Month: December 2020

Categories
Health

Google search panels deal with misinformation about Covid vaccines

Google search panels tackle misinformation about Covid vaccines

Google logo of the American multinational technology company at Googleplex, the corporate headquarters complex of Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc.

Alex Tai | SOPA pictures | LightRocket | Getty Images

LONDON – Google launched new bulletin boards in search results on Thursday to counter false claims about the coronavirus vaccines.

The internet giant said in a blog post that the feature would first be rolled out in the UK, where people started vaccinating people with the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

The feature will be rolled out in other countries once they start approving vaccines.

Google has been updating its platforms for several months with features that display Covid-related data from governments and health agencies such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control to combat misinformation about the virus.

The YouTube video sharing service launched so-called knowledge panels on the virus back in March and is said to have been viewed 400 billion times. YouTube updated its guidelines in October to remove videos that made false claims about coronavirus vaccines.

A screenshot with Google’s new knowledge boards on coronavirus vaccine search results.

Ryan Browne | CNBC

It’s not clear how effective bulletin boards are in preventing internet users from believing misinformation about coronavirus. Fake conspiracy theories about the disease have spread like wildfire across social media platforms this year.

Tackling misinformation about the vaccines will be a mammoth task for tech giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter as governments around the world seek to immunize people against the disease.

Last week, Facebook announced it was removing false claims about Covid vaccines. This is part of his policy on posts that could result in “imminent physical harm”. Twitter has yet to say whether it will ban such posts.

Aside from introducing new features, Google announced on Thursday that it was earmarking $ 1.5 million to fund fact-checking research and create a hub for journalists to give them access to “scientific expertise and research updates.” to facilitate vaccines.

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Business

Virgin Galactic aborts spaceflight try in New Mexico

Virgin Galactic aborts spaceflight attempt in New Mexico

Virgin Galactic’s carrier aircraft releases its Unity spacecraft during a glide test.

Virgo Galactic

Virgin Galactic’s most recent space flight test was halted after the engine of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle “Unity” failed to fully ignite while attempting to take off over New Mexico on Saturday.

While there were no passengers on board, Unity was piloted for the flight by CJ Sturckow and Dave Mackay. Virgin Galactic wanted to reach the edge of space for the third time, in its first space flight from its New Mexico operating base. The spaceship landed back on the runway at Spaceport America, about 50 miles north of the city of Las Cruces.

“The firing sequence for the rocket motor was not completed. The vehicle and crew are in great condition. We have several engines ready at Spaceport America. We will check the vehicle and fly again soon,” the company said in a tweet.

Virgin Galactic confirmed that the spacecraft had successfully returned on a glide flight to land at Spaceport America in New Mexico, where it took off under its carrier aircraft about an hour earlier. The company found that both pilots are “safe and sound”.

“Bike stop, SpaceShipTwo Unity,” Virgin Galactic said in a tweet.

An unofficial webcast hosted by space news site NASASpaceflight appeared to show that the spacecraft engine stalled after a brief shot. SpaceShipTwo was released under its carrier aircraft at an altitude of about 40,000 feet, with Unity’s engine igniting just before shutdown. Typically, the spacecraft is set free from the jet and then fires its rocket motor for more than a minute, reaching a speed about three times the speed of sound.

Virgin Galactic’s spaceflight attempt was the company’s first in nearly 22 months. The previous space flight attempt in February 2019 when Unity reached an altitude of almost 90 kilometers during a test launch from the Mojave Desert in California. The company is working to launch commercial service flights from Spaceport America, where it has relocated operations from its development and manufacturing facilities in the Mojave Air and Spaceport.

Saturday’s flight was the first of three remaining space tests the company plans to conduct to complete development of its spacecraft system. The third will wear founder Sir Richard Branson. The impact of the canceled test on Virgin Galactic’s flight schedule remains to be determined. The Branson flight was previously scheduled for the first quarter of 2021.

In addition to the two pilots, Unity’s flight on Saturday conducted microgravity experiments for NASA, awarded as part of the agency’s Flight Opportunities program.

