Daily Archives: April 18, 2020

With the public’s need to know greater than ever, the D&C fights for info on outbreak – Democrat & Chronicle

Posted: April 18, 2020 at 7:02 pm

Dr. Michael Mendoza, Monroe County public health commissioner on how to understand the data and what is happening in nursing homes and hospitals. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

-- The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

D&C journalists have been WFH for four weeks now, coaxing information from sources while within earshot of a spouse or the kids or the dog or the cat, or maybe within earshot of all of the above.

Our intrepid photographers, wearing various forms of PPE, have been all about town illustrating Rochester's response to the coronavirus crisis.

Michael Kilian, executive editor, Democrat and Chronicle(Photo: File photo)

Our front-line editors and producers, the air-traffic controllers of our journalism, guide the stepped-up flow of news remotely from their kitchen tables, typing up a furious storm of IMs day and night.

And as executive editor, my day is filled with video chat meetings held in what the @hamiltonmusical folks playfully refer to as "The Zoom Where It Happens." ("Say what you like, but we'll never really know until you unmute your mike.")

In a national and local crisis, the Democrat and Chronicle isproducing significantly more stories and video and reaching more readers than usual, even as our newsroom sits empty. Only digital technology and no small amount of ingenuity by my colleagues makethat possible.

Yet when I think of our empty building at the corner of East Main and Clinton, what I see in my mind's eye are not all of our technology but 45 words on a wall. Those words are etched on the east wall in our largest meeting space, aptly called the First Amendment Room.

Those words make up thefirst item in the Bill of Rights written by James Madison 230 years ago. They'veshaped America as much or more than any other words our nation's founders wrote.

If you're celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ today on Easter, or you held seders last week to mark Passover, or you will soon fast for a month's time in observance of Ramadan, your right to do so is protected in the First Amendment.

And freedom of religion is not the only one the amendment makes possible:

The other freedom protected by the First Amendment obviously is freedom of the press. It's what makes the D&C's work possible.

Our nation's founders no doubt had as many issues with the press of their time as our current leaders do with the press today. Nonetheless, those founders were wise enough to recognize that a press operating independently of the government could give voice to the people and the people's concerns.

More: When you need the news, remember the news needs you

The people's concerns? Our current public-health crisis has generated an untold number of them.

What is government doing to protect our health?

Could more be done to lessen the toll of illness and death in our nursing homes?

Could work for front-line employees in grocery stores, in the public transit system and elsewhere be made more safe?

How can public-health messages be modified and improved to reach residents of diverse neighborhoods where the toll is tending to be higher than elsewhere (zip code 14609 in Northeast Rochester in our case)?

What do mathematical models show us about the eventual course of the outbreak?

Why is it so hard to obtain unemployment benefits?

And, the $64,000 question, when will the local and state economy re-open, and how can that be done in a manner that doesn't re-ignite the coronavirus'sspread?

More: How to support Rochester businesses

Our reporters have been asking these questions and more daily over the past five weeks, as seen in this video interview with Monroe County Public Health Commissioner Michael Mendoza on Friday. And we'll continue to press questions until this is over.

This just in: I'm pleased to say the act of me writing this column is allowing me to break some news. I'd written the following threeparagraphs, then reached out to Monroe County Director of Communications Julie Philipp (a former D&C colleague)to let her know what we were suggesting. Her response follows thesethree paragraphs.

We recognize Monroe County officials are swamped with life-and-death decisions daily, yet we encourage County Executive Adam Bello's administrationto make 1-2 key officials available daily for the duration for reporters to question. Too much can happen in a day, or two, or three, in this crisis, and the public will benefit most from having clarity every day.

Indeed, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has shown the power of the daily divulging of new information and the taking of reporters' questions. His daily presentations have become must-watch TV, and not simply in New York state. He is presenting astoryline that the public can follow each day and understand.

What does a local version of that look like? I don't think it'd be going out on a limb to suggest it would benefit public health and morale in greater Rochester.

The county's Philipp replied to me: "We are setting up a studio at the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) so we can do regular briefings." These briefings might begin as Zoom video conferences, she said.

The D&C is grateful for the county's looming effort.

Such briefings (preferably daily)would help reporters at the D&C and at other local news outlets do our jobs best. And when we do our jobs best even WFH or wearing PPEor typing IMs or Zooming it's because we know quite well for whom the founders wrote the First Amendment: You, ourreaders and viewers.

I pledge to you this:None of us asked for this crisis, and each of us dreams of the day it will bebehind us. Until then, the D&C is with you and for you and this great community and state every step of the way.

Thanks for reading.

Michael Kilian is executive editor of the Democrat and Chronicle. Reach him at MKILIAN@Gannett.com.

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With the public's need to know greater than ever, the D&C fights for info on outbreak - Democrat & Chronicle

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Real-time updates: Drive-through coronavirus testing available in Grays Harbor County this weekend – KING5.com

Posted: at 7:02 pm

Key facts:

Read previous daily coronavirus updates here

Drive-through coronavirus testing available in Grays Harbor County

Officials with Grays Harbor Public Health say coronavirus (COVID-19) testing is now available at their drive-through testing site in Aberdeen - by appointment only.

