China to Sanction Lockheed Martin Over Arms Sales to Taiwan – CapitalWatch

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author: Belinda Zhou

Beijing announced on Tuesday it would place sanctions on American arms giant Lockheed Martin Corporation for its role in the $620 million U.S. sales of Patriot missile deal with Taiwan.

"In order to safeguard national interests, China decided to take necessary measures to impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin, the chief contractor in this arms sales case," Lijian Zhao, a foreign ministry spokesperson said at a press conference.

Details of the ensuing penalty have yet to be disclosed.

The United States has approved an upgrade package with an estimated cost of $620 million for Patriot surface-to-air missiles to Taiwan,according tothe State Departmenton July 9. Taiwanhas requested to buy components to upgrade its Patriot missiles "in order to support an operational life of 30 years," as Reuters reported.

"This proposed sale serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient's continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability," the state department said.

This arms sale is the second approved by the Trump administration to Taiwan this year and the seventh since Trump's presidency.

The American-made Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles are deployed around major cities and important military facilities in Taiwan.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry confirmed on Friday that the arms will be used for training purposes and the training goal is intercepting missiles from mainland China. The ministry also said it expected the deal to take effect within the next month.

Since 2007, the United States has announced the sale of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 to Taiwan in three batches; these missiles were delivered to Taiwan from around 2011.

"The oldest system and missiles have been in service for nearly 10 years and it's time to update it," Fuxing Mei, the director of the Taiwan Strait Security Research Center, said.

"It is estimated that the life-extension case will not be completed until at least 2022," Mei added.

Zhao urged the U.S. government to effectively abide by the One-China principle and stop selling arms to Taiwan to avoid deepening the chasm that exists between the two nations already.

China's "One China principle" asserts that there is only one sovereign state under the name China. In the 1992 Consensus, thePeople's Republic of Chinaand theRepublic of China of Taiwan both accepted this principle, but interpret it differently. Both Taiwan and the PRC agree there is only "One China" but both governments disagree as to which is the legitimate government representing this "One China."

A violent border conflict between India and China has also raisedthe demand defense systems in Beijing, sending Chinese defense-related stocks to rise.

"Looking forward to the whole year, with the overtime work after the resumption of work, most of the military industry's revenue and performance will resume growth since the second quarter," Kang Shi, an analyst from China Industrial Securities Co Ltd., wrote in his analysis, giving a 15% growth rate prediction for 2020.

Shares in Lockheed Martin closed at $355.59 per share on Tuesday, up 1%.

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China to Sanction Lockheed Martin Over Arms Sales to Taiwan - CapitalWatch

MyndTec and University Health Network Extend Partnership focusing on advances in technology to improve lives of people living with the effects of…

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MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - MyndTec Inc., an award-winning Canadian medical technology company, and University Health Network (UHN), Canada's largest medical research hospital,have announced the extension of an exclusive license agreement. The partnership positions MyndTec at the forefront of new technology in the neuromodulation and neurorehabilitation field.

The partnership, established in 2012, has culminated in the development and commercialization of MyndMove Therapy in the U.S. and Canada. MyndMove is a non-invasive functional electrical stimulation technology that assists those living with paralysis following stroke or spinal cord injury by helping restore arm and hand function. The collaboration reflects the company's commitment to addressing an important need in neurorehabilitation.

"This partnership allows our research teams to rapidly develop and commercialize new products designed to restore function for people living with disabilities," said Steven Plymale, CEO of MyndTec. The research and development of MyndMovewas pioneered by Dr. Milos R. Popovic and the research team at KITE, the research arm of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and one of UHN's principle research enterprises. "We are thrilled to extend the agreement and look forward to working with MyndTec to bring to market high-tech innovations developed in our labs," said Dr. Popovic, KITE Institute Director.

About MyndTec

MyndTec Inc. is a privately held medical technology company located inMississauga, Ontario, that commercializes innovative therapeutic medical devices designed to improve function, maximize independence, and enhance quality of life. MyndTec's product MyndMove is a non-invasive functional electrical stimulation-based intervention. MyndMove uses the phenomenon of neuroplasticity to stimulate development of new neural pathways to assist those with paralysis following a stroke or spinal cord injury to regain control of their arms and hands.

For more information on MyndMove and authorized indicationsvisithttp://www.myndtec.com.

The Kite Research Institute

KITE is the research arm of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and one of the principle research enterprises at the University Health Network, Canada's largest medical research hospital. KITE is a world leader in the field of the complex rehabilitation research, with scientists and staff dedicated to improving the lives of people living with the effects of disability, illness and aging.

SOURCE MyndTec Inc.

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Minerao Vale Verde and Appian Announce First Blast and Implementation Update at Serrote – PRNewswire

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LONDON, July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Highlights

Minerao Vale Verde Ltda. ("MVV" or the "Company") and Appian Capital Advisory LLP ("Appian") are pleased to announce first blast and an implementation update for the Serrote copper-gold project ("Serrote") located in Alagoas, Brazil. Appian also announces support to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

First blast and implementation update

On 20 June 2020 MVV achieved first blast at Serrote, marking a major milestone of the open-pit development with the pre-stripping program having now handled over one million tonnes of material. The Company continues to de-risk and progress Serrote to schedule and under budget, with overall project execution tracking at ~60% complete. Procurement is approaching the final stages with 96% of key packages by value awarded and start-up expected during H2 2021.

First blast marks yet another significant development milestone following completion of Serrote's previously announced definitive feasibility study ("DFS"), which outlined a conventional, low strip open pit operation producing 20ktpa of copper equivalent at second quartile costs over an estimated initial mine life of approximately 14 years. The robust project economics outlined in the DFS led to a positive construction decision with Appian funding all of the equity required to bring the asset into production.

MVV is taking necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of employees and local communities and continuity of project implementation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other recent development highlights include:

MVV is in advanced discussions on the previously announced US$160 million senior bank project financing facility as well as other non-dilutive funding options and expects to reach financial close during the second half of this year.

Upcoming milestones

As Serrote continues to progress in line with the construction plan, MVV is targeting the following milestones by the end of 2020:

Initial mine life extension opportunities

MVV is pursuing several expansion opportunities beyond the initial 14-year mine life, with significant defined mineralization outside of the current mine plan as well as numerous satellite resources and targets within trucking distance of the planned plant infrastructure. Less than 50% of the 112Mt global resource is currently contained within the mine plan, with active exploration and growth plans underway to increase mineable inventory.

In addition, MVV is stockpiling Serrote's oxide resource for future processing as part of the pre-stripping activities. With 19Mt of oxide resource at Serrote grading 0.5% copper and additional near-surface oxide material present at satellite deposits, MVV is evaluating the processing of oxides via SX-EW on-site to produce copper cathodes.

COVID-19 support for local communities

Brazil is one of the countries that has been worst affected by COVID-19 globally. Appian has announced a US$600,000 support package to help combat the pandemic in the regions in which its portfolio companies operate, through its philanthropic vehicle, the Appian Way Charitable Foundation ("AWCF"). To date, AWCF's support includes procuring 6,000 Covid-19 Rapid Test Kits, 12,000 N95 masks, 25,000 white surgical masks and 70 non-contact digital infrared forehead thermometers for use in Alagoas where Serrote is situated, and Bahia, the location of Appian's Santa Rita nickel sulphide project.

AWCF has also distributed more than 40 tons of materials packed into hygiene kits to community members, with all materials carefully sourced to support local businesses. In Bahia, AWCF also contributed to fund a health unit dedicated to treat COVID-19 patients. On the food security front, AWCF has distributed more than 8 tons of food supplies for at-risk families.

This supplements Appian's work with both MVV and Atlantic Nickel to improve the quality of life for underprivileged children and women within the communities around the operations.

Paulo Castellari, CEO MVV & Appian Brazil commented:

"I am pleased with the continued progress at Serrote, and first blast marks another major milestone on the road to production, which remains on track for the second half of 2021. Construction works are progressing as planned, as we build on the project's strong fundamentals to develop the asset on schedule and under budget.

"Serrote continues to demonstrate robust economics with potential upside, and we are seeing strong interest from offtake and financing partners, which underlines the progress that MVV and Appian have made in developing and derisking the project, along with the attractiveness of Serrote's high-grade copper-gold concentrate.

"Environmental, Social, and Governance efforts continue to be fundamental to our business, and I am proud of our actions to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, to support and partner with the communities in which we operate."

About Minerao Vale Verde Ltda.

MVV is developing Serrote, an advanced stage, de-risked greenfield open-pit copper-gold development asset currently under construction and with all major permits in place, located in Alagoas, Brazil. The Company is headquartered in Belo Horizonte, with a high-quality management team with extensive local and international experience operating at site.

Following Appian's acquisition of the asset in mid-2018, an updated DFS was completed outlining a 14-year initial mine life with production of approximately 20 thousand tonnes of copper equivalent per annum in a premium, high grade concentrate. Serrote is expected to be well positioned in the second quartile of the copper cost curve on a total cash cost basis.

MVV is pursuing several expansion opportunities beyond the initial mine life, with significant defined mineralization outside of the current mine plan as well as numerous satellite resources and targets within trucking distance of the planned plant infrastructure. Less than 50% of the 112Mt global resource is currently contained within the mine plan, with active drilling and growth plans underway to increase mineable inventory.

About Appian Capital Advisory LLP

Appian Capital Advisory LLP is the investment advisor to long-term value focused private equity funds that invest solely in mining and mining related companies.

Appian is a leading investment advisor in the metals and mining industry, with global experience across South America, North America, Australia and Africa and a successful track record of supporting companies to achieve their development targets, with a global operating portfolio overseeing around 3,000 personnel.

About the Appian Way Charitable Foundation

AWCF is Appian's philanthropic vehicle. Appian regards social, environmental and governance standards as crucial elements within all investment opportunities and portfolio companies.

The main focus area for AWCF is children, women and the disenfranchised, and it seeks to contribute to the health and equal education of children in the communities and principal regions into which Appian invests with the aim of contributing to lifting people out of poverty, improving long-term environmental stability and health and empowering women and girls.

For further information:

Finsbury:+44-(0)20-7251-3801,[emailprotected]Charles O'Brien, Ruban Yogarajah, Richard Crowley

Appian Capital Advisory: +44-(0)20-7004-0951,[emailprotected]Michael W. Scherb, Guy de Freitas

SOURCE Appian Capital Advisory LLP; Minerao Vale Verde Ltda

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The NHLPA’s Don Fehr on the Olympics, bubble life, coronavirus testing and more – ESPN

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Jul 14, 2020

Emily Kaplan

Greg Wyshynski

Last Friday, the NHL's owners and the players approved a new collective bargaining agreement as well as the league's return-to-play plan to finish out the 2019-20 season in two bubbles this summer. It's six seasons of labor peace for a sport that hasn't seen much of it over the last 30 years.

The bubbles exist for the same reason this CBA was ratified: The coronavirus and its economic impacts changed the math and shifted the timeline in these talks.

"We viewed the task as trying to identify the difficulties caused by the pandemic, certainly the immediate ones, but looking to the future, to figure out a way to address those issues. We had to do that in a way everybody could agree with -- in negotiations, great ideas aren't worth very much if the other side doesn't go along with it -- and then to set the stage for the recovery when things begin to return to normal," said Don Fehr, executive director of the National Hockey League Players Association.