Virgin Galactic has roughly 600 customer reservations on its books, most of which sold a few years ago at a price of $ 200,000 to $ 250,000 per ticket. The company plans to fully reopen ticket sales in 2021 after Branson’s flight, although it is not known how much tickets will cost after sales reopen. Company executives previously said that due to the high demand for tickets, Virgin Galactic expects to significantly increase prices on its first commercial flights.

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Categories
Politics

‘An Indelible Stain’: How the G.O.P. Tried to Topple a Pillar of Democracy

‘An Indelible Stain’: How the G.O.P. Tried to Topple a Pillar of Democracy

On Saturday, Mr. Trump lost another court case as a Wisconsin federal judge, Judge Brett H. Ludwig, who was appointed to court by Mr. Trump this year, said his allegations “fail on legal and factual grounds.” The case has been dismissed with prejudice, which means that Mr Trump is prohibited from bringing cases for similar reasons in this district.

But civil rights lawyers saw the potential for permanent harm outside of the legal realm, where Republican efforts – and the lie that Mr Biden’s victory was the result of widespread fraud – definitely failed.

Republican lawmakers across the country are already considering new laws to make voting harder as they continue to falsely portray the expansion and ease of postal voting as shameful during the pandemic. Many of them see this year’s expanded voting ranks as bad for their party, despite the Republican successes further down the vote. Your consideration of new voting restrictions is an ongoing assault on the integrity of the voting system, with more false and debunked allegations.

“There is an anti-democratic virus that has spread in mainstream Republicanism among mainstream Republican elected officials,” said Dale Ho, director of the Voting Rights Project at ACLU. “And this loss of confidence in the machinery of democracy is much greater.” Problem than any single lawsuit. “

Indeed, following the Supreme Court ruling, the Texas Republican Party has called for secession by red states, whose attorneys general joined the Texas lawsuit.

“Perhaps law-abiding states should unite and form a union of states that adhere to the constitution,” said a statement by its chairman, Allen West. What followed was an observation Rush Limbaugh made earlier this week when he said, “I actually think we are leaning towards secession.”

Talk of secession came during a week when electoral officials from both political parties across the country said they had been threatened with threatening violence, including family members, for confessing to Mr Biden’s victory.

Categories
Business

Finest Methods to Donate in a Pandemic

Best Ways to Donate in a Pandemic

And because “there is no substitute for personal coat rides,” said Ms. Amodio, her charity has found creative ways to stage it. Last month, an Atlanta school hosted a coat ride during the morning drop off. Masked volunteers collected more than 400 coats through folded windows.

The demand for food banks is also increasing. “Food insecurity in the US is at a level we have probably not seen since the Great Depression,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief operating officer of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks.

City Harvest, which distributes excess groceries in New York City, said that since March it has distributed more than 3.4 million pounds of food to more than 80,000 families in the nine cellular markets it operates in the five boroughs. That is compared to two million pounds of food for 46,000 families in the same period last year. The markets operate every two weeks at each location.

City Harvest stopped its own way of distributing food in the markets during the pandemic and instead packed and packaged food in its warehouse. And volunteers can still help while staying socially aloof.

“We literally slide the box or bag across the table and the person is on their way,” said Ryan VanMeter, assistant director of major gifts at City Harvest. “I tell people who volunteer in our cellular markets that you will feel all the blessings. But yes, we try to minimize the interaction. “

But the most important thing at the moment, said Mr VanMeter, are financial donations.

A recent study by a Fidelity Charitable, the country’s largest grantee, found that two out of three volunteers gave less or less time due to the pandemic. In its own survey, VolunteerMatch found that more people currently view Covid-19 as an obstacle to volunteering than at the beginning of the pandemic, although “we expected the opposite,” said Ms. Plato.

One reason for the shortage of volunteers is that many volunteers are elderly – the population most at risk from the coronavirus. However, there are ways to donate your time and stay safe.

