Asia Silk Protein Market Analysis 2014 2018 & Forecast 2019 2029

China, Japan, South Korea are the leading countries in the East Asia region that are the prime subjects of assessment to obtain the growth prospects of the East Asia silk protein market in this chapter. Readers can find detailed information about the growth parameters of the East Asia silk protein market during the period 2019 2029.

Chapter 09 South Asia Silk Protein Market Analysis 2014 2018 & Forecast 2019 2029

India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Rest of South Asia are the leading countries in the South Asia region that are the prime subjects of assessment to obtain the growth prospects of the South Asia silk protein market in this chapter. Readers can find detailed information about the growth parameters of the South Asia silk protein market during the period 2019 2029.

Chapter 10 Oceania Silk Protein Market Analysis 2014 2018 & Forecast 2019 2029

This chapter provides information about how the silk protein market will grow in major countries in the Oceania region such as Australia and New Zealand, during the forecast period 2019 2029.

Chapter 11 Middle East and Africa Silk Protein Market Analysis 2014 2018 & Forecast 2019 2029

This chapter provides information about how the silk protein market will grow in major countries in the MEA region such as GCC Countries, Turkey, Kenya, South Africa, and Rest of Middle East and Africa during the forecast period 2019 2029.

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Chapter 12 Emerging Countries Market Analysis 2014-2018 & Forecast 2019-2029

This chapter provides information about how the silk protein market will grow in emerging countries such as India, China and Japan, during the forecasted period 2019-2029.

Chapter 13 Competitive Assessment

In this chapter, readers can find detailed information about tier analysis and market concentration of the key players in the silk protein market along with their market presence analysis by region and product portfolio. Also, readers can find a comprehensive list of all leading stakeholders in the silk protein market, along with detailed information about each company, which includes company overview, revenue shares, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Some of the market players featured in the report are SilkTech Biopharmaceuticals Huzhou Aotesi Biochemical Huzhou Xintiansi Bio-tech Co., Ltd. Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (Trading Symbol: KBLB) Evolved by Nature (previously Silk Inc.) Bolt Threads AMSilk GmbH Universal Preserv-A-Chem Inc. Proteina SUBONEYO CHEMICALS PHARMACEUTICALS PRIVATE LIMITED and others.

Chapter 14 Assumptions and Acronyms

This chapter includes a list of acronyms and assumptions that provide a base to the information and statistics included in the silk protein report.

Chapter 13 Research Methodology

This chapter helps readers understand the research methodology followed to obtain various conclusions, as well as important qualitative and quantitative information about the silk protein market.

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FMI Provides Silk Protein Market Projections in its Revised Report, COVID-19 Pandemic Shaping Global Demand - Cole of Duty

Gurdons frogs, first cloned animals before Dolly the sheep – Explica

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Keith Campbell and Ian Wilmut led a revolution in the world of science when they introduced Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, to the world in 1997. Along with this milestone, they also opened a debate at the social level about mans ability to challenge the reproductive rules of nature over violations of religious statutes.

Dolly the sheep

Dolly, born on July 5, 1996, became the image of technological advances and a symbol of progress. Dolly was born from a mammary glandular cell (adult cell) from a sheep that had already died. That is to say, from a cell of the udder of a female that was united with an ovule with which they inseminated another sheep. It was not a normal process involving the known elements of reproduction such as the egg and the sperm. Dolly was the first large animal to be cloned, but not the first in human history.

Dolly the sheep with one of its creators. Photo: Via El Mundo Today

In 1962, Sir John Gurdon, known as the godfather of cloning, extracted a cell from one frogs intestine to inject it into another and obtain adult frogs. And so, just over 30 years before Dolly the sheep, the first cloned animals that gave way to the sheep and a series of experiments on cows, dogs and more had arrived in the world. So, if they had already successfully cloned, why was Dolly the sheep that caused the most impact in society and remains in our memory?

The circumstances around Dolly were correct, but above all it was time. In 1962, society was hardly freed from the torment of World War II, a conflict loaded with hate speech, but above all, with extreme ideologies about humanity and the superiority of certain races. Hitler began to realize his dream based on the deaths of millions of people and human scientific and social experimentation.

Why, less than 20 years from the end, should they want to talk about it? The 1960s, while liberating in many human respects such as sexuality and gender roles, also represented a time of political oppression where the Cold War with the space race reached its peak.

Dolly the Sheep / .

However, the 90s were totally different. In 1997, the younger generations had many questions, but few answers with the imminent arrival of an unknown and unstable new millennium. But most important of all, was the internet, which was already beginning to emerge as the way that would revolutionize communication and the way we inform ourselves. Intimately related to science, the internet and the evolution of the media, allowed societies to know more about any topic and related things. And so, in a chaotic time that asked for something more, Dolly the sheep arrived or a miracle of science.

Dollys kidnapping or the attempt

In 1998, anti-cloning activists attempted to kidnap Dolly the sheep, but failed. The reason, stupid as it may seem, is because they couldnt distinguish her from the others in the herd. This funny story only hints that Dollys success occurred in every aspect of her cloning, while also giving humans a chance: If they were able to successfully clone a sheep now, when can they do so with a human?

Five cloned little pigs: Noel, Angel, Star, Joy and Mary in 2002. / .

Thats why we remember Dolly, because it came at a time when people were more willing to understand that science could also be challenged, not just religion. Dolly died on February 14, 2003 at the six and a half years, just six months longer than the sheep that gave him life, or rather, the one that provided the cell that allowed scientists to carry out their tests successfully. The causes of its death are not related to its status as a cloned sheep, but due to a progressive lung disease that usually affects mammals of this species.

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Gurdons frogs, first cloned animals before Dolly the sheep - Explica

Scarlett Johansson Returning to the MCU as a Natasha Clone Would be a ‘Cheap’ Way to Bring Her Back – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

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Thanks to the global coronavirus pandemic, fans will have to wait an extra six months to seeBlack Widow,the much-anticipated standalone movie for the Avenger of the same name.

The film stars Scarlett Johansson, and its the secondstandalone movie to focus on a female character in the MCU, and Black Widow, or Natasha Romanoff, has a mysterious past that fans were dying to learn about.

BeforeAvengers: Endgamepremiered, fans were sure that Black Widow would be one of the surviving Avengers at the end of the movie, since her standalone movie was already in the works.

Unfortunately, fans were misled. Black Widow died at the end ofEndgame,along with most of the other Avengers. Her standalone movie will take place betweenAvengersfilms.

It follows her escapades between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Although fans know what will happen to Black Widow at the end of the arc, theyre still anxiously awaiting this new movie, because Black Widow is such a complicated and interesting character.

