Category Archives: Life Extension

Many courses offered through the MU Extension are virtual and, if not free, then $20 or under. From agricultural to business and social awareness topics, the variety is such that just about anyone can find something geared to their interests.

The following are courses for January and February:

Housing Counseling Career Path

Jan. 11, 2022 - Jan. 20, 2022 (11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)

Nonprofit housing counseling agencies work with households to help them improve their finances, rent an apartment, or acquire and maintain their homes. Housing counselors play a vital role in helping people achieve their housing goalsand housing counseling agencies in Illinois and across the nation are hiring now.

To see specific event dates and to register, visit:

Make Your Website Work For You

Jan. 11, 2022 (11 a.m. - 12 p.m.)

Join Bryan Caplan, Speaker for Grow with Google, for an info-packed, virtual-only webinar dedicated to growing your business online. In this 45-minute webinar, learners will discover how to create a search-friendly website that drives user action and supports their goals. Whether launching a new website or sprucing up an old one, this workshop will help.

Webinar link will be sent out after registration has been completed.

Feb. 2, 2022 - Feb. 23, 2022 (6 p.m. to 7 p.m.)

The University of Missouri Hard Cider School will be an introduction to selecting and growing apples, extracting juice, and processing juice into hard cider. The School will include four, one hour presentations and time for questions.

2022 Selling at the Farmer's Market

Feb. 7, 2022 - Feb. 11, 2022 (12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

Are you thinking about selling food at your local farmers market? Or are you currently selling food at the farmers market but looking to boost your revenue? Join MU Extension for a series of Lunch & Learns focused on selling food at a farmers market.

Starting A Garden? 5 Things You Need to Know & Soils 101

Feb. 24, 2022 (6 p.m. - 8 p.m.)

Starting a Garden? 5 Things You Need to Know

What do you need to start a garden? Learn about the 5 things every gardener needs to know to make their garden thrive.

Understanding soils is key to your gardening success, learn how to unlock the full potential of your garden! Managing soil nutrients, pH and organic matter will help you grow healthy and productive gardens and landscapes. Learn all about soils including how to get your soil tested and how to select fertilizers to help your garden thrive.

Mental Health First Aid (Virtual CMBH)

Jan. 10, 2022 (8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.)

This training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use challenge and help connect them to the appropriate care.

Jan. 10, 2022 (5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.)

Occupational and Physical Therapy for Developmental Needs- Brittney Stevenson, MU Department of Occupational Therapy, Assistant Clinical Professional

Learn how occupational and physical therapy helps, followed by a hands-on demonstration Finding support for disabilities is a struggle in rural Missouri. Treatment and support are usually in larger cities. Figuring out where to start is a difficult and lonely journey.

Jan. 11, 2022 - Feb. 3, 2022 (12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

Taking Care of You is a multi-session program offering practical strategies and experiences to help you deal with the stress in your life. Managing lifes challenges in a healthy way allows you to take better care of yourself and your overall health.

Each week you will explore topics through small group discussion, self-reflection and activities.

To register and find out specific dates and information visit

Diabetes Self-Management with O'Fallon Health Systems

Jan. 12, 2022 - Feb. 23, 2022 (9a.m. - 12 p.m.)

The Living a Healthy Life with Diabetes Program is a six-week group program for people with type 2 diabetes and is designed to help participants manage their diabetes symptoms, tiredness, pain, and emotional issues, by helping them learn skills to better manage their diabetes day to day. Living a Healthy Life with Diabetes is an evidenced based program developed at Stanford University and now managed by the Self- Management Resource Center. We recommend this course for individuals with pre-diabetes, diabetes, or caretakers of those with diabetes.

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MU Extension offers low-cost and free courses on variety of topics - Hannibal.net

Dec 12, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) shoots toward Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

In one season with the New York Islanders, Robin Lehner began rebuilding his life and NHL career while helping the Islanders start their own resurgence.

More than two years after making his final save in an Islanders uniform, Lehner will experience a road reunion with a beloved former team and fan base when he leads the Vegas Golden Knights against the Islanders on Sunday in Elmont, N.Y.

The Knights will look to complete a perfect four-game Eastern Conference trip after beating the New York Rangers 3-2 in a shootout on Friday.

The Islanders began a four-game homestand Thursday with a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins.

Sundays matinee will mark the second time Lehner has opposed the Islanders for whom he went 25-13-5 while helping the team reach the second round of the playoffs in 2018-19 for just the second time in 26 years since he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent in July 2019.

Lehner, traded to the Golden Knights on Feb. 24, 2020, signed a five-year extension with the team Oct. 3 and stopped 24 shots in Vegas 2-0 loss to New York three weeks later.

But Lehner acknowledged after Thursday nights 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils that he was particularly looking forward to facing the Islanders.

I think about it all the time, Lehner said of opposing the team in its home arena. That fan base saved my life.

In a first-person essay for The Athletic in September 2018, Lehner said the Islanders were the only team to offer him a contract after he spent several weeks the previous spring in a rehab facility, where he was treated for substance abuse and diagnosed as bipolar.

The 30-year-old, who has become a public advocate for mental health issues, said he continues to stay in touch with Islanders fans who shared with him their own battles.

Gonna be amazing seeing you guys again, Lehner tweeted on Saturday afternoon. Long Island, Im forever grateful for you(r) place in my journey.

Islanders coach Barry Trotz said Saturday he was appreciative of all the goalie did to help the team begin establishing itself as a perennial contender New York has reached the conference finals in each of the past two seasons and proud of the personal strides hes made.

Robin was a big part of us getting traction after all the change (in) my first year, said Trotz, who was named the Islanders head coach on June 21, 2018, 12 days before Lehner signed.

What hes been able to do with his life first his family and dealing with everything from depression to all those types of issues (and) having the career that hes having, getting, we would say, back on the rails from maybe a little bit of a spiral, it (starts) with if the persons not in a good place, its going to be hard to have success in this game.

Im really proud of Robin.

Field Level Media

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Knights' Robin Lehner on facing Isles: 'That fan base saved my life' - Sportsnaut

M60 Patton tank led to victory in the desert fighting of the Middle East: The legendary M60 Patton was the main battle tank of the US military during the 1960s and 1970s.

It is still in service in 19 countries with an estimated 5,000 of the venerable tanks in use. The M60 is currently seeing battle in Syria with the Turkish Army and with the Saudi-led coalition and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

It won't see any more combat with the US Army or the Marine Corps, but various upgrades have kept the M60 in the news. Moreover, the M60 should be given credit for the influence it had on tank design in the years after it was first developed. It was the M60 that led to the M1 Abrams, the National Training Center, and victory in Operation Desert Storm.

Below is a short primer on might M60 Patton Tank:

Originally produced in 1959, the M60 has been upgraded several times, most recently with the M60A3 Service Life Extension Program (SLEP).

This brought the gun up to date, so it matched the 120 mm M256 gun of the M1A2 Abrams with a modern computerized fire control system.

And the engine now has more horsepower 950 compared to the 750 horsepower of earlier models.

In the early 1970s, Pentagon analysts studied the 1973 Yom Kippur War closely.

This was major league force-on-force maneuver warfare. The Israelis took on 3,000 enemy tanks coming from the Golan Heights and faced damaging AT3 anti-tank missiles against Egypt on the Suez canal.

