Angel of Death

CHUNKY — The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted countless traditions in 2020, but it will not keep living rooms across Mississippi from featuring Christmas decor, nor will it deter customer demand for fresh trees.In fact, business is booming at farms that have opened for the season, said Southern Christmas Tree Association President Michael May.May, one of 27 Mississippi Christmas tree suppliers who are members of the association, runs Lazy Acres in Newton County. The agritourism destination’s pumpkin patch opened earlier this year, and tree sales begin there on Nov. 21.“We strictly do choose-and-cut at our farm, but I know some growers who allow pretagging, and they are seeing a significant uptick in customers,” May said. “This was the best year ever for our pumpkin patch.”May modified safety protocols at his farm for visitors to the pumpkin patch, and those precautions will remain in place to protect tree customers during their visits.“Some of our growers are not doing wagon rides to their fields and are letting everyone walk to them instead,” he said. “We have some additional handwashing stations here at the farm. We’re encouraging families to visit and enjoy the experience of getting a tree, but we’re recommending that they wear masks and socially distance.”Like May, John Kushla, professor and forestry specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, anticipates a strong retail season this year despite the pandemic and a steady diet of severe weather across the state for much of 2020.“I think our growers in Mississippi fared well through the Easter tornadoes and hurricanes this year,” Kushla said. “The hurricanes damaged some crops in southern Alabama and Louisiana. Broken trees had to be cut down, but those blown over could be staked and salvaged.”Customers can expect to pay $10 to $15 a foot for their tree this year. Customers can find their closest Christmas tree farm by visiting the Southern Christmas Tree Association website at http://www.southernchristmastrees.org/.“Those growers who sustained storm damage this year may charge more for trees to recoup losses, unless they can claim them on crop insurance,” Kushla said. “I would encourage customers to contact growers before visiting the farm. Since supply may be short, customers should place orders for a real tree now, or call ahead to make sure there are trees available to purchase.”Leyland cypress is the most po[CENSORED]r species association growers produce. It produces a full tree and is less aromatic than other species. The next bestselling tree is Blue Ice, which is a variety of the Arizona cypress. Precut, imported trees are usually Fraser fir from the mountains of the Carolinas or Tennessee.“It has been increasingly difficult for our growers down here to acquire Fraser fir for resale,” Kushla said. “This has compounded the shortage of real Christmas trees.”Kushla said Southern Christmas Tree Association members, who are primarily in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, will probably sell on the order of 32,000 to 34,000 trees this season.For tips on live Christmas tree care, visit the MSU Extension for Real Life blog at

The arrival of Barack Obama's memoir (part of a $65 million book deal with Michelle Obama) and President Donald Trump's looming unemployment have stirred understandable speculation about a potential Trump memoir. These books have long been a way for former presidents to share their experiences, explain their thinking, and shape their legacies.For President Trump, who has provided a nonstop string of commentary on his presidency from Day One, a presidential memoir could represent something different: a chance to give his insults and untruths an appearance of sanction and formality that they have never had.A Trump memoir could make the President tens of millions of dollars, the kind of deal he needs to begin servicing $400 million in loans that are about to come due. For publishing houses, the benefits are less clear cut: if they publish Trump's memoir, they'll likely make a substantial profit, but they'll also face tremendous public opposition. As conservative publisher Adam Bellow told Publishers Weekly, "They will have a very difficult needle to thread, because there is the threat of attacks from without and rebellion from within."In recent days, both Publishers Weekly and The New York Times have asked whether publishers will buy a Trump memoir. But the more important question is not will they buy it, but should they? And the answer to that is a resounding no. Not because refusing to publish will silence Trump -- it won't -- and not because publishing houses should avoid controversy -- they shouldn't. Rather, publishers should pass because they have a role to play in defending liberal democracy. There is no doubt that a Trump memoir would be rife with lies and conspiracies, as those have been the backbone of the Trump presidency. Nor would it be easy for a publishing house to counter that with fact-checking. It is unlikely Trump would consent to being fact-checked, a practice that many conservatives have come to view as an extension of liberal media bias rather than a safeguard against error. And publishing houses don't have a tradition of fact-checking books, relying instead on a set of norms: authors generally fact-check their own work (or hire someone to do it) in order to avoid the reputational harm of getting things wrong.But what happens when getting things wrong -- or worse, willfully lying -- no longer comes with reputational harm? The old guardrails no longer work, and no new system has arisen to replace them.While at any other point in US history the decision to publish a presidential memoir would have been a no-brainer -- publishing a president meant both prestige and profits -- Trump has altered that equation. To publish his memoir would fill a publishing house's larder at the expense of its reputation. Not only because the house would be aligned with a would-be authoritarian, but because it would be rewarding his attacks on democracy and enabling his ongoing misinformation campaign about the 2020 election. Should Trump receive a huge payday at the end of his presidency, it could provide clear incentives for continued attacks on democracy (which, notably, have been part of a fundraising scheme themselves, efforts to retire his campaign debt and create a political slush fund to finance his post presidency). After all the country has endured on his watch -- attempting to ban citizens from seven Muslim majority countries from entering the country, ripping immigrant children from their parents' arms in the name of "deterrence," stripping health care protections from trans people, attacking the electoral process, spreading misinformation about a pandemic that will likely have killed 300,000 people in the US by the end of the year according to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the FDA -- if the end result is a financial reward for the President in the form of a book deal, every person who buys it will be eroding democracy a tiny bit further with each purchase.Publishing houses have hastened this erosion as they have expanded their conservative publishing arms. Though major US houses have long published a broad range of political ideas, right-wing books that struggled to break through in the 1940s and 1950s found a home in conservative publishing houses like Regnery. The offerings ranged from works of political philosophy by authors like Russell Kirk as well as more conspiratorial polemics, including two books by Robert Welch, the founder of the John Birch Society.This world of conservative publishing was mostly a self-contained enterprise until the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan's presidency spurred new interest in conservative books by writers like George Will and Robert Bork. But it was the rise of conservative entertainment, starting with Rush Limbaugh in the late 1980s, that blew the right-wing publishing market open. The meteoric success of Limbaugh's two books, "The Way Things Ought to Be" and "See? I Told You So!" -- both published by Pocket Books -- convinced the major publishing houses that there was a huge untapped market in conservative books, and by the early 2000s most houses had launched imprints that focused on right-wing books.Some of these books wrestled with serious political ideas, some were light entertainment, some were caustic attacks. Though hardly comparable to one another, all gained a gloss of respectability from their publication by major houses and made those houses significant profits, with relatively little protest from the public.That has changed as the right has more openly embraced illiberalism. And the end of the Trump administration and the possibility of a Trump memoir is hastening the reckoning to come for houses that have not yet decided where they land on the question of promoting illiberal ideas and propping up authoritarian actors.Of course, publishing houses are not alone in this dilemma. As the Trump administration ends, the people who made the Trump administration possible will be looking not only to cash in but to clean up, to take their place in a social and political order that confers legitimacy on people for the positions they've held and the connections they've forged. "Senior adviser to the president" is a title that opens a lot of doors; "President of the United States" opens even more.So, what do institutions foundational to liberal democracy do with people like Stephen Miller, architect of the Muslim ban and family separation? With Kellyanne Conway and Kayleigh McEnany, who have sat atop the administration's misinformation machine? With Bill Barr, who has corrupted the Justice Department to protect the President's pecuniary and political interests? How much reputation-laundering will universities and think tanks and news outlets do for these people, even as they continue to attack everything from the rule of law to fact-based reality, eroding the basis of liberal society?Donald Trump crystallizes that dilemma for publishing houses. But the reckoning should not begin and end with a refusal to publish Trump's memoir. Illiberalism and conspiracism will continue to flourish on the right, embraced not just by the soon to be former President but by senators, party leaders, and media personalities, and publishing houses will need to decide how much oxygen and funding to give to those as well.Nor are publishers the only ones facing a reckoning. Even if the major publishing houses pass on a Trump memoir, right-wing publishers will happily snap it up. How the rest of us treat that eventual book -- the readers who buy it, the reviewers who treat it as a forthright account, the networks who plumb its pages for juicy gossip and amplify its content -- reflects our values, too.Rebuilding a commitment to liberal democracy does not happen solely, or even principally, at the ballot box. It happens in our universities, our newspapers, our bookstores and our communities, and the coming months and years are going to require each of us to keep that commitment central to our cultural consumption as well our political activism.