"This is probably not something that a lot of people are going to call a perfect agreement. A lot of people are going to find faults with one thing or another. That's always the case. And I'm pretty sure there's going to be unanticipated events and perhaps even unintended consequences. But I do think this agreement meets the challenge, and the next challenge is going to be to implement it both in the short-term and in the long-term, and there's a lot in this agreement, I think, players can be proud of."

We spoke with Fehr on Sunday about the CBA, a return to the Olympics in 2022 and 2026 (pending an IOC deal with the NHL), player medical privacy concerns with COVID-19 testing, what next season will look like and whether this, in fact, is his last negotiation as NHLPA chief.

ESPN: The Olympics agreement seems like a huge victory for the players because this is something they were really passionate about. Can you take us through how it came to be -- how much of a priority was it, or a sticking point was it for the players to get something in writing?

Fehr: We had ongoing discussions with the NHL about the importance of the Olympics, both in terms of the players' desire to play, what it means to them to be able to play for their country, and in our view what the marketing advantages could be. We had some ongoing discussions with IIHF and the IOC about that. We thought they'd been progressing well. The NHL wasn't as satisfied. But as we got into this process after having missed Korea, it was basically this has to be in an agreement. And at some point, the NHL, I don't remember exactly when, understood that that was the case.

As a matter of fact, one of the reasons the extension is four years is that it sweeps in the 2026 Olympic Games. Our initial proposal was that it only be a three-year extension. And after that point, which was some months ago, there wasn't a lot of discussion about it. It was just sort of assumed. Bear in mind, though, that we still do have to reach agreement with the IOC and the IIHF, although in my own view, that will take some work but we should be able to get it done without major difficulty.

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ESPN: The NHL had talked about the Olympics being tied to a larger international calendar of events, like the World Cup of Hockey, but there was nothing in the CBA about that. Were you surprised the Olympics got done without needing that?

Fehr: I think the answer to that is no. I was not surprised because trying to focus on the longer international calendar in the midst of COVID-19 was not a front-burner item for us, for obvious reasons. That being said, I do expect we're going to end up with a longer international calendar. I do expect we're going to end up with World Cups on a regular basis, and all the rest of that. It's just not contained in writing in this agreement.

ESPN: Other pro sports leagues have talked about salary adjustments as a reaction to COVID-19 revenue losses, and NHL owners have used salary rollbacks and compliance buyouts in the past to deal with large contracts. How did you avoid a salary rollback or buyouts in this deal?

Fehr: Once it became clear that what we were looking at was not reducing the cap, it was not something that was necessary. It never came up. If somehow we had been looking at reducing the cap to $65 million, which is roughly what it would have been if we didn't have this agreement and we were going just based on revenues, then it would have arisen. If you think about it from the owners' standpoint, it's [about] the total dollar cost that's involved, which is more important than the individual player costs. And the cap goes up and down, in theory.

ESPN: What did you tell pending free agents about the flat cap next season, and maybe the following season?

Fehr: That it's going to be tough, but if the cap had crashed to the mid-60s, it would have been a lot worse.

ESPN: Escrow is always an issue for players. You made some improvements to escrow in this agreement, including capping it, but is there a chance in the future that there could ever be a total financial restructuring? Or can players always expect to have an escrow system?

Fehr: Well, I've got several answers. The first one is that my brain hasn't gone into future gear yet.

But I guess I would explain it this way. I'm going to explain it in a very neutral, sort of academic way. If management wants to negotiate with the union wages, but not individual wages -- either because they don't think it's a good idea or they don't think the union are going to agree to it -- because normally, in a union-management contract, you have wages covered. You're Joe Jones and you slot in this particular place, and that's that. If they're going to negotiate an overall wage bill -- whether it's a hard dollar amount, whether it's a percentage of revenues, whether it's any other number -- and then you're going to have a system which allows variance on the individual teams for their portion of that bill can be higher or lower by some degree or all the rest of it, you have to have a mechanism to balance the books, otherwise it doesn't work.

So now let me fast forward to your question: Would you see it ever changing? I've been doing this, you know, forever, basically since Moses walked the Earth. I was present during the initial baseball free agency stuff. I was the lawyer in Kansas City who shepherded the free-agency cases through the courts. There weren't any free markets in baseball back then, it was a completely closed market. It wasn't a cap, they just had the old fashioned reserve system. And that changed. And there had been periodic fights in baseball about that, and there are rumors there's going to be another one coming up in the next negotiation [in MLB] in a year and a half. Every league and every negotiation is different based on the time, the circumstances, the dynamic in and all the rest. So, I don't ever say "never" about anything. I think it's possible. Is it likely? I think that'll depend on what the economics are and the mood of the players.

Let me throw one other thing at you; this is important, too. And that is the single biggest determinant of the player salaries is not the system. It's not whether you have a salary cap at 50 percent [of hockey-related revenue] or you don't. It's what the revenue number is. That's significantly more important than the percentage.

With the NHL on pause since March 12, the league and players' association have come up with a return-to-play format featuring 24 teams.

Details on the return-to-play plan Latest updates from around the NHL

ESPN: What was the players' ultimate input on return-to-play protocols? In particular, on the selection of Toronto and Edmonton as the hub cities? Was it one-sided? Collaborative?

Fehr: It was collaborative. [Pauses] I hate that word, because it doesn't capture the process very well. There was a professional working relationship that included players and club officials. It included highly respected physicians on both sides. It included ongoing discussions with local health authorities. The reason you wait to make decisions is partially because the speed of events was so fast that it was hard to be confident about the choices you make in March for what you were going to do in the middle of July or August. It wasn't easy.

Was there any hostility? I guess the best I can tell you is that the choices weren't easy and when to make them wasn't easy, but there wasn't any discord in the process of doing it. We just talked it through. This is where we go to. There wasn't much disagreement about it.

ESPN: How will the beginning of next season be determined? Will the NHLPA have to agree upon it, and negotiate health and safety protocols?

Fehr: First, we know we're going to start late. The odds on that are overwhelming. We still think we can get a full season in if we do some manipulations with what the schedule would otherwise be without going too far ahead of that. And that's certainly the goal.

Secondly, the precise dating on it and the rest of it is yet to be determined. Third, there will very likely have to be health and safety protocols put in place because we hope we are going to be back to playing out of the home arenas. So the answer to that, yes. Those have yet to be negotiated. I am assuming that that's going to be easier to do than it was the first time, because we now have prototypes in place.

ESPN: What would you say to those who think positive tests for players should be disclosed like any other injury or illness? Or that since these names might come out anyway, that not releasing them puts teammates or teams in a bad spot?

Fehr: Essentially in this country, what we believe in is that certain medical things are private unless somebody chooses to make them public. That's difficult to maintain in an industry like ours, but you do the best you can across the board. Somebody saying they have the right to know ... legally, they probably don't.

For example, in your job, suppose we're back in the old-fashioned newspaper days. You're at the city desk with 77 other people in the room with typewriters, and you had to leave and do something for a while. People didn't have a right to anything except that you were gone. They probably know you were gone for a medical reason, but whether it was cancer or a drug rehab or someone in your family was sick, it was none of their business unless you told them. Now, if you had a communicable disease, they would have contact traced everyone you were in contact with.

ESPN: With due respect, no one is betting on my performance at the typewriter. There will be wagering on NHL playoff games, which is something the league has encouraged. There's a perception that a concussion or a knee injury is one thing, but a disease where the rest of the team can be infected is on a different level.

Fehr: We'll have to face that when we come to it. But if the people who are betting on games think the information is insufficient to make a bet, they shouldn't bet.

Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski take you around the NHL with the latest news, big questions and special guests every episode. Listen here

ESPN: How confident are you that players are going to be satisfied with the experience in the bubble, and we're not going to see reports of less-than-promised conditions regarding food or accommodation that we've seen with some other leagues?

Fehr: Well, I think the fact that the NBA photos came out will help prevent that. The proof will be in the pudding when we get there. But I'm reasonably satisfied we'll be able to do that. We've been talking from the beginning about creating bubble atmospheres and bringing in what somebody -- maybe Steve Mayer at the NHL -- called pop-up restaurants from people that really know what they're doing.

I'm not terribly concerned about that. In these circumstances, you do the best you can. But I'm certainly hopeful that that will not be an issue. If it is an issue, you'll hear about it more than once.

ESPN: We asked Gary Bettman this on Saturday, so we'll ask you: Is there a threshold of positive tests in return to play that you think would necessitate a reconsideration of it?

Fehr: Yes, when my doctors tell me that it's something that we have to think about, and that something has happened that they think is severe enough that it raises that issue. That's how we're going to handle it. Look, neither Gary nor I have the kind of medical or public health training that's necessary to make those kinds of judgements. We have to rely on the experts to tell us what to do. The NHL has its own doctors. We have Dr. John Rizos [NHLPA medical consultant], who's been with us for years. We have Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at Toronto General Hospital, who's about as good as they come. We're going to rely on them to tell us what to do.

ESPN: Finally, we now have labor peace for the next six seasons. Was this your last rodeo? Or do you think you'll be at the negotiating table again for the next CBA?

Fehr: Do they have a fountain of youth drug yet? [Laughs] The answer is I don't know. I'll be 72 on July 18. As we go through this, I'm going to have to figure out what makes sense. I expect to be around for a while.

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The NHLPA's Don Fehr on the Olympics, bubble life, coronavirus testing and more - ESPN

Donating possessions before death treated by some as a way to attain immortality: UBC study – CTV News

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VANCOUVER -- Perhaps unsurprisingly, research suggests people are more likely to pass on their possessions when facing death, but a study out of B.C. suggests one of the reasons may be attaining a type of immortality.

Research conducted by the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business suggests some see what they're calling "transcendence" as a motivator to make donations before they die.

"It sounds dramatic, but it's the idea that you can live on longer, symbolically through something else," professor Katherine White said in a news release.

White co-authored the study which suggested people are 30 per cent more likely to donate when facing their own mortality with UBC professor Darrren Dah and the University of Washington's Lea Dunn.

"If a product or a possession is somehow linked to your identity and you pass that on to others, it could potentially have this ability to transcend the self," White said.

The experiment involved asking participants to come to a lab with a book in hand that they might consider giving away. About 500 participants were divided into two groups, and one group was given a task meant to make them think about their own deaths, UBC said.

The other was told just to think about an average day.

They were later asked whether they'd donate the book they brought to a charity, and some were also asked if they wanted to write an inscription inside.

Researchers were not present when participants made the decision, in an effort to prevent any pressure to donate.

White says those in the group thinking about their deaths were more than 30 per cent more likely to give away the book, but only when they were not under the impression that it would be broken or recycled.

Dahl explained the effect using the example of a car. If the car is scrapped for parts, "the specialness of it, and the fact that it represents you, is broken up, and you're not a whole entity sticking around."

Though the study was initiated years before the COVID-19 pandemic, Dahl says the novel coronavirus has made the public even more aware of how fragile life is.

The researchers say that as a result, more people are thinking about what they call "symbolic immortality" and what happens to their things when they die.

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Donating possessions before death treated by some as a way to attain immortality: UBC study - CTV News

Decade’s best No. 1: Loyalsock’s baseball team won 2013 PIAA Class AA title in one of state’s most exciting finals | News, Sports, Jobs – Williamsport…

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SUN-GAZETTEFILEPHOTOLoyalsock players pile on each other after winning the 2013 PIAAClassAA championship in State College against Beaver, 5-4.