Israel immediately lost 100 tanks on the first day of the battle. The M60 turret was tall, and that made for an easier-targeted silhouette.

The tanks caught fire after only one hit and Israeli crews had to desperately escape the burning tanks while exposing themselves to enemy machine-gun fire.

The US Army knew that they needed a revolution in training after the alarming losses in the Middle East.

So they developed the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California to push the envelope in tactics, techniques, and procedures with tanks, armored mechanized infantry, cavalry, and artillery.

The M1 Abrams tank, the M2 and M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and the Multiple Launch Rocket System were all tested at the National Training Center.

The M60 Patton tank was the impetus for the new armored warfare that would later be on display in Operation Desert Storm. In fact, the US Marine Corps fielded the M60 during that first Gulf War. The Marines destroyed 100 enemy tanks and only lost one M60.

The M60 is still a mainstay in the Middle East. The Israelis kept it going until 2014. Egypt has 1,700 M60s, the Turks at least 900, and the Saudis have 450. Israel has helped Turkey upgrade 170 of its M60s with new armor, and improved targeting system, and a 120 mm smoothbore gun.

Sometimes precursor tanks like the M60 Patton are not given enough credit. If it wasn't for the M60's combat performance in the Middle East in the early 1970s, the M1 Abrams would not have become a reality.

This evolution led to the successful encounters with mass, speed, and violence of action that was initially forged at the National Training Center and displayed against Saddam Hussein's armored hordes during Operation Desert Storm.

Continue reading here:

M60 main battle tank is still fighting wars across the Middle East - Business Insider

Mike Feibus| Special to USA TODAY

Paying it forward: How a small business owner found way to give back

Ever since the early days of the pandemic, small business owner Mario Hernandez has been finding ways to help his California desert community.

Andrea Kramar; Michiel Thomas; Kenneth Eng, USA TODAY

Heading into the pandemic, City Furnitures digital teams were working to marry the look and feel of the South Florida retailers online store with its highly-curated showrooms. That just may have saved the company.

People today are going to the web and then coming into the showroom. Or theyre coming in and then going to the web, Ryan Fattini, City Furnitures Director of Engineering, said. Its this hybridized blending of the digital and the brick and mortar. And its really stood out.

For a company that began life in the 70s as Waterbed City, selling a product that peaked a decade later, City Furnitures owners understand that staying ahead of ever-evolving tastes and shopping patterns is critical.

I think most companies are going to have the same story, Fattini said.

Most companies at least, most retailers thriving today do have similar stories.

Few downtowns have been spared from the years-long wave of boarded-up shops that online shopping started, and the pandemic helped accelerate. But those who have kept the lights on understand that online is no longer just some far-off competitor or a new channel for expansion, but a necessary extension of their storefront.

Indeed, in-store shopping is back. But not at the expense of online. Rather, because of it.

Multiple surveys confirm that Americans are more interested now in buying local provided downtown brick-and-mortar offers cyber features that support their blended shopping habits, like online ordering, same-day delivery and in-store pickup. The get-it-faster options are even more important to consumers now, in the heart of a holiday shopping season complicated by supply chain headaches and Great Resignation staffing challenges.

'It truly takes a village': Small businesses can win by supporting each other

New Year's tips: 10 ways to get your small business organized heading into 2022

If you look at two, three years ago how we shopped versus how we shop today, its fundamentally different, said Pat Bigatel, a general manager at Amazon. Customers want the convenience of shopping online, but many also want to buy from a store thats near them. Thats why stores that offer the best of both are attracting more shoppers.

Increasingly, the digitization of local shopping is being driven not only by brick-and-mortar retailers, but also by online-first enterprises migrating to Main Street.

The pandemic was more about offline businesses trying to figure out online, said Shopify vice president Mark Bergen. Now, we have a lot of brands that built themselves online asking, what does offline look like? And how can we create interesting experiences to augment our online business?

To help retailers adapt, e-commerce suppliers like BigCommerce, Magento and Shopify have been adding what the industry calls BOPIS buy online, pickup in store to their offerings. And this fall, Amazon began helping its merchants offer BOPIS and even local delivery to nearby customers.

Phoenix-area electronics merchant Walts Television, which began selling and repairing electronics nearly 65 years ago, was a beta tester for the new Amazon capabilities. Bear Hendle, a manager at Walts, said the program, called Amazon Local Selling, helped extend BOPIS to Amazon customers in range of the store and its three internet fulfillment warehouses.

It works really well because it brings back customers that we seem to have lost to online shopping, Hendle said. Wed call to set up delivery and theyd be like, Oh Walts, wow. We didnt know you were still around. Its great because its bringing them back, bringing awareness of us back.

The company began selling online more than 20 years ago first on eBay and then Amazon. Internet sales eventually grew to about 80% of the business.

Weve had retail forever. We just kind of took the foot off the gas for a while, Hendle said. Lets face it, retail is challenging.

Even so, the physical store in Phoenix helped set Walts apart online because it signaled the company was trustworthy and established, Hendle said.

Now, online is returning the favor, because the new blended fulfillment options are helping in-store sales grow faster than web orders.

Jewelry brand Gorjana, which started selling online in 2004, began opening physical stores five years ago. The company now has 25 shops, with more planned.

The shops not only contribute revenue they also help boost sales in the area where theyre located, Gorjana COO Tanya Obermeyer said.

We do find the relationship symbiotic. When we open a new store in a market, we certainly do see e-commerce sales go up, Obermeyer said. Its a brand awareness thing. So these stores are really billboards.

Gorjanas suppliers ship mostly by air, not sea. So supply chain issues are more muted. But shoppers seem more motivated this holiday season to get their items in hand right away, which gives consumers yet another reason to buy local, Obermeyer said.

I do think theres a lot of anxiety around when packages will arrive, Obermeyer said. So were really trying to make sure that for customers who want to walk away with their product that day, want same-day delivery or want to buy online, pickup in store that we have inventory in our physical stores to support that.

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USA TODAY columnist Mike Feibus is president and principal analyst of FeibusTech, a Scottsdale, Arizona, market research and consulting firm. Reach him at mikef@feibustech.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikeFeibus.

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'The best of both': This holiday season, shopping in-store has gone online - USA TODAY

Indonesia-based insurtech startup Fuse announced today it has secured $25 million of Series B extension round as it plans to enter more countries, including Thailand and Vietnam in Southeast Asia. The startup has closed three funding rounds of Series B within the past six months, bringing the companys total raised to more than $70 million.

The fresh capital was led by an undisclosed global fintech fund, with participation from existing investors East Ventures, GGV Capital, eWTP and Emtek.

Launched in 2017, Fuse connects insurance companies with multiple distribution channels and partners to make insurance services accessible and affordable through its technology. Fuse uses mobile applications to offer an agent-focused service, B2A (Business to Agent/Broker). The Fuse Pro app enables agents and broker partners to maximize choices for their customers. The startup also has B2C and B2B2C (micro insurance and financial institute), which provides digital small-ticket size insurance products, distributing insurance products cost-effectively to end customers by partnerships with e-commerce channels like Tokopedia.

