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Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) is officially beginning his search for a running mate as his campaign is announcing the four co-chairs assigned to his selection committee.
The four co-chairs include former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D), and former White House and Senate counsel to Vice President Biden, Cynthia Hogan.
Biden’s campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, released a statement.
“Selecting a vice presidential candidate is one of the most important decisions in a presidential campaign and no one knows this more than Joe Biden,” she wrote.
Dillon added, “These four co-chairs reflect the strength and diversity of our party, and will provide tremendous insight and expertise to what will be a rigorous selection and vetting process. We are grateful for their service to the campaign and for their leadership.”
Biden has vowed he will select a woman as his running mate.
According to a press release, the co-chairs “will conduct conversations across the party as well as work with a network of vetting teams.”
The vetting teams will be led by former White House Counsel Bob Bauer, campaign General Counsel Dana Remus, and former Homeland Security Adviser Lisa Monaco.
A few women have volunteered themselves to be Biden’s running mate including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D).
Former First Lady Michelle Obama came to mind as Biden previously said he would “take her in a heartbeat,” as IJR previously reported. However, former Obama White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett has said there is “no chance” that is happening.
Biden continues to rack up notable endorsements.
“I want to add my voice to the many who have endorsed you to be our president,” Clinton said.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.


All four of my Cooper rifles are capable of better accuracy than I can hold. All shoot 1/4" or less with good handloads. Mine are 221FB, 20VT, 223 and 204R. My Phoenix "Furball" after a good morning on walkabout for rock chucks: My Cooper VR in 20VT....another good morning: I've never met a Cooper I didn't like. They just shoot, chucks fear them!


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I feel as though it was in the forefront Haiku Funeral’s mind when creating Hallucinations to fuck you up mentally as much as possible. Haiku Funeral isn’t really best described as anything since you can’t really pigeonhole them into any single genre. They utilize black metal, industrial music, dark ambient music and electronic music to name a few to create a sound that screws with you at every single turn. Hallucinations is a twisting and contorting mass of metal that never fails to surprise you down every corridor it leads you. The music is shocking and startling as it writhes and twists around your neck.
Haiku Funeral paints soundscapes that are dark and utterly sinister and for the most part nightmare inducing. These heathens sew every genre that they are working with together in such a way that it creates a sound that is purely blackened and potently evil. Each song wraps your mind up in a blanket of dismal fog only to force feed it nightmares and terrors from the Netherworld. There is no ounce of light within this release, and as soon as you press play the lights begin to dim and flicker as the lights begin to fade from your eyes as well.
As purely evil as this release is, it is equal parts intriguing as well. You never get to hear the same sounds twice as the sounds in each song are forever changing and shifting. In the blink of an eye Haiku Funeral will drop the soul damning black metal act to provide you with harsh industrial tones coupled with atmospheric electronic music to create a soundscape that is something straight from hell. The majority of the songs bounce around from one genre to the next and all the way back again as well as there are songs that are strictly there to provide you with eerie and hair raising ambiance.
Hallucinations is psychotic and more often than not an utterly abrasive listen as well, but when it comes down to it is memorable. You don’t soon forget this album and the writhing songs that are in it. As each song passes you get sucked into the madness that Haiku Funeral has to offer and as you get deeper and deeper into the release you get lost in all of its pitch black and poisonous sounds and life threatening soundscapes. Hallucinations does its best to give you hallucinations and these hallucinations are not the ones you would welcome with open arms.
Haiku Funeral has a unique style of play that is free flowing almost as each song does flow from one genre to the next and back again carefree. The album itself flows well as the entire album feels like one continuous nightmare that you become trapped in. If you are in the mood for music that will make the hairs on your neck stand up, and if you are in the mood for music that will make your blood curdle, then Haiku Funeral and Hallucinations is for you. This release will take a few listens for it to soak in and it will take a few listens to grasp everything that is happening within it, but it is a great, unique and horrifying listen.

domain: artistic


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The University of Illinois made a costly decision to take the controversy involving would-be Professor Steven Salaita off the table.
Steven Salaita hit the jackpot Wednesday, when the University of Illinois agreed to pay him $600,000 and his lawyers an additional $275,000 to go away.
That's roughly seven times what his annual salary would have been if Salaita had become a member of the UI's American Indian Studies faculty. Plus, he gets to claim the exalted status of a victim who spoke truth to power and made a substantial profit in the process.
No wonder his lawyers took a victory lap after the deal was closed. One claimed his client "scored a major victory for those who care about free speech and academic freedom," asserting that the Salaita example will force university administrators "to think twice before they choose the interests of wealthy donors and alumni over upholding their constitutional obligations."
That's not, of course, what happened. But the power of myth is such that it's how this sorry chapter in UI history will be portrayed in some quarters.
The settlement is a classic example of both sides opting for an acceptable deal now to avert a potential disaster later.
Many readers know the history of this dispute. But it never hurts to revisit the facts.
Salaita was offered and accepted a tenured faculty post and was scheduled to start teaching in fall 2014. He was informed at the time that the offer was contingent upon final approval by UI trustees.
Fate, however, intervened. In the summer of 2014, before he was scheduled to start teaching, Salaita sent a series of profane and belligerent tweets criticizing Israel and anyone who supports it for military attacks on Hamas and its underground tunnels in Gaza.
Salaita's tweets, though protected by free speech provisions of the U.S. Constitution, are below the expected standards of public discourse for UI faculty members. Disturbed by Salaita's display, then-Chancellor Phyllis Wise, then-President Robert Easter and UI trustees conferred and decided they'd rather not have Salaita on campus. They withdrew his job offer, trustees later voting officially to reject Salaita's contract.
Salaita then sued, charging violations of his rights to free speech and academic freedom. The dispute essentially revolved around the vagaries of contract law.
If Salaita did not have a valid contract, the UI had no obligation to put up with a person of his demonstrated lack of judgment and character. If he did have a valid contract, the UI was legally obliged to honor it.
The lawsuit didn't get very far along the legal track. But Salaita achieved a victory a couple months ago when U.S. Judge Harry Leinenweber denied the UI's motion to dismiss the case
That set the stage for lengthy and costly legal proceedings, pushing both sides to start negotiating the settlement that culminated with Thursday's vote by trustees.
Based on a strictly dollars-and-cents equation, the UI made the right move. The institution already has spent more than $1 million in inflated legal fees for its lawyers in the Salaita case.
That number would have skyrocketed had the case continued for another year or two.
If, ultimately, the UI had lost, the financial consequences would have been even more outrageous.
As for Salaita, he also made a pragmatic decision. He once vowed to accept nothing less than the faculty post denied him. But, no matter what he said, Salaita had no real emotional stake in or allegiance to the UI. It was far easier and quicker for him to take the money rather than take the risk of losing.
Besides, Salaita is now a martyr, and a rich one at that. Politicized academic departments in universities across the country will be bidding for the services of a polemicist of his pedigree.
The Salaita controversy was the result of a highly unusual set of circumstances not likely to be repeated. That's a good thing.

domain: law


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golden retriever puppy that pees in her sleep
I have just bought a lovely puppy, i have had her just 2 days.
I took her for her 1st vaccination and mentioned to my vet that i noticed she pees in her sleep, he thought it might be that she's nervous, any ideas?
Your veterinarian is in a better position than I am in terms of figuring out what's wrong with your puppy because there are several possibilities.
Nervousness or anxiety could conceivably cause this, but it would be unlikely. A urinary tract infection is more likely as these are fairly common in puppies, particularly in female puppies... and cause a strong urge for frequent urination. Loss of bladder control can happen with a UTI. You vet can diagnose this with a urine sample and antibiotics are needed if she does have an infection.
Other possibilities include immature nerve/muscle control, a hormone imbalance and more. But only your vet can make an accurate diagnosis as he/she can run any necessary tests and actually conduct a 'hands-on' exam.
It's not normal for a puppy to pee while sleeping, so I'd definitely recommend following up with your vet if this behavior continues.
Sorry I couldn't help more but I wish you the best of luck and hope that she's doing much better soon.
Click here to post comments.
Return to Puppy Questions.