LONDON (AP) — Most people in England will continue to face tight restrictions on socializing and business after a nationwide lockdown ends next week, with pubs and restaurants ordered to remain shut in areas that are home to more than 20 million people.The government announced details on Thursday of three-level regional measures that will take effect Dec. 2. Only three remote and island areas with a total po[CENSORED]tion of 700,000 are in the lowest tier, where pubs and restaurants can open almost as normal and members of different households can meet up indoors.More than half of England’s 56 million people, including London’s 8.6 million residents, are in the middle level, where most shops, restaurants and leisure businesses can open — with some restrictions — and audiences can return in limited numbers to theaters and sports stadiums.ADVERTISEMENTAnother 23 million people in a huge chunk of central and northern England, including the large cities of Birmingham and Manchester, along with the large southeastern county of Kent, will be placed in the top tier, where pubs and restaurants can only serve takeout and delivery, and leisure venues such as cinemas and bowling alleys must stay closed. Shops, gyms, hairdressers and beauty parlors will be able to open across the country, however.Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “tough measures” would be needed until spring, when it’s hoped a combination of vaccines and mass testing can help life return to normal.“If we ease off now we risk losing control over this virus all over again, casting aside our hard-won gains and forcing us back into a New Year national lockdown, with all the damage that would mean,” he said at a news conference.The government imposed a four-week lockdown in England early this month to curb an autumn surge in coronavirus cases, with travel restricted and nonessential businesses closed. The government’s statistics office says the infection rate appears to have leveled off, but Health Secretary Matt Hancock said “we must remain vigilant.”The measures must be approved by Parliament, which is due to vote next week. Johnson faces opposition from some of his own Conservative Party lawmakers, who say the economic damage from the measures outweighs the public health gains.Operators of pubs and theaters were among those warning that they can’t make money under conditions imposed in tier 2, where alcohol can only be served with meals and entertainment venues are restricted to half capacity.“There has got to be a real danger that if these restrictions aren’t lifted very, very soon now there will be a lot of businesses that simply won’t reopen,” said Conservative legislator Graham Brady, who said he planned to vote against the “authoritarian” measures.ADVERTISEMENTScotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own set of restrictions.The new measures will be reviewed Dec. 16 and lifted for five days over Christmas across the whole U.K. During the festive period travel restrictions will be paused and up to three households will be able to form a “Christmas bubble” for socializing.Britain has had Europe’s worst coronavirus outbreak, with more than 57,000 confirmed deaths.The government hopes that a combination of mass testing using rapid-turnaround tests and vaccines will allow most restrictions to be lifted by spring 2021.Hancock said a mass testing project in Liverpool reduced infections by three-quarters and allowed the city to be moved down from tier three to tier two.Three coronavirus vaccines, developed by Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, have shown promising results in clinical trials but have yet to be approved by Britain’s medicines regulator.In the meantime, government scientific advisers are warning people to be careful when using their temporary freedom to meet family and friends at Christmas.“Would I want someone to see their family? Of course, that’s what Christmas is about,” England’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, said.“But would I encourage someone to hug and kiss their elderly relatives? No, I would not.”

South African sport must make the most of a gilt-edged opportunity to shape a sustainable future as it picks itself up by its bootstraps during the Covid-19 outbreak.Since March, sports administrators have had to deal with the pandemic which has made for extraordinary times.Toby Sutcliffe, the chief executive at the University of Pretoria’s High Performance Sport Training Centre, says the guardians of SA Sport must “think outside the box” as sport prepares to resume in the country.Many codes of sport have held annual elections recently and a few more are in the pipeline over the next few weeks. Sutcliffe says these elections will be crucial for the future of SA sport.“There is no better time than now to unite and agree on a sustainable plan for the future. If we manage to do so all in sport will reap the rewards,” said Sutcliffe.“We must be wary of the ‘Travel and Tracksuit Brigade’ because people place their selfish interests above anything else. As a result, players have competency trust issues. We need people who are honest and credible to run sport.“We in South Africa need to learn to put our aspirations behind us.”Sutcliffe believes there will be changes on the sporting landscape. It will not be ‘business as usual’ when the pandemic is over. Sport will, however, remain an integral part of Mzansi life.“At times, sport has united us as a nation. One only has to cast one’s mind back to the 2010 World Cup, and the three Rugby World Cup wins in 1995, 2007 and 2019,” said Sutcliffe.“Mass participation makes up an essential contribution to the physical and emotional well-being of individuals.“Unfortunately, this does not equate to sports being a priority after the pandemic. The sports industry contributes only 0.5% to the country’s economy while employing a minimal number of people on a full-time capacity, but with millions of non-earning volunteers.”Sutcliffe said administrators need to research what was done in the past, and what the outcomes were in their efforts to plan the future“Between 1997 and 1999 the sports industry grew at a rate 1.2 times higher than the rate of the SA economy. That is why we have world-class facilities. It also led to an economic boom for the industries involved in sport,” Sutcliffe explained.“Since then, sports administrators have allowed conflicts of interest to cloud their vision. A direct consequence has been the gradual demise of sports in the country with fewer and fewer spectators in attendance.“Now, the pandemic has had an impact on the mental health and financial well-being of the po[CENSORED]tion. One can only wonder how the sporting industry in South Africa will adapt and change to the ‘new norm’.”Sutcliffe said universities have formed the backbone of SA teams for decades and will continue to do.“Pretoria is a good example,” said Sutcliffe. “There was a stage when there were seven former Pretoria players in the SA cricket team.“Six of last year’s Springbok World Cup squad are former Pretoria players.“Then there are elite athletes like Tatjana Schoenmaker, Akani Simbine and Caster Semenya who are further examples of the pivotal role universities play in SA sport.”