The testing is free and open to anyone 18 years of age or older who are showing symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

The testing site is open through this weekend April 18-19 with coordination between Grays Harbor Public Health Incident Management Team and the Washington Army National Guard.

People wanting to get testing can call the public health call center ahead of time at 360-964-1850 to set up an appointment. The call center is open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m.--4 p.m.

Officials say Grays Harbor County currently has an abundance of tests available, and now would be a good time to get tested if you suspect you may have COVID-19.

More information on the Grays Harbor County Public Health website.

Boeing helps deliver face masks to healthcare workers

Boeing announced it used a 737-700 aircraft from its corporate fleet to bring personal protective equipment (PPE) from China to the United States on Saturday.

The company transported 540,000 medical-grade face masks that will be delivered to healthcare workers battling coronavirus in New Hampshire, according to a release from Boeing.

The operation was possible due to a partnership between Boeing and FIRST Robotics founder Dean Kamen, according to the release.

Boeing said other similar missions are planned for the future.

Canada-U.S. border to remain closed to non-essential travel another 30 days

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the U.S. and Canada have agreed to keep the border closed to nonessential travel for another 30 days.

Trudeau says it will keep people on both sides of the border safe amid the pandemic. U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S.-Canada border will be among the first borders to open. Nearly 200,000 people normally cross the border daily.

The U.S. has more confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 than any country in the world. The U.S. and Canada agreed last month to limit border crossings to essential travel amid the pandemic. The agreement was due to expire this week.

New coronavirus cases reported Friday in Washington:

In Washington, 131,627 people have tested for coronavirus and 8.7% of those tests have been positive, according to the Washington State Department of Health

COVID-19 survivors could help patients by donating blood plasma

The blood of COVID-19 survivors could lead to a potential treatment of the respiratory disease that has sickened more than 11,000 people in Washington state, including more than 500 deaths, state officials say.

Bloodworks Northwest, the Washington State Department of Health and federal agencies are contacting people who have recovered from COVID-19 to ask them to consider donating blood plasma to see if antibodies in their immune systems can help treat people who are currently sick. Antibodies are the immune system's response to a viral infection like coronavirus.

Some of the plasma will be transfused into current patients (called convalescent plasma). Other plasma will be used to create concentrated antibodies (called hyperimmune globulin). Both have been successfully used to treat other infectious diseases.

The FDA regulates convalescent plasma when it is infused into patients as an investigational new drug.

Fremont Solstice Parade postponed until June 2021

The Fremont Solstice Parade and Celebration, the annual event which includes large puppets, naked cyclists and community groups, has been postponed until June 2021. The event originally had been scheduled this year for June 20.

West Seattle Summer Fest canceled amid pandemic and bridge closure

The West Seattle Summer Fest, which has been a July tradition since 1982, has been canceled, after the neighborhood was hit with both the statewide stay-home order and the sudden and indefinite closure of the West Seattle Bridge.

The 2020 Summer Fest was scheduled for July 10 - 12. Organizers are developing a plan for a community block party for when it's safe to gather, and they are planning to bring Summer Fest back in 2021.

Many Seattle summer events have been canceled, including Northwest Folklife, Seattle Pride and the Seattle International Film Festival.

Inslee blasts Trump for 'fomenting domestic rebellion'

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee criticized President Donald Trump, after the president took to Twitter Friday with the kind of rhetoric some of his supporters have used to protest the lifting of the stay-home orders that have thrown millions of Americans out of work.

LIBERATE MINNESOTA! LIBERATE MICHIGAN! LIBERATE VIRGINIA, Trump wrote on Twitter, while also lashing out at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for complaining about the federal response.

On Thursday, Trump detailed a three-step set of guidelines for methodically easing the restrictions over a span of several weeks in places that have robust testing and are seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases, assuring the nation's governors: Youre going to call your own shots."

Inslee wrote in a statement that President Trumps's statements are putting millions of people in danger of contracting COVID-19.

"His unhinged rantings and calls for people to 'liberate' states could also lead to violence. Weve seen it before," Inslee's statement reads in part. "The president is fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies even while his own administration says the virus is real and is deadly, and that we have a long way to go before restrictions can be lifted."

Throughout the country, there are a protests of stay-home orders planned at state capitols over the weekend, including in Olympia. At a press conference Thursday, Inslee said that he hoped that the protesters would practice social distancing while exercising their first amendment rights.

DSHS providing disaster cash assistance

Beginning Friday, April 17, the Department of Social and Health Services is providing emergency cash assistance to some Washington residents to help people meet their immediate needs.

The federal government approved implementing the Disaster Cash Assistance Program in the state following Gov. Jay Inslee's emergency declaration.

Washington residents can apply for emergency cash through DSHS if they are not eligible for other assistance programs. The assistance is available to everyone who meet the income and resource limits of the program. More than 175,000 households may be eligible.

Having access to this emergency aid is critically important to helping people meet their immediate, basic needs, like shelter costs, utilities, clothing, minor medical care, household supplies and transportation costs for work, explained Babs Roberts, director of DSHS Community Services Division. Were pleased Governor Inslee made these funds available so that we can extend the benefits to Washingtonians who are most in need during this unprecedented time.

