Soliciting and gambling arent the only focus of the CTAs announcements these days. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Chicagos L train system has updated many of its protocols to encourage proper hygiene and social distancing.

There are new sanitation regimens, which include daily as well as regular deep cleanings using new electrostatic sprayers and an antimicrobial surface coating designed to prevent viruses from sticking to surfaces.

The CTA also established a passenger capacity limit of 22 riders per train car although its up to riders to enforce this limit and said it runs longer trains on some routes to provide more space for social distancing. CTA employees also monitor platforms at high-ridership stations via camera, and make announcements asking customers to spread out when theyre too close or to wait for the next train when the one at the station is too crowded.

While the CTA reports ridership is down 75% compared to this time last year, systemwide, more people are starting to take the train or bus for work and essential trips now that Chicago is in Phase 4 of reopening.

On a hot day last week, WBEZ spent a day on the Red Line to talk with riders and see how the new protocols work in practice. Some cars were eerily empty; others were near the passenger capacity limit. Heres how some people are navigating public transit during the pandemic.

Why are you taking the train? To get to work downtown

How often have you ridden since the onset of the pandemic? Every day starting in early May

Im actually immunocompromised, and I was taking Ubers to work for a little while. But I live in Avondale, and to Uber to and from Avondale for work 5 days a week is $600 a month for me. And thats not including surges. So I wasnt really able to afford that, so Im getting on the train. It is what it is.

I usually see people who are nurses and doctors getting on board. I work around a lot of hospitals, so thats pretty common. I usually see a lot of construction workers going on, or people getting off of night shifts. Its usually the people who are holding the city together.

Why are you taking the train? Headed to a construction job

How often have you ridden since the onset of the pandemic? Every day starting in mid-June

Before we get on the trains, at some locations [CTA workers] would come in and wipe them down, spray and sweep, sanitize the chairs and handlebars. And thats what I like.

Well get on and it smells fresh and were off. I [also] like that theyre doing the [social distancing] stickers. Some people follow it, some people dont. Its not like theyre directly on our backs.

Its kind of difficult to have to wear a mask, especially for people who are working and have to wear a mask all day. Its already hard to breathe. The majority of people are wearing masks, but some people dont. I dont judge. Right now I had [a mask] on but couldnt breathe, so I took it off for a while.

Why are you taking the train? To visit family

How often have you ridden since the onset of the pandemic? Once a week

You would think the trains arent as crowded or as busy. No. When the buses were free, for those months, oh those buses were crowded. And Ill tell you this much, too. At 9 in the evening this train was crowded. I found out when I left my cousins house to go to the South Side it was from the North Side to the South Side. These trains were crowded. I mean, theyre crowded. They had more passengers than you would think at night than during the day. It was very surprising to me.

Why are you taking the train? To visit Wrigley Field

How often have you ridden since the onset of the pandemic? First time riding since arriving in Chicago from Chattanooga, Tenn.

Aaron: Were actually trying to get to Wrigley Field now. Were staying just up from here downtown and just getting out doing some sightseeing.

Sandy: Were here for a couple of days. I feel like its been pretty good so far. Weve traveled, weve been on a trip this month also, so we felt pretty safe about it.

Aaron: We just try to stay as clear from people as we can, wear the masks and wash our hands a lot. All the basic stuff. So were trying to live it up as much as we can but not be dangerous about it and just use common sense.

Why are you taking the train? To do computer installations at a customer site

How often have you ridden since the onset of the pandemic? Never, until yesterday.

I used to be a daily rider. Our company converted to working remotely for most of us that can, so I have not touched public transportation until yesterday when I was on this project to do computer installations on-site. There were about six people on the entire car during rush hour. And yesterday while coming back, one person sat behind me so I moved to another seat 5-6 feet away.

I suppose now since there are so few people on it, and with the regular cleanings, Im rather comfortable. I guess after a few months of anything, people tend to settle into a new routine. But for the first couple of months, I really preferred to avoid it. I also avoided the buses for the same reason.

Our office is going to an optional one-day-a-week attendance in the office. Im going to prefer to stay at home. I think my mother is a germaphobe, so I was raised with that attitude. So given the choice to avoid it, Ill avoid it. But there are some times when you need to be at the office or at a customer site to do the work, so thats why Im going in.

Why are you taking the train? To meet my wife at Union Station

How often have you ridden since the onset of the pandemic? Once in a while for outings with my kids

We come downtown and enjoy the scenery. Its more peaceful [on the train] because there are less people on it. [The kids] love it. It gives them a chance to get out.

Why are you taking the train? Heading home from work as a personal caregiver

How often have you ridden since the onset of the pandemic? Five out of every seven days

I take care of people, Im a caregiver. I go to their homes, and I assist with their daily duties. Im a companion and do various things for the clients depending on what they need and what their abilities are.

To me, for CTA, I think theyve been doing a good job as far as the social distancing, and the people thats on the trains that Ive been with, theyve been social distancing. I havent had a problem, not at all. Im blessed for that because Im a hygienic person anyways.

I rely on it, I really do, because it gets me from point A to point B. No matter where I have to go in the city, theres a bus or train that can get me there. Its very accessible. That is my transportation, public transportation.

Manuel Martinez is WBEZs photojournalist. Follow him@DenverManuel. Katherine Nagasawa is WBEZs audience engagement producer. Follow her @Kat_Nagasawa.

Read more: All of WBEZs coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak in Chicago and the region

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As More Commuters Return To Work, Heres What It Looks Like On The Red Line - WBEZ

This is a story with a lot of perhapses and maybes based on a simple fact: There is much we dont know about birds.

The nest appeared one morning in early June, as unexpected as the tutu-shaped mushrooms that pop up in our lawn after a hard rain. A sliver of translucent plastic poked out from one side of the wide cone, whose design of bent twigs, leaves and ropey strands of silver dichondra (plucked from my garden) was more Frank Gehry messy than Philip Johnson classic.

How could we not have seen its owners building it in a rose trellis we walk underneath daily to get to the garden hose and its faucet?

In April, we had been a little too curious and close to a cardinal that set up house in a Texas pomegranate not far from our deck. A miscreant squirrel that taunted her with its acrobatics didnt help. She was sitting but abandoned that nest without laying eggs.

Was this the same couple? Cardinals are monogamous in their sense of the term, Gary Clark, the Chronicles birding columnist, tells me. They pair up for one season at a time but might find different mates the next season.

Many songbirds live in our yards trees and eat from our seed-producing shrubs. Cardinals have been abundant in the last year or so, and while they are super-selective, its impossible for humans to tell them apart.

Whoever they were, we knew this couple needed space. To avoid walking under the trellis, we left the hose unrolled and began walking around the house to turn on the faucet. Incredibly, we had a, well, birds-eye-view from inside. The trellis stands about 3 feet from our bedroom window, and the nest was tilted toward us.

As cooped up as we have been since March, this was a thrilling development. All spring, while our world spun apart in the chaos of the pandemic, the garden grounded us. Now nature was going to demonstrate release.

The Mrs. situated herself one day with her back to us, as if she was confident no predators would penetrate the thorny stems of LaMarque behind her. Still, she was hyper-alert. We could neither raise and lower the window shades without startling her, nor leave them open. She sensed even the slightest movement on our side of the window, or perhaps saw us with her peripheral vision. Maybe she could hear our feet on the wood floors.

We had to be stealth to watch the show, but we peeked out every few hours in the beginning. If we stood on our toes and peered through a slit between the shades and the window frame, we could see through the window screen, into the nest.

Time has become so hazy, I cant say exactly how many days passed a few until we saw the eggs while the Mrs. was out for breakfast or lunch or whatever. There were two, smaller than thimbles, bluish with brown splotches. Soon she was bringing food, some kind of regurgitated mush she poked into the open mouths of the small pink beings stirring deep in the nest.

One day the chicks poked up their heads like wobbly little dinosaurs. Bald and blind and not even half-covered with their first feathers, they had geeky sprouts atop their heads baby tufts! and beaks that gaped open constantly, hungry. During this altricial stage, baby birds are completely helpless, Clark says.

Papa stood guard while Mama foraged. The tuft atop his bright red head stood up straight when we came around or he sensed some other need to look aggressive. Although they were vigilant all day, the adults disappeared at night, and I imagined them bone tired from all that intense parenting, up there in the trees somewhere. Maybe they were in our big pecan, or a neighbors sprawling live oak.

Probably to their dismay, I stepped within a few feet of the nest on June 18, holding out that human appendage, my iPhone, just long enough to videotape the chicks while I thought the adults were gone. The babies lifted their ragged wings ever so slightly, not looking at me. I dont think they could see yet. On June 19 they were more alert, eyes open and fidgeting.

Then came the morning of the 20th, when I went out to check on the nest, and they were gone. My heart sank. Was it my fault? Had they fallen out? Had something eaten them? Where was the neighbors big Siamese cat that prowls our yard?

But the parents were around, chirping. And sure enough, a weak peep came from the yaupon shrub beside our air conditioning unit, maybe 10 feet from the nest. One fledgling was hiding deep among the stems, in the shadows.

The second fledgling bounced out from the boxwoods below the rose trellis onto the grass, a little too careless. Trying to herd it toward cover, Papa flew up and down, up and down, from the fence to the grass. If this was a flying lesson, it wasnt going well. The fledgling, a funny little fluff ball of gray-brown down above toothpick legs, flapped its slightly oversized wings and looked at me, then at Papa, breathing heavily.

As it hopped through the fence slats toward its sibling, I positioned myself nearby to watch. Maybe I had begun to look like part of the furniture, but this baby didnt seem to know to be afraid. I was close enough to see the thin strips of white flesh around its beak, as if someone had endowed it with a clowns face.

It hobbled and lurched toward me and before I knew what was happening, the chick was standing on top of my foot, nearly weightless except for the gentle grip of its tiny feet. It stayed there a few seconds, a brief miracle in which time stopped. Then it went awkwardly on its way, toward a garden bed, where it disappeared into a mound of red fountain grass.

The last time Im sure I saw one of the fledglings, a little later that morning, one of them had made its way around the front of the house. It slipped under the fence, returning to the backyard, and hid under a border of tall liriope as an adult male landed nearby, chirping loudly. Then another the real Papa? chased the other male away.

Maybe two days later, in the afternoon, a few cardinals showed up alongside sparrows near our front door. The fledglings had grown fast, but could they really look so grown already?

No, Clark tells me. They would have been branchlings then, living in trees but fed by their parents for at least a week. Branchlings dont fly until they have developed tails and other juvenile feathers and can forage for themselves.

Although food availability can speed up their growth, our young cardinals probably havent gone far yet, Clark says. By his clock, the branchlings may be learning to fly now. Assuming they are still alive. According to David Allen Sibleys new book, What Its Like to Be a Bird, songbirds tend to have a 50-50 chance of making it to adulthood.

I listen and watch for them constantly. One day this week, talking on the phone, I happened to be looking through a window near my desk, barely aware of cardinals and sparrows foraging near the street until a hawk descended from nowhere, lightning fast, and snatched up someone. I recognized it by its reddish-brown and white coloring, but the hawk didnt even have to stop to carry off its prey.

Wednesday near dusk, soon after I spoke to Clark, cardinals and mockingbirds chirped up an urgent racket out front. I stepped out to investigate. And there was a very young juvenile, making its clumsy way across trees in the front yard, closely followed by a female adult. It disappeared but the chirping continued.

A small army of birds, including cardinals, had perched along a utility wire. I wondered if they were all watching the show of this little one learning to fly. Then the cat slinked out from behind a fence. I shooed it away.

molly.glentzer@chron.com

Originally posted here:

How I found freedom from COVID-19 isolation with feathered friends - Houston Chronicle

TV ReviewsAll of our TV reviews in one convenient place.

The final cuts are always the toughest on Drag Race, but the format of this season of All Stars twists the knife. Usually, viewers can fall back on the judges critiques and ultimately, RuPauls instincts to make sense of the rankings. With this latest change, however, the safety net is gone. Putting every queen but the challenge winner up for elimination seems like a good way to up the drama, but that only works if queens are willing to play boldly, like India did. With more cautious players, it destabilizes the proceedings, resulting in muddled deliberations and this episode, a frustrating elimination. The combination of fairly uniform performances from the queens and RuPaul abdicating responsibility for who goes home saps the episode of its energy, setting up a perfunctory march to the finale.

The episode begins with the queens still reeling from Indias elimination and her allegation that Alexis campaigned to vote out Shea. Alexis is emotional, very aware of how close she came to going home. Shea goes quickly for the voting box: One vote for Alexis (presumably India), the rest for India. Alexis is heartened, but as she says in her talking head, shes well aware that the queens dont trust her. Shell need to win the next challenge or shell be out.

B

B

The next day, the queens are surprisingly muted. Going to a strictly popular vote for elimination, no safe queens, is already impacting the workroom dynamics. RuMail teases some family togetherness and Ru comes into the workroom to announce the challenge. Theyll be having a backyard barbecue ball, with the queens serving up two looks. First theyll create a country cousin persona and write and record a comedic monologue to walk to, then theyll need to construct a high fashion second look using materials found in ones backyard. Michelle Visage narrates a game show-style display of the materialstable cloths, picnic supplies, pool toys, etc.a fun and efficient way to show what the queens will be working with.

