10 new ways to have fun indoors this week, chosen by our critics – Telegraph.co.uk

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1. The Stay At Home Festival

If laughter is the best medicine, good news: a bunch of top comics have banded together to launch this free online festival, hosted by Robin Ince. Live-streamed highlights include appearances from Sherlock writer Mark Gatiss (Monday), Jo Brand (Wednesday) and Sara Pascoe (Thursday), as well as Ince's co-star from Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage, physicist Brian Cox (Tuesday). Tristram Fane Saunders

cosmicshambles.com/stayathome

Hastened to Curzon Home Cinema where it can be eagerly lapped up, this heady romantic drama, set in Tbilisi, is about the sexual awakening of an ambitious young Georgian dancer, played in a ferociously lithe acting debut by Levan Gelbakhiani. His desire for a charismatic rival drives a story that never goes quite where you expect, and the photography is radiantly lovely.Tim Robey

curzon.com

Childrens author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers, whose books Lost & Found; Stuck are treasured classics for bedtime reading, has launched #stayathomestorytime on his Instagram Stories. At 6pm UK time each day he will read aloud one of his books and talk about its making. Videos will be posted on his website afterward and children can ask Jeffers questions about each book via his Facebook page. We are all at home, but none of us are alone. Lets be bored together, he says.Lucy Davies

oliverjeffers.com

This gorgeously produced book was published to accompany the new Tate exhibition and its arguably better than being there. Many of Beardsleys most beautiful black-and-white drawings were for The Yellow Book, the naughty fin de siecle magazine that published Oscar Wilde. By reproducing them in book form, for up-close private perusal, the Tate has put them back where they belong.TFS

Published by Tate Publications; tate.org.uk

This excellent freeview platform will be streaming two productions of works by Mozart this coming week: on Tuesday, Lucio Silla from Brussels's Thtre de la Monnaie featuring the excellent British tenor Jeremy Ovenden in the title role; and on Friday Le Nozze di Figaro in John Cox's delightfully traditional staging from Garsington Opera. Both then remain available on demand for six months.Rupert Christiansen

operavision.eu

This marvellously imaginative reworking of the 1841 Romantic masterpiece made a strong impression upon its unveiling in 2016, since when it has continued to mature like a robust burgundy. It sets the doomed central romance (originally playing out in the Rhineland of the Middle Ages) amid a tragically 21st-century-feeling migrant crisis, and boasts thanks to English National Ballets ever-marvellous corps the most genuinely terrifying army of spectres around.Mark Monahan

Available on DVD from Opus Arte; opusarte.com

On his sixth albu, Baxter Dury, the talented son of Ian Dury,mixes spoken word and slinky grooves in a series of surrealist late-night vignettes. Dury essays the provocative ambiguity of a Pinteresque lounge lizard prone to evasive circumlocution and parodic gangsterism, all set to gorgeous bass heavy dub beats conjuring theEighties hits ofGrace Jones.Neil McCormick

Released by Heavenly Recordings; heavenlyemporium.com

The Orchestre de Paris and the Orchestra of the Paris Conservatoire, two choruses and heroic-voiced Bryan Hemel join forces to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Berliozs death with his immense Requiem. Gustavo Dudamel conducted this performance at Notre-Dame Cathedral.Ivan Hewett

Sky Arts, Sunday March 22, 10.00am 12.00pm; sky.com

Stephen Sondheim turns 90 this weekend, so its only right and proper to hit "play" on his witty and wise (if inclined to the didactic) fairy-tale mash-up from 1986, lovingly brought to arboreal, al fresco life at Regents Park Open Air Theatre in 2010 by Timothy Sheader to mark his 80th. Listen out for Judi Dench as the (puppeteered) giant and hug close the newly poignant sentiments of the final song: No One is Alone.Dominic Cavendish

digitaltheatre.com

Released in cinemas just weeks ago, Alla Kovgans film about Merce Cunningham (1919-2009) is now available to watch on demand. Blending original footage of him both conversation and action, it is also packed with typically otherworldly performances by his celebrated Dance Company, and makes for a fascinating and often beautiful voyage through the mind and work of one of dances great iconoclasts.MM

curzonhomecinema.com

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10 new ways to have fun indoors this week, chosen by our critics - Telegraph.co.uk

AFRL partners with Northern Arizona University, DOD labs, industry to develop nanotechnology solutions to cyberattacks and cyber warfare – Aerotech…

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Personnel from the Air Force Research Laboratory joined dozens of industry and military partners at Northern Arizona University Feb. 25, 2020, to discuss a multimillion-dollar cybersecurity project headed by Professor Bertrand Cambou.

Cambou, a professor of nanotechnology and cybersecurity in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, is the principal investigator on a grant from the U.S. Air Force to develop nanotechnology solutions to cyberattacks and cyber warfare. SICCS professor Paul Flikkema is the PI on a grant aimed at developing hardware for computer diversity. Together, the grants total $6.3 million and include a dozen researchers and students at NAU.

Because of the complexity and constantly changing nature of cybersecurity and computing diversity issues, the Department of Defense brought in additional partners to aid in the transfer of technologies, which is always a huge task. That group met at NAU to seek clarity on the critical tasks and objectives of the work.

Not only are these complicated issues, but the work of about 12 faculty members at NAU has to be coordinated with seven different organizations, Cambou said. Therefore, we are implementing a process to drive the program management of the entire program.

Partners from the Air Force Research Labs Information Directorate, Space Vehicles Directorate and Materials and Manufacturing Directorate; the Office of Naval Research; Sandia National Laboratory; Lockheed Martin; and Crossbar Inc. are part of this project, which has two major goals:

Hackers and cyber-criminals continuously probe and attack legacy infrastructure that was not designed to combat the ever-evolving complex assaults, Telesca said. With the existing infrastructure continuing to be weak to cyberattacks, it is time to consider radical architectural and infrastructural changes intended to disrupt the status quo and support a healthier cybersecurity ecosystem through computational diversity.

We are excited and honored that AFRL recognizes our facultys innovative approach in identifying nontraditional solutions to the increasing danger of cyberattacks and cyber warfare, NAU President Rita Cheng said as she welcomed the group. The impact of this work reaches all corners of modern life, helping to protect factories, power plants, transportation systems, drones, personal medical devices and much more.

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 11,000 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development.

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AFRL partners with Northern Arizona University, DOD labs, industry to develop nanotechnology solutions to cyberattacks and cyber warfare - Aerotech...

Tech News: Nanotechnology at the centre of big innovations – IOL

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By Louis Fourie Mar 20, 2020

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One of the fastest-growing nanotechnology fields is biomedicine, where the sheer number and range of innovations makes it hard to stay abreast of the newest developments.

Many of these breakthroughs made over the past few months could significantly change the quality of peoples lives in the future. Scientists from Michigan State University and Stanford University in the US have invented a nanoparticle that removes the plaque that causes heart attacks.

In the Nature Nanotechnology of January 27, associate professor Brian Smith and a team of scientists published an article that describes how they created a Trojan Horse nanoparticle that can be guided to eat debris, reducing and stabilising plaque.

This discovery is an important breakthrough in the potential treatment for atherosclerosis, which is one of the leading causes of heart disease, stroke and death in South Africa.

The nanoparticle has a high selectivity for macrophages (a cell responsible for detecting and destroying germs) and once inside the macrophages in the plaques, it delivers a drug agent that stimulates the cell to surround and devour dead and dying cells.

The macrophage-specific nanotherapy removes the dead cells in the core of the plaque. By reviving the macrophages through the delivery of nanoparticle messages, the plaque size is decreased and stabilised, and the risk of heart attacks reduced.

Scientists at Rice University, Biola University and Texas A&M Health Science Center (US) developed nanodrills to treat skin diseases. The light-activated molecular nanomachines, originally designed to target drug-resistant bacteria, cancer and other disease-causing cells by drilling holes into their cell walls, are now able to kill whole eukaryotic organisms (whose cells have a nucleus such as animals).

Customised nanomachines with spatial and temporal control that target specific tissues for therapy could also be used in a variety of benign and malignant disease states, among others the treatment of cancer, parasites, bacteria and diseased tissues. It could also help to fight drug-resistant pneumonia where antibiotics have proven ineffective, as well as be used for environmental parasite control.

On December 17 a group of researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden published an article in the highly regarded scientific journal ACS Nano, where they explain their creation of a new, nanostructured rubber-like material with a unique set of properties that could replace human tissue in medical procedures.

This mesoporous (a material containing pores with diameters between 2 and 50 nanometres) elastomer (a polymer with elastic properties) could make a huge difference to many peoples lives in the future.

