A Who’s Who of the Murdoch Dynasty ahead of BBC documentary – Tatler

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The Murdochs: Elizabeth; Grace and Chloe; Lachlan and his wife Sarah; Rupert and Jerry Hall on their wedding day (from left to right)

As one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the world, the formidable story behind The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty is more fascinating than fiction. A three-part BBC2 documentary delves into the inner sanctum of 88-year-old media magnate Rupert Murdoch and his family with explosive insights from those who have worked closely with the Australian billionaire over his 60-year reign. It is an intoxicating spectacle of super yachts, helicopters and private islands combined with revelations of close relations with presidents and prime ministers as power struggles between siblings and ex-wives rumble on in the background.

Yet this isnt an outrageous script lifted from the hit Sky TV show Succession; the fictional tale of media mogul Logan Roy and his dysfunctional family. This storyline only scratches the surface of episode one of the real life and times of this audacious businessman and his six children who were reported to have walked away with $2 billion each last year following the merger of the Twenty First Century Fox media empire with Disney. While much is known about the patriarch of the family, Rupert, here is the news-in-brief on some of the rest of the Murdoch clan.

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A Who's Who of the Murdoch Dynasty ahead of BBC documentary - Tatler

Cyberpunk 2077 Highlights Character Evelyn Parker (VIDEO) – Don’t Feed the Gamers

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Cyberpunk 2077 is easily one of the biggest new titles that gamers are excited to play this year, with the game promising a massive futuristic open world and robust role-playing mechanics. What also has fans intrigued is its vast array of characters, including Keanu Reeves as rocker-boy Johnny Silverhand. Few of these characters have been detailed during the first looks at the game, but now with the release date growing closer, CD Projekt RED has been highlighting more of these faces. The devs did this recently with Braindance technician Judy Alvarez, and now it is time for Evelyn Parker to shine in the same manner.

As reported on Prima Games, CD Projekt RED recently released a new tweet focused on character Evelyn Parker on their official Twitter account. The tweet refers to Parkers backstory, which tells of her intelligence and ambition chasing her goals to become an actress, before ending up with a much more permanent career at Night Citys Doll House.

Many were captivated by the first glimpse of Evelyn Parker seen in the latest Cyberpunk 2077 trailer, with her alluring gaze seen at Lizzies Bar. Some have compared her personality to Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction, while others see similarities in her style to the holographic billboard version of Joi from Blade Runner 2049. It is known that she will be present in the games prologue, but other than that, the rest of her storyline remains a mystery. Hopefully, Evelyn joins V on many quests in the game, so that blue hair can provide the right augmentation that Cyber adventures need.

What do you guys think about this highlight of Evelyn Parker? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to stay tuned for the latest Cyberpunk 2077 news, such as the reasons why CD Projekt RED had to remove wall-running from the game, here on Dont Feed the Gamers! Follow us on Twitter to see our updates the minute they go live!

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Cyberpunk 2077 Highlights Character Evelyn Parker (VIDEO) - Don't Feed the Gamers

COVID-19 Impact ON Food Security Technology Market : Which trend will emerge in near future? – Owned

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The globalFood Security Technology Marketis carefully researched in the report while largely concentrating on top players and their business tactics, geographical expansion, market segments, competitive landscape, manufacturing, and pricing and cost structures. Each section of the research study is specially prepared to explore key aspects of the global Food Security Technology market. For instance, the market dynamics section digs deep into the drivers, restraints, trends, and opportunities of the global Food Security Technology market. With qualitative and quantitative analysis, we help you with thorough and comprehensive research on the global Food Security Technology market. We have also focused on SWOT, PESTLE, and Porters Five Forces analyses of the global Food Security Technology market.

Leading players of the global Food Security Technology market are analyzed taking into account their market share, recent developments, new product launches, partnerships, mergers or acquisitions, and markets served. We also provide an exhaustive analysis of their product portfolios to explore the products and applications they concentrate on when operating in the global Food Security Technology market. Furthermore, the report offers two separate market forecasts one for the production side and another for the consumption side of the global Food Security Technology market. It also provides useful recommendations for new as well as established players of the global Food Security Technology market.

Request sample copy of this report:https://www.reporthive.com/request_sample/2321923

Major Players:

BASFCargillKraft FoodsNestleMahindra and MahindraNovozymesBayer

Segmentation by Product:

No-till techniqueGenetic engineeringBio seedsMicro irrigationOther

Segmentation by Application:

GovermentPrivate

Regions and Countries:U.S, Canada, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Rest of Europe, India, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Rest of APAC, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Rest of LATAM, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, UAE.

Report Objectives

Table of Contents

Report Overview:It includes major players of the global Food Security Technology market covered in the research study, research scope, and Market segments by type, market segments by application, years considered for the research study, and objectives of the report.

Global Growth Trends:This section focuses on industry trends where market drivers and top market trends are shed light upon. It also provides growth rates of key producers operating in the global Food Security Technology market. Furthermore, it offers production and capacity analysis where marketing pricing trends, capacity, production, and production value of the global Food Security Technology market are discussed.

Market Share by Manufacturers:Here, the report provides details about revenue by manufacturers, production and capacity by manufacturers, price by manufacturers, expansion plans, mergers and acquisitions, and products, market entry dates, distribution, and market areas of key manufacturers.

Market Size by Type:This section concentrates on product type segments where production value market share, price, and production market share by product type are discussed.

Market Size by Application:Besides an overview of the global Food Security Technology market by application, it gives a study on the consumption in the global Food Security Technology market by application.

Production by Region:Here, the production value growth rate, production growth rate, import and export, and key players of each regional market are provided.

Consumption by Region:This section provides information on the consumption in each regional market studied in the report. The consumption is discussed on the basis of country, application, and product type.

Company Profiles:Almost all leading players of the global Food Security Technology market are profiled in this section. The analysts have provided information about their recent developments in the global Food Security Technology market, products, revenue, production, business, and company.

Market Forecast by Production:The production and production value forecasts included in this section are for the global Food Security Technology market as well as for key regional markets.

Market Forecast by Consumption:The consumption and consumption value forecasts included in this section are for the global Food Security Technology market as well as for key regional markets.

Value Chain and Sales Analysis:It deeply analyzes customers, distributors, sales channels, and value chain of the global Food Security Technology market.

Key Findings:This section gives a quick look at important findings of the research study.

Request for Customization:https://www.reporthive.com/request_customization/2321923

About us:

Our research base consists of a wide spectrum of premium market research reports. Apart from comprehensive syndicated research reports, our in-house team of research analysts leverages excellent research capabilities to deliver highly customized tailor-made reports. The market entry strategies presented in our reports has helped organizations of all sizes to generate profits by making timely business decisions. The research information including market size, sales, revenue, and competitive analysis offered, is the product of our excellence in the market research domain.

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COVID-19 Impact ON Food Security Technology Market : Which trend will emerge in near future? - Owned

Chinese TV Regulators Appear to Increase Story Supervision – Variety

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Gay stories, excessive romance, unscientific fantasy, and narratives that glorify the pre-Communist republican era are reportedly among 20 genres of fiction to be banned or subject to further censorship in China, according to what appears to be new measures emanating from Chinese authorities.

Photos of what appears to be a new directive issued by the National Radio and Television Administration have been widely circulated on Chinese social media platforms Weibo and WeChat over the past few days. However, social media posts containing similar photos from last year are also to be found on the internet. The date and authenticity of the new directives cannot be independently verified.

The directives appear to provide clear instructions on what can and cannot be shown in 20 genres of TV and web drama show. Youth drama, for example, should avoid puppy love, crime, and violence. Romantic dramas should avoid intimacy, but be bold about clashes and conflicts. Fantasy stories will be subject to particular attention and must be told from a scientific perspective.

Time travel stories must be explained with scientific theories and characters involved must be positive and cannot change the course of history. Gay stories are banned and should be replaced with friendship among characters of the same sex.

Dramas that glorify the republican government or warlords in the republican era are to be strictly censored. And crime thrillers will be subject to censorship by the police department. Plots must not reveal how the crimes are solved, though analysis of criminal psychology is allowed. Criminals must be punished. Police cannot be portrayed negatively.

Social media posts containing these pictures have sparked heated discussions online in China. Puppy love, violence and crime in youth dramas have already been banned, but does it mean they do not exist in reality?, one post on WeChat questioned. If the directives are real, then there are no stories left to tell in Chinas film and television.

