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s half of California migrates to Houston (we kid, we kid), more locals are decorating and dressing with a decidedly West Coast aesthetic. Perfect timing, then, for a po[CENSORED]r California brand to roll into one of Houston’s most chic hubs for some stylish fun. Cali-based lifestyle brand Jenni Kayne is stopping by the tony River Oaks District ( (4444 Westheimer Rd.)) to unload special gifts, exclusives, and a personalized shopping experience. The brand is parking it — literally — in a renovated 1956 Airstream. Savvy shoppers can expect to find the latest from the Jenni Kayne spring collection, including the now-cult-favorite fisherman sweaters (they’re huge in spots such as Big Sur and Central and NorCal), mules and clogs, and home decor items such as candles, pillows, and throw blankets. Those stopping by on the weekend can expect special programming and activations, including: Friday, March 26, 10am-6pm The brand will be handing out complimentary floral bouquets from Composto Fiori, while Jenni Kayne rewards members will receive double points Friday, March 26 through Sunday, March 28, 10am-6pm Customers can hop in the Jenni Kayne egg hunt for special gifts and rewards Saturday, March 27, 11am-12pm and 4pm-5pm Florist Composto Fiori will be host live design events with floral arrangement demonstrations Fashionable and deco-minded Houstonians will recognize Jenni Kayne’s California-chic minimalism. The brand boasts nine stores as well as collaborations with brands such as Pottery Barn, Lulu & Georgia, and Parachute. Followers also clamor to the brand’s lifestyle blog Rip & Tan. Kayne herself authored best-selling book Pacific Natural, which focuses on entertaining and includes a foreword by Martha Stewart. Jenni Kayne-branded and renovated homes, showcasing the brand’s aesthetic, can be found in Lake Arrowhead, California.

Much of the travel, we know, is related to people who are going on spring break," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a press briefing. "We're worried not just for what happens when you are on the airplane itself but what happens when people travel. That is, they go out. They mix with people who are not vaccinated." The Transportation Security Administration on Sunday screened over 1.5 million travelers in airports – the highest number seen in over a year. Sunday was also the 11th consecutive day that saw over 1 million screenings. We're so close to vaccinating so many more people," Walensky said. "So I would just encourage people and remind people: Now is not the time to travel." And while travel ticked up, so did the most recent seven-day average of new cases, according to Walensky. "The most recent seven-day average is about 53,800 cases per day, which is a slight increase from the previous seven-day period," she said. [ MAP: The Spread of Coronavirus ] The weekend was the first time that over 3 million people were vaccinated on consecutive days, according to Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for COVID-19 response. Walensky said that relaxing mitigation measures and giving variants the opportunity to widely spread could result in another surge. "We are at a critical point in this pandemic, a fork in the road, where we as a country must decide which path we are going to take," Walensky said. "And I am worried that if we don't take the right actions now, we will have another avoidable surge, just as we are seeing in Europe right now and just as we are so aggressively scaling up vaccination."She added that the CDC is working on updating its guidelines for what activities vaccinated people can resume to include a section on travel. The first iteration of the guidance recommended vaccinated people avoid nonessential travel.

Google's new Wi-Fi Aware functionality, also known as Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN), allows devices running on Android 8.0 (API level 26) and higher to detect and directly connect to each other without any secondary connectivity, such as Bluetooth. Wi-Fi Aware connects devices by grouping together existing devices in a given location or by establishing a new group for devices that are first to enter a location. The Wi-Fi Aware system service manages this function, while apps themselves have no control over grouping behavior. Instead, applications use the Wi-Fi Aware APIs to communicate with the Wi-Fi Aware system service, which manages the device's Wi-Fi Aware hardware. The Wi-Fi Aware APIs enable apps to discover other devices as well as establish the necessary network connection to those devices. The discovery process begins when a single device publishes at least one discoverable service. At that point, once another device subscribes to the first device and enters the publisher's Wi-Fi range, the subscriber receives an update that a matching publisher has been discovered. Once a subscriber identifies a publisher, the subscriber can either send a brief message or initiate a network connection with the discovered device. For coverage purposes, devices can be both publishers and subscribers. Then, as soon as two devices recognize one another, they can generate a bi-directional Wi-Fi Aware network connection without an access point. Wi-Fi Aware network connections offer the advantage of better connection across longer distances than those of Bluetooth. Therefore, this connection is ideal for applications that share large amounts of data among users, such as photo-sharing apps. In order to access Wi-Fi Aware discovery and networking, users can request the following permissions in their apps' manifest: Access WiFi State, Change WiFi State, Access Fine Location, Change Network State, Internet. Next, they can confirm whether their device supports Wi-Fi Aware with the PackManager API. Thirdly, users may check if Wi-Fi Aware is currently available. After all, while Wi-Fi Aware might exist on a device, the device cannot access the functionality if Location or Wi-Fi is disabled. That said, some devices may not support Wi-Fi Aware depending on their firmware and hardware settings, if Wi-Fi Direct, SoftAP or tethering is active. To that end, users should be aware that Wi-Fi Aware availability can change at any time. An application should register BroadcastReceiver to receive Action Wi-Fi Aware State Changed and notify of any availability changes. Once an app receives this notification, all existing sessions should be discarded.