Categories
Health

Make Your Personal Seltzer – The New York Occasions

Make Your Own Seltzer - The New York Times

For many, mineral water is the perfect drink – versatile and extremely refreshing, capable of cleansing the palate, and zero calorie. And it sure seems to have a moment. Sales of packaged mineral water have skyrocketed since the pandemic confined so many Seltzer fans to their homes. In March alone, MarketWatch saw a dramatic 52 percent increase. In the same month, demand from the aluminum can industry fell and US sales rose 24 percent by volume. If these trends continue, experts predict that widespread dose shortages may be in sight.

Of course, there are ways to solve your bubbly problems without draining aluminum reserves or hoarding plastic Polar Seltzer bottles in your pantry. Countertop carbonizers like SodaStream are a popular method, but if you’re – like so many of us – drinking enough seltzer, the constant hand pumping, frequent gas bottle changes, and limited power (a liter at a time, who can live like that!) Are reasons enough to look for bigger, better, and more sustainable options. Step into the Selzterator, a DIY bubble machine that is guaranteed to revolutionize your drinking game at home.

The idea might seem innovative, but it’s actually just a repurposed kegerator, retrofitted refrigerator that home brewers and other small beverage makers have been using for decades. Setup is easy once you get going, and most of the materials can be picked up from an online marketplace, either new or used. or from a hardware store or local brewery. It’s best to check home breweries and online forums first, as these people are usually full of helpful advice on everything from building tips and fixes to getting the best prices for equipment.

The entire exercise takes about a day and can cost less than $ 150 if you buy used and research. After that initial investment, you’ll see a near-endless stream of perfectly calibrated tap water that costs zero dollars and creates no waste.

TOOLS

⅞ inch diameter hole saw

Power drill and drill

Flat head screwdriver (for tightening metal clips)

Allen key

Spray bottle filled with soapy water

EQUIPMENT

Work mini fridge with internal shelf removed and no freezer compartment

Five pound CO2 tank

Clean 5 Gallon Cornelius / Homemade Keg (Small Enough To Fit In The Fridge)

Faucet tower with rubber tower seal, faucet head and faucet handle (can be purchased separately, but purchasing as a kit makes the job easier)

Fluid line (a standard clear vinyl tubing used in drum systems; runs three to five feet 3/16 in. In diameter and should be included with every tap tower kit)

CO2 line (the same 3 to 16 inch diameter and 3 to 16 foot diameter clear vinyl tubing as above)

Liquid line connection (quick release with ball lock)

CO2 line connection (quick release with ball lock)

Three to five metal screws for both lines

CO2 regulator

METHOD

1. Center your faucet tower on top of the mini fridge and mark the locations where you want to install the liquid line and tower screws. Using the hole saw, cut a 1 to 1.5 inch hole through the top of the refrigerator for the liquid line, being careful not to damage any mechanical elements. Then drill the appropriate holes for the tower screws.

2. Disconnect the liquid line from the bottom of the tower kit and route it through the hole in the refrigerator. Connect the open end of the line to the connector on the liquid line and secure the connection with a metal clamp.

3. If not already in place, attach the faucet handle and faucet head to the tower according to the instructions and lower the tower onto the top of the refrigerator. Insert the tower screws in their holes and secure them inside the refrigerator with a washer and nut. Close and plug the refrigerator in and let it cool in the coldest spot.

4. While the refrigerator is cooling, connect one end of the CO2 line to the CO2 regulator and secure it with a metal clamp. Attach the CO2 line connector to the other end of the CO2 line and secure it with a metal clamp.

5. Connect the regulator to the CO2 tank and tighten the connection with the Allen key. Make sure that the tank and regulator are both in the closed or off position.

6. Fill the keg with clean, cold tap water and lock the lid. Connect the CO2 line to the barrel’s IN valve via the CO2 line connector – it should click into place smoothly.

7. Turn the CO2 tank to the open position and open the valve on the regulator to allow CO2 to flow through the line into the keg. Spray soapy water on the system and look for bubbles to indicate gas leaks.

8. Slowly turn the regulator knob until the needle on the pressure gauge reaches 40 PSI. At this level, it should take about 24 hours for the tank to carbonate. If you want to speed up the work, gently roll the barrel on the floor for about 10 minutes while keeping the connection to the CO2 tank. The stirring helps disperse the bubbles faster than letting them sit.