domain: medical


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Islamabad: In Multan, you can smell them long before you see them.
The historic city in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, known for its shrines, saints and bazaars, is also home to hundreds of mango farms that spread over a vast area equal to 56,000 football fields.
The finest mangoes grow in a cluster that covers 350 km from industrial Rahim Yar Khan, south of Multan, to Khanewal, along with the belts of the Chenab River.
From there, as the aroma of the flavourful yellow fruit lingers in the hot air, the famed mangoes, called ‘aam’ in Pakistan, make their way to supermarkets around the world.
But despite producing some of the finest mangoes in the world, Pakistan’s mango export makes up only 5.8 percent of its total mango production. Over 250 varieties, each with its own distinct taste, are grown in Pakistan but just twelve are exported.
This is about to change.
Waheed Ahmed, patron-in-chief of the All-Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA), said Pakistan was eyeing a 22 percent increase in mango exports compared to last year with the help of promotional events like the mango festival held in the UAE earlier this month that attracted a large number of international buyers.
“This year, we expect to earn $80 million by exporting 100,000 tons (of mangoes), half of which have already been exported,” Ahmed told Arab News
From the end of May through September, Pakistan’s hottest months, the country produces roughly 1.7 million tons of mangoes every year and is the world’s sixth-largest exporter of the fruit. The mangoes make their way to over 50 countries, with the bulk shipped to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“Chaunsa (mango type) is a favorite in the Middle East because of its special flavour and aroma,” Adeeb Ahmed Rao, head of the Multan-based Rajput Orchard, which exports 20 tons of mangoes weekly to the Gulf region, told Arab News.
“We send about 6 tons a week (each) to Jeddah, Dammam, and Madinah where our mangoes are awaited all year. People even say Pakistani mangoes taste better than India’s,” he said, with a hint of pride.
In Saudi Arabia, the per kg cost of mangoes is roughly Rs. 500, or $3.
Though 70 percent of all Pakistani mangoes come from Punjab, there are a significant number of farms in southern Sindh province as well, contributing to 25 percent of total production.
Humayun Durrani, a certified mango exporter from Sindh, owns 60 acres of mango farms in Badin district. Every week from May to July, his 25-year-old company, Durrani Farms, ships between 3,500 to 4,000 kg of Sindhri, Chaunsa and Dusehri mango varieties to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
This year, however, Durrani is unhappy with the exports.
“April’s hailstorms and sudden extreme heat in May affected the quality of mangoes,” he told Arab News and added that his company was now considering new measures to cope with the effects of climate change.
“Changing weather patterns have affected nearly 30 percent of mango produce this year,” said Waheed Ahmed of PFVA, who emphasized the use of technology and “smart practices,” to outsmart the weather.
Experts said post-harvest problems, poor shelf life, transportation, logistics, packaging and quarantine issues are key factors contributing to Pakistan’s low export volume, but the tide is changing with a greater emphasis on mango research and development.
In Multan, the Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Technology has planted a model mango farm to test an initiative that aims to increase mango production and quality through better canopy management of its high-density orchard systems.
Similarly, the Mango Research Institute in Multan has introduced integrated crop management for mango growers which includes research on drip irrigation, nutrition, canopy management, and integrated pest management.
But the key to expanding exports, Ahmed said, was a focus on innovation in production technologies to improve efficiency and shelf life.
“Our research should examine ways to introduce a high-yielding mango variety with a longer shelf life to reach high-end international markets,” he said.
Adeeb Ahmed Rao, the mango farm owner in Multan, says direct flights, more cargo services, better management, and more cold storage facilities at airports could also go a long way in helping farms and companies like his export mangoes to more distant destinations.
Currently, more than 70 percent of Pakistan’s exported mangoes are transported by sea, which remains the cheapest option, while airfreight charges are almost ten times the cost. The mangoes are exported almost entirely in raw form, with only about three percent of the produce processed into value-added products such as pulp for drinks, ice-cream, and dried mangoes.
“Selling just raw mangoes does not make sense for a top mango producing country,” Humayun Durrani said. “If Pakistan really wants to overcome its trade imbalance, then it must diversify its products. We can export canned mangoes, juices, jams, jellies, frozen yogurts and even traditional products like pickles and chutneys.”
For now, with advertisements telling buyers to “Keep calm and eat aam,” mangoes in Pakistan may not be sweetening enough of the country’s balance of payments, but in this mango-obsessed country, they are something cheerful and sweet to look forward to as the sweltering summer months drum on.

domain: news


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Chicken Broccoli CasseroleFrom MonicaNY30 4 years ago
- 3 C broccoli florets shopping list
- 2 C Cubed cooked chicken shopping list
- 1 Can condensed cream of chicken soup Undiluted shopping list
- 1/2 C mayonnaise shopping list
- 1/2 C Grated parmesan cheese shopping list
- 1/2 tsp curry powder shopping list
- 1 C Cubed Fresh bread shopping list
- 2 Tbsp butter, Melted shopping list
How to make it
- In a saucepan covered, cook broccoli in water until crisp-tender;drain place in a greased 11-in baking dish. Set aside.
- Combine chicken,soul,mayo,parmesan cheese,curry powder, spoon over the broccoli top with bread cubes and butter. Bake uncoveed at 350 f for 25-30 mins until heated through.
The CookMonicaNY30 Penuelas, Newyork
- Not added to any groups yet!

domain: food


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Musicians Halsey, 24, and G-Eazy, 29, have apparently called it quits again, E! News reported.
The on-again, off-again couple, who rekindled their romance earlier this summer, have broken up, an insider has revealed.
The source informed E! News that the pair “were doing well until a couple of days ago when G-Eazy performed at the Karma International party in Los Angeles on Saturday and was flirting with several girls in public.”
“G-Eazy was telling everyone that he was single and that he and Halsey are always ‘on-and-off” but they are currently split,” the source said.
While the rapper was performing in L.A., Halsey was in Tokyo, Japan, promoting her new music.
The couple has seemingly confirmed the breakup, as they have stopped following each other on Instagram.
The singers sparked romance rumors in August last year after Halsey joined G-Eazy on stage during his Bud Light Dive Bar Tour stop in New Orleans, Billboard reported. They premiered their song “Him & I” at the show. Halsey appeared to confirm the relationship the next day after posting a now-deleted photo to her social media of the couple with the caption “Thank u baby.”
After a year together, the couple called it quits for the first time this past summer in July.
“I normally keep this kind of thing private but provided our public nature I feel I need to inform my fans. G-Eazy and I are taking some time apart,” Halsey wrote on her Instagram story to her 9.5 million followers.
Insiders told E! News at the time the couple split due to distance and the separate traveling their careers required. Their most recent breakup cited the same problem.
“They have been having issues with the distance again,” the source revealed on the couple’s most recent split.
After spending time apart, the musicians rekindled their romance around the time of the 2018 MTV VMAs in August, where they were seen holding hands after a party. The couple proceeded to post photos together, confirming they had gotten back together.
In October, the couple jetted off on a romantic trip to Italy, where they celebrated Halsey’s 24th birthday.
View this post on Instagram
Happy birthday to this one. I love you so so so much and I always will. I myself, along with millions and millions of other people appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. You’re the brightest star in the sky. So grateful to get to travel thru life with you, so happy to call you my queen. Happy birthday baby ????
Just this weekend, G-Eazy gushed over Halsey’s talent in an interview with E! News.
“She’s an incredible artist,” he boasted. “She’s really inspiring to watch work.”
“I’ve been blessed and fortunate enough to get in the studio with a lot of artist I admire,” he said. “But she’s one of those that when you hear her voice come through live from the booth, it hits you right away. It’s pure.”