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Chinese TV Regulators Appear to Increase Story Supervision - Variety

Parler: the Twitter ‘alternative’ isn’t the free speech haven it claims to be – The Conversation AU

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Amid claims of social media platforms stifling free speech, a new challenger called Parler is drawing attention for its anti-censorship stance.

Last week, Harpers Magazine published an open letter signed by 150 academics, writers and activists concerning perceived threats to the future of free speech.

The letter, signed by Noam Chomsky, Francis Fukuyama, Gloria Steinem and J.K. Rowling, among others, reads:

The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted.

Debates surroundings free speech and censorship have taken centre stage in recent months. In May, Twitter started adding fact-check labels to tweets from Donald Trump.

More recently, Reddit permanently removed its largest community of Trump supporters.

In this climate, Parler presents itself as a non-biased, free speech driven alternative to Twitter. Heres what you should know about the US-based startup.

Read more: Is cancel culture silencing open debate? There are risks to shutting down opinions we disagree with

Parler reports more than 1.5 million users and is growing in popularity, especially as Twitter and other social media giants crackdown on misinformation and violent content.

Parler is very similar to Twitter in appearance and function, albeit clunkier. Like Twitter, Parler users can follow others and engage with public figures, news sources and other users.

Public posts are called parleys rather than tweets and can contain up to 1,000 characters.

Users can search for hashtags, make comments, echo posts (similar to a retweet) and vote (similar to a like) on posts. Theres also a direct private messaging feature, just like Twitter.

Given this likeness, what actually is unique about Parler?

Parlers main selling point is its claim it embraces freedom of speech and has minimal moderation. If you can say it on the street of New York, you can say it on Parler, founder John Matze explains.

This branding effort capitalises on allegations competitors such as Twitter and Facebook unfairly censor content and discriminate against right-wing political speech.

While other platforms often employ fact checkers, or third-party editorial boards, Parler claims to moderate content based on American Federal Communications Commission guidelines and Supreme Court rulings.

So if someone shared demonstrably false information on Parler, Matze said it would be up to other users to fact-check them organically.

And although Parler is still dwarfed by Twitter (330 million users) and Facebook (2.6 billion users) the platforms anti-censorship stance continues to attract users turned off by the regulations of larger social media platforms.

When Twitter recently hid tweets from Trump for glorifying violence, this partly prompted the Trump campaign to consider moving to a platform such as Parler.

Matze also claims Parler protects users privacy by not tracking or sharing their data.

Companies such as Twitter and Facebook have denied they are silencing conservative voices, pointing to blanket policies against hate speech and content inciting violence.

Parlers free speech has resulted in various American Republicans, including Senator Ted Cruz, promoting the platform.

Many conservative influencers such as Katie Hopkins, Lara Loomer and Alex Jones have sought refuge on Parler after being banned from other platforms.

Although it brands itself as a bipartisan safe space, Parler is mostly used by right-wing media, politicians and commentators.

Moreover, a closer look at its user agreement suggests it moderates content the same way as any platform, maybe even more.

The company states:

Parler may remove any content and terminate your access to the Services at any time and for any reason or no reason.

Parlers community guidelines prohibit a range of content including spam, terrorism, unsolicited ads, defamation, blackmail, bribery and criminal behaviour.

Although there are no explicit rules against hate speech, there are policies against fighting words and threats of harm. This includes a threat of or advocating for violation against an individual or group.

There are rules against content that is obscene, sexual or lacks serious literary, artistic, political and scientific value. For example, visuals of genitalia, female nipples, or faecal matter are barred from Parler.

Meanwhile, Twitter allows consensually produced adult content if its marked as sensitive. It also has no policy against the visual display of excrement.

As a private company, Parler can remove whatever content it wants. Some users have already been banned for breaking rules.

Whats more, in spite of claims it does not share user data, Parlers privacy policy states data collected can be used for advertising and marketing.

Read more: Friday essay: Twitter and the way of the hashtag

Given its limited user base, Parler has yet to become the open town square it aspires to be.

The platform is in its infancy and its user base is much less representative than larger social media platforms.

Despite Matze saying left-leaning users tied to the Black Lives Matter movement were joining Parler to challenge conservatives, Parler lacks the diverse audience needed for any real debate.

Matze also said he doesnt want Parler to be an echo chamber for conservative voices. In fact, he is offering a US$20,000 progressive bounty for an openly liberal pundit with 50,000 followers on Twitter or Facebook to join.

Clearly, the platform has a long way to go before it bursts its conservative bubble.

Read more: Don't (just) blame echo chambers. Conspiracy theorists actively seek out their online communities

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Parler: the Twitter 'alternative' isn't the free speech haven it claims to be - The Conversation AU

UK universities accused of censorship by complying with China – Telegraph.co.uk

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British universities have been accused of censorship for agreeing to complywith Chinese internet censorship to offer remote courses to international students.

The courses are offered throughsoftware that allows Chinese students who would normally study in the UK to continue their studies remotely.

However, the software has to comply with strict Chinese internet firewalls. This means students are limited to only course material that has been approved by Beijing.

The software is developed by JISC, a digital learning not-for-profit. The pilot programme involves Kings College London, Queen Mary, York University and Southampton University.

JISCs software, which has been built with Chinese technology giant Alibaba, provides course materials to students in China. A spokesperson said traffic has to travel through three international gateways and will only provide access to learning materials that are part of the curriculum specified by the UK institution.

These are placed on an allow list of course materials. The spokesperson added none of these links have been blocked.

A Universities UK spokesperson said academic freedom was of utmost importance adding it was not aware of any alteration to course content to comply with local laws.

The BBC first reported universities would by complying with Chinese internet rules.

China sceptics warned Britains universities could be conducting self-censorship by only allowing access to certain course approved materials to comply with local internet law.

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UK universities accused of censorship by complying with China - Telegraph.co.uk

Art Exhibit Hits Back at Censorship, Abductions of Dissidents – Khaosod English

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BANGKOK In Conflicted Visions Again, six artists are gathered to give one message: urging the viewers to question the state of freedom in Thailand.

The exhibition, held at WTF Gallery and Caf, is a tour on issues considered by many to be sensitive in Thai society issues that the media is often discouraged from asking bold questions about from censorship of discussions about the Royal Family to the mysterious disappearances of anti-monarchy activists.

Inside the gallery, there is a TV showing nothing except an English text saying, program will resume shortly, the same words used in real life to black out foreign news broadcasts that may touch on the monarchy.

I think its strange. It makes me feel that they want to hide the truth, artist Manit Sriwanichpoom said. It makes issues about the monarchy sound scary.

Another installation, called Thailands New Normal, questioned the balance of public safety and civil liberties during the coronavirus pandemic, an era that the government and its regime of revered doctors can impose any policy on the public without any debates.

Do you want health or freedom seems to be the choice given to the public by the authorities, without anything in the middle, said Prakit Kobkjwattana, the artist responsible for the piece.

I think this new normal thing is a coup, Prakit said. Do I really have to really choose?

Abduction and murders of anti-monarchy activists who fled overseas is discussed at Iconoclastor Stickers & Military Track Down, by Pisitakun Kuantalaeng.

Images of political dissidents who disappeared in neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia are represented as colorful stickers at the exhibit. It seems to imply someone out there is making a collection of those individuals.

The latest victim in the string of unexplained disappearance was Wanchalearm Satsaksit, seen smiling in his yellow sticker here. The bespectacled activist was kidnapped on June 4 in front of his residence in Phnom Penh, where he had lived in exile since 2014.

Although the tone of the exhibition may slant toward anti-government activism, curator Somrak Sila said the artists were picked from different political factions. Somrak said she did it once just before the May 2014 coup, and she succeeded again.

She lamented that Thailands political division over the past decade means many artists have refused to participate in productive and civil debate, not to mention holding a joint art exhibit. The gallery wants to show its time to move beyond colors and sides.

It no longer works for them to mud sling one another. The approach should be changed, Somrak said. If we do not unite, we cant fight the powers that be.

Conflicted Visions Again exhibition runs until August 23. It opens everyday except Monday from 4pm to 10pm at WTF Gallery and Caf, Sukhumvit 51. Call 02-662-6246 for details.