Natasha Romanoff was born in Soviet-era Russia. She was trained as a spy and assassin from a young age. Part of her preparation included receiving a lot of impressive weapons, like her infamous Widows Bite.

Black Widow is the name of all the graduates of Natasha Romanoffs training program. Which means theres more than one Black Widow. In the upcoming movie, fans can expect to meet at least one other former Soviet spy, played by Florence Pugh. Now, Johansson has hinted that she and Pugh will star in future films as fellow Black Widows.

RELATED: MCU: Why Scarlett Johansson Didnt Want Black Widow to Receive This Sendoff in Avengers: Endgame

Fans of the Avengers have been trying to come up with ways the fallen could come back to life ever since the end ofEndgame.Theyre desperate for their favorite Avengers, like Iron Man, to come back. Whether its through some sort of time travel, or downloaded consciousness, fans cant stand to think that this is the end.

Many people think that Black Widow will find a way to come back in future films. If not, she could be replaced with another Black Widow, like Pugh. Introducing another graduate of Natasha Romanoffs intense spy training in theBlack Widowstandalone movie may be a good way to present her to audiences for upcoming Avengers movies.

Johansson recently dropped the words standalone franchise in the context of her upcoming movie with Pugh. She not only suggested that there will be moreBlack Widow films, but that Pugh will be in them. Some fans think this is just a red herring from Marvel.

Pughs character may not even make it at the end of the movie. Or, the MCU could continue to go into the past, instead of the future. That means films could take place during a time when Natasha is alive and well. Fans agree that theres one way they definitely dont want to see Johanssons Black Widow return toAvengersmovies.

Some Reddit fans think that there could be clones of all the Black Widow spies out there, and that Natasha Romanoffs clone will come back for future Avengersmovies.

One user thinks that The red room obviously never died all they did was stop taking new recruits as a result of the frequent losses of agents to which they switched into cloning the best of theyre ranks one of them is a Natasha clone who becomes the main villain to which Yelena gets conflicted about killing her or saving her.

According to fans on Reddit, this one actually makes the most sense in terms of reasonable ways to get Romanoff back, but they still wouldnt like it. One user thinks clones would be the most realistic way to go. We definitely could clone humans. Weve cloned a wide variety of different mammals. We just dont for ethical reasons. But thats the thing about supervillains, not so ethical.

Fans think that clones would be a cheap way to keep Romanoff in the franchise, and they wouldnt feel emotionally connected to a clone Natasha. As a succinct commenter said: A clone is not Natasha. That would not be compelling to me.

There seems to be more popular support for Natasha Romanoff to be replaced with Pughs version of Black Widow.

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Scarlett Johansson Returning to the MCU as a Natasha Clone Would be a 'Cheap' Way to Bring Her Back - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Can liberalism and its gatekeepers survive the seismic changes in our society? – The Guardian

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In an office in a university campus, there is a young woman the student and an older man, the teacher.

Shes in his office because of a poor grade. In that first meeting, hes patronising but magnanimous. Maybe he can teach her privately? He puts an arm around her shoulder.

The next time we meet the pair, a complaint has been made to the tenure committee. The young woman has found a group feminists who have put words around what she experienced in the office, and the power relations between the two.

In this meeting you see the power shift, and the professors magnanimity and ease liquify into fear.

Almost 30 years ago, David Mamets play Oleanna explored what it means when a gatekeeper an ostensibly liberal one has his position challenged and threatened by someone less powerful.

Oleanna was written in the shadow of the Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill sexual harassment case, and Mamets play very much sympathises with the older man.

His student shrill, young and wielding the borrowed intellect, talking points and nascent power of an organised group crushed the career and upward progression of a man who was just trying to help.

The plays lines could have been written now by someone recently cancelled: You think you can come in here with your political correctness and destroy my life?

But the fear at the heart of Oleanna a loss or transfer of power from establishment white men to young feminist women never came to pass.

The old order of centrist liberals have held out in places such as universities, the media and the arts. But for how long?

Our current moment also teems with anxiety around loss of power and, like in Oleanna, the threat comes from those lower down or outside the hierarchy.

Small l liberalism is being threatened like never before, as its failure to live up to its meritocratic ideals are being exposed. Foundations, supposedly built on fairness, are increasingly being damned for maintaining oppressive systems that, unwittingly or not, are racist.

Many people of colour who have gained entry to ostensibly liberal institutions have found that, once admitted, they face racism and dont rise beyond a certain level of power.

In late June at Australias SBS channel, staff sent a letter pleading with the board to appoint someone other than a white Anglo man as news director to reflect the stations multicultural charter (there has only been one exception since 1978).

Indigenous reporters posted Twitter threads about the racism they faced in the newsroom.

Things are, finally, moving fast. Its been the summer of rage in America (and then around the world) with the call to dismantle oppressive and racist systems, including the demands to defund the police in the US something that would have been unthinkable in the mainstream a year ago.

Amid calls for the systems to be dismantled, representations and symbols of the systems have been toppled: statues have been torn down, shows removed from Netflix, and some anxious liberals are trawling through their Facebook from years past to expunge any problematic costume party photos.

But does this shift mean that liberalism is on the way out? In the last few, fevered weeks, we have seen fretful claims about the death of liberalism at the hands of what some say is a new orthodoxy.

On Wednesday, an open letter in Harpers magazine was published, signed by more than 150 high-profile writers, public intellectuals, journalists and academics including JK Rowling, Noam Chomsky, Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, warning of an increasingly intolerant intellectual climate.

The letter stated: The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted. While we have come to expect this on the radical right, censoriousness is also spreading more widely in our culture: an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming and ostracism, and the tendency to dissolve complex policy issues in a blinding moral certainty.

(The letter was predictably divisive, with many on social media asking the signatories to check their privilege.)

The issues raised in the Harpers letter echo the views published in a much-read piece by journalist Matt Taibbi on how the left is destroying itself because people fear being called a racist.

He wrote: The leaders of this new movement are replacing traditional liberal beliefs about tolerance, free inquiry, and even racial harmony with ideas so toxic and unattractive that they eschew debate, moving straight to shaming, threats and intimidation.

This new orthodoxy or woke culture can be defined broadly as being alert to injustice in society, especially racism.

Writer Wesley Yang has described it as the successor ideology to liberalism. Yang sees the promise and the purity of woke culture that we can move from the individual wish to the collective demand.

But he believes it is a flawed ideology the idea that we really can be equal still seems to me an impossible wish, and, like all impossible wishes, one that is charged with authoritarian potential.