The nanorubber is soft, flexible, extremely elastic, can easily be processed and is, therefore, very suitable for medical use. What makes it so valuable is that the material can be constructed to prevent bacteria to grow on the surface through placing antimicrobial peptides (small proteins, which are part of our innate immune system) on it. This could help reduce the need for antibiotics and thus help in the fight against increasing antibiotic resistance.

Without doubt, the nanoworld of atoms and molecules - where everything is measured in nanometres, or a billionth of a metre - has many more secrets, new materials and incredible innovations to offer that will certainly change our future.

Professor Louis C H Fourie is a futurist and technology strategist. [emailprotected] For the full version of this article, go to http://www.busrep.co.za

BUSINESS REPORT

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Tech News: Nanotechnology at the centre of big innovations - IOL

Drew Ely of GlenOak, Malone University Teen of the Month – Canton Repository

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Name: Drew Ely

Residence: North Canton

Age: 18

School: GlenOak High School

GPA: 4.714

College choice: Undecided

Parents: Anne and Chris Ely

Describe yourself in three words: Curious, Funny, Driven

School activities: Cross country, track, Academic Challenge, Ohio Model United Nations, National Honors Society

Community Activities: National Honors Society, women's health drive, race volunteering

Honors and Awards: ACT score of 35, 2 Academic Letters, 4 Cross Country Letters, 3 Track Letters, 3 Debate Letters, Public Forum Debate State Qualifier

Nominated By: Jennifer Austin, international baccalaureate diploma programme English language and literature teacher and Emily Palmer, international baccalaureate diploma programme director coordinator and theory of knowledge teacher.

What is your favorite thing to do outside school: To play games with my friends. A few years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons, and I've been hooked ever since.

Favorite High School Memory: My first cross country practice in the rain. Heavy rain during cross country always seems to make practice more fun and less painful, and a mixture of bad singing, running through miniature lakes and rivers of water, and yelling in joy made that day extremely enjoyable.

Most people would be surprised to know. . .: I have a girlfriend.

What do you hope to do as a career: I hope to become a biomedical engineer with a specialization in nanotechnology. I plan on utilizing nanotechnology to prevent and alleviate prevalent illnesses and issues.

What is the biggest issue facing teens today?: The wasting of potential. Teenagers often feel discredited and ignored, yet remain ignorant to important information, disrespectful, and undedicated to bettering themselves as people. The reason I believe this is such a large issue is because many teens have the ability to achieve greatness, but settle for complacency. There is an opportunity inherent within this generation to create positive change in the world, and we have a responsibility to fulfill that potential.

Boys

Alliance High School

DeSean Hollins

Nominated by: Carrie Chunat, vocal music teacher and Christian Shively, teacher

Canton South High School

Logan Phillip Bergert

Nominated by: Cathy Ferrell, English teacher

Central Catholic High School

Justin Matthew Buckland

Nominated by: Penny Harris, AP English teacher and Jeff Lindesmith, guidance officer

East Canton High School

Demetrius Snellenberger

Nominated by: Kelly Lenhart and Tom Loy

Hoover High School

Jaideep Ram Seth

Nominated by: Tiffany Walker, AP junior English teacher and Dave Birtcher, AP US history teacher

Jackson High School

Alexander John Regas

Nominated by: Julie Prato, school counselor and Kevin Walsh, teacher

Lake Center Christian School

Blake Sommers

Nominated by: Sharon Martin, English teacher, advanced placement instructor, National Honor Society advisor and Malone University English adjunct professor and Jennings Bryan Luton Jr., math and history teacher

Lake High School

Janson Smith

Nominated by: Zachary McCoy, economics teacher and Aja Tompot, marketing and business management teacher

Louisville High School

Hunter Michael Vaught

Nominated by: Jen Schaeffer, English teacher and Mike McKinney, science teacher

Marlington High School

Daniel Greco

Nominated by: Sam Alhadid, chorus teacher and Matthew Denny, robotics teacher

McKinley High School

Trenton Eaves

Nominated by: Lori Nickels, head of counselors and Manuel Halkias, teacher and director of speech

Minerva High School

Luke Craddock

Nominated by: Lisa Kuehn, honors mathematics teacher, National Honors Society advisor, Top 10 Percent coordinator, honors night coordinator and winter homecoming advisor and Brett Yeagley, principal

Perry High School

Nickolas Baret Forchione

Nominated by: Kevin McDougal, social studies teacher and speech and debate coach and Christopher Meiser, social studies department head

Sandy Valley High School

Nash English Monroe

Nominated by: Lori Ann Trachsel, media specialist and student council advisor and Michelle Crowe, business and English teacher

Tuslaw High School

Bradley Daniel Goff

Nominated by: Sharon Fannin, English teacher and Neil Parrot, science teacher

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Drew Ely of GlenOak, Malone University Teen of the Month - Canton Repository

Nanotechnology is Making Devices and Object which were Not Possible – The Canton Independent Sentinel

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A sequence of advancements in materials and design has allowed producers to work at scales smaller than a billionth of a meter. At these sizes,it is attainable to create units and objects that sometimes arent attainable and to manufacture supplies that behave in a different way on account of their dimensions.

These supplies and applied sciences known as nanotechnology provide a spread of advantages forproducers. Regardless of the novelty of the know-how, theyre already being utilized in mass manufacturing.

Beneath, well break down what nanotechnology is and the way the brand new know-how is related to manufacturing.

Nanotechnology is the manufacture and manipulation of nanoscopic supplies and know-how. As a result of the sector has solely come into large use in manufacturing just lately, there are competing definitions for what counts as nano. One well-liked definition for nanomaterials, which make up the majority of nanotechnology at present in use, was set by the European Fee. It defines nano as any materials made up of at the least 50% of particles betweenone and 100 nanometers in size or, about one-hundredth to one-tenth the scale of the typical germ.

This definition consists of each manufactured and naturally occurring nanomaterials, like volcanic ash.

Nanotechnology has grown quickly over the previous few years. There are a number of causes for the sudden development, together with the sensible. Working at microscopic scales permits you to, for instance, create ultra-thin and versatile circuit boards. Plus, there are distinctive benefits that solely nanomaterials can provide.

These tiny suppliestypicallybehave in a different way than normal supplies and have distinctive or uncommon properties on account of their construction. For instance, there are carbon nanotubes, that are a few of the best-known nanomaterials. These nanotubesare extremely sturdy and light-weight, have a near-limit tip-surface space, are extremely chemically secure and are extra thermally conductive than diamond.

Along with these nanoscale supplies, nanotechnology additionally consists of domains like nanomedicine, nanoelectronics and nanorobotics. These are subdomains of bigger fields which might be working on nanoscale.Outdoors of nanomaterials, nanorobotics and nanoelectronics are probably essentially the most related to manufacturing.

There are two broad classes of strategy to nanofabrication, themanufacturing of nanomaterials: top-down and bottom-up.

With a top-down manufacturing strategy, a producer will begin with bigger supplies and use chemical and bodily processes to interrupt them down into nanoscopic components. This strategy is usually employed when a producer wants to use a fabric that is available at regular scales on the nano stage. For instance, diamonds have naturally excessive thermal conductivity. Diamond nanoparticles present comparable properties, however can be utilized in several methods or blended into liquids like mineral oil.

Backside-up manufacturing begins with particular person molecules or compounds and makes use of a mix of chemical and bodily processes to hitch them collectively into nanoscopic supplies. Many nanomaterials which have distinctive or uncommon constructions like carbon nanotubes are manufactured with a bottom-up strategy.

As a result of theres such a spread of various nanomaterials, theres additionally all kinds of potential purposes.

Carbon nanotubes are a few of the most generally used nanomaterials, merely as a result of materialss set of distinctive traits. Theyre already being utilized in conditions the place a producer wants excessive put on resistance and break power at a light-weight weight for instance, bike frames, bulletproof vests, industrial robotic arms, sailboat hulls and spaceship parts, amongst others.

The distinctive construction of those nanotubes additionally makes them efficient in water purification and drug supply. The rings of carbon within the nanotubes construction can filter out many chemical, organic and bodily pollution from water. Their form might be wrapped round inside parts, shielding them throughout drug supply.

Carbon nanofibers are typically used within the manufacture of security put on, particularly biotextiles, the place they will present a number of extremely helpful qualities like liquid and stain resistance, in addition to antimicrobial properties.

Carbon nanoparticles can be utilized in mixture with heavy, non-nano supplies, like metal. When distributed all through metal, these nanoparticles can improve its power. They will in the end cut back the quantity of fabric wanted, creatinglighter weight objects with out relying solely on nanomaterials.

Nanotechnology can be used to create more practical and secure lubricants, that are helpful in a wide range of industrial purposes. On the nanoscale, supplies can act equally to ball-bearings in petroleum-based lubricants, preserving issues flowing easily, guaranteeing even distribution and limiting aggregation. They will ensure that machine parts keep lubricated, even within the face of fast adjustments in temperature or stress.