The queens return from choosing their materials and immediately, Jujubees in trouble. Alexis may be tentative about her standing with the queens, but she has experience sewing. Jujubee cant even tell which side of her fabric is the front. Shea went to college for theater costume design, so she steps in and helps Jujubee get started, encouraging her to power through. Crackers family has a tradition of crafting garments from found objects so shes in good shape considering, but even she hits a wall trying to sew her unconventional materials. After some quick pointers from Shea about the sewing machines settings, Cracker gets back on track and seems confident. As for Blair, she seems completely at home pinning her fabric, excited to have a challenge that plays to her strengths.

Ru comes in for a walk-through and stops by Alexis station first, asking about her relationship with Vanjie, her drag daughter, and Alexis emotions during the previous lip-sync. Nothing like poking at a fresh bruise. Over at Sheas station, Ru reminds viewers of Sheas ball challenge win in season nine and they discuss design before pivoting to family. Sheas father died from cancer two days before the season nine cast was announced, so while the season was filmed while he was in remission, he never got to see Shea compete on the show. Then a month later, Sheas oldest sister died from breast cancer. Because of the timing, these losses are wrapped up in Sheas experiences on Drag Race, coloring what would have felt to viewers like a thrilling whirlwind as Shea slayed her way through season nine, only to get eliminated in the finale. Shea is emotional as she shares with Ru and the audience. The loss still incredibly painful, but she holds both her father and sister close to her heart.

Ru stops off at Jujubees station before leaving, fishing for an emotional, cathartic moment by asking Jujubee about her family. When Jujubee was a teen, her father died and six months later, her mother had a breakdown, abandoning the then 15-year-old Jujubee and her two sisters. Jujubee was able to live with her aunt, but her sisters were placed into foster care and they remained disconnected for five years. RuPaul then asks after her friends and Jujubee shares that a couple years ago, she made the difficult choice to separate herself from the found family shed built, including her fianc of 12 years, and start over in order to stay healthy. She stopped using drugs and drinking and has built her current circle from friends shes met at meetings. Ru is moved and encourages Jujubee to hold fast to these new friends. Without going into specifics, Ru underscores the need for that kind of support, saying, I wouldnt be here today without those friends. They banter their way back from the emotional edge joking about potato salad and Jujubees lack of sewing skills, but the weight of their moment lingers.

The next day, spirits are high in the workroom. Cracker is over Blairs love of high fashion and Shea has a lot of work left to do, but the mood stays light, buoyed by moments of silliness like Jujubee quietly noshing on her fake watermelon. As the queens paint, Cracker asks how everyone plans to vote. Jujubee says shell vote with her heart, and then immediately admits she has no idea what that means. The other queens more or less keep quiet, not wanting to ruffle feathers, and the episode heads to the runway.

Ru comes out in a delightful yellow dress with light green accents, a terrific on-theme choice. After welcoming guest judge Bebe Rexha, Ru introduces her sisters before kicking off the runway with the first category: Country Cousin Realness. First out is Cracker as Jocelyn Opal Rose. Cracker looks good in a flowing and somewhat tattered beige dress and stocking feet, but the standout is definitely her backstory, which is a hoot. Jujubee goes a different way with her character Ping, aka Amber, sporting shredded Daisy Dukes, a pink top, and a truly massive hat. Jujubee gives good specificity to Amber, though her secret family gossip isnt quite up to Crackers I need a kidney reveal. Blairs next as Darlene, aka Stinky, Rus Nascar-loving cousin from Indianapolis. Shes also in cut-off jean shorts, but goes for thigh-high boots, a racing tee and bandanna, a star-spangled fanny pack, arm tattoos, and a mullet to complete her look. Darlenes backstory is entertaining but a bit wordy, though her paternity test gossip helps her finish strong.

Shea is up next as Sheaquita, aka Lil Kiki, Rus baby niece. She looks great in a head wrap, studded collar, and an airbrushed tee-shirt dress, paying tribute to her grandma Grandrea, Sheas character on season nines 90210 parody. Her secretAuntie Ru is her best friendis lacking, but the rest is on point. In contrast, Alexis Carmen, Rus former housekeeper, falls flat. Shes in a tight lime green mini dress and bright pink wig, but while the others went outsized with their details and accessories, Alexis just carries a bottle of coquito. Alexis does have a wig reveal, but rather than getting bigger or more ridiculous, it tones down her look. The queens all look good, but compared to the others, Alexis comedic persona lags behind.

The second category is: Backyard Ball Eleganza. Cracker comes out in a red cocktail dress with a red gingham tablecloth for a skirt, red seat belt material for the top, a red choker, and Wiffle ball, badminton racket, and birdie accessories. Its creative and fun, albeit stiff, particularly in the top. Jujubee is next, in a cute yellow body-con dress with magenta trim and watermelon accents, and carrying a watermelon purse. The dress is shaky in its construction, but its cute and a good fit for the backdoor barbecue setting. Blairs look is much more fashion, a draped striped tablecloth with lavender accents, paired with a lace choker and wet hair. The garment is part dress, part leotard, and Blair works it down the runway, though it starts to come apart as she leaves.

Shea has a smart concepta backyard weddingbut her look doesnt quite sing as one would hope due to the clash between her faded check leotard and bright blue check chaps. Her veil is clever, but given Sheas track record, its hard not to want a bit more from her. Last is Alexis, who comes out in a fabulous red gown with Solo cups, forks, and paper plates repurposed into accents for her shoulders and bustline and on her train. She also shows off the kiddie pool she used as a hoop, giving her gown its mermaid shape. Its a dramatic, creative look, and one that celebrates rather than obscures the materials she used.

Its time for judging and unfortunately, its a rather even match. Cracker takes the first category, but Alexis gown is the standout in the second, though Carson doesnt love her proportions. Jujubee and Shea do well in both, with Jujubee getting particular praise for her comedic touches, and Blair is critiqued for her construction of her second look. Unfortunately for Alexis, her memorable second look isnt enough to make up for her underwhelming first look, and RuPaul gives the win to Cracker, who is now headed to the top four. That leaves Jujubee, Blair, Shea, and Alexis in the bottom and the queens waste no time getting down to business once they return to the workroom.

Cracker is very clear with the other queens: Shell be judging based on report cards, and for her, Shea and Jujubees previous wins keep them safe. That leaves Blair and Alexis as the bottom two. Shea and Jujubee are happy to cosign, and the conversation quickly closes in on the oldest and the youngest queens in the room. For her pitch, Blair focuses on her hard work, her library challenge co-win, and her pre-All Stars friendship with Cracker. Alexis keys into her track record and her staying power, the fact that shes still delivering at this high level nine years after her Drag Race debut. Theres almost no discussion of their specific performances in this challenge, and little sense that the remaining queens are all that interested in considering performance. The tension builds as the queens vote. While theres some uncertainty, Cracker, Jujubee, and Shea seem to be voting as a bloc, and when its down to the final fiveassuming the challenge winner breaks tiesthats all it takes.

Back on the main stage, Cracker has changed into a blue dance ensemble and the lip-sync assassin is revealed to be Roxxxy Andrews, queen of the Drag Race wig reveal. She makes an entrance in a giant red ostrich plume coat, a striking contrast to Cracker. The song is Ariana Grandes One Last Time. Cracker does a few more restrained moves early, while Roxxxy remains still, working her coat to dramatic effect with fewer, more pointed moves. After the first verse she shakes it off, revealing a red leotard and sheer throw. This is only the first level, though, as Roxxxy eventually takes off the sheer layer as well and reveals the final look: The same red leotard front and a barely-there back with a stoned Thick & Juicy strap lovingly labeling her cheeks. Roxxxy looks amazing, but its the audacity and playfulness of this move that takes the cake. She works her final look, completely in the moment and joyful, and despite Crackers attempts to sell Ariana, all eyes are on Roxxxy. She takes the lip-sync by a mile, a ridiculous breath of fresh air after an episode full of drama.

With the queens assembled on the stage, Roxxxy reveals the result of the group vote. Alexis has been eliminated, leaving the top four as Cracker, Shea, Jujubee, and Blair. Alexis has certainly done well on All Stars, but her elimination is both surprising and entirely predictable. She is arguably a stronger competitor than some of the queens still contending, but she did have the weakest first category look. Had India played the previous episode differently, Alexis second look may have been enough to save her, but it didnt even factor into the deliberations. Alexis elimination also puts the nail in Blairs coffin. Unless she wins the next challenge, Cracker, Shea, and Jujubee will cite track records and vote her out. This seasons twist of a popular vote has merit, but there are still some kinks to work out to keep the show at its most compelling. Hopefully RuPaul and the producers have at least one twist left up their sleeves.

See more here:

RuPauls Drag Race All Stars serves up fashion and frustration at The Charles Family Backyard Ball - The A.V. Club

Gold futures ended lower on Friday, but held ground above $1,800 an ounce to score a fifth weekly gain in a row as the spread of coronavirus in many U.S. states and other countries raised the need to hedge against risk amid continued uncertainty over the economic outlook.

The fundamental drivers stimulating appetite for gold remain firmly in place, with the medium to longer term outlook pointing north, Lukman Otunuga, senior research analyst at FXTM, told MarketWatch. However, where gold trades in the week ahead will be heavily influenced by how prices behave around the psychological $1,800 level.

August gold GCQ20, -0.03% fell by $1.90, or 0.1%, to settle at $1,801.90 an ounce on Comex, while September silver SIU20, +0.64% rose 9 cents, or 0.5%, to $19.053 an ounce.

Gold futures ended lower on Thursday, pulling back after scoring a settlement Wednesday at the highest since September 2011, but the haven metal held ground above $1,800 an ounce after data showed weekly U.S. jobless benefit claims remained well above 1 million.

Read:Why gold has become a weapon of choice for investors

After charging to levels not seen in nine years, gold may experience a technical correction back towards the $1,780-$1,765 region before bulls gather fresh momentum on risk aversion, said Otunuga.

For the week, gold rose roughly 0.7% from last Thursdays settlement, which was the weeks last session due to the Independence Day holiday. The metal now has tallied a fifth weekly rise in a row, and trades up by more than 18% for the year to date. Silver was up about 4% for the week.

Analysts have tied golds rally in part to a continued fall in bond yields, which have eroded or eliminated the opportunity cost tied to holding non-yielding assets such as gold. The 10-year Treasury note yield TMUBMUSD10Y, 0.641% was lower for the week, trading at 0.619% in Friday dealings, a day after closing at its lowest since April 24.

Gold also has kept its appeal amid worries that aggressive stimulus efforts could spark inflationary pressures.

Read:Why safe haven gold and the stock market are now moving the same direction

In a note dated Thursday, analysts at Goldman Sachs wrote that gold is a function of two primary factors: Fear which drives investment demand in developed markets, and Wealth which drives consumer demand in emerging markets.

An environment where the U.S. recovery slows due to a second wave of virus cases, but China, the worlds largest retail gold buyer, is recovering strongly is ideal for gold, as this would put downward pressure on U.S. real rates via the Fear channel and increase EM demand for gold via the Wealth channel, they wrote.

U.S. underperformance is also bearish the dollar, which helps gold by boosting the dollar purchasing power of consumers outside the U.S., they said.

Given all of that, the analyst said they have even greater conviction in their bullish $2,000 an ounce 12-month price target.

Among other metals on Comex, September copper HGU20, +2.50% rose 2.1% to $2.8975 a pound, for a weekly gain of more than 5%. October platinum PLV20, -0.18% shed 0.1% at $845.90 an ounce, tacking on around 1.7% for the week, and September palladium PAU20, +1.28% added 1.6% to $1,994.40 an ounce, for a weekly rise of over 3%.

Continued here:

Gold heads for weekly gain as it holds above $1,800 an ounce - MarketWatch

With the election coming up in November, many wonder if we could have a contested election and how likely is that to happen? USA TODAY

WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps last political rally in Oklahomashowed the risks of campaigning in the age of coronavirus.

His planned rally in New Hampshire could bea test run for how those type of big campaign events will go forward in the future if they go on at all.

This rally is really a make-or-break moment for Trump, said Dan Eberhart, an energy company executive and GOP fund-raiser. This needs to be a success to prove out the strategy that in this kind of COVID environment, these kinds of rallies still have legs, still have purpose and that this type of campaigning can continue.

So far the latest push isn't going according to plan: The White House and Trump campaign announced Friday that the New Hampshire rally expected on Saturday would be postponed. Trump officials cited Tropical Storm Fay in postponingthe eventand vowed to reschedule soon.

More: Trump postpones New Hampshire campaign rally, citing Tropical Storm Fay

Trumps New Hampshire rally, which was expected to be at an airport hangar at the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, was plannedas the president is trying to recharge his struggling campaign amid a recent spike in coronavirus cases and as polls show him trailing the presumptive Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, in November.

The event wasshadowed by questions over what went wrong at his rally last month in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Even amid lingering concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, campaign officials hyped up that event and boasted that they had received requests for 1 million tickets. Turnout was far smaller than expected, with just 6,200 people showing up and leaving Trump addressing a lot of empty seats in a 19,000-capacity arena.

