Category Archives: Progress

As we move into a crucial decade of action on achieving serious progress on sustainability, many are hoping the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recession will serve to reset our priorities toward a greener future in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

However, many experts are not optimistic about the possibility of a green recovery.

Over half of sustainability professionals believe that COVID-19 instead will slow the rate of progress toward achieving the SDGs, according to a new report,Evaluating Progress on the SDGs, by GlobeScan and The SustainAbility Institute by ERM. Findings from the research also show that sustainability practitioners continue to report poor progress toward each of the 17 goals, as well as on sustainable development overall.

Nearly 500 experienced sustainability professionals in 75 countries were asked to evaluate the progress that has been made, on sustainable development overall and on each SDG; to rank the relative urgency of each goal; and to share insights into the priorities within their own organizations. Experts also were asked how the pandemic will affect progress on the SDGs. The survey also tracked expert opinions polled in 2017 and 2019.

Sustainability practitioners report poor progress toward each of the 17 goals, as well as on sustainable development overall.

When asked to rate the progress to date on the overall transition to sustainable development, more than half of sustainability experts (54 percent) say progress has been poor, with most remaining respondents giving neutral ratings (41 percent). Only 4 percent are satisfied with societys achievements so far. Those who have the most negative views on progress tend to work in the academic and research sector, with European experts being the most negative.

Negative expert perceptions of our collective sustainability efforts so far are also apparent in their assessments of progress on individual SDGs, with majorities rating achievements as poor on 10 of the 17 Goals.

Life Below Water (Goal No. 14), Reduced Inequalities (No. 10), Life on Land No. 15)and No Poverty (No. 1) are seen by experts as the SDGs where societys level of achievement has lagged the most. Proportions of seven in 10 or higher see progress in these areas as being poor particularly on Reduced Inequalities.

In contrast, only around one-third of experts believe that there has been poor progress on Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (No. 9) and Partnership for the Goals (No. 17).

Sustainability experts tend to believe that several goals where progress has been the most unsatisfactory are also the most urgent, which is a cause for some concern.

When asked to assess which goals require the most urgent action, experts overwhelmingly choose Climate Action (No. 13) a goal that fewer than one in 10 experts say we have made good progress on achieving. Reduced Inequalities, the goal with the lowest overall score in terms of our collective progress, also ranked as one of the most important areas for action along with Life on Land and Responsible Consumption and Production (No. 12).

The perceived urgency of Reduced Inequalities has increased compared to 2019 in the wake of the pandemic, highlighting the unequal impact experienced by poorer countries as well as more vulnerable populations within countries.

Within their own work and organizations, sustainability professionals are most likely to be addressing Climate Action; almost half of experts surveyed (44 percent) and more than half of corporate sustainability professionals (52 percent) say this is one of the SDGs receiving the most attention within their own organizations or work.

Climate Action is prioritized by respondents across most sectors and regions except the academic and research sector and among those based in Africa and the Middle East, both of which focus more on Quality Education (No. 4).

Far fewer (6 percent) say they focus their work on Reduced Inequalities, despite the relative parallel urgency of this secondary issue. Other goals that are mainly overlooked include No Poverty, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (No. 16), and Zero Hunger (No 2).

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have further dampened experts views on our collective progress on the SDGs.

Around one-third of those surveyed say that the pandemic will serve to accelerate headway on achieving the goals, perhaps placing their hope in the potential of Green New Deals or renewed faith in our potential to collectively solve great challenges such as developing vaccines to save humanity. But over half instead believe that the pandemic and its economic impacts will further slow our already dismal progress.

Experts in the service and media sector are more optimistic about the potential impact of the pandemic, whereas respondents in the academic and research and NGO sectors, along with those based in Latin America and in Africa and the Middle East, are most prone to pessimism possibly reflecting the limited resources available in many markets that maybe directed away from long-term sustainability priorities to cover more immediate needs.

This diversion from the SDGs toward other more immediate issues resulting from the pandemic and its economic impacts should be of great concern to all. At this crucial point in time, we need to ensure that our collective efforts on sustainable development are not only maintained but accelerated.

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Is COVID-19 slowing progress toward the SDGs? Yes, say experts. | Greenbiz - GreenBiz

Facts, not fear: We're tracking the latest coronavirus numbers and vaccination efforts across the San Antonio area.