Coach Jeremy Eck gathered his players in the Loyalsock gym this Friday morning not to talk last-minute strategy, but to provide a history lesson.

Loyalsock would compete against Beaver late that afternoon for the Class AA state championship at Penn States Medlar Field. Eck wanted his players looking around at all the championship banners surrounding them and pay close attention to the 2008 baseball state championship one. His Lancers now had a unique shot at gaining high school immortality.

As Bailey Young drove a pitch into right field and Caleb Robbins rounded third base that moment was at hand. Robbins sprinted home and Loyalsock entered the hallowed halls which few high school teams ever walk. For the second time in program history, Loyalsock was a state champion.

Youngs walk-off single scored Robbins from second and Loyalsock defeated Beaver, 5-4, in one of the most exciting state title games in PIAA history. Beaver had tied it with two outs in the top of the seventh, but Loyalsock immediately fought back and Young lived a dream so many have but never get to experience.

Ill be talking about this year for years, Young said as Loyalsock received their gold medals. Its a great feeling.

Im speechless. Im stuttering right now, shortstop Ethan Moore, the teams lone starting senior, said. Its been a long road. Just to be here looking at this field, I keep asking all the players if we just won states. Its unbelievable.

It really was.

Loyalsock returned a strong group from a 2012 district champion, but was hit hard by injuries throughout the season. The Lancers persevered, then survived one-run games against Towanda and Montoursville, but Hughesville defeated it, 7-5, in a nine-inning district final. It was a crushing loss, one that can be hard to recover from. The Lancers still qualified for states, but would have to go through four district champions which finished their seasons a combined, 81-9.

Against the odds, that is what they did. Loyalsock outscored Lakeland, Delone Catholic and 25-win Salisbury, 23-6 en route to reaching the state final. It erased a four-run fourth-inning deficit against Delone and hammered a Salisbury team with just one loss, 8-1. At the most crucial time, the Lancers rallied around each other and played their best baseball.

I dont think we caught a break all year. We had injuries everywhere. We had some losses from the team, but we pulled through and came together as one, third baseman Tommy Baggett said after going 1 for 2 with two RBIs against Beaver. Everyone steps up at the right time. Whoever is up there, they step up and get the job done.

It was a similar formula which would get Loyalsock past a 24-win Beaver team which had won 17 straight games. Beaver had not allowed a run in three state tournament victories and surrendered just two runs in its six previous games. Radford-bound pitcher Austin Ross had been untouchable, but Loyalsock showed early that it was not like Beavers victims. The Lancers scored a second-inning run to tie the game and then struck twice in the third, taking a 3-1 lead. After Luke Glavins two-out RBI single tied it in the second, Kyle Datres smashed a double and scored a batter later when Jimmy Webb belted an RBI double. Baggett hit a sacrifice fly to score Webb and Loyalsock seemed to be picking up where it had left off against Salisbury.

Datres pitched a complete game, striking out seven and allowing just two earned runs, but Beaver scored twice in the fourth and tied it, 3-3. Again Loyalsock answered. Moore reached on an error, Robbie Klein singled and Baggetts RBI single put it up, 4-3. It stayed that way until the seventh when Loyalsock moved within one out of its second state title. Instead, Nick Hineman hit an RBI single and tied the game. Datres ended the rally with a strikeout but Beaver had the momentum now.

This 2013 season had been about overcoming a series of obstacles and it was time for Loyalsock to clear its final one. Klein was hit by a pitch to open the seventh and Moore came up with only one goal. The team leader had delivered timely hits all year and came up huge again without producing a hit.

In the bottom of the seventh he (Eck) said if Robbie gets on you have one job and thats to get the bunt down, Moore said. I said Damn right. Im getting that bunt down, were moving him over and were winning this game.'

Moore did his part, dropping the bunt exactly where it had to go and moving Robbins, running for Klein, to second. Baggett was intentionally walked and now it was time for Young and Robbins to fulfill Moores promise.

Young had hit a go-ahead sixth-inning RBI single in the semifinals against Montoursville and drilled two doubles against Salisbury. He was heating up at the right time and never doubted himself, even after falling behind Ross 0-2. Young fouled off three straight pitches and then destiny came calling in the form of a fastball on the outside corner. Young went with the pitch, drove it the opposite way to right field, rounded first and watched Robbins complete the run of his life. Robbins was moving faster than ever and there was no play at the plate with the relay throw being cut off. The team surrounded by championship banners that morning now had one of the most unique, becoming state champions.

I told them this morning that if we win this one, we walk together forever, Eck said while holding his young son Elijah. I asked them how do you want to be remembered? Do you want to be a good team that got to the state final or do you want to hang on that wall for the rest of your life? They showed us what its all about. It really is a dream come true. Every one of these guys has so much heart and theyre all gamers.

Young epitomized Loyalsocks drive and selflessness that year. Eck had replaced him with Evan Moore at catcher during the Delone game, moving him to DH. Young never sulked and continued working and producing. After shining against Salisbury the next game, Young delivered the hit of his life and biggest in this illustrious programs history.

Once I saw the throw come in I looked back at home and saw him score. The first person I saw coming at me was Kyle Datres. He told me I was going to get a hit that at-bat and it gave me confidence, Young said. This is amazing. You cant explain the feeling after a state championship win.

What an unbelievable way to end the season, Robbins said. I was scoring no matter what. It was pure adrenaline. As soon as I touched third base I was running as fast as I could. I had to do it for our town and my for my family and my pop. I cant find the words to explain it. It was so awesome.

A year later, Loyalsock returned to Penn State and became just the third Class AA team in PIAA history to repeat as state champions, defeating Central, 5-1. That team also overcame injuries and adversity, rallying from an 8-5 start and winning its final 15 games.

Many of those Lancers played for the 2013 state champion. They knew anything was possible if they continued fighting. Just as important as that title banner those 2013 Lancers earned was the example they set, one that helps the program continue flourishing to this day.

It was a Cinderella story, Robbins said. Were never going to forget this moment and this experience.

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Book review: The Lives of Isaac Stern – The Strad

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The Lives of Isaac Stern

David Schoenbaum

240PP ISBN 9780393634617

W.W. Norton $26.95.

There is a good book to be written about Isaac Stern, but this is not it. I may be old-fashioned, but I feel the first duty of a biographer is to provide the subjects dates of birth and death. We are on page 24 before we find that Stern was born in 1920, and the actual date is never given, although towards the end of the book we learn that the month was July. As for Sterns demise, we are told that it was eleven days after the attack on the World Trade Center.

It is symptomatic of a biographical style heavy on waffle, light on facts. David Schoenbaum is incapable of lifting material from Sterns memoirs without getting things wrong. At least one direct quotation is inaccurately transcribed. He offers a tortuous screed about the Jewish immigrant experience in San Francisco, but it is unclear how this affected Stern who was ten months old when his parents reached America and became a normal American kid with normal American tastes.

He likes to drag in irrelevancies and suppositions as in a priceless paragraph about Loudon Wainwright III or display his literary pretensions. Here is my favourite extract: Immortality is not for everyone, says a character in Der Gross-Cophta, one of Goethes least known comedies. It is unlikely that Stern knew the play. But he had no need of Goethe to be aware of the message.

Schoenbaum is good on Sterns repertoire, pointing out how much 20th-century music he played. He is less convincing when trying to place Stern among his peers, looking for the most far-fetched similarities you feel if he could prove that Stern and Spalding wore the same size of shoes, or that Joachim (a strange comparison, on which he harps) and Stern both liked their eggs poached, he would mention it.

Where the narrative does come alive is where Schoenbaum is writing about Sterns close engagement with Israel, especially his work in establishing the Jerusalem Music Centre, and his fight to save Carnegie Hall from demolition. These are good stories and he tells them well.

Major staging points of the great mans career, including visits to the Soviet Union, Japan and China, are noted. Yet I miss any attempt to explain what marked out Stern from, say, Oistrakh, Kogan, Heifetz, Haendel, Grumiaux, Milstein or Szeryng. The point is well made that Stern was the first top-ranking home-grown American fiddler, but as an amateur violinist himself, Schoenbaum might have exerted himself to offer a little analysis.

Trivial errors, easily checkable, have crept in: there was no need, for instance, to assert that Florizel von Reuter kept the same name throughout his life (he acquired the von in Germany). Apart from a side-shot of Stern on the front cover, the book is unillustrated, which seems a shame; and there is no discography. Notes are shunted to the back, rather then the ends of chapters, the better solution if you are not allowed footnotes. I am left puzzled as to the intended readers of this biography: violin fanciers, with access to the internet and Sterns memoirs, can do better on their own.

TULLY POTTER

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Book review: The Lives of Isaac Stern - The Strad

We are not these superheroes that float somewhere above reality – The News International

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We are used to superheroes that come complete with a variety of superhuman powers flight, strength, x-ray vision not to mention the accompanying bells and whistles of capes, hammers and shields.

But the heroes at the centre of new film The Old Guard, based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Greg Rucka and directed by Beyond The Lights Gina Prince-Bythewood, all have the same mysterious power in common. They are centuries-old immortals and they cannot die.

They now work as a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries, who have been fighting to protect the mortal world for centuries, but that is all thrown into jeopardy when they discover someone is onto their secret.

We are not these superheroes that float somewhere above reality, says Matthias Schoenaerts, who plays the immortal Booker in the film. Actually we are quite tangible and people can identify with that.

In fact the team, led by Charlize Therons Andy (short for Andromache of Scythia) and new recruit and former Marine Nile, played by Kiki Layne as well as Marwan Kenzaris Joe and Luca Marinellis Nicky end up grappling with the very human issues of what it means to be alive and what the value of life really is.

That was something that resonates with a lot of things that are unexpectedly going on in the world today, the 42-year-old Belgian actor adds, so people can identify with the emotional process of what these characters go through.

It really goes to the heart of the matter, what makes life special, adds his British co-star Chiwetel Ejofor, who plays a former CIA agent who recruits the team for a job. What makes life worth living and is it the fact that it doesnt last forever?

I think that is the great existential question. I think in all of our mythology and storytelling, eternal life is this recurring theme, so many things have tried to discuss it.

But what I loved about this was that there was something very gritty and almost brutal about the way they carried the burden of this supernatural, eternal quality.

I loved the questions that it raised, ethical, moral questions about what should be done with these people and whether they offer something to the greater good and whether that can be monetised, all of these questions which would definitely come up if this happened, so all of that I thought was really fascinating.

The fact they cannot die means they have to deal with eternity and immortality, Schoenaerts adds. After I read the screenplay, I discovered the graphic novel, which is very different to other graphic novels that Im used to and I was curious how we were going to be able to translate it to the screen.

One aspect of that is the relationship between Nicky and Joe, who fought on opposite sides during the Crusades, but fell in love after they discovered their immortality. They met each other as each others enemies first, and we are seeing them as they have been together for many, many, many years, Kenzari, 37, says.

The level of the love between them is so profound and so deep and it goes further than anything that we might know since they are that old, so that is an extraordinary element in their relationship.

But their relationship and the groups very existence comes under threat from the sinister pharmaceutical executive Steven Merrick, played by Harry Potter star Harry Melling, 31, who sends operatives to capture them and learn the secrets of their abilities in the hopes of monetising and exploiting them.

And the actor was fascinated by the commentary on the role big tech and big pharma plays in modern life. When I got sent the script my first point of call was to research pharmaceutical companies and young entrepreneurs and see what they were up to and it is shady, certainly, he says.