This struggle is of a different complexion from the culture wars between left and right. Instead it pits the liberal left and centrists against the woke left.

Established cultural gatekeepers, many of whom for years have been on the left side of politics are finding, like the professor in Oleanna, that they need to defend their position and hard.

The fear of cancellation, or of not being seen performing the correct activism, or of saying the thing that doesnt conform to the current thinking, is a form of Stalinism, according to some liberals.

And like the professor in Oleanna, they have anxiety that their power could be taken away not by a committee but via cancellation, deplatforming or online shaming.

After a wrongdoing is exposed on the internet, the sheer weight of public condemnation can be highly traumatic for the person being cancelled (although for many serial offenders on the right, who are regularly cancelled for their racist views, the blowback has no material effects).

The fear of cancellation, or of not being seen performing the correct activism, or of saying the thing that doesnt conform to the current thinking, is a form of Stalinism, according to some liberals and privileges fear of giving offence over freedom of expression.

Robert Boyers, a literature professor at Skidmore College, is one such liberal. In his book The Tyranny of Virtue: Identity, the Academy, and the Hunt for Political Heresies he charts what he sees as censorship on campus where people are too afraid to express ideas contrary to the new orthodoxy, lest they be hauled before a committee.

Boyers cites political theorist Stephen Holmes in defence of liberalism; That public disagreement is a creative force may have been the most novel and radical principle of liberal politics.

Writers such as Bret Easton Ellis have also complained about such groupthink (devoting entire chunks of his newish book White to the issue.) He writes, Everyone has to be the same And if you refuse to join the chorus of approval you will be tagged a racist or a misogynist.

Liberalism as he knew it in the past has hardened into a warped authoritarian moral superiority movement.

In Australia, novelist Richard Flanagan has defended the writers festivals hosting cancelled people such as Germaine Greer, Lionel Shriver and Junot Daz.

He wrote in the Guardian in 2018: The individual examples of Shriver, Daz, Carr and Greer all point to a larger, more disturbing trend. Writers festivals, like other aspects of the literary establishment such as prizes, have in recent years become less and less about books and more and more about using their considerable institutional power to enforce the new orthodoxies, to prosecute social and political agendas through reward and punishment.

Novelist Zadie Smith has often defended the need for freedom of expression and spoken about her need to be wrong, make mistakes, and to feel free in her writing.

I want to have my feeling, even if its wrong, even if its inappropriate, express it to myself in the privacy of my heart and my mind, she said. I dont want to be bullied out of it.

(In a 2018 short story Smith wrote for the New Yorker, everyone is eventually cancelled and on the other side is freedom: Maybe if I am one day totally and finally placed beyond the pale, I, too, might feel curiously free. Of expectation. Of the opinions of others. Of a lot of things.)

Apart from these voices and until the Harpers letter liberals have been accused of being passive when it comes to defending their right for free inquiry, their right to offend and their right to get it wrong.

Perhaps ... the real reason why liberals are reluctant to speak-up theyre afraid theyll be next, wrote Peter Franklin in Unherd. As Winston Churchill said about appeasers, each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last.

Liberals are playing chess with pawns and keeping their important pieces in the back row, heavily defended. Speak out now and you may risk being put through the threshing machine of cancellation. Your colleagues might circulate a petition calling for your sacking. You can become an unperson in the moment it takes to send an ill-advised tweet.

The thrill and the danger of this present moment is in the apprehension that entrenched cultural power is shifting hands rapidly, and that once the pawns have been sacrificed, liberals could start playing a more aggressive game. One side will win and one will lose, because you cant integrate the two orthodoxies, such are the opposing characteristics that define each movement.

One (liberalism) is about the individual and their rights, the other comes from the position of the collective, alienated from liberal power structures and networks.

The latter demands the former reconsider and reconfigure language, gender, ownership, sexuality, representation, equity and notions of equality.

But for some liberal elders the freedom of the individual is paramount. The freedom they are talking about is their own to write, to debate, to think, to have unpopular opinions, or, as novelist Zadie Smith has claimed, to be wrong.

I believe in freedom of thought, says the professor in Oleanna. (To which the student replies; You believe not in freedom of thought but in an elitist, in, in a protected hierarchy which rewards you.)

Woke culture radically shifts the focus from the individual to the systems that the individual operates in. You may be able to have an unpopular opinion but thats because your privilege, position and your platform allow you to make mistakes and take risks, try out ideas, to be wrong. You are allowed to be free.

But while you are free, many, many more are voiceless, oppressed, unrepresented and and the system that oppresses them remains unchanged.

It is via the collective that woke culture defines and draws its power after all the individualism so central to the last 30 years of liberalism and so-called meritocracy has only advanced the careers and voices of the few. Problems of oppressive systems of deaths in custody, police brutality, sexual harassment and race and gender pay gaps still remain.

When the student threatens the power of the professor in Oleanna, she does so not as an individual but for the group; for those who suffer what I suffer.

Changing the systems that produce and sustain inequality can only occur via some sort of collective action. Liberalism has largely failed on this front.

For the liberal gatekeepers, were in an Oleanna moment.

Theres lip service to the struggle, but is there actually an exchange or relinquishing of power? Not yet. As we saw recently, two young white critics, Bec Kavanagh and Jack Callil, relinquished their platform as book reviewers for Australias Nine newspapers, in the hope that their positions could be filled by non-white critics.

But such actions are rare and even rarer at the top.

In Oleanna, the professor is about to lose tenure, his house, maybe his marriage. He defends his corner. You vicious little bitch. You think you can come in here with your political correctness and destroy my life? Here we see when the power is under real threat of being transferred, all talk of liberal ideals falls away.

The last scene of the play ends in a physical struggle. Shes on the ground, hes about to bludgeon her with a chair hes holding above his head.

The plays last words are hers: Thats right. In that context and the context we are now in those final words mean something. They mean of course of course you were going to defend your power by literally standing over me and threatening me with violence.

Woke culture sees this violence which explains in part, the vehemence of the fight.

Different but essentially the same social movements emerge every few years, its only the technology that changes, one friend told me recently on a walk, as we were speculating about that days fresh cancellations.

The sort of shift being demanded by the new orthodoxy is nothing short of radically transformative for society. For a start, it demands a move away from the liberal position of the individual to the collective position of the woke. The shift is from me to we.

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Can liberalism and its gatekeepers survive the seismic changes in our society? - The Guardian

Dear Liberal Arts Students: Seize This Moment – The New York Times

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Students of means can distribute food from food banks. They can mobilize voters. They can organize social media campaigns for advocacy groups and child care for essential workers and reading lists for libraries. If youre a volunteer for six months, she points out, in many places you can just take over the damn organization.