So, here we are. Less than two years after Damian Hinds returned from a trip to Germany full of praise for my native country, his successor, Gavin Williamson, has announced that the much-discussed FE White Paper, due to be published in the autumn, will build a “world-class Germany-style” further education system.So, of course, born and raised in Germany and a product of its education system (although I never came anywhere near FE), I was keen to see what the education secretary might have in mind. It turns out, on closer inspection, that there is not a great amount of detail on what exactly “Germany-style” means.Williamson: England to get 'German-style' FE systemBackground: 'Importing Germany's skills system isn't the answer'Opinion: Post-16 education needs reform. Now is the timeHigher-level technical skillsAnd interestingly, Germany came up only twice – once when he announced that this was the future and again when he highlighted the much higher proportion of adults in Germany with higher-level technical skills.The tone of the speech, however, indicates what of the Germanic approach it is Gavin Williamson is keen to import. Much of its focus was on the value attached to further education in England. It had been the forgotten sector, said Williamson, lacking investment and support. Too many young people for whom this was not the right route had been pushed towards university, and that had to be addressed, he insisted.Now, there are, of course, plenty of young Germans who make wrong career choices – who study when they shouldn’t, or who choose an apprenticeship for the wrong reasons. What is true, however, is that apprenticeships, in particular, are viewed as much more prestigious. The German economy is literally built on them, and we know it.There was no looking down on those off to be apprentices when I was in the last few years of school heading towards university. Instead, we were jealous of the strides they were taking in their careers, with cars and money to spend at weekends and business cards. They were out-earning me then, and I am afraid to say I and many of my peers have never caught up with them since.I can see why the culture Germany has adopted around vocational education and training is enviable – although I struggle to see how that can be implemented through policy changes. Esteem has to build over time, through role models and success stories and policy consistency.The other part of the German system the education secretary mentioned was also interesting. He wanted an FE system, he said, that was “employer led”. We knew that already, of course – there has been much talk about apprenticeship standard being co-designed by employers.In the German system, though, it is more than that. Apprenticeships are the main way in which vocational education is delivered to young people in Germany. School-leavers most commonly apply to an employer – either because there is a suitable vacancy or speculatively because they like the business. They then get taken on by that employer and sent to college for blocks of training or on day-release, with the curriculum, and the exam and assessment, co-designed by the Industrie und Handelskammer, IHK, the German equivalent of a chamber of commerce.Today, following Williamson’s speech, I spoke to an HR professional responsible for apprenticeships at a large-ish German business that takes on around 60 or 70 apprentices every year, with about 200 employed at the company at any given time. She told me that they advertise vacancies on bigger platforms, in local papers in the rural area they are based in, and on their own website – and that a significant number of applicants for apprenticeships have previously done work experience with them. “They know what it is like to work here, they know it is a great working environment.”She also said that the vast majority – 90 per cent-plus – stay on after their training. “They come to us when they are 16 or 17, so, by the time they have done three years of training, you really get to know them, you know where their strength and weaknesses are. And when they come to you at that age, you can really have an impact on them.”For the theory side of their training, the young people go to the local college, only a few miles away. There would be other options, said the manager, but they have long-established relationships with that institution and its staff and are happy with the quality of the training – the content of which is determined by regional government.But the most important thing she said was this: “We train for ourselves.”Taking responsibility and helping shape training, employing and growing young people is not something German employers do for charity. It is to make sure they get the workforce they need. That is why they are invested. And why they are willing to invest, even when times are hard. And once the economy and education work together in that way, you won’t need a landmark speech to promote “further education, further education, further education”.