SAN ANTONIO We're tracking the latest numbers from the coronavirus pandemic as well as the vaccine efforts in San Antonio and across Texas.

Latest Coronavirus Numbers

Here are the latest numbers reported by Bexar County and state health officials, as of Tuesday, March 30:

More county case information is available through theTexas Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard.

Vaccine Progress in Bexar County

Across Bexar County, more than 716,000 vaccine doses have been administered, as of March 30.

DSHS defines "population" as residents who are 16 years of age or older; in Bexar County, this represents more than 1.55 million people. The CDC states that "when a high percentage of the community is immune to a disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness)," that community will have reached herd immunity, "making the spread of this disease from person to person unlikely."

81,284 vaccines were administered last week in Bexar County; a total of 738,290doses have been administered in the county since vaccination efforts began 15 weeks ago.

Across Texas, 3.863 million residents are fully vaccinated. In total, the state has administered 10.880 million vaccine doses. Texas is one of seven states with less than 14% of its population fully vaccinated, as of March 28:

Bexar County COVID-19 Trends

This week's update of the Warning Signs and Progress Indicators for Bexar County saw Bexar County holding steady at the low-risk level. The positivity rate dropped to 2.1%, a decrease of 0.2% over the last week.

The county's seven-day moving average rose slightly from 182 on Monday to 185 on Tuesday.

The number of COVID-19 patients receiving treatments at area hospitals rose by one in the last 24 hours to 193. 73 patients are in intensive care, and 34 are on ventilators.

Latest Coronavirus Headlines

Coronavirus symptoms

The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80 percent of the cases there were mild.

But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.

Experts determined there was consistent evidence these conditions increase a person's risk, regardless of age:

Human coronaviruses are usually spread...

Help stop the spread of coronavirus

Find a Testing Location

City officials recommend getting a COVID-19 test if you experience fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.

Here's a Testing Sites Locatorto help you find the testing location closest to you in San Antonio.

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Bexar County's Vaccine Progress: More than 30% of residents have received at least one dose - KENS5.com

ALEXANDRIA, Va. & CAMPBELL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ChargePoint, Inc. (NYSE:CHPT) a leading electric vehicle (EV) charging network, and NATSO, representing travel plazas and truckstops, today announced significant progress in the first year of the National Highway Charging Collaborative, an initiative that will leverage $1 billion in public and private capital to deploy charging at more than 4,000 travel plazas and fuel stops serving highway travelers and rural communities nationwide by 2030. In its first year, the public-private Collaborative successfully funded more than 150 DC fast charging spots with additional access to more than 1,500 publicly available DC fast charging spots for consumers on ChargePoints existing network.

The Collaborative continues to aggressively scale its efforts, expecting to reach $1 billion in investments by 2030. This is in line with the expected arrival rate of dozens of new EV models. The National Highway Charging Collaborative is increasing access to EV charging along highways and in rural North America by filling infrastructure gaps along the National Highway System, including along the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) designated alternative fuel corridors. The FHWA also highlights the National Highway Charging Collaborative as part of its Alternative Fuel Corridors Best Practices.

Bloomberg NEF estimates EVs will make up 10 percent of all vehicles sold by 2025 and increase to more than 29 percent by 2030. With more than $11 million of public and private funding leveraged to date as part of the Collaborative, new fast charge sites are connecting rural communities and enabling long distance electric travel across more than eight states including California, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, and Washington. The Collaborative has attracted support from some of the nations most prominent travel plaza, convenience store and truckstop brands, including Kum & Go, Donnas Travel Plaza, Loves Travel Stops and Trillium, its alternative and renewable fuel provider; the Iowa 80 Group, and others.

ChargePoints ongoing effort to significantly expand access to charging across cities, rural communities, and along highways is core to our mission and the collaboration with NATSO is already making significant progress toward that goal, said Colleen Jansen, Chief Marketing Officer, ChargePoint. The National Highway Collaborative is poised to be one of the nations foremost examples of how partnerships can be designed to scale vital charging infrastructure. The progress to date has created the foundation for the scaling of fast charging to support long distance electric travel and enable fast charging in urban and rural communities as a complement to the buildout of level 2 charging nationwide. The buildout of charging is expected to increase in the coming years in line with dozens of new EV models anticipated to hit North American roads as the shift to electrification takes hold.