Whats more, eight campaign staffers on the advance team and two Secret Service agents who worked in Tulsa ahead of that event tested positive for coronavirus. Tulsas top health official said Wednesday that the rally and the protests that accompanied it likely contributed to the citys recent surge in coronavirus cases.

COVID-19 concerns: Doctors worry about coronavirus risks at Trump's New Hampshire rally

President Donald Trump rejected the Supreme Court ruling and declared that the subpoenas of a New York prosecutor for the billionaire presidents tax records was "a political witch hunt the likes of which nobody's ever seen before." (July 9) AP Domestic

The event that had been set forSaturday would have beenTrumps second in-person rally since much of the country went into lockdown over coronavirus. Thenumber of coronavirus cases in the U.S. have topped 3 million, more than 133,000 Americans have died from the disease and as the U.S. continues to set a daily record of new cases.

The Trump campaign said it intended todistribute face masks at the event and will encourage attendees to wear them, even though Trump himself has resisted wearing a mask in public.

In New Hampshire, therally has raised red flags for many local officials concerned about the potential spread of coronavirus from the event. A handful of Portsmouth officials want to mandate that face masks be worn by people attending the event, but Mayor Rick Becksted doesnt favor such a mandatory policy and says the city has no jurisdiction over the federally owned land where the event will be held.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has said it is imperative attendees at the rally wear masks but that he wont mandate them. Sununu has said he plans to meet Trump at the airport when he arrives, but that he wont attend the rally.

Holding political rallies while much of the nation is concerned about coronavirus poses real risks for Trump, said David McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He is a visual reminder of the coronavirus as he speaks, McLennan said. Hes speaking in front of big, often unmasked crowds and sometimes not-so-big crowds at a time when everybody is paying attention to these (coronavirus) numbers to some degree.

That being said, Im not sure the president has any other tools for his campaign. Hes kind of between a rock and a hard place in that thats what he did in 2016 to great effect.

Off to Texas: Donald Trump plans to travel to West Texas for campaign fundraiser despite COVID spike

Supporters listen as US President Donald Trump speaks during a Students for Trump event at the Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona.(Photo: SAUL LOEB, AFP via Getty Images)

Trump is trying to replicate the campaign formula that worked well for him in 2016, said Dante Scala, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire.

The old saying is campaigns are ultimately reflections of the candidate, Scala said. I think for the candidates own morale, he feels the need to be out and about and doing these sorts of things that served him well the last time he ran for office.

Trump lost New Hampshire to Democrat Hillary Clinton by just 2,736 votes. A poll last month by St. Anselm Colleges New Hampshire Institute of Politics showed him trailing Biden in the Granite State by 7 points.

But while a campaign rally will help fire up Trumps base and provide him with a made-for-television moment, it is unlikely to move other voters into his camp and might even turn off suburban voters, Scala said.

In New Hampshire, his real dilemma right now is in the prosperous suburbs, where you find a lot of college-educated voters who are well off, Scala said. They likely still have their jobs and so forth, but they are anxious about whats happening and what will come.

What some fear will come along with the rally is a spike in coronavirus in a state that has fewer than 6,000 reported cases.

Living in New Hampshire feels a bit like living in a bubble because in the state the numbers of cases is very low and the number of hospitalizations is low, Scala said. All of the metrics point in the right direction. But for a New Hampshire voter looking around the country, we feel very much like an island.

So for the president to come in does feel a bit like its impinging on that bubble. There are all of those concerns of what he brings with him. People come in from out of state. Will it cause a spike in cases? It will raise the anxiety level at a time when a lot of people are understandably very anxious.

Tax decision: Trump, Democrats both hoped for big political wins in Supreme Court decision on taxes. Neither got one

Regardless, Trump needs a robust turnout on Saturday to reboot his campaign and move on from what happened in Tulsa, Eberhart said.

The rallies are a barometer of voter sentiment, the living embodiment of Trumps slumping popularity, he said. If the New Hampshire crowd is anemic, it sends the signal to donors that public support for the president is subpar and that they may be throwing good money after bad. He needs a full house and a raucous crowd to recharge his re-elect campaign.

If he doesnt get that, he needs to find another way to reach voters, Eberhart said.

The Tulsa rally was widely panned by the media, he said. If the same happens in New Hampshire, he cant hold a third and a fourth (rally) and just have it continue to pull down the campaign. Its just not going to work. (The campaign) has to rebound or he has to completely shift to some other way of campaigning.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

Contributing: Hadley Barndollar of seacoastonline.com

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Trump sought to recharge his campaign with New Hampshire rally. It's now on hold - USA TODAY

Teen sensation is among a select band of players to hit goals in consecutive league games for the Red Devils and his talent is hard to play down

On a night when Manchester United made Premier League history,another moment of magic from 18-year-old Mason Greenwood inspired them to victory.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sat relatively silently on the sidelines at Villa Park as he watched his side extend their unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions and become the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive games by a three-goalor highermargin.

United cruised to this3-0 victory over Aston Villa and it was Greenwood again providingthe standout moment.

Solskjaer has been keen to downplay any links between Greenwood and great players of Uniteds past but its now hard to ignore the comparisons between the teenager and the clubs all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney.

Remember the name!, commentator Clive Tyldesley roared when Rooney burst onto the scene for Everton in October 2002 when he washailed as the coming force in English football.

Greenwood had just turned one and will have had no idea of Rooneys heroics that day against Arsenal. But now, 18 years later,he has taken on the mantle of the most exciting young talent to push through in a generation.

His work off the ball has been praised as much as his goal scoring and it was another confident performance from the attacker, who has nailed down his position in the starting XI. But for all the praise of his work rate and pace it is his goals which are setting him apart from the rest.

Spare a thought for any defender trying to deal with him.A coach might demand that a centre-back shows an attacker onto his weaker footbut Greenwood doesnt have one.

Some wonderful work from Anthony Martial in the build-up to United's second goal,after winning the ball back off Tyrone Mings, preceded a sublime finish from Greenwood. From outside the box - andwith his supposedly weaker right foot - he beat Pepe Reina with a rocket of a strike.

That brought his total to 16in all competitions and nine in the league;the last teenager to score that many in a single league campaign was a certain former United No.10 in Rooney.

Solskjaer might not want to attract thecomparisons but the evidence is there for all to see. The homegrown prospecthas the talent that could be key to Uniteds fast-flowing attacking front line for years to come.

His goal, which came in added time in the first half, settled a tie which at first United were slow to get in to. Solskjaer named an unchanged side for the fourth consecutive league game, the first time United had done so since November 2006, but their effortswere fruitless early on despite the possession they enjoyed.

While Villa pressed the visitors in the opening exchanges, Unitedlooked lethargic and not at all like the fast attacking team we have seen since the restart.

Anwar El Ghazi and Douglas Luiz both had efforts from range which werent anything to test David de Gea. On another day Jack Grealish would have given them the lead when he got on the end of a great ball from Ezri Konsa but the United target could only volley his effort over the bar at the far post.

Paul Pogba was then caught in possession and Trezeguet fired a warning sign as his effort ricocheted off De Geas post.

A controversial penalty decision moments later, however, ensured United took the lead. Fernandes pirouetted on the ball and brushed intoKonza as he did so. The Portuguese was looking for the contactbut VAR backed referee Jon Moss decision. Fernandes duly dispatched from the spot for his seventh league goal of the season.

United sparked into life after the goal with a power injected into their front line that had been missing in the opening half hour. Greenwood, Martial and Marcus Rashford all had driving runs into the box that had to be dealt with by Reina before Greenwood scored Uniteds second before the break.

Solskjaer will say he is not interested in records but becomingthe first side to win by a three-goal or higher margin for four consecutive league games is some feat, especially a team that not so long ago was looking for consistency and creativity.

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Pogba, who put in another classy performance in the hub of Uniteds midfield, got the third. A Fernandes corner was delivered straight to the Frenchman waiting on the edge of the box. He took one touch before perfectly guiding his curled shot into the bottom corner.

United were in cruise control by that stageand it gave Solskjaer the opportunity to rest his key men. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Greenwood, Martial, Nemanja Matic and Fernandes all came off ahead of another busy week.

The United boss might decide to rotate his squad with three big fixtures to come but one things for sure; Greenwoods going to be key. Remember the name.

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'Remember the name!' - Greenwood merits Rooney comparisons and heads for Man Utd record books - Goal

President Donald Trump rejected the Supreme Court ruling and declared that the subpoenas of a New York prosecutor for the billionaire presidents tax records was "a political witch hunt the likes of which nobody's ever seen before." (July 9) AP Domestic

WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps last political rally showed the risks of campaigning in the age of coronavirus.

His rally in New Hampshire on Saturday could be a test run for how those type of big campaign events will go forward in the future if they go on at all.

This rally is really a make-or-break moment for Trump, said Dan Eberhart, an energy company executive and GOP fund-raiser. This needs to be a success to prove out the strategy that in this kind of COVID environment, these kinds of rallies still have legs, still have purpose and that this type of campaigning can continue.

Trumps New Hampshire rally, which will be held at an airport hangar at the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, comes as the president is trying to recharge his struggling campaign amid a recent spike in coronavirus cases and as polls show him trailing the presumptive Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, in November.

Trump heads to New Hampshire still shadowed by questions over what went wrong at his rally last month in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Even amid lingering concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, campaign officials hyped up that event and boasted that they had received requests for 1 million tickets. Turnout was far smaller than expected, with just 6,200 people showing up and leaving Trump addressing a lot of empty seats in a 19,000-capacity arena.

Whats more, eight campaign staffers on the advance team and two Secret Service agents who worked in Tulsa ahead of that event tested positive for coronavirus. Tulsas top health official said Wednesday that the rally and the protests that accompanied it likely contributed to the citys recent surge in coronavirus cases.

COVID-19 concerns: Doctors worry about coronavirus risks at Trump's New Hampshire rally

President Donald Trump campaigns in Toledo, Ohio, on Jan. 9, 2020.(Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

The event on Saturday will be only Trumps second in-person rally since much of the country went into lockdown over coronavirus. But it comes as the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. have topped 3 million, more than 133,000 Americans have died from the disease and as the U.S. continues to set a daily record of new cases.

The Trump campaign said it will distribute face masks at Saturdays event and will encourage attendees to wear them, even though Trump himself has resisted wearing a mask in public.

In New Hampshire, the rally has raised red flags for many local officials concerned about the potential spread of coronavirus from the event. A handful of Portsmouth officials want to mandate that face masks be worn by people attending the event, but Mayor Rick Becksted doesnt favor such a mandatory policy and says the city has no jurisdiction over the federally owned land where the event will be held.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has said it is imperative attendees at the rally wear masks but that he wont mandate them. Sununu has said he plans to meet Trump at the airport when he arrives, but that he wont attend the rally.

Holding political rallies while much of the nation is concerned about coronavirus poses real risks for Trump, said David McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He is a visual reminder of the coronavirus as he speaks, McLennan said. Hes speaking in front of big, often unmasked crowds and sometimes not-so-big crowds at a time when everybody is paying attention to these (coronavirus) numbers to some degree.

That being said, Im not sure the president has any other tools for his campaign. Hes kind of between a rock and a hard place in that thats what he did in 2016 to great effect.

Off to Texas: Donald Trump plans to travel to West Texas for campaign fundraiser despite COVID spike

Supporters listen as US President Donald Trump speaks during a Students for Trump event at the Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona.(Photo: SAUL LOEB, AFP via Getty Images)

Trump is trying to replicate the campaign formula that worked well for him in 2016, said Dante Scala, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire.

The old saying is campaigns are ultimately reflections of the candidate, Scala said. I think for the candidates own morale, he feels the need to be out and about and doing these sorts of things that served him well the last time he ran for office.

Trump lost New Hampshire to Democrat Hillary Clinton by just 2,736 votes. A poll last month by St. Anselm Colleges New Hampshire Institute of Politics showed him trailing Biden in the Granite State by 7 points.

But while a campaign rally will help fire up Trumps base and provide him with a made-for-television moment, it is unlikely to move other voters into his camp and might even turn off suburban voters, Scala said.

In New Hampshire, his real dilemma right now is in the prosperous suburbs, where you find a lot of college-educated voters who are well off, Scala said. They likely still have their jobs and so forth, but they are anxious about whats happening and what will come.

What some fear will come along with the rally is a spike in coronavirus in a state that has fewer than 6,000 reported cases.

Living in New Hampshire feels a bit like living in a bubble because in the state the numbers of cases is very low and the number of hospitalizations is low, Scala said. All of the metrics point in the right direction. But for a New Hampshire voter looking around the country, we feel very much like an island.

So for the president to come in does feel a bit like its impinging on that bubble. There are all of those concerns of what he brings with him. People come in from out of state. Will it cause a spike in cases? It will raise the anxiety level at a time when a lot of people are understandably very anxious.

Tax decision: Trump, Democrats both hoped for big political wins in Supreme Court decision on taxes. Neither got one

Regardless, Trump needs a robust turnout on Saturday to reboot his campaign and move on from what happened in Tulsa, Eberhart said.

The rallies are a barometer of voter sentiment, the living embodiment of Trumps slumping popularity, he said. If the New Hampshire crowd is anemic, it sends the signal to donors that public support for the president is subpar and that they may be throwing good money after bad. He needs a full house and a raucous crowd to recharge his re-elect campaign.