domain: celebrity


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Maintaining an emergency fund is one of the critical pillars of a healthy financial life. If you are trying to get yourfinancial life in order, all financial experts will tell you the same thing: Build an emergency fund that will see you through the most challenging times of your life. An emergency fund is simply the money that you put aside forunexpected events in your life such as an unexpected hospital bill or a car repair.
However, the big question that will come up when it comes to building an emergency fund is; how big should your emergency fund be? The golden rule of emergency funds has always been to set aside three to six months’ worth of your expenses as your emergency fund. However, is this sufficient for everyone? Are there some cases when your emergency fund should be below or beyond the three to six months expenses? Read on to find out.
Calculate How Much Money You Need
You need to understand the fact that the principle of the three to six months usually refers to your expenses and not your income. Where you fall on that scale will also depend on a wide range of other factors. Is your source of income closely tied to the economy? Are you a single-income household? Do you have a single source of income or are there more than two earners in your house? You must consider all these factors while deciding how much you need to set aside as your emergency fund.
The next thing you need to do is to evaluate your needs critically. Make sure that you have a comprehensive budget in place before you start this process. Determine all your basic expenses such as healthcare costs, food, water, rent, debt payments, and insurance and add how much these expenses cost you every month. Multiply the figure with the exact number of months that you wish to cover to know how large your emergency fund should be.
It’s Good to Have a Bigger Emergency Fund
Keep in mind that it is okay to build a bigger emergency fund other than save what will cater for your needs for alimited period. Look at it from this perspective; if your emergency fund can only sustain you for four months andyou lose your job and you can’t find another one for ten months, what happens? You can no longer access your cash advance, and you have already exhausted your savings.
This is just one scenario, but you need to keep in mind that there are so many potential scenarios that could drain youremergency fund any time. Therefore, it is good to set aside at least eight to twelve months’ worth of your expenses as your emergency fund. By doing so, you can always be sure that you are going to be safe no matter what might happen.
Self Employed/ Freelancers
If you are self-employed or a full-time freelancer, the chances are that your income is highly unpredictable. You couldhave lots of jobs in one month and stay almost jobless the following month and let us not even forget the fact that some of your clients could be pokey when it comes to cutting checks for you. In such a case, you may need an emergency fund that can last you for at least nine months which will offer you a bit of peace of mind when things go wrong. In a nutshell, the more unpredictable your income is, the more you need a bigger emergency fund.

domain: economics


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Well, here's one for Richie and Mary Beth...
If there's one song that could represent Mariya Takeuchi's （竹内まりや）song stylings in the early years of her career before she took her hiatus in the early 80s, I think "Namida no One-Sided Love" (Tearful One-Sided Love) is the one. The idea of kataomoi （片思い）or love from afar has been an easy plot or subplot device for a ton of Japanese dramas or comedies or anime for years and years. There are tons of Charlie Browns over there pining for naught (or not) over their little red-haired girls.
Takeuchi wrote and composed this tune from her 2nd album, "University Street" (May 1979) as this love letter to that unknown young man who was kind enough to offer an umbrella to her at the bus stop one rainy Saturday in October (perhaps sometime in the 1950s). Mariya was probably dreaming through pink cotton-candy clouds in her bobby-soxer outfit as she was writing that letter while lying on that bed. I'm sure there were a lot of loopy "l"s and hearts replacing the dots over the "i"s.
During that transition from the 70s into the 80s, while Japanese pop culture was starting to embrace the early raucous days of American rock n' roll of Danny Zuko, Takeuchi was often trying to represent her inner Sandy through her ballads. Yep, I did watch "Grease" a fair bit. Underneath is a karaoke version of the song.

domain: entertainment


Epson SureColor F2000
The Epson SureColor F2000 is a direct-to-garment (DTG) printer designed to produce top-quality, full-color designs on cotton tee shirts, hoodies, and other garments. Here’s a short review of its features and abilities.
Epson SureColor F2000 Review
Printing Quality: The F2000 uses Epson’s PrecisionCore print head and UltraChrome DG ink to produce sharp, vibrant prints with accurate color recreation. The print resolution depends on 1440 x 1440 dpi, ensuring adequate information is accurately caught.
Printing Speed: The F2000 has an optimum print speed of up to 25 secs for a full-color 10 x 8-inch picture. This makes it among the fastest DTG printers in its course.
Ease of Use: The F2000 has a user-friendly user interface that makes it easy to run and can be connected to a computer system via USB or Ethernet. It also consists of a garment platen system that enables fast and easy packing and unloading of garments.
Upkeep: The F2000 is designed with reduced upkeep in mind. It consists of an automatic cleaning system, which maintains the print head in ideal problem and decreases the need for manual cleaning.
Versatility: The F2000 can print on a wide variety of cotton-based garments, including tee shirts, sweatshirts, and carry bags. It can also print on light and dark-colored garments using a white ink cartridge.
Overall, the Epson SureColor F2000 is a top-quality DTG printer that creates excellent outcomes with fast print rates and reduced upkeep requirements. Its versatility and ease of use make it an excellent choice for small to medium-sized garment printing companies.
Other Printer: Epson SureColor F570
Epson SureColor F2000 Design
The Epson SureColor F2000 is designed with both form and function in mind. It has a smooth and modern design fits well in any printing environment. Here are some of the design features of the F2000:
Dimension and Weight: The F2000 is a reasonably large printer, measuring 54 inches wide by 30 inches deep by 48 inches high. It evaluates approximately 216 extra pounds, which is pretty hefty for a DTG printer. However, its dimension and weight are necessary to accommodate the prominent print location and stable features.
Color LCD Screen: The F2000 consists of a 2.5-inch color LCD screen that displays information about the printer’s condition and setups. This screen makes it easy to monitor the printing process and change setups as needed.
Ink Cartridge System: The F2000 features a unique ink cartridge system that uses separate cartridges for each color, consisting of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. It also consists of a white ink cartridge for printing on dark-colored garments. The ink cartridges are easy to install and change, and production upkeep is a wind.
Garment Platen System: The F2000 comprises a garment platen system that makes it easy to load and discharge garments for printing. It comes with several platens of various dimensions, making it easy to print on various garment dimensions and kinds.
Overall, the Epson SureColor F2000 is appropriately designed and has features that make it easy to use and maintain. Its dimension and weight may be a disadvantage for some users, but its durable features and prominent print location make it a leading choice for DTG printing.
Epson SureColor F2000 Color
The Epson SureColor F2000 uses Epson UltraChrome DG ink, mainly designed for direct-to-garment printing on cotton-based fabrics. The ink set consists of 4 shades – cyan, magenta, yellow, and black – and a white ink cartridge for printing dark-colored garments. Here are some bottom lines about the color abilities of the F2000:
Color Range: The F2000 creates a broad color range, which means it can accurately recreate an extensive range of shades. This schedules partially to its use UltraChrome DG ink, which has a high pigment load and creates deep, filled shades.
Color Precision: The F2000 uses Epson’s PrecisionCore print head technology, which ensures that each drop of ink is precisely put on the garment. This outcome in accurate color recreation and sharp, crisp information.
White Ink: The F2000’s white ink cartridge produces a base layer on dark-colored garments before printing the color picture on top. This allows the shades to appear vibrant and authentic to their initial hue. The white ink is specially developed to prevent blocking and maintain consistent flow, ensuring quality outcomes every time.
Color Management: The F2000 consists of Epson’s Garment Developer software, which allows users to change shades and control the print process. It also supports color management accounts, which can ensure accurate color recreation throughout various devices.
Overall, the Epson SureColor F2000 creates top-quality, vibrant shades that accurately recreate the initial design. Its use UltraChrome DG ink and PrecisionCore print head technology, together with its white ink cartridge, make it a leading choice for direct-to-garment printing on both light and dark-colored garments.
Epson SureColor F2000 Detail at Epson Website