Nanotechnology can also be utilized in automotive manufacturing. Tire producers are more and more utilizing polymer nanocomposites in high-end tires to extend their sturdiness and put on resistance. As well as, nanotech might be utilized within themanufacture of improved consumer car products, like motor oil.

In electronics, nanotechnology allows the manufacture of tinyelectronics and electrical units like nanoscale transistors made out of carbon nanotubes. The extraordinarily small scale makes it attainable to print skinny and extremely versatile objects like plastic photo voltaic panels, electrical textiles and versatile gasoline sensors.

Different purposes of nanotechnology which have proven critical promise embrace nanomachines or nanites mechanical or robotic units that function on the nanoscale. Nanomachines are, for essentially the most half, future-tech and never broadly utilized in manufacturing proper now. Nonetheless, that is anticipated to vary quickly probably, inside the decade. Researchers are already beginning to be utilized in sure settings especially in medicine, where nanoscopic, self-assembling units can be utilized in ways in which normal machines cannot.

The widespread use of nanotechnology is pretty new. Lately, nonetheless, the know-how has quickly develop into extra well-liked, as new analysis and experimental design has made it clear how efficient these nanotechnologies might be.

Well-liked nanomaterials, like carbon nanotubes, are already broadly fabricated and utilized within the manufacture of a wide range of items, together with sailboat hulls, bicycle frames and spaceship parts. In electronics, design on the nanoscale is creating extremely versatile units and circuit boards. Quickly, nanoscale robots known as nanomachines or nanites could quickly revolutionize medical machine development. Nanotech and manufacturing will shortly be linked in methods that can inform future processes

Josh is Editor In Chief of Canton Sentinel Blog

He is News Journalist By Profession carrying Experience of More than 15 years.

He also supports a Charity Named as No Smoke World

Email [emailprotected]

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Nanotechnology is Making Devices and Object which were Not Possible - The Canton Independent Sentinel

Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery Market : Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Threats (2019-2025) – Packaging News 24

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The global Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery market reached ~US$ xx Mn in 2019 and is anticipated grow at a CAGR of xx% over the forecast period 2019-2029. In this Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery market study, the following years are considered to predict the market footprint:

The business intelligence study of the Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery market covers the estimation size of the market both in terms of value (Mn/Bn USD) and volume (x units). In a bid to recognize the growth prospects in the Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery market, the market study has been geographically fragmented into important regions that are progressing faster than the overall market. Each segment of the Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery market has been individually analyzed on the basis of pricing, distribution, and demand prospect for the Global regions.

Request Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2303549&source=atm

Each market player encompassed in the Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery market study is assessed according to its market share, production footprint, current launches, agreements, ongoing R&D projects, and business tactics. In addition, the Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery market study scrutinizes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis.

The key players covered in this studyAccess PharmaceuticalsAlkermesAquanovaCamurusCapsulution PharmaCelgene

Market segment by Type, the product can be split intoTargeted DeliveryDrug Package

Market segment by Application, split intoCancerTumorOther

Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaCentral & South America

The study objectives of this report are:To analyze global Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players.To present the Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery development in United States, Europe and China.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their development plan and strategies.To define, describe and forecast the market by product type, market and key regions.

In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery are as follows:History Year: 2014-2018Base Year: 2018Estimated Year: 2019Forecast Year 2019 to 2025For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2018 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.

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What insights readers can gather from the Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery market report?

The Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery market report answers the following queries:

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Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery Market : Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Threats (2019-2025) - Packaging News 24

The Grace of the Worlds: Beautiful Planets – NASA Planetary Science

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The poet Wendell Berry wrote about the power of nature to ease the mind:

"I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free."

Even when we can't see them, the stars and other wonders of the universe are always there, and the "grace of the world" or the many worlds of our solar system can offer inspiration. These NASA resources will help you find and enjoy some of that beauty.

NASA's Juno spacecraft is currently orbiting the giant planet, studying its mysterious deep interior. To document its journey, the spacecraft carries a camera called JunoCam. As part of a NASA citizen science project, amateur image processors around the world convert raw data from JunoCam into stunning imagery. The results are beautiful, and have even contributed to significant scientific discoveries about Jupiter's churning atmosphere. You can see the JunoCam contributors' latest work and submit your own on the Juno website.

The Cassini mission left a legacy of 395,927 images taken by its onboard cameras through a variety of photographic filters. They reveal the planet, its rings and its miniature solar system of moons at a level of detail that changed our understanding of planetary science. This treasure trove of imagery is archived online, organized by subject. You can even search through the entire collection of raw images. Some of the most striking Cassini pictures have been collected in an e-Book.

Each planet and major moon, as well as some asteroids and comets, has its own page on this site, complete with an image and video gallery to explore. Just choose your destination.

This poster set, which can be downloaded and printed individually, showcases the beauty of our solar system and beyond. You can optionally download a back page for each poster that includes orbit diagrams and further context. Fifteen of the best images are also available in trading card size.

Each space image in this collection is available for download in sizes that make for good desktop or phone wallpapers. Creative video conference-goers could even use them as a background for their next virtual meeting.

When you're ready to take your exploration farther, this page leads to other resources, including videos, podcasts, education guides and hands-on activities for adults and children.

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The Grace of the Worlds: Beautiful Planets - NASA Planetary Science

Drift Ice in the Sea of Okhotsk – NASA

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Sea ice in the Northern Hemisphere is not limited to the cap of ice that tops the Arctic Ocean; seas around and south of the Arctic Circle also can get a seasonal covering. These satellite images, acquired in March 2020, show ice in the Sea of Okhotskone of the lowest latitudes (down to 44 North) in the Northern Hemisphere where a sizable amount of seasonal sea ice forms each year.

Ice formation here is aided by cold westerly winds that blow out from East Siberia for much of the winter. Freshwater from the Amur and other rivers also helps ice form in parts of the sea. When freshwater mixes with seawater, the water mass becomes fresher (less saline) than seawater alone, which allows it to freeze at a warmer temperature.

The two images above, acquired by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8, show thin sea ice in the Sea of Okhotsk on March 12, 2020. The area shown is just off the southeastern coast of Sakhalin, Russias largest island. Much of this ice likely started forming north of the island and was then carried south by the Sakhalin Current, which flows south along the islands east coast. Northwest and west winds likely pushed the ice to the southeast and east, as evidenced by the streaks.

Starting between mid-January to early February, sea ice usually moves south toward the waters off Abashiri, a port town on the northeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan. Residents and tourists celebrate the arrival with the Abashiri Okhotsk Drift Ice Festival. Drift ice (Ryuhyo in Japanese) is the name for sea ice that is moved by winds and currents.

Drift ice was still visible around Sakhalin and Hokkaido on the last day of winter, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Terra satellite acquired the third image. Its not likely to last long, however, as spring will soon bring warmer air and water to the region.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS/LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

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Drift Ice in the Sea of Okhotsk - NASA

NASA Spots 4 Asteroids Headed For Earth This Weekend – International Business Times

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KEY POINTS

NASAs automated asteroid tracking system has detected four near-Earth objects that are expected to approach the planet this weekend. According to the agency, the biggest asteroid in the group is about as big as the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.

The first asteroid that will approach Earth this weekend has been identified by NASAs Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) as 2020 FK. As indicated in CNEOS database, this asteroid has an estimated diameter of about 43 feet, which makes it the smallest in the group.

CNEOS noted that this asteroid is currently traveling across space at a speed of over 23,000 miles per hour.

Trailing behind 2020 FK is an asteroid known as 2020 FS. This space rock is currently flying towards Earth at a speed of about 9,600 miles per hour. CNEOS estimated that this asteroid measures around 56 feet wide.

Both 2020 FK and 2020 FS will visit Earths vicinity on Saturday. 2020 FK is expected to approach the planet on March 21 at 12:05 a.m. EDT from a distance of about 0.00909 astronomical units or around 845,000 miles away.

2020 FS, on the other hand, will zip past the planet on March 21 at 11:29 a.m. EDT. During its approach, the asteroid will be about 0.02096 astronomical units from the Earths center, which is equivalent to around 1.9 million miles.

On Sunday, Earth will be visited by two asteroids. The first one is called 2020 DP4, which is the biggest asteroid in the group. According to CNEOS, this space rock has an estimated diameter of 180 feet. It is currently moving across the Solar System at a speed of 18,000 miles per hour.

The second asteroid that will fly past Earth on Sunday is known as 2020 FF1. This space rock measures about 49 feet wide and is moving towards Earth at a velocity of almost 29,000 miles per hour.