If he doesnt get that, he needs to find another way to reach voters, Eberhart said.

The Tulsa rally was widely panned by the media, he said. If the same happens in New Hampshire, he cant hold a third and a fourth (rally) and just have it continue to pull down the campaign. Its just not going to work. (The campaign) has to rebound or he has to completely shift to some other way of campaigning.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

Contributing: Hadley Barndollar of seacoastonline.com

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'Make-or-break moment': Trump heads to New Hampshire for campaign rally amid sagging polls, coronavirus fears - USA TODAY

Farming and ranching are ingrained in American DNA . Farmers have worked the soil and raised the stock that feeds the country throughout history, before and after colonization. The modern ideals of farming harken back to simple times and quiet lives. But farming can be anything. It can be loud, revolutionary, quirky or traditional as these movies depict.

A still from Babe (1995).

Babe (1995) A piglet named Babe narrowly escapes his fate at the Christmas dinner table when his farmer decides to show him off at the next years fair. Babe then befriends the farms herding dog and realizes that he too can heard the sheep. A fun family movie about finding yourself and finding family that ultimately won Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy and was even nominated for several Oscars including Best Picture, winning one for visual effects which beat out Apollo 13. Not bad for a talking pig. Stream it on HBO Max/Go or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

John Chester in a scene from The Biggest Little Farm (2018).

The Biggest Little Farm (2018) Stunningly filmed, this compelling documentary showcases the lives of husband and wife, John Chester (who also directed) and Molly Cunningham (who is also credited as a cinematographer), who pack up their lives in Santa Monica and move to a barren 200 acre farm outside of Los Angeles because their adopted dog wouldnt stop barking when they were away. So two people, who know nothing about farming and have gargantuan dreams of sustaining both livestock and a variety of produce document their journey from city slickers to all-out farmers, with a lot of help of course. Luckily they make no grand attempts to make themselves out to seem more knowledgeable than they are, and instead throw the credit for their eventual successes to their mentor Alan York. It will give you serious garden envy. Stream it on Hulu or rent it on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

From left: Fred MacMurray, Percy Kilbride and Claudette Colbert in a scene from "The Egg and I" (1947)

The Egg and I (1947) Based on the memoir of the same name and set in Washington (albeit ambiguously) the comedy stars Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray as Betty and Bob MacDonald. On their wedding night, Bob informs Betty that hes quit his cushy job and bought them a derelict chicken farm in the country. It being the 1940s she happily goes with it, not asking questions. In fact, she sticks with him through much more than any sane modern woman would. She slowly shows her strength as she proves that she can make their ramshackle house a home for a while anyway. Fair warning there are many antiquated notions of what women should be/do and some racist depictions of Native Americans that were common in films of the era. Stream it on Hoopla or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

Dolores Huerta in a scene from Dolores (2017).

Dolores (2017) A documentary on Dolores Huerta who, along with Cesar Chavez helped organize the farmworkers strikes in the 1960s and 70s. No doubt Chavez name has become synonymous with the movement to unionize the workers, but Huerta has equal footing with him. She fought gender bias as well as racism throughout her decades of activism, forgoing a traditional role in her household to raise her 11 children. Now 90 years-old, she continues to work speaking out for injustices through her organization. The documentary is typical when dealing with historical figures but it unveils a part of history that isnt as talked about outside of California or the Southwest (Im a millennial, raised in Bend and I hadnt heard about the United Farm Workers movement until I was in my late 20s) and the woman that is often missed when speaking about it. Stream it on OPB (with Passport) or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube.

Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor in "Giant" (1956).

Giant (1956) A sprawling epic story of a family over three generations starring Rock Hudson as Texas cattle baron Bick Benedict, Elizabeth Taylor as his wife Leslie, and James Dean as cowboy-turned-oil magnate Jett Rink. When Bick marries Leslie a Maryland socialite and brings her home to Texas, Jett is smitten and creates tension between the him and the macho rancher. When Bicks sister dies and leaves Jett with a modest parcel of land, Jett strikes oil and the twos rocky relationship turns to rivalry. Over the course of about thirty years we see these two men grow old, showcasing both Hudson and Deans acting chops along the way. Taylor is also a force in her portrayal of Leslie, refusing to kowtow to many of the more feminine sensibilities that women of the day may have had to face. The film also features in a somewhat surprising subplot involving Bicks bigotry towards the local Latino community and how he grows more tolerant over time due to his wifes and sons influences. Stream it on HBO Max or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

John Peterson in a still from "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" (2005)

The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005) Farmer John Peterson inherits a farm from his father, who inherited it from his father. But while the farm was always in Petersons blood, the longing for free expression also coursed through his veins. In this documentary that follows Peterson through his childhood into adulthood and through bankruptcy, dealing with local intolerance toward his expressive lifestyle and eventual rise to become a highly sought after organic farmer hosting a popular Chicago CSA in the early 2000s. Stream it on Kanopy or Hoopla or rent it from Amazon Prime.

From left: John Ireland, John Wayne and Montgomery Clift in "Red River" (1948).

Red River (1948) Stubborn rancher Thomas Dodson (John Wayne) dreams of owning the biggest herd in Texas. He is aided by his old friend and trail hand Groot (Walter Brennan) and his kind of adopted son Matthew (Montgomery Clift in his first film). The three along with a brood of ranch hands start a perilous journey from the ranch north to Missouri. Along the way tensions run high after long miles, cattle stampede, death and other hazards leading the men to butt heads over what should be done. Its one of the best Westerns of all time and features the best yee-haws recorded on screen. Its worth noting that, as with most Westerns of the era there are racist depictions of Native Americans. Stream it on Starz or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

From left: Alexander Godunov, Harrison Ford and Viggo Mortensen in a scene from Witness (1985).

Witness (1985) A young Amish boy named Samuel (Lukas Haas) witnesses a brutal murder while traveling with his mother, Rachel (Kelly McGillis), to visit his aunt in Philadelphia. When the detective investigating the murder, Book (peak Harrison Ford), discovers that a corrupt cop is the murderer, he is shot and takes Rachel and Samuel back to their Amish community, where he recuperates and eventually falls for Rachel and she for him. The quiet Amish life depicts farming and even a quintessential barn raising that Book takes part in after the community discovers hes quite the carpenter (like Ford himself). The film was criticized in the Amish community for being untrue to their way of life and that its popularity would lead to their communities being overrun with tourists. This led to the governor of Pennsylvania agreeing not to promote future films from shooting in Amish communities. Rent it on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube.

Continued here:

Head back to the farm (or ranch) with these films and documentaries - Bend Bulletin

Singaporeans living in the United Kingdom were among the first to cast their votes in this year's general election.

The Singapore High Commission in London opened its doors at 8am (3pm Singapore time) yesterday, but a queue of about 15 people had already formed 10 minutes earlier outside the building in the Belgravia area of the city.

Voters were standing at least 2m apart from one another, in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Poll letters issued to registered overseas voters listed instructions to wear a face covering and to keep a safe distance from others.

One of the first few in line at 7.45am was Mr Zack Ho, 28, who moved to London for work last year. The auditor from Aljunied GRC, who was voting overseas for the first time, said it is good that the GRC is keenly contested.

"It keeps (politicians) on their toes, with residents watching whether they deliver their promises after each election."

Singapore Management University exchange student Darren Choy, 24, who is from Hougang SMC, flew to London from Moscow to cast his ballot.

"I have been quite interested in politics since I was young, and this is the first time I get to vote, so I feel that it is important to be a part of this process," he said.

According to the Elections Department, there are 6,570 registered overseas voters in this election, up from 4,868 in 2015.

But a glitch in the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's system, for which the authority apologised last Saturday, means that another 101 overseas Singaporeans will not get to vote this time though they had applied to do so.

London is one of 10 overseas polling stations, which are in places with a significant number of Singaporeans. The rest are in Beijing, Canberra, Dubai, Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo and Washington.

Voting in Dubai, London and the United States took place yesterday as overseas polls must not close later than the close of polls in Singapore.

Its #coolingoffday in Singapore but voting is a day ahead in London. I might be wrong, but we might just be the first...

Posted by Anthony Chen onThursday, 9 July 2020

Polls likewise opened at 8am (8pm Singapore time) in Washington, and voters showed up with masks firmly on their faces and red passports in hand.

All overseas polling stations have put in place measures to ensure the health and safety of voters and election officials amid the pandemic.

All voters were required to wear masks, sanitise their hands and don plastic gloves when collecting a ballot paper. Election workers also donned face shields and gloves.

First in line were Jurong GRC voters Peter Chou, 47, his wife Sharon and their 12-year-old son Sebastian, who set out from their Virginia home at 3am to beat the traffic into the nation's capital.

"It's a very important responsibility for citizens to cast a vote. We're casting a vote for the next generation, for my son's generation. It's not just casting votes but setting the correct foundation for the next generation," said Mr Chou, a postgraduate student in healthcare.

His impression of the election was that it was "more emotionally charged, because of the pandemic and also the economic situation in Singapore is a little on the rough side".

Scientist Faezzah Baharom, 31, said that what grabbed her attention about this election was the energy of the youth, which she said was different from when she was in Singapore 10 years ago.

"It's good to know that young people care about Singapore," said the Tampines GRC voter.

"I don't know if it's partly due to the influence of social media and people are aware of what's happening in the US for example, but it's good to know that people are discussing racial equality and things like that in Singapore too."

First-time voter Luk Yean, a data analyst at a healthcare policy company, said it was his democratic right and responsibility to vote.

The 25-year-old added: "The pandemic was one of the main concerns I have, but the future leadership of the country is very important, and this election is going to go a long way in deciding that."

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Singapore GE2020: Singaporeans in UK among first to cast ballot, out of 6570 overseas voters - The Straits Times

Will Power has ended the sole practice session from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on top of the times ahead of qualifying, setting a 1:09.9487 for Team Penske.

The Australian, who failed to finish inside the top ten last time out in Texas, was over a tenth of a second faster than second-placed Santino Ferrucci, who was in the wars with Ryan Hunter-Reay during the session.

As Hunter-Reay made his way into Turn 7, Ferrucci was approaching at a much higher speed from behind, and as they both turned into the apex of the corner, contact was made causing Hunter-Reay to spin around.

Despite the incident, both drivers ended the session inside the top six, with Hunter-Reay clocking in behind Marcus Ericsson, who was the lead Chip Ganassi car, Patricio OWard and Scott Dixon.

The Ferrucci/Hunter-Reay incident caused a red flag, however it was not the only session stoppage during the 90 minutes, as Sage Karam stalled his car after running off the track following a minor mistake. The Dreyer & Reinbold driver ended the session on the bottom of the timesheets.

Simon Pagenaud, who won at the Indianapolis road course last year, ended up in seventh place for Team Penske ahead of Felix Rosenqvist.

Spencer Pigot was ninth, heading rookie Oliver Askew who managed to score a top ten finish on his debut in Texas last month for Arrow McLaren SP.

Qualifying for the GMR Grand Prix takes place on Friday night at 4:30 PM ET, before the race on Saturday afternoon in Indiana.

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Will Power heads practice at Indianapolis as Ferrucci and Hunter-Reay collide - FormulaSpy

At this point, Id like to think the Footy Talks brand needs no introduction.

In the beforetimes, the gang at Homestand Sports brought great Footy Talks events to the Rivoli: live chats and beers with local pundits, players, and super fans. Eventually, they outgrew the space and moved to the Rec Room, where the scope expanded to also include viewing parties and rallies across all the big European Leagues.

This past year, they levelled up with TFC crossover events to open the season, and anyone that attended the Canada Soccer Rally at the Rec Room before the victory over the USMNT at BMO Field last October was witness to something truly special.

Lets also not forgot the weekly Footy Talks Podcast, hosted by our very own Mitchell Tierney and often featuring all your favourite WTR / TFC talking heads as guests.

As the pandemic turned our lives upside down, Footy Talks was there to keep our footy flames burning, with weekly Zoom based chats hosted by the big threeKJ, Caldwell, and WilemanLa Liga talks, and a-so-fun-I-almost-dont-want-to-mention-it-for-fear-of-more-competition Trivia challenge with some SICK prizes.

The weekly Footy Talks live chats were not just a great respite from the scary world outside, but they were required viewing for the #TFClive diehards. Weve been blessed with some very candid, very vulnerable tete-a-tetes with the likes of Sebastian Giovinco, Victor Vasquez, Richie Lareya, and, just last week, the Captain himself, Micheal Bradley.

As we move cautiously into the reality that is the MLS is Back Tournament / Mickey Mouse Cup, Footy Talks has asked us here at Waking the Red to host our own weekly show and we couldnt possibly be more excited. Its a serious honour.

Thats right, for the duration of the Tournament, the gang at WTR will be your hosts as we discuss TFC and MLS LIVE until were all blue in the face.

Every week, join Mitchell, myself (Jeffrey P. Nesker), and Michael Singh, plus special guests, as we bring WTR level banter to the interwebs. We are champing at the bit to interact with the community on this new platform; its been awhile since we had a good old fashioned WTR style multi-thread. Heres hoping we can upgrade to the live setting!

The logistics are simple: register online for free and get a zoom link to attend. As before, the show will be simultaneously live streamed on the Footy Talks Facebook page. the live chat will be active on both platforms.