Together with ChargePoint, we are harnessing the nations vast fuel retailing network to ensure that drivers of electric vehicles have a reliable place to fuel, said NATSO President and CEO Lisa Mullings. In order for consumers to move to EVs, they need to be confident that they will be able to refuel as reliably as they do today. With thousands of established locations crisscrossing the nation, the private sector will ensure that drivers of electric-powered cars will not suffer from range anxiety. We are well suited to efficiently meet customer demand for electricity while providing the amenities and safe experience that they have come to expect as they refuel.

Kum & Go is looking to the future with electric vehicle charging, said Ken Kleemeier, Vice President, Fuels at Kum & Go. The marketplace is moving in this direction, and Kum & Go is putting the infrastructure in place to ensure that we are ahead of the curve.

"We believe that EV charging will be an important service that our customers will demand in the years ahead, said Brian Couch, Owner of Donnas Travel Plaza in Tulalip, Washington. We are happy to be working with NATSO and ChargePoint to help us begin offering these services to our customers."

As part of an MOU announced in February 2020, the two organizations agreed that the National Highway Charging Collaborative will, by 2030:

The Collaborative also advocates for public policies that are designed to create a business case for off-highway fuel retailers to invest in EV charging infrastructure. In those jurisdictions, the initiative continues to identify an increasing number of public and private funding sources available to support the expansion of EV charging at strategically determined locations.

For more information about the National Highway Collaborative, visit nationalhighwaychargingcollaborative.com.

About ChargePoint

ChargePoint is creating the new fueling network to move all people and goods on electricity. Since 2007, ChargePoint has been committed to making it easy for businesses and drivers to go electric with one of the largest EV charging networks and most complete portfolio of charging solutions available today. ChargePoints cloud subscription platform and software-defined charging hardware are designed to include options for every charging scenario from home and multifamily to workplace, parking, hospitality, retail and transport fleets of all types. Today, one ChargePoint account provides access to hundreds-of-thousands of places to charge in North America and Europe. To date, more than 90 million charging sessions have been delivered, with drivers plugging into the ChargePoint network approximately every two seconds. For more information, visit the ChargePoint pressroom, the ChargePoint Investor Relations site, or contact ChargePoints North American or European press offices or the Investor Relations team.

About NATSO

NATSO has been representing travel plaza and truckstop owners and operators for nearly 60 years and pursues a clear mission: to advance the success of truckstop and travel plaza members by delivering solutions to members challenges and achieving the public policy goals of the truckstop and travel plaza industry. Headquartered just outside Washington, D.C., NATSO is the only national trade association representing the travel plaza and truckstop industry. NATSO advances the industrys interests on highway issues such as commercialization, tolling and truck parking and represents the industry on environmental and energy issues. Contact: Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, Vice President, Public Affairs.

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ChargePoint and NATSO Progress Toward 2030 Fast Charging Commitment Across the United States - Business Wire

Last October, we held a ceremony to mark the beginning of work on sewer improvements and recreational renovations at Francis G. Fitzpatrick Park. The park, which is located on Avenue C between 26th and 27th Streets, was constructed in the 1970s on the site of our former Police and Fire Headquarters. It is named after Mayor Fitzpatrick, who served from 1962 to 1974. The park has needed renovations for some time.

You may have noticed the deep excavations in the park property. These holes prepared the ground for the installation of stormwater management upgrades, which will reduce the rate of run-off for storm events in both the park and along Avenue C. The existing sanitary sewer system in Bayonne is a combined system that accepts both sanitary sewer discharge and stormwater run-off. This combination places a strain on the sanitary sewer system. We will help address that problem by installing a new stormwater piping system, separate from the sanitary piping from 26th Street to 28th Street. There will be new drainage structures at each of the Avenue C intersections with 26th, 27th, and 28th Streets.

The park will be renovated thoroughly, along with improvements to the neighborhoods stormwater system. The improvement program is funded partially by a Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund Grant in the amount of $661,000, and by the New Jersey Water Bank in the amount of $1,478,547.50. The Water Bank is a program of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The contractor for the project is Picerno-Giordano Construction.

The contractor removed the aging playground equipment, swing sets, a small spray park, a bathroom structure, and seating areas. Everything will be replaced with modern park improvements. The new version of the park will include separate playgrounds for 2-5 year-olds and 5-12 year-olds. There will be new swing sets and a splash park area. A roller hockey rink will be installed. It will double as a pickleball court. A new porous paver patio area will include game tables and picnic tables that comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. A new drinking fountain will include a pet drinking feature. Pet waste stations will be added. Twelve shade trees will be installed along with 272 shrubs and other plantings.