2020 DP4 will fly past Earth on March 22 at 2:34 p.m. EDT from a distance of about 0.00903 astronomical units or 840,000 miles away. As for 2020 FF1, this asteroid will approach from a much closer distance on March 22 at 6:09 p.m. EDT. According to CNEOS, this asteroid will zip past the planet from a distance of only 0.00477 astronomical units or 443,000 miles away.

Image: Artist illustration of an asteroid heading for the Earth Photo: Pixabay

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NASA Spots 4 Asteroids Headed For Earth This Weekend - International Business Times

Heres Why Sealand Capital Galaxy (LON:SCGL) Must Use Its Cash Wisely – Simply Wall St

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Theres no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. But while the successes are well known, investors should not ignore the very many unprofitable companies that simply burn through all their cash and collapse.

So, the natural question for Sealand Capital Galaxy (LON:SCGL) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. In this article, we define cash burn as its annual (negative) free cash flow, which is the amount of money a company spends each year to fund its growth. Lets start with an examination of the businesss cash, relative to its cash burn.

See our latest analysis for Sealand Capital Galaxy

You can calculate a companys cash runway by dividing the amount of cash it has by the rate at which it is spending that cash. As at June 2019, Sealand Capital Galaxy had cash of UK62k and no debt. In the last year, its cash burn was UK478k. So it had a cash runway of approximately 2 months from June 2019. Its extremely surprising to us that the company has allowed its cash runway to get that short! You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

Whilst its great to see that Sealand Capital Galaxy has already begun generating revenue from operations, last year it only produced UK587k, so we dont think it is generating significant revenue, at this point. Therefore, for the purposes of this analysis well focus on how the cash burn is tracking. Wed venture that the 68% reduction in cash burn over the last year shows that management are, at least, mindful of its ongoing need for cash. Sealand Capital Galaxy makes us a little nervous due to its lack of substantial operating revenue. We prefer most of the stocks on this list of stocks that analysts expect to grow.

Theres no doubt Sealand Capital Galaxys rapidly reducing cash burn brings comfort, but even if its only hypothetical, its always worth asking how easily it could raise more money to fund further growth. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash to drive growth. We can compare a companys cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one years operations.

Sealand Capital Galaxy has a market capitalisation of UK2.0m and burnt through UK478k last year, which is 24% of the companys market value. Thats not insignificant, and if the company had to sell enough shares to fund another years growth at the current share price, youd likely witness fairly costly dilution.

Even though its cash runway makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Sealand Capital Galaxys cash burn reduction was relatively promising. After looking at that range of measures, we think shareholders should be extremely attentive to how the company is using its cash, as the cash burn makes us uncomfortable. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 5 warning signs for Sealand Capital Galaxy (4 cant be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course Sealand Capital Galaxy may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks that insiders are buying.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

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Heres Why Sealand Capital Galaxy (LON:SCGL) Must Use Its Cash Wisely - Simply Wall St

Flintshire man who went to see son play in band in Chester caught drink-driving on way home – The Chester Standard

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A FLINTSHIRE man who had been to see his son play in a band in Chester was arrested for drink-driving on his way home.

Lesley Paul Lyon, 61, of Windmill, Pentre Halkyn, was spotted by police driving erratically on Sealand Road early on March 2, Chester Magistrates Court heard on Friday, March 20.

He pleaded guilty to drink-driving and received a 12-month driving ban.

Prosecuting, Amanda York said it was at 1.20am when police spotted Lyon driving his green Mitsubishi and appeared to be tapping his brakes for no reason, and had strayed over the central line on two occasions.

When stopped and asked if he had been drinking, Lyon replied: "I have had a couple, yeah."

After initially refusing to get in the back of the police car, Lyon co-operated with the drink-drive test and blew 49 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, compared to the legal limit of 35.

When interviewed, he said he had been to see his son in a band and had not eaten that day.

He had seven convictions for eight previous offences, the last in 2018 for battery.

Lyon, defending himself, said: "There is no excuse for drinking and driving. I am not in the habit of that."

He added he had drunk one pint in the afternoon with two further pints that evening, and had not had anything to eat.

He explained he lived remotely in Pentre Halkyn with his wife, who had Huntington's, and there were no bus routes.

He said he had diabetes and was at risk of getting coronavirus and had respiratory issues.

Lyon added: "I can only beg for leniency."

Magistrates imposed the minimum 12-month driving ban, with the option of Lyon taking a drink-drive rehabilitation course which would reduce his ban by one third.

He must pay a 120 fine plus 85 court costs and a 32 victim surcharge.

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Flintshire man who went to see son play in band in Chester caught drink-driving on way home - The Chester Standard

More than three weeks of overnight closures on Cheshire roads to start – Cheshire Live

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Starting tonight (Monday, March 16) there will be over three weeks of overnight road closures which will affect some roads in Cheshire.

Cheshire West and Chester Councils (CWaC) highways team will be carrying out road resurfacing over the next few weeks - forcing overnight road closures.

Roads in Winsford, Cuddington and Chester are to be affected by the overnight road closures.

The road closures begin tonight and run as follows:

Monday 16 to Friday 20 March - A54 Woodford Park Roundabout, Winsford

Friday 20 to Thursday 26 March - A49 Warrington Road, Cuddington

Thursday 26 to Tuesday 31 March - A54 Slaterswall Roundabout, Winsford

Tuesday 31 March to Monday 6 April - Sealand Road, Chester - Section One (between B&Q Junction and Sovereign Way)

Friday 3 to Tuesday 7 April - Sealand Road, Chester - Section Two (between Bumpers Lane and the Greyhound Park junction)

Find the latest traffic and travel information in your area by entering your postcode in the widget below.

The road closures will be in place from 7pm until 6am and diversions will be in place.

There will also be variable message boards informing motorists of the closures leading up to the works.

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More than three weeks of overnight closures on Cheshire roads to start - Cheshire Live

Virus Concerns Lead to ‘Public’ Meetings Without the Public – The New York Times

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. First, Oklahoma lawmakers excluded the public from the Capitol because of coronavirus concerns.

Then with the public gone, lawmakers made an emergency change to the state's open-meetings law to let all governmental entities meet via video or teleconference, so long as people can watch or listen remotely.

Across the U.S., numerous governors, lawmakers, mayors and county officials have made similar decisions to keep the public away from public meetings all for the sake of public health. Ironically, the sudden policy shift has played out during the annual observation of Sunshine Week, a seven-day period intended to highlight the importance of open-government policies.

Public participation in our democracy is really fundamental to the health of our democracy," said David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition, a California-based nonprofit that promotes government transparency.

"I think government agencies need to be very careful not to unduly restrict the publics ability to see what government is doing and, maybe more importantly, to participate in what the governments doing, he said.

On Friday, 132 state and national groups backing open-government policies released a joint statement urging officials at all levels of government to not retrench from their duties for public involvement because of the coronavirus.

Government bodies should not opportunistically take advantage of the publics inability to attend large gatherings to make critical decisions affecting the publics interest if those decisions can reasonably be postponed, the statement said.

All U.S. states require open government meetings. Some mandate that a majority of government officials be physically present to meet. Others already allow officials to meet by video or phone, with accommodations for the public to watch or listen from a designated room.

Those mandates for in-person access have been suspended or ignored as an increasing number of governments have instructed people to stay home and avoid public gatherings to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease.

The move toward seclusion has posed some practical and technological challenges.

When the Oklahoma Senate passed a bill this week authorizing public bodies to hold teleconference or video meetings through March 1, 2021, open-government advocates couldn't enter the closed Capitol to voice their concerns about the duration of the emergency rules.

Andy Moore, executive director of Freedom of Information Oklahoma, had been watching a live stream of the legislative debate on his computer. He posted his objections on social media. A House member then got in touch with him via text, and the House passed a new version that shortened the remote meeting policy until Nov. 15.

It worked out OK, Moore said, but anything that kind of clamps down on the flow of information makes it more difficult for the public to stay involved.

Legislators in Maine and Tennessee also excluded the public from their buildings. South Carolina lawmakers asked lobbyists and visitors to stay away.

The Pennsylvania House and Senate each voted to change their rules this past week to allow members to participate and vote remotely. And New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, signed a bill Thursday letting the Legislature meet remotely using technology.

Some open-government advocates worry that it may become harder for the remote-viewing public to interact with elected officials or fully understand what's going on.

Video conference meetings are great, but theres really no substitute for physical presence," Snyder said.

In Rhode Island, technical glitches frustrated some people trying to watch the first significant state meeting to be live-streamed after Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo loosened the state's public meetings law. Those following the Board of Elections via the agency's Facebook page complained that the feed froze.