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Art Exhibit Hits Back at Censorship, Abductions of Dissidents - Khaosod English

Disney + has just added a version without the censorship of a Marvel movie, well liked- JAPANFM – D1SoftballNews.com

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Disney has recently surprised fans by posting a cup without censorship wonder the film X-Men: Days of Future Past on its streaming service popular, Disney +.

The film, although not on the same level as the average of its image of Quentin Tarantino or Martin Scorsese, there are a number of things that are not particularly adapted to the eyes and ears of children. It is, for example, a scene in which the actor of Wolverine from Hugh Jackman shows part of her naked body, as well as at least a use-case for the pump-F.

If this court was transmitted to another streaming service, it would hardly be news. However, because Disney is proud of its identity, of the family of the brand, this decision has surprised many people. One of them was the actor of Deadpool Ryan Reynolds who, commenting on one of the posts Instagram of Jackman, has expressed the hope that their own movies in the vulgar Merc with a Mouth would be the next step.

Of course, the two Dead Pool and Deadpool 2 are more graphic, violent, and sometimes obscene that even the entries in the most obscure of the X Men it remains to be seen if the desire of Reynolds will be granted.

Click to enlarge

In terms of Disney, they seem to be permanently out of your comfort zone recently, especially due to the strict censorship that has been imposed in the past. When the company has acquired the film Splashfor example , it hired a team of artists CGI to cover the buttocks of a character with his hair. In the same way, Disney has leaked a couple of pumps F log Hamilton.

The study has also censored many productions, the leaders who have made changes to the animation films of the golden age Aladdin, The Lion king and The Little Mermaid.

Do you think X-Men: Days of Future Past it is worth to censor to begin with? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Disney + has just added a version without the censorship of a Marvel movie, well liked- JAPANFM - D1SoftballNews.com

Claims of censorship and bullying at UCT as another explosive report surfaces – IOL

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Cape Town - Another explosive report has thrown UCT into turmoil amid claims of censorship, bullying and threats by the vice-chancellor, Mamokgethi Phakeng, and her executive to muzzle the university Ombud Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa.

According to the report, UCT is a campus tormented by fear, with 663 individuals coming forward with complaints about issues related to the university, while 37 related to the alleged abusive conduct of the vice-chancellor (VC) where people felt bullied, silenced, undermined, rebuked and/or treated unfairly.

Makamandela-Mguqulwa told the Sunday Independent that the Office of the Ombud was established in 2010 to provide a safe space where people could air concerns and discuss ways of addressing them. While she has found university leadership receptive to the work, which has had a transformative impact on campus, the mood has changed, and she feels let down by the university council under chairperson Sipho Pityana, which had not acted on the report since March 14.

I report to the council, not the vice-chancellor, but she went to court in her personal capacity to try and stop me from releasing my report to them, said Makamandela-Mguqulwa.

She said the report, which she put up on the ombuds website to ensure transparency, highlights issues around governance by the vice-chancellor up to the council and the roles they play.

If my report is anything to go by, they have failed me. It was working well in the past, well in a sense there have always been some disagreements, but we found ways to resolve them internally during the leadership of former vice-chancellor Dr Max Price, who retired two years ago, without having to attract external interest.

As ombud, I was appointed to highlight what was not working. The office is meant to unearth critical issues and I was led to understand that my work would involve scrutinising even the highest at university.

She said her office operates according to the principles of the International Ombudsman Association, of which she is Africa chairperson.

My role was to shine a light to what does not work, which is what Im paid for. I find it ironic, going back and forth about the report, earlier this year I was invited to Mexico to talk about the senate and the need to report and what to report, yet the council did not act on the report, she said.

This is her second-last report as ombud at UCT before her term ends in December, and Makamandela-Mguqulwa, who has been asked by Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande to assist other institutions set up similar offices, said it is not a good news report for the period July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

Two weeks ago, Phakeng took to Twitter to celebrate two years as vice-chancellor.

But the report lifts the lid on a repressive atmosphere on campus in which different views or criticism are not tolerated, including resentment towards the once receptive atmosphere directed towards the ombud.

The scrutiny and feedback no longer seemed welcome, at least from the highest office at UCT.

In this reporting period, it seemed I was not to be trusted. Instead, my office seems to be seen by the VC herself as supporting transgressions and advocating for wrongdoing, she said.

Makamandela-Mguqulwa said a number of work-related complaints reached her office about professional interactions with the VC where people felt bullied, silenced, undermined, rebuked and/or treated unfairly.

Their pain was visible. Some affected bystanders came to express fear and told me how they were impacted by different incidents.

She said according to a quote, UCT Values states: To refrain from speech or conduct that demeans or humiliates others but many of the UCT-based visitors told her that this was not their experience with Phakeng.

They reported that she used words that were experienced as combative and violent - such as fighting in a ring and that she, as the VC, would ultimately win while the other is destined to lose. Knowing this was unfolding, I became increasingly concerned about a number of things, including the bullying policy that the university has not yet finalised, and the myriad UCT communications that speak about UCT being a community, the report said.

Of concern, she said was an occurrence that took place late 2019 and outside this reporting period, but which reflects the executives seeming aim to silence, erase my office or change its mandate.

Drawing from the Terms of Reference of the office, the job description and how the work should be done, I explained my role at UCT. It became apparent the executive did not understand the role of the ombud, that they had not been reading the reports, or they wanted to recreate the role in a manner that did not interfere with academic decisions. I am the first to respect the autonomy of academics to do their work, but when personal motivations lead to unfair processes and outcomes, people complain, and I have to respond.

Negative remarks from the VC about my office concern me. I wonder how these views might impact the universitys capacity to deliver on fair outcomes where her office is involved as well as potential watering down of my effectiveness and the gains of the office over the years, she said.

The task of the ombud is to be a resource for dispute resolution, to protect the interests and rights of the members of the university community from injustices and inefficiencies, delays and complication or unfair application of the rules, interpersonal conflicts and help explain university policies, where appropriate.

In a statement on Sunday morning, the university said the Ombud's report and the issues raised are receiving the attention of the UCT Council.

"This matter was handled by the previous Council, whose term ended on 30 June 2020. The newly constituted Council will be meeting this weekend and will continue the work of the previous Council, including dealing with this matter.

"The matter is a confidential one and it is therefore not appropriate for confidential matters to be discussed outside of the Council processes in the public space. The executive of UCT deeply respect the confidentiality of this process and will also not comment.

"The UCT Council will apply its mind on the matter and will do so holding the interest of the institution and those that work in it at the centre of all of its deliberations," the statement said.

The report is available at here.

Sunday Independent

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Claims of censorship and bullying at UCT as another explosive report surfaces - IOL

Prime Minister Janez Jana: We have a responsibility and a duty to make the dreams of the founding fathers of the European Union come true – Gov.si

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Prime Minister Hana first highlighted that such a discussion was good and important and he welcomed the purpose for which the conference was organised.

Speaking about the key challenges facing the European Union, he first mentioned Brexit. According to him, Brexit was a "strategic disaster". He explained this by saying that a condition for the existence of the European Union was the balance of power, with Brexit establishing a significant change in that balance. The good future of the European Union depends on the answer to the question of when a new balance of power will be established and what it will be like," stressed the Prime Minister.

He went on to say that the time when Slovenia joined the European Union could be described as the golden age of the EU. After fifteen, sixteen years we see the reality, we see a lot of good things, a lot of progress and challenges that have significantly changed the European Union we joined sixteen years ago," said the Prime Minister, adding that during this time we have been faced with a failed attempt to adopt a European constitution, which European leaders have sought to remedy with the Treaty of Lisbon, where problems re-emerged. But all these were administrative challenges," said Jana, who added that the financial and economic crisis followed, showing that there were some unfinished projects within the EU, including the European Monetary Union, the consequences of which are still being felt today.

That was followed by the migrant crisis. As long as Spain was faced with the migrant crisis it seemed like a distant problem, and in 2015 we came up against the reality that it was something big. In my opinion, the wrong approach of the European institutions and the Member States contributed to the final decision of the British who voted for Brexit," said Prime Minister Jana, who when on to say that "of course there were other important things, but I think this situation added a few additional percent of votes to those who voted to exit the European Union."