Eligible households or individuals receive benefits for one month in a year period during an emergency.

The benefit amount depends on household size, income, and need. The maximum a single person can receive is $363; the maximum for a household of eight or more is $1,121.

UW Medicine Virology lab gets shipments of antibody blood test

The UW Medicine Virology lab is receiving shipments of a laboratory-based antibody blood test for clinical use and will allow doctors to check people for infection of coronavirus.

The clinical lab tests began shipping April 16. They are expected to improve the understanding of the coronavirus, including how long antibodies stay in the body and whether they provide immunity.

Ultimately, the tests could help support the development of treatments and vaccines.

Testing will start rolling out next week, according to health officials. Testing by the thousands per day will be possible and will be another tool in the fight against the virus.

Read previous daily coronavirus updates here

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Real-time updates: Drive-through coronavirus testing available in Grays Harbor County this weekend - KING5.com

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COVID-19 Didn’t Permit Government To Do Anything It Wants To Churches – The Federalist

Posted: at 7:02 pm

COVID-19 has touched every aspect of our lives, and our religious freedom is no exception.As the world deals with this pandemic, churches are finding creative solutions to minister to people in crisis. Yet too often they face unsympathetic or even hostile government officials, intent on needlessly shutting down their efforts.

Take Greenville, Mississippi, for example. During Holy Week, Temple Baptist Church found itself in the national spotlight after it invited congregants to safely gather and pray together, drive-in style, with congregants staying inside their cars.

Thats why my colleagues and I at Alliance Defending Freedomfiled a lawsuit in federal court on Good Friday on behalf of Temple Baptist. Eight uniformed Greenville police officers went to a Wednesday night church service and ticketed church members $500 apiece for attending a drive-in service that complied with state safety and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

In response to the lawsuit, the city refrained from ticketing congregants on Easter Sunday. But then on Monday, the mayor held a press conference and said that while the citations issued to Temple Baptist congregants would be dropped, Greenvilles unconstitutional ban on drive-in church services would remain in full force against future services.

But the First Amendment is not so easily ignored. ADF hasasked the court for a temporary restraining order, and theU.S. government has filed a statement of interestin the case in support of the church. A different federal courtcalleda similar ban in Louisville, Kentucky, stunning and beyond all reason unconstitutional.

Churches play an important role in providing both spiritual and physical support during challenging times, such as this pandemic. The whole point of conducting a drive-in church service is to provide this support while protecting individuals health and safety. That is why Temple Baptist instructed congregants not to leave their cars or access the church building for any reason.

Yet in Greenville, you can park at a drive-in restaurant with your windows wide open, but you cant park in a church parking lot with your windows closed to attend a church service. Thats nonsensical and unconstitutional.

Government restrictions on First Amendment freedoms must serve both a compelling government interest and do so in the least restrictive means possible. As the U.S. Department of Justice notes in itsstatement of interest, it is unclear why prohibiting these services is the least restrictive means of protecting public health, especially if, as alleged in the complaint, the city allows other conduct that would appear to pose equal if not greater risks.

Such restrictions must also be neutral toward religion and apply equally to everyone. Again, the DOJ said: In addition to appearing non-neutral, the churchs allegations also tend to show that the citys emergency actions are not applied in a generally applicable manner. The church alleges facts tending to show that conduct is being permitted for various secular reasons when equivalent conduct is being forbidden to churches holding drive-in services.

Unfortunately, these situations, as surprising as they are, are not isolated. Every day, ADF receives dozens of inquiries related to COVID-19. In most of these instances, authorities have been quick to respond the right way, fixing their mistakes and finding a better way forward. Every time this happens, everyone wins. During this time, we need spirits of cooperation, not division and political posturing. The Constitution doesnt prevent good policies; it ensures better ones.

Sadly, in North Carolina, government officials in bothCharlotteandGreensboro used COVID-19-related orders as an excuse to unconstitutionally silence disfavored religious and political speech. Representatives of Love Life and Cities4Life, the organization led by David Benham, were arrested for praying outside open abortion clinics, even though both nonprofit groups are considered exempt service organizations under applicable Wuhan virus-related orders orders the groups heeded, including staying at least six feet apart at all times.

These cases underscore the need for balance in times of crisis. We can prioritize the health and safety of ourselves and our neighbors without harming churches and people of faith. Banning church services and arresting pro-life citizens isnt about public health and safety, its about some government officials silencing speakers they dont like. The First Amendment rejects that kind of religious targeting, no matter the excuse.

In this time of uncertainty, churches and people of faith should continue to seek creative ways to worship, as well as to love and serve their communities. At the same time, governments should protect health and public safety while also respecting the faith-based needs of their churchgoing citizens. Thats a constitutional approach that helps everyone.