The Rhode Island chapters of Common Cause and the American Civil Liberties Union said Friday that governmental bodies meeting virtually should be required to pause their proceedings if the video or audio stream is interrupted. They also said all documents discussed should be shared online in advance of the meeting.

In Waterville, Maine, the city solicitor warned Thursday that a new panel formed to address the coronavirus had been illegally meeting in secret and making decisions, including to suspend the city's plastic bag ban. Sigmund Schutz, a lawyer for MaineToday Media, told the state attorney generals office that urgent guidance is needed for compliance with the Freedom of Access Act.

Restrictions on public meetings have been implemented without resistance in some states. But Republicans in Michigan objected to actions by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Her order temporarily allows public bodies to conduct their meetings electronically, by phone or video conference, as long as they allow public access and participation.

Older Michiganders are most at risk during these times. They are also the least likely to have the technology necessary to access public meetings electronically, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey said. In a time of crisis, citizens should have more access to their elected officials, not less.

Critics said Shirkey's comments were hypocritical. Michigan is one of two states that wholly exempt both legislators and the governor's office from disclosing communications and other information to the public.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, published a legal opinion saying public meetings could be conducted remotely as long as there was plenty of notice and a means for the public to observe. He suggested that public bodies provide technical support for people who have difficulty dialing in to a phone conference or watching a video conference.

Transparency is the core of legality, Brnovich wrote. Throughout any circumstance, the government must remain accountable to the people.

Daniel Bevarly, executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, said he understands the need to restrict access to meetings during the coronavirus pandemic. If governmental bodies continue to live-stream their meetings even after re-opening their doors, the current crisis ultimately could lead to long-term benefits, he said.

This is an opportunity for us to re-examine this whole public engagement in a digital world," Bevarly said.

___

Associated Press writers Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey; Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Philip Marcelo in Boston; and David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.

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Virus Concerns Lead to 'Public' Meetings Without the Public - The New York Times

The First Amendment, a Philosophy Professor, and Pronouns – Daily Nous

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No, professors, the First Amendment does not protect you from receiving a warning from your universityaboutviolating its nondiscrimination policies when you talk to or about your transgender students in discriminatory ways in class.

Nicholas Meriwether, professor of philosophy at Shawnee State University in Ohio,had used sir while responding in his Fall 2018 political philosophy class to a transgender woman student. After class that day, the student asked Dr. Meriwether to refer to her as a woman and use feminine pronouns (she, her) or titles (Miss, Ms.) when addressing or talking about her.He refused. Instead, he resorted to referring tothe student by her last name only, while continuing to address other students in class as Mr. and Ms. followed by their last name.

Nicholas Meriwether

The student filed a complaint with the university, which investigated and presented Dr. Meriwether with a written warning to not violate the schools nondiscrimination policies. (See previous post on this here.)

Dr. Meriwether then sued Shawnee State University, arguing that the warning had violated hisConstitutional rights. From the initial decision:

He is a professing evangelical Christian and member of the Presbyterian Church of America with sincerely-held religious beliefs about gender, and he does not believe that an individuals gender can be changed after the moment of conception He objects to communicating what he believes to be a University mandated ideological message regarding gender identity that he does not believe and which he believes contradicts (and would force him to violate) his sincerely held religious beliefs.

Meriwether sought a judgment that the schools nondiscrimination policies and practices violated his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The Shawnee State University officials named in the lawsuit asked the court to dismiss it.

This past September the court did dismiss the case, making use of various precedents, including the judgments that Universities may sanction professors whose pedagogical attitudes and teaching methods do not conform to institutional standards and that although public universities may not force professors to endorse or eschew specific viewpoints, the First Amendment does not bar a public university from requiring that its faculty treat each other and their students with civility.

Meriwether appealed to the district court, which rejected his appeallast month. Meriwether has now filed a further appeal.

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The First Amendment, a Philosophy Professor, and Pronouns - Daily Nous

Distorted view of the First Amendment | News, Sports, Jobs – Williamsport Sun-Gazette

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The National Socialist Movement, the American Nazi party, does not have a First Amendment right to rally at Brandon Park (or anywhere else) because their agenda is to encourage violence. A lawsuit is underway by the City of Charlottesville based upon the efforts of the organizers of the National Socialist Movement to both plan and encourage violence at a rally held in that city.

Our mayor and City Council are wrong to believe that there is any First Amendment right. It seems quite clear that the authorities in this city have not looked even casually at the history of the National Socialist Movement or examined their postings in connection with the event to be held in Williamsport.

Williamsport will now become known as the City of Hate. It behooves our newly elected mayor, City Council and the chief of police to do some research on this organization and to deny the permit.

A number of years ago, I received a telephone call from Mayor Campana when the Ku Klux Klan sought a permit in Williamsport. The Mayor said that because of the groups history of violence, he would not permit it. I received a similar phone call from the mayor of Montoursville. The Ku Klux Klan did not hold its rally.

After the permits were denied, the head of the Ku Klux Klan was referred to me by the ACLU in Washington, D.C. I met with the Klan head in my office for over three hours. After the meeting, I told the Klan head that I would not represent him but that there were plenty of other lawyers who had a twisted notion of the First Amendment. I encouraged the Klan leader to work through conventional, non-violent channels.

The citys chief of police later told me that the man I talked to quit leading the Klan and that the organization would not be pursuing any legal action.

Our current administration has to stand tall. Have some backbone on this issue. Hatred and incitement to violence must be opposed regardless of where those extremist views come from. The question is not one of opinion, but rather a history of violence and the promoting of behaviors that are a clear and present danger to others.

One must ask whether the mayor, City Council and chief of police have looked into the organization, its history, its social media prior to rallies around the country, and what has occurred at those other events.

I am and remain a proud civil rights lawyer. As I write this piece, I am preparing a federal complaint against a school district that denied to my client her First Amendment rights and retaliated against her for exercising those rights. The First Amendment is crucial. The document inked by our Founders was meant to be enforced.

Nevertheless, and in spite of the First Amendment, the Congress of the United States, during one of the earliest administrations, passed the Alien and Sedition Act. Under the presidency of John Adams, publicists and journalists were jailed for expressing negative views and opinions about the Federalists who were in power. This was a dark and ugly history for our nation. Other attempts to quash First Amendment rights have occurred throughout our nations history. The First Amendment must be a bulwark that stands between democracy and totalitarianism.

The Supreme Court is often quoted as having stated that no one has a right to yell fire in a crowded movie theatre. The First Amendment does not permit advocating or planning violence. People are criminally punished and go to jail who plan or try to convince others to commit violent acts. Violence is the agenda of the American Nazi Party.

No counter-demonstration or police presence will remove the stain from this citys reputation and history should it permit the Nazi event to go forward in Brandon Park. Our city officials should stand up proudly against granting this permit and should fight in the courts for the principle that violence and advocates of violence have no home in our beautiful city.

We live in an era where it seems that the First Amendment is defined by whether a particular official belongs to the left wing or right wing. Williamsport is taking an anemic stance toward a hate organization such as the Nazi party because of a misplaced and completely inaccurate view of the First Amendment. Such views are not progressive or open-minded, but rather represent the equivalent of unintended cooperation with forces of hate.

History has shown us that the Roosevelt administration not only failed to oppose the Nazi effort to destroy all Jews in Europe, but through its indifference actually encouraged the Holocaust. The Roosevelt administration was filled with anti-Semites who acted as a silent cheering section for the goals of the Third Reich. Our public officials must be cognizant of history. Liberalism and open-mindedness should never be an open highway to permit the promulgation of violence in the name of the glorious First Amendment.

The question as to whether the Nazis will be allowed to rally in Williamsport or whether the permit will be revoked is a defining moment in this citys history.

Cliff Rieders is a board-certified trial advocate in Williamsport.

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Distorted view of the First Amendment | News, Sports, Jobs - Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Assange’s Extradition: An Escalation of the US War on Terror – Common Dreams

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Last week the U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga released Chelsea Manning from detainment after concluding that the grand jury that she had been subpoenaed to testify before no longer needed her, since it was being disbanded. Manning was incarcerated because of her principled stance against the secrecy of the grand jury and her refusal to cooperate in its coercive procedure.

The release of Manning came after the U.S. government tried to break her to the point of suicide. Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, wrote a letter to the U.S. government late last year indicating that Manning's imprisonment amounted to torture. Her resistance is a part of the U.S. government's war on the free press, going after WikiLeaks' publisher Julian Assange.

Assange has been charged under the Espionage Act for publishing classified documents which exposed U.S.war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. This indictment is recognized by free speech groups as an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment. In February, the first week of the U.K. hearing of the U.S. request for Assange's extradition revealed a scale of this 'war' that goes well beyond press freedom. What took place inside the Woolwich Crown Court in south-east London was a sign of a dangerous slippery slide towards fascism.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser's deliberations on the U.S.extradition request for Assange was a trial for journalism, where bullying of an innocent man is camouflaged as a judicial process and the prosecution of a publisher that has no legal ground is given legitimacy. As Assange's defense team argued, the proceedings have shown a serious disregard for the rule of law, including abuse of process and ignoring the political nature of this case.