Southeast Asias rapidly growing digitally savvy middle class that is expected to grow to 350 million consumers with $300 billion in disposable income makes the region an attractive market for insurtech companies. The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation in the insurance industry, one of the most conservative sectors. Fuse plans to tap into the huge and underpenetrated insurance industry in other countries in Southeast Asia, where more than 70% of Southeast Asias population is connected to the internet.

We deeply believe that digital insurance transformation can help more people get protection with insurance, and hopefully, the insurance penetration rate can increase substantially in the coming years in Indonesia as well as Southeast Asia, said Andy Yeung, CEO of Fuse.

Fuse claims it currently has more than 60,000 marketers or agent partners using the Fuse Pro mobile app. More than 40 insurance companies, including general and life insurance companies, use Fuses platform to offer over 300 insurance products for partners or end customers. The company has exceeded $70 million in gross written premium (GWP) for the first three quarters of 2021. The company said it has the largest GWP in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

The company has more than 460 employees, with branch offices in Indonesia, Vietnam and China.

We are very glad to be recognized by a leading global fintech fund which had looked into most insurtech players in Southeast Asia and decided to invest in Fuse. We are very excited to get access and insights from other fintech and insurtech portfolio companies in this global network. The strong interest of global investors reconfirms our current ecosystem approach using Fuses technology platform to make insurance more accessible for Southeast Asias underpenetrated population, Yeong said.

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Indonesian insurtech startup Fuse gets $25M Series B extension to expand further in Southeast Asia - TechCrunch

I know this is selfish. But, remember, you cant spell selfish without elfish.

All I want for Cwistmas is foe our foe-yeaw-ode gwandson nevow to be able to pwonounce his Ls and Rs. That way he can continue live in a state of perpetual cuteness that, for a too-brief period in our lives, is making Christmas shine for us all.

Now, Santa, it would be altogether fitting and proper at this point for you to raise your eyebrows and call out to Mrs. Santa: Honey, how do you spell Wackadoodle?

But hear me out.

First, the lads doing just fine without those pesky letters. To wit (or at least half-wit): His favorite donut has spwinkles. The two pweschool girls hes been most taken with are CWO-wee and E WIZZ-a-beff.

And, really, what could be more darling?

Pius, he just wives glam crackows.

And, before you ask, as a responsible grandfather, I do plan introduce him to the complete, unabridged works of Elmer Fudd.

I also promise that hell have full and unfettered access to the alphabets remaining 24 letters, which amount to more than 92 percent, an A-minus on a bad day. Also, if you want me to teach him those weird letters they use in Russia, just a tuck a bag of wooden blocks with the Cyrillic alphabet on them beneath the tree.

(Ill not say nyet and dont think he can.)

Know, too, that in granting my dearest wish, youll be helping to ensure the boy a better life -- one in which he will never be able to become piwate for rather obvious weasons.

On the plus side, It would seem natural for a child who has a keen interest in wailwoad twains to develop a later interest in one of Americas greatest authors, Mark Twain, though I admit Sam-you-owe Wanghorne Quemens might be a mouthful for him.

And, though its a long shot, wouldnt you just love it if he ever did manage to attend and pronounce Lollapalooza.

A final thanks, now, for all the years you left me those lovely lumps of coal.

As you can see, Ive learned my lesson.

Your pal, Tommy

P.S. Not to belabor things, but do note that, in this time of inflation, Im not asking that you go to the expense of providing dental implants so he can have his two fwont teeth. He doesnt need them to wish a Mewwy Cwistmas.

Now, hoping against hope that Santa is suffering enough brain fog to choke all that down, well turn to the music, which is just one tune this year.

Heres the back story: Although Grandma and I sold our horse and buggy on Etsy this year and have hung up on half of our former friends by fumbling our smart phones, we still have a land line plus a rotary phone hanging from a post in the basement, in the event of the apocalypse (regular, zombie or gluten-free).

If you will, gather friends outdoors, where you can recognize them without their masks, and sing along.

The 12 Scams of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with an extension on my car warranty.

On the second day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

On the third day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with three French scams, two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with four calling Kurds, three French scams, two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my land line gave to me: five gold rings (I simply provided my bank account number ..) four calling Kurds, three French scams, two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with six cheats -- just sayin -- five gold rings; four calling Kurds, three French scams, two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with seven swans a swimming (after I bought the pool for them to swim in), six cheats -- just sayin -- five gold rings four calling Kurds, three French scams, two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

On the eight day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with eight maids a-bilking, seven swans a swimming, six cheats -- just sayin -- five gold rings, four calling Kurds, three French scams, two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with nine felons fencing, eight maids a-bilking, seven swans a swimming, six cheats -- just sayin-- five gold rings, four calling Kurds, three French scams, two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

On the 10th day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with 10 sudden hang-ups, nine felons fencing, eight maids a-bilking, seven swans a swimming), six cheats -- just sayin -- five gold rings, four calling Kurds, three French scams, two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

On the 11th day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with leven IRS-ers, 10 sudden hang-ups, nine felons fencing, eight maids a-bilking, seven swans a swimming), six cheats -- just sayin -- five gold rings, four calling Kurds, three French scams, two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

On the 12th day of Christmas, my land line scam-med me with 12 scummers scumming , leven IRS-ers, 10 sudden hang-ups, nine felons fencing, eight maids a-bilking, seven swans a swimming, six cheats -- just sayin --five gold rings, four calling Kurds, three French scams, two time shares and an extension on my car warranty.

I know that lasted about as long as the delta variant. Thanks for your patience.

Now, I want to wish you all you all a merry white, black, brown, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, LGBT, Festivus, Kwanzaa, Hannukah, Diwali Christmas along with all the others variations I have left out.

Because while I dont long for the return of the phrase peace on earth, good will to men (only), I think an exhaustive list of our many-ness must be balanced with a faith in our essential oneness.

That oneness exists in hope, which I consider to be as divine gift as I can image to creatures like us who our lives in the shadow of the cold, hard truth of our mortality.

That hope is offered to us at a time of year in this hemisphere when the days have grown short and cold. It allows us to be warmed by one anothers smiles good wishes and presence spelled without the ts ending. Its reminder that, from here on out, the days will grow longer and warmer.

More than 100 people gathered at St. Bernard Cemetery to support the first event there for National Wreaths Across America Day. Another event was held across town at Springfield Burying Grounds. Photo by Brett Turner

More than 100 people gathered at St. Bernard Cemetery to support the first event there for National Wreaths Across America Day. Another event was held across town at Springfield Burying Grounds. Photo by Brett Turner

The most distilled, if haunting, expression of that Ive experienced of that came years ago and returns every time I watch reruns of the Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg series Band of Brothers, when, from their hiding places in a dense forest cover, the heavenly harmonies of German soldiers at the Battle of the Bulge extended like a warm blanket of blessing over the American forces half-frozen in their foxholes on Christmas eve through the evergreen words of O, Tannenbaum.

Ill leave you with that and a 4-year-olds heartfelt wishes for a Mewwy Cwistmas.

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Sing along with the 12 scams of Christmas - Springfield News Sun

Introduction

The United Kingdoms (UK) independent nuclear deterrent protects against the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, both now and in the future, providing the ultimate guarantee to our national security. It is relevant not only for today but will remain an important part of our national security strategy for as long as the global security situation makes it necessary. This approach forms the cornerstone of this and previous Governments responsibility to maintain the safety and security of its citizens.