The schedule is as follows:

July 7 (12 pm EST) - MLS is back Tournament Preview

July 14 (12 pm EST) - Episode One

July 21 (12 pm EST) - Episode Two

Enjoy our special teaser below, and see you all on the 7th!

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Waking the Red Weekly presented by Footy Talks - Waking The Red

As infections in the U.S. are rising sharply, the death rate has dropped.

After a minor late-spring lull, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States is again on the rise. States like Arizona, Florida and Texas are seeing some of their highest numbers to date, and as the nation hurtles deeper into summer, the surge shows few signs of stopping.

Yet the virus appears to be killing fewer of the people it infects a seemingly counterintuitive trend that might not last, experts said.

In April and May, Covid-19 led to as many as 3,000 deaths per day and claimed the lives of roughly 7 to 8 percent of Americans known to have been infected. Now, even though cases are rising in the majority of states, some of which are hitting single-day records, the number of daily deaths is closer to 600, and the death rate is less than 5 percent.

Because death reports can lag diagnoses by weeks, the current rise in coronavirus cases could portend increases in mortality in the days to come. However, there are also a few factors that can help explain the apparent drop.

One is increased diagnostic testing, which has identified many more infected individuals with mild or no symptoms. That means those who die with Covid-19 form a smaller overall proportion of cases, said Caitlin Rivers, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

And with more tests available, infections are often identified earlier, which allows us to intervene earlier, said Saskia Popescu, a hospital epidemiologist and infectious disease expert in Arizona.

Health experts also noted that treatments had improved, and that the virus is now infecting more young people, who are less likely to die of Covid-19.

With U.S. infections surging, Trump visits Mt. Rushmore for fireworks.

Reports of new cases have increased 90 percent in the United States in the last two weeks. More than 53,000 new daily coronavirus cases were reported in the United States on Friday, according to a New York Times database. That total exceeded all previous daily counts but the 55,595 on Thursday, the first time the number had passed 50,000.

At least five states set single-day case records on Friday: Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, North Carolina and South Carolina, according to data compiled by The New York Times. In South Carolina, where more than 1,800 new cases were announced Friday, the positivity rate has hovered around 20 percent this week, up from about 10 percent in early June. In Kansas, where at least 770 new cases were announced, daily reporting totals vary widely because the state government only releases new data three times a week. The state reported positivity rates exceeding 10 percent for the first three days in July, a significant uptick from mid-June when the rate hovered between 5 and 7 percent.

On Thursday, the United States set a single-day case record for the sixth time in nine days, with more than 55,000 new cases announced, and single-day highs in eight states. Domestic travel restrictions have re-emerged, and many locales have slowed or reversed reopenings.

The vast majority of July 4 fireworks displays in big cities and small rural towns have been canceled. Most politicians, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the presumptive Democratic nominee, are forgoing the traditional parades and flag-waving appearances.

President Trump, however, has a different, discordant message: The sparkly, booming show must go on at all costs. Mr. Trump was in South Dakota on Friday evening for a massive fireworks display at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a made-for-TV patriotic display that he has spent years lobbying to revive. (There have been no fireworks at Mount Rushmore since 2009 because of fears that they would set off forest fires and contaminate groundwater.)

Few in the packed crowd of supporters wore masks. In his pre-fireworks speech, Mr. Trump barely mentioned the pandemic, which has killed more than 120,000 people in America, instead choosing to cast himself as waging battle against a new far-left fascism.

Hours before Mr. Trump spoke at Mount Rushmore, law enforcement officials, many holding shields, clashed with protesters blocking a road.

As tension escalated, an officer warned demonstrators that they should disperse if they wanted to avoid chemical agents.

Its not going to be a pleasant smell, the officer said, according to a video posted on Twitter. If you dont mind it, you can stay here, but its going to be very irritating.

Anti-Trump protesters chanted and held signs reading, You are trespassing on stolen land, and Black Lives Matter, according to video footage of the event. A group of Trump supporters held Trump 2020 posters and All Lives Matter signs.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Mr. Trumps eldest son and a top fund-raising official for the Trump re-election campaign, tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday before the event at Mount Rushmore, a person familiar with her condition said.

Ms. Guilfoyle traveled to South Dakota with Donald Trump Jr. They did not travel aboard Air Force One, according to the person familiar with her condition, and she was the only person in the group who tested positive.

The president plans to follow up his trip with a Salute to America celebration the following day on the South Lawn at the White House, including a military flyover and a massive fireworks display on the National Mall that Washingtons mayor, Muriel Bowser, has warned violates local health guidelines.

Mr. Trump has consistently downplayed concerns over new cases, claiming that young people get better much easier and faster and that the virus will just disappear.

In many places across the country, face coverings have gone from suggestions to mandates, but Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, a Republican, said there were no plans to enforce social distancing during Mr. Trumps open-air address before a live audience, framed by some of the nations most revered presidents.

Early in the pandemic, more than 1,000 cases were linked to the Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, which remains one of the countrys largest known clusters. But in recent weeks, South Dakota has had one of the countrys most encouraging trend lines. The state has averaged a few-dozen new cases each day, including 85 announced Friday. There has not been a day with more than 100 new cases in South Dakota since late May.

For the U.S. capital, July 4 will mean protests as well as celebration.

A number of protests are planned for Independence Day in the nations capital, ahead of the annual fireworks display and a military flyover hosted by Mr. Trump.

Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the end of May, Washington has become a center of protests. Its mayor, Muriel Bowser, publicly challenged Mr. Trumps decision to order National Guard troops into the city during demonstrations against racism and police brutality, and she presided over the painting of the words Black Lives Matter in giant yellow letters on a street near the White House.

Black Lives Matter DC and two other groups, Sunrise and the Black Youth Project 100, announced several events over the weekend focused on defunding the police. The Instagram account #dcteensaction lists at least nine protests for Saturday, including a march near the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and an evening protest beginning in Malcolm X Park.

For the official celebration, the federal government said it would provide around 300,000 face coverings, and a news release from the Department of the Interior warned visitors to observe social distancing while noting that viewing areas on the Mall would be accessible by four security entry points. Ms. Bowser told reporters that she did not think the event was in keeping with federal health officials guidelines for gatherings during the pandemic.

The holiday comes amid a national reckoning over racism, and the founding story of the United States is part of what is being questioned right now.

William H. Lamar IV, the pastor of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, a few blocks from the White House, said that he did not normally celebrate the Fourth but that this year the country might be observing the holiday with more honesty than usual.

The symbols coming down, thats only the beginning, Reverend Lamar said. Thats people saying, We need a new story. This story excludes me. It is inherently violent and evil. It murdered me. It erased me as a human being. I deserve a story that includes me and wants me to flourish.

He added: Is there a kind of national story that can hold us together in this multiethnic, multiracial, multireligious reality? The survival of this experiment called America depends upon it.

Brazil, which has more coronavirus cases than any country but the United States, topped 1.5 million total infections on Friday, just two weeks after reaching a million cases, according to a New York Times database.

But even as the country passed that grim milestone, President Jair Bolsonaro vetoed a measure that would have provided masks to vulnerable groups and required businesses to provide masks to their employees, according to The Associated Press.

Since mid-June, some major cities in Brazil have eased preventive measures. Shopping malls have already reopened in So Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Beaches are starting to draw crowds again. And Rio allowed gyms and bars to reopen at 50 percent capacity on Thursday, while some hospital systems were close to running out of intensive care beds.

If the countrys trend lines hold, some epidemiologists project the pandemics death toll in Brazil could surpass that of the U.S. by late July. Brazil had recorded 63,174 total deaths as of Friday; the U.S. has recorded 129,402.

Some experts initially thought that Brazil was well equipped to cope with the pandemic, based on its track record during past public health emergencies. Brazil has a public health care system that, while underfunded, provides robust coverage across the country.

Starting July 10, England will drop its mandatory 14-day quarantine for visitors from more than 50 countries but leave the restrictions in place for travelers coming from the United States, deepening the isolation of America. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland apply their own travel policies and may not follow Englands lead in easing restrictions.

The European Union recently upheld a ban on U.S. travelers, even as it opened its borders to visitors from Canada, Rwanda, Thailand and 15 other countries. Englands policy, announced on Friday, is less restrictive: Americans can still enter so long as they agree to isolate themselves for two weeks.

The United States has barred most visitors from Britain since March, after briefly exempting them from a travel ban on the European Union. At the time, Europe was dealing with far more coronavirus infections than the United States. Since then, the epicenter of the pandemic has moved across the Atlantic.

However, Britain still has the worlds third-highest known death toll, with triple-digit death counts still coming most days.

More than half the countrys nursing homes have had at least one case since March. The government announced on Friday that nursing home residents will be tested for the virus monthly, while staff members will receive tests weekly, officials announced.

Some public-health experts said the fractious debate over the travel quarantine had distracted from more pressing problems, like safely reopening Britains schools and organizing an effective test-and-trace program.

The U.K. government seems focused on giving people a summer pandemic holiday instead of dealing with the hard issues facing the aviation industry for the coming year, said Professor Devi Sridhar, the director of the global health governance program at the University of Edinburgh.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said earlier this week that it was Britons patriotic duty to go to the pub when they reopen at 6 a.m. on Saturday, has now urged people not to overdo it. His warning came after tens of thousands have flocked to beaches, organized illegal music parties and violated social-distancing rules in recent weeks.

Lets not blow it now, folks, Mr. Johnson told LBC radio on Friday, weeks after he announced that the countrys long hibernation was over and that the virus was under control.

Foreigners in a South Korean quarantine hotel are finding the welcome anything but warm.

Spending two weeks quarantined in a hotel room is not a pleasant experience, as thousands of people whove flown internationally since the pandemic began can attest.

But the 300 foreigners confined to a Ramada hotel in Yongin, South Korea, have it worse than most.

Each day for the past week, from about 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., protesters outside the hotel have been raising a deafening noise with drums, brass gongs and loudspeakers blaring music. They are local residents, angry that the government chose a hotel in their neighborhood as a quarantine site.

Even with double-glazed windows, they can still be heard when the windows are closed, said James Martin Thompson, an app developer from Washington, from his fifth-floor room in the hotel, the Ramada by Wyndham Yongin.

When youre stuck in a small indoor space 24/7, being able to open the windows makes it much more bearable, said Mr. Thompson. And during much of the daytime, that isnt practical with the noise coming from the demonstrators.

On June 11, the South Korean government designated the Ramada as one of eight facilities where foreigners who arrive with no Covid-19 symptoms are quarantined for two weeks.

Three days later, a foreigner quarantined at the hotel tested positive for the coronavirus. Since then, residents of the neighborhood, called Jeondae-ri, have been accusing the government of recklessly exposing them to infection.

On June 27, protesters began their daily noise-making campaign in front of the 18-story hotel, hoping to force the authorities to send foreigners elsewhere for quarantine.

A large banner that protesters hung in front of the Ramada read, This is a hotel that produced a confirmed Covid-19 case. Shut it down immediately!

The foreigners are confined to their rooms with little hope of escaping the torment, even if they wanted to try.

Infections among Secret Service agents explain Pences changed visit to Arizona.

Vice President Mike Pence changed his travel plans in Arizona after Secret Service agents set to accompany with him tested positive or showed symptoms, two administration officials said on Thursday.

Mr. Pence had been scheduled to visit Arizona on Tuesday, but multiple factors related to the spread of the virus foiled those plans, according to a person familiar with Mr. Pences travel.

A swift rise in new cases in the state has overwhelmed testing centers in recent days, and Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, ordered bars, gyms and movie theaters closed this week. As of Friday, there have been more than 4,300 new cases reported in the state. In an apparent acknowledgment of outbreaks erupting across the South and the West, the vice president canceled his plan to headline a Faith in America campaign rally in Tucson on Tuesday and then tour Yuma with Mr. Ducey.

Instead, Mr. Pence opted for a shorter visit to Phoenix on Wednesday, where he participated in a public health briefing at Sky Harbor International Airport.

Help is on the way, Mr. Pence said at a news conference with Mr. Ducey at the airport, after descending the steps of Air Force Two wearing a mask, the latest sign of the administrations evolving stance on face coverings.

But the positive tests and symptoms of Secret Service agents expected to be in proximity to the man who is next in line for the presidency were some of the factors that prompted his change of schedule, the officials said. The news of the agents who showed symptoms, or tested positive, was first reported by The Washington Post.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Pence did not respond to a request for comment.

The latest illnesses among the small circle of individuals who interact directly with the vice president were a reminder of the dangers of carrying on with campaign and official government travel as the pandemic rages on.

The president of Honduras is recovering at home after being hospitalized for Covid-19.

President Juan Orlando Hernndez of Honduras has been discharged from the hospital after receiving more than two weeks of inpatient treatment for Covid-19 and related pneumonia.

He was admitted on June 17, hours after he tested positive for the illness. His wife, Ana Garca, also tested positive, but convalesced at home.

My commitment to Honduras is stronger than ever, Mr. Hernndez said on Twitter, announcing his release on Thursday. To work!

Officials said he would continue his recuperation in isolation at home.

Honduras, like many other countries in Latin America, is struggling to contain the spread of the virus. As of Friday, more than 21,000 cases had been confirmed in Honduras, along with more than 590 deaths.