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Rochester expert Timothy E. Quill, M.D. is co-editor of a new book exploring the ethics of palliative care, the medical specialty that focuses on pain and symptom management, patient and family support, and help with decision making.
“Palliative Care and Ethics” (Oxford University Press, March 2014) addresses important and sometimes controversial issues faced by patients with serious illness and their families, These issues include advance care planning, when to ask for palliative care, how to treat depression, when to use sedation, and how to respond to requests for physician assisted death.
Sometimes confused with hospice care, patients referred for palliative care are not restricted by hospice's requirement of a prognosis of six or fewer months, nor is their care limited to pain and symptom management. In fact, it can accompany any and all aggressive medical treatments. While palliative care has potential to reach a larger population, as a relatively new specialty—only 25 years in existence—its boundaries are not yet well defined and it does not yet include a comprehensive system of care as is provided by hospice.
[It is a] very diverse ethical exploration of this relatively young field that can deepen, stretch, and at times confront any simple notion of the challenges facing patients, their families, professional caregivers, and policy makers.
Through a series of case stories, “Palliative Care and Ethics” explores the challenges of providing care based on real-life examples. The publisher’s notes describe it as a “very diverse ethical exploration of this relatively young field that can deepen, stretch, and at times confront any simple notion of the challenges facing patients, their families, professional caregivers, and policy makers.”
Though geared primarily to health care professionals and medical ethicists, the book provides valuable insight to patients with serious illness, family members, and others interested in the ethical challenges that accompany the practice of palliative care and hospice.
“Palliative care should be part of the treatment plan for all patients with serious illness, but many questions remain as to whether everyone needs specialist palliative care, and what are the boundaries of the practice,” Quill said. “We have some of the most renowned palliative experts in the world addressing these questions from a wide range of perspectives.”
Contributors to the book include University of Rochester faculty members Ronald M. Epstein, M.D., professor of Family Medicine; Robert Gramling, M.D., D.Sc., associate professor of Family Medicine; and Sally A. Norton, Ph.D., R.N., associate professor in the School of Nursing.
The book is co-edited by Franklin G. Miller , senior faculty member in the Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health and special expert, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program.
Quill is the Georgia and Thomas Gosnell Distinguished Professor in Palliative Care, a professor of Medicine, Psychiatry, Medical Humanities, and Nursing at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and director of the Palliative Care Division. He is a board member and immediate past president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
In addition to his practice of palliative care, Quill has authored or edited seven books, including the “Primer of Palliative Care,” in its sixth edition, also due out this month. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed articles in major medical journals and is a regular lecturer and commentator on medical decision making, physician-patient relationships, palliative care, and end-of-life issues.


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M.I.A.– British singer, producer, designer
M.I.A.’s real name is Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam. She was born in the UK on 18 July 1975. Her father participated in the movement to create Tamil Eelam. Maya’s appearance, which conquered the hearts of many fans all over the world, comes from her Indian origins. The singer was born in London but spent her childhood in Sri Lanka. Even though her father didn’t live with the family and never tried to take part in the children’s upbringing, Maya shares his views, has an active public position, and often voices her opinion about politics.
While living on Sri Lanka, Maya attended catholic schools and studied art. At that time, the political situation in India was worsening and the singer’s family decided to move back to London. M.I.A. returned to her homeland in 1986. Her mother found a job as a seamstress and helped Maya finish school. The young woman graduated from Ricards Lodge High School and went on to get a bachelor degree in Arts and Design. In college, Maya showed a serious interest in hip-hop, which she enjoyed since childhood. In the late 1980’s when she just came back from India, the young woman met different hip-hop artists and was inspired by their work.


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Dividends & Income
To screen ETFs by asset class, performance, yield and more, check out the
Glad I got stopped out of
at ~$49 and swapped into
. But very disappointed at myself for setting a stop on
after earnings hit.
Volatility is so high for MLPs. Stops are deadly. Some anouncement, everyone sells reflexively. Investor sold out. stock soars
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Many parts of the country had a clear night for the supermoon that shone on November 14. Plein air painters responded. Hey, it’s another excuse to get together and paint nocturnes. Here are some reports from a few artists.
A supermoon occurs when the moon appears full to us at the same time that its elliptical orbit brings it close to the earth. The November 14 supermoon is the closest the moon will look to us until October 25, 2034.
It truly is closer, and thus looks slightly larger. But mostly, it’s a good opportunity to paint the moon. Wendie Thompson painted it from her vantage point in Wisconsin, and encouraged others through social media to do so as well. “It was such amazing fun to know that artists all over the world were engaged in capturing the same thing I was,” she says. “What a serendipitous moment!”
Spencer Meagher knew the supermoon was coming, and he was glad to be able to catch it — kind of. “I had been waiting for two weeks to paint the 70-year super moon,” he says. “Over the weekend, as I drove home from a workshop in St. Louis around 4 pm, I watched it rise in the east as the sun was setting in the west. The sunset’s beautiful colors enhanced the magnificence of the moon. The evening of the supermoon, after watercolor class, I hurriedly found a suitable country location to paint. I was in position by 3:45 and began sketching in my scene and laying in colors. You can imagine my surprise when first 4 p.m. came and went and then 4:30, and NO MOON! By 5 o’clock it was getting dark-ish and still NO MOON! Without a moon to paint, I improvised and put it in from my memory of last night’s drive home. I finally asked Siri what time the moonrise was and it wasn’t until almost 5:30. I guess that will teach me to do my homework in the future.”
In Virginia, Kyle Buckland found that the supermoon was casting an unusual shade across the land. “I love the enchanted mystery found in a moonlit scene, and this was no exception,” says Buckland. “The supermoon was so bright that it made the woods seem very dark by contrast, and I tried to exaggerate this contrast to create even more vibrancy in the sky and moon. The more I stared at the sky, the more I realized it wasn’t blue or purple, but instead an intense green that cast its hue across the landscape.
And in Arkansas, Jason Sacran sort of lucked into having a chance to paint the supermoon. “My mom called me telling me to make sure the girls (I have four daughters) see how big the moon was that night,” says Sacran. “They just so happened to be out of town, at a Wild Kratts Live event, so I had the night to do whatever I wanted. And I remembered it was the supermoon, and the rarity of it, so I decided to paint it. It was a beautiful night too, so I had a great time.”


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Partnerships - This
program provides deferred-payment loans to nonprofit and for-profit
developers creating additional very low income rental housing through
new construction or building conversion and rehabilitation. In most
cases, if the property complies with HOME rent and income restrictions
for an agreed-upon period ranging from 5 to 20 years, the loan and interest
are forgiven. However, depending on the nature of the project, repayment
may be required.


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The seventh Neuronet Scientific Coordination Board (SCB) virtual meeting was held on 21st October with participation from AETIONOMY, AMYPAD, EPND, MOBILISE-D, PD-MIND, PHAGO, RADAR-AD and ROADMAP representatives, along with members of the Neuronet consortium.
Our CEO Carlos Díaz, as project Coordinator, kicked off the meeting by providing some general updates on Neuronet activities. These activities include new updates of the Knowledge Base & Asset Map, collaborations between EPAD and PHAGO as well as IDEA-FAST and PHAGO. Raj Long introduced the European Platform for Neurodegenerative Diseases (EPND) consortium which is scheduled to launch in November 2021.
Future activities were presented by the project leader Lennert Steukers, including an introduction to results from a survey that Neuronet developed to better understand the impact of IMI projects on industry partners. The results were generally very positive and two adapted versions will be launched to better understand the impact on academic and SME partners, too. Another topic of discussion was a Neuronet supported workshop on key considerations for using digital endpoints in Health Technology Assessment, which will take place at Virtual ISPOR Europe 2021. Finally, the group discussed a landscape and gap analysis workshop for researchers that will be organized by Synapse and held in early November.
Elisabetta Vaudano, Principal Scientific Manager for IMI, spoke about the current state-of-play with regard to the upcoming Innovative Health Initiative, which will build on the successes of, and lessons learned from, IMI.
Lewis Killin, Project Manager at Synapse, gave an update on the Neuro COHORT, which intends to build a European parent cohort that continuously follows up patients across Europe, to serve as basis to facilitate specific research projects and studies.
For more information, please visit : https://www.imi-neuronet.org/