Its very complicated and often what happens is a good, noble venture turns very quickly into something else and that seemed to be the reoccurring theme, certainly for these kind to companies, so that is what I drew from that bit of research.

The actors were also impressed by the work of Prince-Bythewood, who was best known for her smaller character-driven dramas including the cult hit Love and Basketball before turning her hand to a blockbuster.

One of the amazing thing about Gina was she was adamant in representation and diversity on the screen, says Melling. Not only on the screen, but off screen as well, so many strong female creatives involved and it was just really exciting to be a part of that.

It always trickles down from the top, I always say that, and what your leaders are doing, or your director, it always trickles down, so it was very exciting to be on set with Gina.

Ejiofor, 43, nods in agreement, adding: I really enjoyed Beyond The Lights and I was excited to see what she did with something of this size and making it personal. That is our real gift, making all of these things ring true on an emotional level and these personal dynamics really work and this great array of characters that shes using.

These inter-personal dynamics are quite rare, so seeing her approach the action genre but from this very interesting point of view and having these great female leads is really powerful and I was really engaged with that part of the script. The Old Guard is streaming on Netflix in the UK and Ireland now.

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We are not these superheroes that float somewhere above reality - The News International

The Anxiety of Time Travel – National Review

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Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti in Palm Springs(Hulu)Three comedies about tampering with time illustrate the folly of a primal human desire.

NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLEIn this spring and summer of temporal stagnation, when the ordinary hebdomadal rhythms have been shattered, rush hour consists of commuting from one room of the house to another, and I have to remind myself what day of the week it is, I find myself thinking about time more than usual. How long will we be stuck in this bizarre and unasked-for present before life chugs forward again? Why do we crave that sense of moving toward something, anyway? Will I regret the resumption of normal life? Hulus new movie Palm Springs, an amusing and thoughtful romcom, was filmed before the Wuhan virus got going, but it brushes lightly up against some of the peculiar questions of life in 2020.

Palm Springs, which stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, takes one of the richest and best-loved of Hollywood comedy concepts the Groundhog Day idea and adds a twist that potentially redefines it: What if you could share the time-loop experience with someone you loved?

Spoilers follow for Palm Springs and two older time-travel comedies, Click (2006) and About Time (2013). Each of these films focuses on a different kind of time manipulation a different button on Gods remote control and all follow the same path of discovery. Whether given the ability to rewind, fast-forward, or hit the pause button, we would at first revel in our might, but eventually wed achieve the wisdom of understanding that it would be better not to mess with time at all.

Click, the Adam Sandler comedy, is not a good movie, but it has a profound thought at its core. Written by two screenwriters who had previously collaborated on another effects-driven high-concept blockbuster comedy, Bruce Almighty, Click asked: What if you had a remote control, but for life? Sandlers character, an ambitious architect who finds family life to be dull and enervating, mainly uses the remote to fast-forward through domestic ennui arguments with the wife, kids being annoying. Neither he nor the audience initially catches the implications of what hes doing, but his magical device is actually malignant. By fast-forwarding through the dull parts of life, he has fast-forwarded through . . . life. This being a reassuring Hollywood picture, he gets handed a George Bailey-style second chance to learn his lesson, and he throws away the remote. Amid all the dumb sight gags, the film presents us with an underlying truth: Even our least pleasant experiences have value. We wouldnt be human without them, and being human is a reassuringly shared project, not to be avoided.

Click captures the sensibility of being in ones thirties or early forties, when the stresses of raising children and quarreling with ones spouse feed on each other, and frustrated days seem to pass too slowly. If only I could skip this part is a thought that has lodged in many a parents mind. In contrast, About Time, the British comedy in which Domhnall Gleeson plays a young lawyer who learns from his father (Bill Nighy) that all of the men in the family have the ability to leap across time at will, was written by Richard Curtis in his mid-fifties, and its focus is on jumping back rather than ahead. As Curtis dealt with the loss of his parents, he found himself wishing he could rewind, re-live, re-experience. Gleesons character uses the time-travel gift primarily to repair errors by going back in time and re-enacting scenes that he didnt get right the first time around. In a beautifully climactic moment, he explains how he settles on a policy of wielding his powers not to become rich and famous but simply to live each day of his ordinary life twice, the second time with a lightness and a sense of perspective that enables him to be a better person. Eventually, though, just as Sandlers frustrated dad throws away his remote control, Gleesons Tim puts his superpower back on the shelf and stops traveling around time. He learns finally to accept and savor life as it comes, every triumph and every disappointment. Were all traveling through time together every day of our lives, he says. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride.

Its the same conclusion at which the principals arrive in Palm Springs, in which Samberg and Milioti play Nyles and Sarah, two wedding guests who get stuck repeating the same day together. The rules are that no matter what they do, after the day ends either in death or in falling asleep, each of them will then wake up back at the same property where they started, on the day of the wedding. Previously unacquainted, the two bond over their shared plight, become lovers and use circumstances to their advantage. They can do whatever they want start barroom brawls, party all day, do dangerous stunts because they know there are no long-term consequences. The element of grim solitude that understandably led to Phil the Weathermans suicidal thoughts in Groundhog Day is removed. Wouldnt it be a lark to have a partner with whom you can try anything you want, going anywhere you want, without aging, with only the one little snag about having to start each day over in the same place?

And yet Sarah is miserable anyway. She studies physics and builds an explosive device designed to either eject the pair of them from the time loop or, possibly, kill them both, this time forever. She argues that any risk is acceptable given how terrible the circumstances are, but Nyles isnt so sure. He tells Sarah he loves her and cant deal with the possibility of losing her. Neither, however, makes the case for the superiority of the status quo, despite even the attraction of immortality. The happy ending they seek is that her plan will work and that the two of them will be jolted out of the time loop so they can resume a normal life advancing toward mortality like everyone else.

Thats a mature outlook and, to the extent it counsels acceptance of things that cant be changed, a conservative one. Todays movies are frequently derided for being adolescent and meretricious, for ignoring genuine human dilemmas in favor of fanciful concerns with all things superhuman. Ostensibly fantasies, Click, About Time, and Palm Springs stand in counterpoint, finding that our primal desire to master time and achieve immortality is a false idol. Were best off accepting our lot, which is to travel through time together.

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The Anxiety of Time Travel - National Review

The US on the Way to Strategic Invulnerability – Modern Diplomacy

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For Russia, the military developments and strategies of the United States recreate those challenges and threats that the USSR associated with President Ronald Reagans Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Adopted in 1984, the SDI programme involved deploying several echelons of space strike weapons that would intercept and destroy ballistic missiles and their re-entry vehicles in all flight segments. The purpose of the SDI was to ensure that the whole of North America was protected by an anti-missile shield.

American developments today are aimed at ensuring the global military dominance and strategic invulnerability of the United States and include strategic non-nuclear weapons, missile defence, high-precision weapons, SM-6 universal anti-air and strike missiles, space strike systems (space interceptors), laser weapons, autonomous air, surface and undersea vehicles and means of conducting cyber warfare.

Essentially, the United States is systematically moving towards re-creating the state of affairs of 1945, when it was the only country that had nuclear weapons, could impose its will on the entire world, and remained beyond the reach of the armed forces of other countries. The processes that are taking place today, which could be termed a revolution in warfare, give the U.S. administration grounds to believe that cutting-edge weapons can neutralize or devalue Russias nuclear weapons.

The structure of U.S. military spending shows that the country is stepping up its investment in military R&D. Military spending increased by 3 per cent in 2020 to USD 750 billion. Meanwhile, the military R&D budget grew by nearly 10 per cent to USD 104.3 billion.

The SDI programme was scrapped in 1993. There were several reasons for this, including political and financial motivations. However, the programme was mostly abandoned because the projects were not technically feasible. Back in 1987, the American Physical Society published a paper concluding it would take at least 10 years to understand which of the technologies being developed could have a future [1]. Even though the SDI was officially closed, some projects were continued as part of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, which was renamed the Missile Defense Agency in 2002, and led to the creation of anti-missile systems such as Patriot PAC-3, Aegis BMD, THAAD and the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system.

Work continues on a number of projects that use active weapons based on new physical principles such as beam, electromagnetic, kinetic and super-high-frequency weapons, chemical lasers, railguns and neutral particle beams, and traditional missile weapons such as new-generation surface-to-space and air-to-space missiles, kinetic energy missiles and kinetic energy interceptors.

Current U.S. views of the prospects of the national defence rest on several fundamental doctrines that are being adjusted or detailed in new concepts as new technologies emerge.

The concept of a weapons system of systems was first put forward in an article written by Admiral William Owens and published by the Institute for National Security Studies in 1996. In 1998, the idea was transformed into a separate concept of network-centric warfare in a paper by Vice Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski and John J. Garstka. The concept envisaged integrating intelligence systems, command and control systems, and high-precision weapons systems in order to ensure rapid situational awareness, identify targets and assign combat missions. The concept was intended to free military leaders of the famous fog of war problem, when commanding officers have to make decisions based on incomplete or unreliable data.

The development of information technologies and computer networks in the 1990s provided the tools for increasing combat capabilities by achieving information and communication superiority, combining combatants into a single network. In addition to information systems, the network-centric warfare concept also came to rely on developing cutting-edge reconnaissance systems, military command and control systems and high-precision weapons. By effectively connecting units and detachments in a battlespace, the system translated information superiority into combat power. In 2019, the United States Army held war games demonstrating that the combat power of an infantry platoon enhanced with artificial intelligence capabilities increases tenfold. That is, AI renders the old formula that claims the attacking side can only achieve victory if it outguns the opponent by at least three times obsolete.

It would appear that the network-centric warfare strategy performed poorly in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, where the military methods failed to produce the expected results. However, we should keep in mind that this strategy is not intended to fight guerrilla units but was rather conceived as a way to achieve a quick victory over a relatively equal military opponent. Additionally, some important components of the newly created architecture such as the military internet of things and military cloud storage are only now being created.

The internet of things is closely tied to 5G data transmission technology. The American version of 5G is currently being tested on four military bases. 5G technology has been the subject of a major dispute between the United States and its NATO allies, who decided to use available technology from Chinas Huawei.

New technologies allow frontline units to track and identify a far larger number of targets on a larger territory within shorter periods of time and to strike these targets with previously impossible precision.

A number of military operations in the 1990s the 1991 Gulf War, Operation Desert Strike in Iraq in 1996, Operation Infinite Reach in 1998 that delivered strikes against targets in Sudan and Afghanistan, and NATOs 1999 operation in Yugoslavia demonstrated that the United States and its allies were right to turn their attention to the development of remote (non-contact) warfare tactics.

Non-contact warfare is a trend that will last for decades. It is the path that all the resource-rich militaries around the world are following. However, the United States is virtually the only country that has the necessary funds, research base and scientific potential (including that of private companies) to pull it off.

In 1996, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff used the idea of network-centric warfare to develop and publish the Joint Vision 2010 concept, which introduced the military Full-Spectrum Dominance strategy. Once again, the strategy envisaged achieving combat superiority in everything from peace-making operations to the direct use of military force through information superiority.

The same objectives are reflected in the Joint Vision 2020 concept published in 2000, which subsequently formed the basis of the U.S. military doctrine: full-range dominance; information superiority; innovations; interoperability; multinational operations; interagency operations; dominant manoeuvre; precision engagement; focused logistics; full dimensional protection; information operations; joint command and control.