We expect completion of construction for both the new storm sewer system and the park later in 2021. We would like to thank the state and county for their support of this important project.

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Making Progress with Storm Sewer Work and Park Renovation - The Hudson Reporter

Earlier this month, a United Nations (UN) working group open to all member states took the historic and much-needed step of agreeing on expectations for responsible nation-state behavior online. This comes at a critical time, on the backs of two major nation-state attacks Nobelium and Hafnium and a wave of attacks targeting health care organizations during the Covid-19 pandemic. While more needs to be done, we should all be encouraged by the UNs progress and the solidarity taking shape against indiscriminate nation-state attacks that cause widespread harm.

This new consensus was reached via the UNs Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on cybersecurity, which issued its final report after nearly two years of deliberations. This is the first time such a document has been negotiated and agreed upon in a working group open to all 193 UN Member States. Previous UN agreements on cyber-rules were negotiated in comparatively smaller settings and it has been over five years since these processes had come to an agreement on expectations for responsible behavior online. In the meantime, sophisticated attacks and nation-state conflicts have continued to escalate.

The OEWG also set new precedent for the UN by being more open to input and participation from organizations outside government, including companies like Microsoft. Cyberspace is largely developed and maintained by private organizations, and battlefields online are by no means constrained by physical borders, so private-sector engagement is critical to protecting cyberspace. Building on this legacy of multistakeholder participation will be essential to future progress.

While the entire report is a major step forward, three aspects are particularly noteworthy.

First, it elevates and affirms the authority of international law in cyberspace and the set of norms for responsible behavior that were adopted as voluntary standards in 2015. These norms set apart things like critical infrastructure and computer emergency response teams (CERTs) as being off limits to cyberattacks by governments. To this end, the report also encourages states to be transparent and concrete about how they understand these rules apply and what they are doing to implement them.

Second, it recognizes a need to protect healthcare from cyberattacks, including medical services and facilities. Amid the ongoing global pandemic, such attacks have targetedhospitals and health care organizationsacross the United States and organizations around the world, including Brno University Hospitalin the Czech Republic,Pariss hospital system, the computer systems ofSpains hospitals, hospitals inThailandand even international bodies such as theWorld Health Organization.

Third, it calls on states to protect the information communications technology, or ICT, supply chain. The Nobelium attack against SolarWinds was just the latest example of a supply chain attack with far-reaching consequences that should not be tolerated. By corrupting the software update process, Nobelium put thousands of individuals and organizations at undue risk, and such attacks threaten to undermine public trust and confidence in the update process all vendors use to maintain the security of the digital ecosystem. Similar statements have been made by the UN before, however, so we hope to see further action in the days ahead to uphold this commitment.

Beyond these specific areas, the group also recognized the importance of cybersecurity capacity building as a linchpin for all these commitments. Nations around the world have vastly different capacities and implementing international expectations in cyberspace will require new investments, especially in emerging economies. All this diplomatic work will be for naught if states are unable to follow through on their own commitments and recommendations. Cybersecurity is not zero-sum, and when any one nation is more secure, we all reap the benefits.

While we are encouraged by the OEWG report, there is one place where we urge all UN member states to take more action: human rights. The report regrettably contains only cursory references to human rights and omits any reference to international humanitarian law, both of which should be upheld in cyberspace as they are in the physical domain.

Achieving consensus on this report is indeed an important win for inclusive multilateralism and diplomacy, as well as for cybersecurity, but more work is required in the near-term. We urge states to continue to build on this positive outcome to turn the tide against escalating conflict online by continuing to engage in robust and inclusive dialogues. The French governments proposed Programme of Action (PoA) is one possible path forward that could consolidate UN cyber deliberations into a single standing process while helping to facilitate and streamline necessary multistakeholder inclusion. We are grateful to the governments that have wrestled with these issues for years, and we at Microsoft will support the next steps required to protect our shared cyberspace.

Tags: COVID-19, cyberattacks, cybersecurity, healthcare, United Nations

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UN makes critical progress on cybersecurity - Microsoft On the Issues - Microsoft

CAMBRIDGE, England & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bicycle Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: BCYC), a biotechnology company pioneering a new and differentiated class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle) technology, today announced progress updates for its Bicycle-based partnered programs outside of oncology.