9. Carefully place the tank and regulator in the refrigerated refrigerator and slide the keg next to (or in front of) the tank. Connect the liquid line to the second valve of the drum via the liquid line connector. Allow the keg to carbonate for 24 to 36 hours before serving (less if you used the rolling method). When you’re ready to pour, set the dispensing regulator’s PSI reading to 15-25 PSI (more or less depending on how bubbly you like your seltzer). Take a glass and enjoy.

Categories
World News

Biden’s greatest course for actual Mideast good points is to spend money on Trump’s Abraham Accords

Biden’s best course for real Mideast gains is to invest in Trump’s Abraham Accords

Imagine President-elect Biden faced with two doors that represent the Middle East dilemma he is facing. What he chooses will color his administration and have a historical impact on the most booby-trapped region of the world.

One door is marked “Return to Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal”.

The other is called “Build On Trump’s Abraham Accord”.

The literature is littered with confusing two-door parables and allegories, from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where the choice is between the wider or the narrower and more difficult road, to Frank R. Stockton’s 1882 short story, “The Lady, or the Tiger?” where two soundproof doors lay in front of the king’s daughter’s lover.

As with most of these stories, there are dangers in every path.

Democratic party politics and election promises suggest that President-elect Biden is swiftly moving towards a return to the nuclear deal known as the JCPOA, a signature achievement for the man who selected him as vice president. President Trump pulled out of the deal in May 2018 after calling it “the worst deal ever”.

The smarter way would be to slowly, carefully, and fearfully move towards the door of Iran and see how much has changed in the Middle East in the four years since President Obama’s departure.

The Obama deal, never blessed by Congressional votes, failed to address Iran’s regional misconduct or its development of ballistic missiles and advanced arms supplies that left negotiators for a later day.

But it is precisely these Iranian advances that were shown in the Iranian cruise missile and drone strikes on Saudi oil fields in September 2019 and the ballistic missile strikes on US military positions in Iraq on January 8, 2020 in response to the drone attack that killed the Iranian General Qasem Solemani five days earlier.

Furthermore, in the run-up to its June elections, today’s Iran is unlikely to revert to its earlier deal, in which hardliners are determined to further marginalize so-called moderates. After the Iranian leaders accumulate more enriched uranium and install more advanced centrifuges than JCPOA allows, they won’t be giving up those gains so easily.

As much as they want the economic sanctions against them to be relaxed, the Iranian hardliners also want more: compensation for everything they have lost economically in the last four years due to renewed US sanctions. What is unspoken is that they have more time each day to develop their nuclear capabilities, either as leverage for future talks or to make the outbreak of their nuclear weapons inevitable.

The November 27 assassination of the country’s best nuclear scientist in Iran, who blamed Israel and the US for the country, has further fueled tensions and requires some response. In a sign of the hardening mood in Iran, the government only today executed the dissident Iranian journalist Ruhollah Zam.

So there is no easy way to get good business. President Biden is unlikely to provide the quick relief and compensation Iran has requested. Iran is unlikely to revert to the constraints of the deal unless it gets what it wants, and until then it will not address issues outside of the existing deal that have become more pressing.

That leaves door number two.

This is the one that President-elect Biden should go through once he takes office. President-elect Biden himself has pointed out that this could be the only foreign policy achievement by Trump he wants to build on.

President-elect Biden praised the campaign deals before they were signed by leaders from Bahrain, Israel and the United Arab Emirates in the White House in September. Morocco joined the US-brokered deal with Israel this week after Sudan did so in October.

As Axios reported this week, President-elect Biden could capitalize on this Arab-Israeli dynamic of the agreements, but he would do it differently from Trump.

“He wants to use this dynamic to reflect a positive dynamic in the Israeli-Palestinian agreement,” said Dan Shapiro, the former US ambassador to Israel under Obama.

Most important is Saudi Arabia. Conventional wisdom has it that President-elect Biden, who has announced that he will reassess relations with Riyadh, will create greater distance and focus on remaining human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.

But here, too, Riyadh has a voice.