The Geneva motor show, traditionally one of the car industry’s biggest annual events, will not take place next year – and will be sold by organisers in a bid to secure its long-term future. The decision casts fresh doubts over the long-term viability of all motor shows.This year’s event was scrapped days before the doors were due to open in March as the coronavirus pandemic began to spread rapidly throughout Europe, leaving the Foundation of the Geneva International Motor Show (FGIMS) facing a major financial shortfall. It also upset many manufacturers, which had already paid for their stands and were in the final stages of assembling them.FGIMS said the decision to axe next year’s event was taken after most exhibitors said they probably wouldn’t take part and would prefer that the show’s return be delayed until 2022.“The automotive sector is currently going through a difficult phase, and exhibitors need time to recover from the effects of the pandemic,” the organisers added.They said they were uncertain whether an event on the scale of Geneva, which traditionally attracts more than 600,000 visitors, could take place while the pandemic continues.The FGIMS had been in talks with the state of Geneva over a 16.8 million Swiss franc (£14.1m) loan to bolster the event but, with the loan being contingent on an event running in 2021, it has now been declined. Instead, FGIMS intends to sell the motor show to Palexpo SA, the exhibition centre in which it is held, in a bid to secure its future. Palexpo is considering some form of car show for next year as a temporary replacement.How Covid-19 has accelerated the decline of showsLockdowns and subsequent social distancing rules have led to the cancellation of virtually all large-scale events. As well as Geneva, the Paris, New York and Detroit shows that were due to be held this year have all been axed, while Beijing – originally scheduled for April – has been delayed until October. The Goodwood Festival of Speed, which effectively serves as the UK’s motor show, has also been canned.While many of those decisions have been driven by restrictions and measures to tackle Covid-19, the financial impact of the pandemic has also played a key part, with badly hit car firms unwilling to commit large sums to creating show stands.With travel restrictions in place, several firms are launching cars through online events, which still offer a substantial reach but at a greatly reduced cost. Such events can also be scheduled to maximise publicity, as opposed to competing with other manufacturers at a show. That trend was already evident before the pandemic. For example, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Hyundai, Opel/Vauxhall and Volvo had all decided not to attend this year’s Geneva show. Last year’s Frankfurt show featured a greatly reduced manufacturer attendance.In recent years, several firms had taken to exhibiting only at shows that were in key markets or coincided with new model launch plans. But many are now taking that further. Lamborghini recently announced that it wouldn’t attend any more shows, with marketing chief Katia Bassi saying: “We believe that having an intimate relationship with the customer is key and motor shows are no longer aligned with our philosophy.”While the benefits of stand-alone unveilings are clear, the motor show decline removes a major marketing opportunity and stops the wider public from getting up close and personal with new models in one place.What’s the future of the motor show?The sale of the Geneva show to Palexpo SA should ensure that it returns for 2022, although there will be questions about whether the car firms will come back after a two-year break. What seems certain is that future motor shows are likely to move away from the traditional formula of static car displays on stands in exhibition centres.The organisers of the biennial Paris show have said it is unlikely to return in ‘traditional’ form in 2022, focusing instead on “innovative mobility” and a business-to-business trade event.Germany’s biggest motor show, which alternates with Paris on the schedule, will also have a new look for 2021, with organisers shifting it from its long-term home in Frankfurt to Munich.This year’s Detroit show had seemed likely to serve as a vision for how future events could look. Having struggled to attract exhibitors in recent years, with many firms preferring the New York or Los Angeles shows or tech events such as CES, organisers aimed to revitalise it by moving it from January to June and reshaping it as a Goodwood-style ‘festival’ with a large interactive outdoor area. But with that cancelled, it will be at least 2021 before the revised concept can be tested.Best show moments I’ve never seen such a stunned yet amused look on a face as that of snapper Stuart Price at the unveiling of the 2012 Bentley EXP 9 F, the SUV concept that became the Bentayga. The car had been nicknamed Falcon, so obviously Bentley brought along a real-life falcon to be next to then boss Wolfgang Dürheimer as it was unveiled. Whether Stu’s stunned look was for the concept’s front end or the falcon, I’m not sure, but the giggles were from him catching the look on the face of VW Group supremo Ferdinand Piëch at the weirdness in front of him. l’ll never forget Porsche’s king hit to every other car maker at Geneva 2010. No one had known precisely what was coming, but by 9am on that first day we all knew that, instead of searching for a show star, the answer was right there in front of us. By that time the covers were off the 918 Spyder concept – a 214mph hybrid hypercar with 282bhp of electric front-wheel drive and a mid-engined 600bhp V8. It not only described brilliantly but also looked fabulous, even shading its predecessor, the Carrera GT. Has another car ever been revealed at a motor show that was so wrong… and yet so right? To my mind, nothing comes close to Aston Martin’s Lagonda SUV concept from the 2009 Geneva show. Although attitudes have changed since then, it was the idea of Aston building an SUV that caused as much horror as the car’s looks. The irony is that if the Lagonda had been put into production, it would have fitted right in with many of the other undignified luxury SUVs on the roads today, and Aston would probably be in far ruder health. It’s 1999 and only my second Geneva motor show. As a junior in a pre-digital era, I’ve been told to collect press kits; I’ve even got a trolley to carry them. It’s largely a trudge, but there’s rare cool metal to see, too. In a corner, there’s a new supercar. I’ve read that many such cars are no-hopers: poorly engineered and unlikely to take on the establishment. But even my novice eye can tell that this one, engine cover open, looks different. There’s real integrity and it’s beautifully finished. As well it might be; it’s the Pagani Zonda.

This man has been detained by the Mossos d’Esquadra for having secretly installed a program that remotely controlled the computer camera to drink photos and record videos with the victims’ webcam without them noticing. The detainee, a Spanish national, was dedicated to repairing and selling laptops that he collected at recycling points, but to which he installed the spyware. For this reason, he is accused of crimes of discovery and revelation of secrets.The investigation began on January 20, where a woman who had bought two computers (one for herself and one for a friend) in September 2019 found photos of her on the laptop’s hard drive that she had not taken. For this reason, she decided to take the computer to a computer store, where they discovered that she had installed the hidden program that recorded videos and made captures with the webcam, and that it started in the background in a hidden way every time the computer When she told her friend, she discovered that she also had the program installed.For this reason, the Mossos decided to carry out a raid on July 2 at the seller’s house in Vallbona d’Anoia, where they seized enough material to demonstrate that, indeed, he was the one who controlled the program and who carried out the captures, since he had that material on his property, where he had dozens of hard drives around the house that are being analyzed. The Mossos affirm that there would also be more users affected, so the investigation remains openTherefore, it is very important that when you buy any second-hand device, you do an installation from scratch of the operating system to avoid the presence of programs of this type. This is very important especially in Windows, since it is very easy to install this type of programs. In Android it is more complicated to install them without the user realizing it, but there we also have to do a Factory Reset when we buy a second-hand mobile to avoid that someone has been able to modify it to obtain images of us or even our credentials.