For a decade, U.S. experts debated the future military information architecture. One key issue was where to store and process the information obtained: on-board a combat platform, in a command centre, or in cloud storage. In recent years, the architecture has begun to take a definite shape. In October 2019, Microsoft signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop cloud technologies worth USD 10 billion.

Various U.S. military branches are testing pilot projects that connect platforms into a single command and control network. For instance, in October 2018, the U.S. Navy established the Information Warfare Research Project to develop technologies for cyber warfare, cloud computing and reconnaissance.

In 2019, the U.S. Navy experimented with transferring the Navys Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), which had previously been stored in governmental data processing centres, to cloud storage. The flexible command and information architecture produced three positive effects: it ensured reliable command, increased battlespace awareness, and allowed various units to conduct integrated fire. Sixty-four per cent of U.S. Navy ships are equipped with this tool. The Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) is being installed on ships to protect the system from cyber threats.

The U.S. Air Force is developing similar software called Kessel Run to provide information exchange and data analysis. In particular, software for refuelling aerial tankers was developed as part of the project. The software is being constantly improved and features new platforms and functions.

The U.S. Air Force actively uses Link 16 terminals to provide communication between U.S. fighter jets and a number of of allied countries as part of the MIDS programme that is being jointly developed by the United States, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. By using Link 16, military aircraft, ships, and ground forces can exchange tactical images almost in real time.

As part of Project Missouri, the U.S. Air Force has set up an information link between fifth-generation F-22 and F-35 fighters. The additional Project Iguana, made it possible to input data from U2 reconnaissance aircraft and space satellites into the system. In 2019, the Air Force experimented with connecting military transport aircraft and maritime and ground military equipment to the project. Currently, the Valkyrie unmanned combat aerial vehicle is being integrated in the network.

Another NATO states are implementing similar information integration projects for their militaries; Germany, in particular, finances the Glass Battlefield (glsernes Gefechtsfeld) project.

Network-centric warfare rests on several basic principles: distribution, connectedness, separation of functions, remote command, use of artificial intelligence and use of high-precision weapons.

The information component of the network-centric warfare includes the following tools:

The network-centric warfare concept pays particular attention to reconnaissance and collecting and analysing information by using autonomous systems. To deliver high-precision long-distance strikes, the Pentagon considers it necessary to have reconnaissance capabilities for a range of up to 1000 miles.

For that purpose, the United States is currently developing three sets of reconnaissance systems that make it possible to discover, identify and locate the adversarys radars and communication systems. These systems can be installed on the MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone. Optical and radio intelligence data is supported by cyber space reconnaissance capabilities.

In April 2017, Lieutenant General John N.T. Jack Shanahan, Director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, developed the algorithmic warfare strategy that envisaged using artificial intelligence to analyse the information collected. Google was involved in implementing the project, codenamed MAVEN. As part of the project, AI-based algorithms process gigantic arrays of photographic and video information collected by drones in Iraq and Afghanistan. The projects impressive results led to dozens of new projects being established. In 2018, under public pressure, Google withdrew from Project MAVEN, but the Pentagon contracted Booz Allen for the job, after which the projects budget grew almost tenfold.

For 50 years, American military strategists have been searching for a solution to the A2/AD (anti-access/area-denial) problem. By area, the Pentagon means the territory where the U.S. military is within reach of the adversarys weapons and cannot operate in full force. The A2/AD problem forced the Pentagon to conduct remote warfare from areas beyond the reach of the adversarys air defence systems, tactical ballistic missile systems and anti-ship ballistic missile systems. For decades, high-precision weapons were used to handle the A2/AD problem.

In 2014, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel approved the Defense Innovation Initiative (also called the Third Offset Strategy) developed by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA). The strategy included creating a new long-term R&D planning programme that emphasized robotics, autonomous systems, miniaturization, big data and cutting-edge manufacturing, including 3D printing. The programme focused on drone operations, which entailed the development low-observable forward-looking long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (including sea-based UAVs), and a family of various unmanned combat aerial systems.

The current U.S. military strategy envisages increasing the significance of operations involving strike drones and surface and undersea drones.

Autonomous refuelling aircraft make it possible to double the safe distance for U.S. aircraft carriers to deliver strikes against enemy territory. According to the U.S. Naval Air Forces MQ-25 Stingray programme, by the mid-2020s, unmanned refuelling aircraft will have assumed the functions of aerial refuelling for the aircraft carriers air wing.

Another area for developing unmanned aerial vehicles is wingman drones. As part of the Low Cost Attritable Aviation Technologies (LCAAT) project, a U.S. Air Force laboratory is developing the XQ-58 Valkyrie drone as a wingman for F-22 or F-35 fighter jets. In combat, the drone will carry the surveillance, electronic warfare (EW) and communications systems, as well as weapons. Partner drones are intended to become the expendables in warfare, taking on some of the functions of the pilots and, if necessary, bearing the brunt of an attack.

Another projected, called Gremlins, developed under the auspices of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), focuses on developing the technology for using a transport aircraft to deliver a drone swarm to an area where they will perform a series of strike, reconnaissance or other missions. Upon completion of the mission in question, the drones will be brought back aboard the aircraft and prepared for another mission within 24 hours. A fighter, bomber or even an unmanned mother aircraft can be used to deliver Gremlins to the combat area. Like many other unmanned aerial vehicles, Gremlins will be deployed as part of a unit or swarm and will independently distribute functions for optimal mission performance.

However, the most significant reforms have been saved for the U.S. Navy. In 2017, the Ghost Fleet concept, a continuation of the network-centric warfare concept, was adopted. Under this concept, ground, aerial and underwater unmanned vehicles will interact simultaneously and perform a wide range of combat missions without risking the lives of ship crews and marines. To further develop the concept, the U.S. Navy has ordered a group of experts to submit the Concept for the organization, manning, training, equipping, sustaining, and the introduction and operational integration of the Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle and Large Unmanned Surface Vessel with individual afloat units as well as with Carrier Strike Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, and Surface Action Groups to Congress by September 2020.

The adoption of this concept will signify major changes in the plans for building the fleet and in its operational strategies, where autonomous underwater and surface vehicles will be integrated with carrier and expeditionary strike groups.

According to preliminary reports, the U.S. Navy will receive robotic surface ships of four different classes: large unmanned surface vehicles that can distribute large sensors and fires; medium-sized unmanned surface vehicles with smaller sensors and electronic warfare equipment; small unmanned surface vehicles that can tow mine-hunting equipment and work to relay communications; and even smaller unmanned surface vehicles.

Over the next decade or two, the U.S. Navy may change its architecture in favour of unmanned vessels spread over a larger area and combined into a global network operated from remote and mobile control centres. According to the report on the Navys large unmanned surface and underwater vehicles that has been submitted to Congress, the wartime tactic of using large unmanned vehicles may include spreading the fleet, letting the unmanned vehicles bear the brunt of the attack, and then delivering rapid retaliatory strikes.

The first component of the system is the Sea Hunter, an autonomous unmanned surface vessel that has already entered service. The ship was built as part of the DARPA Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel programme. The unmanned vessel is designed to operate as part of a swarm searching for and hunting submarines. Testing has showed the vessels high efficiency: travelling at a speed of 12 knots, the ship can cover 19,000 kilometres in 70 days of autonomous sailing.

The Navy is also developing another project for secret undersea operations, called CLAWS. According to the U.S. Navys recently adopted R&D budget, the Orca XLUUV, a 50-tonne, 25-metre-long undersea vehicle developed by the Boeing Corporation, will carry 12 torpedoes and have both strike and anti-surface warfare capabilities. The autonomous submarine with AI and weapons is designed to operate partially without human control. The Orca XLUUV will enter service in 2023 and, together with the Sea Hunter, will pose a threat to the naval component of Russias nuclear triad since it puts a question mark over its principal advantage: stealth.

To communicate with unmanned vessels and command autonomous missions, the U.S. Navy created the CARACaS (Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing) command architecture that allows drones to analyse dynamic operational situations when on a search mission, or when protecting harbours, carrying out surveillance, conducting EW or landing missions, and even when attacking as a swarm.

The most significant manifestations of the revolution in warfare may take place in the U.S. space sector. On February 20, 2019, President of the United States Donald Trump signed a law establishing the U.S. Space Force, with approximately USD 72 million earmarked for the purpose. The objectives of the Space Force include protecting U.S. interests in space, deterring aggression and protecting the country, as well as projecting military power in space, from space and into space.

A total of USD 11.9 billion was allocated in 2020 for R&D in space systems, which is USD 2.6 billion more than in 2019.

The Missile Defense Agency will receive USD 10.4 billion, including USD 108 million for the creation of a space sensor system to track hypersonic and ballistic missiles and the development of a sensor array to counteract the hypersonic missile systems of Russia and China.

The spending on militarized space will total USD 14.1 billion, which is 15 per cent more than in 2019. The Pentagons space programmes are classified, which creates additional risks for strategic stability. It is known that projects are under way in the United States to develop reusable space hypersonic systems and micro spacecraft, intercept spacecraft with inspector satellites, and carry out kinetic and non-kinetic attacks on satellites. Projects for directed-energy impact on nuclear weapons command systems are particularly dangerous. There is a trend for ensuring the interoperability of anti-missile and anti-satellite weapons. American assets in space are becoming more integrated and more interoperable.

One of the ways that the United States plans on winning the arms race is by involving its allies in joint projects to pool resources and technologies. Aligning weapons and combining data feeds should save funds. For example, in addition to the so-called Five Eyes states, Japans operations centre is also joining the space projects.

In the foreseeable future, space-, air- and ground-based lasers are seen as the most promising means of neutralizing ballistic and hypersonic missiles. The Pentagon and American industry are working on a technology that could reach the necessary level in a few years. The Pentagon is considering deploying combat lasers in orbit, as well as on UAVs patrolling the upper boundaries of the atmosphere, on ships and on anti-missile defence platforms. The Indirect Fires Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) which can reach up to 300 kilowatts in power, will presumably have entered the Pentagons service by 2024. It will be powerful enough to intercept not only UAVs, but also incoming cruise missiles.

Other NATO states are conducting similar R&D. For instance, France has officially admitted it is making laser-armed satellites that it intends to use against enemy satellites that threaten the countrys space forces.

Forward-looking American military technologies are intended to devalue Russias nuclear weapons:

Today, the United States is withdrawing from arms control agreements that might tie its hands and undermine its technological leadership. This confirms that Washington hopes to ride the wave of the revolution in warfare to ensure its global military dominance and protect its national security from virtually any threat.

1. APS Study Group Participants; Bloembergen, N.; Patel, C. K. N.; Avizonis, P.; Clem, R. G.; Hertzberg, A.; Johnson, T. H.; Marshall, T.; Miller, R. B.; Morrow, W. E.; Salpeter, E. E.; Sessler, A. M.; Sullivan, J. D.; Wyant, J. C.; Yariv, A.; Zare, R. N.; Glass, A. J.; Hebel, L. C.; APS Council Review Committee; Pake, G. E.; May, M. M.; Panofsky, W. K.; Schawlow, A. L.; Townes, C. H.; York, H. (July 1, 1987). Report to The American Physical Society of the Study Group on Science and Technology of Directed Energy Weapons. Reviews of Modern Physics. 59 (3): S1S201. Bibcode:1987RvMP59.1B. doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.59.S1.