New benchmarks of Intel's 3rd Gen Xeon Platinum 8351N CPU have leaked out which show a huge performance gain over AMD EPYC Rome CPUs when utilizing its AVX-512 instruction set. The Intel Ice Lake-SP Xeon family is scheduled for a formal launch on the 6th of April at the 'How Wonderful Gets Done 2021' event while a sneak peek is expect tomorrow at the 'Intel Unleashed' webcast by CEO, Pat Gelsinger. Intel's 3rd Gen Ice Lake-SP Xeon Platinum 8351N CPU Benchmarked, 65% Performance Uplift Over AMD EPYC Rome When Utilizing AVX-512 Last time, we looked at the benchmarks of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8352S/Y CPUs in both single & dual-socket configurations. The latest benchmarks right now are of a single-socket configured Intel Xeon Platinum 8351N CPU which features 36 cores and 72 threads. The CPU has a base clock of 2.4 GHz and a boost clock of 3.5 GHz. The CPU also carries 54 MB of L3 cache, 45 MB of L2 cache, and a TDP of 225W.The Xeon Platinum 8351N has more cores/threads and higher clocks compared to the Xeon 8352 CPUs and as such, it should feature much higher performance. The CPU was tested in the SANDRA SiSoftware 2021 benchmark suite within the processor Arithmetic & Multi-Media tests. Do note that the Multi-Media test, in particular, makes use of AVX-512 instructions which the Ice Lake-SP CPUs have to offer so we will be looking at a bigger gain compared to non-AVX-512 chips. So let's take a look at the performance results. For comparison, average scores for various other server & workstation processors from the same benchmark database were used. In the processor Arithmetic test, Intel's Ice Lake-SP Xeon Platinum 8351N CPU scored 962.37 GOPS which is an 8% improvement over the 8352S for a 6% clock speed bump and 12% increased core count. Compared to the AMD EPYC 7532 32 core CPU, the Platinum 8351N scores a 19% lead. Moving over to the multi-media test, the Intel Xeon Platinum 8351N ends up 13% faster than the Xeon Platinum 8352S and a massive 65% faster than the AMD EPYC 7542 32 core CPU. This shows the performance uplift that AVX-512 has to offer but the technology does come at a cost and that's power consumption. With AVX-512, you can expect the chip to end up close to 300 Watts or even exceed that limit which further reduces its efficiency compared to AMD EPYC CPUs. Aside from that, AVX-512 workloads are niche in the server segment, and not all cloud/data center environments make use of the technology. We know that AMD is also planning to use AVX3-512 instructions in its future EPYC Genoa chips but right now, we cannot make a valid comparison of the tech against competing chips. All we know is that in standard workloads, the Ice Lake-SP CPUs will end up around 10-20% faster than AMD's 2nd Gen EPYC Rome CPUs but AMD has launched its 3rd Gen EPYC Milan CPUs with Zen 3 cores which offer a big improvement over Rome so it will be a hard time for Intel to make Ice Lake-SP competitive against those parts.

Yesterday, Activision added a new crossbow to Call Of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops – Cold War. Hours later, the publisher took it away. But while you could've blinked and missed it, Activision has promised to refund players who were pouring hours into unlocking the new weapon. As reported by Eurogamer, the R1 Shadowhunter appeared unannounced in Warzone's shop yesterday. While unusable in Warzone itself, the bow could be used in regular Black Ops multiplayer and Zombies after completing a challenge that required you to get three one-shot, one-kill medals in 15 matches with zero attachments. Activision would, of course, remove the crossbow a few hours later—but not before plenty of folks had started pouring hours into unlocking, and then up-leveling, the Shadowhunter.If you bought the crossbow from Warzone's real-money store, you should be getting a refund. The problem, however, lies with folks who had attempted to unlock the weapon for free. The bow's removal also resets all progress for its linked challenge. A Treyarch community manager has confirmed that when the Shadowhunter comes back, everyone will be forced to start over. I'm not sure how much time you'll want to spend with the Shadowhunter once it's finally out. It's a one-hit kill in Cold War (nice), but in Warzone the bolts drop so fast at long-range that lining up a decent shot sounds like a real chore. Not to mention the long reload time—I can brush off a quick death in Cold War, but losing a Battle Royale round because I missed a single bolt is too much pressure. There's no word on when the Shadowhunter will officially release, and there's always a slim hope that Activision could change its mind in letting players keep their premature crossbows.

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — The coughing among the western lowland gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in January was the first warning sign. Soon the fears were confirmed: A troop of gorillas became the first apes known to test positive for the coronavirus. Around the world, many scientists and veterinarians are now racing to protect animals from the coronavirus, often using the same playbook for minimizing disease spread among people: That includes social distancing, health checks and, for some zoo animals, a vaccine. Karen, a 28-year-old orangutan, became the first ape in the world to get a coronavirus vaccine on Jan. 26 at the San Diego Zoo. Karen has received two shots of a vaccine from Zoetis, a veterinary pharmaceutical company in New Jersey, and has shown no adverse reactions. Since then, nine other primates at the San Diego Zoo have been fully vaccinated: five bonobos and four orangutans. Four more animals — one bonobo and three gorillas — got their first shot this month and will get a second one in April. “I was really convinced that we wanted to get that to protect our other great apes,” said the zoo’s wildlife health officer Nadine Lamberski, who explained she felt urgency to act after the eight gorillas fell sick. That virus outbreak was linked to a zookeeper who was infected but had no symptoms. Seven gorillas recovered after a mild cases of sniffles, but one elderly silverback had pneumonia, likely caused by the virus, as well as heart disease. He was put on antibiotics and heart medication, and received an antibody treatment to block the virus from infecting cells. About three dozen zoos across the United States and abroad have put in orders for the Zoetis vaccine, which is formulated to elicit a strong immune response in particular animal species. “We will jump at the opportunity to get the Zoetis vaccine for our own great apes,” said Oakland Zoo’s veterinary director Alex Herman, who is ordering 100 doses. Zoetis got a permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide the doses on an experimental basis to the San Diego Zoo. The company will need to apply for the same permission to provide vaccine to additional zoos. Scientists believe the coronavirus likely originated in wild horseshoe bats, before jumping — perhaps through an intermediary species — to humans. Now many researchers worry that humans may unwittingly infect other susceptible species. “Right now, humans are the main vectors of SARS-CoV-2, with consequences for many animal species,” said Arinjay Banerjee, a disease researcher at McMaster University in Canada. Great apes such as gorillas, which share 98% of their DNA with humans, are especially susceptible, as are felines. So far, confirmed coronavirus cases include gorillas, tigers and lions at zoos; domestic cats and dogs; farmed mink, and at least one wild mink in Utah. Scientists have also experimentally shown that ferrets, racoon dogs and white-tailed deer are susceptible, although pigs and cattle are not. “This could be a conservation concern, especially if the virus began to spread in a wild species with extremely reduced po[CENSORED]tions, like the black-footed ferret,” which is endangered, said Kate Langwig, an infectious disease ecologist at Virginia Tech. Another worry is that virus spread among other species could produce new variants, complicating health authorities’ efforts to curb the pandemic. In Denmark, workers at a mink farm accidentally infected the animals. As the coronavirus spread among the mink, it mutated — and human handlers contracted the new variant. In response, the government ordered millions of mink to be killed. “Mutations happen when there’s a lot of disease transfer going on between animals,” said Scott Weese, a veterinary microbiologist at the Ontario Veterinary College. Many recommended steps to minimize disease spread to animals are familiar: wearing masks and sanitizing shared equipment, regular health checks, and maintaining physical distance. Since the outbreak, the San Diego Zoo and its safari park north of San Diego have installed more fans at its indoor primate areas to increase air circulation. The staff wears double masks and face shields and limits their time indoors with animals. Scientists and conservationists who monitor wild primates have also adapted their daily routines. “Covid-19 has been a wake-up call for the world about the fact that these viruses can go from wild animals to people, and from people to great apes,” said Kirsten Gilardi, executive director of Gorilla Doctors, a conservation group that includes field veterinarians who treat wild gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are only about 1,000 wild mountain gorillas, so the threat of coronavirus infection “has changed the way we do our work,” said Felix Ndagijimana, the Rwanda country director for Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, a conservation group. For the past year, field trackers who check on gorillas daily in the rainforest first get a coronavirus test, then stay with other trackers in an encampment for work stints of several weeks. This is to ensure that they don’t pick up the bug by returning to their villages at night. “It was really a big ask of our team, especially during the pandemic. People want to be close to their families, but also keep the gorillas safe,” said Ndagijimana. To date, he said, there have been no coronavirus cases among wild gorillas. While some wild gorillas were vaccinated against measles in the 1980s, there are currently no plans to vaccinate them against the coronavirus. With wild apes, the first choice is always to be as hands-off as possible, said Jean Bosco Noheli, a field veterinarian for Gorilla Doctors in Rwanda. “Let’s focus on other measures we can take first to protect wild gorillas,” he said. But more zoo animals could soon be getting virus shots. “There’s a lot of interest,” said Sharon Deem, a veterinary epidemiologist at the St. Louis Zoo who is also part of a hazard preparedness group of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums that represents 240 zoos. “I think given how horrible this particular pathogen has been to humans, and that we know it can be transmitted between humans and animals, that there is great interest to use an animal vaccine as soon as it is available,” she said.