U.S.-China relations have not been so tense since before President Jimmy Carter and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping agreed to exchange ambassadors in 1979. Attitudes have hardened especially in the last two months, in part because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and in part because of the troubling developments in Hong Kong. Some voices in the Washington establishment are even advocating a “decoupling” of the deep, complex business connections between the two countries that have been built up over decades.Because many U.S. companies give their China operations a large measure of autonomy, top management and boards often do not have a good grasp of the risks they face. Based on a review of 75 confidential board assessments conducted over the past 15 years, we can report that almost no board possesses a complete picture of its company’s operations in Greater China, including Hong Kong. Management may make presentations about international sales in general, but very few details about China surface at the board level.When business was prospering in China, boards could afford to turn a blind eye to the details. But that’s a mistake now, given the impending storm clouds. Disruptions in their access to the Chinese market or in their supply chains and procurement channels would spell disaster for many companies, including household names such as General Motors, Apple, and Intel.To understand their China risks, U.S. executives and boards need to start a discussion. As we see it, the agenda should include the following five questions:There has been a great deal of talk about reducing U.S. dependence on China That’s why some companies have moved some of their production to Vietnam or Mexico. But these have been relatively small in scale and significant moves to “re-shore” manufacturing from China to the United States would be expensive and difficult, partly because of a shortage of skilled manufacturing workers in the United States. Any such move also would risk backlash from Chinese authorities.What’s more, China has cornered the market in many critical components. As New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo found in seeking to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, crucial reagents for testing kits come from only one place: China. Certain kinds of masks and protective gear come from only one place: China. Nearly every computer and smart phone in use in the United States comes from China or at least has some component in it that is manufactured in China.Perhaps even more seriously, China dominates production of many of the critical raw materials that go into the products of the new economy – from smartphones to wind turbines. These include critical “rare earth minerals” like yttrium (used for charging electronic devices like smartphones), cerium and lanthanum (used for touch screens), and neodymium (used in electric car batteries).If a company has a significant percentage of its sales in China, say 10–20%, it obviously is going to fight, on all levels, to maintain those sales. In many cases that will mean the company cannot maintain critical distance from the Chinese government.But closeness to the Chinese government could create problems elsewhere, including the domestic U.S. market. “Do CEOs and boards really want to help the Chinese smother Hong Kong, erase Xinjiang and Tibet and sink all the non-Chinese fishermen in the South China Sea?” asks Clyde Prestowitz, author of the forthcoming book, The World Turned Upside Down: China, America and the Struggle for Global Leadership. “At some point, it seems to me, that kind of acquiescence is bound to look pretty bad.”The risk is especially serious for companies like American semiconductor manufacturer Nvidia, which provides products used in facial recognition technology that could be used by the Chinese government to enable human rights violations.What is our exposure to legal changes in Hong Kong?China is signaling that it intends to introduce its own version of justice in the former British colony, which hosts the Asian regional headquarters for many American companies. Tens of thousands of Americans live there. Hong Kong is critically important for many U.S. companies because of their partnerships and relationships with Hong Kong Chinese players, who help them navigate their way in China itself. Some companies have located IP and other sensitive financial and legal functions in Hong Kong, in large part because Hong Kong law affords businesses stronger legal protection and property rights, which could be compromised.If the legal system in Hong Kong deteriorates, as seems inevitable, a financial analyst working in Hong Kong for a Wall Street firm might come under pressure from mainland authorities for writing a negative research report about a Chinese state-owned enterprise. International companies could be also be pressured to make management changes, of the sort already imposed on some Hong Kong corporations; last year the Chinese government forced the ouster of two senior executives of Cathay Pacific airlines for issues related to support of the pro-democracy movement by Cathay employees.The possibility also looms that Hong Kong Chinese, Chinese, or even Chinese Americans working for U.S. companies in Hong Kong could be detained or arrested. “The people of Hong Kong should prepare to cope with the varieties of arbitrary detention that have been inflicted on compatriots elsewhere in China,” Jerome Cohen, director of the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at New York University, recently wrote.Finally, if the Trump administration concludes, as the president has announced, that Hong Kong no longer has a high degree of autonomy from China, then the U.S. Congress may withdraw the island’s current special status as a privileged trading partner. This would mean, amongst many other things, that tech exports from the United States, which now flow freely to Hong Kong, would be subjected to the same export controls as on goods shipped to China and the Hong Kong dollar would no longer be pegged to the U.S. dollar. Depending on the details of what Congress and the Administration enact, U.S. travelers to Hong Kong might also require visas, which they currently do not.How much should we collaborate with Chinese companies?In the open international research environment that American scientists cherish, U.S.-based researchers often collaborate remotely with Chinese counterparts. That could prove problematic, because the findings and insights they share may go further than their research partners in view of the Chinese government’s civil-military “fusion.”“Should American researchers be working with Chinese researchers on such technologies as facial recognition technology in low-light environments?” Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center and a cybersecurity policy fellow at New America, asked on a recent Zoom call sponsored by the U.S.-Asia Law Institute. “I think probably not … How do you know that your technology is not being used, even indirectly, to incarcerate hundreds of thousands of Uighurs?”China also has a track record of research espionage: the Ministry of State Security is known to have targeted Chinese and Chinese-American employees at U.S. companies to obtain access to their technology or to penetrate their companies’ decision-making process. American law obviously prevents companies from discriminating against people on the basis of their ethnicity, but there are policies and procedures that can be put in place to better safeguard IP and key decisions. One practical but costly step would be asking all employees to disclose international travel, disclose other sources of income and reveal contacts with foreign governments.How secure are our company’s IT systems?It’s not just approaches to their people that companies have to watch for. In 2018, Bloomberg Businessweek published an article revealing that China’s People’s Liberation Army had covertly installed microchips in components that had been sourced from China for use in IT products used by many companies internally, including Apple, which vehemently disputed the report.China’s software hacking capabilities are also highly sophisticated, as evidenced by the work of the state-sponsored APT10 group in Tianjin (APT stands for Advanced Persistent Threat), which was able to penetrate American cloud computing systems and remain inside them for four years, as disclosed by the Department of Justice in December 2018.APT10, which federal officials said was acting in concert with the Chinese government, was able to penetrate the systems of dozens of companies and government agencies in at least 12 countries, as documented in a book recently published by one us (Holstein), The New Art of War: China’s Deep Strategy Inside the United States. Other recent disclosures suggest that government-affiliated groups in China have developed malware that can be attached to Microsoft Word documents and is virtually undetectable.Our confidential soundings suggest that some chief executive officers and their chief information officers have either chosen not to discover Chinese bugs or hackers or have been willing to accept the possibility that their systems have been compromised. The reason is that proofing their IT systems against intruders would cost millions of dollars and detract from short-term earnings. And if any breaches were to be disclosed publicly, that might irritate the Chinese government and call into question a company’s continued access to the Chinese market.***Responding to these issues will require sustained, structured discussions between entire boards and top managements. No single board committee can carry the full load. The issues extend beyond the ability of an audit committee, whose job is to focus on the numbers, which is only one part of the overall challenge. Human resource committees also need to be part of the equation to respond to the espionage risk. Compensation committees need to find creative ways of retaining top managers if quarterly and annual earnings begin to suffer. The discussions will also need to be held under the tightest security. Zoom calls are not a good idea. The goal should be to identify and manage issues before they explode into the public domain.

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MPs are calling for an investigation into a lack of school work during lockdown, claiming it is close to a "national educational disaster".Education minister Nick Gibb told Parliament today that the effects of coronavirus would be felt "for a considerable time" but that the government was focused on tackling the lost time in education.He told MPs that no child should have their life chances damaged by the coronavirus outbreak.However Conservative MP Christian Wakeford (Bury South) claimed that with most children having spent the last few months at home more than two million of these had completed "barely any school work" in that time.Speaking in an debate on education, Mr Wakeford said that a six-month learning loss for pupils was an "eternity".He told MPs: "This is close to being a national educational disaster."Clearly something has gone wrong and we must examine why. Whilst many schools have done remarkable work, others have not been able to provide the same offer for one reason or another, and this too needs to be investigated why."Mr Wakeford, who was speaking on behalf of the Commons education committee, said Ofsted should have taken a leading role in outlining expectations during this period.He went on: "Ofsted seems to have taken a badger approach by reducing their activity and hibernating during these difficult months."Mr Gibb said the government's ambition is to provide "equality of opportunity for every child" as pupils return to school full time in September, but that "no one should underestimate the scale of the challenge" that the closure of schools in March had provided."Education recovery lies at the heart of our national mission as we emerge from the disruption caused from the coronavirus pandemic and no child should see their life chances damaged by being out of school for so long," the schools minister said."Our ambition is to provide equality of opportunity for every child and to support parents and carers," he told MPs.Mr Gibb added: "Since 2010, most children are now attending good and outstanding schools, the attainment gap between the disadvantaged and their peers has narrowed at all stages, a record proportion of disadvantaged students are going to university, we have a world-class curriculum and ambitions for world-class technical education."The effects of the current epidemic will be felt across society for a considerable time."It was right that we moved rapidly to secure a massive one-off investment in our schools to tackle both lost time in education and foster greater focus on proven approaches so that all pupils can receive the education they have a right to expect."The Government also faced calls to extend the department's catch-up funding to 16 to 18-year-old students.Tory MP Peter Aldous (Waveney) said: "It is a concern that 16 to 18-year-olds are not able to access the Covid catch-up fund."He added: "At present, there is no funding for this."To address this unfairness, to remove this obstacle, it is important that before the end of term Government confirms that all 16 to 18providers can access Covid catch-up funding on the same terms as 11 to 16-year-olds."