Craig Murray, a U.K. ex-diplomat who attended the hearing everyday, gave a report of his first hand account, pointing out the very oppressive nature of the building and physical arrangement inside the maximum security anti-terrorist court. He made it clear that Assange is a remand prisoner who completed an unprecedentedly long sentence for a minor bail violation and an innocent man facing charges for publishing documents that exposed the U.S.and U.K. government's war crimes.

The former ambassador to Uzbekistan described how Assange is now treated like a violent criminal. On the first day of trial, Assange was subjected to strip searches twice, handcuffed 11 times and his court papers were removed. In the courtroom he was held behind a glass pane in the presence of private security officers, being unable to communicate with his legal team confidentially during proceedings. During the hearing, Assange spoke:

"I cannot communicate with my lawyers or ask them for clarifications without the other side seeing. The other side has about 100 times more contact with their lawyers per day. What is the point of asking if I can concentrate if I cannot participate?"

Clare Daly, member of the European Parliament from Ireland for the Dublin constituency was at the hearing and commented on this draconian measure taken against international standards. She mentioned that she was shocked to see Assange isolated behind the glass window, away from his legal team. Another member of the Parliament, Stelios Kouloglou, who was also at the court observing the hearing noted how what he saw reminded him of the dictatorship in Greece.

What is this prosecution of WikiLeaks founder really about? What has quietly taken place in the U.S. government's war on free press was a shredding of the Magna Carta as the very foundation of democracy. The Magna Carta is one of the most important historical documents, having established the principle of due process. It embodies the idea that everyone is subject to the law, even the king, and that all are entitled to the right to a fair trial, thus guaranteeing the rights of the individual.

The Founding Fathers of the United States considered this protection against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment essential in securing individual liberty. For this, they aimed to guarantee the constitutional due process right of habeas corpus, in Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution.

By prosecuting Julian Assange, the U.S.government is not only violating the First Amendment, but also engaged in a direct assault on the core of civil liberties. The steps toward destruction of the constitution didn't just begin now. It didn't happen accidentally, nor does this government's obstruction of human rights only concern Assange as an individual. If we look carefully, we can see a series of events that were carefully orchestrated, leading to the extremely disturbing scenario of the detention of a multi-award winning journalist inside a glass box, as seen during the extradition hearing.

Assange through his work with WikiLeaks came to understand the hidden oppressive force that has insidiously stripped him of his own democratic rights. In his 2006 essay Conspiracy as Governance, he wrote:

Authoritarian regimes create forces which oppose them by pushing against a people's will to truth, love and self-realization. Plans which assist authoritarian rule, once discovered, induce further resistance. Hence such schemes are concealed by successful authoritarian powers until resistance is futile or out weighed by the efficiencies of naked power. This collaborative secrecy, working to the detriment of a population, is enough to define their behavior as conspiratorial.

What Assange described as "conspiratorial interactions among the political elite" can be identified in power networks documented by Peter Phillips in his book "Giants: The Global Power Elites." This includes efforts such as the Project for the New American Centuryan enterprise established in 1997 for the purpose of exercising American global leadership. Consisting of top-level personale in the George W. Bush administration, it aims for total military domination of the world.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, networks of "collaborative secrecy" that Assange analyzed, seemed to have gained momentum. Investigative journalist John Pilger revealed the American plan to exploit a catastrophic event and the way the 9/11 disaster provided the "new Pearl Harbor" (discussed in the plan) as the opportunity for the extremists in America to grab the world's resources.

Right after the event the U.S., supported by its close allies, invaded Afghanistan. Then, just weeks later The USA PATRIOT Act, that radically expanded the government's capability of surveillance, was developed as anti-terrorism legislation. The following year, in 2002, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp was set up in Cubain violation of due process clauses of the Constitution. From the Iraq War in 2003 to the passing by Congress of the Military Commissions Act (MCA), that completely dismantled the principle of habeas corpus, the erosion of civil liberties was made under the pretext of "fighting terrorism"America's official mission to wipe out al Qaeda and the terrorist Taliban leaders.

How did this radical transgression against democracy come about? Author Naomi Klein in "Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" investigated how the state exploits crises through taking advantage of the public's psychologically vulnerable state to push through their agendas. She described the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq as a prime example of this shock doctrine.

The terror invoked by the Bush doctrine of "war on terror" in the wake of 9/11 was truly an attack on the heart of democracy. It paralyzed people and decapitated their ability to define reality, uprooting them from their own history. With the mainstream media broadcast of repeated images of the collapse of the Twin Towers, a climate of fear was amplified.

In response to the event portrayed as "terrorist attacks", President Bush in his address to Congress and the American people, expressed his patriotism with the deep emotional tones of vendetta. While the nation was disoriented, and before people had time to process this tragic incident or even really know who perpetrated it, the narrative of victimization was deftly put forth. Many wrapped themselves in the flag and joined the drumbeat of war with a sense of righteous self-defense.

The hearts of people that had frozen became numb. Many of us became unable to feel a sense of wrongness in the face of injustice. A steady advance in the reduction of civil liberties came to be normalized. In the euphemisms of "enhanced interrogation" and "extraordinary rendition" reprehensible human acts such as torture and kidnapping were made more acceptable. The term "bulk collection" was used to disguise "mass surveillance", making unconstitutional NSA spying of an entire world seem less severe or immoral. Cruel killings of civilians became less sensational when they are called "noncombatants" or become "collateral damage" after they were killed.

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Two months after 9/11, in a news conference, President Bush urged the international community to form a coalition for military action. He said, "You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror!"claiming there is no neutrality in this war against terror. With a police crackdown on activists creating a chilling effect, the nation entered a political winter. Consequently, Obama's victory in the 2008 presidential election appeared to have lifted up the dark cloud of the post-9/11 world. Yet by the end of 2009, the American public became disillusioned with Obama's empty promises of "hope and change."

In spring of 2010, as waves of apathy were moving through the country, a shift in the tide emerged. WikiLeaks published classified military footage of the July 2007 attack by a U.S.Army helicopter gunship in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad. The video, titled "Collateral Murder", depicted the killing of more than a dozen men, including two Reuters' staffers.

The release of the Collateral Murder video brought a real catalyst for change. In the 17-minute film that portrayed the everyday life of the brutal military occupation in Iraq, we were given an opportunity to see with our own eyes who those labeled as enemies in the "war on terror" really werea group of adults and children trying to defend themselves from being shot and journalists risking their lives to do their job.

The light that unveiled the U.S.military's senseless killing was the conscience of the U.S.Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. It brought an awakening to the heart that remembers our inherent obligation to one another, helping to recover stolen memories of our own history.

The act of conscience of this young American whistleblower was met with cowardliness and indifference of the established media. Manning first reached out to major U.S. news outlets such as the New York Times and the Washington Post with material that exposed U.S. war crimes, but they turned her away.

With a vacuum of moral courage in the media landscape, WikiLeaks became the publisher of Manning's last resort. Nelson Mandela, who led the emancipation of South Africa, once spoke on how courage is "not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it" and that "the brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

In the face of the prevailing terror of an authoritarian state, WikiLeaks demonstrated truly fearless journalism, igniting the courage of their sources. A project of Sunshine Press launched in 2006, WikiLeaks began to melt frozen hearts, revealing the reality covered up by the corporate media.

In releasing the Collateral Murder video, Assange indicated that the purpose of this publication was to show the world what modern warfare actually looks like and that "his mission is to expose injustice, not to provide an even-handed record of events." An Australian journalist, Assange explained how WikiLeaks gave a political slant to their naming of the video as a way to give it maximum political impact, because the organization wanted to "knock out the euphemism of 'collateral damage', so when anyone watches it they will think 'collateral murder'."

In the summer of 2010, the light of transparency grew stronger. WikiLeaks published the Afghan War Diary, the trove of U.S.classified military records concerning the war in Afghanistan, revealing around 20,000 civilian deaths by assassination, massacre and night raids. This was quickly followed by their subsequent release of the Iraq War Logs, which informed people in Iraq about 15,000 civilian casualties previously unreported and not known to the international community. WikiLeaks' release of 779 classified reports on prisoners of the U.S.military prison in Guantnamo shed light on illegal detention and interrogation practices that were carried out during the Bush regime.