There is mounting evidence that we are about to witness a formal agreement on auto emissions similar to the one that occurred at the beginning of Obama’s presidency. On May 19th, 2009, scores of government officials, environmentalists, and dignitaries from the automotive community gathered at the White House to hear President Obama proudly announce their historic bargain. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court had affirmed the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases, and now there were signed commitments from all the automakers that would empower the EPA to assert that authority for the very first time. The deal was the result of tireless backroom negotiations, outlining ambitious new emission standards enforced by a flexible regulatory scheme. It was hailed as a major victory in the battle against climate change, and would eventually lead to the corporate average fuel economy standards that have been in place since 2012. Biden’s EPA will likely be able to negotiate a similar pact. There is currently a lot of unwelcome legal uncertainty regarding Trump’s rollback of the CAFE standards and whether or not California’s coalition of progressive states will retain the right to enforce their own emission regulations. Automakers are divided over whether to continue supporting Trump’s obstructive efforts. Momentum is building for new regulations that would end the legal standoff. On February 8th, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted a motion by the Biden administration to pause the litigation while his agencies review their options. Electric vehicles are at the heart of the impasse. The California Air Resources Board has issued stringent mandates requiring automakers to market a steadily increasing percentage of zero emission vehicles. The EPA’s regulatory framework includes incentives to sell ZEVs, but it is far more flexible. Automakers have lobbied for a single national program, and have resisted being forced to market ZEVs to reluctant consumers. But EVs are beginning to compete admirably against internal combustion vehicles, and their batteries just keep getting better. Resistance to ZEV mandates appears to be fading, and it is becoming difficult to argue that they are not feasible. There have recently been numerous announcements from automakers declaring their aspirations to rapidly modernize their fleets, and scores of new EV models are scheduled to hit U.S. showrooms over the next five years. President Biden has a strong incentive to negotiate a sweeping deal. With a razor thin Democratic majority in the Senate, much of his po[CENSORED]r climate agenda will have to rely on the EPA’s broad authority under the Clean Air Act. Rejoining the international Paris Climate Agreement increases pressure on the United States to deliver significant emission reductions. Biden has promised to support EV charging infrastructure, the procurement of EVs by government agencies, and the federal EV tax incentive. But the legal stalemate in the regulatory arena could drag on for years, slowing EV adoption considerably. Both sides have an interest in ending the impasse. A negotiated settlement would give Biden an important climate victory, even if it included reasonable concessions to automakers. If his EPA can pull it off, the grand bargain will be more impressive than the one announced by Obama in the spring of 2009. Earth Day is April 22nd.

For those venturing off the beaten path, be advised — it’s a little crowded out there. By nature’s standards, anyway, as the great outdoors has become the great escape. Hiking trails, parks and other open spaces were packed in 2020 with a cooped-up po[CENSORED]tion searching for fresh air during the coronavirus pandemic. Locked down, shut in or just fearful of crowds, people took up hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, camping, tennis and golf — to name several — in significant numbers. “It’s both heartening and a little bit mind-blowing to think how things are going this year,” said Richard Hodges, the Nordic director at White Pine Touring in Park City, Utah. “It’s been really fun — a lot of work, but really fun. All we’re doing is trying to get people outside to go play in the snow.” Outdoor enthusiasts are certainly stepping outside to play in whatever environment — when pandemic restrictions permit it, of course, and in accordance with stay-at-home guidelines. But the numbers illustrate that many are heeding the call to the wild: n 8.1 million more Americans went hiking in 2020 compared to ‘19, according to a preview of an upcoming outdoor participation report from the Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic wing of the Outdoor Industry Association. n 7.9 million more went camping last year. n 3.4 million more participated in freshwater fishing. The foundation’s research also reflected a decline in inactivity for most age groups and across all income levels. There was a 52.9% surge in outdoor participation, an increase from 50.5% in 2018 and 50.7% in 2019. The upward trend in hiking doesn’t come as a surprise to Sandra Marra, the president and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. From nearly day one of the pandemic, a myriad of hikers have been trekking along the Appalachian Trail, which encompasses about 2,200 miles, traverses through 14 states and sees about 3 million-plus visitors a year. Word of caution before going: Check the weather reports and dress accordingly. And don’t park on someone’s property, even if the trailhead lots are full. “What’s happened is a whole bunch of people that never really recreated outdoors like this, suddenly discovered the fact there are these easily accessible trails not that far from their backyard,” Marra explained. “That’s wonderful. But we’re finding a lot of people are out there not prepared for just how rugged this trail is. It’s not a walk on the bike trail in the middle of the city.” Daily walks — “constitutionals” in another era, perhaps — are on a rapid rise, too. No numbers needed to reflect that — just meander down any block or street in any city or any country. In New York City, when the weather is good, people are out in droves — conjuring images of Edith Wharton characters strolling the promenade. It just so happens there is an Edith Wharton Walking Tour in New York. For now, it’s limited to an online stroll through the Gilded Age. It’s the Gliding Age for cross-country skiing, which hasn’t seen po[CENSORED]rity like this since the 1970s after waxless skis were introduced. Equipment is quickly leaving the shelves. Rentals have been booming, too. “Every single day of the week is like a weekend day,” said Hodges, who has about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of tracks at the Nordic center in Park City. “I’m stunned about the seemingly limitless interest right now in cross-country skiing.” Reese Brown, the executive director of the trade group Cross Country Ski Areas Association, envisioned this sort of surge happening after bikes — along with other outdoor equipment — became such a hot commodity during the summer. “We started to see what was happening with biking and hiking and this mass flocking to the outdoors by people who generally would be running on a treadmill somewhere,” Brown said. “That’s when it kind of switched for us as a industry. We were like, ‘Wait a second. This is going to continue.’” Golf remains on the upswing, too, according to an engagement study by the National Golf Foundation. There were almost 502 million rounds, which was the most since 2006 and the biggest yearly increase since 1997 — the season Tiger Woods captured his first major championship. The number of active, on-course golfers in the U.S. grew by half a million in 2020, the study found, up to 24.8 million. The sport also grew by double digits around the world. Golf Australia said participation has increased by up to 15% since the lockdowns went into effect, with golf memberships up by 30% in the 24-39 age group. Already