Over the last five years, Bicycles strategy has been to use our novel technology to discover and develop a pipeline of innovative assets in oncology while additionally using non-dilutive funding and collaborations to explore the therapeutic potential of Bicycles in disease areas outside of oncology. Today, for the first time, we are providing an overview on our progress in demonstrating the broad utility of this platform to create molecules with the potential to treat some of the most serious diseases and address future healthcare challenges, said Kevin Lee, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Bicycle Therapeutics. Its incredibly exciting to see how the Company has worked innovatively and highly collaboratively with many diverse institutions to address these challenges and, at the same time, generated significant revenues to offset the costs of developing and progressing our internal oncology pipeline. I would like to thank all of our collaborators for their enthusiasm in this endeavor and look forward to continuing our work to advance these important molecules.

Bicycle has achieved the first milestone in its collaboration with Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) and the University of Oxfords ARUK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute (ODDI)

Bicycle advances platform in multiple anti-infective areas, including antimicrobials and antivirals

Bicycle has made significant progress through partnerships with biopharmaceutical therapeutic area leaders in indications outside of oncology

Kevin Lee commented, With four Bicycle molecules now in clinical trials for both oncology and non-oncology indications, the technology has shown initial evidence of clinical tolerability and suitability for pharmaceutical development, and I look forward to seeing how Bicycles may bring important new treatment opportunities to poorly served patients in additional therapeutic areas.

About Bicycle Therapeutics

Bicycle Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BCYC) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of medicines, referred to as Bicycles, for diseases that are underserved by existing therapeutics. Bicycles are fully synthetic short peptides constrained with small molecule scaffolds to form two loops that stabilize their structural geometry. This constraint facilitates target binding with high affinity and selectivity, making Bicycles attractive candidates for drug development. Bicycles lead product candidate, BT1718, a Bicycle Toxin Conjugate (BTC) that targets MT1-MMP, is being investigated in an ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial in collaboration with the Centre for Drug Development of Cancer Research UK. Bicycle is also evaluating BT5528, a second-generation BTC targeting EphA2, in a company-sponsored Phase I/II trial. BT8009 is a BTC targeting Nectin-4, a well-validated tumor antigen, and is also currently being evaluated in a Company-sponsored Phase I/II trial. Bicycle is headquartered in Cambridge, UK with many key functions and members of its leadership team located in Lexington, MA. For more information, visit bicycletherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as aims, anticipates, believes, could, estimates, expects, forecasts, goal, intends, may, plans, possible, potential, seeks, will and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding anticipated advancement of preclinical development efforts and initiation of clinical trials; the availability of data from preclinical studies and clinical trials; Bicycles ability to generate shareholder value; the therapeutic potential of Bicycles and its collaborators pre-clinical targets and product candidates; Bicycles and its collaborators ability to achieve planned milestones; and the availability of future funding. Bicycle may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including: risks to Bicycles and its collaboration partners abilities to meet anticipated deadlines and milestones presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; uncertainties inherent in the initiation and completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials and clinical development of Bicycles product candidates by Bicycle or its collaboration partners; the risk that Bicycle or its collaboration partners may not realize the intended benefits of Bicycles technology; availability and timing of results from preclinical studies and clinical trials; whether the outcomes of preclinical studies will be predictive of clinical trial results; whether initial or interim results from a clinical trial will be predictive of the final results of the trial or the results of future trials; the risk that studies and trials may be delayed and may not have satisfactory outcomes; potential adverse effects arising from the testing or use of Bicycles product candidates; risks related to Bicycles ability to maintain existing collaborations and realize the benefits thereof; expectations for regulatory approvals to conduct trials or to market products; and other important factors, any of which could cause our actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, are described in greater detail in the section entitled Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 11, 2021, as well as in other filings Bicycle may make with the SEC in the future. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Bicycle expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

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Bicycle Therapeutics Announces Significant Progress Across Multiple Therapeutic Programs Beyond Oncology - Business Wire

WASHINGTON, March 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology plays a huge role in Americans' daily lives -- and important questions loom about how to best ensure that all Americans will benefit from high-tech advancements, and whether the tech industry operates fairly and responsibly.