Television commentators praise players with lighter skin as more intelligent and hardworking than those with darker skin, showed a study by Danish firm RunRepeat in association with the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA).The study analysed 2,073 statements from English-speaking commentators in 80 games from the 2019-20 season across Italy's Serie A, France's Ligue 1, Spain's La Liga and England's Premier League. A total of 643 players of various races and skin tones were discussed.Analysis revealed that players with darker skin tones were "significantly more likely" to be reduced to their physical characteristics or athletic abilities like pace and power.Around 62 per cent of praise was aimed at players with lighter skin while 63.33 per cent of criticism was aimed at those with darker skin."To address the real impact of structural racism, we have to acknowledge and address racial bias. This study shows an evident bias in how we describe the attributes of footballers based on their skin colour," PFA equalities executive Jason Lee said."Commentators help shape the perception we hold of each player, deepening any racial bias already held by the viewer. It's important to consider how far-reaching those perceptions can be and how they impact footballers even once they finish their playing career."If a player has aspirations of becoming a coach/manager, is an unfair advantage given to players that commentators regularly refer to as intelligent and industrious, when those views appear to be a result of racial bias?"The study comes amid protests around the world against racial injustice following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis on May 25.

Suzuki’s UK line-up is will soon be exclusively hybridised, with non-electrified variants of all models down to dealer stock only and the Jimny 4x4 now no longer directly available to order.The future of the compact off-roader was already in question after Suzuki UK said it would only be sold “in very limited numbers throughout 2020” at the start of the year. A brand spokesperson has now confirmed that “once existing and limited number dealer allocations to customers are fulfilled over the next 4-5 months” it will be officially axed.As previously rumoured, there remains a possibility that the model could be brought back into the market as an N1 class commercial vehicle in future, with the removal of the rear seats to enable a load bay alongside other homologation alterations. However, this is yet to be confirmed.The Jimny’s fate is largely down to the adverse effect it has on the brand’s fleet average CO2 emissions. Even in most frugal manual form its CO2 rating is 154g/km - well above the 95g/km fleet average Suzuki will need to meet in 2021.Suzuki’s wider range now comprises the Vitara and S-Cross SUVs, the Swift and Swift Sport hatchbacks and the Ignis city car. All are now offered solely with mild-hybrid petrol engines.The Ignis and Swift use a cheaper and simpler 12v system, while the SUVs and Swift Sport use a more advanced 48v system. Suzuki claims economy is boosted by as much as 15%, and CO2 is reduced by as much as 25%, compared with the previous non-hybrid versions.The range will soon also be joined by the Across SUV - recently revealed as the first product created under a partnership between Suzuki and Toyota. Essentially a rebadged and lightly restyled RAV4, the Across features Suzuki's first plug-in hybrid powertrain.

If Microsoft Edge was installed in Windows 10 via Windows Update, you can not remove it via standard methods. That does not mean you cannot remove it, though, as a technique has been discovered to uninstall the program via the command prompt.In May, we reported that Microsoft Edge would roll out to Windows 10 2004 machines through the KB4559309 update installed via Windows Update.When installed via Windows Update, though, Windows 10 does not allow you to uninstall the new Microsoft Edge via the uninstall programs section of Apps & Features, as shown below. Source: Deskmodder.deFor those who do not want Microsoft Edge installed via the update, you can uninstall it manually via the command, as discovered by Deskmodder.de.To do this, please follow these steps:Open an elevated command prompt by typing CMD in the Start Menu search field, right-clicking on Command Prompt when shown, and selecting 'Run as administrator.'Now use the CD command to change to the folder associated with the latest version of Microsoft Edge that was installed. This folder is located under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\[version].For example, if Edge 83.0.478.58 is installed, you would use the following command: You can now close the command prompt by typing exit and pressing enter.Once Microsoft Edge is uninstalled, you will now have access to Edge Classic.If you do not wish the Edge update to install automatically again, you can manually download and install Microsoft Edge or block it from being installed via Windows Update.

Engage to Grow Summit United Marketing Thought Leaders to Discuss Customer Retention as a Game Changer for GrowthDUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CleverTap, a leading AI-powered customer lifecycle and user retention platform, joined with Dun & Bradstreet to host a thought leadership event in Dubai in early March. The Engage to Grow Summit brought Middle East founders, chief product officers, and VPs and SVPs of marketing together to discuss the theme of "User Retention: The New Growth Accelerator," having open and honest discussions about how to better personalize experiences, engage and retain users for overall business growth. "Brand leaders are increasingly looking to engage consumers and build a better strategy for retaining end-users," said Almitra Karnik, head of marketing, CleverTap. "The Engage to Grow Summit provided the ideal venue for brand leaders in the Middle East to explore changing marketing dynamics, real-world solutions for driving customer engagement, and the evolution of technology to help digital marketers predict behavior and better deliver information at the right time and in the right place."The one-day summit offered insights from key CleverTap executives, as well as leaders from Network International and JOIGIFTS.com. In addition, panel discussions looked at the journey from customer engagement to brand advocacy and business growth strategies that have been most effective in the Middle East. Panelists included marketing and operations executives from Careem, Domino's Pizza, Etisalat Group, Liv. digital lifestyle bank by Emirates NBD, LuLu Group International, and Mashreq Bank."Customer retention is as important as customer acquisition. We live in an age where mobile devices are scaling heights in terms of marketability that the print and broadcast media could only ever dream of," said Pankaj Khanna, Head - Learning & Economic Insights Group, Dun & Bradstreet India. "Accordingly, developing and deploying strategies to enhance user experience, sustain customer value propositions and keep customers constantly engaged have become critical focus areas for sustainable business growth."Discussions at the summit focused on the proliferation of smartphone usage across user segments in the region and the real-time cultural shift of people sharing, accessing and needing content across social and online channels. In addition, the ability to store large amounts of data in efficient and cost-effective ways will have a profound impact on the level in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning will play a role in digital-first marketing strategies. Panel topics assessed the evolving mobile landscape over the next five years and new approaches to segmenting and engaging users with personalized information, experiences, services, and more.For additional information or to view upcoming CleverTap events, please visitDun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, enables companies around the world to improve their business performance. Dun & Bradstreet's Data Cloud fuels solutions and delivers insights that empower customers to accelerate revenue, lower cost, mitigate risk, and transform their businesses. Since 1841, companies of every size have relied on Dun & Bradstreet to help them manage risk and reveal opportunity.CleverTap is the leading customer engagement and retention platform that helps brands maximize user lifetime value. Consumer brands around the world representing over 8,000 apps—including Gojek, Sony, Discovery, Fandango LATAM, Carousell, Vodafone, and Star—trust CleverTap to help them improve user engagement and retention thereby growing long term revenue. CleverTap is backed by leading venture capital firms, including Sequoia India, Tiger Global Management, Accel, and Recruit Holdings, and is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. with regional offices in Amsterdam, Singapore, Dubai, and Mumbai. For more information, visit