po[CENSORED]r in Sweden, the number of rounds increased a whopping 42%. And the first 18-hole course open to the public in Spain, Golf Olivar de la Hinojosa, saw an increase of 30% in the number of rounds played. Gregorio González-Irún Velasco, the general director of a company that oversees Golf Olivar and another golf course in the Madrid community, said golf schools and driving ranges have been operating near capacity for some time. Ana Fernández de Diego, a Spanish professional golfer who owns and teaches at Golf Vídeo Escuela, said she has seen unprecedented growth in the sport. “Golf is one of the things that people can do without any risks now,” she said. “It’s in open air, with safe distancing, and it gives you the luxury of not having to wear a mask for four or five hours.” Tennis courts were po[CENSORED]r as well with nearly three million first-time players, according to data cited by the United States Tennis Association through the Physical Activity Council’s Participation report. In all, more than 21.6 million Americans took the courts in 2020. “It’s evident that many people recognize tennis as the ideal social-distancing sport,” USTA CEO Mike Dowse said in a story on the tennis association’s website. Tennis is not alone. Hiking, anyone? “This is the new future for us. The new reality,” Marra said. “There’s huge opportunity to build a whole new generation of land stewards.”

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian Health Ministry began administering the first doses of coronavirus vaccines it received from the global COVAX initiative to health care workers and older residents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sunday. The World Health Organization and its partners running the United Nations COVAX program delivered 61,400 vaccines to the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday, whereas 21,300 were shipped to the blockaded, Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The vaccine shipment is a boost to the West Bank, where the PA has struggled to obtain vaccines as the infection rate surged in recent weeks. Until now it had only secured 10,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine and 2,000 shots from Israel for the roughly 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank. By contrast, Gaza, which has been under Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas took control of the area in 2007, has received more than 80,000 vaccines. Most of them were of the Russian variety and have come from a rival of President Mahmoud Abbas based in the United Arab Emirates. Mohammed Dahlan, who has been living in Abu Dhabi since falling out with Abbas in 2011, has secured the delivery of 60,000 shots to Gaza and promised more, embarrassing Abbas ahead of Palestinian elections planned in May. In the West Bank, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said the vaccines would go to medical workers and older people. “We are here to start the preventive vaccination drive for our people against the coronavirus,” he said. Even with the arrival of the vaccines, the Palestinian areas lag far behind Israel, which has vaccinated some 80% of its adult po[CENSORED]tion. The disparity has drawn attention to the inequities in the global distribution of vaccines between rich and poor countries. U.N. officials and human rights groups have said Israel is an occupying power with a responsibility for vaccinating the Palestinian po[CENSORED]tion. Israel says that under interim peace accords, it has no such responsibility. But in recent weeks, it has inoculated over 100,000 Palestinian laborers in the West Bank who have permits to work inside Israel and its West Bank settlements. The Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines are the first distributed by COVAX in the Palestinian territories. At a Gaza City clinic, five WHO workers and five local medical workers were the first to be inoculated with COVAX-donated doses. “We are very proud to be here today with our esteemed colleagues” to promote the first arrival of vaccines through COVAX, said Sacha Bootsma, head of WHO’s Gaza office, who received the first shot of vaccine at the event. She added that a second shipment of 57,600 AstraZeneca vaccines is expected to be delivered to Gaza by the end of April. Some European countries have raised safety concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine. But major countries, including France, Italy and Germany, have begun using the vaccine again, and Palestinian authorities have approved its use. Bootsma noted that both vaccines “have been validated by WHO globally through very lengthy and stringent process.” Dr. Majdi Dhair, a health ministry official, said only 11,200 of Gaza's 2 million residents have been inoculated so far, saying the turnout “started to grow” a month after the rollout of vaccines. Bootsma said the limited number of vaccines in Gaza prevents a mass vaccination campaign. The Gaza Strip has seen at least 58,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since August and 582 deaths. The West Bank has reported nearly 163,000 COVID-19 cases and 1,824 deaths. In recent weeks, Hamas authorities governing the territory have eased almost all coronavirus restrictions, despite warnings from health officials. Bootsma criticized the move. “The COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet. We are all still at risk of becoming infected, especially now that the government has eased all the restrictions," she said. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sonatype wants to improve the software supply chain making it more secure and fit for purpose. It has announced new products and an acquisition as part of its full-spectrum software supply chain management platform. It has acquired the MuseDev code analysis platform for an undisclosed amount. Sonatype has also launched its Nexus Container and Infrastructure as Code pack. Wayne Jackson, CEO, Sonatype, said: “As software development teams race forward to deliver new digital innovations, software supply chain management and security has been ushered to center stage. “Over the past six months, we’ve been working hard to expand our Nexus platform to deliver full-spectrum support to all application building blocks — not just open source — and truly enable developer productivity. As developers take on more responsibility for containers, code, and infrastructure, our mission is to make their lives easier while they make great software.” A quick look at the announcements There are five parts to the Sonatype announcement. This includes the Muse acquisition, three product updates and support for the Nexus community. In brief, these are: Muse: A cloud-native source code analysis solution helping developers catch and fix performance, reliability, and security bugs during code review. Nexus Container: A developer-friendly container security solution providing continuous visibility into the composition, and management of, containers from development, to delivery, to run time. Infrastructure as Code Pack: Delivers out-of-the-box guidance to assist developers configuring cloud infrastructure and foster compliance with privacy and security standards (e.g., CIS Foundations Benchmarks, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIST 800-53, PCI, SOC 2). Integrated with Nexus Lifecycle, the pack will make it possible for developers to find and easily fix misconfigurations in Terraform plans before they are applied to production infrastructure. Advanced Legal Pack: The forthcoming Advanced Legal Pack will improve visibility into open source license obligations for software development and legal teams. Nexus Community: As part of Sonatype’s unwavering commitment to the open-source and developer communities, we’ve created advanced migration support for open source projects scrambling to find homes on the heels of Bintray and JCenter sunsetting. Open source projects can easily migrate their packages to a free Nexus Repository instance and/or Maven Central host. A deeper dive into the Sonatype announcements To get a closer look at what these announcements mean, Enterprise Times spoke with Brian Fox, CTO and Co-Founder at Sonatype. One of the challenges of managing software is its complexity. It has never really been about a single developer. Instead, it’s about the tools and code they use, things they don’t own. In the case of the latter, almost no company knows what third-party code it is using. How do you begin to deal with that through your full-spectrum solution? “We’ve architected the software and the lifecycle platform to take these things that different parts of the business care about and make it orderly and easy and actionable for development. What you see as part of the full spectrum is a widening of that platform. The information required to act upon TerraForm issues, infrastructure as code, how is that any different than fixing a dependency? It’s not.” For Fox, this is not just about tracking all that third-party code and dependencies. It is also about knowing what you do with it. In most large projects, organisations leave checking the legal status of third-party code use last. It often gets lumped in with localisation. What Fox wants to do is change that. “In 2010, there were around 200 different open source licences. Now there are 1,000s of them because everybody thinks it’s cute to create their own. It creates a nightmare for the legal teams to figure out what licences they should be afraid of. What we’ve done is decompose the licences into the obligations.” One of the reasons Fox says legal teams dislike developers using GPL is because it says: “if you link it, your code has to be open source.” Attribution and software manifests Virtually every open source licence requires attribution, but this is often ignored by enterprise developers. To solve this, Fox says: “By decomposing this entity obligation, we make it easier for people to understand which licences they really want to avoid. We also help them make sure they’ve met all of the obligations. If you require attribution and you’ve done it properly, it checks the box for all of the different licences that require it. There are at least 150 independent obligations that we track.” This is not just about acknowledging where code has come from. As organisations increase the use of open-source, they quickly lose sight of where that code is used. Should a piece of code need patching, they don’t have manifests with the granularity of what is in a product. As such, you can’t be sure that you’ve patched all your vulnerabilities. Fox replied: “That’s part of the mission that we’ve been on with the platform to be able to help. Even in cases where you don’t have a build manifest, and you’ve just assembled a collection of jars, we can fingerprint all those and build the manifest for you. If the manifest is missing stuff, we can highlight where you’ve missed or mislabeled it. It has to be part of the automation. We’ve been on that supply chain kind of rant, if you will, for 10 years. “It’s part of every talk that I do, asking those sort of provocative questions. Hypothetically, if I told you about a vulnerability and a component right now, would you tell me are you using it? In which applications? Because if you can’t, you have no chance of patching.” And that brings us back to Muse Fox continued: “This is where the Muse stuff comes into play. We’ve seen organisations struggle to get developers involved in that. Application security tools produce a report that’s given to the developers, and often nothing really happens. “What Muse has done is take 24 different analysers. Most of them are open source like Infer from Facebook. The challenge with those tools at scale is figuring out which tools to apply to a given codebase. The problem is then, at what threshold, do I decide what is important to fix? If you’ve got existing tech debt, when organisations turn on Muse, it spits out all the pre-existing findings. It’s no different to the security tool. You’re buried in a bunch of findings that you don’t know where to start. “To solve this, Muse has built a feedback loop. They’ve integrated it into the pull request flow, a natural place for developers to collect feedback. It’s where their peers are providing conversational feedback on the thing that they just did. Muse is providing that same feedback and a conversational way that developers can interact with the bot. “By collecting both the conversational feedback and the definitive feedback of, did they actually fix the thing that that was pointed out and did it go away before it was merged, we’re able to learn about the findings that matter, the findings that are most likely to get fixed at any given time. With that information, we can kind of drip it to them in the code they’re working on where it is highly likely to get fixed. Using that approach, they’ve observed that the items being surface are 70 times more likely to be fixed.” Spotting behavioural anomalies in the software supply chain One of the challenges today is that so much code is pulled from different places that tracking code veracity is a non-trivial problem. If a malicious actor releases good code but later swaps it out for bad code, detecting it can be very hard. Fox says that this is where the Nexus containers become important. “The container with the runtime and the network analysis is designed to understand behavioural analysis. If a container starts talking to things it shouldn’t be, that is a flag which would maybe indicate something got into the supply chain that isn’t previously known. We can detect it based on the behaviour. This is just like antivirus tools when they moved from detecting fingerprints to detecting the behaviour. That’s what’s going on inside the firewall capabilities of Nexus runtime. “We launched release integrity capabilities back in October. Since then, we’ve been catching malware, especially in npm, at a rate that nobody else has. Not even GitHub themselves, and they run the repository. This is because we build that model that can analyse the project and understand what is normal and what abnormal behaviours look like. When it appears as a new component, we can flag it right away. That was how we were able to protect against all of the dependency confusion attacks before it was even announced because the attributes of those were fishy based on lots of different things.” One of the behaviours from the SolarWinds attack was unexpected DNS calls. Palo Alto says that their security software caught this unexpected behaviour. It allowed them to identify a problem and block attacks. In Sonatype’s case, Fox said they were particularly interested in new and unexpected dependencies. Enterprise Times: What does this mean? Securing the software supply chain is a grand aim that can be broken down into parts. The achievable part, according to Sonatype, is all the components that your developers use. It is now tracking all those elements, where they come from and the licence under which they can be used. For open source developers, this should significantly increase the attribution to their work. There is a secondary gain here. It allows organisations to build proper software manifests. Without them, they cannot possibly know what components they are using that must be patched. With them, they can ensure they react to any patches and keep their software secure. Where this problem gets most complicated is when the software is integrated into the business supply chain. This is where companies are dependent upon the API and code from its partners. Here, Sonatype is providing tools to help get to grips with the problem. The Nexus Container and the ability to detect any anomalous behaviour is one way to spot a potential third-party software issue. This raft of releases by Sonatype and its promise of more to come for the community come at a time when software supply chain risks are not only higher than before but are finally on the agenda of everyone in the IT and security teams.

Details surrounding the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti & GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics cards have leaked out by Videocardz. The details suggest that both of these Ampere GeForce RTX 30 GPUs will be launching in the coming months and will be aimed at the upper echelon of the gaming segment. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB In April, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8 GB in May, Alleges Rumor The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics cards have been in the rumor mill for a long time now but it looks like we are getting close to their official unveil As per the leaked information, NVIDIA and its board partners will unveil the cards in April & May, respectively. The specs have also seen a slight modification but retain the core configurations that were leaked out a while back. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB 'Rumored' Graphics Card Specifications NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 12 GB FE (Founders Edition) graphics card is expected to feature the PG132-SKU18 PCB design and the GA102-225-KD-A1 graphics core. The GA102-225 GPU has also changed since the last time we saw them and will now feature 10240 CUDA cores within a total of 80 SM units. Since the main core configuration is entirely brand new, the previously leaked clocks & TMU/ROP counts should now be dismissed. As for memory, the card will feature 12 GB of GDDR6X memory. Unlike the 19.5 Gbps speeds of the RTX 3090, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is said to retain the same memory speeds as the RTX 3080 at 19 Gbps. Since we are getting 12 GB memory, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti will be using a 384-bit bus interface which equals a total bandwidth of 912 GB/s. So while we see an 8 GB VRAM reduction over the previous spec, the larger bus interface should drive higher memory bandwidth. The TGP for the card is set to be the same as the RTX 3080 at 320 Watts. That's definitely needed to feed the extra cores so NVIDIA might have to optimize the clocks a bit here. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 'Rumored' Graphics Card Specifications The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti on the other hand is expected to feature the GA104-400-A1 GPU. According to the rumor the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti will utilize the PG141-SKU10 board which is different than the previous SKU that the graphics card was going to be based upon. The GPU will feature is expected to offer 6144 CUDA cores or 48 SMs. These are 4% more CUDA cores than the GeForce RTX 3070 and around 30% lower cores than the GeForce RTX 3080. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti will also feature 8 GB GDDR6X memory and what's important here is the fact that NVIDIA is utilizing the higher-grade GDDR6X chips rather than the standard GDDR6 modules featured on the existing GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti will end up close to the RTX 3080 with a TGP of around 250-275W considering the increased cores & the newer memory modules. The card will retain a 256-bit bus interface and pin speeds should be rated at 19 Gbps like the GeForce RTX 3080 and the RTX 3080 Ti. NVIDIA had already stated that existing GPUs will not be affected by the hash rate-limiting tech but upcoming SKUs will definitely be receiving modifications to counter cryptocurrency miners. As such, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti & the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti will also limit its hash rate in several cryptocurrency algorithms, making it pretty useless and not a great investment for miners. But we have already seen miners bypass the hash limit through several hacks and mods so that doesn't matter anymore. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is expected to launch in mid-April for an MSRP of around $999 US while the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is expected to launch by the end of May for an MSRP of around $599 US. Expect more information to come on these cards in the coming weeks.

The next major Cyberpunk 2077 update is Patch 1.2, which was delayed last month due to a cyber attack on developer CD Projekt (the irony of which I'm certain wasn't lost on the studio). We still aren't sure exactly when the update will be piped out through Steam and GOG this month, but we now know what'll be in it. Today, CD Projekt posted a fictional Night City news report that outlines Patch 1.2's major changes. Skipping past the pretend bits, the patch makes the following adjustments and additions to Cyberpunk 2077: Police respond more slowly Police appear to assess crime scenes with drones Adds a steering sensitivity slider Steering should be more consistent during dips in framerate Stuck cars can be dislodged by rocking and rotating them Double-tapping a movement key to dodge can be disabled; double-tapping the crouch toggle key will then dodge The change to police behavior targets a criticism of Cyberpunk 2077 that appeared in player videos just after launch: After doing something illegal, police can appear directly behind the player whether or not it would be physically possible for them to do so without literal teleporters. One much-viewed video showed cops materializing on a rooftop in seconds:Patch 1.2 won't make it so that Cyberpunk 2077 cops 'actually' have to drive from a station or patrol route to the scene of a crime. It slows down their response time, which "should decrease the problem of NPCs spawning behind players' backs and create an impression that it takes some time for the police to arrive at the crime scene after the crime has been reported," said lead gameplay designer Patryk Fiutowski and technical design coordinator Łukasz Szczepankowski. Also helping with the illusion will be recon drones meant to "create the feeling of the police assessing the situation." Below is a video demonstration of the new Patch 1.2 police response time, posted by CD Projekt: The patch should also improve vehicle steering, with a fix for oversensitivity caused by slow framerates, as well as a menu slider that adjusts overall sensitivity. And if you still steer into something you didn't intend to, you should have an easier time getting unstuck. When a vehicle is beached, you'll be able to hold down the accelerator to "rock the vehicle forward or back, or rotate it left/right." Finally, the dodge move will be rebindable. Normally, dodging is done by double-tapping a movement key, but a new option will disable that function. Dodging will then be accomplished by double-tapping the crouch key, which defaults to C and can be rebound. "It should now be more feasible to move WASD bindings around the keyboard," said tools programmer Wojtek. "There still remain a few bindings that need to be addressed, but these should be fixed in upcoming patches." CD Projekt tells me that the patch is on target to release before the end of March. The full Patch 1.2 Development Insight post includes more demonstration videos, as well as fictional explanations for these upcoming changes. Regarding police behavior, "Mike from Kabuki" is quoted as saying that when his choom accidentally shot a pedestrian, the NCPD "appeared out of thin air," which he figures is "too brutal of a response for a regular accidental

PEPPERELL – Carl Morgan must have felt like he was on a game show. “Carl Morgan, come on down. You’re our next contestant. And the next prize up for grabs is … A NEW CAR!” And the price was right indeed. In fact, it’s the best price ever. Free. Morgan, his girlfriend, Elizabeth Crowther, and their 10-month-old daughter, Paisleigh, drove home to Lowell from 1A Auto Parts in Pepperell in their new 2011 Honda CRV, completely overhauled and spiffed up by the folks at 1A, as is their custom. It even included two new child safety seats, one for Paisleigh, one for Morgan’s 7-year-old son, Carl John. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s put it in reverse, all the way back to 2009. Life-changing decision Chad Morgan graduated from Greater Lowell Technical High School with the same decision any other high-school grad has to make — college, workforce, military. He chose door No. 3, enlisting in the Marine Corps — the 2nd Tank Battalion, Alpha Company, to be exact. In December 2010, the 2nd Tank Battalion deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, where they remained until 2013. Morgan made the trip in 2011, but on Oct. 2 of that year, an IED exploded. He hit his head so hard, it caused permament damage to the optic nerve in his right eye. He was Medivac’d out, and doctors tried to figure out how to restore his sight. They couldn’t. He was sent home in 2014 with blurry vision in his right eye, a condition he says he has gotten used to and that no longer hinders him from taking part in normal activities. Morgan got a job as a custodian for the Lowell School Department, mainly at Lowell High School though he has done tours at Lincoln Elementary as well. The problem was, he didn’t have a car. He’d have to borrow one or Uber to work. “He spent 300 bucks one month on Uber,” said his mother, Mary Ann Morgan. So he started to put the word around to friends that he was looking for a cheap car, just something to get him to work and back or to take his daughter to the park. One friend who’s plugged in to local veterans groups called him the next day and said there was a group looking to donate a car to a local veteran. He hooked him up with someone else who told him to fill out an application to let the group know a little about him and why a car was so important for him. A week later, the guy called him and told him the car was his. “I was beside myself,” Morgan says. “I couldn’t believe it.” Knight’s chivalry Marian Knight is the daughter and sister of Marines, and two nephews also served in the military. A retired teacher from Nashua, N.H., she found herself with one car too many when her husband died last year. Her late husband’s car was newer and had fewer miles, so it was with regret that she decided to give up her beloved 2011 Honda CRV. “It’s a wonderful car,” she said. “It was practically my home, me and my dog. I drove that car all over the place. It was hard for me to give it up.” She didn’t want to just sell it to a used-car dealer. She wanted it to go to someone who really needed it, preferably a veteran. She told a neighbor, who told a friend who is the head mechanic at 1A Auto in Pepperell. That friend, Sue Ricciardi, took a look at the car and said 1A would love to have it so they could fix it up while making videos of the repairs. That’s what 1A Auto Parts does. They film how-to DIY videos on car repairs and release them on their YouTube channel. They have about 1.25 million subscribers, making 1A Auto, from the little town of Pepperell, Mass., the largest producer of such videos in the industry, with more than 600 employees in facilities nationwide. So 1A took the car off Knight’s hands, replaced everything from headlights and tires to brakes and suspension, then detailed it and tuned it up. After all the repairs — all videotaped for 1A’s YouTube followers — the only thing they needed was someone to give it to. Green light Like Knight, Rick Green comes from a military family. His father, Merle, retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. When Rick and his brother, Mike, built up 1A Auto to the point where it was a national force in its field, they realized they wanted to give back to the community and, specifically, to veterans. “We grew up understanding the sacrifices made by servicemen and women,” said Rick Green, CEO of 1A. “And we also understood the impact on families.” Through his friend and employee John MacDonald, Green got to know about a group called Veterans Assisting Veterans. MacDonald, a Dracut resident and director of real estate and public relations for 1A, is on the board of VAV. A couple years ago, MacDonald suggested that 1A donate one of their refurbished cars to the Travis Mills Foundation, a facility in Maine that supports veterans in overcoming physical obstacles, strengthening their families, and providing well-deserved rest and relaxation. “It was a lovely way to give back,” Green said. So when 1A took possession of Knight’s 2011 Honda CRV, Green realized that, once all the work was done on it, it was in great shape, even with the odometer topping 170,000 miles. He told MacDonald to find a veteran who needed a reliable car. “It’s an older car, but it’s in pretty good condition,” Green said. “I figured once we fixed it up, it’s the perfect car to give to a veteran in need.” Enter Carl Morgan. He had no car of his own to get to and from work, instead borrowing his girlfriend’s car, carpooling, calling Uber or even hoofing it. “I didn’t have my own sense of independence,” he said. “I want to be able to take my daughter to the park in my own car.” A light in the dark On Thursday afternoon, in the nondescript office building called Pepperell Place on Mill Street in Pepperell that houses 1A Auto, Green handed the keys and title of the CRV to Morgan at the end of a 20-minute ceremony attended by dozens of veterans, town officials and other dignitaries. Former state Rep. Geoff Diehl was there. Francisco Urena, former state secretary of veterans affairs was there. Representatives from VAV were there. Scott Hyder from the local nonprofit Hidden Battles, which helps veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD, was there. In fact, it was Hyder who donated and installed the two new child safety seats in the CRV. Marian Knight was even there to give her old car a final farewell and wish Morgan well. VAV board members gave Morgan $300 in gift cards to Market Basket and $200 to Haffner’s for gas. Chip Detwiller, owner of Pepperell Place, figuring Morgan needed somewhere to drive his family to, gave Morgan a $500 gift card for a hotel on the Cape. Cub Scouts from Pack 1455 presented Morgan with handmade thank-you cards. When it was time for the man of the hour to address the crowd, the moment got the best of him. “It’s so warming and reassuring that all these people are here to help me and all veterans. There are a lot of dark paths for a lot of veterans, like myself,” he said, finally unable to hold back the emotions. “This a light for us. It shows everyone that if you help these people in the dark, that there is always someone to help.” If it was a game show, it would be like winning the Showcase Showdown, getting the answer right on a Daily Double when you bet it all, and winning the grand prize without having to phone a friend. If it was a game show … but it wasn’t. It was veterans assisting a veteran. It was people giving a hand up, not a handout. It was, simply, an act of generosity by a few that made a family’s life easier. And that’s why life is better than any game show. Dan Phelps’ email address is dphelps@lowellsun.com.