Today, a veteran Democratic tech policy executive launched a new center-left tech policy industry coalition -- called the Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) -- to tackle these big questions, help usher in a progressive high-tech future, and ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps.

In its first action, the Chamber of Progress today called on Congress to pass historic voting rights legislation and encouraged state legislatures to reject pending bills that would curtail Americans' right to vote.

The new organization is founded and led by Adam Kovacevich, a veteran of Democratic politics and the tech industry. Kovacevich served as an aide to Democratic officials including Rep. Cal Dooley (CA), Sen. Joe Lieberman (CT), and State Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum (SC), and was among the founding staff members of the House New Democrat Coalition. He was Google's seventh DC hire, led Google's U.S. public policy team, and has held policy leadership roles at the urban mobility company Lime and at the Information Technology Industry Council.

"Technology has brought information to our fingertips, delivered affordable goods to our doorsteps, and kept us connected during a pandemic," Kovacevich said. "Our organization will be focused on making America's high-tech future bright, fair, and inclusive for all Americans."

The Chamber of Progress will advocate for public policies in three areas:

Kovacevich said the Chamber of Progress aims to play a role in defining the next era of technology regulation.

"The tech industry's political honeymoon is over, and everyone wants to make sure that tech operates fairly towards communities," said Kovacevich, who has been involved in tech policy for twenty years. "We'll support sensible rules that nurture the things that people love about technology, while curbing tech's downsides."

"New Democrats are excited to work with the Chamber of Progress in defining the next chapter of tech policy," said Rep. Ami Bera(CA-07), Vice Chair for Outreach of the House New Democrat Coalition. "As the largest caucus of pro-growth Members in Congress, our members support innovation and common-sense regulation."

The Chamber of Progress is supported by its initial partner companies including Amazon, Automattic, Facebook, Doordash, Getaround, Google, Grubhub,Instacart, Lime, Twitter, Uber, Waymo, Wing, and Zillow. No partner companies sit on the organization's board of directors or have a vote on its policies, and the organization will remain true to its stated principles even when its partners disagree.

Kovacevich also announced the organization's volunteer Advisory Board, a diverse cross-section of leaders from government, Democratic politics, public interest, and industry who will provide input on the organization's work. The full Advisory Board can be found at progresschamber.org.

New Jersey State Senator Troy Singleton (D), an Advisory Board member and national leader in promoting portable benefit programs for gig workers, said, "Our economy is changing, the nature of work is changing, and public policy needs to evolve to ensure that all people can benefit from technological advances. The Chamber of Progress can help make sure that America's growth story includes everyone."

Colorado State Senator Jeff Bridges (D), an Advisory Board member who has led autonomous vehicle policy in his state, said, "We need a high-tech future that creates good-paying jobs and greater opportunity for everyone. I'm excited for the Chamber of Progress to promote inclusive, tech-driven economic growth."

"Many of us are both progressive and pro-tech," said Advisory Board member Julie Samuels, Founder and Executive Director of Tech:NYC. "The Chamber of Progress will fill an important void in the policy debate, by focusing on the ways the tech industry can -- and already does -- support progressive social and economic ideals."

Contact: [emailprotected], 202-470-3046

SOURCE Chamber of Progress

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Introducing the Chamber of Progress: A New Industry Coalition Promoting Technology's Progressive Future - PRNewswire

The 16th survey by the research center of the National Federation of Independent Business since the COVID-19 pandemic overtook the country shows the outlook for small business is getting slightly better.

Of course, its all relative. The key data point for this conclusion: Fewer of them feel as if they are in danger of closing by the end of the year.

Thirteen percent of small business owners report that they will have to close their doors if current economic conditions do not improve over the next six months, down from 25% in December.

Thats progress. But it comes with many warning signs, NFIB New Jersey State Director Eileen Kean said.

While it is encouraging that more businesses are confident in their financial ability to keep their doors open, retail, gyms, restaurants and other business are still only open to 50% capacity, she said. Meanwhile, New Jersey has the highest rate of new COVID-19 cases in the United States and Gov. (Phil) Murphy is not lifting restrictions.

The Main Streets of New Jersey are still in very vulnerable shape.

In fact, only 11% of those survey feel business is back to pre-pandemic levels.

Key findings in the survey include:

This publication marks NFIBs 16th Small Business COVID-19 survey assessing the health crisis impact on small business operations, economic conditions and utilization of the targeted small business loan programs.