It does not matter whether we are talking about an unfinished first wave or the beginning of the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic; in the coming weeks we will be facing some similar measures as those taken by the Member States in early March or April," said Prime Minister Janez Jana, who highlighted that, when the epidemic began, "we encountered the mass unresponsiveness of the global institutions we created to prevent such crises and alert us to such crises." Among these institutions, the Prime Minister listed the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the European Union. We were completely unprepared for what followed, Europe with its state of emergency, the seizure of protective equipment, the curfew looked at that time like it was from the Middle Ages," said the Prime Minister, adding that we are now facing a moment of truth. We are not yet in the post-COVID-19 crisis, but we are somewhere in between, at a time when we are trying to remedy the economic consequences of the epidemic," said the Prime Minister, adding that the recovery fund proposed by the European Commission would be a good response to the issues that need to be addressed in relation to the economic situation.

"It is more important to beat the virus. Until an effective drug or vaccine against Covid-19 is found, partial normalisation can only be achieved with an accessible application for tracking the infection," said Prime Minister Janez Jana in connection with the coronavirus crisis. According to him, this is also the only alternative enabling tourism activities to continue "without locking down countries." "We need Europe here, so we have one application for the whole of Europe, because we need to be able to detect the infection," said the Slovenian Prime Minister. "We still don't know what the consequences of the epidemic will be, but we know roughly how to deal with it in order to be effective," he added.

Now is not the time to speak at length about the future of Europe, to propose changes to the treaties or to have big dreams about new European institutions, as this can create divisions, but what we need is stability, said Prime Minister Janez Jana, adding that we need realistic and pragmatic solutions. We have to enlarge the Schengen Area to include Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria, which is not so difficult, but we need political decisions, the Prime Minister went on to say, highlighting the enlargement of the European Union with the Western Balkan countries. This is the strategic answer to the challenge posed by Brexit and this is the fulfilment of our dreams from the very beginning, when we spoke about Europe being whole and free, he emphasised.

In the words of the Prime Minister, ideologically the main threat to the European Union and Europe as such is cultural Marxism. We are all following what is going on and I have to say that it is the same formula that was written in the Communist Manifesto some 200 years ago. To create a new world, according to the Manifesto, you need to dismantle the nation, family, private property, private schools and religion. This is going on now, through the mass media, universities, the cultural industry, multinational institutions and some political parties. One thing that was partially mentioned before is that the fewer votes someone gets in an election, the more he or she preaches about democracy, about values, how to create a new world. There is something going on that is cleverly hidden but anyone who knows history and political concepts can clearly see where we are heading, stressed the Prime Minister, pointing to this being the battle for our way of life, for Western civilization. Much more is at stake in this battle than just the European Union or European institutions, said the Prime Minister.

In addition to the new coronavirus epidemic, we may be faced with unknown threats at any given point in time. For example, cyberattacks. When speaking about the future of the European Union, we must also be better prepared for such threats. Slovenia is now starting the trio presidency of the Council of the European Union together with Germany and Portugal. We proposed priorities to our trio partners, which they agreed with. We believe that first a European plan should be made regarding how to fight against the current epidemic and massive cyberattacks, which could soon become a new reality, explained the Prime Minister.

In his opinion, the most important strategic challenge for the EU now is its demographics. We can do everything and even more, but if there are no people to share the common values, everything is lost, emphasised the Prime Minister, adding that families are the basic cells of society and they must be protected and supported, which is why family friendly policies for ageing societies are of strategic importance. Migration policy, considered by some to be the total solution to the demographic challenges, can only complement the demographic challenges if it is properly managed, and when the social, cultural and economic costs of migration are taken into account. Where this is not the case, we can see the consequences which in some countries are even irreparable, pointed out the Prime Minister.

By way of conclusion, Prime Minister Janez Jana said that the European Union had been created as a union of values. Since the foundation of the European Union, more people have enjoyed peace and a high standard of living, and the vast majority of Europeans have been born into wealth, commented the Prime Minister, adding that the European Union is capable of meeting all the different challenges, provided, of course, that we all return to our values. This is clear. We should rethink our identity and fight for it. We must fight for the people, for Europeans, for our heritage, for our nations, for our freedom, for our way of life, as this is our future, said Prime Minister Janez Jana, concluding that it is our responsibility and duty to fulfil the dream of the founding fathers of the European Union.

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Prime Minister Janez Jana: We have a responsibility and a duty to make the dreams of the founding fathers of the European Union come true - Gov.si

Migration governance during the pandemic: Marginalising the already marginalised? – India Education Diary

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Parul Srivastava

The writer is a researcher, pursuing her PhD from the Department of History, University of Hyderabad, India. She can be reached at [emailprotected] or via Twitter on @paroollll

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused turmoil all across the globe. Nearly every country is dealing with a never-seen-before situation, at least since the Spanish Flu of 1918 which resulted in the death of approximately 50 million people worldwide. Today, USA has the largest number of COVID positive cases in the world, followed by Brazil and India. We have witnessed the migrant crisis in India since the onset of lockdown and how it got from bad to worse and therefore, in such a situation, it becomes imperative to ponder over global and regional migration while focusing on the pandemic induced migrations and the vulnerable situation that the migrants are left in.

Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT) along with two important organisations namely Migrant Forum Asia (MFA), and Cross Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants (CCRM) organized a rather beneficial and tremendously insightful discussion on Global and Regional Migration Governance During COVID-19 Pandemic on July 7th 2020. This session was moderated by Shabari Nair, a Labour Migration Specialistfor South Asia, based in the International Labour Organization in New Delhi. This 11th GRFDT virtual panel was attended by policy makers, practitioners and government officials from various numerous countries.

Nicola Piper, Director of Sydney Asia Pacific Migration Centre in Australia spoke about the global level of governance of labour migrations. Although we have come a long way in terms of understanding of what migration entails, in political and institutional terms we still have a dysfunction at global migration systems and this has become more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Talking about the three aspects of the global migration governance, she spoke about the what/how/by whom. Migration management trumps over the rights based approach to migration and this is reflected in the priority given to other types of migrations as opposed to what happens at the workplace. She stressed on the gaps that arises between rights on paper and rights in practice and this is highly relevant in the current pandemic wherein there are many migrants, undocumented workers whore working on contract/ temporarily in essential services and key sectors of the economy but they still dont have residential rights, have little or no access to social security. This pandemic has exposed the fundamental flaws which exist in many bilateral agreements and memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Shahidul Haque, former Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh broadly talked about how this pandemic is reshaping migration and where is it making an impact: remittance, labour flow, return and human rights. He emphasised that inter- State relations will change, international cooperation will change an hence, migration will change which will result in a change of world order. He talked about four new factors that will unfold (which he has termed as New Migration order) namely new economic landscape, development paradigm, power shift and environmental factors. These four forces were functioning but the pandemic has exposed some weaknesses and accelerated few changes in the world of migration and mobility.

This is the first time that the world is facing a migration crisis without the migrants being major stakeholders because this migration crisis is the result of a pandemic. Another issue that this pandemic has created is the problem of return which has resulted due to the fact that around 400 million migrant workers have lost their jobs and hence, they will have to return to their home countries. Interestingly, he talked about the trapped population which has lost its jobs but is unable to return to their native countries and are therefore on the streets in a foreign country.

Pietro Mona, Ambassador for Development, Forced Displacement and Migration (Government of Switzerland) believes that COVID has highlighted the vulnerabilities as well as the weaknesses of the current system at local, national and global levels. This pandemic which is now turning into a micro- economic crisis at the global level has had a great impact on the field of migrations. For a lot of challenges that we are seeing today, there are possible solutions or at least an ideas on how to approach them. The real question of the hour is do we have the political will, the instruments, the actors that can implement what has been discussed so far.

There is also a dire need to focus on the issue of migration is connected with other issues like gender, education, to name a few and find inclusive solutions. One very crucial point that Pietro Mona made was that proposing us and them creates barriers and we need to understand that migrants are very much a part of our society. Horizontal adaptation/ expanding the government structure horizontally which means that all partners should be included at the same table and vertical expansion is also of equal importance which involves the issues of migration with other overarching relevant issues that are interconnected.

William Gois from the Migrant Forum in Asia from Philippines talked about how the transmission isnt as smooth and that there is a fault line between regional and global. This disconnect is also present between capitals and other places which isnt just a bureaucratic process but also a politically affected process. However, migration for politicians isnt a vote worthy topic which is why they wouldnt pick it up from a human right perspective as it wont be received well by the majority.