Senran Kagura: Peach Ball (Switch [reviewed], PC) Developer: Honey∞Parade Games Publisher: Xseed Games Released July 9, 2019 MSRP: $39.99 The Senran Kagura series is in a bit of a tough spot right now. Kenichiro Takaki, the creator of the franchise, announced in March that he was leaving developer Marvelous, feeling he was being restricted on what kind of content he could show in his games. While he is still attached to the announced Senran Kagura 7even, it's unclear exactly what that game will end up being due to Sony's recent prudish ways.Of course, as I'm sure many have pointed out before, Takaki could just move the game over to Switch. Nintendo has been receiving of the Senran series since its inception. Even something as over the top as Senran Kagura: Peach Ball is welcome on Nintendo hardware, which is great because it might be the best Senran spin-off to date. The Senran Kagura series is no stranger to ridiculous plots and eye-popping fan service, two things Peach Ball has in spades. The game is set in the Honey Arcade where Haruka, the puppet master of Hebijo Academy, works part time. Unfortunately, the place isn't always busy and in her down time, she likes to do some chemistry. One of her latest concoctions is Beastall, a liquid that turns anyone who touches it into an animal.As is wont to happen with this series, things go awry during a video game tournament when the heterochromatic Ryona mistakes the serum for soap and turns into a dog. She then goes about licking the four other girls there with her, which she probably would have done even if she wasn't sporting dog ears and a tail. Murasaki, Yumi, Yomi, and Asuka soon start turning into animals themselves, leaving it up to you and Haruka to change them back using the power of the Peach Ball.It's a totally cheesecake set-up and the developers smartly lean all the way into it. Unlike the last time Honey∞Parade Games got its hands on the franchise, Peach Ball is an always light and airy experience. Most of the dialogue of the story mode thick in the cornball sexuality fans expect and the pinball gameplay of the Peach Ball can be exceptionally fun if frustratingly meager. Senran Kagura: Peach Ball has just two pinball tables: Peach Land and Spooky Shinobi Park. Each table has different themes and backgrounds players can unlock, but nothing to quintessentially change how the table plays. Through all five hours of the campaign, it'll just be the same two tables over and over, which can sound monotonous. However, the pinball gameplay has enough features that repeated plays never grows rote, with plenty of bells and whistles to keep each run buzzing with excitement.Peach Land is the standout of the two tables. The theme park design of it is inviting and its layout is thoughtful and full of character, especially as you begin to learn the tricks of the table. There are teacup bumpers to hit, a Ferris Wheel to activate, a drop ride, and more. A lot of love went into the creation of this table and it shows. There is clearly some love in the design of Spooky Shinobi Park as well, but it's general design is too similar to Peach Land, and its gimmick -- mini-games you can activate when you collect enough coins -- can often be difficult to activate.Unlike a regular game of pinball, Peach Ball encourages players to shake the table, using either the Joy-Con motion controls or thumb sticks, and doing so can help player rack up the points. Each table has one of the five girls at the center of it and if you hit them in their special spots -- boobs, butt, taint -- you'll score massive points. One of the best ways to send that score flying is to trap the ball behind the girl, creating a situation where it's always bouncing off her. Bumping the table is one of the ways to make this happen, but you can also do it with a perfect shot. You should know that Peach Ball does not feature true-to-life pinball physics -- they feel tilted in the players favor -- but it never crosses a line to where the game is too easy. As you play each table, you'll have a growing series of challenges to complete. These are listed to the right of the screen during gameplay and can ask you to score a certain number of points, hit the ball into a specific location multiple times, or repeatedly bump the girl with the ball. Score enough points and you'll open the opportunity for a Sexy Challenge. These are pinball mini-games where the object is to hit whatever little toys dot the table enough times that your girl ends up in a compromising situation. Some of these challenges include rubber ducks that get the girls all wet, an ice cream truck that gets them sticky, or magical top hats that produce a pair of tickling hands.It's all very tongue-in-cheek and never crosses over into being grossly exploitative. Even the Super Sexy Challenge, the final bit of each table where you're just smacking Peach Balls directly into the girl's boobs or butt, is all in good fun. But that fun feels limited when there are only five girls and just two tables.Outside of the story mode, players have access to a free mode that allows them to play to their hearts content. Playing either mode will net you coins to spend in the in-game shop, and there is a lot of content here to unlock. New clothes, hairstyles, Peach Ball designs, artwork, music, and more is up for grabs, and unlike with a lot of games, I thoroughly enjoyed going through and unlocking everything in the game because the core gameplay is so damn entertaining. And yes, the dressing room returns with costumes, diorama poses, and the Reflexions-like intimacy mode that lets you touch the girls all over.Marvelous and Honey∞Parade Games' biggest mistake with Senran Kagura: Peach Ball was treating it as a budget title because it deserves so much more: more tables, more girls, more everything. Combining the cheeseball sexuality of Senran with pinball is perhaps the most brilliant idea this franchise has ever had and the execution of what is here is nearly flawless. But the lack of a diverse set of pinball tables and a curtailed cast keep Peach Ball from reaching the excellence it could have so easily achieved if the developers had more time and more ideas for what they wanted Peach Ball to be.[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.] CPU: Info CPU SPEED: Dual Core CPU RAM: 4 GB OS: Microsoft Windows 7.1/8/8.1/10 VIDEO CARD: Graphics card with DX10 (shader model 4.0) capabilities PIXEL SHADER: 4.0 VERTEX SHADER: 4.0 FREE DISK SPACE: 3 GB