The World Health Organization has declared Latin America the center of the pandemic, and several countries in the region are now suffering some of the worlds worst outbreaks.

The organizations regional director for the Americas, Carissa Etienne, warned this week that the death toll from Covid-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean could roughly quadruple by October to more than 438,000.

As case counts continued to hit record highs in many states, local officials released new guidance, creating a patchwork system for Americans planning to celebrate the holiday weekend.

As many as 80 percent of community fireworks displays in large cities and small rural towns have been canceled this year over fears that they would create a social distancing nightmare. In New York City, instead of the usual hourlong fireworks extravaganza, Macys will have five-minute displays in undisclosed locations across the five boroughs. The grand finale on Saturday, which will also be from an undisclosed location, will be televised.

In Florida, Miami-Dade and Broward counties had already announced they were closing beaches for the Fourth of July weekend. And on Friday, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimnezs countywide curfew, which was announced Thursday, went into effect from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Mr. Gimnez also rolled back the opening of movie theaters, arcades, casinos, concert halls, bowling halls and adult entertainment venues that recently had their reopening plans approved by the county. Florida reported more than 9,400 new cases Friday. Exactly one month earlier, the state reported just 1,317 new cases.

In Mississippi, which reported more than 900 new coronavirus cases Friday the second-highest single day total recorded by the state Gov. Tate Reevess executive orders will allow indoor gatherings of up to 20 people. Bars and restaurants can offer indoor dining as long as they stay below 50 percent capacity. Backyard BBQs can have up to 100 people so long as guests remain socially distanced. And outdoor stadiums will also be allowed to remain open at 25 percent capacity, potentially allowing thousands to gather at a single event.

And in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott reversed course on Thursday, ordering residents in counties with 20 or more virus cases to wear masks in public. Mr. Abbott, a Republican, had previously opposed attempts by Democratic mayors and other local officials to require everyone in their cities to wear masks in public. Texas has been one of the worst-hit states in the past week reaching a record number of hospitalizations on Friday, up 270 to 7,652, and reporting more than 6,400 new cases.

Elsewhere in the U.S.:

In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed an executive order allowing local officials to pass mask ordinances on Friday. Mr. Hutchinson, a Republican, never implemented a statewide stay-at-home order, instead opting to close high-contact businesses like gyms and personal care services. More than 540 new cases were announced in the state on Friday, just a day after a record 878 cases were reported, according to a New York Times database.

Critics of Amtraks newly announced cutbacks worry that the rail agency will not bring back service to the long-distance routes it has long sought to end. With ridership down 95 percent and revenue plummeting, Amtrak plans to cut up to 20 percent of its work force by October and suspend daily service on routes that service over 220 communities. Amtrak has received letters from 16 senators asking why it needed to enact such steep cuts since it had already received $1 billion in emergency aid.

Results of Major League Baseballs first round of widespread coronavirus testing were released on Friday, as preseason training resumed in full after being shut down for more than three months. Out of 3,185 tests, 38 were positive (31 players and seven staff members). The league plans to open a 60-game season on July 23, with no fans in the stands. Preseason preparation has resumed at teams home stadiums rather than returning to spring-training sites in Florida and Arizona.

In New York Times/Siena College surveys of voters in battleground states for the presidential election, supporters of Joseph R. Biden Jr. were far more likely than President Trumps to be concerned about in-person voting during the pandemic. About 40 percent of Mr. Bidens supporters said they would feel uncomfortable, compared with just 6 percent of Mr. Trumps supporters. Most of these people said they would go to the polls anyway, but 8 percent of Mr. Bidens surveyed supporters and less than 2 percent of Mr. Trumps said they would be too uncomfortable to go vote. Voting by mail for any reason is available in all six battleground states included in the Times/Siena data.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago said Thursday that travelers from 15 states with large outbreaks would have to quarantine for two weeks or face up to $7,000 in fines.

Some 13,400 employees, or nearly 70 percent of the staffing, of Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that handles U.S. visas and naturalization, face furlough by Aug. 3 because the immigration processing fees that fund it have plummeted

The SAG-AFTRA actors union issued a do-not-work notice to its members for a pandemic-themed independent film starring Demi Moore and Craig Robinson, saying that producers had not been transparent about their safety protocols. Producers for the film, Songbird, include Michael Bay, who is better known for his work on big-budget films, and Adam Goodman, a former president of production at Paramount Pictures.

Songbird has drawn attention as one of the first movies aiming to roll cameras since the virus brought production in Hollywood to a halt in March. California allowed film and television shoots to resume on June 12 under strict safety protocols and Los Angeles began issuing permits last week. So far, however, only a handful of TV shows (mostly soap operas like The Bold and the Beautiful) have restarted production; none of the major movie studios are expected to shoot anything before next month.

The independent companies behind Songbird have said they planned to use nontraditional camera techniques to avoid having actors in proximity. The film, a thriller, takes place in the near future during a pandemic lockdown martial law has been imposed to combat a fast-mutating virus and focuses on a young woman and a motorbike courier with rare immunity.

Representatives for the producers either declined to comment or did not respond to a query. Invisible Narratives, one of the companies involved, told Deadline, an entertainment trade news site, that it was actively working to resolve this paperwork issue.

Leaders in many states are urging people to stay at home this holiday weekend. Here are some safe ideas for enjoying the Fourth of July holiday.

Reluctant professors are one problem for colleges in the fall.

College students across the country have been warned that campus life will look dramatically different in the fall, with temperature checks at academic buildings, masks in half-empty lecture halls and maybe no football games.

What they might not expect: a lack of professors in the classroom.

Thousands of instructors at American colleges and universities have told administrators in recent days that they are unwilling to resume in-person classes because of the pandemic.

More than three-quarters of colleges and universities have decided students can return to campus this fall. But they face a growing faculty revolt.

Until theres a vaccine, Im not setting foot on campus, said Dana Ward, 70, an emeritus professor of political studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif., who teaches a class in anarchist history and thought. Going into the classroom is like playing Russian roulette.

This comes as major outbreaks have hit college towns this summer, spread by partying students and practicing athletes.

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Coronavirus Cases in U.S. Are Rising, Even as Death Rates Trend Down - The New York Times

The 2020 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup finally hit the track for the first official session of a race weekend this year at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

Following a two-day test last week, the 25 competitors headed out in the Austrian sunshine at the end of the first day of action at the Styrian circuit.

Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer set the early pace before Dylan Pereira forged his way to the top of the timesheets shortly before Stphane Denoual ran wide on to a kerb, sliding across the track and gravel trap, and colliding with the barriers. A short red flag period was called as the marshals recovered the stricken Porsche.

Philipp Sager lined up in the pitlane as the drivers awaited the restart of the session. As the lights turned green the track got busy. Almost all of the cars headed out on track as they scrambled for some space in the only practice session of the weekend.

Florian Latorre ran wide briefly later in the session while Jukka Honkavuori was lucky to recover after a lockup; a brief trip through the gravel trap and the Finn got back to business.

As the session timer counted down, the drivers continued to explore the track limits, a number of laps were wiped as a result with the stewards being kept busy.

Entering into the final 10 minutes it was Pereira leading the way ahead of Ayhancan Gven and Simmenauer. Larry ten Voorde, Jaxon Evans and Julian Hanses rounded out the top six places.

Ten Voorde was on the move with six minutes remaining, setting the fastest time in the first sector, unfortunately, the final two sectors were not as promising, and on the final corner, the Dutchman ran wide across the grass, losing time.

There was little movement in the times in the last five minutes of the session, other than Marius Nakken setting a personal best time and Simmenauer moving up to second as the chequered flag fell.

Periera would end the session as the fastest driver with a time of1:31.105, it was an impressive performance from the rookie driver Simmenauer as he finished the day in second place, just 0.060 seconds off of the pace of the leader; Guven took third place 0.284 seconds behind Peirera. Fastest in the Pro-Am class was reigning champion Roar Lindland.

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International collaboration takes Vaisala and the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) to Mars onboard NASAs Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. The rover is scheduled to launch on July 30, 2020. Vaisalas sensor technology combined with FMIs measurement instrumentation will be used to obtain accurate and reliable pressure and humidity data from the surface of the red planet.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) is among the scientific partners providing measurement equipment for the new Perseverance rover, expected to launch in July and land on Mars in February 2021.The pressure and humidity measurement devices developed by the FMI are based on Vaisala's world known sensor technologyand are similar but more advanced to the ones sent to Mars on the first Curiosity rover in 2012.

The new mission equipment complements the Curiosity rover. While working on Mars, the Curiosity and Perseveranceroverswillform a small-scale observation network. The network is onlythefirst step, anticipating the extensiveobservationnetwork planned on Marsinthe future.

International and scientific collaboration aims to gather knowledge of the Martian atmosphere and other environmental conditions

The Mars 2020 mission is part of NASAs Mars Exploration Program. In order toobtaindata from the surface from the Red Planet, NASAselected trustedpartnersto provide measurement instrumentsfor installationon the Marsrover.ASpanish-led European consortium provides therover withMars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA); a set of sensors that provides measurements of temperature, wind speed and direction, pressure, relative humidity, and the amount and size of dust particles.

As part of the consortium, FMI delivers instrumentation to MEDA for humidity and pressure measurements based onVaisalastop qualitysensors.

Mars, as well as Venus, the other sister planet of Earth, is a particularly important area of atmospheric investigations due to its similarities to Earth. Studying Mars helps us also better understand the behavior of Earths atmosphere, comments Maria Genzer, Head of Planetary Research and Space Technology group at FMI.

The harsh and demanding conditionsof Marsrequire themost reliable sensor technology that provides accurate and reliable data withoutmaintenance or repair.

"We are honored that Vaisalas core sensor technologies have been selected to provide accurate and reliable measurement data on Mars. In line with our mission to enable observations for a better world, we are excited to be part of this collaboration. Hopefully the measurement technology will provide tools for finding answers to the most pressing challenges of our time, such as climate change, saysLiisastrm,Vice President, Products and Systems of Vaisala.Same technology, different planet utilizing Vaisala core technologies for accuracy and long-term stability

Intheextreme conditions of the Martian atmosphere, NASAwill be able to obtainaccurate readings of pressure and humidity levels with VaisalasHUMICAP and BAROCAP sensors.The sensors' long-term stability and accuracy, as well as their ability to tolerate dust, chemicals, and harshenvironmental conditions, makethem suitable for very demandingmeasurement needs, also in space. The same technology is used in numerous industrial and environmental applications such as weather stations, radiosondes, greenhouses and datacenters.

The humidity measurement device MEDA HS, developed by FMI for Perseverance, utilizesstandard Vaisala HUMICAPhumidity sensors. HUMICAP is a capacitive thin-film polymer sensor consisting of a substrate on which a thin film of polymer is deposited between two conductive electrodes.The humidity sensor onboard is a new generation sensor, with superior performance also in the low pressure conditions expected on the red planet.

In addition to humidity measurements, FMI has developed a device for pressure measurement, MEDA PS, which uses customized Vaisala BAROCAP pressure sensors, optimized to operate in the Martian climate.BAROCAP is a silicon-based micromechanical pressure sensor that offers reliable performance in a wide variety of applications, from meteorology to pressure sensitive industrial equipment in semiconductor industry and laboratory pressure standard measurements.Combining two powerful technologies single-crystal silicon material and capacitive measurement BAROCAP sensors feature low hysteresis combined with excellent accuracy and long-term stability, both essential for measurements in space.

Our sensor technologies are used widely in demanding everyday measurement environments here on Earth. And why not if they work on Mars, they will work anywhere," strm concludes.

Is there anybody out there? Yes we are! Join us for the live webcast to hear more! Welcometolearn about space-proof technology, how it works, what it does, whyitsimportant, and whymeasurements play a key role in space research. Youll hear examples and stories by our experts, and by a special guest speaker, who will be sharing his own experiences and insights of space.Date: July 20, 2020Time: 15.30-16.30EEST /14.30-15.30CEST /08.30-09.30EDTPlace: Virtual event sign up:Sign up here

The event is organized by Vaisala and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.It will be held in English and itis free of charge.Live subtitles in Finnish will be available.

Learn more aboutspace-proof technologybefore the event by visitingvaisala.com/spaceand follow the discussion on social mediausing#spacetechFI.

More information for the media:Miia Lahti, Communications Manager, Vaisala+358 50 555 4420, comms@vaisala.com

Kaisa Ryynnen, Communications Specialist, Finnish Meteorological Institute+ 358 29539 2283, viestinta@fmi.fi

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Vaisala and FMI technology heads to Mars onboard NASA's Perseverance rover - PharmiWeb.com

MUNCIE, Ind. Muncie officials say they're getting the city's finances under control after starting Mayor Dan Ridenour's administration with multiple city accountsin the red.

Ridenour sat down with The Star Press at the beginning of the year to explain the city had multiple accounts withnegative balances totaling more than $3 million.

City officials attributed the negative account balances to major issues in accounting practices. At the end of 2019, 18of the city accounts were showing a total negative balance of $3,310,928.

Fast forwardsix months into Ridenour's administration and those numbers have gone down significantly.

The city released a report on Wednesday showing that as of June 30, the total number of negative accounts hadbeen reduced to 10, totaling $1,254,333 in the red.