The current discourse on migration has become extremely polarised, India being a classic example of it which involves prioritising oneself and othering the other. The pandemic has put migrant workers in an extremely difficult position. Otherwise hailed as heroes, theyre now unable to return back to their communities due to fear of community spread (in case they are carriers of the COVID-19 virus). A new political will has to be generated which would ultimately bring people out of situations of crisis such as the ongoing pandemic. Migrants live within the States jurisdiction and hence it is the States responsibility to protect every human being living in its jurisdiction without any discrimination.

Roula Hamati, from the Cross Regional Center for Refuges and Migrant in Lebanon questioned as to how do global frameworks translate at the national and regional level. There are a number of obstacles when we talk about translating them at the ground level and she spoke about it in the Arab context as to how countries that receive refugees have not really ratified the refugee convention.

Charles Obila from IGAD, a membership of 8 of 55 States of Africa. Migration is a means to survival as one cannot live without the options of migrating. For certain African countries, Migration is very dynamic in nature as they cannot really differentiate between refugees and migrants and they have mixed migrations where people belonging to various categories move together, using similar means. This is mostly because theyre all looking for similar things- livelihood and employment opportunities and hence, migration is happening towards the gulf countries, European union as well as Southern African countries. Obila mentioned quite interestingly that the most resilient migrants and refugees are in the urban areas as they are the ones who are able to find employment with limited support and are able to support/ provide for their families.

Migrant returns and deportations was happening from Southern African countries and the Gulf countries and this led to a growth of discussions on how to co-ordinate better and also deal with stranded migrants whore out of employments due to this pandemic. This has further led to a reverse flow of migration where people are looking forward to moving back to rural areas from urban spaces. The political leadership of IGAD countries came together and took a decision of developing regional health response strategy and one unique thing that was specifically mentioned was the integration of vulnerable population including the migrants and the refugees in the health responses. There is a need of multilateralism or international cooperation especially in the recovery and post recovery stages.

Professor Andrew Geddes, Director of Migration Policy Centre in Italy spoke about the governance in Europe buy concentrating on four things, namely crisis, policy, politics and the future. Based on previous crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic would not lead to major changes in the EU and European migration and asylum crisis. Attitudes towards migration are becoming more favourable as opposed to how such issues have been politicized and presented.

The regional negotiations are very important for the regions so we should have a SAARC negotiation with the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries where we are sending our people to. It becomes essential for the sending countries, civil society groups, trade unions, intellectual groups to participate in discussions concerning the migrations that have been induced by the ongoing pandemic. Multilateralism is really the way forward and the dialogue and discourse needs to become very empathetic and the stereotypes that were being practised for so long need to be recognized. Professor Binod Khadria, former faculty at JNU concluded by highlighting EAA (Equitable adversary analysis) wherein one needs to put themselves in the shoes of the adversary and then try to look at the issue from the other side because one cannot pretend that migration is just like an exchange of commodities or like some kind of a trade because its not so. Its a flow of human beings and hence, empathy becomes of primary value here and it is something that COVID-19 is constantly reminding us of.

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Migration governance during the pandemic: Marginalising the already marginalised? - India Education Diary

Inside the fantastical brain of Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell – The Globe and Mail

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Author David Mitchell discussed his latest book, Utopia Avenue, with Simon Houpt.

Paul Stuart/Handout

David Mitchell knows it would be helpful if he could serve up a tight and bright story about where his novels come from. I envy authors who have the ability to tell a killer anecdote about the time they were on the train, and it was half past three, and the sun was going down, and this amazing thing happened opposite them, and that gave them the idea [for the novel], he says, looking a little anguished during a FaceTime call. Its just never like that for me. Its more molecular.

This will not come as a surprise to fans of Mitchell, whose novels regularly sprawl across centuries, continents and modes of consciousness, and which together form a body of work he likens to a single novel he will spend his life writing.

And so Mitchell spends the next eight minutes unfurling a tapestry that, while not quite an autobiographical origin story, does draw on his life experience to illustrate elements in his latest novel, Utopia Avenue.

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Utopia Avenue, David Mitchell (Knopf Canada, July)

Handout

The explanation is as multilayered and engaging as the book itself. He opens with a tale about his adoration as a teenager for a certain Canadian prog-rock band; suggests exposure to Miles Daviss Kind of Blue album the gateway drug into jazz for many, many people can lead to a taste for the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, which might progress to minimalism or the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu or the brainy popster Brian Eno; muses on the endocrinological effects of music; and likens the contemporary treatment of people with autism and other neurodiverse conditions to the way deaf individuals were believed to be intellectually stunted until the development of sign languages finally proved otherwise a couple of centuries ago.

But then, we have time for such discursions. Its late June, and Mitchell, 51, is marooned with his wife and two teenagers in their house just outside the small town of Clonakilty, on the southwest coast of Ireland, in County Cork. Up until a few months ago, hed been scheduled to be in the midst of a cross-North America tour right now, of the sort that was standard practice in the Before Times for bestselling authors of literary fiction (aka awards bait). He has twice been nominated for the Booker Prize (for 2001s number9dream and 2004s Cloud Atlas) and landed on its long list for The Bone Clocks in 2014.

Ive got nothing on for the rest of the evening, Mitchell shrugged near the beginning of what was slated to be a 45-minute call. He wore a couple of thin and slightly ratty T-shirts, purple over brown, and, at least on FaceTime, seemed not to have shaved for a day or two. His tousled hair registered as faintly red in the light of his desk lamp; if you squinted, he might have passed for Benedict Cumberbatch after a rough few months.

Were fine if we overrun. And if we enjoy each others company, I can promise, you will be one of the most exciting things that happens to me all week, he said. Almost two hours later, we were still going. He probably regretted his initial exuberance but was too polite to say.

Mind you, we had a lot to cover. Utopia Avenue, Mitchells first novel in almost five years, is a rollicking 592-page tale of a (fictional) psychedelic folk-rock foursome that emerges from the underground music scene in Soho in 1967, cutting their teeth in (real) dives such as 2is Coffee Bar and UFO Club, which helped launch Pink Floyd and other globe-conquering acts. Mitchell captures the scene convincingly: A London flat is decorated with a mural of an elephant, a jade Buddha in a nook and an Ohm prayer flag hanging in the stairwell. The Freak Out! album by the Mothers of Invention boomed through a marshy pong of dope, lentils, and incense.

Into this scene, he drops the down-on-his-luck bassist Dean Moss; Elf Holloway, a pianist from a once-rising folk duo looking for a new gig after being cast aside by her caddish ex; lunky drummer Griff Griffin; and Jasper de Zoet, a guitar prodigy with Aspergers and a mysterious mental-health ailment that may or may not depending on your interpretation and your familiarity with Mitchells other work launch the tale into the astral plane.

The four are brought together as Utopia Avenue by the Canadian-born band manager Levon Frankland, whom close readers of Mitchell will remember from a cameo in Bone Clocks; as is the authors practice, other characters from previous books also appear. (Jasper, of course, is a descendant of the protagonist of Mitchells 2010 novel, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.)

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And there are dozens of figures borrowed from real life, too, including rock stars (David Bowie, Syd Barrett, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Sandy Denny), miscreants (Jimmy Savile) and writers (Allen Ginsburg, Leonard Cohen), who each pop in for a scene or two.

I have been haunted by music all my life, Mitchell begins by way of explanation, and then, seeming to realize that will be insufficient, interjects: Who isnt? The man who didnt like music that would be a more interesting starting point than: Oh yeah, I like music.

Since youre in Toronto: Rush. In my case, the way that Rush and other bands would project a possible future version of myself. Rush, in particular, because of Neil Peart, the lyricist they made high-level vocabulary okay. They made it all right to want to make sense of a line, like this one from The Spirit of Radio: One likes to believe in the freedom of music.' One. One! Like, actually using the pronoun one? Guys, youre a rock band! But they sang it, and its a killer song! Its brilliant!

He continues, quoting the lyrics: One likes to believe in the freedom of music / But glittering prizes / And endless compromises / shatter the illusion of integrity.' I mean, thats where I learned the word integrity. From a Rush song! He catches himself, resets. Sorry, I wont Rush-geek on you too much.

If fact, he does, but thats okay: I mention a personal connection to Geddy Lee, the bands lead singer, and promise to tell him an anecdote at the end of our call. Oh go on, tell me now! he coos. Go on, go on, go on, go go go go on, just a quick one!