They can help remove Donald J. Trump from office. Theres an idea.

Darling notes that finding a way to be useful will be especially valuable (if challenging) to this generation, which hasnt had much experience in structuring its own time many of her students have been overscheduled since birth and often conceives of identity-building as a process of self-examination, rather than simple doing. Theyll also have a chance to discover the importance of civic engagement at a time when its in severe decline.

The irony is lovely: While social distancing, they can develop habits that will ensure they wont spend their adulthood bowling alone, to borrow the political scientist Robert Putnams shorthand for our disengaged lives.

Of course, most students already know what it means to be useful. A 2018 report from Georgetown University found that 70 percent of full-time college students work. Those in community college, for instance, are generally older and come from low-income homes. Many take for granted that theyll be organizing their educations around work and parenting schedules. One can only hope that asynchronous learning will to them be a boon. Its much easier to care for your kids and hold down a day job if youre liberated from the tyranny of a fixed lecture schedule.

But that assumes they can afford the technology and have internet access. Many students, at community colleges and elsewhere, now do not. Others find themselves in households with one or two unemployed family members, and its suddenly on them to make ends meet which may or may not mean dropping out. Its a burden that, like so many others right now, is disproportionately afflicting African-Americans and Latinos.

Having the chance to be useful not to their families, but to the world is a luxury at this moment. Students ought to embrace it. They may be astonished by what they find.

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.

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Dear Liberal Arts Students: Seize This Moment - The New York Times

Liberal thinktank submission on class actions labelled ‘an undergraduate essay that would fail’ – The Guardian

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A government-ordered inquiry into the funding of legal class actions descended into acrimony on its first day of hearings when the first witness from a Liberal party thinktank was accused of misquoting a federal judge and citing unreliable figures.

James Mathias, the chief of staff at the Menzies Research Centre (MRC) and a former Liberal candidate for federal parliament, sought to defend his submission during tense exchanges with the Labor senator, Deborah ONeill, who described it as an undergraduate essay that would fail on multiple grounds.

Mathias appeared on Monday before a parliamentary committee investigating whether Australias class action industry needs tighter regulation to ensure fair and equitable outcomes for plaintiffs with the government raising concerns about the role of large companies that sometimes fund class actions.

Labor has claimed the inquiry is a sham set up by the Liberals to deny hardworking Australians any chance of defending their rights against large companies and governments with virtually limitless resources.

The first line of the submission from the MRC the Liberal party thinktank quoted the federal court justice Michael Lee as saying in a judgment on 5 June: The phrase access to justice is often misused by litigation funders to justify what at bottom is a commercial endeavour to make money out of the conduct of litigation.

It was purportedly from a judgment on class actions stemming from allegations that the Australian defence department negligently allowed toxic chemicals known as Pfas to escape from defence bases and contaminate local environments.

But Mathias, who was just 21 when he ran as a federal candidate for the Victorian seat of Holt in 2016, confirmed under questioning he had not read the full judgment cited in the submission as judgments are very long some hundreds of pages.

ONeill said the judgment was actually 37 pages long and the words you quote in the very first line of your submission are nowhere, nowhere to be found in his honours judgment.

The NSW senator said the only place that quote could be found was in an article in the legal journal Lawyerly on 9 June, titled A significant inequality of arms: Funding led to better outcomes in PFAS class action, judge says.

Mathias took that question on notice. But when ONeill accused him of misquoting and taking Justice Lee completely out of context in an attempt to convey the false impression that Justice Lee is opposed to litigation funding, Mathias said: I fundamentally reject the premise of that, senator.

In Lees judgment of 5 June, the judge made a more qualified statement that the term access to justice is commonly misused, most often by some funders who fasten upon it as an inapt rhetorical device.

He then cautioned against generalisations. While noting litigation funding is about putting in place a joint commercial enterprise aimed at making money, Lee went on to say that recognising that reality does not diminish the importance of litigation funding in allowing these class members to vindicate their claims against the commonwealth.

Referring to the alleged victims in the Pfas class actions, Lee continued: Without litigation funding, the claims of these group members would not have been litigated in an adversarial way but, rather, they would likely have been placed in the position of being supplicants requesting compensation, in circumstances where they would have been the subject of a significant inequality of arms.

ONeill also challenged Mathias over the claim in his submission that by 2019, the average amount paid to plaintiffs had fallen to just 39% of the settlement proceeds a figure that has since been quoted in several news reports..

He said it was based on a presentation contained within a PowerPoint of analysis by the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills.

In later proceedings, Andrew Saker, the managing director of litigation funder Omni Bridgeway, said he believed the 39% figure was based on incomplete data.

Saker said Herbert Smith Freehills had informed his company that the figure had been included in a PowerPoint slide for continuing legal education, it related only to settlement approvals determined by the courts, and it was not authorised for outside use.

Earlier, Mathias said he was not arguing against class actions, but for reform to ensure they remained a vehicle for justice.

We find ourselves in an environment where damages awarded to plaintiffs who have been most wronged is declining, and if you care about access to justice then you would care about the percentages that have been paid out to these people, he said during a hearing conducted via videolink.

James Paterson, the Liberal chair of the parliamentary joint committee on corporations and financial services, repeatedly asked ONeill not to interrupt or reflect on witnesses with the protection of parliamentary privilege.

ONeill told the chair she was happy to discuss the issue offline but I dont want to be berated as a senator of the Australian public by you in front of the media.

Weve got an undergraduate essay that would fail on plagiarism and [is] incorrect, put to us by the Menzies Research Centre - its just not up to standard, she said.

When Mathias attempted to ask his own question of ONeill, she shot back: When you become another young senator for the Liberal party you might be able ask me questions, but at the moment you dont have that opportunity.

When contacted for a response to the criticism of his submission, Mathias said it was astonishing that the Guardian would be siding with foreign backed, super-profitable litigation funders just because it does not like the politics of the MRC

But the shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said the Liberal party had been humiliated at the first day of its class actions inquiry.

When setting up the inquiry in May, the attorney general, Christian Porter, cited growing concern that the lack of regulation governing the booming litigation funding industry is leading to poor justice outcomes for those who join class actions, expecting to get fair compensation for an injury or loss.

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Liberal thinktank submission on class actions labelled 'an undergraduate essay that would fail' - The Guardian

Edited Transcript of EVOG.ST earnings conference call or presentation 17-Jul-20 7:00am GMT – Yahoo Finance

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Stockholm Jul 17, 2020 (Thomson StreetEvents) -- Edited Transcript of Evolution Gaming Group AB (publ) earnings conference call or presentation Friday, July 17, 2020 at 7:00:00am GMT

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Evolution Gaming Group Q2 Report 2020. Today, I am pleased to present CEO Martin Carlesund and CFO Jacob Kaplan. (Operator Instructions)

Speakers, please begin.