While that amount is still high, it takes the city's negative balances down by a little more than $2million.

Reducing the number and amounts of negatives is a major victory for the city, and I am proud of the team who all played a role in this effort, Ridenour said in a release.

Ridenour has been outspoken about the need for a keeping a closer eye on spending, something he'd been promising since the the election last began last year.At the start of 2020, department headschanged accounting methods, and worked closely with the mayor's office to bring the negative accounts under control.

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Muncie City finances: $3 million in negative balances start off 2020 accounting concerns

Muncie's EDIT account was overspent in 2019; new administration starts in the red $250,000

Theimprovement, according to officials,was made through departments combing through the accounts and finding out why they were so far in the red. Multiple accounts had outstanding payments that had to be made, as well as money owed to the city in reimbursements they then collected.

Other ways of balancing them came down to curbing spending, whichwas achieved without cutting anyfull-time staff, according to officials.

The city's community development office ended 2019 with 11 accounts with a negative balance, but that number is now down to 6. The Mayor's EDIT account, which was also in the red by $250,000, is no longer negative, now showing a balance of $108,479.

Other accounts are still in the red, including one each within the police department and the street department.Muncie's road and streets account is still negative, but has regained nearly $900,000 in six months.

Ridenour told the Star Press on Thursday the administration was confident it could continue to make progress in fixing the city's negative accounts before the end of the year.

Corey Ohlenkamp is the city/county government reporter. Contact him via email at cohlenkamp@muncie.gannett.com or by phone at 765-213-5874. Follow him on Twitter at @Ohlenkamp.

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City administration makes progress on negative accounts - The Star Press

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There were political big heads, rainbow beanies and plastic, zip-tied candidate bunting stretching for hundreds of metres as voters turned out in droves for Saturday's Eden-Monaro byelection. Appropriately enough, Monaro St in Queanbeyan was one of the busiest areas of the electorate, with a steady stream of voters having to run the gauntlet of party hawkers and pamphleteers before making it, gasping with relief, into the sanctity of the polling booth. Prime Minister Scott Morrison couldn't make it to the NSW electorate on polling day, but his big-headed replica, complete with Hawaiian shirt, attracted many smiles, thumbs up and horn toots in central Queanbeyan. Directly across the road from the Monaro St polling booth at Bean Central, former public servant turned restaurateur Matt Morrissey barely had time for a chat as he plated up his famous potato rostis for the brunch crowd. "I did my duty early; I was across there this morning when they first cracked the door [to the polling booth] at 8am," Mr Morrissey said. "We've hardly drawn breath here in the restaurant since then; it's been flat out." The polling booths for the byelection this year are a model of clean and green. All the demountable cardboard booths, set three metres apart for social distancing, are made of unbleached, recycled cardboard. Everyone receives their own democracy pencil for voting and taking home as a keepsake, and the perspex screens which separate voters and registrars receive a regular scrub with disinfectant. Attention to detail even includes little perspex supports for the screens, cut into the shape of the Australian continent. But outside the gates to the booths, it's like a Trump-endorsed version of July 4. At the busy Queanbeyan and Jerrabomberra booths, there was very little social distancing observed between the blue-shirted Liberal, red-shirted Labor, and green-shirted Green party supporters wishing to thrust as many pamphlets into people's hands as possible. Only the Hemp Party supporter, with his impressive beard and multi-hued rainbow beanie, observed the correct protocol by placing himself midstream in Monaro St, right on the central traffic island. He had fewer customers, but arguably greater visibility. While the Australian Electoral Commission is striving for less waste this byelection, there was little evidence of the same concern on the part of by both major parties outside some of the larger polling booths. At Queanbeyan East Primary School, where 11 new classrooms opened this term for the first time, there were gaudy plastic party hoardings, both Labor and Liberal, stretched top and bottom across the steel security fencing for hundreds of metres, all fastened with plastic zip ties. The preparation must have started in the wee hours of polling day and the awful plastic waste it will generate when the day is over, as one passer-by wryly observed, will be with us for years. At sleepy Sutton Primary School, voting day was typically low key and country pleasant. The two fluoro-vested security guards appeared in for a slow day, and the party pamphleteers at the school's front gates outnumbered the voters, chatting amicably and cracking jokes despite their very different political leanings. Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs lives on the South Coast but chose to vote at Jerrabomberra mid-morning, then head off to Googong by lunchtime. She intends to get to as many booths in the area as possible before polling closed at 6pm. "My family are covering the booths down the coast for me and they will drive up tonight when voting closes so we can watch the counting together," she said. "This is such a huge electorate; it takes five hours to drive from one end to the other." At the last election, when she was narrowly defeated by the retiring incumbent Mike Kelly, it took almost 10 days to finalise the count. She only needs to swing less than 1000 votes to win the day. "I know there has been some strong pre-poll voting and I'm sure the count will again be close. It may take 10 days again to finalise the count, but I'm hoping not," she said.

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There were political big heads, rainbow beanies and plastic, zip-tied candidate bunting stretching for hundreds of metres as voters turned out in droves for Saturday's Eden-Monaro byelection.

Appropriately enough, Monaro St in Queanbeyan was one of the busiest areas of the electorate, with a steady stream of voters having to run the gauntlet of party hawkers and pamphleteers before making it, gasping with relief, into the sanctity of the polling booth.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison couldn't make it to the NSW electorate on polling day, but his big-headed replica, complete with Hawaiian shirt, attracted many smiles, thumbs up and horn toots in central Queanbeyan.

Directly across the road from the Monaro St polling booth at Bean Central, former public servant turned restaurateur Matt Morrissey barely had time for a chat as he plated up his famous potato rostis for the brunch crowd.

Laura Allen gets her democracy sausage from the Queanbeyan East Public School P&C's Chantell Braun. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

"I did my duty early; I was across there this morning when they first cracked the door [to the polling booth] at 8am," Mr Morrissey said.

"We've hardly drawn breath here in the restaurant since then; it's been flat out."

The polling booths for the byelection this year are a model of clean and green.

All the demountable cardboard booths, set three metres apart for social distancing, are made of unbleached, recycled cardboard. Everyone receives their own democracy pencil for voting and taking home as a keepsake, and the perspex screens which separate voters and registrars receive a regular scrub with disinfectant.

Attention to detail even includes little perspex supports for the screens, cut into the shape of the Australian continent.

But outside the gates to the booths, it's like a Trump-endorsed version of July 4.

Candidates' plastic bunting lines the fences of polling booths for hundreds of metres at Queanbeyan East Public School. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

At the busy Queanbeyan and Jerrabomberra booths, there was very little social distancing observed between the blue-shirted Liberal, red-shirted Labor, and green-shirted Green party supporters wishing to thrust as many pamphlets into people's hands as possible.

Only the Hemp Party supporter, with his impressive beard and multi-hued rainbow beanie, observed the correct protocol by placing himself midstream in Monaro St, right on the central traffic island. He had fewer customers, but arguably greater visibility.

The Liberal candidate for Eden-Monaro, Fiona Kotvojs, enters her vote at the Jerrabomberra Public School polling booth. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

While the Australian Electoral Commission is striving for less waste this byelection, there was little evidence of the same concern on the part of by both major parties outside some of the larger polling booths.

At Queanbeyan East Primary School, where 11 new classrooms opened this term for the first time, there were gaudy plastic party hoardings, both Labor and Liberal, stretched top and bottom across the steel security fencing for hundreds of metres, all fastened with plastic zip ties.

The preparation must have started in the wee hours of polling day and the awful plastic waste it will generate when the day is over, as one passer-by wryly observed, will be with us for years.

AEC staff members Heather Cross and James Field adhere to COVID-19 guidelines in polling booths. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

At sleepy Sutton Primary School, voting day was typically low key and country pleasant.

The two fluoro-vested security guards appeared in for a slow day, and the party pamphleteers at the school's front gates outnumbered the voters, chatting amicably and cracking jokes despite their very different political leanings.

Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs lives on the South Coast but chose to vote at Jerrabomberra mid-morning, then head off to Googong by lunchtime. She intends to get to as many booths in the area as possible before polling closed at 6pm.

Candidates' plastic bunting lines the fences of polling booths at Queanbeyan East Public School. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

"My family are covering the booths down the coast for me and they will drive up tonight when voting closes so we can watch the counting together," she said.

"This is such a huge electorate; it takes five hours to drive from one end to the other."

At the last election, when she was narrowly defeated by the retiring incumbent Mike Kelly, it took almost 10 days to finalise the count. She only needs to swing less than 1000 votes to win the day.

"I know there has been some strong pre-poll voting and I'm sure the count will again be close. It may take 10 days again to finalise the count, but I'm hoping not," she said.

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Byelection kicks off with big heads, rainbow beanies and reams of plastic bunting - The Canberra Times

Just in time for the Independence Day weekend, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis unveiled a sumptuous salad thats as delicious as it is eye-catching.

Containing a representative from nearly every food group, the Giada in Italy stars recipe is, most importantly, easy to make and a sure crowd pleaser.

RELATED:Celebrity Chef Giada De Laurentiis Weird Favorite Childhood Dish That You Might Have To Try

As most families right now, De Laurentiis has been sheltering in place with her daughter, Jade, 12, the two staying in together to stay safe.

While theyve been stuck inside, what else is there to do with a pre-teen besides your fair share of TikTok videos. (This dynamic duo also bakes, cooks, and engages in yoga and sunbathing, as per De Laurentiis Instagram account photos.)

Jade had her mom appear with her in a few TikToks and Giada looks like the ultimate TikToking pro. Heres the very with-it moms TikTok collection.

RELATED: Celebrity Chef Giada De Laurentiis Weird Favorite Childhood Dish That You Might Have To Try

De Laurentiis and her boyfriend, Shane Farley, have been spending a great deal of time, including most holidays, together, and Independence Day should be no different. The two have been together since 2015.

This past Valentines Day, a lifetime ago before coronavirus (COVID-19) changed life forever, Farley prepared a romantic dinner for his girlfriend. In a conversation with People before the big unveil, she couldnt have been more appreciative and curious of what it could be.

RELATED:How Did Giada De Laurentiis Meet Her Boyfriend Shane Farley?

I lovecheesy holidayslike this and I love the idea of getting into the spirit of it, De Laurentiis said. The cheesier the better. Its lighthearted and fun, and it can be very whimsical as well, so I have fun with it.

Before the dinner, the Roman-born De Laurentiis did her very best to let him know of her preferences and small details. It must have been difficult for her to be cooked for instead of in charge of the feast.

Im keeping my fingers crossed. Ive dropped a lot of hints, continued De Laurentiis. I dont care about the quality of the actual dinner. He doesnt cook for me often, but I think that is themost romantic thingthat hes ever done.

De Laurentiis light and easy salad is basically a one-bowl event.

To start, De Laurentiis has home cooks preparing their own quick pickled cucumbers. But if it saves you time, just buy store-bought pickles, chop them, and save them for later to sprinkle on top of your completed salad.

In a large bowl, De Laurentiis calls for combining one tablespoon champagne vinegar; one teaspoon whole-grain mustard; and three tablespoons extra virgin olive oil until its well combined.

Then, the fun starts. The television personalitys recipe calls for mixing two chopped heads of radicchio; one chopped curly endive or frisee; one and a half cup of halved red grapes; one cup of blueberries; a half cup of chopped roasted and salted pistachios; and a half cup of crumbled gorgonzola picante. Sprinkle your chopped pickles on top and thats De Laurentiis busy cooks masterpiece!

The salad is a sensory celebration of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors in each bite, much like a great fireworks show!

RELATED:Giada De Laurentiis Is Nuts Over This Freaking Phenomenal Recipe by The Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten

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Giada De Laurentiis' Red, White, and Blue Salad Is a Must for the 4th of July Weekend - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

A pair of beautiful granite dvarapalas (door guardians), each nearly five feet tall and weighing a tonmassive Vijayanagara dynasty edifices who had guarded the sanctum since the 15th century. The Pazhuvur Nataraja of similar vintage but cast in bronze. All three were targeted by thieves and exported out of our ports in 2005.

The right-side dvarapala had a broken hand while the Nataraja had his whole lower left hand sawn away, for the robbers had assumed He was made of gold and tested it by cutting and then melting His hand only to realise that this was just bronze. Even worse, the Nataraja made a trip around the world to Hong Kong and London, where a now-charged restorer made a new hand for him, before sending him to New York to appear on Subhash Kapoors auction catalogue.

The bronze then shockingly made an illicit return to Chennai, to be surrendered quietly to the Tamil Nadu polices Idol Wing in August 2011. How could these and hundreds of other stolen idols be exported despite such obvious red flags? The World Customs Cooperation Council adopted an important resolution in Brussels in July 2016 on the role of customs in preventing illicit trafficking of cultural objects.

It said: International borders still offer the best opportunity to intercept stolen cultural artefacts and to that end, customs authorities can play an instrumental role in preventing illicit trafficking of cultural objects.It would come as a surprise to many, but compared to the limited role of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as a custodian, the scope of Indian customs is more significant in the context of combating illicit trafficking of cultural property, not just as a border check but one that goes much further.