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Navigating the New Normal With COVID-19: 12 Essential Actions Executives Need To Take Right Now – OPEN MINDS

Posted: at 7:01 pm

Navigating the New Normal With COVID-19: 12 Essential Actions Executives Need To Take Right Now | OPEN MINDS Skip to main content The OPEN MINDS Executive Blueprint For Crisis Management: Building Organizational Sustainability & Success In A Disrupted Health & Human Service Market

A 32-week program designed to help executive teams navigate the business, organizational, operational, and culture changes of a market in turbulence. The program, based on the seven-component OPEN MINDS Executive Blueprint, combines a series of 35 live web briefings with online technical assistance and a suite of on-demand resources.

To ensure your future organizational sustainability and success the time to act is right now. Learn and discuss the critical steps your organization should be taking at this special collaborative webinar from OPEN MINDS, The National Council for Behavioral Health, Pyramid Healthcare, and Qualifacts.

For the past three decades, Ms. Oss has led theOPEN MINDSteam and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.

With more than 20 years of experience in behavioral health, Charles Ingoglia has worked as a provider, advocate, and educator for government and public sector organizations. Prior to becoming President and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, Ingoglia served as the Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Practice Improvement, where he directed the federal and state affairs function of the National Council, and oversaw practice improvement and technical assistance programs offered to more than 500,000 behavioral health professionals across the U.S. His efforts have centered on key issues such as parity, healthcare reform, and improving the experience of mental health and addictions care and treatment engagement.

David Klements joined Qualifacts in 2007, when he immediately began the process of transitioning the growing technology startup to the marketing-leading SaaS EHR for behavioral health and human services providers that it is today. During his tenure he has led Qualifacts through recapitalizations in 2014 and 2019, as well as overseeing 1000% growth in the companys customer base, a record which landed Qualifacts on the INC 5000 list of Americas fastest-growing companies three years in a row.

Jonathan Wolf, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Pyramid Healthcare, a provider of behavioral health services headquartered in Pennsylvania. Founded by Mr. Wolf in 1999 with one facility in Altoona, PA, Pyramid now owns and operates 89 behavioral healthcare facilities in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut, employing over 2,400 professionals and has annual revenues of over $200 M. Since its inception in 1999, Pyramid has grown into one of the largest privately owned behavioral healthcare systems in the United States with its vertically integrated system of care which includes a broad array of services and facilities

Registration for this executive web briefing has been provided at no charge courtesy of Value Based Care for Behavioral Health online community.

Unable to attend? Still register! At the conclusion of the event, all registrants will receive a recorded copy of the executive web briefing and presentation slides.

About the Value Based Care for Behavioral Health online community

Your platform for building success with value-based care. Serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs is a long and winding path. Let us be your guide, providing your team with the navigation tools needed for the transition to value-based reimbursement

Value Based Care for Behavioral Health is the only authoritative resource on value-based reimbursement developed for executives of health and human service organizations serving consumers with complex needs.

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Navigating the New Normal With COVID-19: 12 Essential Actions Executives Need To Take Right Now - OPEN MINDS

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Discover How to Easily Teach Neuroscience to Your Kids – Thrive Global

Posted: at 7:01 pm

Looking for some new learning material to engage your kids with, but maybe dont know where to start?

Well, heres a fresh idea for you teach them neuroscience.

Wait, what? Isnt brain science really hard, scary and difficult? Dont I have to be a Brainiac?

Take a breath friends, its actually a lot of fun, and we promise to make it easy for you busy caregivers.

Actually, weve even found that this is fun. Parents enjoy learning about our brains too its a unique way to help families connect.

Once more, you can learn this all by doing fun experiments with your kids at home right now. No, you dont need to read a ton or memorize things you get to just have fun.

But first, just why should kids learn about their brains?

We asked Dr. Eric Chudler, Executive Director of the Center for Neurotechnology, for his expert opinion on this.

Based on our discussion, here are five key reasons we should teach kids brain science:

Okay, if this all makes sense to you want to know how you can easily do this?

Dr. Chudler shares that the best way to learn neuroscience is by doing we are all walking, talking labs. One of the best ways we learn is by performing the real process of science. This approach is especially useful for kids who are hands-on or visual learners. They will especially welcome this approach.

The good news is that you dont have to make this up either. One great way to start is to make use of the resources at Neuroscience for Kids. Their email newsletter and website have practical, fun and easy experiments you can do with your kids, right now.

Doing experiments with your kids gets you all engaged in learning. Once more, many of these experiments are a break from the online-only environments we spend so much of our days in. Phew!

You may just surprise yourself and find that teaching your kids brain science may be the most fun you have this week!

You can see our full interview with Dr. Chudler here. Wed love to here how it works out for you!

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CHIME: How Yale’s Engineers and Doctors are Innovating to Combat COVID-19 – Yale News

Posted: at 7:01 pm

The COVID-19 crisis has put a significant strain on the U.S. healthcare system and the availability of essential personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. The Coalition for Health Innovation in Medical Emergencies (CHIME) - which draws on expertise from across the university - rapidly came together to help provide healthcare professionals the tools they need.