In 2007 the then Government, endorsed by a Parliamentary vote, started the programme to maintain the UKs nuclear deterrent beyond the early 2030s. The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review confirmed that commitment to an independent minimum credible deterrent. This intent was endorsed in 2016 when Parliament voted overwhelmingly to renew our nuclear deterrent and maintain the Continuous At Sea Deterrence posture, to ensure the UK has a credible, independent, and capable nuclear deterrent out to at least the 2060s. Achieving this will include replacing the existing Vanguard Class submarines with four new Dreadnought Class submarines and replacing the UKs current nuclear warhead. The Government published its Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy on 16 March 2021. While it was made clear from the outset of the Review that the nuclear deterrent would be maintained, the UKs nuclear deterrence policy was reviewed to ensure it remains fully aligned to todays security environment and continues to support the UKs overall security strategy.

Designed and constructed in the UK, the new submarines and the replacement warheads will include some of the most advanced systems ever built, employing world-leading and cutting-edge technology to deliver an effective and intensely formidable capability, directly supporting tens of thousands of jobs across the country.

This tenth annual update sets out the progress over the last twelve months of the programme delivering the UKs Future Nuclear Deterrent.

As reported last year the Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on the delivery of the future nuclear deterrent programme. The Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO) continues to work with the Dreadnought Alliance, a joint management team between the Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA), BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, as well as the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), to maintain progress on our priority programmes and to assess and manage the impact of the pandemic. Onsite activity at industrial facilities and offices is close to pre-Covid output. This recovery has been achieved through revised long-term alternative working practices being implemented and, although this work is ongoing, the actions taken have mitigated the risks that built up during the period.

While our key outputs have not changed, our adapted working approach, in line with government guidelines, continues to provide a safe and secure environment for our people and industrial colleagues. Whether working at home or on site to progress critical programme activities, ensuring our people are protected and supported remains as important as ever. We have also been working alongside our suppliers to ensure they are supported in managing Covid-19 both within their own operations but also their wider supply chains. They have responded by establishing controls and protocols to maintain output and minimise risk to our programmes and our strengthened approach to key supplier and supply chain management has enabled us jointly and quickly identify and address challenges to the programme.

Despite the effects of Covid-19 and challenges in some parts of the supply chain, the Dreadnought ballistic missile submarine programme continues to remain within overall budget and on track for the First of Class, HMS DREADNOUGHT, to enter service in the early 2030s. Recognising the high-levels of uncertainty caused by the pandemic, and particularly the short term uncertainty in our Industrial Partners and the wider Supply Chains, the commercial framework employed during Delivery Phase 2 was rolled forward for a further 12 months to March 2022.

Key staged investments made during financial year 2020-21 have allowed good progress to continue with the whole boat design and the construction process. These commitments have enabled the construction of the first two boats of the Class (DREADNOUGHT and VALIANT) to progress, with further investment in the shipyard facilities, and to procure materials and equipment for the Class. Rolls-Royce Submarines continue to make good progress with the manufacture of the nuclear propulsion power plants, the Pressurised Water Reactor 3, for all four Dreadnought submarines. The procurement on long lead items and other early work for the remaining submarines in the Class, WARSPITE and KING GEORGE VI, continues in line with the overall programme schedule.

As previously reported, production and delivery of the Missile Tubes (MT) to form part of the Common Missile Compartment have been subject to quality shortfalls across the supply chain resulting in their delayed delivery. All 12 missile tubes for HMS DREADNOUGHT have now been delivered to the BAE Systems Barrow shipyard, a significant milestone in the delivery of the programme. We continue to support our United States (US) colleagues in working with their US and UK suppliers to ensure future missile tube deliveries continue in a timely manner to support the Dreadnought programme.

The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review estimated that the programme is likely to cost a total of 31 billion (including inflation, over the 35 years of the programme) and set a contingency of 10 billion. The programme remains within its overall budget and, as of 31 March 2021, 10.4 billion had been spent in total on concept, assessment, and delivery phases, of which 1.9 billion was spent in financial year 2020-21.

As previously reported, on 25 February 2020, Parliament was notified of the Governments intention to replace the UKs sovereign nuclear warhead. While the overall programme to deliver the replacement warhead is in its preliminary phases, it continues to be subject to across Government scrutiny, oversight, and approvals processes.

The requirements, design, and manufacture of the warhead are sovereign to the UK, meeting our obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The UK warhead will be integrated with the US supplied Mark 7 aeroshell to ensure it remains compatible with the Trident II D5 missile and delivered in parallel with the US W93/Mk7 warhead programme.

AWE will continue to build the highly skilled teams, facilities and capabilities needed to deliver the UKs replacement warhead programmes, while also sustaining the current in-service warhead until it is withdrawn from service. The transition of the current mark 4 warhead to the mark 4A is ongoing, addressing obsolescence to ensure we continue to have a safe, secure, and available stockpile until the UK replacement warhead is available in the 2030s.

The UK also continues to participate with US partners on work to extend the life of the Trident II D5 missiles. These life extension programmes will address obsolescence and continue to provide sufficient missile packages, including spares, to support the UKs current stock entitlement.

We continue to make good progress dismantling our decommissioned submarines, reducing the Ministry of Defences (MOD) nuclear liabilities, and associated non-discretionary costs. In March 2020, dismantling work started on a third boat, REVENGE, and the removal of its component low level radioactive waste is scheduled to complete by March 2022. This work is being conducted in parallel with the development of the necessary facilities, processes and technical solutions that are required to support the steady state disposal of all our laid-up submarines. Despite an interruption to the work on REVENGE, which was caused by the impact of Covid, it remains on track to deliver a safe, secure, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible solution for dismantling all our non-operational submarines, with the first disposal, SWIFTSURE, planned for 2026.

The MOD Nuclear Enterprise Skills Strategy continues to mature. An Enterprise-wide Strategic Workforce Planning and Skills team has been established to develop our understanding of the growing need for the variety of skilled personnel, including Nuclear Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel, required in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) as the defence nuclear programmes gather pace. Key to that effort is to provide appropriate incentives for the retention of nuclear-skilled staff within the Enterprise as well as to attract additional suitably qualified people into the DNE. Work is also underway to raise the profile of Defences nuclear-skilled cadre with key nuclear-focused further and higher education institutes, aiming to attract a more diverse range of young people into the sector. The Workforce Planning and Skills team is also working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to identify how collaboration between defence and civil nuclear enterprises can enhance the skills base and to maximise investment and deliver wider economic growth within the nuclear sector.

Collaboration with the US remains strong through our cooperation on Strategic Weapon System and reactor technologies under the terms of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement and 1963 Polaris Sales Agreement. Warhead related collaboration includes research on warhead safety, security, and advanced manufacturing technologies taking place under the UK-US Joint Technology Demonstrator project.

We continue to cooperate with France under the TEUTATES Treaty, signed in November 2010, working together on the technology associated with the nuclear stockpile stewardship in support of our respective independent nuclear deterrent capabilities, in full compliance with our international obligations. Progress continues to be made with the delivery of the experimental hydrodynamic capability at Epure in France and associated capabilities at AWE which will allow both the UK and France to conduct independent experiments ensuring both nations nuclear weapons remain safe and effective.