The Customs Act of 1962 is used for the bulk of prosecution in antiquities trafficking cases as the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act of 1972 (AAT) lacks a specific provision for prosecution. We will take up the need for reform in legislations later, but here, the focus is on the need for reform in the current procedural aspects covering the export process, search and seizureand on why India has such a poor record of success in discovery and seizure, and fares even worse in successful prosecution of cultural property crimes.

The start point is obviousthe exit channels from where antiquities are trafficked out of Indiagateway ports (both sea and air) and porous borders. The main vectors acting as carriers are ocean and air transport companies, in the initial post-Independence decades via diplomatic pouches and now couriers, accompanied and unaccompanied baggage.The customs export procedure consists of two important stepsassessment and examination. In the last two decades, tremendous progress has been made in the first via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). This has almost replaced manual document filing and assessment in most gateways. But its true power is yet to be properly harnessed in the antique smuggling domain.

Moving to the second step, it would be impossible to do a 100% physical examination of all export consignments. The logical procedure would be random but assisted samplinghowever currently, there is no data available in public domain on how consignments are picked for checking. Today, pattern analysis tech can be used to set up obvious red flagsa treasure trove of shipment data connected to past and current smugglers under probe including exports by Nimbus (Subhash Kapoor case) and Vaman Ghiya, wherein a host of Indian exporters fooled the system and shipped out genuine antiquities declaring them audaciously as garden furniture, brassware, etc.

The Customs Act has stringent penalties against exporters for wrong declarations in shipping bills. But authorised custom house agents file the shipping bills; if in doubt, customs officers are expected to mark any suspected parcels to the ASI for a no-objection certificate. Currently, the ASI has deputed officers for this only in Mumbai and Delhi (airport). There are further hindrances as even the deputed ASI officers are empowered only to declare an object as suspected to be an antiquity or non-antiquity on the spot. The Kapoor case has thrown up instances of favourable officers and due to the opaque nature of inspections, there is no proper record.

Even if suspected to be an antiquity, the process gets longer invoking the AATs Section 24 that says the ASIs director general is the final authority. But since the DG ASIs nomination criteria are muddled and he doesnt necessarily have to come from the field of archaeology, he in turn is to appoint an authorised nominee with the help of three or four field experts. Sadly, the choice of panellists, number of such sittings, minutes of these evaluations and even the number of objects declared as antiquities or otherwise are not published.

The problem is amplified by the method of issuance of a non-antiquity certificate (NAC) for export. This is done by the ASI via its circle offices. The process for obtaining an NAC hasnt changed for over five decadesthe prospective exporter submits the object for assessment to the ASI. After ascertaining it is a non-antiquity (less than 100 years old as per the AAT), the NAC is issued as a paper certificate: A photo of the object is stamped and it is valid for six months for export. With the experience gained from a multitude of cases where smuggler dens were raided yielding hundreds of fakes, its a no-brainer that the system has been gamed.

Fakes are submitted for certification while the originals are switched at the time of export with custom officers having to rely on just a photo for comparison.The process is complicated by expert fakers and restorers working hand in hand with the smugglers in creating fakes that are artificially aged and originals painted over to give a recent look. Customs is seriously hampered due to the lack of support with respect to expert opinions and dearth of scientific testing methods that stand the scrutiny of courts and high-profile lawyers employed by the collecting cabal.

A list of suggestions to remedy these flawed processes:

1) Export ban on any artefact that shows damage/mutilation. Countries like Thailand have already banned the export of Buddha heads even if newly made (Buddha is not for decoration campaign).

2) Complete ban on artificially aged, patinated metal objects.

3) Do away with the six-month time limit of the ASIs NAC and ensure complete visibility of chain of custody from the time of inspection to export.

4) Create a national panel of experts (an alternating roster); the opinion must be due to a majority vote and the same must be published periodically on the ASI website as an annual report with statistics of the number of objects inspected, stopped and seized at the customs exit point.

5) A toolkit for customs and law enforcement, maybe modelled on the UNESCO-EUs one on illicit trafficking for European judiciary and law enforcement, with model lookout lists and sample photos of frequently trafficked objects by state.

6) Work on studying past prosecutions to prepare red flags inside the customs EDI framework. As we are not harvesting the virtual treasure trove of customs data spanning two decades, key perpetrators of crimes are still free and actively smuggling our art treasures.

7) Work with reputed universities to create centres of excellence for research, scientific testing and dating methods to support prosecution.

8) Cancel or at least temporarily ban the export and antique dealership licenses of anyone charged with violation of the Customs Act or AAT.

S VijayKumar Co-Founder, India Pride Project and Author of The Idol Thief(The India Pride Projects #BringOurGodsHome initiative has helped bring many stolen idols back to our country)(vj.episteme@gmail.com)

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What can Indian customs do to tackle idol thefts? - The New Indian Express

When the Covid-19 vaccine finally comes, it will be no silver bullet to end the pandemic, said world-renowned virus-hunter Peter Piot.

The head of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine warned that it is unlikely for the vaccine to get to billions of people in the next few months, or be 100 per cent protective, and there remain questions on whether it will confer lifelong immunity.

The Belgian was a guest speaker in the Thursday episode of a webinar series hosted by the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

He said it seems unlikely there will be a vaccine ready for hundreds of millions of people in a few months' time. Vaccine development takes time and is difficult, with the success rate, in general, being far less than 10 per cent, he added.

"You can't take shortcuts... You need to demonstrate that it protects and that requires randomised control trials in a population where the incidence of new infections is high enough to come to meaningful conclusions. And that takes time," said Professor Piot.

"The question that is not being discussed enough is, will this vaccine... prevent acquisition of the virus or is it only going to prevent severe disease and death... and will it be as effective in elderly people, because that's where, often, the effectiveness of vaccines is lower if you're over 80, or even 70," he said.

Then, there is the safety issue to contend with. "This is a vaccine that will probably be needed by billions of people and so we need to make sure we are injecting absolutely safe biological material in these people," he said.

There may be hiccups along the way - the vaccine may not protect as much as expected, it can fail, or it can produce an undesirable side effect.

The world does not have the manufacturing capacity for billions of doses at the moment, neither are there enough glass vials available.

"When you hear some politicians or public health figures say, okay, we need to do all this and next year we'll have a vaccine, and we'll go back to normal. I think, forget it, a vaccine is not going to be a silver bullet," he said.

"If we have a 70 per cent effective vaccine, I think I would consider that a big success.''

Then, there is the issue - likely a major geopolitical one - of which nation will have access to it.

Professor Peter Piotwas one of the disco-verers of the Ebola virus in Zaire in 1976, when he was 27.

He has led research on Aids and was the founding executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids and the undersecretary-general of the United Nations from 1995 until 2008.

The Belgian microbiologist became the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2010.

In May, he was appointed the special Covid-19 adviser to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

In the role, he will advise the commission on supporting and steering research and innovation in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

In his message for the Coronavirus Global Response initiative upon his appointment, he had said that the brightest minds in different fields need to come together to fight the virus as "the pandemic is not going to be over anywhere, until it is over everywhere".

He and his wife, Professor Heidi Larson, an anthropologist and the founding director of The Vaccine Confidence Project at the school, live in London.

Just this week, the United States said it had secured nearly all of the next three months' projected production of remdesivir - the only anti-viral drug that has been shown to be relatively effective in treating Covid-19.

"There are agreements with some generic manufacturers in India to produce it, but this is really the worst possible scenario... That's the kind of scenario we need to avoid when it comes to vaccines."

Prof Piot said people will need to embrace a new normal.

"We'll probably have to go to what we call an HIV combination prevention strategy; we will have to continue to do certain things like social distancing, wear masks and all that."

Combination prevention is a package of prevention interventions tailored to national and local needs. In HIV prevention, there is no single strategy.

Prof Piot, who was in the team that discovered Ebola and led global fights against HIV unscathed, experienced the wrath of the coronavirus first-hand.

The 71-year-old caught the coronavirus in March. He had a headache and felt feverish on March 19 and then suffered from extreme exhaustion - and it has taken him three months to recover.

He can now go jogging, an activity he could not do just two weeks ago, he said on the webinar.

He was hospitalised for about a week. When he was discharged, he had thought he just needed to rest.

"But then I developed organising pneumonia... It was only then that I became short of breath," he said. It was a delayed immune reaction that would have killed him if it had happened when he was acutely ill with Covid-19, he had said previously.

Although he is nearly fully recovered, some of the effects of the illness remain.

"I had atrial fibrillation and some cardiac problems... That seems to be okay now. I probably have a bit of fibrosis in the lungs and so on, but you can live with that."

By sharing his story, he wanted to show that the virus cannot be underestimated as it can probably affect all the organs in the body. The illness has taught him that Covid-19 is "much more than either a bit of a flu or a serious flu", or an illness where just 1 per cent of infected persons die.

Covid-19 patients may have to deal with a lot of chronic conditions as a result of the illness, he said.

While many have mild illnesses, some can spend weeks in ill health.

Around the world, coronavirus cases continue to rise.

World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this week that some countries face a long, hard road ahead by taking a fragmented approach.

He said Italy and Spain - the epicentres of the pandemic in March - had brought their epidemics under control with leadership, humility, active participation by every member of society and implementing a comprehensive approach.

Continued here:

Coronavirus vaccine will not be silver bullet to end pandemic: Expert - The Straits Times

Caoilinn Hughess acclaimed debut novel, 2018s Orchid and the Wasp, explored the long fallout from the global economic crash of 2008 through the coming-of-age story of Gael Foess, part of a formerly wealthy Irish family rapidly on the descent. Gael was a 21st-century Becky Sharp, cutting a merciless swathe through Dublin, London and the New York of Occupy Wall Street. Hughess follow-up, the darkly adventurous The Wild Laughter, loosely follows a similar theme of the consequences of boom and bust, but stays closer to the festering claustrophobia of home.

Ireland is where strange tales begin and happy endings are possible. Charlie Haughey said that, and mind what a hammer of an end he got. Wisecracking and woeful, Doharty Hart Black is the 25-year-old younger son of a terminally ill, failing farmer, Manus, a proud man known by his sons as the Chief. While Harts brother, Cormac, two years his senior, got the university education and then founded a series of successful startups in Dublin, Hart is left toiling on the family farm in County Roscommon, along with the boys brittle mother, a former nun, whom Hart mostly refers to with hostility by her name, Nra. The elder son is favoured by the Chief for his flamboyance and entrepreneurial talent and by Nra as a co-conspirator against the hapless Hart, whose eventual scapegoating is foreshadowed throughout.

It is 2014, and against the backdrop of the shabby farmhouse and tiny watchful community the Chief is dying: a rasping, leaking, slow affair made all the more agonising by the familys catastrophic debts. Eight years earlier, just prior to the bursting bubble of the Celtic Tiger, the Chief was lured into a bad property investment in Bulgaria by a shark-like neighbour. Got himself half a million in debt. Two sun-soaked chalets hed never cross the thresholds of when he hadnt the roof over our heads paid off. When he stubbornly refuses to declare bankruptcy, the Blacks land is remortgaged and leased back to them, a humiliation echoed later in the novel when Hart buys back a donated suit of his fathers from a charity shop.

Resentment and low-level violence seethes between the two brothers, whose only seeming points of agreement are vengeance against the man who ruined their family and a determination to carry out their fathers final wishes by helping him end his life an act illegal in Ireland. (The basis of the story lies in the case of Marie Fleming, who in 2013 unsuccessfully petitioned Irelands Supreme Court to change the ban on assisted suicide.)

The differences between the Chiefs sons are distinctively drawn. Hart, at times disturbingly reminiscent of an older Holden Caulfield, doggedly worships their father; Cormac, who is as flashy as his cufflinks, appears more lazily ambivalent in his affections. His mind was a luxury, Hart reports at the novels beginning, his face a menace of features. (Hughes was a poet before she started writing novels; her metaphors and similes burn bright.) The pair are gifted a dream of a femme fatale in the person of Dolly, an older actor whose stagey duplicitousness is evident from the breathless tropes Hart uses to describe her: hair black as space, a red wool coat spilled around her like a pool of blood, earlobes white downy disks, weightless as Eucharists or Disprins.

Hughes has fashioned a sturdy drama that, despite the plot twists of its last section which centres on a court case and a betrayal is more powerful in its first two thirds. The Chief, his mind and body unravelling through pain, is a significant creation, 6ft 4in with a large head the only part of him the recession couldnt shrink. Undertones of the Cain and Abel story rumble appropriately beneath the surface, most vividly realised in an electrifying volte face during which the sympathetic local priest, Father Shaughnessy, makes his own unexpected confession.

Narrators are notoriously unreliable: Harts first-person account is noticeably erratic, while capriciousness is a hallmark of the other characters, too, with Nras changeable past, Cormacs dodgy business dealings and Dollys enjoyably flagrant lies. Harts embittered anguish is resplendent throughout; his role in one of the books key scenes makes for an outstanding passage of manipulation, misery and culpability. Even the kindly priest is not without his baser side when it comes to the final question of the wretched Harts choreographed redemption. Was there no resting place for the old Irish in the new Ireland a patch of land resistant to liquefaction? Hart wonders. The Wild Laughters reckoning is as much concerned with these far-reaching effects of history as with the ongoing brutality of austerity.

The Wild Laughter is published by Oneworld (14.99). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

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The Wild Laughter by Caoilinn Hughes review an Irish Cain and Abel - The Guardian