Should King Abdullah and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman act to release the high profile women’s rights activists who remain in prison, they should fix relations with Qatar to end a three-year confrontation through continued Kuwaiti moderation, and should they further liberalize relations with Israel the atmosphere will improve significantly.

The October 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi government agents remains a toxic barrier, but Riyadh has the potential to dramatically change that context.

Just as the UAE used its agreement with Israel to stop Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, a Saudi deal to include the agreements under a Biden government could be linked to the two-state solution with the Palestinians.

There is a bigger reason for President-elect Biden to choose door number two, and that is the foundation for institutional and strategic change in the Middle East.

The neglected seventh paragraph of the Abrahamic Convention states: “The contracting parties are ready to join forces with the United States to develop and initiate a ‘Strategic Agenda for the Middle East’ to promote regional diplomacy, to develop trade, stability and other collaborations. ”

Add Egypt and Jordan, countries that already have peace deals with Israel, and there is a chance of a modernist, moderate coalition of countries in the Middle East that focuses on future opportunities rather than settling old points.

On this basis, one could promote the kind of economic and security institutions and integration that unleash European potential after World War II. To date, these institutions have not achieved the “Europe whole and free” that was President George HW Bush’s dream, and Russia and others stayed outside.

However, no one could argue that Europe would have been better off without partial solutions.

There is also an urgent need to provide an alternative strategic future offered by Iran, Turkey, Russia and China. Better still, if this strategic change goes hand in hand with an expansion of individual freedoms, an improvement in opportunities for young people and women and a reduction in interreligious tensions.

The more these changes bring personal and economic opportunities in the region, the more the Iranian people will want to benefit from them.

Back to the two-door position of President-elect Biden, the best way to improve his chances of finding a lasting Iranian solution could be through the back door of the Abraham Agreement.

Frederick Kempe is a best-selling author, award-winning journalist, and President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, one of the United States’ most influential think tanks on global affairs. He worked for the Wall Street Journal for more than 25 years as a foreign correspondent, assistant editor-in-chief and senior editor for the European edition of the newspaper. His latest book – “Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth” – was a New York Times best seller and has been published in more than a dozen languages. Follow him on Twitter @FredKempe and subscribe here to Inflection Points, his view every Saturday of the top stories and trends of the past week.

More information from CNBC staff can be found here @ CNBCopinion on twitter.

Categories
Business

Trump doesn’t put on masks at Military-Navy recreation regardless of Covid considerations

Trump does not wear mask at Army-Navy game despite Covid concerns

United States President Donald Trump joins West Point cadets during the Army Navy soccer game at Michie Stadium on December 12, 2020 in West Point, New York.

Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images

President Donald Trump did not wear a mask for some time as he stood near West Point cadets and midshipmen of the Naval Academy who all wore masks during the Army-Navy soccer game on Saturday.

Trump, who was hospitalized in early October after contracting the coronavirus, also did not wear a mask when he directed the coin toss before the game at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.

Nor did the umpire of the game during the coin toss, which Navy won by properly calling the tails.

The 121st meeting of the two service academies on the soccer grate came after coronavirus deaths hit a daily record of 3,309 Americans, bringing the US death toll this year to over 297,000 from the pandemic. As of Saturday, the number of coronavirus cases in the US hit 16 million so far this year.

After the coin toss, Trump entered the stands on the Army side of Michie Stadium, where he was surrounded by cadets wearing masks.

The Lame Duck President put on a mask in the stands at some point in the first quarter of the game, where he was standing not far from a cadet in an army mascot outfit.

But the president, who announced emergency approval for a coronavirus vaccine on Friday night, had his mask off when he left the stands.

And he wasn’t wearing a mask when he went out into the stands and stood with the Navy Midshipmen. With Trump in the stands was Mark Meadows, Chief of Staff of the White House, who was also not wearing a mask. Coronavirus was diagnosed at Meadows in early November.

U.S. President Trump stands among U.S. Army cadets as he participates in the Army-Navy annual college football game at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York, United States on December 12, 2020.

Tom Brenner | Reuters

Twitter users condemned the commander in chief for failing to set a good example to the cadets and midshipmen at the game, the 121st soccer meeting between the two service academies.