The first series was published in early March 2020, with subsequent publications every 2-4 weeks, found here. The full survey of the 16th edition is available here.

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This is pandemic progress: Survey shows slightly more small businesses now feel they will make it to end of year - ROI-NJ.com

At an event that took stock of the progress made, identified gaps and pinpointed the way forward for A4P, Jean-Pierre Lacroix acknowledged the bravery and dedication of the UN blue helmets serving in some of the most challenging places in the world and detailed various accomplishments, including electoral assistance in the Central African Republic (CAR) and reducing violence across South Sudan.

However, despite saving lives, protecting people and helping to build peace, he pointed out that significant challenges to peacekeeping remain, even as new ones confront us.

Mr. Lacroix introduced A4P plus, the next phase of the initiative to drive progress across the Declaration of Shared Commitments, by highlighting seven new highest priority areas, beginning with encouraging collective coherence:

UN peacekeeping missions must adhere internally to a common strategy anduse our unique convening power to bring together all partners to bring our collective resources to bear, he said.

The next two priorities call for enhanced integrated planning to achieve greater impact, and to ensure that peacekeeping missions have the right capabilities and mindsets.

Underscoring the fourth priority of delivering accountability for peacekeepers, the UN official highlighted the need for greater troop protection, by citing recent attacks against blue helmets in CAR and Mali.

Holding perpetrators of crimes against peacekeepers accountable must be a key priority for all of us, he said.

Attention must also be paid to behaviour in terms of improving accountability for conduct and discipline while also recognizing good performance, he said.

We will further enhance accountability with a focus on prevention, enforcement and remedial action. We must strengthen our response to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, he said.

The peacekeeping chief underlined that strategic communications must be a shared responsibility within missions and leadership.

Holding perpetrators of crimes against peacekeepers accountable must be a key priority -- UN peacekeeping chief

We will need to better integrate data and insights generated from strategic communications into our planning cycles, and our reputational risk management efforts, he elaborated.

And as his final point, the peacekeeping chief upheld that constructive engagement and cooperation with host countries will remain at the core of our efforts to increase peacekeepers safety and security, bolster performance and support successful transitions.

Moreover, the Secretary-Generals call to action for accelerated implementation of the women, peace and security agenda in peacekeeping to help de-escalate disputes, prevent conflicts and promote sustainable and inclusive peace, will also be integrated into these priorities, said Mr. Lacroix.

And to boost situational awareness, including towards early warning and prevention efforts, we will also move towards data-driven and technology-enabled peacekeeping, he added.

Progress on these priorities requires strengthened partnership and cooperation with Member States and other peacekeeping partners, he said, stressing that only collective dedication to strengthen peacekeeping will make UN missions stronger, safer, and relevant.

The millions who we serve and who depend on us expect no less, concluded the UN peacekeeping chief.

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Action for Peacekeeping: Progress made, but the work's 'far from done' - UN News

Pontotocs newest guide for visitors in our community has hit the streets and is ready for you to pick up at the Pontotoc Progress.

Dr. Miriam Clark at Downtown Antiques received the first box of the new shipment. She has been instrumental in seeing that almost every visitor that comes to her shop gets a copy of the guide and she is grateful she can put something so convenient in their hands.

People here in Pontotoc are very welcoming, Dr. Clark said. We have a wonderful friendly side and this guide pulls us together and puts our best foot forward. People love this little booklet. It maps out their day. They often visit our town as a family and they all have diverse interests. The book gives them all something different they can do, she said as she perused the 2021 edition.

They like to read about the history of our town. And they come in here and want to know where they can eat and where are the other places they can shop. This gives them all they need in one book, and it is easy to carry around or slip in your purse.

The visitors guide is a welcome to those who want to know what they can do and where they can eat in Pontotoc.

As the new chamber director Beth Waldo wrote in her introduction, The goodness of our people and the beauty throughout our county is something to brag about!

The guide has special welcomes from the various community leaders. It lists places to visit, places to stay, shop, eat and where to go for help.

Merchants all across the community have advertisements to let you know where to find them and what they have to offer. There are many places you can turn for help, whether you need car care or decide to stay and need a relator to find you a home.

So come on by and get your newest edition of Pontotoc visitors guide. Get an extra one and give it to someone who lives far away who needs to see what they are missing.

Go here to see the original:

Visitor's guides here, pick up your copy at the Progress - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal