Month: February 2021

Categories
Entertainment

Amazon Strikes From Movie Business’s Margins to the Mainstream

Amazon Moves From Film Industry’s Margins to the Mainstream

“These films kept coming out number 1,” Ms. Salke said, referring to the films’ performance on Amazon Prime. “Every time we started one, the next one obscured the next. We trained our audiences to know that we would have great original films that are more commercial on Prime Video. It’s a bit of a “if you build it, they’ll come” strategy. “

But what happens to this plan when the pandemic is over and studios are no longer ready to sell their films to streaming platforms?

Amazon has around 34 films in various stages of production around the world, and Ms. Salke said the company is determined to spend more than $ 100 million on a production if it is earned. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is stepping down as CEO of the company this year, but the studio doesn’t expect much of a change if Andy Jassy takes over the reins.)

The complex in Culver City, California is still under construction and investments have tended to increase. Ms. Salke points to Aaron Sorkin’s upcoming film about Lucy and Desi Arnaz, with Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem as a potential hit. There is also George Clooney’s film “The Tender Bar” with Ben Affleck and a romantic LGBTQ drama “My Policeman” with Harry Styles and Emma Corrin (“The Crown”).

“The new news is that in the future we will be adopting some larger, self-generated projects,” she said.

In Ms. Salke’s eyes, this was always where Amazon Film would land. And there is a renewed confidence in her attitude as she celebrates her third anniversary as head of the studio. In addition to her most recent acquisition, she has entered into general content deals with Mr. Jordan and actor and musician Donald Glover, which she believes will strengthen her mission to improve Amazon’s reputation as a talent-friendly place.

With its healthy subscription base, Amazon attracts those in Hollywood interested in the company’s global reach, but also curious about the company’s other companies that have the potential to grow a star’s brand beyond film and television.

Categories
Business

El futuro de las vacunas depende de algo que escasea: los monos de laboratorio

Future Vaccines Depend on Test Subjects in Short Supply: Monkeys

Mark Lewis was dying to find monkeys. Millions of lives were at risk around the world.

Lewis, CEO of Bioqual, was responsible for supplying the lab overalls to pharmaceutical companies like Moderna and Johnson & Johnson that animals needed to develop their COVID-19 vaccines. Last year, when the coronavirus swept through the United States, almost no monkeys were bred around the world specifically bred for this purpose.

In the absence of a supply of monkeys for scientific purposes, which can cost more than $ 10,000 each, nearly a dozen companies had to do everything possible to find these animal species at the height of the pandemic.

“We lost jobs because we couldn’t take care of the animals during that time,” said Lewis.

The world needs monkeys, primates with very human DNA, to develop vaccines against COVID-19. However, a recent ban on the sale of wild animals from China, the main supplier of laboratory animals, has exacerbated a global shortage caused by unexpected demand due to the pandemic.

The recent shortage has rekindled the debate over the creation of a strategic monkey reserve in the United States, an emergency reserve that resembles the government-maintained oil and grain reserves.

As new variants of the coronavirus threaten to obsolete the current amount of vaccines, scientists are looking for new monkey sources and the US is reassessing its reliance on China, a rival with its own biotech ambitions.

The pandemic has cleared China’s control over the supply of emergency products, including the masks and medicines the United States needs in a crisis.

American scientists have searched both private and government-funded facilities in Southeast Asia and Mauritius, a tiny island in Southeast Africa, for their preferred subjects, the rhesus and cynomolgus macaques, also known as long-tailed macaques.

However, no country can compensate for the supply from China. Prior to the 2019 pandemic, China supplied more than 60 percent of the 33,818 primates, mostly cynomolgus macaques, that were imported into the United States. This is based on analyst estimates based on data from the Centers for Control and Management. Disease prevention.

The United States has up to 25,000 laboratory monkeys – mostly pink-faced rhesus monkeys – in its seven primate centers. Since the pandemic began, between 600 and 800 of these animals have been the subject of coronavirus research.

According to scientists, monkeys are ideal samples to study COVID-19 vaccines before testing on humans. Primates share more than 90 percent of our DNA and, thanks to their biology, can be tested with nasal swabs and scanned lungs. Scientists say finding a substitute for testing COVID-19 vaccines is nearly impossible, despite drugs like dexamethasone, the steroid ex-president Donald Trump who self-medicated, have been tested on hamsters.

In the past, the United States turned to India for supplying rhesus monkeys. In 1978 India stopped exporting after the Indian press reported that the overalls were being used for military testing in the United States. Pharmaceutical companies were looking for an alternative.

In the end they reached China.

The pandemic disrupted the decades-long relationship between American scientists and Chinese suppliers.

“The closure of the Chinese market forced everyone to turn to less available animals,” said Lewis.

For years, several airlines, including large American ones, have also refused to transport animals used in medical research because animal rights activists oppose it.

Meanwhile, the price of a cynomolgus monkey has more than doubled year over year and is well over $ 10,000, according to Lewis. Scientists researching cures for other diseases such as Alzheimer’s and AIDS say their work has been delayed as coronavirus researchers prioritize animals.

Due to the shortage, more and more American scientists have begun to urge the government to ensure steady supplies for the animals.

Skip Bohm, assistant director and chief veterinarian of the National Primate Research Center at Tulane University outside of New Orleans, noted that the strategic ape sanctuary debate among directors of the national primate research centers began about 10 years ago. However, due to the time and money involved in starting a breeding program, a reserve was never created.

“Our idea was something like a strategic oil reserve in the sense that there is a lot, a lot of fuel that is only used in an emergency,” said Bohm.

With the discovery of new variants of the virus that could resume the race for a vaccine, scientists say the government must take immediate action to create the reserve.

“The strategic monkey reserve is exactly what we need to fight COVID and we just don’t have it,” said Keith Reeves, principal researcher at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Virology and Vaccine Research.

However, a strong strategic reserve may not be able to meet stratospheric demand for laboratory animals, researchers in China have found. Even with a reserve of around 45,000 monkeys under state control, researchers from China say they are struggling with shortages.

Researchers often collect hundreds of samples from a single monkey whose tissues can be frozen for years and examined over long periods of time. Scientists say they make the most of every animal, but monkeys infected with COVID-19 cannot return to live with other healthy animals and must ultimately be euthanized.

In January, Shen Weiguo, CEO of Shanghai Tech Venture Capital Group, told local lawmakers that the city’s three major biomedical companies needed and did not have 2,750 research monkeys, according to a media report last year. The deficit is set to grow 15 percent annually for the next five years, Shen said.

Hubei Topgene Biotechnology breeds monkeys for its own research and for export. The US used to be the main export destination, but currently the company does not have enough animals to conduct its own experiments, said Yan Shuo, sales director.

“Now it’s not even about money,” said Yan. “We don’t even have monkeys to sell abroad.”

The United States has seven primate research centers nationwide where animals, when not involved in the research, live in colonies with access to nature and enrichment activities. The facilities are affiliated with universities and funded by the National Institutes of Health. For years, animal rights activists have accused the centers of abuse, such as separating boys and mothers.

Matthew R. Bailey, president of the National Association for Biomedical Research, said he was preparing to introduce the monkey shortage problem to the Biden administration. Bailey mentioned that China’s decision to halt exports at the start of the pandemic “was likely a prudent emergency maneuver,” but suggested that China could export again now that the virus is known to be spreading.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the ban has no specific targets, species, or countries.

“If the international situation improves and conditions for import and export are met, China will carefully consider resuming imports and exports and other related activities,” the ministry said in a statement.

Experts said the United States had some responsibility for not having enough research monkeys.

Budgets for national primate centers have been stable or declining for more than a decade. Koen Van Rompay, an infectious disease expert at the California National Primate Research Center, said the federal government asked the center to expand its breeding colonies about ten years ago but did not provide further funding, so the colony ended up declining.

“In several cases we have given birth controls to our women,” said Van Rompay. “So fewer babies were born in the spring.”

In a panel hosted by the National Institutes of Health in December 2018, scientists discussed the challenges facing American primate care. It was then determined that “if China decides to shut the faucet, we will be in serious trouble,” said Jeffrey Roberts, assistant director of the California National Primate Research Center.

Participants “agreed that the need to breed cynomolgus macaques in the country is essential and, if not met, could jeopardize biomedical research in the United States as a whole,” said a session report. “They stressed that it may be too late to meet these needs, but it will certainly be in a few months.”

Amber Wang and Elsie Chen helped with the investigation.

Sui-Lee Wee is the New York Times correspondent in Singapore. She has covered China for nearly a decade, writing on social issues, gender, genetic surveillance, health care, and the interface between demographics and the economy. @ Suilee

Categories
Health

How To Ritualize Tea Time

How To Ritualize Tea Time

Here’s how to develop your own tea ritual.

This is not a cosplay of “Downton Abbey”. While tea is being practiced around the world in ceremonies, protocols and rituals, the type of tea time is personal. Mr Rogers drank hot cranberry juice from his mugs so you can do anything (just avoid the hallucinogenic ayahuasca). The famous British version of afternoon tea can be as imposing as the fine bone china and the three-tiered towers of snacks. In contrast, goûter, France’s teatime equivalent, often contains a casual bar of chocolate in a baguette. Chado, Japan’s tea ritual, favors calm over decadence.

Tea is often paired with snacks, which can be sweet (pastries) or savory (finger sandwiches). Indian tea culture has a particularly large selection of snacks, including miniature samosas made from dried fruit and chakli, a fried spiral made from spiced lentils. For scones, Ms. Reeves recommends freezing them raw and baking them individually in a toaster.

Mana Reshamwala, a Japanese who lives in Durham, NC, carves an hour for tea time with a local friend every other Thursday, complementing a meditative activity like gardening or knitting. Their green tea, drunk from earthenware Hagi-Yaki cups, is traditional. The rest is personal. “It’s very mana time,” she said. “Just my time.” When asked what other personal time she has, Ms. Reshamwala, mother of two young boys, laughed.

Ataya, Senegal’s tea ceremony, can last three hours. However, most practical tea times are around 30 minutes. The most common time is 3:30 PM or 4:00 PM, but do whatever works for you. Maybe like with Oprah Winfrey, your tea time is a morning chai. For late lunches or those with particularly high stakes in the morning, the elevation at 11 a.m. may be more appropriate. But teatime can just as easily be a calming sip of chamomile before bed.

There is a lot of equipment. And apparently 24 million ways to make tea. But here are some guides. Boiling water will ruin green or oolong teas, Ms. Reeves said. Teas have different soak times, averaging three minutes, she added, but check the packaging instructions (oolong teas are great for multiple soaks). If you steep too long, you can add more water. Tea enthusiasts appreciate loose leaves over tea bags. A BBC research into optimal tea recommended five-minute steps and found that the same tea tasted sweeter from a red mug than from a white one.

Categories
Business

How you can stream the awards present with out cable

How to stream the awards show without cable

Golden Globe trophies are featured on stage ahead of the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards nominations announcement on December 9, 2019 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

ROBYN BECK | AFP | Getty Images

The 78th Golden Globes kick off Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

The ceremony, which honors the best of television and film, shows much of what people saw during the 2020 pandemic lockdown.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, veteran hosts of the Globes, will lead the event. Fey will be seen live at New York’s Rainbow Room and Poehler at the Beverly Hilton.

The Hollywood Foreign Press previously announced that Jane Fonda would receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award and Norman Lear would receive the Carol Burnett Award. One of the closely observed categories is the directing category, in which three women were nominated for the first time.

For those looking to get ready for the annual awards show but don’t have a cable, there are plenty of options.

The ceremony can be streamed on:

  • year
  • Hulu with live TV
  • YouTube TV
  • AT&T TV
  • Sling TV
  • Fubo TV
  • NBC’s website, app, or streaming service Peacock

There won’t be a traditional red carpet this year, just like the Emmy Awards last September, as those who would normally have been invited to the ceremony will be staying at home due to the ongoing epidemic. However, some broadcasters use the hours leading up to the ceremony to count down top red carpet outfits, memorable Golden Globe moments, and nominations for interviews.

Like the Emmys, the nominees will stay at home and only a handful of presenters will be live from the location.

The full list of nominees for this year’s Golden Globes can be found here.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.

Categories
Health

Israeli information counsel mass vaccinations led to drop in extreme Covid instances, CDC examine finds

Israeli data suggest mass vaccinations led to drop in severe Covid cases, CDC study finds

An Israeli health worker from Maccabi Healthcare Services prepares to administer a dose of the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine in Tel Aviv on February 24, 2021.

Jack Guez | AFP | Getty Images

Data from Israel, which vaccinated the vast majority of its elderly population with the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, suggests that mass vaccination has prevented people from getting seriously ill, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While clinical studies have shown the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to be 95% effective at preventing Covid-19, the Israeli data provide early insight into the vaccine’s effectiveness in an uncontrolled, real-world setting.

The study, published Friday in the CDC’s weekly report on morbidity and mortality, found that among the most vaccinated portion of the Israeli population, the percentage of patients requiring ventilation has dropped dramatically, suggesting a reduction in the serious illness.

“Taken together, these results suggest a reduced rate of severe COVID-19 after vaccination,” wrote researchers from Ben Gurion University in the Negev, Tel Aviv University and Maccabi Healthcare Services.

Israel launched its national vaccination campaign in December, prioritizing people aged 60 and over, healthcare workers and people with comorbid illnesses. By February, according to the researchers, 84% of the population aged 70 and over had been fully immunized with the Pfizer-BioNTech two-shot vaccine. Only 10% of the population under the age of 50 had been vaccinated at any one time, the researchers said.

The researchers compared the number of Covid-19 patients aged 70 and over who needed a mechanical ventilator with those under 50 who needed a ventilator. The researchers said they needed a ventilator, a medical tool that helps patients breathe, to measure severe Covid-19.

Between October and February, the number of patients aged 70 and over who needed a ventilator decreased. At the same time, the number of people under the age of 50, a generally unvaccinated population, who needed a ventilator, the study found. The country began using gunshots on mostly elderly people on December 20. A second round of shooting followed three weeks later.

The researchers noted some limitations to the study. Israel put in place a strict national stay-at-home order on Jan. 8, weeks after the vaccination campaign began, which could have resulted in a decline in seriously ill patients who would have needed ventilators. The introduction of new variants of the coronavirus could also have affected the data.

The researchers said their results are preliminary, “important evidence of the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing severe cases of COVID-19 at the national level in Israel”.

“Getting COVID-19 vaccines to eligible individuals can help limit the spread of disease and potentially reduce the incidence of serious diseases,” they write.

Categories
World News

U.S. to supply extra element on actions in opposition to Saudi Arabia

U.S. to provide more detail on actions against Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks during the Future Investment Initiative Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 24, 2018.

To contact Algaloud Reuters

The State Department will provide additional information on action against Saudi Arabia on Monday after a U.S. intelligence report found the Crown Prince responsible for the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, a White House official told NBC News.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday imposed visa restrictions on 76 Saudi people believed to have “threatened overseas dissidents, including but not limited to the murder of Khashoggi”.

The office of the director of the National Intelligence Service released a report on Friday that found that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the operation that killed Khashoggi. The report cited the Crown Prince’s control over decision-making in Saudi Arabia.

However, the New York Times reported Friday that the Biden government would not punish the crown prince for Khashoggi’s murder. The White House ruled that such measures would create excessive costs for US-Saudi Arabia cooperation on counter-terrorism and confrontation with Iran, according to the Times.

When asked on Saturday whether the US would punish the crown prince, Biden said the government would make an announcement on Monday about relations with Saudi Arabia. However, a White House official clarified that the announcement will include additional details about the state’s actions on Friday.

“The recalibration of relations with Saudi Arabia began on January 20 and is ongoing,” the official told NBC News. “The government took a multitude of new measures on Friday. The President pointed out that the State Department will provide further details on Monday and clarify these announcements, not new announcements.”

Khashoggi, a 59-year-old American and a Washington Post columnist, was a critic of the Saudi royal family. He entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018 and never left.

Khashoggi was killed, his body was dismembered, and his remains were never recovered.

The White House has announced that it will review relations with Saudi Arabia, which were particularly close under former President Donald Trump. In a diplomatic reprimand to the Crown Prince this week, the White House made it clear that Biden does not see 35-year-old bin Salman as his counterpart and will instead have relationships through his aging father, King Salman.

Bin Salman has been the public face of the kingdom since he became Crown Prince in 2017.

– CNBC’s Spencer Kimball contributed to this report

Categories
Politics

Democrats vow to penalize massive companies that do not pay $15 minimal wage

Democrats vow to penalize big corporations that don't pay $15 minimum wage

Senator Bernie Sanders (IV.T.), Chairman of the Budgets Committee, speaks during a U.S. Senate Budgets Committee hearing on large corporation wages on Capitol Hill in Washington February 25, 2021.

Stefani Reynolds | Reuters

Top Democrats are drafting new plans penalizing large corporations who pay their employees less than $ 15 an hour after a Senate official ruled Thursday that the party would not include a wage increase in its $ 1.9 trillion economic bills could.

Democrats, led by Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., And Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Vowed to make changes to the existing aid package that would penalize companies that pay workers below a certain hourly rate.

Sanders swiftly rejected the decision of Senate MP Elizabeth McDonough, who found Thursday night that a proposed $ 15 minimum wage scheme did not meet the stringent budgetary standards imposed as part of the budget reconciliation.

“I do not agree with today’s decision of the Senate MP,” said Sanders in a press release on Thursday. “In the days ahead, I’ll be working with my Senate colleagues to drive a change that will help big, profitable companies that don’t pay workers at least $ 15 an hour have tax deductions and small businesses receive.” Incentives they need to raise wages. “

“This change must be included in this draft reconciliation,” he added.

On Friday morning, Wyden, who is working closely with Sanders on the change, announced more details on “Plan B”.

He said his change, if adopted, would impose a 5% penalty on a large company’s total wage bill for workers earning less than a certain amount. Wyden added that the penalty would increase over time and include safeguards to prevent companies from attempting to outsource workers to avoid paying living wages.

“We couldn’t get in the front door or the back door, so we’ll try to go through the window,” said Wyden of the new plan. “As the talks continue, I believe that this ‘Plan B’ offers us a way to move forward and to achieve this through the reconciliation process.”

The US last raised the minimum wage in 2009 to USD 7.25 per hour.

Wyden, who also chairs the Senate Finance Committee, added that his amendment would give small businesses that pay higher wages to their workers a tax credit of 25% of wages up to $ 10,000 per year per employer.

A senior Democratic adviser confirmed Friday that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., is considering adding a provision to the bill in line with Sanders and Wyden’s proposals.

Though the Democrats made the MP’s decision clearer, Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri is working to pass a new law aimed at raising the minimum wage for workers.

Hawley, who has faced heavy bipartisan criticism for voting to overthrow President Joe Biden’s election, announced on Wednesday a bill that would give low-wage workers a “bonus” through an automatic tax credit tax credit.

Hawley’s office touted the plan as better than a minimum wage hike because it “doesn’t pose a huge new burden on small businesses, many of which are still recovering from damaging closures.”

Senators will have the option to introduce changes to Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion stimulus plan after the House passes the legislation in a vote expected later on Friday in the lower chamber. Democrats hold a slim 50:50 majority in the Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris having the casting vote.

Still, the Senate bill debate is expected to be full of pitfalls, as a single democratic vote against the plan would stall it.

Categories
Business

The Metropolis The place Automobiles Are Not Welcome

The City Where Cars Are Not Welcome

HEIDELBERG, Germany – Eckart Würzner, Mayor looking to make his city emission-free, is not particularly impressed with the promises made by General Motors, Ford and other major automakers to renounce fossil fuels.

Not that Mr Würzner, the mayor of Heidelberg, is against electric cars. The postcard-perfect city in southern Germany offers residents who buy a battery-powered vehicle a bonus of up to 1,000 euros. You will receive an additional € 1,000 if you install a charging station.

However, electric cars are at the bottom of the list of tools Mr. Würzner is using to try to reduce Heidelberg’s impact on the climate. This has given the city the home of Germany’s oldest university and an 800 year old castle ruin, a reputation as a pioneer in environmentally conscious urban planning.

Mr Würzner’s goal is to reduce dependence on cars, regardless of where they get their juice from. Heidelberg is buying a fleet of hydrogen-powered buses, building a network of bicycle highways to the suburbs, and designing neighborhoods to discourage all vehicles and encourage walking. Residents who give up their car can use public transport free of charge for one year.

“If you need a car, use car sharing,” said Würzner in an interview in the Heidelberg town hall in the Baroque style, which was almost deserted due to the pandemic. “If you cannot use car sharing because you live too far outside and there is no mass transport, then use the car, only to the train station and not to the city center.”

Heidelberg is at the forefront of a movement that is probably strongest in Europe but has a presence in numerous communities around the world, including American cities like Austin, Texas and Portland, Ore. The pandemic has given many citizens a taste of what is dense, crowded urban areas would be like without so much traffic, and they like it.

Vows by automakers including GM, Ford Motor, and Jaguar Land Rover to forego fossil fuel abstinence last month are a tacit admission that if they don’t radically clean up their actions, they won’t be welcome in cities at all. Even then, the tide of history could be against them as city planners try to free space that is now occupied by vehicles.

Dozens of cities in Europe, including Rome, London and Paris, plan to limit downtown traffic to zero-emission vehicles over the next decade. Some, like Stockholm and Stuttgart, the German home of Mercedes-Benz, are already banning older diesel vehicles.

National governments are increasing the pressure. Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Slovenia say they will ban the sale of internal combustion cars after 2030. The UK and Denmark say they will do so in 2035, only allowing hybrids after 2030, and Spain and France in 2040.

Such letters of intent “are sure to drive vehicle manufacturers forward,” said Sandra Wappelhorst, a senior researcher at the International Council for Clean Traffic in Berlin who is pursuing plans by companies and governments to phase out internal combustion.

Heidelberg, a city with 160,000 inhabitants on the Neckar, which this month threatened to flood its banks after unusually heavy rainfall, gives an insight into the appearance of a future car-light city.

Heidelberg is one of only six cities in Europe that are categorized as “innovators” by C40 Cities, an organization that promotes climate-friendly urban policy and chaired by Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York. (The others are Oslo, Copenhagen, Venice, and Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.)

Actions taken by the city to make cars irrelevant include building bridges that would allow cyclists to bypass congested areas or cross the Neckar without competing with motor vehicles for road space.

Buildings are also important. The city has reduced the energy use of schools and other urban buildings by 50 percent over the past decade, which is no small feat considering many of the buildings are hundreds of years old.

Battery-powered vehicles don’t pollute the air, but they take up just as much space as gasoline models. Mr Würzner complains that Heidelberg still suffers from traffic jams, even though only about 20 percent of the population use their cars. The rest go for a walk, ride a bike or take the electric buses that drive through the narrow, cobbled streets of the old town.

“Commuters are the main problem that we have not yet solved,” said Würzner. Despite the pandemic, traffic was heavy on a weekday.

Electric cars are also expensive. At current prices, they are inaccessible to lower-income residents. Political leaders must offer affordable alternatives such as public transport or bicycle routes, said Ms. Wappelhorst from the Council for Clean Transport.

“In the end, it’s not just about cars,” she said. “You need the whole package.”

Heidelberg’s kilometer-long pedestrian zone, which is usually overcrowded with tourists but has been almost empty recently due to the pandemic, is considered to be the longest in Germany. The best showcase for the city’s zero-emission ambitions, however, is a former freight yard on the outskirts of the city.

Work on Bahnstadt began in 2009. The vacant lot, which had to be freed from three unexploded bombs from World War II, offered the planners a blank board with which they could create a climate-neutral neighborhood.

The modern multi-family houses, architecturally the opposite of the baroque city center of Heidelberg, are so well insulated that they require almost no energy for heating. The heat they need comes from a system outside the neighborhood that burns waste wood.

Cars are not banned from Bahnstadt, but there is almost no traffic. Most of the streets are dead ends. Apartment buildings are arranged around spacious inner courtyards with playgrounds and connected by sidewalks. The one road that runs through the triangular neighborhood has a top speed of 30 kilometers per hour, or less than 20 miles per hour. Bicycles have right of way.

The Bahnstadt with 5,600 inhabitants, which is still growing, has its own kindergarten and elementary school, a community center, two supermarkets, several bakeries and cafés, two bicycle shops and six car sharing stations with two electric vehicles each. Heidelberg main train station and a tram stop are just a short walk away. A bike path follows the route of an old railway line into the city center.

There are jobs too. Bahnstadt has several large office buildings, one of the tenants of which is the German subsidiary of Reckitt Benckiser, the manufacturer of consumer goods such as Clearasil and Woolite.

“The idea is to return to the classic early town, where life and work are closely linked,” said Ralf Bermich, head of the Heidelberg Environmental Protection Agency.

Dieter Bartmann, who was one of the first to move to Bahnstadt in 2012, owns a car, but he reckons he drove it about 20 kilometers or 12 miles in January, mainly to the supermarket to stock up on bulky staples Carry on the bike.

Mr. Bartmann, a former manager at SAP, the software company headquartered in nearby Walldorf, was sitting on a bench on a promenade that borders on one side of the Bahnstadt. The area is closed to motorized traffic and overlooks farmland. Runners, cyclists and people on inline skates glided by.

It looked idyllic on a sunny winter’s day, but Mr Bartmann, former chairman of the Bahnstadt citizens’ association, said there was still room for improvement.

He would like to do more to keep cars out, for example by blocking that through the street. Some buildings have underground garages, but these are not built for electric cars and do not have easy charging points. The paved promenade is not wide enough, said Bartmann, which leads to conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians.

But he added, “This is a high level complaint. You have to be realistic. “

Mr Würzner, the mayor, said his goal was to make Heidelberg climate neutral by 2030, an ambitious goal. The city is planning to generate its own wind and solar energy and is installing a hydrogen filling station for a fleet of 42 buses that run on hydrogen fuel cells. The city wanted to order hundreds of buses, but Mr. Würzner complained that bus manufacturers had been slow to respond to the demand for zero-emission means of transport.

“We can’t get enough,” he said. (Daimler, which manufactures buses in Neu-Ulm, about two and a half hours from Heidelberg, does not yet sell a city bus that runs exclusively on hydrogen.)

Mr Würzner, who drives an experimental hydrogen-powered Mercedes, admitted that not every city can afford to do all the things that have made Heidelberg a showcase for environmentally friendly planning. The University of Heidelberg, one of the most renowned universities in Germany, has produced numerous research institutes that offer a solid tax base. The residents are usually well educated and wealthy.

“It is true that the city is in a pretty good financial position,” said Würzner.

But he said he had often heard from mayors in Europe, the United States, and Asia who wanted to emulate Heidelberg’s strategy.

“We all know we have to go in that direction,” he said. “It’s just a matter of how fast.”

Categories
Health

In Quest for Herd Immunity, Big Vaccination Websites Proliferate

In Quest for Herd Immunity, Giant Vaccination Sites Proliferate

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – Da die Versorgung mit Coronavirus-Impfstoffen in den nächsten Monaten voraussichtlich ansteigen wird, beeilen sich Staaten und Städte, Massenimpfstellen zu eröffnen, an denen täglich Tausende von Schüssen in die Arme der Amerikaner injiziert werden können, ein Ansatz der Biden-Regierung hat sich als entscheidend für die Erreichung der Herdenimmunität in einer Nation von 330 Millionen Menschen erwiesen.

Die Federal Emergency Management Agency hat sich ebenfalls angeschlossen: Sie hat kürzlich dazu beigetragen, sieben Mega-Standorte in Kalifornien, New York und Texas zu eröffnen, sich auf aktive Truppen zu verlassen, um sie zu besetzen, und viele weitere zu planen. Einige Massenstandorte, darunter das Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles und das State Farm Stadium in einem Vorort von Phoenix, zielen darauf ab, mindestens 12.000 Menschen pro Tag zu injizieren, sobald die Versorgung hochgefahren ist. Die in Phoenix ist bereits rund um die Uhr in Betrieb.

Die Websites sind ein Zeichen für die zunehmende Dynamik bei der Impfung jedes willigen amerikanischen Erwachsenen. Der Einzeldosis-Impfstoff von Johnson & Johnson hat am Samstag die Notfallgenehmigung der Food and Drug Administration erhalten, und sowohl Moderna als auch Pfizer haben bis zum Frühjahr viel größere wöchentliche Impfstofflieferungen versprochen. Präsident Biden möchte nicht nur Massenstandorte nutzen, sondern auch, dass Apotheken, Gemeinschaftskliniken, die den armen und mobilen Impfstellen dienen, eine wichtige Rolle bei der Erhöhung der Impfrate spielen.

Da bisher nur etwa 9 Prozent der Erwachsenen vollständig geimpft sind, kann die Art der Massenstandorte von entscheidender Bedeutung sein, da immer mehr Menschen für die Impfstoffe in Frage kommen und sich in den USA mehr infektiöse Varianten des Virus vermehren.

Aber während die Standorte die Impfung beschleunigen, um die derzeit überwältigende Nachfrage zu befriedigen, gibt es klare Anzeichen dafür, dass sie eine andere Herausforderung nicht bewältigen können: die vielen Amerikaner, die schwieriger zu erreichen sind und die möglicherweise nur ungern die Impfung erhalten Schüsse.

Die Durchfahr-Massenimpfstelle auf einer nicht mehr existierenden Landebahn hier in East Hartford, außerhalb der Hauptstadt von Connecticut, zeigt das Versprechen und die Nachteile des Ansatzes.

Der Standort, der von einer gemeinnützigen Gesundheitsklinik betrieben wird, hat sich seit seiner Eröffnung vor sechs Wochen zu einem der größten Vertreiber von Schüssen im Bundesstaat entwickelt. Seine Effizienz hat dazu beigetragen, dass Connecticut zu einer Erfolgsgeschichte wurde. Nur Alaska, New Mexico, West Virginia und die Dakotas haben mehr Dosen pro 100.000 Einwohner verabreicht.

Die meisten Leute, die Massenseiten betreiben, lernen im laufenden Betrieb. Die Suche nach genügend Impfstoffen, die für einige Standorte bereits eine Herausforderung darstellen, könnte zu einem größeren Problem werden, wenn sie sich vermehren. Lokale Gesundheitsdienstleister oder Glaubensgemeinschaften, die in Gemeinden verwurzelt sind, werden wahrscheinlich weitaus effektiver Menschen erreichen, die sich vor den Schüssen in Acht nehmen. Und viele der riesigen Websites funktionieren nicht für Menschen, denen Autos oder der einfache Zugang zu öffentlichen Verkehrsmitteln fehlen.

“Hochmotivierte Menschen, die ein Fahrzeug haben – es funktioniert hervorragend für sie”, sagte Dr. Rodney Hornbake, der sowohl als Impfstoff als auch als Sanitäter am Standort East Hartford fungiert, auf der Suche nach Nebenwirkungen. “Sie können nicht mit einem Stadtbus hierher kommen.”

Susan Bissonnette, die verantwortliche Krankenschwester, bereitete vor Tagesanbruch an einem rauen Morgen genügend Fläschchen mit dem Pfizer-Impfstoff und dem Verdünnungsmittel für die ersten paar hundert Schüsse des Tages vor. Um 7:45 Uhr umgab ihr Team sie im Halbkreis, stampfte den Schnee von ihren Stiefeln und wärmte ihre Finger für die Stunden der Injektionen, die vor ihnen lagen.

“Wir werden mit 40 Fläschchen beginnen, acht pro Anhänger”, rief Frau Bissonnette der Gruppe von 19 Krankenschwestern, einem Arzt und einem unterbeschäftigten Zahnarzt zu, die sich freiwillig gemeldet hatten, um zu helfen. „Okay, denk dran, es ist Pfizer, oder? Punkt drei Milliliter, richtig? “

Die Website impft an einem guten Tag etwa 1.700 Menschen, auch weil Connecticut klein ist und weniger Dosen erhält als viele andere Bundesstaaten. Es ist eine gut geölte Maschine, bei der ein paar Dutzend Nationalgarde-Truppen Autos auf zehn Fahrspuren lenken, Leute einchecken, die im Voraus Termine vereinbaren müssen, und sicherstellen, dass sie einen medizinischen Fragebogen ausgefüllt haben, bevor sie die Landebahn hinunter zu ihren fahren Schüsse.

Truppen überwachen auch den Bereich am Ende der Landebahn, in dem die Menschen nach ihren Schüssen 15 Minuten warten – oder 30 Minuten, wenn sie in der Vergangenheit Allergien hatten -, wenn schwerwiegende Reaktionen auftreten.

Dazwischen befinden sich die Impfstoffe, zwei pro Fahrspur, die zwischen stoßenden Armen ein- und ausgeschaltet werden. Wenn sie sich aufwärmen müssen, ziehen sie sich in beheizte Anhänger zurück, um Dosen zu erstellen und Impfkarten auszufüllen.

“Wenn Sie einfach mit 10 Fahrspuren öffnen, wird es ein Chaos sein, wenn Sie nicht überall an Kontrollpunkten Teams haben, die den von Ihnen festgelegten Plan ausführen”, sagte Mark Masselli, Präsident und Geschäftsführer des Community Health Center. Das Unternehmen eröffnete am 18. Januar den Standort East Hartford und hat seitdem zwei kleinere Versionen in Stamford und Middletown eröffnet. “Sie müssen einige Gruppen zusammen heiraten – Leute mit Sinn für Gesundheitsversorgung und Leute mit Sinn für Logistik.”

Die Baustelle kam in sechs Tagen zusammen, als die Mitarbeiter von Herrn Masselli frenetisch mit dem Staat zusammenarbeiteten, um Anhänger, Generatoren, Lichter, ein drahtloses Netzwerk, tragbare Badezimmer, Verkehrszeichen und Tausende von orangefarbenen Kegeln zu installieren, um die Fahrspuren zu markieren. Jeder Mitarbeiter verfügt über zwei wichtige Geräte: ein Walkie-Talkie zur Kommunikation mit allen Stationen und Aufsichtspersonen und ein iPad zur Überprüfung von Terminen oder zur Eingabe von Informationen zu jedem Patienten in eine Datenbank.

Aktualisiert

Apr. 28, 2021, 12:03 Uhr ET

Der Impfstoff, den sie verwenden, ist der von Pfizer, was die Komplexität erhöht, da er bei minus 70 Grad Fahrenheit gelagert werden muss. Die Versorgung wird in einem ultrakalten Gefrierschrank aufbewahrt, den das Community Health Center im angrenzenden Fußballstadion der Universität von Connecticut installiert hat. Frau Bissonnette und andere Vorgesetzte rasen dort mehrmals täglich in holprigen Golfwagen, um weitere Fläschchen zu holen, die bei Raumtemperatur nur zwei Stunden halten.

Die ersten Autos rollen um 8:30 Uhr ein, oft gefahren von den erwachsenen Kindern oder Enkelkindern derjenigen, die Schüsse bekommen.

Durchfahrtskliniken können für die Infektionskontrolle besser sein, sagen einige Experten – Menschen rollen ihre Autofenster nur für die Injektion herunter – und komfortabler als in der Schlange zu stehen. Aber einen Monat nach dem Bestehen der Connecticut-Site sind auch ihre Schwächen klar.

Auf der stark befahrenen Straße, die zum Standort führt, kann der Verkehr knurren, und bei schlechtem Wetter kann der Verkehr unterbrochen werden, sodass Hunderte von Terminen kurzfristig verschoben werden müssen. Die fleckige Impfstoffversorgung, die die Standorte in Kalifornien vor kurzem für einige Tage geschlossen hat, kann ebenfalls Chaos anrichten.

Noch wichtiger ist, dass Sie ein Auto, Benzingeld und für einige ältere Menschen einen Fahrer benötigen, um von und zur Baustelle zu gelangen. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt machen Weiße 82 Prozent derjenigen aus, die am Standort East Hartford nach Schüssen suchen, gegenüber 90 Prozent Anfang Februar. Ihre Überrepräsentation ist teilweise darauf zurückzuführen, dass die jetzt förderfähige ältere Bevölkerung weniger vielfältig ist als der Staat insgesamt.

Um die Probleme des Zugangs und der Gerechtigkeit anzugehen, eröffnet die FEMA viele ihrer neuen Massenstandorte in einkommensschwachen, stark schwarzen und lateinamerikanischen Gegenden, in denen die Angst vor dem Impfstoff höher ist, die Impfraten niedriger sind und vielen Menschen Autos fehlen. Zusätzlich zu seinen Massenstandorten plant das Community Health Center, das eine große Anzahl armer und nicht versicherter Menschen in Kliniken im ganzen Bundesstaat versorgt, kleine mobile Teams in die Nachbarschaft zu schicken, um die Reichweite seiner Impfungen zu erhöhen.

Der Standort in East Hartford hat mehrere Dutzend temporäre Krankenschwestern eingestellt und seine Zahnärzte und Zahnhygieniker geschult, um bei den Aufnahmen zu helfen. Dennoch bleibt die tägliche Besetzung des Standorts mit 22 Impfstoffen eine Herausforderung, die auf nationaler Ebene zunehmen wird, wenn mehr Menschen für die Aufnahmen in Frage kommen.

Dr. Marcus Plescia, der Chefarzt der Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, sagte, die Notwendigkeit von Massenimpfstellen könnte abnehmen, da immer mehr niedrig hängende Früchte – Amerikaner, die hoch motiviert sind, sich so schnell wie möglich impfen zu lassen möglich – wird ausgewählt.

“Ich denke, sie haben in der gegenwärtigen Situation der Nachfrage, die das Angebot deutlich übersteigt, gut funktioniert und sich auf viele Menschen gestützt, die sich impfen lassen wollen”, sagte Dr. Plescia. “Wenn das Angebot steigt und wir die Eifrigen geimpft haben, stellen wir möglicherweise fest, dass Einstellungen mit geringerem Volumen vorzuziehen sind.”

Mobile Impfkliniken werden einen Teil des Impfstoffs zögernd erreichen. Dr. Plescia sagte jedoch, dass Menschen, die unsicher und ängstlich sind, am besten von Arztpraxen oder kommunalen Gesundheitszentren bedient werden, wo sie mit bekannten Gesundheitsdienstleistern darüber sprechen können.

“Sie sind nicht da, um Sie zu beraten”, sagte er über Massenstandorte. “Du gehst, um den Schuss zu bekommen, Ende der Geschichte.”

Dr. Nicole Lurie, die unter Präsident Barack Obama die stellvertretende Gesundheitsministerin für Bereitschaft und Reaktion war, sagte, anstatt nur die FEMA um Hilfe zu bitten, sollten die Regierungen von Bundesstaaten und Kommunen Beiträge von privaten Unternehmen einholen, die es gewohnt sind, große Menschenmengen in Bewegung zu halten – und sie gleichzeitig zu halten sicher und glücklich.

In einem solchen Beispiel hat das Unternehmen, das die Massenimpfstellen in Boston betreibt, einen Vertrag mit der Event-Management-Firma abgeschlossen, die den Boston-Marathon für die tägliche Logistik durchführt. Mehrere Unternehmen, die große Coronavirus-Tests durchgeführt haben, sind ebenfalls an Massenimpfungen beteiligt.

“Diese Standorte müssen motiviert werden, um dies für den Kunden zu einer guten Erfahrung zu machen, insbesondere da sie mit einem Impfstoff mit zwei Dosen arbeiten”, sagte Dr. Lurie. “Wenn es wirklich ein Schmerz im Nacken ist, warum sollten Sie ein paar Wochen später wieder in der Schlange stehen?”

Die meisten Standorte geben an, dass ihre größte Herausforderung darin besteht, nicht genügend Angebot zu haben, um die Nachfrage zu befriedigen. Angesichts der bis Ende Mai versprochenen 315 Millionen weiteren Pfizer- und Moderna-Dosen und der Zusage von Johnson & Johnson, den Vereinigten Staaten bis Ende Juni 100 Millionen Dosen ihres neu zugelassenen Impfstoffs zur Verfügung zu stellen, könnte diese Beschwerde in Kürze verblassen.

Das größte Problem für die Website in East Hartford war das System zur Buchung von Terminen, eine klobige Online-Registrierung namens VAMS, die in etwa 10 Bundesstaaten verwendet wird. Vielen Menschen ab 65 Jahren fiel es so schwer, sich darin zurechtzufinden, dass die meisten am Ende 211, die Telefonnummer für die Unterstützung von Gesundheits- und Sozialdiensten, anrufen, um stattdessen Termine zu vereinbaren.

Im Laufe der Stunden werden die ewig lächelnden Impfstoffe in East Hartford müde – und manchmal eiskalt. Aber manchmal gibt es unerwartete Impulse, zum Beispiel als der 65-jährige John Rudy mit seiner Mutter Antoinette auf dem Rücksitz vorfuhr.

“Wir haben einen 100-Jährigen!” Jean Palin, eine Krankenschwester, gab bekannt, als sie Frau Rudys Schuss vorbereitete.

Die Site schließt normalerweise um 16 Uhr, aber es gab ein Problem: An diesem Tag, mitten in einer verschneiten Woche, gab es mehr Nichterscheinen als gewöhnlich, und es gab 30 nicht verwendete Dosen. Die Krankenschwestern vor Ort sprachen davon, auch von Leuten, die in einem nahe gelegenen Big-Box-Laden arbeiteten und nicht alle in Frage kamen, sich aber für einen Impfstoff qualifizieren konnten, wenn die Alternative darin bestand, ihn wegzuwerfen.

“Es ist nur ein Präzisionsspiel gegen Ende des Tages”, sagte Frau Bissonnette.

Um 5:15 Uhr fuhr der 63-jährige Greg Gaudet vor Aufregung tränenreich vor. Er hatte von einer der Krankenschwestern, einer ehemaligen Klassenkameradin der Highschool, erfahren, dass ein Schuss verfügbar war.

“Ich habe einen glücklicherweise ruhenden Krebs, aber meine Immunität ist niedrig”, sagte Herr Gaudet, ein Architekt, dessen Form von Leukämie vor sechs Jahren diagnostiziert wurde. “Ich bin so dankbar.”

Wie viel die Website im Laufe der Zeit kosten wird, bleibt “eine Frage, die wir gerne bearbeiten”, sagte Masselli. Das Community Health Center gab ungefähr 500.000 US-Dollar für die Einrichtung aus und gibt ungefähr 50.000 US-Dollar pro Woche für Arbeit und andere Kosten aus. Es erhält eine Gebühr für jeden Schuss, für den es eine Versicherung in Rechnung stellen kann – der Medicare-Preis beträgt 16,94 USD für die erste Dosis und 28,39 USD für die zweite Dosis -, rechnet jedoch auch mit der Erstattung der Startkosten und anderer Kosten durch den Staat und die FEMA.

Dennoch haben die Kosten Herrn Masselli nicht davon abgehalten, sich eine Erweiterung vorzustellen.

»Da drüben ist noch eine Landebahn«, sagte er und deutete hinter sich. „Zwischen den beiden konnten wir mit zwei Schichten 10.000 pro Tag machen. Der 14. März ist Sommerzeit. Wir werden wärmeres Wetter aufnehmen, mehr Licht. Das Timing ist richtig. “

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Business

Hemphill Brothers pivots RV leases from rock stars to vacationers throughout Covid

Hemphill Brothers pivots RV rentals from rock stars to tourists during Covid

The Hemphill Brothers Coach Company knows a thing or two about how celebrities live on the streets. The Nashville-based RV company, run by brothers Joey and Trent Hemphill, has been building and equipping luxury tour buses for 40 years, promoting an A-list of megastars ranging from Taylor Swift, Oprah, Dolly Parton and Beyonce to former US presidents.

“2020 was our best year yet. It has already been booked as our biggest year in our company’s history,” said Trent Hemphill when CNBC first caught up with Hemphill in October.

When the coronavirus pandemic led to the sudden cancellation of concerts across the country in early March 2020, RV rentals booked with them totaling $ 30 million for musicians on tour went out the door. “My brother and I have been through many things together in this business, but none of the above,” said Trent Hemphill.

American Bus Association data estimates that the 75% to 80% decline in tour bus journeys since mid-March 2020 has been canceled due to the pandemic, a loss of nearly $ 5 billion to the US entertainment bus industry, which includes tour buses Organizers and tour operators.

The Hemphills grew up touring as a successful family gospel group before borrowing money from their father in 1980 to buy their first bus for rent. Now they have over 100 buses. The Hemphill Brothers Coach Company is located in Nashville, Tenn.

Brothers Joey and Trent Hemphill entered the RV business in 1980 with just one bus. The Nashville-based fleet now includes more than 100 coaches and over 200 employees, and has a long list of celebrity A-list customers.

Hemphill Brothers Coach Company

Business was booming in the first five months of 2019, with 95% of the Hemphill fleet on the open road. But in early 2020, “not a single RV left the lot for three months,” said Joey Hemphill. “We were seen as essential transportation for the government. But there was no business.”

“The most painful thing we ever had to do was lay off employees. We had to be very nimble and cut costs immediately and find a way to get to the other side,” he added.

So the brothers put their heads together and decided to do something they had never done before: create a social media presence and start marketing their buses to the masses.

“We’re dealing with tour managers. Dealing with the public is something we’ve never done in our 40 years. So it was all new to us,” said Joey Hemphill.

“We said our equipment can be used by the public who don’t even know we exist. We just need to get the message across,” added Trent Hemphill.

To cause a stir, the brothers came up with the idea of ​​”Travel Like a Rock Star” to market their luxury RVs to American tourists and travelers looking for an alternative to air travel during the pandemic.

“This has not only generated revenue for the company, but also for our employees and drivers,” said Trent Hemphill. The “Rockstar Experience” went viral – and the Hemphills said they had closed dozen of tourist road trip rentals in the past year and through 2021.

The buses resemble a rolling five-star hotel, and drivers can choose between several layouts. The “Sternbus” offers space for up to 12 people and even for pets. Every part of the bus can be closed for privacy reasons. The brothers said that every bus is “extremely bespoke” and “no two buses are the same”.

The famous Hemphill Brothers motorhomes are equipped with high quality materials and decorations such as real leather, hardwood floors, granite, marble and quartz. The lavish buses are aimed at luxury travelers looking for the ultimate in comfort on the road.

Hemphill Brothers Coach Company

Hemphill buses offer travelers a ride in luxury: each motorhome is fitted with high quality finishes, including real leather, hardwood floors, granite, marble and quartz.

The cost of renting the camper starts between $ 1,200 and $ 1,500 per day, depending on the mileage. Driver, fuel, and utilities are included, and drivers can meet travelers in their homes anywhere in the Americas

Trent Hemphill said the advantages of traveling by road over an airplane are numerous. “You only have to pack once,” and passengers wake up at their next destination in the morning while the bus travels overnight, “he added.” Our drivers are so good at giving you such a smooth ride. They don’t even know you’re moving. “

“Personally, I sleep better on a bus than at home,” said Joey Hemphill.

Who else slept on a Hemphill bus? The same company that made superstar Taylor Swift’s first tour bus made the last built by country legend Merle Haggard.

The buses are sterilized before each trip and the drivers are tested for Covid before each trip and spend the night in pre-arranged accommodations between the destinations. Prices may vary based on a person’s schedule and itinerary, or travelers can opt for a tailored itinerary.

The Calderon family said when their South Africa trip derailed due to the pandemic, one of the best decisions would be to rent a Hemphill bus for the same amount of money and take a tour overland.

“We have been all over the world and had some great vacations. I think we had no idea that we would come back and say of all the trips we have made in our lives that this was our favorite,” said Karla Calderon.

Karla, her husband Rafael, and their two young children rode their Hemphill bus west for 12 days, starting in Nashville and ending in Yosemite National Park. “We always want to travel outside of the US and see all of these things. This [trip] reminded me that this country is amazing, “said Rafael Calderon.

The Hemphill Brothers said they have also increased other revenue streams through sales of used equipment and custom interior modifications and remodeling for outside customers. The company said this helped offset some of the loss in rental income during the pandemic and enabled them to get employees back to work.

Even if live concerts return, the Hemphills plan to keep part of their fleet for tourists.

“We experienced a storm and had to take control of the company again. And we realized that we can still do that.” said Trent Hemphill. “It was a challenge, but it also enlivened him and me a little to see that the decisions we make every day can affect the bottom line of our business. Just like in the beginning. It makes you feel young again.”