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· SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/10jPD6uzufMzmY48DTrzvD · —
· LISTEN HERE: http://hyperurl.co/y9kxo3 ·
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A 51-year-old man has to pay the piper for not laying the pipe(r) lol!
The french man was fined $12,000 under article 215 of France’s civil code, which says married couples must agree to a “shared communal life”.
A judge says the law implies that “sexual relations must form part of a marriage”.
The 47-year-old ex-wife then took him back to court demanding compensation for “lack of sex over 21 years of marriage”.
The ex-husband claimed “tiredness and health problems” had prevented him from being more attentive between the sheets.
But a judge in the south of France’s highest court in Aix-en-Provence ruled: “A sexual relationship between husband and wife is the expression of affection they have for each other, and in this case it was absent.

domain: sociology


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The last time Savannah Christian played Calvary Day, the Cavaliers dominated SCPS on its home court in a lopsided victory.
Friday night the Raiders got a chance to return the favor and delivered their best game of the year — ending host Calvary Day’s six-game winning streak with a 65-51 victory in a Region 3-A (East) game.
Two weeks ago, Calvary Day beat the Raiders by 24 behind a strong fourth quarter.
Friday night, SCPS came out playing inspired ball and never let down — cruising to an easy win.
Senior Johnathon Chamblee was a huge factor. The senior, who was the starting quarterback on the Raiders’ state championship football team, hit four 3-pointers and scored a career-high 22 points.
Senior guard Hayden Taylor also played well, scoring 10 points and fighting for every loose ball. Ben Smith scored nine, while Jalen Myrick and A.J. Sanders had eight points each for the Raiders.
“I think it’s been about three years since we beat Calvary Day,” SCPS coach Steve Edenfield said. “They blew us out, outscoring us like 20-4 in the fourth quarter in that last game. But Johnathon got hot and everything started clicking. He’s such a great athlete. And Hayden is just a gym rat. I’ve been telling the guys we could be dangerous if we get everyone going. This was our best game offensively.”
Chamblee drained three of his 3-pointers in the first half, as the Raiders led 16-10 after the first quarter and 28-19 at the half.
“I’ve been working a lot on my outside shooting, and it finally came together tonight,” said Chamblee, who broke into the starting lineup in the last month. “They beat us on our home court, so to beat them on their court tonight was extremely big for us.”
Calvary Day played without its leading rebounder, Milan Richard, who missed the game with flu-like symptoms. But coach Jason Shell wasn’t making excuses.
“We really got beat on the boards tonight; we just didn’t do a good job blocking out. They took advantage getting a lot of rebounds and that made a huge difference,” Shell said. “They kept the ball alive and knocked down some shots. Once they got the momentum, they never let up.”
Rico Bonds led Calvary with 11 points and D’Juan Gaston had nine points and 11 rebounds.
“This game was huge for us,” Taylor said. “I’ve never been on a team that beat Calvary Day period. So this was icing on the cake to finally get that win on their court. It’s such a great rivalry.”
SAVANNAH CHRISTIAN (65)
Evans 4, Proveaux 2, A.J. Sanders 8, Hawkins 2, Johnathon Chamblee 22, Smith 9, Hayden Taylor 10, Myrick 8.
CALVARY DAY SCHOOL (51)
Walker 4, Rico Bonds 11, Dominy 5, Clemens 5, Gaston 9, Riley 3, Evans 8, Harrison 6.
Halftime — SCPS 28-19. Records — SCPS 6-13, 4-5 in region; CD—9-13, 6-3.


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Ronald McDonald House Donations in the Capital Region
A special escort for a generous donation made its way to a local charity on October 11.
Firefighters from the town of Florida Volunteer Fire Department in Massachusetts spent the last few months raising money for the Ronald McDonald house here in Albany.
Yesterday, they had a special police and fire escort go to the house where they presented the charity with a nearly $70,000 donation.
Not only that, but the police officers and firefighters lent a helping hand to unload a trailer full of gifts and supplies bought by the department with the money they raised.

domain: geography


Last Thursday, January 30, Greater Shepparton City Council’s Activities in the Park hosted Teepee Time at the Family Haven Mooroopna. The event provided small, fun activities inside teepees for children and parents to participate in.
The Family Haven runs through the Lighthouse Project and provides a safe space during the day where parents/carers and their children are welcomed with no referral or appointment needed. Parents and children can feel safe and secure, engage with trained staff and volunteers, share a meal, participate in activities, be linked with services where required, and connect with other parents.
Family Haven Mooroopna is open Tuesday to Thursday from 9:30am to 3pm at 15 to 17 Young Street, Mooroopna.


Industry Nine releases all new 2013 Torch series Mountain wheels and hubs
Evolution leads to perfection – Hand made in Asheville, NC
It seems like many bicycle companies have been coming out with tons of new wheelsets, and the likes of SRAM, Reynolds, Specialized, Syntace, and multiple others have been expanding the market with a plethora of choices. Everything from carbon-fiber rims and hubs, to the new 27.5 sizing is being added to the burgeoning default 26″ and 29″ sizes. The market place has an entire slew of sizes, weights, hub and rim materials, rim widths, etc. Industry Nine has been sort of quiet lately, and have seemingly just been cranking out their tasty and excellent aluminum tidbits, but that has now changed with the new Torch Series of wheels, hubs and rims that they are releasing.
I’ve been a big fan of the Industry Nine hubs for a long time, and they offer a smooth ride with a high POE, and their innovative fat aluminum spokes give wheels a stiff, strong and responsive feel. I9 has taken their already excellent hub to the next level, and created the new Torch hubs, which keep the superb high POE of its brethren and toss in a major redesign, for a lighter, smoother, more durable and faster system. To go along with this improved hub, they have added their own tubeless ready Torch rim, and beefier aluminum spokes. They’ll have two versions of the complete wheelset, the upscale Torch Trail 24, and more basic and cheaper Torch Trail.
Industry Nine is a small Asheville, NC company, and they do onsite design, manufacturing, quality control, sales, assembly, truing and tensioning of their products (the rims and bearings are outsourced). They’re gorgeous CNC machined hubs are well built, and have incredible attention to detail, and come in an assortment of vivid colors.
The Torch Hubs keep some of the basic features of their predecessors, but they’ve tweaked just about everything else and stuck them on a weight reduction program. The rear hub keeps the same excellent 120 POE, and adds a new drive ring, pawl geometry, relocated bearings and seals which all work in synergy for decreased drag and smoother rolling. They have gone to a new universal endcap system on the rear for axle size conversions, so you can easily swap out the endcap adapters and get QR, 10x135mm, 12x135mm, and 12x142mm versions. For the downhill crowd, the 150mm rear hub platform gets endcap adapters for 12x150mm and 12x157mm. The endcaps offer a much simpler system then having to pull out the entire axle for size alterations, and matches up with some of the competition’s designs. The freehub is compatible with 9 and 10 speeds, or can be interchanged with their new XX1 body. The hub body got a shape change, and instead of an angled transition towards the drive-side, it is now shallower and is tilted towards the non-drive side.
Like the rear, they went with the universal endcap system on the front, so you can easily swap out the endcap adapters and get QR, 15mm, and 20mm versions, and the system is carried across the XC and Enduro series. They upgraded to better o-ring seals, to keep the bearing protected, for longer life and smoother rolling. The front hub also tapers towards the braking side of the wheels, which I assume is to assist in reducing any torquing and twisting into the axles from hard braking.
The rear gets trimmed down by 100 grams, while the front slices off 10-50 grams (model dependent).
Thoughts => I really like the endcap design, as it will make for easier and simpler swap out’s, and I am looking forward to seeing how the rears internal changes play out for smoother rolling, decreased drag and increased durability. Sometimes the higher POE comes at a small penalty of additional drag. I like how their hub can be switched to either 9/10 speed or XX1 with a swapping of the freehub body, making for a more functional setup. I do wonder how secure the endcaps will be, as I often see systems like this in which they fall off when placing a wheel into a fork. Do you think their tweaks to the innards of the rear will get their reliability more in line with the superb Chris Kings?
Rims & Spokes
The new Torch rims are designed by I9, and are wider, tubeless ready, and weigh 100 grams less than their predecessor. The aluminum rims have oversized extrusions,which are wider and deeper for increased stiffness and stability, and lighter. The spokes have gotten an increased diameter, for better lateral stiffness, improved strength and reduced failure issues from obstacles and debris. The butted aluminum spokes, utilizes a fine thread pitch into the hubs, and they have switched to Torx fitting on the spoke ends for adjusting instead of using an allen.
Thoughts => The rims sound intriguing, and it seems as though manufacturers are taking some design queues from the carbon world, to create a stronger, stiffer and lighter rim. I don’t mind a stronger spoke, even if it comes with a small weight penalty, as it helps with strength and stiffness, and with them being aluminum, protection from abuse. The change to a Torx fitting might be useful, though I need to try using a tool to see how it works and/or fits. Their aluminum spokes can be sort of a love-hate relationship with riders, since they accomplish their design goal of having an excellent strength to weight ratio, but they’re more fragile, expensive and harder to obtain.


Due to a high volume of active users and service overload, we had to low down the quality of video streaming. Premium users remains with the highest video quality available. Sorry for the inconvinience it may cause. Donate to keep project running.
Three friends host a secret underground podcast exploring paranormal sightings in their tiny town of Wildwood, Oregon. Together, Piper, Curtis and Ira try to prove the existence of aliens and can't help but become personally involved with the cases of people who call into their show.


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SCRC Partner Company DXM Named to the World Economic Forum’s List of Technology Pioneers
I was delighted to hear from Matt Wallace, Project DXM‘s CEO, that the company had been named to the WEF’s list of Technology Pioneers – growth-stage companies from around the world that are using new technologies and innovation poised to […]
Logistics journal sees jump in submissions and special issues
As the Editor in Chief of the Logistics journal, I am striving to continuously improve the scope and reach of the journal, and explore innovative new topics that we are facing. In 2022, global logistics is more important than ever. […]
Jason Miller Blog 2: Will Intel’s investments make a dent in our dependence on foreign semiconductors?
A great deal of hoopla is being made of Intel’s investments in its new $20 billion semiconductor chip plant near Columbus, Ohio, which Intel claims could expand into a $100 billion complex with eight fabrication plants. This is of course […]
Recommendations to the US government for domestic alignment of supply chains in 2022
The lessons of 2020 and 2021 have led many organizations to begin questioning whether a domestic supply base is something that should be considered. The executives I’m speaking with are considering how to re-align their supply chains, and the word […]
Are Procurement and Logistics Executives Aligned When Faced with Current Supply Chain Challenges?
Procurement and supply chain executives are on the “same team” – and in general, a recent study conducted by the SCRC and GEP suggests that there is strong alignment between the two functions when it comes to prioritizing lower risks […]
Five Myths About the Supply Chain Heading Into 2022
This article was originally published by The Washington Post here. Shelves are empty. Online orders take much longer to arrive. The media is warning of a Christmas devoid of presents. The supply chain has probably affected you firsthand in some […]
Rob Handfield Lists 10 Ways to Outsmart the Supply Chain When Holiday Shopping
Rob Handfield, professor of operations and supply chain management, advises shoppers to shop local and to not wait for a deal to outsmart the current supply chain shortages this holiday season. “Finding a local, handmade present is better than buying […]
Maybe its time for consumers to consume less…Market Satiation as a new supply chain strategy
The current set of supply chain disruptions is being set off by a combination of COVID cases and energy disruptions in manufacturing hubs around the world, labor shortages, lack of capital infrastructure investment, misaligned transportation resources (a lack of containers, […]
GC3 Report Shows Significant Rise in Green Chemistry-Marketed Product Sales
The Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3), in partnership with NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business, North Carolina State University, the Dynamic Sustainability Lab at Syracuse University and Duke University, has released a new report documenting significant growth in green chemistry marketed products, both sales and consumer demand.
Rob Handfield Predicts Continued Inflation Amid Supply Chain Shortage
Rob Handfield, professor of operations and supply chain management, sees the inflation from work shortages, port backups and fractured supply chains continuing into the new year. “The cost of shipping via truck has gone up. The cost of putting things […]


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In this Issue
Meet the Newest Member of the FinTech Team
Hello! My name is Kate Goldman, and I am thrilled to join the Milken Institute as the FinTech Associate. I want to briefly introduce myself to all of the subscribers of FinTech in Focus. I am a recent graduate of the University of Delaware, where I studied public policy. I previously worked at FS Vector, a DC-based advisory firm, where I had the opportunity to research and explore FinTech from a policy perspective. I am so excited to take all I have learned and continue to grow and build the FinTech program here at the Milken Institute.
Please feel free to reach out via email at any time: firstname.lastname@example.org.
COVID-19 and FinTech
The Washington Post reports that the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Treasury Department disclosed loan-level data, offering an in-depth look at the Payment Protection Program (PPP). This disclosure includes the names of small businesses and nonprofit organizations that received at least $150,000 in funding. The SBA grouped borrowers into five categories based on loan ranges, rather than disclosing specific loan amounts. “Although that is less than 15 percent of the total number of loans, it is the most detailed disclosure yet on one of the largest economic stimulus packages created by the federal government, as part of the $2 trillion CARES ACT.”
Based on the data released, restaurants, medical offices, and car dealerships were some of the top loan recipients, according to the New York Times. “More than 40,000 full- or limited-service restaurants received loans worth as much as $2 billion, according to the ranges provided by the government.” Through the program, banks have made around 4.9 million loans, with an average loan size of $107,000. “Nearly 5,000 businesses received individual loans between $5 million and $10 million, according to the data.” There were many companies among the beneficiaries that were not typical mom-and-pop shops, including high-priced law firms, political consulting firms, special-interest groups, and Washington lobbying shops. The disclosure of loans towards these organizations “could further fuel outrage toward the program which has been complicated by revelations that large, publicly traded companies were taking big loans and concerns that it might leave borrowers saddled with debt.”
This disclosure comes after immense pressure from Democrats and media organizations, including calls for legislation that would force disclosure. However, because most loan amounts are less than $150,000, there are still calls for increased transparency. For example, according to Transparency International, Senator Kamala Harris introduced a bill “that would make public basic information on how taxpayer money is being administered by the US Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Payment Protection Program (PPP).” This bill is called the Payment Protection Program Transparency Act of 2020. The US Office of Transparency International (TI-US) issued the following statement supporting the bill:
“In normal times and with fewer taxpayer dollars at stake, the SBA routinely provides basic information to the public about its lending programs. In what world does greater spending and higher risk require more secrecy?” said Gary Kalman, Director of the TI-US office. “While last week’s agreement, under which the SBA will release basic data on loans greater than $150,000, was a step in the right direction, this bill is a necessary and commonsense fix because it would let taxpayers know how all—not just some—of their money is being spent.” Scott Greytak, TI-US’s Advocacy Director, added: “Years of empirical evidence shows that emergency relief programs like the PPP are uniquely vulnerable to corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse. Yet American taxpayers have been denied even the most basic information about where billions of their dollars are going. Public confidence in government is at a tipping point, and this legislation is an example of how we can begin to rebuild trust by showing—not just telling—the American people that their money is being spent properly and effectively.”
Despite debates over transparency and which companies receive loans, CNN reports that President Trump signed an extension of the PPP into law. “House lawmakers unanimously passed the extension less than a day after the program expired, and PPP will now remain open to applications through August 8.”
Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion hearing, 7/9/20: The House Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion held a hearing Thursday to discuss the rollout of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the economic burden disproportionately placed on women and black-owned businesses. Members called upon witnesses to identify and consider ways in which this program failed to support those who are most vulnerable.
Witnesses and members, including Chairwoman Waters and Rep. Steil, highlighted the value of FinTech lenders in making programs like the PPP more accessible to those it intended to reach. Rep. Pressley noted the PPP was “conditioned on access to banking,” which has historically been limited or denied to women and minorities in traditional financial services. FinTech helps to bridge this gap and provide these business owners with access to the capital and lending necessary to survive the pandemic. With less than a month left in the program, FinTech lending will continue to play a key role in helping small businesses stay afloat. Alternative solutions proposed included expanding use cases for forgiveness (such as child care), more resources provided to CDFIs and MDIs, and a clear guidance and application process.
Blockchain: Blockchain News reports that Innovate UK rewarded Billion Group with a £50,000 grant “with the aim of creating blockchain certificates to keep the economy open while protecting personal data.” The team at Billion Group aims to build a “plug-and-play solution that augments any existing issuer of a certificate by providing the distributed ledger innovation behind the scenes. Companies will be able to connect their existing systems via APIs, so there would be minimal integration. Users would be able to control their certificates on their mobile phones and show them, when needed, in a user-friendly way.” This ability to verify documents without personal contact will reduce administrative burden and overcome re-employment obstacles, while also limiting the spread of the virus.
Cryptocurrency: Bithumb, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea, is seeking an IPO and has appointed Samsung Securities to underwrite it, according to Crypto Slate. This IPO faces many challenges and the process is unlikely to be smooth; digital currencies are difficult to define and “since no regulation for their public listing exists in Korea, the listing of a crypto-exchange entity is an unseen endeavor.”
Crowdfund Insider reports that Ebang, a leading developer of cryptocurrency mining hardware, has become the second Bitcoin mining equipment manufacturer to go public on the US stock exchange.
Switzerland-based Crypto Valley Association (CVA) published its “Trusted Key Ceremony Guidelines,” which is “a set of best practices designed to help protect digital assets in a safe and secure manner,” per Crowdfund Insider. The guidelines were officially unveiled in an online event called “Demystifying Key Ceremonies,” hosted by the CVA’s Cybersecurity Working Group. Participants in the online event included PwC, SEBA Bank, Taurus Group, and Ledger Vault.
Data: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the Trump administration is considering banning popular social media app TikTok over concerns that Beijing could use the platform to gather data on Americans, per the Wall Street Journal. Specifically, “US officials are concerned that the Chinese government is potentially building a vast database of information that could be used for espionage.” TikTok has responded to these concerns, stating that “the Chinese government has never asked the company for user data and that it would refuse such a request. TikTok has an American CEO and is owned by a private company that is backed by some of the best-known US investors.”
Additionally, Fortune reports that Facebook shared users’ data with outside developers for a longer period of time than promised, “a breach of policies the social network implemented following the Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018.” A spokesperson from Facebook said the company doesn’t have reason to believe any of the data was misused.
Digital Banks: TechRadar reports that British peer-to-peer lender Zopa is launching a digital bank after being awarded a full UK license. This new bank “will be offering a fixed term saving account and plans to follow that with a credit card later this year.”
Digital Markets: In a press release, Nasdaq announced the launch of the Marketplace Services Platform. According to the release, “The platform provides next-generation marketplace capabilities spanning the transaction lifecycle to facilitate the frictionless exchange of assets, services, and information across various types of market ecosystems and machine-to-machine transactions.” As Magnus Haglind, SVP and Head of Product Management and Market Technology at Nasdaq, notes, this demand is due to the “increased demand for seamless access to standard infrastructure components and capabilities.” Complementing the Marketplace Services Platform, Nasdaq is also offering its Digital Assets Suite, which is designed “to support the transaction lifecycle of digital assets and tokenized markets.”
Financial Action Task Force: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has a new president. Marcus Pleyer of Germany took over the presidency from Xiangmin Liu of China, per Bitcoin.com. At the latest FATF virtual plenary, Pleyer said, “The German Presidency intends to build on this work, focusing on the opportunities that technology can offer, by launching an initiative to monitor risks and explore opportunities.” The FATF also discussed the outcome of a year-long review of how each country has implemented new cryptocurrency standards. “Overall, both the public and private sectors have made progress in implementing the revised FATF standards, in particular, in the development of technological solutions to enable the implementation of the ‘travel rule’ for virtual asset service providers.”
Loans: According to The Hill, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) revoked rules requiring lenders “to ensure that potential customers could afford to pay the potentially staggering costs of short-term, high-interest payday loans,” reversing portions of a 2017 rule on payday loans. This new regulation “leaves in place the original regulation’s restrictions on how frequently a payday lender can attempt to withdraw funds from a customer’s bank account,” but changes loan underwriting requirements.
Partnerships: Qupital, a Hong Kong-based FinTech, has partnered with eBay to provide financing services to eBay sellers in Greater China, per Pymnts. Qupital plans to provide these services to sellers “through its flagship product QiaoYiDai” and will “assist them in resolving their cash flow and working capital issues.”
Computer Weekly reports that French bank Société Générale (SocGen) has acquired challenger bank Shine “to target small business customers with digital accounts and other online services.” SocGen paid “€100m for the French FinTech, which has built up a customer base of 70,000 entrepreneurs in the two years since its launch.” While the acquisition of Shine is part of SocGen’s mission to expand open banking initiatives, according to SocGen, Shine will continue to develop independently.
Innovate Finance reports that “Currencycloud, the global leader in providing embedded B2B cross-border payments for platforms of the future, announced a partnership with Ripple, the enterprise blockchain solution for global payments.” Through this partnership, Currencycloud can explore new mechanisms for moving money globally, especially where there are limitations on opportunities for SMEs.
Savings: According to CNBC, Ellevest, a company that originally launched as a robo-advisor for women investors, introduced a three-tiered membership program. “Starting at $1 a month, members can open an FDIC-insured savings account through the app, which comes with a Mastercard debit card and unlimited ATM reimbursements, in addition to a brokerage account. There is also a $5-per-month tier and $9-per-month tier, which includes access to other products and services like retirement accounts and discounts on financial and career coaching services.” Sallie Krawcheck, Ellevest’s co-founder and CEO, notes the importance of this service, stating that “women’s finances have been hit harder than men’s on average over the course of the pandemic.”
Australia: On July 1, the Consumer Data Right Act became law, introducing an open banking regime nationwide, per Business Insider. There are stages to this regime, and as of now, “consumers can share their bank data with accredited third-party providers for deposit and transaction accounts as well as credit and debit cards.” The goal of this launch is to help FinTechs break the dominant market position of the “big four” major banks: ANZ, NAB, Westpac, and Commonwealth Bank.
China: Fortune reports that “Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing Technology Co. will test a pilot version of China’s digital currency, according to a company statement.” For this pilot, Didi Chuxing Technology Co. is partnering with the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), and specifically their Digital Currency Research Institute. “Didi’s huge customer base, existing digital payment infrastructure, and range of services make it an ideal platform for the digital currency’s biggest trial so far. Didi has more than 550 million users worldwide, most of them in China; it claims more than 90% of China’s ride-hailing market.”
European Union: Yahoo Finance reports the European Union is “preparing a new cryptocurrency regime that could include stricter requirements for ‘global stablecoin’ projects such as Libra.” During a speech at the 2020 Digital Finance Outreach, Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Union’s executive vice president of the European Commission for an Economy that Works for People, said, “This is a good chance for Europe to strengthen its international standing and to become a global standard-setter, with European companies leading new technologies for digital finance.” Additionally, he believes the first test case is cryptocurrencies because a “lack of legal certainty is often cited as the main barrier to developing a sound crypto-asset market in the EU.”
Israel: According to Crowdfund Insider, Israel is preparing to launch a FinTech regulatory sandbox to make it easier for local FinTech startups to test new products and services. “The Arrangements Law that the nation’s Treasury will be presenting to the cabinet will include rules that recommend establishing a regulatory sandbox that will give local fast-growing FinTechs a flexible environment to test new financial products.”
Japan: Japan is starting to build out its central bank digital currency (CBDC) capabilities, according to Crypto Slate. However, there are many technical challenges and legal implications Japan wants to have a grasp on before issuing a digital currency. Currently, Japan is conducting a study on the subject, headed by the Bank of Japan (BoJ). There are two specific research areas that have been identified as core focal points: resilience and ease-of-access. “The former deals with how a digital framework could survive efficiently in times of disasters.” The latter is concerned with access to smartphones, particularly among Japan’s older population.
Lithuania: Metro reports that Lithuania is set to issue the first central bank-produced digital coin in the eurozone. Twenty-four thousand digital tokens, called LBCOINs, are set for pre-sale. The tokens “will be sold in packs of six for ninety-nine euros. The central bank expects users to trade them with others to build a specific set that can then be exchanged for a credit card-sized physical silver coin with a nominal worth of 19.18 euros.”
Monaco: According to Finance Magnate, “The government of Monaco has formalized a Memorandum of Understanding with Tokeny Solutions as its technology provider to support the issuance of tokenized financial instruments.” Tokeny stated, “The company’s range of blockchain-based solutions will allow the Principality to apply control and compliance to the Ethereum blockchain.” This initiative supports Monaco’s goal of becoming “the world’s first state utilizing the benefits of decentralized finance.”
Philippines: The Overseas Filipino Bank will become the first ever “digital-only and the country’s first-ever branchless government bank” to serve overseas Filipino workers and those who have returned home, according to bank officials.
Scotland: Per Finextra, UK Research and Innovation has awarded Scotland’s FinTech industry “£22.5 million in innovation funding to establish a Global Open Finance Centre of Excellence (GOFCoE) in Edinburgh.” The aim of the GOFCoE is to research and develop financial service offerings that will deliver social and economic benefits though Open Banking and financial data. The establishment of the GOFCoE is being led by the University of Edinburgh, FinTech Scotland, the Financial Data and Technology Association (FDATA), and Scottish Enterprise.
South Africa: Intelligent CIO notes that “South Africa’s long awaited data privacy laws have finally come into force, giving anyone processing personal information in the country a 12-month grace period to ensure that they comply with the requirements of the Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPI).” The sections of the laws in affect now are related to the regulation of how personal information is processed both in South Africa and across borders.
Sweden: According to Coin Geek, the Central Bank of Sweden published a review of the case for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). In the document, its own plans for an e-krona, a Central Bank issued fiat token, were discussed. It is the latest step towards an official CBDC launch and is in-line with the increasing interest in CBDCs from central banks worldwide.
United States: JD Supra reports that “New York State’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) has released a Request for Comments on a Proposed Framework for a Conditional BitLicense that DFS says will make it easier for start-ups to enter the New York virtual currency market.”