I demur, and then Mitchell looks up at something off-screen, his face lighting up with what seems to be pride and faint embarrassment? Someone hands him something, which he accepts and sets down. Then he leans forward, the top of his head disappearing. Thank you, mate, he says. Thank you so much. See you later.

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It was his son, a 15-year-old with autism, bringing him a half-grapefruit in a bowl. He comes in to check on me from time to time. He gave me a kiss on the head right here, for no apparent reason. Which is a sweet little moment!

We had been talking about the pandemic a few minutes ago, and Mitchell swerves back to it, to discuss the way his son has been coping with the lockdown. It would be nice if we could get to Cork and go in the shops, just to interact with the world a little bit more, but hes done really well. And we also forget, however bad things are for us, however irksome when were trying to [keep up our normal routine] and their behaviours are impinging upon that if we think its bad, just try walking a mile in their shoes. We would be quivering jelly wrecks, he says. Theyve got no choice but to live there. This is their one shot at life, in this one brain they have. They cant transmigrate out of it.

Mitchell has had his own challenges with communication: He stammered badly as a child, still does sometimes, which was one of the spurs for his novel Black Swan Green, with its stammering teenage-boy protagonist. He acknowledges that miscommunication, impaired communication, is a recurring theme in his work.

I think every writer has a pretty small cluster of archetypal themes that come back again and again. Even when youre trying to keep them out, theyre back, because somehow theyre you, he says. And sure, my stammer was highly formative, and music was what we would now call a safe space. After all, he says, there are three occasions when those with stammers arent afflicted: when theyre talking to themselves, when theyre talking to a dog, and when theyre singing. One of my affinities of music comes from my stammer and my nervousness about mortifying myself whenever I open my mouth to speak.

Youd never know it from his seemingly effortless prose. One of the pleasures of Utopia Avenue is Mitchells ability to bring scenes to life, such as one in which the band is listening to an advance copy of the Beatles groundbreaking 1967 album, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. As the stylus is lifted from the vinyl at the end of the final song, A Day in the Life, the band members proclaim its genius, using language Mitchell says he plucked from an account of Pink Floyds Roger Waters listening to the album for the first time. Its a variation of a technique Mitchell tries to deploy often, which he refers to by the neologism IWATH, for I Was There.

IWATHs are a memory or a fact or a thing or an experience that you cant really imagine into being. He harvests these, like panning for gold, from first-person accounts. If he gets three IWATHs, he says, he can be fairly certain a scene will work.

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Over the past couple of years, Mitchell has been moonlighting as a screenwriter, working with The Matrix co-creator Lilly Wachowski (who was also one of the three directors of the film adaptation of Cloud Atlas) and Aleksandar Hemon on the TV series Sense8. Theyve also collaborated on the screenplay for Matrix 4, which is in the midst of production.

His time in that world, says Mitchell, has influenced his work as a novelist, and vice versa. Clearly, the [TV] box set influences contemporary novels, because so many contemporary authors have watched The Wire and been affected by its narrative achievement.

Theres something else. We were writing Matrix 4, and we were doing a chase scene, which are notoriously the most expensive, and [Lilly] said, Its about a million dollars a page at the moment. That night, Mitchell and Hemon each wrote their version of a scene and came back the next day. I said, Ive got $6-million worth of scene here!' And [Hemon] said, Ah ah, Mr. Mitchell. I have $8-million worth of scene! He laughs.

Film is so expensive that every line in a screenplay has to be doing more than one thing. It has to be like when a cellist is drawing the bow over two strings at once. Its a chord. Screenwriting has to be like that. You have to do at least two things.

So that was one more thing I brought back from my sabbatical. I try to approach prose in a novel like that: What if I could do that? All the time? Probably not. But a lot of the time? Lets have a go!

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From left to right: Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson of the rock group Rush, were inspired for their 19th album, Counterparts, by T.S. Eliot and the CIA.

The Canadian Press

Houpt: Alright, so heres that Rush anecdote I promised you. Geddy is a distant relation, by marriage. His real name is Gary, as you probably know. And family lore has it that, when Rush were trying to get their start this was the late 60s, I suppose, maybe the early 70s, when Gary was maybe 17 or 18 his father had died a few years earlier, and his mother, who was trying to raise three kids on her own, was at her wits end about her son, who was spending all his time doing music instead of school. She asked my uncle to please talk some sense into Gary, to see whether he could get him to quit with the music. So my uncle sat down with Gary and said, Listen, you know, youre killing your mother. You are killing your mother. You have to stop with the music.' And sadly for my uncle and for Garys mother, Gary would have none of it. So, yes, there was an attempted family intervention which did not stick.

Mitchell: A care-vention, as theyre called. Wow! Thats a great story. And its a potential short story, where the music never happened. And then all these wonderful things, all the kids that were born from unions that occurred at a Rush concert.

Houpt: That gets into what was that movie that came out a year ago, the Danny Boyle-Richard Curtis one about the parallel universe where The Beatles didnt exist?

Mitchell: Yesterday.

Houpt: Right and some critics said, its charming as far as it goes, but - I believe it may have been Anthony Lane of The New Yorker and some other critics who said, But you know, the movie doesnt bother itself with what you just outlined, which is all of the other things that would have happened as a result of The Beatles not existing.

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Mitchell: Its a bit harsh. I mean, its only 90 minutes! I mean, what do you want it to do? For the five-season box set show, maybe, but come on!

Houpt: Spoken as a true creator and therefore someone who might be touchy about critics. But, yes, fair enough.

Mitchell: Still, thank you. Great story. My Canadian publisher, Louise Dennys at [Penguin] Random House, she apparently and this doesnt surprise me at all, that she would be on speaking terms with the great Mr. Lee. And the last time I was over there, she mentioned, Oh, I havent seen him for awhile. Maybe the next time youre over, if youd like to, we could possibly meet him. And I was, like, Stay cool, stay cool, stay cool. And I would love to meet him, but I also wouldnt want him to feel like a captured Barbarian king being paraded through the streets of Rome as sort of a trophy for some visiting author. And sometimes the greatest compliment, and the greatest gift you could give to someone that famous, is just to feel the thrill that you saw them walk by, and you were there at the same time that day, and not to go up and not to say: Hi, your music is so important to me. I just dont do that. Unless it was in very special circumstances. Its enough that the musics there, isnt it?

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Inside the fantastical brain of Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell - The Globe and Mail

Prominent and politically connected Austin firms among those getting bailout loans – Austin American-Statesman

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Oil industry magnate Bud Brigham, owner of Austin-based Atlas Sand, has long been a fan of the late libertarian-minded philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand, who espoused a code that promoted, among other things, self-reliance.

Brigham a geophysicist who has sold two companies for billions of dollars bankrolled two movies based on Rands novel "Atlas Shrugged" and recently made a five-year gift to the University of Texas to pay for a Rand-inspired program examining the relationship between economic freedom and freedom of thought.

Brighams Austin company is also among the recipients of government largesse related to the coronavirus epidemic, according to an American-Statesman analysis of newly released data.

While restaurants lead the way as recipients of potentially forgivable loans from the federal governments coronavirus bailout fund, hundreds of medical and law offices and an assortment of mom and pop businesses were also awarded the bailout money as well as the politically connected.

Atlas Sand received a loan of between $2 million and $5 million, to help retain 213 employees, from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, according to government records provided to the Statesman after it and other news organizations filed public information requests.

Brigham, who has met in recent years with high-ranking state and federal officials to win permission to mine sand in areas home to a rare species of lizard, did not respond to a request seeking comment.

Among the questions Brigham declined to answer: Was the federal money needed to keep Atlas Sand afloat; how has Atlas Sand used the money; and did applying for the aid clash with his free-market principles or change his views on the uses of big government?

Atlas Sand was among scores of prominent Austin businesses that applied for and received the federal loan money.

Westlake Dermatology, for example, received a loan of at least $2 million to retain 220 employees.

Dr. Gregory Nikolaidis, CEO of Westlake Dermatology, told the Statesman that without the federal loan, the company would have had to lay off a third of its staff. The company was shut down for six weeks because its medical procedures were nonessential as the governors office tried to ensure medical supplies were readied for hospitals.

The loan "allowed us to reopen with staff we otherwise would not have been able to maintain," Nikolaidis said.

SXSW LLC, beleaguered from the cancellation of the annual South by Southwest festival that it operates, also received at least $2 million.