Since 1962 the UK has declared our nuclear capability to the defence of NATO. Nuclear deterrence is a critical part of NATOs overall strategy and the UKs deterrent provides an important contribution to Euro-Atlantic security. This year we have continued to coordinate closely with NATO Allies to maintain an effective and balanced defence and deterrence posture. More widely, we are working with international partners to reduce the threat from nuclear terrorism and on research to support arms control and verification.

The Department continues to deliver on its commitment to strengthen the management of all nuclear programmes under the leadership of Vanessa Nicholls, the Director General Nuclear of the DNO. The organisation sponsors the Defence Nuclear Enterprise which includes responsibility for the management of the defence nuclear portfolio, including providing the Senior Responsible Owners for the main nuclear equipment programmes, and for the delivery of the UK warhead.

On 31 August 2021, after more than four years in post, Rob Holden stepped down as Chair of the SDA. Under his stewardship, the SDA developed from a proposal in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review to a fully established delivery Agency that makes a critical contribution to the provision of the nuclear deterrent. Rob established a strong, knowledgeable, and well-respected Board during his time in role and provided important leadership and guidance to the work of the SDA. Jonathan Simcock became the Interim Board Chair from 1 September 2021 while the process to recruit a new permanent SDA Board Chair takes place. Jonathan is an experienced member of the SDAs Board, having served as a Non-Executive Director since 2018 when the Agency was established, and has a detailed knowledge and understanding of the SDAs work. He has also been a member of the Board of Sellafield Ltd since 2019, which offers valuable synergy between the defence and civil nuclear enterprises. A permanent Board Chair will be appointed in the coming months.

As previously reported, on 1 July 2021 AWE plc, the company running the AWE facility, became an Arms-Length Body, wholly owned by the MOD. The new model will enhance the Departments agility to manage the UKs nuclear deterrent and improve the delivery of core defence objectives, including the replacement warhead. The change will also enable the MOD to invest in the development of the workforce, infrastructure and capabilities needed for the replacement warhead programme. The MOD has appointed a new Board of Directors for the AWE plc Non-Departmental Public Body, including Alison Atkinson, AWE Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director and six Non-Executive Directors, it is Chaired by Sir John Manzoni.

The MOD continues to make progress on the recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in their Defence Nuclear Infrastructure report of 13 May 2020. The MOD accepted the reports findings and continues to take steps to ensure lessons are learned and implemented to mitigate against similar experiences in the future.

Mensa continues to make progress following Office for Nuclear Regulation approval of AWEs Pre-Commissioning Safety Review submission in December 2020. Continuation of internal fit-out and commencement of commissioning has become peak activity within the Main Processing Facility (MPF) during 2021 and this will continue throughout 2022. The Mensa support building, which houses the control room that integrates the instrumentation and manages control of the system of systems for the environment and operations within the MPF is now complete. Work on the lighting protection system (an array of catenary towers external to the MPF), and the fitting of specialist blast doors within the MPF has also be completed. There has also been an increase of front-line workers, working within Covid-19 restrictions, in the MPF to install and connect processing plant and equipment, mechanical and electrical equipment, ductwork, ventilation as well as gatehouse operational equipment and services. The focus is now moving towards the completion of building works, internal fit out and building systems integration in order to commission and achieve Initial Operating Capability by the end of 2023.

The regeneration of Core Production Capability (CPC) facility is being delivered in two phases. The first will provide the means to manufacture new reactor cores and is projected to complete in 2022. The second phase will facilitate the production of nuclear fuel. With the first phase delivery nearly complete, commercial negotiations have focussed on making the remainder of the CPC contract Single Source Contract Regulation compliant as soon as practicable. Incorporating lessons from the first phase of regeneration, Phase 2 design continues and will be at a high level of maturity before construction. Phase 2 will be conducted in line with industry best practice and approval for funding of construction will be sought from HM Treasury when a mature design is available.

The Primary Build Facility at BAE Systems Barrow shipyard which comprises of two main facilities (buildings D58 and D59), is a linked group of buildings within which the fabrication of the submarine reactor pipework and the assembly of the reactor is carried out, together with supporting office and welfare facilities. Building D59 is now complete and became an operational facility in July 2021. Building D58 is progressing in line with a revised planned schedule and activity is on-going to alleviate the increased costs outlined in the National Audit Office report published on the 10 January 2020 covering defence nuclear infrastructure.

The Department plans to next report progress to Parliament in late 2022.

More:

The United Kingdom's future nuclear deterrent: the 2021 update to Parliament - GOV.UK

December 15, 2021December 15, 2021

Clemson, S.C. Clemsons College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences (CAFLS) honored four alumni last month for their outstanding service to the college, University and agribusiness industry.

For 2021, the CAFLS Alumni Board selected two Young Alumni, two Professional Achievement Award winners and one Distinguished Service Award winner. Since the event was held virtually in 2020, the college also honored last years recipients.

We are fortunate in CAFLS to have numerous outstanding alumni and it is always a great day when we can recognize them for their professional achievements. We have not been able to celebrate our award winners in person the last couple of years, so this event was a great opportunity to welcome them back to campus. The achievements of these winners are impressive, and we are honored to have them as representatives of Clemson and the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences, said CAFLS Director of Alumni Relations Paula Beecher.

Kinsley Miller, 2021 CAFLS Young Alumni Award

Kinsley Miller, 2016 CAFLS graduate in Agricultural Education, was awarded the first 2021 CAFLS Young Alumni Award. Miller currently serves as Director of Education at the South Carolina Governors School for Agriculture.

Miller was cited for her strength of will by Lori Ann Carr, vice-president and administrative manager of Titan Farms in Ridge Spring.

Kinsleys heart is big and her efforts tireless as can be seen by the numerous ways she gives of herself to others and to what she believes in, said Carr.

Sarah Wilbanks, 2021 CAFLS Young Alumni Award

The second 2021 CAFLS Young Alumni Award went to Sarah Wilbanks, who has earned two degrees from CAFLS. She graduated in 2013 with a degree in Agricultural Education, received her Masters in Agricultural Leadership from University of Georgia in 2013, then earned her Ph.D. from Clemson in Animal and Veterinary Sciences in 2018.

Sarah, on a daily basis, demonstrates strong leadership skills and professionalism beyond her years. Her experience with Clemson University as well as the community is commendable and she is always willing to go above and beyond for her teammates, said Mike Weyman, Clemson University Regulatory Services Deputy Director.

Wilbanks has spent the past several years as manager of Clemsons Fertilizer and Seed Certification Program and was recently named director of The Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies.

Tim Burcham, 2021 CAFLS Professional Achievement Award

Tim Burcham, who currently serves as Director of the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Program with the University of Arkansas Jonesboro, was awarded the 2021 CAFLS Professional Achievement Award.

Burcham earned his Ph.D. from Clemson in 1989 and is the former Dean of the Arkansas State University College of Agriculture.

Throughout his stellar career, Tim has been a champion for agriculture while working in teaching, research and Extension. There is no doubt that he constantly demonstrates the qualities that are expected from recipients of this prestigious award, said John Hayes, Clemson University professor emeritus.