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The world may soon see something unprecedented when it comes to our interconnected, Internet-driven daily life. One country, Russia, will attempt to "turn off" its Internet, scheduled to happen in the very near future.
For context, last December, the Russian parliament passed a law which it said was aimed at ensuring the independence of the Russian Internet (Runet), and reportedly are planning an experiment to disconnect the country from the global Internet at some point before the 1st of April. It is still not clear if this will happen, but the goal is to test the feasibility of such an operation and suggest potential policy ramifications to the country's authorities.
The Reasons Behind Russia's Concerns
Of course, the Internet is one of the most important inventions of the 20th century, allowing people from all over the world to freely share information and knowledge. However, the Internet has roots in the US government, and as a result, many critical resources that power the Internet, as we know it, are controlled by US-based organizations and are subject to US jurisdiction. Among these are some of the world's largest DNS providers, ISPs and public cloud providers. Furthermore, all social media platforms and a majority of the biggest technology companies including Apple, Microsoft and Amazon, are headquartered in the US. This is a big concern for Russian authorities, but it's not clear if they view it as a strategic weakness or if they're aiming to contain the economic powers of US tech giants within the Russian digital economy.
Key Challenges and Possible Scenarios
Disconnecting a country from the Internet is not easy, as the seamless operation of the Internet around the world is ensured by complex IT structures and also governance. One of its most critical parts is the Domain Name System (DNS).
DNS is a highly-important global service provided by hundreds of companies around the world. Still, while every country has multiple domain registrants, they all mirror a common global database that establishes the directory of the Internet. If Russia isolates itself from the Internet, it will need to replicate the whole system within the boundaries of the country. Unconfirmed reports previously stated that Russia was developing a plan for a backup DNS system since 2014, which makes this part of the experiment partly feasible.
Also, an important point to make is that there are multiple points of interconnection between Russian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and ISPs around the globe. On some occasions the interconnections have peering relationships, meaning traffic is going through Russia to other countries, while part of traffic remains in the country.
In order to actually turn off the Internet in the country, there are two approaches available to Russia.
Firstly, it would have to switch off all Internet circuits going in and out of the country. This seems like the most rational option, however, it will require coordinating major changes across every ISP in Russia. If not performed correctly, the Internet will divert traffic to the circuits that failed to switch off, overloading those paths and the ISPs altogether.
The second approach would be filtering the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) route announcements whether they're accepted or not by Russian ISPs. This would create a fragmented view of the Internet, allowing traffic to continue flowing to other countries through Russia. However, this is a high-risk scenario as BGB changes are difficult to coordinate, and one misconfiguration can ruin the whole system. Contractual agreements require ISPs to interconnect certain locations around the world, and violation can lead to suspension, expanding Internet outages beyond Russia's borders.
Finally, one of the biggest issues is the global software ecosystem, which is now primarily hosted in the cloud. Besides consumer-oriented services such as Google and Facebook, public cloud also hosts enterprise applications such as Office 365 and Salesforce. All of these services rely on an extremely complex mixture of back-end services that are almost impossible to entirely localize. In 2015, when Russian authorities passed a law requiring SaaS providers to keep data of Russian citizens inside the country, only a few companies complied with the regulation, despite this, the government took no action for those who didn't provide this information.
Is Full Internet Isolation Really Possible?
The simple fact is that Russia is heavily integrated into the global Internet ecosystem. Critical components of the Russian economy, from financial services to SaaS applications are relying on interconnections outside of Russia and disconnecting them will have a serious economic impact.
While replicating critical services such as DNS may be an achievable task, recreating public cloud and SaaS services in the country is nearly impossible, as this would require close cooperation with hundreds of companies - from tech giants to startups. Interrupting all transit and peering relationships between ISPs would require enormous coordination, however, it won't guarantee isolation from the global Internet, as Russian users still will be able to find gateways via mobile hotspots with help from international roaming agreements.
China has successfully isolated itself from the global internet a long time ago, however, two key factors made the situation completely different from a possible Russian scenario. Firstly, two state-run monopolies control all telecommunications within China. When Chinese authorities decided to censor the Internet, the state-run telecom companies compiled by building the largest traffic filtering infrastructure on the planet.
Secondly, the policy was created in the early days of the Internet, allowing the country's own Internet ecosystem to grow organically. Russia's Internet was integrated with the global Internet from the beginning, and with the complexity of this integration - it will be very difficult, if not impossible to separate.
With the great disconnect due to take place soon, it will be interesting to see how successful this unprecedented experiment goes for the Russian state, and if other countries may follow suit.
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