Thank you, operator. Welcome, everyone, to the presentation of Evolution's interim report for the second quarter 2020. My name is Martin Carlesund, and I'm the CEO of Evolution Gaming. With me, I also have our CFO, Jacob Kaplan.

I will start off the presentation with the quarterly highlights and achievements and give some comments on our new fantastic titles that we have released. Jacob will then go through the financials, and I will conclude to provide some thoughts on the future, followed by Q&A session.

Next slide, please. I'm proud to present the second quarter 2020 for Evolution. It's been another quarter with high operational activity given the situation in the world and almost exceptional financial performance by Evolution.

I already now also want to tell you how exceptionally well all employees of Evolution have handled the COVID-19 situation. It is different and challenging times right now, and to be able to continue to deliver under those circumstances shows how fantastic they are.

We have a revenue growth of 50% in the quarter. There are multiple factors combined that created this very strong growth.

COVID-19 creates a higher degree of activity and an overall positive impact, but we also need to remember that there are negative effects of COVID-19 as we operate on a lower level and also have, for example, Georgia Studio Park closed during the quarter. At the same time, I've launched new nothing but fantastic games during the quarter, with, for example, Mega Ball, which supports the growth. On top of that, the global demand for our products continue, and we see continued increase of share of Live and underlying market growth.

The combination of high volumes and the global demand for our products, together with our constant pursuit of cost efficiency, has resulted in a fantastic result this quarter. Altogether, we reached an EBITDA over EUR 81 million and EBITDA margin in the quarter over 63%. Fantastic numbers, and I'm very pleased with our financial performance in this quarter.

Other significant events in the quarter include offer to the shareholders of NetEnt and also several new game launches. I'll come back to both these items later in the presentation.

Next slide, please. We spoke at length about COVID-19 situation when we presented the Q1 report in April. It has, as we all know, continued to be a factor all through the second quarter. We'll continue to focus on measures to create a safe workplace for employees in our studios and to maintain operation for our operators. At the same time, a significant part of our workforce has continued to working from home.

Overall, we have managed operations well with few disturbances during the quarter. We have been operating fewer tables due to COVID-19, and we expect that it will be several months before we are back to pre-COVID levels in terms of number of operated tables. Right now, we gradually restart across our studios, but we do it with caution to maintain social distancing and all other measures needed.

At the end of March, we saw a positive effect on demand with many new players entering the Live segment as an effect that persisted during Q2. In June, we can see some effect from the fact that several sport leagues have resumed play as well as lockdown being lifted in many countries. As I pointed out, there are also negative effects of COVID as number of operated tables are lower, which lowers the revenue. It's also reasonable to believe that there are some long-term positive effects on demand as many new players have been introduced to our Live Casino during the last quarter.

The first 6 months of this year have been truly challenging. Through very hard work and a bit of luck, we have come through this extremely difficult situation in a good way. The pandemic is not fully behind us, yes. And naturally, we monitor the situation closely, but it's encouraging to see that we are starting to return to more -- a more normal situation in most [cases].

Next slide, please. On June 24, we presented an offer to acquire NetEnt, the same day where the press conference where we stated what we see as the rationale of combining the 2 companies, and I will repeat some of that here.

If you heard me present Evolution in the past, you know that innovation and products are important to me. I simply believe that we, as a product company, constantly need to develop. We need to make Evolution a little bit better every single day and constantly increase gap to competition. Every day creates a little better user experience for our end users. Everyone in Evolution is on a mission to find one thing making us better every day. I would like to start on this point as I see a great potential in what we can do, combining Evolution's and NetEnt's capabilities in Live and slots.

For the past years, you have seen Evolution inventing and creating Game Show -- the Game Show segment in online casino, combining core Live products with RNG element. For us, now to also add slots and explore what can be done with the combining elements from both sides makes me very excited to think about what can be created in putting the great minds of Evolution and NetEnt in the same room. We would definitely see more products that form a combination between Live and slots. We need to build the product for the future. We need to constantly develop as our world does.

Another focus over the past year has been the U.S. market, where Evolution has a leading position in Live, and NetEnt has a leading position in slots. By targeting the market with a broad portfolio comprising best of each vertical, we will even then be in a stronger position, capitalize on the opportunities and growth on the U.S. market. We think that U.S.A. and the potential to become the largest in the market in long term. And in addition to U.S.A., the new reinforced offering will support further growth and expansion in other markets as well.

As stated in the press release is cost synergies of about EUR 30 million to be released during 2021. We see great potential in creating a cost-efficient, hungry and lean company, and naturally, that work and ambition will continue also after 2021.

The upside on revenue side is bigger than the cost synergies, where cross-selling and distribution will be major drivers. There's a global demand for our product. And as online casino continues to grow as a portion of the total casino revenues, we will see a long growth runway ahead.

All in all, the combination will also provide great upside to customers, and they can feel confident that we'll continue to serve them with the best product innovation and operational excellence.

Next slide, please. This slide show bet spots, which is a good indicator of activity in our network. In the second quarter, number of bet spots from end users amounted to 11.9 billion compared to 5.6 billion same period last year. That is growth by 113%.

Also, compared to Q1, there's a good increase of 37%. The high activity in the second quarter is partly an effect of new players that have found their way to online casino with the absence of sports event to bet on and closed land-based casinos.

Also, it is an effect of our increasing range of game show-style games that generate high volume of smaller bets. In Q2, the launch of Mega Ball and prelaunch of Crazy Time are both games in the Game Show category. We do expect that some of the extra volume in Q2 will level off as sports activities come back, and we saw some of that already happening in June. However, we do believe that many of those new players that have been introduced to Live Casino in recent months will help accelerate the growth in the long term.

We can clearly see the audience for Live games increase not only by existing players in the online gaming sector, but also with completely new player groups attracted by our game shows. This is success of our strategy to widen Live into softer players, which was initiated over 3 years ago.

Next slide, please. The staff and the recruitment of staff is absolutely crucial to our success. Much of the greatness of Evolution is that we have managed to recruit the best talent in all our markets. But due to the current situation with our -- with us operating fewer tables, the full-time equivalent, FTEs, are lower in the quarter. We have also had to reduce headcount in Georgia operations at the beginning of April as we had significant fewer tables running. As I mentioned, we are scaling back up in all locations, and I expect FTEs and headcount numbers to increase through the rest of the year.

The reason for not coming back to full operation faster is the demand for social distancing and other COVID safety measures.

We still see a very high demand for tables, and we will continue to grow with our clients, which means a higher recruitment base as soon as the situation with corona is more stable in the world again.

Next slide, please. This slide shows the breakdown of our revenue by geographic region. The Nordics is stable, but -- our smallest market, contributing with about 5% of total revenue. Growth has been moderate since the same quarter last year amounting to 12%. U.K. shows a decrease in the year-on-year growth for the second quarter with 16%, but an increase of 7% in revenue from the first quarter 2020. Compared to 2019, U.K. is negatively affected by lower fixed fees as U.K. companies have moved their billing address to other countries in Europe. However, playing volumes are up significantly compared to Q1. So the market development in U.K. is more positive than the figures show.

Rest of Europe continues to develop well and constitutes about 50% of revenues. The growth rate year-on-year amounts to 42%.

Both Asia and North America is growing quickly, with 181% and 81%, respectively. We see good potential in both these markets and expect a continued high growth rate the rest of the year. We're especially happy to see the recent regulatory movement in U.S.A., which increased the potential, and I will get back on that on the coming slide.

Other, including South Africa -- South America and Africa and the remaining part of the world, shows good growth of 42%.

Revenues from regulated markets shows growth of 14% and constituted 3% of revenue. It's a lot lower than previously mainly due to lower fees from dedicated tables in the quarter.

A large part of our table fees are in the regulated markets. And due to fewer tables in operation, those fees are lower in Q2, and it also reduces the percentage share of revenue from regulated markets in this quarter.

Next slide, please. We continue to widen the gap to competitors. No one else has a product portfolio close to ours, and no one adds many new games. We have added 6 new games this quarter, and also Baccarat -- it's -- and also Baccarat Multiplay, it's nothing less than extremely good.

This year, we are launching 12 new games in all areas: new features, twists on traditional table game, new RNG games and new game shows like Mega Ball and Crazy Time.

Mega Ball, our first game in the lottery vertical, was a great launch during the second quarter. And on 1st of July, we officially launched Crazy Time as well. It has taken about a year to develop Crazy Time, and it has been the most advanced game we made so far, with a cost around double of a normal game show. Pre-launch with a limited number of operators indicated that Crazy Time would be the most successful launch Evolution has ever made. And yes, our expectations so far have been fulfilled. Crazy Time is some of the best work Evolution has ever done, and I honestly believe that it's the most fun casino game in the world. It highlights the paradigm shift for Evolution. This game will appeal to others as far and wide, from slot players to sports bet players and everyone in between. There is truly nothing like it.

Looking ahead, coming up later this summer is the Instant Roulette and during the fall of Craps games -- and during the fall, our Craps game. The Craps game, which is the first ever done online, is a real gambler's game, and that, of course, focus on the North American audience. The environment for the game is [prevision] time in U.S. during 1920s and early '30s. It just looks fantastic. The studio is magnificent.

It is important to point out that we continue to innovate, substantially enhance and refine the playing experience in table games in our core. Our ambition, to pave the way for the entire industry by launching new groundbreaking products and, of course, continue to increase the distance to our competitors, which we'll do if we continue to start delivering value to our operators and fantastic playing experience to our players.

The table games are still our core. But the game shows are aimed at a new audience that might not have found live games before, a way for operators to cross-sell and introduce live games to a wider audience.

As I mentioned earlier, the combination with NetEnt will create a great opportunity for game development in RNG as well as Live and in the combination of the 2. Really looking forward to what that -- what we could do together.

Next slide, please. In addition to product development, we are continuing to invest in the future in form of new studios. We continue to stay focused on further strengthening our North American footprint. We have expanded the capacity in New Jersey to meet the growing demand and to be able to serve more customers with new games. The construction of a new studio in Pennsylvania continues but will be postponed -- postponed timetable due to COVID-19. Michigan would be the third regulated market in U.S. for online casino. This is a positive development. And we expect more U.S. states to allow online gaming in the upcoming years, and we are well positioned to capitalize opportunities that will open.

It's also worth noting in this context that New Jersey has outperformed our expectations in terms of the market size, which shows a good total potential for the U.S. market as a whole.

In order to answer up to the high demand of our studios in primarily Europe and Asia, we are planning to build 2 new English-speaking studios: one in Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania, the construction already started; and one more in Europe, which is currently in the planning phase.

I will now hand over to Jacob, who will guide you through the financials. Next slide, please.

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Jacob Kaplan, Evolution Gaming Group AB (publ) - CFO [3]

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Thank you, Martin, and good morning to all of you listening. I will take you through a closer look at our financial performance during the quarter.

I'm on Slide #10 titled Financial Development. This slide shows our revenue and EBITDA per quarter. We've seen a very strong increase in volumes during the quarter. Top line growth is up 50% year-on-year and up 11% compared to the first quarter of this year.

As Martin pointed out earlier, there are both positive and negative effects on our revenue from the COVID pandemic in this quarter. And several factors, not all related to the pandemic, are behind the good revenue number.

As we mentioned when we spoke in early April, we saw an increase in volume on our games as sporting events were canceled and players opted for casino games to a larger extent. However, we also had a very good underlying growth coming into the quarter as we saw in the growth in the first quarter, which was not very much affected by COVID, and also as we've seen also last year.

Also, we've had several successful new game launches during the quarter, as Martin just covered, Mega Ball, Power Blackjack, Baccarat Multiplay. And the official launch of Crazy Time was 1st of July, but the beta phase ran through June.

So there are several factors supporting the revenue development. But yes, there is also a part related to canceled sporting events, and that part will now level off as sports start to come back.

The negative effect on revenues from the pandemic comes from the fact that we have reduced the number of tables that are operating. This means that the number of tables in dedicated environments for operators have also been reduced, and thereby, we have not fully charged the fixed fees for those environments.

Also, fewer tables means that some players do not find their favorite tables or find a seat for Blackjack and, therefore, don't play. Some of this is compensated as players have gone for other games, game of Blackjack games or RNG first person Blackjack game. So some of that volume comes back. As you hear, there are several effects, both positive and negative, and I can't exactly quantify each one individually.

All in all, the net effect of COVID is positive in the second quarter, which is also reflected in the extra high growth rate.

Moving on to EBITDA, also very strong in the quarter at EUR 81 million for an EBITDA margin of 63%, with the reduced number of tables leading to a lower cost level, and at the same time, the revenue effects I just spoke of, the margin is boosted in the quarter. Part of this is a short-term effect. But as we have stated during last year, we have worked hard to establish an efficient setup in our operations. And that means that when revenue comes through, we also get a good effect on margin. Our guidance at the start of the year that we would increase margin in 2020 compared to 2019 shows that. And as you see in the chart, also Q1 had a strong margin. So the short-term effect of the pandemic gives a boost to a trend that we were already in earlier.

We will not change guidance regarding margin for the year at this time. There's a good distance to the 50% margin of 2019 after the first 6 months of this year. I would not extrapolate from the Q2 level going forward. We do come into the second half of the year when we will pick up activity in studio construction, increased travel and also increased activity in other areas.

That said, long term, we still see that we can increase margin when we increase revenue.

Operator, let's go to the next slide, please. Let's take a closer -- take a look at a more detailed P&L for the period. Revenues for the 3-month period April to June amounted to EUR 128.3 million. As mentioned, that's an increase of 50% compared to the same period 2019. And for the first 6 months of 2020, revenue is about EUR 243 million, which is a 47% increase from the corresponding period last year.

Moving down, personnel expenses totaled EUR 30.3 million. It's in line with the same period previous year, but actually EUR 3 million lower than the first quarter of this year. The reason for the lower personnel cost is that the number of tables have been reduced, as we've mentioned a few times, meaning that we have fewer hours offered. It has led to a reduction in staff in some locations and, generally, fewer hours worked in our studios.

Most of our employment contracts are a mix of fixed monthly salary and variable pay, so we do not have the same percentage reduction in personnel costs as the number of tables.

As we said earlier, we are now increasing the number of tables gradually, step by step. And there is also pent-up demand for new tables once the pandemic allows new construction. So we will continue to recruit and increase staff in the quarters to come.

Further down, depreciation is just under EUR 7 million in the quarter. That's up 18% compared to the same period last year. Other expenses, next item, include, among other items, consumable equipment, communication costs, consultant and royalty fees. The line amounts to EUR 16.8 million. That's up 34% from the same period last year. And for the 6-month period, the increase is 29%. Part of that increase is in royalties, which increased as we grow revenues. So those will move together. But compared to last year, we also had higher costs this year for some extraordinary measures in the studios: extra cleaning, transport, sanitizer, et cetera.

So summing up, total operating expenses increased by EUR 5 million or 10% year-on-year in the second quarter, which is a slightly lower increase than what we normally have and mainly due to lower personnel expenses.

Tax is at EUR 3.6 million in the quarter for a tax rate of 5%. And all this sums up to a profit for the 3-month period of EUR 70.4 million and for the 6-month -- first 6 months of the year, just over EUR 124 million.

Profit for the period is up 104% compared to the first half of 2019. This equals an EPS of EUR 0.38 per share for the second quarter and for the rolling 12-month period, EUR 1.14 per share.

Operator, we can go to the next slide. Before I hand back to Martin, we'll also take a closer look at the cash flow. Starting to the left in the slide, the chart shows development of capital expenditure. The gray part of the bars show investments in tangible assets. This is mainly our studio construction. It is almost EUR 5 million in the quarter. The main projects for the second half of the year is to finalize the studio in Pennsylvania, as mentioned earlier, and also start construction in Michigan.

We also said last quarter that we are planning for 1 to 2 new midsize studios in Europe, and we have settled on Lithuania in the city of Kaunas for 1 of those sites. We continue to evaluate sites for a second studio. And I would say, likely, we'll come back to that later this year.

As we said earlier, right now, we are mainly reopening tables that have been closed due to COVID. But these new studios that we are planning will be important to support growth from 2021 and forward.

The blue part of the bar represents investments in intangible assets, and it's related to development of new games and features to the platform. It is EUR 3.4 million in the quarter, slightly up from Q1, but more or less in line with the pace from the full year 2019.

Altogether, CapEx for the first half of the year is just over EUR 15 million, which means we are in line with our guidance. That CapEx for the year will be slightly up from the EUR 30 million invested during 2019. So a bit higher CapEx than we expected during the second half of the year.

In the middle of the slide, we show operating cash flow. It is very high in the quarter as we have a bit of a catch-up effect from Q1 when cash flow was lower. We had a good improvement in accounts receivable in the quarter. I mentioned accounts receivable the last time we spoke, and it has been a focus for us during the quarter. It will continue to be so. We will work to keep at this level. But we've also seen in the past that the payments and payment cycles can be lumpy at times. But good development in this quarter.

Cash conversion for the 12-month period is up to 83%, which is a good level.

Finally, to the right in the slide, a look at the balance sheet. No major changes show up here between the quarters as it's a snapshot at the end of each period.

During the quarter, we have paid dividend of EUR 76 million, but the strong result brings us back to EUR 212 million in cash. So we are in a continued strong financial position.

That was the end of my prepared comments. I'll hand back to Martin for some closing words, and we'll take questions after that. Over to you, Martin.

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Martin Carlesund, Evolution Gaming Group AB (publ) - Group CEO [4]

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Thank you, Jacob.

A few words to conclude this report presentation. Everything we do is about one thing, to extend the gap to competition and strengthen our market leadership. The perpetual mission is a common thread in our studio expansion as well as in product development, operational excellence and recruitment. I see fantastic opportunity in the U.S. market, with states becoming more and more positive on regulating online casino. Time will tell that what pay states will speed up online casino regulation, but when they do, Evolution will be there. The top priority for me now is to make sure we can open up in Pennsylvania.

Of course, one of the top priorities as well is to close the deal with NetEnt. This is a landmark deal, which will accelerate Evolution's move towards becoming the world leader on the online casino market. The combined product portfolio will include some of the world's most popular Live Casino and online slot games and generate revenue upside through cross-selling and improve distribution with both companies' customer bases.

We're coming towards the end of this presentation. It's a fantastic quarter with revenue growth of 50%, EBITDA margin above 63%, launch of 6 new games, where one is the best launch ever. But this is not the time to celebrate. This is not the time to relax. Everyone in Evolution did great work. And with that and some luck, we so far got through the pandemic in a great way. But now we have a lot to do, more than ever, actually. We have a lot of studios to build, customers to deliver to, games to build and other demands to fulfill. We need to work very hard through the remaining part of this year. We need to increase speed, deliver more and try to find ways to expand faster. We need to make Evolution better every single day.

2020 has started well, and I look forward to see the rest of the year.

Thank you. Let's move to questions.

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Questions and Answers

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Operator [1]

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(Operator Instructions) You have first question from [Evian] from Morgan Stanley.

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Martin Carlesund, Evolution Gaming Group AB (publ) - Group CEO [2]

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We can't hear you.