“Trump was the only person in the Army Navy game who wasn’t wearing a mask! Protect our troops, damn it!” Tweeted one person.

Another wrote: “He only cares about himself.”

Trump’s failure to wear a mask, even when federal health officials have urged all Americans to do so, is consistent with his near-constant refusal to wear face-covering during the Covid-19 pandemic, even when dozens of people in his orbit are positive for coronavirus have been tested.

In addition to Meadows, Trump’s wife, sons Barron and Donald Trump Jr., campaign managers, the White House press secretary, the Secretary for Housing and Urban Development, and the chair of the Republican National Committee are among those who have had Covid in the past few months.

Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, who oversees botched legal efforts of his campaign to undo Joe Biden’s presidential election victory, was discharged from a Washington, DC hospital a few days ago after testing positive for the coronavirus. Previously, Giuliani’s son Andrew, a special assistant to Trump in the White House, had a coronavirus.

Trump left the game early before the second quarter ended.

He is expected to leave the White House on January 20, despite his desperate legal and rhetorical efforts to deny a Biden victory on Monday in the electoral college.

Biden is expected to win 306 votes, 36 more than needed to win the presidential race.

When Trump was on his way to West Point on Saturday, a federal judge threw back his lawsuit to invalidate Biden’s victory in the Wisconsin popular election.

On Friday, the US Supreme Court refused to allow the Texas Attorney General to file a lawsuit directly with that court to reverse election results that show victories for Biden in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Categories
Health

Watch ECB President Lagarde converse after newest coverage transfer

Watch ECB President Lagarde speak after latest policy move

[The stream is slated to start at 8:30 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.]

The President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, speaks at a press conference following the institute’s latest monetary policy decision.

The euro area central bank expanded its massive monetary stimulus program on Thursday by a further 500 billion euros (605 billion US dollars) as a second wave of lockdown measures weighs on the euro area’s economic recovery.

Markets had largely expected the central bank to step up its bond buying. As early as October, the ECB promised to “recalibrate” its instruments in December, as coronavirus cases are on the rise again across the continent.

So far, the ECB has refrained from being too optimistic about introducing vaccine candidates, as vaccinations are expected to start in the EU early next year.

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Categories
Politics

Biden Cupboard nominees pledge to make use of federal powers to handle crises

Biden Cabinet nominees pledge to use federal powers to address crises

US President-elect Joe Biden speaks to reporters as he announces candidates and candidates during a press conference at his interim headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware on December 11, 2020.

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WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden introduced several of his candidates to head domestic affairs agencies on Friday, highlighting how members of his cabinet would use the powers of the federal government to help Americans in need.

Accompanied by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at the event at a Wilmington, Delaware hotel, Biden began making brief remarks on the coronavirus pandemic before introducing his candidate to lead the Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack.

He also introduced his nominee for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio; his candidate for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough; and for US sales representative Katherine Tai.

Biden also announced that Susan Rice, a former national security adviser to President Barack Obama, has agreed to serve as director of the White House Home Affairs Council, a powerful position in the west wing that will give Rice broad influence on a number of issues .

Taken together, Biden said his candidates bring “deep experience and bold new thinking” to federal agencies and the White House. “Most of all, they know how the government can and should work for all Americans.”

Biden stressed how any member of his cabinet would help Americans face multiple overlapping crises: the coronavirus pandemic, a deep recession, and an impending spike in evictions and food insecurity.

For example, Fudge will “use every lever at her disposal to help the millions of Americans facing eviction – trying to pay their mortgage and find their way through this crisis,” Biden said.

U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge speaks on December 11, 2020 after being named Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by U.S. President-elect Joe Biden (R) in Wilmington, Delaware.

Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images

And Vilsack “knows the full range of resources available in the [Department of Agriculture] Get immediate assistance to those most in need and address crises in rural America. “

The nominees also made brief comments, emphasizing how various federal agencies would help a nationwide recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Rice spoke last and tied everything together.