We've seen as our faculty turned on a dime to take projects they were working on that were non-COVID-19-critical and repurposed them - repurposed their labs, and repurposed the work they were doing - to address what could have a tremendous and important impact on the outcome of the pandemic, said Jeffrey Brock, Dean ofEngineering& Applied Science and Dean of Science, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

CHIME, organized by the staff at the Center for Engineering Innovation & Design (CEID), brings together engineers, physicians, nurses and many others, to identify the most crucial PPE shortages facing healthcare workers - and then, ways to increase those supplies. This includes expanding access to ventilators, respirators, and nasopharyngeal swabs.

Quick progress has been made on a number of projects, including a device that measures the reliability of non-certified respirators, and efforts to allow ventilators to treat more than one patient at a time.

In my career, I've never seen this kind of collaboration for the betterment of the entire society, globally, said Lisa Lattanza, chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the Yale School of Medicine.

In addition to the CHIME team and its diverse set of expertise, the coalition is also making use Yales many fabrication resources, such as those at the Wright Laboratory, the School of Architecture, the Neurotechnology Core at Yales medical campus, and the CEID. Together, these organizations have dozens of 3D printers, laser cutters, and other sophisticated fabrication equipment. Collaborations with several industry partners are also underway.

Its a time when were all feeling unique pressures, but were also feeling a unique sense of hope, said Vincent Wilczynski, SEAS Deputy Dean and the James S. Tyler Director of the CEID.

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CHIME: How Yale's Engineers and Doctors are Innovating to Combat COVID-19 - Yale News

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The Coronavirus is Driving the 1st World Headlong into The Fourth Industrial Revolution – Live Trading News

Posted: at 7:01 pm

The Encyclopedia Britannica says: The Fourth Industrial Revolution heralds a series of social, political, cultural, and economic upheavals that will unfold over the 21st century. Building on the widespread availability of digital technologies that were the result of the Third Industrial, orDigital, Revolution, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be driven largely by the convergence of digital, biological, and physical innovations.

It is very important to understand that the Fourth Industrial Revolution, aka Industry 4.0, involves a systemic change across many sectors and aspects of our lives.

The impacts of emergingtechnologiesare more important than the capabilities they present.

The ability toedit the building blocks of lifehas recently been massively expanded by low-cost gene sequencing and techniques such as CRISPR.

Artificial intelligenceis augmenting processes and skill in every industry.

Neurotechnology is making important strides in how we can use and influence the brain as the last frontier of human biology.

Automationis disrupting a 100 yrs of transport and manufacturing paradigms.

Technologies such as blockchain and smart materials are redefining and blurring the boundary between the digital and physical worlds.

The result of all this issocietal transformation. By engineering the incentives, rules, and norms of economic life, it changes how we communicate, learn, entertain, and relate to others and how we understand ourselves as humans.

Further, new technologies are developing and being implemented at an rapid pace, that is impacting our identities, communities, and political structures.

Our responsibilities, opportunities, and ability to positively impact the world are now tethered to and shaped by how we engage with the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

This revolution is not just happening to us, it is being thrust upon us, telling us we have a responsibility to give it structure and purpose, and that we are not its victims.

But there are victims,as this revolution will yield greaterinequality, particularly in its potential to disrupt labor markets, as we are seeing in our country and around the 1st world today.

On the other hand, the displacement of workers by technology will surely result in a net increase in safe and rewarding jobs for many, not all.

This, the Fourth Industrial Revolutions is and will continue to positive and negative impacts on different stakeholders.

Some nations have become wealthier, and technologies have helped pull some societies out of poverty, but has not distributed the benefits equally or anticipated externalities released like the coronavirus that resulted in global challenges.

The leading exponents of the massive social/technical shift recognize the economic risks and physical dangers putting it down to the cost of doing business whether it be cybersecurity threats, massive misinformation through digital media, record unemployment, social gaps and income inequality.

The Big Q: Who or what will come forth to align human values with the technological progress to ensure that the Fourth Industrial Revolution benefits all people 1st.

The Big A: No 1 can foresee what mores will emerge from this revolution.

The talent and money that champions this revolutionary vision for developing, diffusing, and governing technologies see it as an empowering, collaborative, and sustainable foundation for social and economic development, built around shared values of the common good, human dignity, and intergenerational stewardship. That is a pipe dream, what will happen is the taking away of freedom and liberty for the sake of a new world order, now being charitzed as the new normal.

The challenge is capping this revolution and keeping it in its place, that takes a resolved citizenry and strong leadership, not the contrived softness we have experienced over the past 40 yrs in our Republic.

The Illuminati and Malthusians do not know what is best for the world.

Have a healthy weekend, Keep the Faith, Do not be Afraid!

biological, coronavirus, crisis, digital, freedom, Gates, health, humans, Illuminati, innovation, Liberty, Malthusians, new normal, physical, revolution, technology

Paul A. Ebeling, polymath, excels in diverse fields of knowledge. Pattern Recognition Analyst in Equities, Commodities and Foreign Exchange and author of The Red Roadmasters Technical Report on the US Major Market Indices, a highly regarded, weekly financial market letter, he is also a philosopher, issuing insights on a wide range of subjects to a following of over 250,000 cohorts. An international audience of opinion makers, business leaders, and global organizations recognizes Ebeling as an expert.