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The Maldives is now open to all global tourists. Here’s how they’re doing it – CNN

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(CNN) Though border restrictions and quarantine measures are keeping people from visiting many of the world's most popular travel destinations at the moment, one country famed for its natural beauty is now welcoming all guests -- the Maldives.

As of July 15, this island nation in the Indian Ocean is reopen to international tourism and, perhaps remarkably, very few strings are attached.

Global travelers -- US citizens included -- will not have to enter into a mandatory quarantine upon arrival at Velana International Airport in the capital, Male. Nor will they need to produce proof they have tested negative for coronavirus.

There are also no new visa requirements or additional fees to pay.

One island, one resort

In the beginning, international visitors will only be allowed on the resort islands and they need to book their entire stay in one registered establishment.

Exemptions will only be made for transit arrangements, according to the Maldives government's guidelines.

In terms of Covid-19 prevention, tourism officials are banking on the fact each resort essentially offers its own form of quarantine already -- albeit a pretty enjoyable one.

Trans Maldivian Airways is the world's largest float plane operator. We go on the job with one of its most experienced pilots, Canadian Andrew Farr.

The Maldives is made up of 26 atolls filled with over 1,000 islands occupied by dozens of resorts, all spread out over 90,000 square kilometers.

Most of the islands in the Maldives developed for tourism feature just a single resort. Should guests or staff come into contact with someone who tests positive for Covid-19, in theory they will be easily traceable, while the potential for spread is kept to a minimum.

But as enticing as it sounds to hop on a plane for the Maldives right now, travelers may have to contend with their own country's quarantine measures upon their return -- and that might deter them from visiting.

"What is important to take into consideration is that it depends not only on the Maldives, but also on lifting of travel restrictions in different countries. It is not just desire but ability," says Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and founder of Soneva, which has two Maldives resorts -- Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani.

That said, guests are already demonstrating a willingness to return, he tells CNN Travel.

"We have more on the books at Soneva Fushi for August than we had at the same time last year. As the borders open, and our main markets are allowed to travel to us, it could be our best August ever."

Are any airlines actually flying there?

In spite of the global aviation downturn, it is possible to fly to the Maldives commercially right now, with several major airlines connecting through the Middle East.

These include Emirates Airlines, which offers connections through Dubai from major global cities like London, Chicago, Toronto and Sydney. Fellow UAE carrier Etihad will resume flights from Abu Dhbai to the Maldives from July 16. Turkish Airlines is tentatively starting flights from July 17.

The 5.8 Undersea Restaurant is the world's largest of its type. A $200 prix-fixe menu accompanies a view teeming with coral life.

Bear in mind, just because the Maldives isn't requiring visitors to submit proof they're Covid-19-free, some airlines are, so be sure to check ahead of time.

Upon arrival, passengers are asked to fill in health declaration cards and a 30-day tourist visa will be provided. Travelers showing symptoms of Covid-19 will be subjected to a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test at their own cost and sent to a designated facility for isolation.

Are all resorts reopening on July 15?

Dozens more will reopen in August, with 50 or so more planning to follow suit in September and October.

French hospitality group Accor has five Maldives resorts and will be staggering openings in the coming months.

"We intend to reopen Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort from August 1, followed by Pullman Maldives Maamutaa Resort in September," says John Bendtsen, Accor Area General Manager for the Maldives.

"Our remaining properties in the Maldives will reopen from October 2020 -- Mvenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives, Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi and Raffles Maldives Meradhoo."

So far, the response from guests has been very positive although cautious, he says.

"We are seeing a real appetite for travel more towards the end of the year with the Christmas and New Year period particularly positive as well as the first quarter of 2021," says Bendtsen.

"Travelers who have already visited the Maldives previously are much more confident and we are seeing a lot of returning guests make bookings for the 4th quarter of 2020."

Soneva Jani's not your typical luxury resort. Here's what visitors at this "no shoes, no news" property can expect.

In terms of health and safety, the government is issuing "Safe Tourism Licenses" to accredit tourist facilities that abide by legislation and specific safety requirements like having a certified medic on call and holding an "adequate stock" of personal protection equipment.

Some resorts are implementing additional measures to protect guests and staff.

At Soneva's two properties, for instance, guests will be asked to undergo a Covid-19 PCR test at the brand's private airport lounge before they're transferred to their resort by plane. Once at the resort, they will go straight to their villa and are requested to remain there until the test results are received and are negative.

If a guest's results come back positive, they will be asked to isolate in their villa, where they will be looked after by trained nurses.

"During the first week of stay, we would also ask guests to take one more real-time PCR test," says Shivdasani.

"Although this could be considered as being slightly excessive or over-cautious, at Soneva, all our islands are 'One Island One Resort;' it is our goal to make our private island homes Covid-19 free environments, so that our guests can truly relax and engage with our hosts and fellow guests and not feel any concern about being infected."

Soneva remained open throughout the pandemic and has been following the best practices recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the recommendations of virology and infectious diseases experts, adds Shivdasani. Enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols are also in place.

Reopening gives Maldives 'first mover advantage'

The Maldives has recorded nearly 2,000 confirmed cases and five deaths from Covid-19 so far.

In a statement issued in May, Ali Waheed, the country's minister for tourism, described the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as "more devastating than the 2004 tsunami and the 2008 global financial crisis."

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has opened the world's first-ever underwater hotel residence.

"For the first time in 47 years of tourism in the Maldives, we have experienced zero tourist arrival since this March," he said, before adding, "we cannot keep our borders closed for long."

Eunice Aw, Singapore director of global hospitality consulting firm Horwath HTL, tells CNN Travel via email the tourism industry in the Maldives has proven to be resilient, bouncing back quickly from previous crises, however the country faces an uphill battle as they unlock their border to all visitors.

"Given the unprecedentedness of Covid-19, moving forward, even with the reopening of borders, visitor arrivals are not expected to surge and overall arrivals in 2020 are estimated to fall by approximately 70 to 75% year on year," she says.

"This takes into consideration the pandemic situation in many of the Maldives' main source markets such as China (17%), India (10%), Europe (49%) and the US (3%), where countries are either still trying to contain the pandemic or battle against second or third waves of the infection."

Adding to this, Europe -- their biggest market -- is a 10 to 12 hours' flight away and long haul travel recovery is likely to lag behind short haul travel, she adds.

"Tourism recovery has to be further supported by the resumption of international flights, reciprocal travel arrangements with partner countries, relaxation of quarantine/isolation requirements in visitors' home countries and recovery in travelers' confidence to travel.

"Nonetheless, the reopening of its borders in July will give the Maldives a first mover advantage to capture pent up demand of holidaymakers once recovery is on the way."

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Rishi Sunak’s task is not just to reopen the economy, but to reform capitalism – TheArticle

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In the 6thcentury BC the citizenry respected the statecraft of the Persian emperor of the Achaemenid Empire, Cyrus the Great. In 21st-century PC (post-corona) Britain it is witnessing the rise of Sunak the Smooth. And smooth he was, as he delivered a summer statement in the Commons last Wednesday in his reassuring, empathetic tone. There was something for everyone, but perhaps the most important measure was the kickstart scheme to get 16-24 year olds on Universal Credit into jobs. The Government will pay companies the minimum wage for up to six months for the employees they take on.

This is important. While older people have suffered the most severe health consequences due to the crisis, it is the young that have been hardest hit economically. The situation for millennials (those under the age of 40) pre-crisis was already tough, with rising student debt, the prevalence of zero-hours contracts and the prospect of home ownership a distant dream for many. The danger of a lost generation is now even more potent.

A capitalist system operates on the basis that actors within it possess capital. But if your human capital cannot secure you a decent job, which in turn prevents you transforming hard graft into physical capital in the form of asset ownership, this indicates a system failure. Such faulty wiring can be fixed if the problem is localised. However, if it persists it can become dangerous.

After more than a decade of austerity, following the financial crisis of 2007-2008, society is at an inflexion point. The restive mood among the public that led to Brexit has not dissipated. As has been seen from the recent bout of statue-toppling across the land, many people, especially the young, want to see injustices at least in their eyes addressed. Top of the list is income inequality, which the crisis has made starker. One of the central ways of confronting it is for companies and individuals to pay their fair share of tax.

This poses a challenge for Rishi Sunak. Thus far, the Chancellors attempt to crenellate the economy with over 350 billion of interventionist measures has revealed his instinct for pragmatism over ideology. It has also demonstrated a willingness to part with the adamantine Conservative fiscal orthodoxy of tight control of public spending and low taxes. While he has received plaudits for the measures he has taken, including seeking to minimise the risk of mass unemployment through speedy execution of the furlough scheme, he will face tough choices soon. An increase in taxation is almost inevitable; the question is when to introduce it and whom to target.

He should begin by forcing tech giants to pay tax on revenues rather than profits, which can be understated through clever accounting practices and the use of offshore holding companies. As the high street continues to suffer with Boots, John Lewis and Burger King, among others, all announcing job losses last week he should also consider charging a form of business rates to online retailers that are not subject to the same costs as those with a bricks and mortar presence.

Top earners should also pay more. Executive pay has continued to mushroom in recent years with a tenuous link, in many cases, to corporate performance. According to the Economist, the CEO of the American company Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, was paid $281 million last year. Remuneration levels are not as vulgar in the UK, where the top ten best-paid CEOs combined earned less than Mr Pichai. However, the argument for increasing the tax take from those earning such vast amounts is a strong one.

There is also the moral question of individuals, some with knighthoods or other honours, enjoying tax exile status in places like Monaco or on private islands, while operating businesses in the UK employing thousands of people and expecting government support. There is a strong argument that if such people refuse to pay taxes they should be stripped of their honours. In future, honours should be conferred solely on those who pay their taxes in the UK, as the rest of us do.

Aside from tax there is the triple lock, which guarantees that the basic state pension increases every year by the rate of inflation, the rise in average earnings, or 2.5 per cent, whichever is the highest. The former Tory Treasury minister, David Gauke who fell out with his erstwhile party and stood as an independent at the last general election has said that, given low inflation and stagnant wages, a decision to increase pensions by 2.5 per cent would be an act of intergenerational unfairness. He is right.

Until now the Chancellor has been commended for his clarity of thought and swiftness of action. The question of determining how to pay for the biggest expansion in government borrowing since World War Two will be altogether more difficult, particularly if he has one eye on eventually moving next door to his neighbours house in Downing Street. That means keeping his party and its financial backers on side.

But the present moment also presents Rishi Sunak with an opportunity to reset the capitalist system. The market economy needs greater equality at its heart if it is to endure. When and how to go about it, as large parts of the economy splutter in their attempt to restart, will call for fine judgement.

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Rishi Sunak's task is not just to reopen the economy, but to reform capitalism - TheArticle

FOR SALE: Famous CQ island hits the market in rare offering – Observer

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EVER dreamt of owning a tropical island off the Capricorn Coast?

Heres your chance.

One of Queenslands most sustainable and boutique tourist destinations, Pumpkin Island, is up for sale.

The rolling lease for the six-hectare island, situated in the Southern Great Barrier Reefs Keppel Group of Islands, 14km off the coast of Yeppoon, will be taken to the market in a sale campaign run by Knight Franks Deborah Cullen and Pat ODriscoll.

Pumpkin Island is being sold by Sojourn Properties Pty Ltd, a Queensland-based company with a boutique collection of properties operated under the Sojourn Retreats brand.