Even before staying home was a moral obligation, JOMO (the joy of missing out) was becoming the new FOMO (fear of missing out); hitting the bar was replaced with sober self-care rituals and the cozy hygge aesthetic took over wardrobes and homes. Social distancing—by saying no to social plans or taking a night off social media, for example—countered the pressure to be compulsively socializing and chronically busyness. Now, amidst the heightened loss, anxiety and depression caused by the pandemic, embracing JOMO is no longer just a mindset used occasionally to reduce stress, it’s a self-care strategy to surviving in quarantine. A club devoted to staying home, could not be more timely. But the Stay Home Club—a lifestyle brand of apparel, home décor and prints—knew staying in was the new going out long before social distancing became mandatory. Olivia Mew created the brand in 2012, at a time when the JOMO trend hadn’t taken off yet. “Lately, not just this year, the trend I’ve noticed in fashion and homewares has been this stay home aesthetic,” the Club’s president and creative director tells Forbes. “But back in 2012 it wasn’t, everything I was seeing was ‘live, laugh, love’ and very positive.” Mew thought it would be novel to start a brand that embraced staying home, to relieve some of the pressure she felt to be out living her best life. Mew was onto something then, but now that staying home is a government-backed moral obligation, she’s so on trend that major retailers, such as Ardene and Old Navy, are stealing her idea, profiting off her trademarked illustrations and slogans. “We’ve sent cease and desist letters to so many big brands,” the founder says. “Seeing companies put the words ‘Stay Home Club’ on a t-shirt is infuriating, they know we’re a small enough company that we don’t have the financial resources to pursue it legally.” MORE FOR YOU The Secret To Glowing Skin? Self-Pleasure Kate Hudson On Staying Grounded During Quarantine Holiday Gift Guide 2020: The Best Immunity-Boosting Gifts Mew acknowledges she doesn’t own a trend, “I can’t claim ownership over a general feeling or be offended by people using the phrase ‘Stay Home,’ but it has watered down the brand.” As a result, the movement to stay home is pushing Stay Home Club to evolve, an inevitable progression for any company whose designs stem from one mind. “All the creative comes from me, and if I’m not doing the art myself, I’m doing the creative direction,” says Mew. “When it’s a one person brand, of course it has to change; there has to be some growth.”Now in her thirties with two kids, Mew is no longer drawn to the same slogans and designs she was in her early twenties. “It’s been almost 10 years, I’m not that same person anymore,” she says. “The brand has evolved with different messages that are more true to who I’ve become.” Instead of loud, grumpy slogans, she’s designing more subtle pieces, like a ‘Language of Flowers’ sweatshirt with labelled floral illustrations. “Just because you think it’s okay to not be okay doesn’t mean you want to wear that on a shirt all the time,” Mew says. “The sophistication of the message has grown.” Mew assures me she’s not going to start making shirts that promote going out anytime soon. “I still make clothing with cats on it, I can’t stop!” She laughs. “But we’re more focused on what’s wearable and isn’t just an in-your-face, negative message.” Describing her personality and the brand as “inextricable,” it’s no surprise that the creative director’s designs reflect what staying home looks like for her. “If I’m at home with a full day to myself, I will find a way to clean everything,” Mew says, explaining the inspiration behind her ‘stress cleaning’ heart sticker. “Especially because we’ve been stuck at home, it’s been a huge source of relief to make our houses more appealing to us.” With redecorating and renovating on the rise, Mew says the brand has been leaning more into prints with quieter illustrations of delicate botanicals and cats resting on fruit.

Dattatreya Hosabale has been elected as Sar-karyawah or General Secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Hosabale, who was elected at the RSS’s triennial Pratinidhi Sabha at Bengaluru on Saturday (March 20), replaces Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi. Hosabale, 65, was born on December 1, 1955, and belongs to Sorab village in Shimoga district of Karnataka. He had his grooming in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of RSS, of which he was the organising secretary (sangathan mantra) for nearly 12 years. Hosabale is likely to get at least 10 years at the helm of RSS affairs. While Sarsanghchalak (RSS chief) is the philosopher and guide of the organisation, Sar-karyavah is the one who is in charge of the organisation’s day-to-day activities. Hosabale, who is called Datta by his fraternity, joined RSS in 1968 and was sent to ABVP in 1972, where he became a full-time worker in 1978. He was made sangathan mantra of the ABVP in December 1992 in the Kanpur session. He was back in RSS in 2003 and was appointed the outfit’s sah-bauddhik pramukh (joint-incharge of intellectual activities) in 2004. Then, in 2009, he became sah-sarkaryawah in the team of Suresh Joshi, when the latter replaced Mohan Bhagwat at the post. As he was appointed Sar-karyawah today, Hosabale took the blessings of sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat and outgoing Sar-karyawah Joshi by touching their feet. Considered very close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Hosabale’s name was proposed by regional sanghchalak Ashok Sohoney of Gujarat and endorsed by five other delegates. In fact, his name was doing the rounds for many weeks. In an indication of things to come, he was being deputed in several recent RSS programmes that Joshi was supposed to attend. His name had emerged even in 2015 and 2018 but Joshi was re-elected both occasions. After school at his birthplace and Sagar (taluk HQ), Hosabale moved to Bengaluru to pursue his college education and joined the fNational College. Later, he obtained his Master’s in English literature from Mysuru University. Hosabale is fluent in Kannada, Hindi, English, Tamil, and Sanskrit. He founded a Kannada monthly magazine named Aseema. He enjoyed proximity with almost all writers and journalists of Karnataka, notable among them being Y N Krishnamurthy and Gopal Krishna Adiga. Hosabale was imprisoned for more than a year under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the fight to restore democracy against the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi’s government. In the ABVP, he launched several new initiatives. One of his key projects was Youth Development Centre in Guwahati, Assam, and World Organisation of Students and Youth (WOSY). He is the first Sar-karyawah most of whose time as pracharak was spent in an anushangik (frontal organization), that is ABVP. Before him, Madandas Devi was sah-sarkaryawah for nine years but he was never a Sar-karyawah. Several RSS pracharaks have been in RSS’s frontal organisations, from Dattopant Thengdi to Ashok Singhal, but they were never elected as Sar-karyawah of the RSS. As sah-sarkaryawah, Hosabale is currently based in Lucknow, and involved closely with ensuring coordination between the RSS and BJP there. After the announcement that he would be Sar-karyawah, Hosabale addressed delegates for nearly five minutes, and told them that his family’s main occupation was farming, and they were also into the betelnut (supari) trade. The RSS is currently preparing for its centenary celebrations (1925-2025), which will start in October 2024. The next ABPS is also in March 2024, which means that Hosabale is likely to remain in the post for another term. Hosabale was one of the six sah-sarkaryavahs (deputy general secretaries) assisting Joshi. RSS watchers see his election as being long overdue. Meanwhile, Joshi, who was also coordinating among RSS, BJP and other organisation of the Sangh Parivar, is now expected to concentrate fully on coordination work from Delhi.