US President-elect Joe Biden (R) watches as former National Security Advisor to Obama Susan Rice makes remarks after being unveiled as Biden’s decision to present his home affairs council on December 11, 2020 at the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware, to direct.

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

“Today we face a profound series of crises: a relentless pandemic, a troubled economy, urgent demands for racial justice and justice, a climate that needs healing, a democracy that needs to be repaired, and a world that needs renewed Americans for leadership “, she said.

“Our top priorities will be to help end the pandemic and revitalize an economy that cares for all, brings dignity and humanity to our broken immigration system, promotes racial justice, justice and civil rights for all, and ensures that healthcare is affordable and to be accessible and educate and train Americans to compete and thrive in the 21st century, “Rice continued.

“I firmly believe that we can all move up or down together – absolutely all of us.”

Just 40 days before his inauguration, Biden is putting together a cabinet that is unprecedented in its racial and gender diversity. Tai, Fudge, and Rice are all women of color.

Earlier this week, Biden announced that retired General Lloyd Austin was his decision to run the Pentagon, making Austin the first black man to ever be appointed Secretary of Defense.

However, Biden has come under heavy pressure from civil rights groups to add even more diversity to his cabinet, particularly nominating an Asian American for a top position in the cabinet.

On Friday, several groups representing Asian Americans and Pacific islanders released a joint statement criticizing “the remarkable absence of Asian American cabinet secretaries” in the Biden administration.

“President-elect Biden is well on the way to being the first president in over 20 years to fail to nominate an Asian American for the role of cabinet secretary in his administration,” said the statement made by the National Council Asia Pacific has submitted to CNBC Americans.

But Asian Americans aren’t the only group currently pressuring Biden to be more prominent in his White House: on Tuesday, he and Harris met with leaders of older civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the National Urban League.

They called on Biden to create a new position in the White House, a racial justice advisor who should be tasked with coordinating government-wide efforts to combat systemic racism.

Biden has so far refused to comment on the specific recommendations and inquiries he receives from lawyers. But he told CNN last week, “Every advocacy group out there is pushing for more and more of what they want. That is their job.”

However, in the same interview, Biden also defended his cabinet selection, noting that they were already “the most diverse cabinet ever announced in American history”.

Categories
Entertainment

Noah Creshevsky, Composer of ‘Hyperreal’ Music, Dies at 75

Noah Creshevsky, Composer of ‘Hyperreal’ Music, Dies at 75

Mr. Creshevsky was also a very admired teacher. He joined the faculty at Brooklyn College in 1969 and was director of the college’s pioneering center for computer music from 1994 to 1999. He also taught at the Juilliard School and Hunter College in New York, and spent the 1984 academic year at Princeton University.

Noah Creshevsky was born as Gary Cohen on January 31, 1945 in Rochester, NY, to Joseph and Sylvia Cohen. His father worked in his family’s dry cleaner and his mother was a housewife. He changed his surname to Creshevsky, according to Mr Sachs, “in honor of his grandparents whose name it was”. At the same time, he also changed his first name because he said, “I’ve never felt like a Gary.”

The Cohen household wasn’t particularly musical, but young Gary was drawn to a piano he’d bought for his older brother. His parents, said Mr Sachs, “were surprised to see toddler Noah – his legs too short to reach the pedals – picking pop tunes that he had heard and kept.”

He began his formal musical education at age 6 in the prep department of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. “Since my nature is more that of a composer than an interpreter, I’ve never spent much time practicing someone else’s composition,” Creshevsky said in an interview published by Tokafi, a music website. “Instead of working on the music my teachers at Eastman assigned, I improvised on the piano for many hours.” He made money, he said, and worked as a cocktail pianist in bars and restaurants.

After graduating from Eastman in 1961, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1966 from the State University of New York at Buffalo, now known as the University of Buffalo. There he studied with the well-known composer Lukas Foss. In 1963 and 1964 he spent a year with Boulanger at the École Normale de Musique in Paris, a rite of passage for many prominent American composers.

After graduating, he moved to New York City, where he formed a new music group, the New York Improvisation Ensemble. He studied with Berio in Juilliard and made his Masters in 1968.