This is just the second time Pumpkin Island has come to the market since 1961, with the last sale being to Soujourn Properties 17 years ago in 2003.

The current owners have decided to pursue new ventures and move closer to family in New Zealand.

PARADISE: Pumpkin Island, off the Capricorn Coast.

Pumpkin Island first opened to guests in 1964 and is a private whole island escape for couples, families or groups.

It offers eco-friendly accommodation for up to 34 guests in five fully self-contained oceanfront guest cottages and two bungalows with an open-air kitchen and bathroom facilities. The island is completely off-grid and powered by solar and wind, with plenty of rain water storage.

The property also contains staff quarters, a large work shed, a double-storey lookout building, a bar lounge area, a managers cottage, a childrens playground, two registered moorings, a helicopter land pad and a custom built 36-passenger catamaran.

The reef off Pumpkin Island.

An oyster lease also belongs to the owner and can be sold with the island allowing guests to shuck their own oysters off the rocks.

Pumpkin Island was named Australias most sustainable hotel in Australasia in 2018 at the World Boutique Hotel Awards, and was the first beyond carbon neutral island in Australia, offsetting 150 percent of its annual greenhouse gas emissions.

After 10 years of being an advanced eco-tourism certified operator, Pumpkin Island has now been awarded the position of a green travel leader in Australia and is currently a finalist for the Green Hotel of the Year category in the Finder Green Awards.

The island is solar-powered with a back-up three-phase diesel generator.

All water is provided by rain and there is about 410,000 litres of storage.

Pumpkin Island was leased by Queensland brewery Castlemaine Perkins between 2012 and 2015 and was renamed XXXX Island as a promotional campaign for its beer, with 3000 people visiting the island over those three years.

Lion Nathan chose Pumpkin Island as the spearhead of its campaign from a pool of 17 other islands.

The Pumpkin Island Eco Retreat - Southern Great Barrier Reef.

Ms Cullen said Pumpkin Island was a rare offering that was expected to attract local, interstate and even overseas investors.

The buyer will be purchasing an entire island - rather than just a parcel of land on an island - on a rolling lease current until 2046, which is an opportunity that only presents itself once in a blue moon, she said.

Pumpkin Island is a very unique property offering privacy, seclusion and exclusivity, and is a fantastic destination for tourists or locals wanting an escape.

We expect it will be even more attractive in the current climate post COVID-19 for someone who wishes to use it as a safe haven during any possible future pandemics. During this pandemic life continued on the island as normal.

The island is easy to access from Keppel Bay Marina, being just a short boat ride of 25 to 40 minutes, and the airport at Rockhampton is close by, with Australias major capital cities of Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne only a few hours away.

ESCAPE: Pumpkin Island, a private island eco-retreat nestled in the Keppel Islands, Queensland.

Mr ODriscoll said the property offered the potential for further development or redevelopment, with approval to be required from council and state authorities for building standards.

At the moment the island can have a maximum of 34 guests but this has the potential to be increased, subject to state government ministerial and local government approval, he said.

Capricorn Enterprise is incredibly supportive of tourism in the region and assists in marketing, sales and training for Pumpkin Island.

They also lobby local council and government when needed to achieve desired results, including tourism development plans.

RELATED STORY: CQ island for rent, and you wont believe the price

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FOR SALE: Famous CQ island hits the market in rare offering - Observer

Here’s What It’s Like To Visit Las Vegas During The Coronavirus Pandemic – Benzinga

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Most, if not all, activities scheduled to take place this year have been canceled or altered due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even as some places begin to reopen, such as Disneys (NYSE: DIS) Walt Disney World Resort, theyve been subject to heavy backlash.

That weekend Vegas getaway was no exception to the closings, until many businesses along the Strip decided to reopen, but the backlash has been less severe.

Othonas Economopoulos, 22, is a news reporter at Benzinga and traveled to Las Vegas the last week of June for his older brother's birthday. It was his fourth time in Sin City, but his first time being able to gamble. This article recounts his most recent experience in Las Vegas during the pandemic in contrastto his earlier visits.

Safety Precautions: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and the resorts want to make sure that applies to COVID-19 as well. To navigate through various resorts on the strip, such as MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM), Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ: CZR) and Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN), you must go through a metal detector that doubles as a temperature reader.

Once inside the casino, you must wear a mask at all times except when taking a drink. To further protect patrons, when sitting at a table, there are borders on all sides of you except your back. In the slot machine area, every other slot was closed but there was no shortage as the casinos foot traffic was low, according to Benzinga's Othonas Economopolous.

I felt more safe in the casino than I did on the Spirit Airlines plane simply because you have to be in close proximity to others on the plane, he said.

Atmosphere: The lack of live entertainment really changed the atmosphere and the streets had an eerie feeling to them as they were also very empty.

Economopolous asserts Vegas weather doesnt mix well with a mask and it got uncomfortable to wear it after a long period of time, but recognizes its a necessity.

On that note, he also feels you need to be more mature this time around on your Vegas trip, whereas maturity and responsibility usually isnt a top priority there as people are focused on having fun.

Gamble responsibly, and not just in terms of money, but also your health also which is most important, said Economopolous.

Fun Factor: Although there are many restrictions you have to follow, and some businesses along the Strip havent opened back up, if youre looking for a getaway during this time of crisis, Vegas is still fun.

Not only does it still feel fun, it also feels safe," Economopolous said."The casinos went out of their way to ensure the safety of their patrons and were actively enforcing their safety rules. I also felt like my luck was higher this time around and hit the jackpot on a slot machine for the first time.

Benzinga is covering every angle of how the coronavirus affects the financial world. For daily updates,sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.

2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Here's What It's Like To Visit Las Vegas During The Coronavirus Pandemic - Benzinga

Las Vegas’ Jaden Hicks commits to Washington State over Penn State, others – The Spokesman-Review

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Jaden Hicks list of college suitors was expansive, but Washington State had an edge where others didnt when it came to the three-star safety from Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman.

The players older brother, Kalen, was a defensive back at Hawaii until last season, graduating around the same time former Rainbow Warriors coach Nick Rolovich took the reins at Washington State.

According to 247Sports.com, Jalen Hicks relationship with Rolovich, and his experience in Honolulu, were partially what convinced Jaden to join the coach in Pullman.

Hicks, a big, fast safety, became the 12th player to commit to Rolovich and the Cougars, announcing his pledge on Monday.

Coach Rolovich coached my brother (Kalen) at Hawaii, so weve always had that connection and bond, Hicks told 247Sports.coms Blair Angulo. The coaches at Wazzu always showed love to me and talked to me throughout this journey, so it was really good to develop that relationship. My brother has explained how coach Rolo is a great man and always on top of his players, making sure theyre working hard and staying on path. My brother turned out well, so hopefully I can follow in his footsteps.

Hicks chose the Cougars despite holding offers from three Pac-12 Conference schools Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado plus Penn State, Boise State, UNLV, San Diego State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Utah State.

A 6-foot-2, 192-pound prospect, Hicks has experience playing at cornerback but projects as a safety in defensive coordinator Jake Dickerts scheme at WSU. Considered the second-highest-rated recruit in the Cougars class, Hicks is the second safety, joining Texas Adrian Shephard, another three-star recruit. California cornerback Elisha Llloyd is the third defensive back in the class.

As a junior at Bishop Gorman, Hicks, the nations No. 68-rated safety and fifth overall prospect in Nevada, had 27 tackles in 12 games and posted seven interceptions.

WSUs 2021 recruiting class is now considered the seventh best in the Pac-12.

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Las Vegas' Jaden Hicks commits to Washington State over Penn State, others - The Spokesman-Review

Russell Westbrook partied at Wynn before COVID diagnosis – Las Vegas Review-Journal

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Exactly one month before announcing hes tested positive for COVID-19, Russell Westbrook was hanging poolside at Encore Beach Club at Wynn Las Vegas.

Westbrook was with a group of friends, including former NFL running back Reggie Bush, fashion jeweler Greg Yuna, bodybuilders and trainers Mike Rashid and Valeriu Guto and Wynn club host Jai Shaun White at the outdoor dayclub on June 13.

The group posed for a photo at one of the party spaces VIP bungalows.

Westbrook, a superstar guard with the Houston Rockets, was due to join the team in Orlando when he posted Monday about his positive test:

Im currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared. Thank you all for the well wishes and continued support. Please take this virus seriously. Be safe. Mask up! #whynot.

None of the other members of Westbrooks party at the Wynn have posted or announced whether they have tested positive for COVID. Their arrival at the Wynn was the first weekend after the hotel opened when wearing face coverings was encouraged but not mandatory.

Responding to a question asking if Westbrook had contracted the virus at the hotel, Wynn Las Vegas referred to company policy that it does not disclose personal information about guests. Generally, the statement read:

Any guest diagnosed with COVID-19 while visiting the resort is reported to the Southern Nevada Health District, which conducts community contact tracing. Our internal contact tracing determines who in the resort the guest has had contact with and what areas they visited; relevant contacts are informed for testing and the areas visited are thoroughly sanitized.

The guest is asked to leave the resort to receive medical care; Clark County has designated quarantine accommodations if the guest requires them. For hotel guests, the guest room is sanitized by a professional cleaning company. As a preventative measure, all guests are temperature screened upon entering the resort, offered hand sanitizer and, by order of the governor on June 24th, required to wear a face covering.

The 2019-20 NBA season is set to restart July 31 at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, with players quarantined in a bubble for safety reasons. The season was suspended on March 11.

Westbrook, fellow superstar James Harden and new Rocket acquisition Luc Mbah are among the players who have yet to arrive in Orlando. Hardens absence is not explained, though head coach Mike DAntoni said the players have been working out on their own.

As part of the NBAs bubble COVID protocol, all players are required to quarantine in their rooms for 48 hours after their arrival before practicing with teammates.

John Katsilometes column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.

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Russell Westbrook partied at Wynn before COVID diagnosis - Las Vegas Review-Journal

‘Their fight is our fight’: Latinos in Las Vegas join Blacks in seeking end to injustices – Las Vegas Sun

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Christopher DeVargas

Lue Ortiz, canvas director of Las Vegas-based nonprofit Make the Road Nevada, poses for a portrait Thursday, July 9,2020.

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez (contact)

Monday, July 13, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Lue Ortiz learned at a young age that people looked differently at him because of the dark color of his skin. Just a boy, he was confused as to why some would move out the way when he would approach.

Then came the day his grandmother was detained by police in Orlando, Fla.

Ortiz and his grandmother were walking to a grocery store when a sheriffs deputy stopped them, he said. His grandmother ended up in handcuffs because she wasnt carrying her identification and, because of her complexion.

At school, Ortiz the son of a Puerto Rican mother and a Black father said Black and Hispanic students would have to make appointments to talk to a school adviser, while white students freely walked in for advice.

Ortiz, now a Las Vegas resident, is the canvas director for Make the Road Nevada, a community organizing group that advocates for elevating working-class immigrant communities. The group has been active over the past months in support of Black Lives Matter after the death of George Floyd by white Minnesota police.

When African Americans win when Black people win we all win, Ortiz, 28, said. When we talk about racism, colorism, we shouldnt have to wait (to jump into action). We shouldnt need to understand why.

Throughout the evolution of modern civil rights, Black Americans and Latinos have marched side-by-side. Whether they know it or not, their demands intersect with each other and those of other marginalized communities in Las Vegas and nationally.