After their release of documents concerning wars in the oil-rich Middle East, the Pentagon swiftly attacked WikiLeaks. Despite the organization's careful harm minimization efforts of redacting sensitive information, U.S. Joint Chief of Staff Mike Mullen threatened the whistleblowing site with a bombastic line of "blood on their hands." This official spokesperson of the Pentagon called WikiLeaks publications "reckless" and "irresponsible" although not one single shred of evidence has ever been brought forth that any of these disclosures caused anyone harm.

At the time WikiLeaks began publishing the U.S. Diplomatic Cables, revealing countless wrongdoing, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (in the Obama administration) strongly condemned the whistleblowing site. Clinton, who admitted the Iraq War was a mistake and confessed how the U.S.had created Al Qaeda and ISIS, said: "This disclosure is not just an attack on America's foreign policy interests. It is an attack on the international community."

Contrary to the U.S.government's portrayal of itself as a victim, WikiLeaks' released documents which have shown the truththat they are the perpetrator of human rights abuses, engaging in illegal wars. Manning's conscience, through WikiLeaks' brave act of publishing, was a response to the U.S.imperial war of aggressionthe massive political offence committed against the entire world.

America's political offense continued even after the Bush-Cheney era. President Obama not only refused to prosecute the previous administration's war criminals, he himself became a successor to their crimes. In 2009, instead of withdrawing troops, he added more, fueling the war in Afghanistan. Despite his promised "sunshine" policyto make the government more transparent Obama waged an unprecedented war against truthtellers, charging Manning and the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden under the Espionage Act.

With his 2012 campaign slogan of "Forward", Obama went "forward" with Guantanamo Bay and drone attacks. He signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012 that contained controversial provisions of a sweeping worldwide indefinite detention, which is still effective today. With his "kill list", this supposedly 'progressive' president expanded the power of the executive branch in ways that enabled him to act as accuser, prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner all in one, including assassinating anyone, even U.S. citizens.

In 2012, declassified military documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that the U.S.government has designated WikiLeaks and Julian Assange as enemies of the United States, putting the media organization in the same legal category as Al Qaeda and violent terrorist groups.

From secret grand jury investigation to extrajudicial financial blockade, to harassment of WikiLeaks' associates at borders (including Assange's lawyer), the Obama administration attacked the publisher who has fiercely defended the public against the empire's repeated human rights abuses and egregious political offenses. Now, in the Trump administration's indictment against Assange on 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act and one count of conspiracy to commit computer crime, we are seeing the escalation of this unprecedented war against the First Amendment.

Assange's U.S.extradition case is our fight against the empire's perpetual "war on terror"the war that started with lies, and a war with no end. This is a political battle and Assange's freedom cannot be won by the court.

Julian Assange created a new form of journalism that enabled a free press to perform its true functionthe role of watchdog for democracy. WikiLeaks opened a possibility for ordinary people to use information as power to participate in unfolding events, thwart authoritarian planning, so as to never repeat the tragic hijack of history that led to atrocities in distant landskilling tens of thousands of innocent people.

Networks of contagious courage that emerged through waves of whistleblowers began to dissolve the conspiracy of governance. The heart of democracy that is resuscitated now inspires us to move toward justice, to recognize our own significance and look one another in the eyes as we become who we are meant to be movers and shakers of our own history. Only through the courage of each individual to overcome fear and confront this terror that has been unleashed, can we end this war and free those who sacrificed their liberty, so we all can be free.

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Assange's Extradition: An Escalation of the US War on Terror - Common Dreams

Government transparency in the time of coronavirus; virtual meeting tips – Georgia Recorder

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As the world reacts to the coronavirus pandemic, public meetings have suddenly become a threat to public health. In response, governmental entities across the state and the country are transitioning from in-person meetings to virtual meetings. The following tips will help local governments and state agencies in Georgia protect peoples health while upholding their commitment to open government.

What the law requires on a regular day

Heres what Georgias Open Meetings Act requires during governments normal operations. The public must have access to all open meetings held by a government entity. The Act applies broadly to every agency, board, department, office or commission, whether at the city, county, state or regional level. Meetings can only be closed to the public in a very limited set of circumstances listed in O.C.G.A. 50-14-3 (see the Georgia First Amendment Foundations Sunshine Laws: A Guide to Open Government in Georgia for more details). If a meeting does not fall into one of those exceptions, then it must be open to the public. Any action taken at a meeting that is improperly closed to the public is null and void.

In addition to providing access, government entities must give the public advance notice of any meeting. A regularly scheduled meeting requires notice at least one week in advance. For any other meetings, officials must provide notice at least 24 hours in advance (though providing more notice whenever practicable is a good idea). Government entities must also post an agenda in advance of any open meeting. Except for certain statewide agencies, all open meetings must be held in person.

Open government laws were designed for flexibility during emergencies

During emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the state Open Meetings Act allows for deviation from these procedures in two ways. First, if officials need to act quickly, a government entity can hold an emergency meeting without providing 24 hours notice. The agency still must provide the public with advance notice of the meeting and post an agenda, and the agency must also record in the meeting minutes the specific circumstances that justified holding an emergency meeting. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, agencies may need to call emergency meetings for a variety of reasons. Agencies should provide public notice of these meetings as early as possible so that members of the public have a chance to attend and participate.

Second, when there is a public safety emergency such as the one presented by coronavirus, government officials who are otherwise required to meet in person can instead conduct their meetings by teleconference. This is particularly important now, when in-person meetings would likely violate recent guidance to avoid gatherings of 10 or more people.

Technology makes public access manageable, even in a crisis

Whether its an emergency meeting or a regularly scheduled meeting by teleconference, members of the public still must have access. Amid todays emergency procedures, the Georgia First Amendment Foundation encourages all of Georgias public agencies to explore technological solutions such as live streaming and teleconferencing that allow the public to attend remotely. A wide variety of platforms enable virtual meetings where members of the public could watch or listen to the actions taken by their governmental representative. If your agency normally has a process for public comment at meetings, consider asking attendees of virtual meetings to submit comments by email before or during the meeting.

Now more than ever, transparency in government is vital to giving the public confidence in their governmental representatives and ensuring they understand and have the ability to weigh in on actions taken under emergency conditions. As governments at all levels change their operations in response to the coronavirus pandemic, they must do so in a way that maintains and promotes Georgians access to the publics business.

The Georgia First Amendment Foundation is available to help public officials, as well as citizens, as they navigate laws governing public access during this crisis. We encourage agencies to contact us with questions as they make the transition to virtual meetings. Reach us at [emailprotected].

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Government transparency in the time of coronavirus; virtual meeting tips - Georgia Recorder

Gary amends abortion ordinance to remove Plan B restriction, abortion organizations – panolawatchman.com

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The Gary City Council amended its adopted abortion ordinance Thursday, removing bans on Plan B sales and references to specific abortion organizations. Officials also added a clause regarding free speech.

The amendments were made after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging abortion ban ordinances passed in seven East Texas cities on Feb. 25. The changes were made to the Gary ordinance to unify it with other cities ordinances and bolster it against the lawsuit, officials said. Other cities that passed abortion ban ordinances, such as Joaquin and Waskom, are also amending their ordinances.

The original adopted ordinance named reproductive choice organizations and advocacy groups as criminal organizations. In the lawsuit, the ACLU represents two abortion funds, the Lilith Fund and the Texas Equal Access Fund both of which were specifically labeled as criminal entities in the original ordinance and argues the ordinances violate those groups rights to free expression and association under the First Amendment.

In the amended ordinance, the clause declaring these organizations as criminal entities has been removed. A clause stating No provision of Section C may be construed to prohibit any conduct protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, as made applicable to the States through the Supreme Courts interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment was added.

The amended ordinance also removes the clause prohibiting the sale and distribution of emergency contraception within the City of Gary.

The amended ordinance still outlaws abortions of any type within the city limits, with no exceptions but abortion bans are unenforceable under current law because Roe v. Wade has not been overturned.

The changes to the ordinance in Gary and other cities were made at the recommendation of legal council to put more focus on the prohibition of surgical and medical abortions, Right to Life East Texas Director Mark Lee Dickson said in an email.

This has been done to unify the ordinances in preparation for a sweeping legal victory, Dickson said.

Gary and the other cities named in the ACLUs lawsuit are being represented by attorney Jonathan F. Mitchell at no cost to the cities or their taxpayers, Dickson said.

Both Right To Life of East Texas and Texas Right To Life stand fully behind every city which has outlawed abortion, as well as every city which will outlaw abortion in the near future, Dickson said. We are all willing and prepared to go to the Supreme Court, if necessary, to defend these constitutional ordinances enacted to protect baby Texans from the baby-murdering industry.

Dickson said that more Texas cities in the near future will be taking the same steps that Waskom and other God-fearing cities took to outlaw abortion in their cities and become sanctuary cities for the unborn.