Other prominent companies that received at least $2 million include Tacodeli Holdings and publicly traded development company Stratus Properties.

The money from the federal loan program has been "absolutely crucial" for many area businesses, said Dana Harris, vice president for federal/state advocacy at the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

"Some businesses wont have stayed open without it," Harris said. "This is about keeping people on the payroll and employed, and having businesses pay the rent and keep the lights on. If people are out of jobs, thats a problem for the entire economy."

Auto dealerships also figure prominently as recipients of the pandemic money. Austin Infiniti, Covert Buick, Leif Johnson Ford and Nyle Maxwell of Austin were among those to receive loans worth at least $2 million apiece.

Darren Whitehurst, president of the Texas Automobile Dealers Association, which represents about 1,400 dealers, has calculated that sales and service at dealerships have been off by at least 40% around the state.

Dealerships "are fairly people-intensive businesses," he told the Statesman earlier this year, and, "as the name implies, part of the reason behind the Paycheck Protection Program was to try and make sure people didnt end up in unemployment."

Nonprofits also benefited from the federal program. Disability Rights Texas, for example, was awarded a loan of at least $2 million, and Any Baby Can received one for at least $1 million.

Edie Surtees, a spokeswoman for Disability Rights Texas, said the money was important for making the groups payroll as the organization worries about the future of grants that underwrite its work.

Wheatsville Co-op received a loan worth at least $1 million. Wheatsville did not immediately return a request for comment.

Overall, about 25,000 Austin-based businesses and nonprofit entities received forgivable loans under the federal program designed to help keep the U.S. economy running amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The cumulative amount of loans to Austin recipients totals between $2 billion and $6.3 billion, based on a wide range of loan data released by the U.S. Small Business Administration on Monday.

Under the program, the loans dont have to be repaid if theyre used to keep employees on payrolls. The loans were backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, but administered and approved by banks and other financial institutions.

Some of the Texas companies that received the loans are led by prominent supporters of President Donald Trump.

McKinney-based Pogue Construction received at least $2 million in federal money. Members of the Pogue family donated at least $200,000 to Trumps campaign since August, and in February the president pardoned construction company owner Paul Pogue for tax crimes to which he had pleaded guilty.

Pogue Construction officials did not respond to a request for comment from the Statesman.

Muy Brands a San Antonio-based company that operates Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Wendys franchises was approved for a loan worth between $5 million and $10 million, according to The Associated Press. Its owner, James Bodenstedt, has donated $672,570 to Trump since 2016, records show. The AP reported that the company did not respond to a request for comment.

Irving-based M Crowd Restaurant Group, which owns 27 Texas restaurants including the Mi Cocina chain, was approved for between $5 million and $10 million. Ray Washburne, one of the companys founders, was vice chairman of the Trump Victory Committee in 2016 and donated $100,000 to the political action committee last August, the AP reported. The AP reported that the company did not respond to a request for comment.

The AP also reported that broadcasting company Patrick Broadcasting, which is owned by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a conservative Republican and former talk radio host, received a loan of $179,000, according to Patricks senior adviser Sherry Sylvester. Patrick is the Texas chairman of Trumps presidential campaign.

The money was used to cover the payroll and expenses of 13 employees.

"The loan did not cover his salary, but he was able to save the jobs of all his employees, many of whom have been with him for decades," Sylvester told The Associated Press.

Other political players have benefited from the federal program.

Fort Worth-based car dealership company JRW Corp., owned by U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin who ranks as one of the wealthiest members of Congress received at least $1 million in loans to retain 122 employees, according to the federal data.

Williams, who is running for reelection in the 25th Congressional District, which includes parts of Austin, as well as Dripping Springs and Wimberley, had declined an interview request from the Statesman, but his office has said the program has been crucial to retaining employees.

The political committee of Democrat Christine Mann, a candidate in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas 31st Congressional District, which encompasses most of Williamson and Bell counties, received a $28,000 loan through the federal program.

"As a grassroots campaign and like many other small businesses, we were hit financially during the pandemic," a spokesperson for Manns campaign told KXAN, which first reported on the loan. "As a front-line doctor testing patients during COVID-19, Dr. Mann did not fundraise the ways she had previously but wanted to ensure her staff continued to receive a livable wage."

Mann has said she paid the loan back.

Correction: This story has been updated to correctly refer to a rare species of lizard found in West Texas.

CORONAVIRUS IN TEXAS: What we know, latest updates

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Prominent and politically connected Austin firms among those getting bailout loans - Austin American-Statesman

In sign of the times, Ayn Rand Institute approved for PPP loan – Reuters

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(Reuters) - The institute promoting the laissez-faire capitalism of writer Ayn Rand, who in the novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead introduced her philosophy of objectivism to millions of readers, was approved for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan of up to $1 million, according to data released Monday by the Trump administration.

The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism in Santa Ana, California, sought to preserve 35 jobs with the PPP funding, according to the data.

The institute advocates the Russian-American writers philosophy and applies its principles to many issues and events, including ones Rand herself never discussed, according to its website. It focuses on areas that have a long-term multiplying impact on the direction of our culture notably, education and policy debates, the website says.

The institute referred Reuters to a May 15 article, in which board member Harry Binswanger and senior fellow Onkar Ghate wrote that the organization would take any relief money offered from the CARES Act. We will take it unapologetically, because the principle here is: justice, they wrote, adding that the government has no wealth of its own. It can only redistribute the wealth of others.

In Rands novels and works of nonfiction which included The Virtue of Selfishness and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal she expressed her belief in rational self-interest and the goal of pursuing happiness as a persons highest moral aim.

In a 1962 essay, Rand wrote of seventeenth century French businessmen: They knew that government help to business is just as disastrous as government persecution, and that the only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off.

Reporting by Helen Coster; Editing by Aurora Ellis

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In sign of the times, Ayn Rand Institute approved for PPP loan - Reuters

Babylons Fall Development Is Continuing to Progress Well – Siliconera

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Back during the December 2019 State of Play, Square Enix and PlatinumGames shared a Babylons Fall trailer. At the end of it was a promise. More information next summer. Well, next summer is here, and theres an update that might not be what people expect. While the developer and publisher confirm things are continuing to progress well, the promised information isnt here.

The statement was shared on the games Twitter account.

Thank you to all fans whove been following along for updates on Babylons Fall.

While we hoped to reveal more about the game this summer, we can share that development on Babylons Fall is continuing to progress well, with the team working safely from home.

Square Enix and PlatinumGames are committed to delivering an exhilarating experience and we look forward to showcasing much more on Babylons Fall to you as soon as we can.

This Square Enix and Platinum title was first announced back in June 2018. At the time, it was a part of the Square Enix E3 2018 showcase and had a tentative 2019 assigned to it and PlayStation 4 and PC platforms named. A follow-up promised more information in 2019, which eventually led to that State of Play appearance.

Babylons Fall is currently in development for the PlayStation 4 and PC.

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Babylons Fall Development Is Continuing to Progress Well - Siliconera

Firefighters Halt Progress of Alum Fire in Hills Above San Jose – CBS San Francisco

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SAN JOSE (CBS SF) A wildfire ignited in the grasslands in the hills above San Jose Saturday, sending a large smoke plume skyward that was visible for miles and bringing crews from Santa Clara County and Cal Fire to battle the blaze.

Cal Fire air support joined dozens of firefighters who managed to halt forward progress of the 30-acre fire shortly after noon

Fire officials said the Alum Fire was burning at the top of a hillside near Mount Hamilton Rd. and Crothers Rd. east of the San Jose Country Club and south of Alum Rock Park.

Forward progress of the fire has been stopped. All fixed wing aircraft have been released and reported to be 30 acres, San Jose fire officials tweeted.

The National Weather Service tweeted that blaze was burning so intensely it had generated enough heat to trigger an alert from a GOES satellite orbiting over the West Coast.

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Firefighters Halt Progress of Alum Fire in Hills Above San Jose - CBS San Francisco

Are we there yet? Neuralink progress update next month could give us a deeper look into Elon Musk’s brain-computer – Silicon Canals

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Elon Musk unveiled Neuralink back in July 2019 as a startup specialising in brain-computer interface (BCI). The premise is simple wherein numerous thin wires can be implanted in a brain to intercept signals being fired by a group of neurons. However, the presentation where Musk introduced the technology and talks about the possibilities is definitely exciting. Now, Elon Musk is gearing up to release new updates on the project.