Boyd Parr, 2021 CAFLS Professional Achievement Award

Retired state veterinarian and director of Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health, Dr. Boyd Parr, was awarded the second 2021 CAFLS Professional Achievement Award. Parr earned his BS from Clemson in 1974 and DVM from the University of Georgia in 1978. He was a private veterinary practitioner for 24 years before joining Clemson.

Boyd is recognized nationally and internationally for his effective and zealous work on behalf of animal agriculture and demonstrates outstanding service and dedication in his professional responsibilities and accomplishments, along with his service to Clemson and CAFLS, said Thompson Smith, District Director for the South Carolina Farm Bureau.

Roy McCall, 2021 Distinguished Service Award

Roy McCall was awarded the 2021 Distinguished Service Award. McCall graduated from Clemson in 1953 with a degree in Agronomy and is a lifelong supporter of CAFLS and Clemson University.

He created the Peter LeCroy McCall, Jr. 53 Unrestricted Scholarship Endowment, which provides university-wide scholarships to students, and the Peter LeCroy McCall, Jr. 53 Scholarship Endowment for CAFLS, which provides financial assistance to South Carolina residents enrolled in CAFLS.

Roy dedicates his time, talent and treasure for the benefit of others and quietly provides aid and financial assistance to the less fortunate. His influence is significant extending across the region, state and nation, said JoVanna King, Senior Associate Vice President for Development.

2020 Award Winners Honored

In 2020, the Young Alumni Award was presented to Justin Ballew, a 2011 Ag Education graduate who also received his masters from the University of Georgia in 2013

Professional Achievement Awards went to Marc Cribb, a 1977 graduate in plant sciences who has worked most of his career in the soil and water conservation community in both South Carolina and nationally until his retirement in 2018, and K. Flint Holbrook, who received his masters in 1986 from Clemsons Agricultural Engineeringprogram and is a senior vice president and water market director within Woolperts Infrastructure Sector.

Kemp McLeod was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Service Award. A 1976 graduate of the agronomy program and a fourth-generation farmer at McLeod Farms in McBee, McLeod was nominated by Dr. Kirby Player with much support from his fellow colleagues.

Excerpt from:

Clemson's College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences names 2021 alumni award winners Clemson News - Clemson University

It is a quiet scene, not germane to the plot or destiny of any of the characters, but it is one of the most powerful in the new film "King Richard," Will Smith's biopic of Richard Williams. Richard and his wife, Oracene Price, (played by Aunjanue Ellis) watch on a small television the news footage of March 3, 1991. Motorist Rodney King is being beaten by members of the Los Angeles Police Department while surrounding police officers watch. Oracene offhandedly comments something to the effect of, "At least they have it on video this time." In the next room, Richard and Oracene's girls, tennis prodigies Venus, then 10, and Serena, then 9, with their sisters, Yetunde, Isha and Lyndrea, are shrieking and playing and carrying on as kids do. For the film, it is just another news item of daily injustice -- but one containing the hope that the existence of video will finally justify a reality much of the country does not believe exists.

For the remainder of the film, there is no further mention of the King beating, nor does the movie acknowledge its bloody denouement the following year -- a five-day uprising that left more than 50 people dead, more than 2,300 injured and an estimated $1 billion in property damage to South Central L.A. after a predominately white Simi Valley jury acquitted the four officers. "King Richard" is about a man with an outlandish, quintessentially American idea of entrepreneurship -- that his two youngest daughters are tennis geniuses ("I have a plan," is the film's foreshadowing mantra), and for two hours, 24 minutes, the film follows his relentless and unshakable faith in that plan, no matter how many upper-crust blue bloods or nosy neighbors treat him as a crazy man.

Yet, in that brief moment on the television, when LAPD officers are mercilessly beating King, the state metaphorically is beating Black America -- and a movie ostensibly about a legendary tennis story set nearly 30 years ago is soberingly contemporary. The King video did not translate into justice this time. What followed was not a repudiation of police violence, but an escalation of it, which stood as a haunting counter to the film's universal themes of hope and determination. The specter of injustice against Black people is a living, breathing component of "King Richard" -- and in no small way, the movie owes its very existence to it.

This upcoming Feb. 26, a decade will have passed since George Zimmerman, the self-styled neighborhood watchman turned vigilante, killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman believed Martin -- young, Black and wearing a hooded sweatshirt -- to be a threat. Zimmerman called 911, was told by a dispatcher not to engage with Martin, ignored the command and proceeded to shoot and kill the teenager anyway. Three weeks later, Miami Heat players, led by Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, posed for a team photo wearing hoodies as a tribute to Martin and a message of support to his family. That moment represented the end of a chapter in American sports.

Zimmerman's killing of Martin in 2012 changed America -- its dialogue, its actors and most starkly, its pretenses. And it was only the start, just one bookend in a saga. The murder of George Floyd nearly eight and a half years later would become the other. In the tumultuous years in between, sports and the country have been ripped asunder, transformed, dehypnotized. Black athletes were released from the 40-year stupor of sociopolitical disconnection, the nation from the sumptuous fantasy that an Obama presidency would at last carry the country into its elusive post-racial Eden. The reality has been anything but.

Throughout Obama's two terms lurked fear that his presence would produce some form of physical recompense for centuries of Black suffering. His reassurances that he was a president who just happened to be Black were framed through a plea for unity. He reminded Americans of, in his words, "our common creed," rarely distinguishing a peril specific to Black people -- until Martin's killing, when he did. Trayvon Martin could have been his own son, he said. It was an innocuous, human response that was met with such a revealing hostility, for Zimmerman did not belong to law enforcement. He represented no formal institution with which other white people could identify -- except the institution of whiteness. He was just a guy -- who killed someone. Took a life. But the harsh reaction to Obama was demarcating, ostensible proof to his enemies that he did favor Black people after all -- and a reminder that politicians, like creatives and academics, often are dissuaded and prevented from advocating specifically for Black people. Eight years after Obama, Kamala Harris during the 2020 campaign reassured voters in an interview that she wouldn't make laws benefiting only Black people. It is a playbook.

The backlash was defining, and the combination with the Heat photo -- the world's most powerful Black man and its most recognizable Black athletes publicly denouncing the killing of a Black boy -- created a flashpoint. For the first time in nearly a half-century, the dormant, super-rich Black athlete would speak -- and be called un-American for it. Sports would become the staging ground for the dueling collision of patriotism and protest. America, shorn of the myth of post-racialism, was free to act out -- and the country has been tearing itself apart ever since.

The Ferguson uprising in 2014. Freddie Gray's death while in police custody in 2015. Zimmerman's acquittal and the equally revealing celebration of it. The arrival of the term Black Lives Matter and the hatred toward it. Colin Kaepernick's protest in 2016. Racial violence in Charlottesville in 2017. Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery in a pandemic-ravaged, unraveling 2020 highlighted most horrifically when Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly 10 minutes until he died. Even the corporate class could not continue selling beer, cars, cool and capitalism as hope without acknowledging Minneapolis and its subsequent nationwide protests. Some type of response was inevitable. The country had collectively witnessed a public murder.

At least they have it on video this time.