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Gary amends abortion ordinance to remove Plan B restriction, abortion organizations - panolawatchman.com

Oil, gas industry hails federal courts dismissal of lawsuit on forced pooling – The Denver Post

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Colorado oil and gas representatives Thursday hailed a federal courts dismissal of a case challenging the states forced-pooling law as a win for private property rights and the public good. But the community organization that sued said it might appeal.

In a decision released Wednesday, Federal Judge R. Brooke Jackson dismissed the case by the Wildgrass Oil and Gas Committee, formed by members of the Wildgrass Homeowners Association in Broomfield. The homeowners argued that the practice of forced pooling by oil and gas companies is unconstitutional.

The practice allows a company to drill oil or gas in an area even if all the mineral rights owners dont agree. Colorado used to let a company drill if just one of the owners consented.

Under legislation passed in 2019 to revamp oil and gas rules, a company now must get the consent from the owners of least 45% of the mineral rights before it can move ahead.

We respect Judge Jackson so much. We just disagree with his decision, said Joe Salazar, an attorney and executive director of Colorado Rising who represents the Broomfield homeowners in the lawsuit. Were weighing our options. We might appeal.

The Wildgrass group sued after challenging a decision by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2019 to allow Extraction Oil and Gas to proceed even though not all the owners wanted their minerals drilled. Members of the group said forced pooling violates their First Amendment right of freedom of association and their constitutional right to due process because it amounts to the taking of private property for private use.

The lawsuit named the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and Gov. Jared Polis.

Jackson abstained from deciding the homeowners challenge of the state commissions jurisdiction. He invoked an exemption meant to protect state administrative processes from undue federal influence.

Regarding other claims, Jackson said the homeowners hadnt established that their First Amendment rights were violated. He said previous court decisions found that similar oil and gas regulations served the public interest and protected a states economy.

We are pleased with the District Courts decisive ruling on behalf of the state, as it affirms both existing law as well as the private property rights of Coloradans, Lynn Granger, executive director of the American Petroleum Institute-Colorado, said in an email.

Dan Haley, CEO and president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, said in a statement that pooling serves a public purpose by curbing resource waste while also protecting the correlative rights of property owners, ensuring that those property owners receive a fair return.

But Salazar of Colorado Rising, an environmental group that has advocated for stronger oil and gas regulations, said he disagreed with Jacksons decision that state courts, not federal, are the appropriate venue to decide the lawsuits claims.

Federal constitutional law is the province of federal courts, Salazar said.

He added that the Colorado Constitution prohibits the state from allowing the taking of private property for private use.

The state is forcing people to give up their private property to a private corporation even when they dont want to, Salazar said.

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Oil, gas industry hails federal courts dismissal of lawsuit on forced pooling - The Denver Post

First Five: In crisis times, balancing safety and freedom – McDowell News

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by Lata Nott

Freedom Forum

In times of crisis, safety and freedom may seem like theyre at odds with each other. A society that respects individual liberty cant implement the same kinds of drastic laws and policies that a more authoritarian one can.

This puts more of an onus on citizens of a democracy to make responsible choices. As we face a virus that we can easily pass on without realizing it, that may not cause any symptoms in those who are young and healthy but is potentially deadly to the elderly and those with preexisting conditions, we need to keep in mind that our independent media and civil society can be assets in this fight, as long as we balance our personal freedoms with care and compassion for each other.

As I write this column, 7,038 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States. The highly contagious nature of the virus has led Ohio to postpone its presidential primary, Washington and Maryland to shut down all restaurants and bars (except for delivery and takeout) and California to call for all people 65 and older to shelter inside their homes. More than 30 states have closed their schools. On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that no gatherings of 50 people or more be held in the U.S. for the next eight weeks. On Monday, it amended that warning to apply to gatherings of more than 10 people. Im certain that by the time you read this, there will be more cases of COVID-19, as well as more shutdowns, both voluntary and mandated by state and local officials.

All of this was unimaginable last week. Just last month, the coronavirus seemed like a rather distant problem, even though the first confirmed case in the U.S. occurred in late January. We had several weeks to observe Chinas handling of COVID-19 and at first, a lot of our conversations had a tone of reluctant admiration for how swiftly an authoritarian government could act in the face of an outbreak. In a matter of days, the Chinese government had quarantined entire cities, suspended travel, closed schools and businesses and built two new specialized hospitals. What democracy could match that?

It didnt take long for the truth to come to light. Not that the Chinese government had been censoring information and violating civil liberties that was sort of a given but that censoring information and violating civil liberties actually made the outbreak worse. Chinas suppression of news about the outbreak prevented health care practitioners and individuals from being able to take appropriate precautions and hindered officials from being able to coordinate a response. As this personal essay from an anonymous resident of Wuhan put it, Before this coronavirus, I always thought it was OK to sacrifice some level of democracy and freedom for better living conditions. But now I have changed my attitude. Without democracy and freedom, the truth of the outbreak in Wuhan would never be known.

Of course, now that its our turn to deal with the virus, its hard to argue that were doing much better. For weeks, the Trump administration downplayed the severity of the situation, contradicting public health experts and news media reports and delaying containment and mitigation efforts. According to The Washington Post, early problems with manufacturing coronavirus tests, along with an initial decision to test only a narrow set of people and delays in expanding testing to other labs, gave the virus a head start to spread undetected and helped perpetuate a false sense of security that leaves the United States dangerously behind. Officials in China are reportedly watching our mishandling of the outbreak with a mix of shock and pleasure. They find it hard to believe that the worlds top superpower might be bungling its response to the virus, even after having had weeks to prepare for its possible arrival.

As the national security law blog Lawfare has pointed out, many observers are using the coronavirus as a proxy war for democracies versus authoritarian systems. This is, of course, an oversimplification, but it does highlight an important truth civil liberties do have an impact on how governments deal with crises. Our freedoms of press and speech ensure the free flow of information, but they also allow misinformation to spread. And while South Korea, a fellow democracy but one with less regard for civil liberties, was able to curtail its COVID-19 outbreak by forcibly shutting down a series of churches where the virus initially spread, its hard to imagine an American government official doing the same. Such an action, might register to many Americans as an egregious violation of basic First Amendment instincts regarding the freedom of religion, right to assemble and separation of church and state.

Our state, city and federal officials do have the power to place people in isolation or quarantine, but that power is tempered by the Constitution (the government cannot confine people arbitrarily and without adequate explanation) and by the norms of our society (the impact on liberty means that these are considered measures of last resort). Officials in the U.S. are more likely to recommend that people voluntarily practice social distancing. And even when they do make some aspects of this behavior compulsory, these policies arent nearly as draconian as they would be in an authoritarian system. When Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered bars, restaurants and recreation centers closed, he added, we hope that Ohioans will follow this advice. Just as with every other law or rule, you cant enforce it every time. Compare this to language a Chinese party committee used to discourage citizens from hiding infections: Whoever deliberately delays or conceals reporting for the sake of their own interests will be forever nailed to historys pillar of shame.

Our democratic approach means that we run the risk of our citizens not taking the warnings seriously. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie observed on Monday that, There are still too many Americans going out to restaurants, bars and other public areas as if this is business as usual. In a way, this is the cost of our freedoms. Weve been advised, whether we are healthy or ill, to practice social distancing, by minimizing contact with other people, limiting nonessential travel, working from home and avoiding gatherings. But for most of us, this isnt a mandate. Instead, its a choice we make every time we cancel plans, stay in our homes and forego human contact for another day. These decisions might not make much of a difference to your personal health and safety, but can have an outsized impact on the health and safety of others. As the director of the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins, has said, I think we as a nation have to get into a place of not just thinking about ourselves, but thinking about everybody else around us, and particularly the most vulnerable people those who are older and those people with chronic diseases. Young people may have a relatively low risk of serious illness, kids seem to have a very low risk, but if you want to avoid what could be the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, then it is incumbent on all of us to severely limit our social interactions. We need to ask the question about every interaction we have and whether it is necessary or not.

It can be quite daunting to realize that flattening the curve slowing the rate of new infections in order to buy researchers more time to develop vaccines and give hospitals some respite is a responsibility that falls on all of us as individuals. But the thing about democracies is that theyre fundamentally optimistic about human nature. We give people civil liberties, knowing full well that some will abuse those rights, because we expect that, on the whole, most will use them wisely. We protect heinous speech, false information and pointless assembly from government crackdowns because we dont want to risk infringing on valuable speech, information and assembly and with that there is an inherent assumption that its worth it, that the good outweighs the bad.

There is no requirement that you exercise your freedoms responsibly, but the fact that you have them reflects the underlying belief that you will.

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First Five: In crisis times, balancing safety and freedom - McDowell News