In last years presentation, Elon Musk said that the first generation Neuralink devices would be used to treat brain diseases such as Parkinsons, before allowing people to ultimately achieve a sort of symbiosis with artificial intelligence. The next update on where the company has reached in its milestone will come in August.

Musk is known for cryptic tweets and he recently tweeted, If you cant beat em, join em, Neuralink mission statement. This was followed by, Progress update August 28 and AI symbiosis while you wait. The second tweet is straightforward and suggests that another briefing regarding Neuralinks progress will happen on August 28. However, the first and third tweets are rather unique.

Rather than reading too much into them, theres a good possibility that the tweets are simply a play on words. Musk views AI as a threat to humanity if its development is left unchecked. So, If you cant beat em, join em could simply mean ramping up our capabilities to match an AIs, which is one of the things Neuralink aims to ultimately accomplish.

its not yet known what could be unveiled on August 28 at the next Neuralink progress. However, speculations and rumours making rounds on the internet are ranging from possible to sci-fi. Since Neuralink is yet to receive regulatory approval for human trials, we dont expect to see the technology in action.

A video of how the tech has been used in animals could be revealed since Musk previously said that a monkey was able to control a computer with his brain, thanks to Neuralink. But we will have to wait until the official announcements are made as this is merely speculation.

Neuralinks Brain Computer Interface uses thin wires that can be implanted in a brain to intercept neuron signals. Intercepting these signals could enable the company to understand and treat brain disorders such as Parkinsons, and preserve and enhance brain function, and more.

Musk has also made some futurist claims regarding Neuralinks capabilities. One of them is making language obsolete within the next decade. You wouldnt need to talk we could still do it for sentimental reasons, he said on the Joe Rogan Podcast. You would be able to communicate very quickly and with far more precision Im not sure what would happen to language. In a situation like this it would kind of be like The Matrix. You want to speak a different language? No problem, just download the program.

Check out the innovations that took home the Blue Tulip Awards this 2020

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Are we there yet? Neuralink progress update next month could give us a deeper look into Elon Musk's brain-computer - Silicon Canals

Progress demands participation by the many | Columns | Journal Gazette – Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

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These are uncertain, divided times for our nation.

Unemployment is at mind-boggling levels, a virus we still don't fully understand is stifling the course of ordinary life, many businesses are struggling, nationwide protests continue against systemic and deep-seated racism, and local policymakers face rising questions about policing and public safety.

It's no surprise that this is one of those rare moments of national reflection about our future course.

It's also a moment of great attention to our political system because that's how we're going to work these things out. For me, this raises a fundamental question: What are politics and government all about, and how do we use them to make progress on such fundamental issues?

At heart, I'd argue, our political and economic systems try to provide an environment that enhances each person's quest for happiness and a good life. We lay the framework in part through government, and through the politics that determines who runs our government and what they do once in office.

We do this through a representative democracy, a system by which citizens elect men and women to represent them in a national or state legislature in order to make the laws of the country. It's an elaborate, complex effort, especially in a country as diverse as ours. Disparate interests are rampant at every level, and for government to work you have to try to build a consensus among those groups while seeking collective security, economic growth, and protection for individual rights and liberties.

That's because our democracy promotes the idea that individuals are equal before the law, and that the rights we've enshrined in the Bill of Rights need to be protected.

Representative democracy does not demand that its citizens participate, but it fails if enough of them don't. It encourages civic engagement, community service, citizens living up to their obligations to their neighbors and, of course, voting.

It also makes room for all manner of communications, from letter-writing to participating in boycotts and protests. And it works best when people are well informed and educated on the political issues. That places a burden on us all to find high-quality information and use it effectively and prudently.

The system encourages competition for political power among a wide range of groups and interests, and nothing is ever settled. If you lose, you're given a chance to win in future elections. If, finally, you win, you've got the temporary power to achieve your legislative goals. But winning is never total.

Congress and our legislatures represent the diversity of the population, and pretty much require cooperation and consensus-building to accomplish anything. This is both a weakness it can be cumbersome and a strength, since it allows for reasonable stability as all kinds of groups, including minorities of all sorts, strive to exert influence.

All of this creates a dynamic, energetic political sphere that challenges us. It's remarkable, if you think about it: The system was crafted for a country of about 4 million. Here we are more than200 years later, with 330 million, with the same system helping to organize a country of enormous power, reach and complexity.

It's evolved over that time, thanks to constant tinkering, reform and improvement, and those needs will never go away. That's what our system does: It calls on citizens to make it work and to make it better.

There's no doubt we face great stresses, and while we may make progress in enhancing individuals' pursuit of happiness, it's rarely straightforward. We take steps ahead then retreat; we celebrate victories and suffer setbacks.

But overall, when citizens speak up and become involved, we progress.

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Progress demands participation by the many | Columns | Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

AweSun update supports macOS to accelerate the progress of building connections from anywhere – Help Net Security

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AweRay, an international remote desktop service provider, released AweSun updated version which supports macOS in the US and worldwide. Since its initial launch, AweSun solutions for remote desktop have already covered Windows, iOS and Android devices.

And now, its support for macOS comprehensively achieve the goal of cross-platform connections. The technology firm is dedicated to achieve their work ambition: make connections anywhere, anytime.

AweSun Remote Desktop enables people to connect to remote work computer, from home laptop, iPad or iPhone. It facilitates remote access to any device as if users were right in front of them. As the most affordable remote desktop solution on the market, AweSun offers free yet powerful features which users expect to find in other paid software.

Including all the features the Free Version provides, the upgraded Pro Version enables users to perform Remote CMD and access to the remote camera. IT professionals and experts can get more convenience from the enhanced features.

AweSun Game Version, which attracts much attention, makes the software stand out among its competitors. The Game Version enables users to customize a gaming keyboard on the mobile device. Users can therefore freely play favourite PC games on their phones.

As a remote access service provider, AweSun is deeply aware that our users pose great emphasis on security and privacy. Out of security concern, AweSun adopts a two-factor authentication with RSA/AES (256-bit) encryption method to ensure a secure line. Privacy security is AweSuns priority.

Meanwhile, AweSun has never stopped continuously updating and developing products. In March, 2020, AweSun launched the AweSun Client app installed for mobile devices. The app offers a great solution for users who want to assist their family, friends, or clients with phone setup, app installation, or troubleshooting.

In June, 2020, AweSun for Windows 1.5 provides users with a series of new features and upgrades, including two-way audio, dual-authentication access to optimize remote connection.

Maybe thats one of the reasons that AweSun received many thanks letters this year. Remote work is not an experimental trail or an ideal concept today. Technology firms like AweSun are making smart tools for all.

During recent work from home wave, the surge in the number of users is obvious and many users expressed their gratitude to AweSun for providing a free and practical tool that help them quickly adapt to remote work, said Joseph Chan, CEO of AweRay Limited.

The release of AweSun for macOS strengthens AweSuns position in the market as the most reliable and most affordable remote desktop solution available. Multi-platform remote connection offers our customers a more effective user experience. As AweRays vision goes, empowering everyone with the tools they need to do great work and have great fun.

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AweSun update supports macOS to accelerate the progress of building connections from anywhere - Help Net Security

New York State continues to make progress in the fight against COVID-19, hospitalizations dip below 800 – WSYR

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Posted: Jul 11, 2020 / 01:18 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 11, 2020 / 06:12 PM EDT

(WSYR-TV) For the first time since March 18, COVID-19 hospitalizations dipped below 800 on Friday, as New York State continues to make progress in the fight against coronavirus.

New York continues to reach encouraging milestones regarding the coronavirus, as the data released on Saturday shows 799 people are currently hospitalized throughout the state with COVID-19. This is the lowest number of coronavirus hospitalizations in the state since March 18.

Tragically, six more New Yorkers lost their lives to COVID-19 on Friday, but the three-day average death toll is the lowest the state has seen since March 16.

Below is the COVID-19 data from Friday that was released by the New York State Health Department on Saturday.

New York State confirmed 730 new coronavirus cases on Friday, which is about 1.05% of the people that were tested.

Each regions percent of positive tests over the last three days can be found below.

In total, there have been over 400,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York State.

Although New York State is making great progress in the fight against COVID-19, the story is much different in other parts of the country.

For more coronavirus data, click here.

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New York State continues to make progress in the fight against COVID-19, hospitalizations dip below 800 - WSYR