What I saw

Film cannot be separated from its times. When Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980, part of his mandate was to restore pride in a country sagging from inflation, a 444-day hostage siege in Iran, the ever-growing fear of a "missile gap," the unacceptable belief that the Soviet Union could destroy the world more times than could the United States -- but most importantly, the lasting, unresolved wound of the Vietnam War. On screen, the 1980s attempted to avenge America's defeat, give it dignity, from the cartoonish Rambo "First Blood" (1982) and its many sequels, to "Platoon" (1986), "Full Metal Jacket" (1987), "Good Morning, Vietnam" (1987), "Hamburger Hill" (1987), and "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989).

2 Related

"King Richard" did not feel like an escape from the real-life, decadelong conflict occurring outside of the theater, but an extension of it. Before people took to the streets and blocked airports, before ballplayers took to their knees, and before the trauma of police violence against Black people became as common a sight on social media as cat videos, it is unlikely the Rodney King scene would appear in this type of film. Even a cursory nod to an infamous national event might have required a certain amount of courage on the part of the filmmakers to insert into a tennis movie. Nor, without the upheaval of the past decade would there have been an urgency for Smith to counter the historically negative images of Black men on screen with this film, as there now is for Hollywood to greenlight a film rooted in the generally unremarkable act of a man devoted to his children, even children as gifted as Venus and Serena Williams.

Within this time and moment, however, this subtle insertion into the film's simple premise felt appropriate, even vital, for it identifies the long-standing presence and reputation of police in Black communities from a Black perspective, serving as a harbinger while Smith attempts to provide Richard Williams the dignity of his quest. He is not safe from predators in the community -- or from the state.

Venus and Serena Williams served as executive producers on the film. The script, written by Zach Baylin, is direct and uncomplicated, rooted in the solid, constant presence of a Black father figure, anchored by Smith's monologues of self-reliance, hard work and the memories of a life (never shown on-screen save for the kids witnessing Richard being bloodied in real-time by a local gang member outside the tennis courts) of determination against humiliation. The truth, of course, is another story altogether, and while Richard Williams was stern in his commitment and unshaking in his love, his flaws were not always the virtues Hollywood massaged them into, easily forgiven as tough love without consequence to himself or family. Like the scene where Richard attempts to teach the girls to be humble in victory by leaving them at the corner store, nearly making them walk 3 miles home. Only Oracene's intervention prevented a cruel abuse.

Richard buys his children ice cream. He dotes on them. He is hard on them. They kiss him on the cheek. He provides them the no-excuses, no-handouts American pathway. ("If you fail to plan, you plan to fail," a sign he famously hangs on the back fence of the public tennis court before every practice session.) He takes physical beatings from the world for them, determined his experience will not be theirs. Oracene, the nurse, expertly patches him when he bleeds. The Black man is an important part of the family.

Smith's Richard is a two-hour corrective to the infamous Sports Illustrated cover of May 4, 1998, the lead story centered on the Black male promiscuity and abandonment of paternal responsibility of NBA players that was accompanied by the headline, "Where's Daddy?" He is a devoted father, a complex father, a present father, and "King Richard" is primarily a simplified family story, which, in comparison to the toxicity that historically surrounds Black men on screen, is meant to feel revelatory.

The after-school special

As rubber bullets cut through the air in Minneapolis during the protests following Floyd's killing, aimed at middle-class white people, the bill on the effects of post-Trayvon Martin America had come due. The country was coming apart. Much of the corporate class, forced at last to see its true self, looked in the mirror and saw scores of industries that had never sufficiently promoted Black employees. While covering the shortcomings of other industries, none is more guilty of whitewashing than traditional media -- print, radio, television, film -- and it must be remembered that during the tumult, the dissenting voices (#OscarsSoWhite, for example) have grown louder. After Floyd's murder came an unprecedented opportunity for Black people to have a greater say in what stories get told, how they are told and who is allowed to tell them. Phones rang that had been silent for decades. Dozens of companies -- especially in publishing and Hollywood -- hired more African Americans into leadership roles in one year than over their previous 50. The number of firsts for Black people heading departments or joining the executive ranks for the first time during the second decade of the 21st century was an embarrassment spun as triumph, as Black excellence. But it should never be forgotten that the corporate world did not reach a collective realization in 2020 that Black people were talented enough to lead -- or their work was suddenly good enough to be considered for the top awards in the nation -- until George Floyd was murdered. Career opportunities, at long last, came after the protests and the funerals. It wasn't the merit that finally moved the corporate class. It was the murders.

Emboldened with the power to shape, to be in halls of greenlighting power few Black people had entered, came a mandate. Both white executives, who did not want to offend the spending customer, and several newly minted Black executives, who were tired of Black life being depicted only through trauma and struggle, brought a new call for how African Americans should be seen on screen: uplift. This coincided seamlessly with white executives' desire to avoid offending white audiences who came to film to be entertained, not admonished for their racism.

The result is a string of projects that, searching for the right balance, find themselves aimed at younger audiences where the storytelling can find inspiration, the majority white audiences can feel hope and diminished guilt, and the American Dream can remain intact. Over the past decade, it has proved itself to be financially successful and reliable formula, but at the cost of mature, defter storytelling. By attempting uplift without the trauma of life, the films take on a by-the-numbers, inoffensive tone of an after-school special. These movies are being asked to do too much.

Within this post-Trayvon Martin decade, several projects have fallen into a similar, entertaining but unsatisfying space, from "42" (2013) to "Selma" (2014), "Hidden Figures" (2016) and Colin Kaepernick's Netflix series "Colin in Black & White" (2021). Each mimics a pattern of easily discredited racism while insisting the pathway to American success remains as viable as ever for those willing to apply themselves. Aspiration is always respected, even from adversaries, the difficult edges of white hostility lathed smooth -- a prerequisite unfound when considering the sensibilities of Black audiences, which have had to endure gratuitous violence against their people -- Quentin Tarantino's infamous "dead n----- storage" dialogue and rape of Ving Rhames' Marsellus Wallace character in "Pulp Fiction" (1994), for example, or the predictable racial slurs in a Scorsese film -- as the price of the ticket.

Unknown, of course, is how much the original script and Black creative vision of these projects survived the hostile space of an industry essentially forced by societal upheaval to change who is in the room -- while keeping the storytelling formulas intact.

"King Richard," unfortunately falls into this fatal category, though the hostile country club scenes are painfully and (darkly comically) authentic along race and class lines where even the vindicated Richard cannot cleanly take a victory lap on some of his earlier nonbelievers because ultimately, they are white and rich and he is not. Maybe he did tell them so about his girls, but for them, life went on as rich and white. There will always be another business deal.

Black cinema attempting to land too often in the aspirational space may be lucrative, but with neutered storytelling can also be seen as counterprotest cleverly spun as Black excellence. Uncomplicated and uplifting approaches to complicated and complex narratives send the message that ultimately, there is no need for being in the street, no need to protest, no reason to reform, defund, reimagine. Rather, they suggest the existence of a pathway that barely exists, available only to the geniuses whose talents are so enormous that no businessman could say no to -- such as Venus and Serena, two one-in-a-millions.

It is asking fidelity to a pathway that today, in 2021, is under vicious assault. The Washington Post has written extensively about this country's attack on voting rights targeted at Black and brown communities. The national discourse in education is currently centered on states prohibiting the teaching of Black history. The University of Texas recently paused, then resumed, a study that teaches white students about anti-Black racism.