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The Coronavirus is Driving the 1st World Headlong into The Fourth Industrial Revolution - Live Trading News

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The Global Face Recognition Market is expected to grow from USD 3,546.56 Million in 2019 to USD 9,992.35 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound…

Posted: at 7:01 pm

New York, April 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Face Recognition Market Research Report by Type , by Computing , by Vertical, by Application - Global Forecast to 2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05881747/?utm_source=GNW

The Global Face Recognition Market is expected to grow from USD 3,546.56 Million in 2019 to USD 9,992.35 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18.84%.

Market Segmentation & Coverage:This research report categorizes the Face Recognition to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:

"The Video?based Recognition is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period"

On the basis of Type, the Face Recognition Market is studied across Artificial Neural Networks, Classical Face Recognition Algorithms, D?based Face Recognition, Face Descriptor?based Methods, and Video?based Recognition. The Classical Face Recognition Algorithms commanded the largest size in the Face Recognition Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Video?based Recognition is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.

"The Edge Computing is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period"

On the basis of Computing, the Face Recognition Market is studied across Cloud Computing and Edge Computing. The Cloud Computing commanded the largest size in the Face Recognition Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Edge Computing is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.

"The Healthcare is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period"

On the basis of Vertical, the Face Recognition Market is studied across Automotive & Transportation, BFSI, Education, Energy & Utilities, Government & Defense, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Consumer Goods & Retail, and Telecommunications & IT. The Government & Defense commanded the largest size in the Face Recognition Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Healthcare is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.

"The Emotion Recognition is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period"

On the basis of Application, the Face Recognition Market is studied across Access Control, Attendance Tracking & Monitoring, Emotion Recognition, Law Enforcement, Robotics, eLearning, Advertising, and Payment. The Law Enforcement commanded the largest size in the Face Recognition Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Emotion Recognition is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.

"The Asia-Pacific is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period"

On the basis of Geography, the Face Recognition Market is studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region is studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region is studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region is studied across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. The Americas commanded the largest size in the Face Recognition Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.

Company Usability Profiles:The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Face Recognition Market including Animetrics, AnyVision, Aware, Inc., Ayonix Corporation, Clarifai, Cognitec Systems GmbH, Daon, DeepGlint, FaceFirst, Inc., Gemalto NV, id3 Technologies, IDEMIA, Innovatrics, Megvii, NEC Corporation, Neurotechnology, NVISO SA, SenseTime, StereoVision Imaging, Inc., Techno Brain Group, Visage Technologies, XJERA LABS, XRVision Pte. Ltd., Yitu Technology, and ZOLOZ CO., LTD..

FPNV Positioning Matrix:The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Face Recognition Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.

Competitive Strategic Window:The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.

The report provides insights on the following pointers:1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on sulfuric acid offered by the key players2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments

The report answers questions such as:1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Face Recognition Market?2. What are the inhibiting factors and their impact analysis shaping the Global Face Recognition Market during the forecast period?3. What is the competitive position if vendors in the Global Face Recognition Market?4. How Porters Five Forces define the Global Face Recognition Market landscape?5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Face Recognition Market?6. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Face Recognition Market?7. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Face Recognition Market?8. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Face Recognition Market?Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05881747/?utm_source=GNW

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The Global Face Recognition Market is expected to grow from USD 3,546.56 Million in 2019 to USD 9,992.35 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound...

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War Has Been the Governing Metaphor for Decades of American Life. This Pandemic Exposes Its Weaknesses – TIME

Posted: at 7:00 pm

When President Donald Trump declared a national emergency last month, as the coronavirus outbreak worsened, he deployed language familiar and perhaps oddly comforting to many Americans. Designating himself a wartime president, Trump likened the countrys COVID-19 response to the U.S.s mobilization during World War II. Every generation of Americans has been called to make shared sacrifices for the good of the nation, Trump insisted.

This rhetorical maneuver reflected the long American history of declaring war on any conceivable enemy whether physical, abstract, domestic or foreign. But as familiar and ubiquitous as war might be for many Americans, at least figuratively, that same history also shows that it is a poor framework through which to understand complex social problems such as poverty and public-health emergencies like the novel coronavirus or drug addiction.

War has been a permanent condition and the governing metaphor for American life since at least the Second World War. Instead of reining in its military and defense infrastructure at the end of the war and the beginning of what is ironically known as the postwar period the U.S. opted to go in the opposite direction, bolstering the national security state in the hopes of thwarting the perceived Soviet and Communist threat. A massive expansion of federal power, the National Security Act of 1947 formed the skeleton of our modern national defense apparatus. The Act established the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council (NSC), a cabinet-level body that would help formulate military and foreign policy on the presidents behalf.

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Drafted and circulated in 1950, the councils NSC-68 report cast the young Cold War in stark, severe terms. It declared that the cold war is in fact a real war in which the survival of the free world is at stake and argued that Americans must be willing to give up some of the benefits which they have come to associate with their freedoms. In other words, though World War II had ended in victory, Americans would continue seeing the world through a wartime lens and indefinitely so.