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Operator [3]

Excerpt from:

Edited Transcript of EVOG.ST earnings conference call or presentation 17-Jul-20 7:00am GMT - Yahoo Finance

20 What are the favorite hobbies worldwide? – Explica

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We all have an activity that makes us recreate, have fun and even stay in shape. But have you asked yourself what are the most popular hobbies in the world? Those that unite us with other cultures. And they make us share the same passion with people from other countries, who probably have completely different lives and customs from ours. This time we wanted to delve into the subject and we bring you two of the favorite hobbies around the world.

Source: Pixabay

The past few years have been a great success for podcasts in many countries. More and more people subscribe to platforms like Spotify to enjoy them. Now what has made them so famous? One of the most powerful reasons is that this audio format is perfectly suited to everyones busy lifestyle. You can listen to it wherever and whenever you want: in the car, cleaning, exercising, or just at home. Also, the best thing about podcasts is that the topics are very varied and there is something for everyone. Life stories, fiction, entertainment and humor.

However, you may be wondering what are some of the most listened to worldwide. The answer is that the themes of love and humor seem to predominate. The Modern Love podcast is one of the best known and favorite, this is in the English language. It is stories of love, loss and redemption as seen in its description. These are from real people and are narrated by famous actors like Kristen Bell, Michelle Rodrguez and Giancarlo Esposito. As for the comedy part, one of the most popular is Nobody Knows Nothing. It is in Spanish and is led by Andreu Buenafuente and Berto Romero. Their show is about them improvising with input from the audience. Listeners send songs for both to talk about, even if they have no idea of the topic. So the two comedians start improvising in a hilarious way.

Source: Pixabay

It is not a secret that one of the most entertaining hobbies is online gaming. The most incredible thing about them is that you can play them from the comfort of your home. But at the same time you can compete with participants who are on the other side of the planet. The fact that they are online brings people from different parts of the world together and makes them share the same hobby. Also, as with podcasts, the fact that there is a great variety of games has been essential to reach so many people.

They can be found from eSports better known as. The Last of Us II that can be obtained on the PlayStation page, as well as the popular games of chance such as slots, roulette, and blackjack, which can be played on platforms such as NetBet blackjack, even entertaining sports games like FIFA, which is one of the most played in the world thanks to the great fanatic of soccer.

Our passions can bring us together in unique ways. You might enjoy your favorite podcasts because you can listen to it at any time of the day. And anywhere, enjoying a great variety to choose from. Likewise, your favorite hobby may be sharing an online game in your living room with people from all over the world. No matter what your favorite hobby is, it brings you closer to hundreds of other fans around the world who have your same passion.

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20 What are the favorite hobbies worldwide? - Explica

North America Aerospace & Defense Power Connector Market is expected to reach US$ 603.95 Million by 2027 with CAGR of 7.8% – 3rd Watch News

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The aerospace &defense power connector market in North America is expected to grow from US$ 425.36Mn in 2019 to US$ 603.95Mn by 2027; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2020 to 2027.

The Aerospace and Defense industry is all companies involved in the processing, packaging and distribution of raw food ingredients. This includes fresh cooked and packaged foods, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Power connectors are increasingly being used in the aerospace & defense industry. Boeing 747, 767, and 777; and Airbus A350 XWB are the major aircraft that generate massive demand for power connectors.

The North America Aerospace & Defense Power Connectormarketis growing along with the Food and Beverages industry, but the market is likely to slow down its growth due to the shortage of skilled professionals, suggests the Business Market Insights report.

The Business Market Insights subscription helps clients understand theongoingmarket trends,identifyopportunities, and make informed decisions through the reports in the Subscription Platform. The Industry reports available in the subscriptionprovidean in-depth analysis on various market topics and enable clients to line up remunerative opportunities. The reportsprovidethe market size & forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

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These factorsare expectedto offer broad growth opportunities in the Food and Beverages industry and this is expected to cause the demand forAerospace & Defense Power Connector assays in the market.

Business Market Insights reports focus upon clientobjectives, use standard research methodologies and exclusive analytical models, combined with robust business acumen, which providesprecise and insightful results.

Business Market Insights reports are usefulnot only forcorporate and academic professionalsbut also forconsulting, research firms,PEVCfirms, and professional services firms.

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North America Aerospace & Defense Power ConnectorMarket,by Current Rating

North America Aerospace & Defense Power ConnectorMarket,by Conductor Shape

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North America Aerospace & Defense Power Connector Market, by Country

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North America Aerospace & Defense Power Connector Market is expected to reach US$ 603.95 Million by 2027 with CAGR of 7.8% - 3rd Watch News

5000 jobs on line in aerospace and aviation, says Fraser of Allander report – Insider.co.uk

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Around 5,000 jobs are at risk in the aerospace engineering and civil aviation industries, according to a report by the Fraser of Allander Institute.

The University of Strathclyde-based research team warned that could inflict a 325 million blow to the Scottish economy.

The report, commissioned by the Unite Scotland trade union, estimated 1,500 direct job losses are in civil aviation, from companies including Menzies Aviation and Swissport - with a knock-on effect for another 830 jobs.

Following aerospace engineering redundancy consultations and voluntary severance schemes for 1,225 roles at Rolls-Royce, GE Caledonian, Spirit Aerosystems and Wyman Gordon, the report also forecasts the ultimate loss of 2,530 jobs across Scotland.

Scotland's Gross Value Added (GVA) could suffer an overall loss of approximately 140 million because of the impact on the civil aviation industry, in addition to a 185 million decrease from the aerospace engineering sector, the FAI estimates.

Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, Graeme Roy, said: "The full effects of the economic crisis from the Covid-19 shutdown are sadly only beginning to crystalise.

"The job losses announced already in key parts of our economy - including aviation and engineering - have the potential to be a damaging blow to Scotland's long-term economic prospects."

Unite Scotland is now warning the Scottish and UK Governments that both sectors "could be on the brink of terminal decline" and is calling for additional support packages for the industries.

Describing the report's findings as "eye-watering", Unite's Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty said: "Over the course of several months there is an estimated loss to the Scottish economy of 320 million and nearly 5,000 direct and indirect jobs are on the brink of being lost forever.

"This is the gravity of the situation facing both sectors and - make no mistake about this - both are on the cusp of terminal decline without immediate intervention from both the UK and Scottish Governments.

"It's essential that the Governments get all the key stakeholders in these sectors around the table immediately so that we can protect and save as many highly-skilled jobs as possible."

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5000 jobs on line in aerospace and aviation, says Fraser of Allander report - Insider.co.uk