Yet, in the midst of this real-life diminishment amid increased hostility, telling important stories geared toward ninth-graders sells the fiction that the American dream is more available for Black people than ever, even that post-racialism is alive. It is not.

Make it plain

The success of any film begins with the audience agreeing to follow its director on the journey. At any point, disbelief in that journey portends certain doom. Approaching the Williams sisters as an inspirational coming-of-age story was the safe and navigable choice, falling into the family-friendly age demographic, consistent with this current strain of the Black cinematic biopic in post-Trayvon/Floyd America. But there is nothing safe about the Williams sisters or their legendary father. The choice to end the film at Venus' 1994 professional debut in Oakland was a curious one. Serena had not yet turned pro. (She would a year later.)

The film chose to lean into Venus' rise before Serena's onrush. This is the safe ground. The film could safely ridicule the racists and the nonbelievers -- the early tennis coaches, the snickering, faceless country clubbers, no one of real-life consequence -- without upsetting the members of the game's professional establishment (and there were plenty) who were equally racist and nonbelieving of Venus and Serena -- or simply didn't want them there no matter how good they were. The film chose to lean into Richard's self-belief in his aspirational plan for his daughters without the payoff of giving audiences what they ostensibly paid for: the sunburst of the greatest pair of siblings to ever play professional sports.

Focusing on the sisters before Serena even turns pro diminished the possibility of criticizing the current tennis establishment -- like Williams sisters nemesis Martina Hingis, the great Swiss Miss who often complained about them, most loudly when their hair beads might fall loose on the court -- or its current broadcasters, being embarrassed by how Richard and his family were often treated in their world-class venues. The movie ends before the most infamous incident, Indian Wells 2001, when Venus and Serena were verbally pelted with racial epithets after Venus withdrew moments before a Venus-Serena semifinal. Neither Venus nor Serena would play Indian Wells for another decade and a half.

"Remember," Richard told me when we spoke at Wimbledon a decade ago, "they never wanted any of us here."

For those lucky enough to have lived through peak Venus and Serena, "King Richard" missed a tremendous opportunity to recreate a time of true Black excellence, when Richard Williams and his two daughters were the most feared trio in tennis. Venus was No. 1 in the world and Serena then became No. 1. They traded majors, with an inevitable, uncomfortable tenseness when the sisters had to play each other and the parents remained impossibly neutral -- and Richard's real-time victory lap (the plan worked!) was seen as boorish, beneath country club tennis manners. He may have been right, but to them his behavior was the equivalent of not knowing his bread plate is on the left. In response to his vindication was their rage, and it was common for the tennis establishment to accuse Richard of "fixing" Venus-Serena matches, WWE-style -- as the Russian Elena Dementieva suggested in 2001. Their excellence was marred by the pernicious accusation Richard was determining ahead of time who would win their confrontations.

Sports films generally suffer from a fatal flaw: Actors are rarely good athletes. Corbin Bernsen, Wesley Snipes and Charlie Sheen in "Major League" (1989) defy even the most liberal application of suspension of disbelief. Tennis is particularly difficult to recreate, as Shia LaBeouf in "Borg vs McEnroe" (2017) or Kirsten Dunst showed in "Wimbledon" (2004). In "King Richard," the on-screen tennis is excellent by both Saniyya Sidney (Venus) and Demi Singleton (Serena).

Balancing the tension of sister versus sister was when, in the same tournaments, they would combine forces in doubles and destroy the competition there, too. The rest of the field knew. First there was one, then the other, and now both on the same court.

Certainly, the marketers and the moviemakers saw Venus and Serena through the inspirational prism of racial triumph, and theirs is a Lotto-winning success story. Unlike Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena have a legacy in the form of a generation of Black and brown girls who became pros. A contemporary on-screen Serena would have unleashed her significance to the current moment, and explained why women -- Black women, especially -- see themselves, every day their humiliations and struggles through her, and in turn are so protective of her. Certainly, the film leans into their first steps on the journey -- and it is a fine film within that limited scope. Maybe Serena is planning some form of sequel, since her professional tale remains to be told.

Perhaps it was the editorial choice to leave the real story, the 30,000-foot story of Venus, Serena and Richard, on the laptop that was the most disappointing. The Williams sisters' story is far greater than the cookie-cutter after-school special that might just win Will Smith an Oscar. The film avoids explaining how Richard's plan was based on racism itself: He saw the generally waifish, less athletic and less rigorous physical standards of women's tennis as the sport's fatal consequence of whiteness, class and privilege -- of not having to compete. Through that lens, Richard saw opportunity of applying the Black athletic standard of track and basketball to tennis. In the white world of tennis, Richard saw a vulnerability, an opportunity. His girls, if they learned the fundamentals, would have a superior advantage they would not have if they were competing against other Black athletes in the 100-meter dash.

Recognizing that vulnerability remade tennis. Their sheer power determined who would have a future in the game -- and who would not. The first prerequisite, for the Black girls who wanted to be like them -- for the white American, European and Australians who did, too -- was to be able to hit like them. Women's tennis now required better athletes. Once, women could serve and volley, drop shot and lob and win championships. Once the sisters arrived, tennis coaches wanted to know one thing about virtually every new prospect: if they had enough raw power to counter the force of Venus and Serena. If not, coaches would find one who could.

One day, Richard and I sat at Wimbledon and he talked about his love of Hingis. "She was a wizard, a true tennis player," he told me. He went on at length, marveling at Hingis' hands and touch, feel and guile -- all of the magical finesse. He did it with admiration and a wistful smile, out of respect for her game, and perhaps for his true victory: the recognition that his plan, through his daughters' talent, had turned Hingis -- and the century-old history of the women's game itself -- into an anachronism.

Read the original post:

Viewing 'King Richard' through the prism of our times - ESPN

In-principle approval has been accorded to a site in Maharashtra's Jaitapur for setting up six nuclear power reactors of 1,650 MW each in technical cooperation with France, the government said on Thursday. This would make it the largest nuclear power generating site in the country with a total capacity of 9,900 MW, Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

Currently, techno-commercial discussions to arrive at the project proposal with France are in progress, he said.

"The government has accorded in-principle approval of the site at Jaitapur in Maharashtra for setting up six nuclear power reactors of 1,650 MW each in technical cooperation with France which would make it the largest nuclear power generating site with a total capacity of 9,900 MW," Singh said.

"The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is involved in the development, pre-clinical evaluation and obtaining the radiopharmaceuticals committee's approval for human use for a number of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals adaptable to the existing and foreseeable demands," Singh said.

Technologies for large-scale production of these radiopharmaceuticals are transferred to the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT), he said.

"BRIT is producing and supplying radiopharmaceutical products across the country and serving a large number of hospitals by supplying these products at their door steps. BRIT is also supporting a large number of irradiators by supplying Cobalt-60 pencils," Singh said.

"These irradiators are used for food grain preservation and sterilisation of medical products. BARC has been carrying out development of seed varieties using gamma radiation. So far, 49 seed varieties developed have been notified for cultivation," he added.

Technologies have also developed for self-life extension of agricultural products, Singh said.

"BARC has been formulating and carrying out Research & Development (R&D) projects to develop technologies/processes/radiopharmaceuticals for health services and agriculture programmes," he said.

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In-principle approval accorded to Jaitapur site for setting up 6 nuclear power reactors: Govt - Economic Times