In many ways, the assumptions underlying NSC-68 would guide U.S. foreign policy through the end of the Cold War and beyond. Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and thus the end of the Cold War, the U.S. [f]reed from major challengers remained committed to military action, although it often couched these interventions in terms of human rights.

It is therefore no surprise that Americans have long understood challenges far from the battlefield (such as COVID-19) through the lens of war. Beyond the actual experience of war as combat, as historian Michael Sherry has shown, the United States obsession with war has meant imagining many things in terms of it from President Lyndon B. Johnson depicting incidents of urban unrest as a war within our own boundaries to President Richard Nixon declaring a war on cancer in 1971 (as the Vietnam War raged), from LBJs War on Poverty to Pat Buchanans war for the soul of America (i.e., the culture wars) to the interlocking wars on crime and drugs. The band Wilco lamented this war fetish in their 2001 song War on War, in which frontman Jeff Tweedy sings that, in such a conflict, Youre gonna lose.

Americans know war, theologian Stanley Hauerwas notes, and when we are frightened ironically war makes us feel safe. Michael Sherry concurs building on the work of the late historian Marilyn B. Young when he calls the United States a nation deeply wedded to and defined by war, though maddeningly reluctant to admit it.

Still, real war remains distant and abstract for the overwhelming majority of Americans. As scholar Andrew Bacevich indicated in 2011, approximately half of 1 percent of our citizens bear the burden of service and sacrifice meaning 99.5% of Americans are not personally attached to the military or the national security state. The physical and emotional distance separating most Americans from the battlefield allows them to glorify war while knowing nothing of its unspeakable horrors or the sacrifice it entails.

War is destructive, violent and annihilative. But the nations commitment to war (both as reality and metaphor) has a tendency to take other policy approaches off the table. What has been called the troopification of everything generates financial and political support for any activity conducted under the umbrella of war. And so Americas over-reliance on the blunt, imprecise instrument of war hinders its ability to respond to myriad other problems, from public-health emergencies to chronic issues such as hunger. The infrastructure needed to address such concerns doesnt mesh well with war. Its use as a rhetorical and framing device within our present crisis therefore represents a dismal failure of imagination.

Most damningly, perhaps, Americas recent wars whether directed at targets physical, abstract, domestic or foreign have mostly failed. The United States excels at war, Sherry observes, though no longer at winning it. In just the past 50 years or so, the U.S. has failed to win the War in Vietnam, the war on cancer (despite many notable achievements in research and treatment), the War on Poverty (although LBJs campaign slashed poverty rates), the war on crime (which did much to terrorize and imprison poor and working-class black and brown people but little to actually curtail crime), the war on drugs (given the persistent reality of drug addiction) and the seemingly endless global war on terror.

This track record does not bode well for the nations war against COVID-19. We need an efficient, coherent public-health response coordinated by a competent federal government. What we dont need is another war.

Paul M. Renfro is an Assistant Professor of History at Florida State University and the author of Stranger Danger: Family Values, Childhood, and the American Carceral State (Oxford University Press, 2020).

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War Has Been the Governing Metaphor for Decades of American Life. This Pandemic Exposes Its Weaknesses - TIME

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"I would have done it": Filmmaker on indentifying with the "How to Fix a Drug Scandal" perpetrators – Salon

Posted: at 7:00 pm

In "How to Fix a Drug Scandal," a new four-part Netflix docuseries, documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr presents the stories of Massachusetts drug lab chemists Annie Dookhan and Sonja Farak, and how the discovery of their respective misconduct led to the largest mass dismissal of criminal convictions in U.S. history.

Farak had been using the drugs that came through her lab in Amherst, filling out test results while high, while Dookhan had fabricated thousands of test results in her Boston lab, revealing major holes in a neglected legal system designed to streamline the "war on drugs."

Over the last decade, Carr has become something of an expert on the art of true crime. She is a master of dissecting the kinds of stories that seem made for splashy, gossipy rag, pulling at the dominant narratives which are often those easiest to tell and consume, built on familiar tropes and formulas and also, our collective hunger for them.

Carr's documentary, "Thought Crimes: The Case of The Cannibal Cop," dug into the case of Gilberto Valle, an ex-NYPD cop who was convicted of conspiracy to kidnap after his wife found that Valle had spent time detailing plans to kidnap, rape, and cannibalize several women on a number of fetish websites.

In 2017, she released "Mommy Dead and Dearest" about the death of Dee Dee Blanchard at the hands of her daughter Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and Gypsy's boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn. Her 2019 documentary "I Love You, Now Die" delved into the death of Conrad Roy, who was prompted via text by his girlfriend, Michelle Carter to kill herself.

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Carr spoke with Salon about the making of "How to Fix a Drug Scandal," how she chooses her documentary subjects, and what it looks like to film with "radical empathy" in mind.

One of the things I really appreciate about your documentaries is that you take stories that are kind of prime for sensational headlines "Thought Crimes," "Mommy Dead and Dearest," "I Love You, Now Die" and you really dig into the people and sometimes policies behind them. How do you determine if a story is one that you want to pursue for a documentary?