Courtesy of OJa Vincent

Oja Vincent is co-founder of the Forced Trajectory Project.

For now, Black Lives Matter has taken the mantle after the recent deaths of Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville police, and Ahmaud Arbery, who was chased and killed by a white father and son in Georgia.

Born out of an internet hashtag in 2013 following the killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida, Black Lives Matter is defined as a political and social movement originating among African Americans, emphasizing basic human rights and racial equality for Black people. And although the groups dont exist in a monolith, the Black-and-Latino kinship has also been present in Las Vegas.

Right now, it might not be directly affecting us, Ortiz said of the police-brutality demonstrations. But if we let it affect someone, at some point, it will come to affect us. So this is why we have to pick a stance.

Latino groups advocating against detention and deportation practices by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are similar to Black American groups fighting against police brutality, Ortiz said. All are essentially protesting the systemic discrimination of marginalized communities.

Recently, when he still lived in Florida, Ortiz said police detained the husband of one of his colleagues for jaywalking and he was immediately handed over to immigration officials.

Attorneys jumped on the case, and deportation was ultimately averted. But if youre any form of immigrant, have darker skin color, you are going to face some sort of harassment. Its not a question of if, its a question of when, Ortiz said.

Courtesy of Make the Road Nevada

Ashley Garcia is the deputy political director of Make the Road Nevada.

That's one of the reasons why its common to see Blacks and Hispanics marching side-by-side in Las Vegas.

Were the same species, with the same race and with different ethnicities, said Oja Vincent, a Black Latino with Haitian parents who is a member of Forced Trajectory Project, an independent media outlet that reports on police violence and the impact it has on affected families and communities.

Theres always been a connection. Theres always been a realization of similarities in our communities in terms of Black and Latinx, and theres always been link-ups on different levels that have been super powerful, he continued.

A New York Times poll found that Latino and Black voters participated in recent protests at almost identical numbers, about one out of every five voters questioned.

Everybody from the people with the most privilege, who show up as white folks, to folks with the least privilege, who show up as native folks, or immigrant folks without citizenship status need to stand together, Vincent said. Because these are issues that are very intersectional, theres overlapping pieces in all these issues.

Ashley Garcia, the deputy director of Make the Road Nevada, felt more welcome by Black students at Las Vegas-area magnet schools because they didnt judge her on her subpar Spanish or question her authenticity. Shes the daughter of a Salvadoran man and a Mexican-American mother from Texas. I dont like tortillas, but Im Latina, she joked.

The fight against police brutality in the Black community correlates with ICE in the Latino community, she said.

The criminal justice system is one of the most concrete examples of why their fight is our fight, Garcia said. We will be brought to our full liberation when Black people are seen as full human beings.

Vincent dates the origins of what he describes as a system of oppression to the late 1400s. First, indigenous people were nearly decimated when the American continents and the Caribbean were colonized; then Africans were kept in captivity with slavery when white indentured servants also were exploited and now, in the current capitalist society, the scales have been tipped against people of color, he said.

And the abuses, such as the controversial deadly police shootings, have always occurred, but now people are finally seeing them because of technological advances, he said.

Marginalized groups have similar struggles, with the biggest barrier to collaborating being language and culture, Vincent said. Thats why Forced Trajectory Project doesnt single out the victims they advocate for by race, ethnicity or culture, he said.

The reality is that everybody who loses a family member (to police violence) is feeling the same universal human pain, and they wake up with it every day, and they go to sleep every night and have to deal with all the circumstances in between, including all the court cases (and) bureaucracy, Vincent said.

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'Their fight is our fight': Latinos in Las Vegas join Blacks in seeking end to injustices - Las Vegas Sun

PFF ranks the Las Vegas Raiders wideout near bottom of the NFL – Just Blog Baby

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The Raiders upgraded their wideout group this offseason, but PFF feels they have a long way to go before they are one of the better units in the NFL.

During the 2019 NFL season, the then-Oakland Raiders struggled at the wide receiver group in a big way. Expected to go into the year with Antonio Brown headlining a group that included Tyrell Williams, the Raiders looked very different in Week 1, as Brown never played for the Silver and Black, and Williams ascended into the WR1 role.

From there, the Raiders wide receiver group saw a ton of movement all season long, whether it was injuries, or inconsistent play. Williams played very well when healthy, and rookie Hunter Renfrow emerged as a legitimate threat in the slot, but as a whole, the wide receiver unit was one of the worst in football.

As the team heads to Las Vegas, Mike Mayock made it a point to upgrade the position group as a whole, but Pro Football Focus is not too sure they will make an impact right away.

Recently, PFF ranked all 32 NFL wide receiver groups, and they were not kind to the Raiders, ranking them No. 28 out of the 32 NFL teams. The piece spoke about the Raiders upgrading the position group with draft picks Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards, and while PFF liked the additions, and the guys returning, consistency could be an issue.

The Raiders have the speed in Ruggs and Williams to go with underneath options in Renfrow and Edwards, but the every-down consistency remains the biggest question for this receiving corps heading into 2020.

Ruggs has the ability to take the lid off the defense, and last season, when healthy, Williams proved to be a touchdown machine. Derek Carr is entering his third season in Jon Gruden's offense, and this is the best collection of talent he has had at wide receiver, so he could also be in for a monster season in 2020.

Overall, I believe this collection of talent ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of all 32 NFL teams, with the talent to crack the top-10 before all is said and done. The Raiders return their entire offensive line, and elite players at running back and tight end, so if the wideouts do their part, points should not be an issue in the first season in Vegas.

Next: Las Vegas Raiders Madden NFL 21 top-10 ratings revealed

Sure, there are a bunch of young players within the group, and some veterans who will need to bounce back from injury in 2019. Bottom line is, the group as a whole is much improved over last season, and if Carr can get them the ball, they have the talent to be an explosive group in 2020.

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PFF ranks the Las Vegas Raiders wideout near bottom of the NFL - Just Blog Baby

Without waiter jobs, what happens to creative New York? – Las Vegas Sun

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Bebeto Matthews / AP

Rachel Berry, in New York City since 2004, from Laurel, Maryland, sits in her living room decorated with her art, Monday, July 6, 2020, in New York. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Berry worked as a bartender and waited tables, jobs that gave her enough time to work on her creative pursuits. But as New York City tries to reopen, theres concern that jobs for the citys creative class are no longer readilyavailable.

By Deepti Hajela, Associated Press

Tuesday, July 14, 2020 | 11:45 p.m.

NEW YORK Its been the story for many a starry-eyed creative type looking for a big break in the Big Apple wait tables to pay the bills while auditioning, performing, singing, painting, dancing, writing, whatever it takes to make the dreams of success come true.

But theres been a plot twist, thanks to the coronavirus putting food servers out of work in recent months as restaurants were forced to shut down their dine-in services. And much uncertainty remains over what restaurant dining will look like even as New York City reopens.

Questions of whether there will be enough business for establishments to stay open and even have waiter jobs to fill are causing concern about what thats going to mean for the citys creative class if the jobs that helped them be able to live here and add to the citys artistic culture are no longer readily available.

It really is a part of the artists life in New York, so I dont know what thats going to look like if its just suddenly not an option anymore, said Travis McClung, 28, who has spent close to nine years waiting tables while doing theater, singing and more recently, trying to build his career in video editing and post-production.

The virus has been devastating for the citys restaurant workers. According to the state Department of Labor, restaurants and other eateries employed just over 273,000 people in February, before the city shut down in mid-March due to the pandemic. In April, during the peak of virus cases, that number had fallen to under 78,000. As the city reopened in May, it rose slightly to close to 100,000, still vastly below where it had been.

And while outdoor dining has been allowed in recent weeks, with around 6,600 restaurants in the five boroughs applying for permits to feed people on sidewalks and streets, the return of indoor dining has been put off indefinitely over fears that confined quarters would make virus cases spike.

For McClung, who came to New York City in 2009 from a Dallas, Texas, suburb to study theater in college and started waiting tables here, a restaurant job has been a safety net, of sorts. Pre-pandemic, New York Citys vibrant restaurant scene was busy enough that he always felt he had a fallback.

It was a sense of security, it let me stay in New York City, pay the rent here, he said.

Thats what led to his last pre-virus waiter job, a position at a casual dining place on Manhattans Upper West Side.

I had a big gig editing and it canceled and I panicked and then my friend posted he was leaving that job, McClung said. I messaged him for a referral and then I got hired the next day.

Rachel Berry, who moved to New York City in 2004, tried her hand at a bunch of different jobs like dog walking and nannying before moving to bartending and some waiting tables in 2016.

The Laurel, Maryland, native even spent some time at a 9-to-5 gig in her early 20s, but found the structure too rigid to give her enough time to work on her creative pursuits, which have included photography, painting, performing and most recently, interior design work.

Theres just something about the food service industry, the 36-year-old said. It affords me a life that I can get by in New York.

She worries now about what will still be available in restaurants, as social distancing restrictions will require lower capacities in food and drink establishments for the foreseeable future, and whether she would have to work even more in other fields like retail to make what she has been able to in food service.

Am I going to have the same opportunities afforded to me financially, or, you know, am I going to be stuck in this, I need two to three jobs to get by, Berry asked.

And thats of course assuming people dont leave, or hesitate to come to New York City now in the first place, said Jen Lyon, owner of MeanRed Productions, a company that puts on arts and music events.

Thats a concern to her, as someone who looks to work with up-and-comers, in a city where it was already expensive and difficult for artists to sustain themselves.

As someone who spent years bartending, she has an appreciation for food service jobs and what they offer creative types.

Theyre the best jobs to have when you needed to focus on your art, especially in New York, she said.

But now, if those jobs largely disappear, What happens in my world is suddenly I dont have young artists to work with because they cant afford New York, she said. You dont have people creating art in New York anymore.

The pandemic has scattered a lot of the potential artists, she said. Were going to lose a decade of possible talent until people figure out how to stay.

Losing its creatives is also a huge threat" to the city's fabric overall, said Eli Dvorkin, editorial and policy director at the Center for an Urban Organization, which advocates for policies that make New York City more equitable.

Thats a huge problem for New York which has been so dependent on its role as a cultural capital of the world," he said.

As a city we cant afford to lose our creative edge. Its been one of the key drivers of the citys economic growth over the past decades," Dvorkin added. Its one of the reasons why I think New York maintains its status as a beacon for creative, innovative people from all over the world."

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Without waiter jobs, what happens to creative New York? - Las Vegas Sun

Woman accused of killing husband in Ohio arrested in Las Vegas following nationwide search – KLAS – 8 News Now

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS/WDTN) A woman accused of killing her husband in southwest Ohio was arrested in Las Vegas on Saturday following a nearly week long, nationwide search.

Investigators say 28-year-old Stormy Delehanty allegedly stabbed her husband to death last week in Deerfield Township, according to WDTN. His body was found by a relative on Monday evening, July 6. It is not clear when the stabbing happened.

According to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, officers arrested Delehanty at Boulder Station Casino Saturday without incident.

A murder warrant for Delehanty was issued after the Warren County Sheriffs Office says she fled the area. Before being arrested, law enforcement said her last known location was in Utah on July 9.

Delehanty is being held in the Clark County Detention Center until she can be extradited back to Warren County, Ohio.

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Woman accused of killing husband in Ohio arrested in Las Vegas following nationwide search - KLAS - 8 News Now