This is actually the number onequestion I get asked, because it's very clear in all the work that it's the same person doing it, but they involve different systemic issues. So the easiest way I can explain it is sort of the most straightforward: Is it about a woman? Is there a complicating factor? Are there layers to it which means are there other stories within it? And is it watchable and fun?

And finally, is it going to be hard to get people to watch this?

You know, Sheila Nevins, who I first started making films with, she would talk to me about how this is sort of like television; there's a commercial reality to this in that you don't want to ever make a boring cold open.

You literally have 90 seconds to draw the audience in and they are going to decide if they want to watch it enough just based on that 90 seconds. So like, do your thing.

What drew you to the stories of Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan?

You know as a sober person, and as an "out"sober person, there was something that so resonated with me about the deception of addiction. You're at work surrounded by all of these substances, and the purest substances the best of the best, you know? I don't think this is a very popular thought, but like, I would have done it. I think it's hearkening back to Adam and Eve. Like if the apple is right there and there are no cameras, you're going to take a bite of the apple.

Some people say they would never do that, that it would never cross their minds to do that, and alright, good for you. But I'm somebody that doesn't feel that way.

So I really wanted to have a series that talks about addiction, talks about temptation, talked about mental health, and continued those conversations in a way where it really looks at all aspects of it. But then you also had so many people that really set issues with the people [Farak and Dookhan's findings] convicted. Like, "They had drugs, they're guilty,"and I don't agree with that either. So it's really understanding it all from a human perspective.

And I think that definitely leads into my next question. You've talked before in interviews about how "radical empathy" is a guiding approach in your filmmaking. How did you practice that in creating "How to Fix a Drug Scandal?"

Well, I think that Annie Dookhan and Sonja Farak and the prosecutors, to some extent, can all be very one-dimensional villains; and I think with Annie Dookhan and Sonja Farak, specifically, I tried to see them as individuals versus villains, and really tried to stratify the line between those things.

I think it's often really about sort of caring about these people and knowing, "I am not a narrative filmmaker right now."I am making films about people's realities, what happened and it has to be thetruth, it has to be second source verified, I cannot make any of this stuff up.

So when I sit with the fact that somebody who's going to watch this and have opinions about Sonja, am I going to be able to sleep at night? Did I do the right thing? Did I three-dimensionalize her?

And I think "radical empathy"has been this phrase that I have carried around with me, but I don't give it to everybody. I did not do that with Larry Nasser, for example. I did not believe in terms of "At the Heart of Gold"that I could humanize him because that would be giving the movie over to him. So that's sort of my internal question with myself. If I have radical empathy, should that not lend itself to everybody? I think I'm sort of figuring that out as a filmmaker and as a human being as I go along.

Well, and I think that ties into how this story was structured. I thought it was interesting how, early in the first episode, we established that we were going to be recreating Sonja Farak's grand jury testimony using unsealed court transcripts. How did you come to the decision to structure the series in that way?

God, Ashlie it was rough. So you're sitting there and you have an entire binder full of grand jury transcripts. They have previously been sealed. They are literally the confession, the core part of this story.

And then you're faced up against the fact that people hate recreations and you cannot get the person who said these things to say any of these things. So my producing partner Will Cohen said, "You can do transcript-on-screen, you can do animation, you can do an actor."At one point, I really wanted Edie Falco to read it because she's out about recovery, and I was like, "That's a great idea."But then it was like, "No, that's not going to work that will be very slotted in."

So I was really having to push myself as a director and be like, "Okay, I need to make these transcripts come alive and the best way to do that is to recreate it, and if I'm going to do that, I'm going to really try to work as seamlessly as possible as getting that inside the narrative without being jarring."

And I remember I was sitting with my family and I was showing them "How to Fix a Drug Scandal,"and they were like, "Wow, it's really crazy that the woman would reenact that,"and my first thought was, "Were they too similar looking?"

But I had wanted it to be sort of seamless; and according to Twitter, according to critics, it's working. It's what you need to get through that story, and I have no apologies for it.

Right, well, and Sonja and Annie's convictions ultimately led to the largest mass dismissal of criminal convictions in U.S. history, which is absolutely staggering. What was it personally like investigating a story that impacted so many people?

It's interesting because as a filmmaker, I knew that thousands of people were impacted by it, and I thought that I would have my pick of who I could talk to; and what I recognized was the opposite. People that had prior drug convictions were incredibly distrustful of the system. Sometimes they would get on the phone, sometimes they would not, and a bunch of times we just ran into this brick wall of them saying, "I just can't do it. I don't trust that this will do anything for me."Stepping away from the filmmaker perspective, it's incredible to see what hell two chemists had wrought.

And to me, it was also really about examining post-release, like when you get out of jail what happens? When you're trying to get your convictions lifted because there's so much ripple effect. Can you apply for food stamps? Can you apply for affordable housing? Can you vote? What does your life look like then? And I think it was about showing all of these things that are sometimes really hard to get audience members to care a ton about.

But inside the show, you can really see it through Rolando Penate and Rafael Rodriguez.

"How to Fix a Drug Scandal" is now streaming on Netflix.

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"I would have done it": Filmmaker on indentifying with the "How to Fix a Drug Scandal" perpetrators - Salon

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