Education secretary Gavin Williamson has confirmed that primary schools will continue to receive the £320 million PE and Sport Premium during the next academic year.The grant, worth an average of around £18,000 per school, helps schools to engage pupils in regular physical activity, including swimming lessons and running the “the Daily Mile”, while increasing confidence and skills of staff in teaching PE and sport.Mr Williamson, who last week in the House of Commons declined to comment on whether the grant would continue, said today: “During these challenging times, it has become clearer to me than ever the importance of keeping active and how it benefits not just our physical health but also our ability to pay attention, our mood and our mental health too.“I know that many children will have missed time spent outdoors with their friends – that’s why it’s so important that ahead of a full return to school in September, schools get the certainty they need to prepare their PE and sports activities for next year.”The Department for Education also said that any PE and Sport Premium funding from the current academic year (2019-20) that schools have been unable to use as a result of the coronavirus pandemic can be brought forward to use in the next academic year.Chief executive of Sport England Tim Hollingsworth said: “It's never been more needed given the massive disruption to children’s activity levels during lockdown with our research showing that the number of children meeting the chief medical officer's guidelines has dropped from almost 47 per cent to 19 per cent."The ring-fenced grant, for English primary school, which was doubled in 2017, also helps schools pay for a broader range of sports and activities offered as well as the increased participation in competitive sport. It is also being used support SEND pupils "build physical literacy" in thing like tying their own shoe laces and holding a knife and fork.Sue Wilkinson MBE, chief executive of the Association for Physical Education said the investment would have “a significant impact on teachers’ confidence and competence” in delivering PE lessons.Children’ charity the Youth Sport Trust, which works with thousands of schools to improve young pupils' wellbeing through sport and PE, said the money play an essential role in young people’s recovery after lockdown.

4-6 FOOTBALL FA Cup third round4-12 DARTS BDO World Champ­ionship (Lakeside, Frimley Green)5 FOOTBALL Women’s FA Cup third round7 CRICKET First ODI: West Indies v Ireland (Bridgetown)7-8 FOOTBALL Carabao Cup semi-final first legs9 CRICKET Second ODI: West Indies v Ireland (Bridgetown)10-12 RUGBY UNION European Champions Cup fifth round11-12 RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup first round12 CRICKET Third ODI: West Indies v Ireland (St George’s)15 CRICKET First T20: West Indies v Ireland (St George’s)15-16 FOOTBALL Women’s League Cup quarter-finals16-20 CRICKET Third Test: South Africa v England (Port Elizabeth)17-19 RUGBY UNION European Champions Cup sixth round18 CRICKET Second T20: West Indies v Ireland (Basseterre)18-19 FOOTBALL Scottish Cup fourth round19 CRICKET Third ODI: West Indies v Ireland (Basseterre)19 NETBALL Nations Cup: England v New Zealand (Nottingham)20-2 Feb TENNIS Australian Open (Melbourne)22 NETBALL Nations Cup: England v South Africa (Birmingham)23-26 MOTOR SPORT Monte Carlo Rally24-26 CYCLING National Track Championships (Manchester), Tour Down Under (Australia)24-27 FOOTBALL FA Cup 4th round24-28 CRICKET Fourth Test South Africa v England (Johannesburg)25 NETBALL Nations Cup: England v Jamaica (London)25-26 RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup second round26 BASKETBALL BBL Cup final (Birmingham); FOOTBALL Women’s FA Cup fourth round; NETBALL Nations Cup finals (London)28-29 FOOTBALL Carabao Cup semi-final second legs30 RUGBY LEAGUE Start of Super League season31 CRICKET Tri Series: India women v England women (Canberra) 1 CRICKET Tri Series: Australia women v England (Canberra); RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Ireland v Scotland, Wales v Italy2 AMERICAN FOOTBALL Super Bowl 54 (Miami); RUGBY UNION Six Nations: France v England, Women’s Six Nations: France v England, Ireland v Scotland, Wales v Italy4 CRICKET First ODI: South Africa v England (Cape Town)4-5 RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup fourth round4-8 TENNIS Fed Cup group and qualifying matches, inc: Slovakia v Great Britain (Bratislava)7 CRICKET Second ODI: South Africa v England (Durban), Tri Series: India women v England women (Melbourne); DARTS Premier League starts (Aberdeen)8 FOOTBALL Scottish Cup 5th round; RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Ireland v Wales, Scotland v England, Women’s Six Nations: France v Italy8-9 RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup third round9 CRICKET Third ODI: South Africa v England (Johannesburg), Tri Series: Australia women v England women (Canberra); RUGBY UNION Six Nations: France v Italy, Women’s Six Nations: Scotland v England, Ireland v Wales12 CRICKET First T20: South Africa v England (East London); Women’s Tri-Nations final (Melbourne)14 CRICKET Second T20: South Africa v England (Durban)14-16 FOOTBALL Scottish Challenge Cup semi-finals15 ATHLETICS Indoor GP (Glasgow)16 CRICKET Third T20: South Africa v England (Centurion); FOOTBALL Women’s FA Cup 5th round17-29 TENNIS Dubai Duty Tree Championships18-19 & 25-26 FOOTBALL Champ­ions League round of 16 first legs20 FOOTBALL Europa League round of 32 first legs21-8 Mar CRICKET Women’s World T20 (Australia)22 BOXING WBC Heavyweight title: Wilder v Fury (Las Vegas); RUGBY LEAGUE World Club Challenge: St Helens v Sydney Roosters; RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Italy v Scotland, Wales v France22-23 ATHLETICS British Indoor Championships (Glasgow); RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup 4th round23 CRICKET Women’s World T20: England v South Africa (Perth); RUGBY UNION: Six Nations: England v Ireland, Women’s Six Nations: Wales v France, England v Ireland, Italy v Scotland26 CRICKET Women’s World T20: England v Thailand (Canberra)26-1 Mar CYCLING Track World Championships (Berlin)27 FOOTBALL Europa League round of 32 second legs28 CRICKET Women’s World T20: England v Pakistan (Canberra); DIVING World Series (Montreal)28-1 Mar MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Phillip Island)29 FOOTBALL Women’s League Cup final, Scottish Cup quarter-finals 1 CRICKET Women’s World T20: England v West Indies (Sydney); FOOTBALL Carabao Cup final (Wembley)3-4 FOOTBALL FA Cup fifth round5 CRICKET Women’s World T20 semi-finals (Sydney)6-7 TENNIS Davis Cup qualifying rounds; TRIATHLON World Series starts (Abu Dhabi);7 RUGBY UNION Six Nations: England v Wales, Ireland v Italy, Women’s Six Nations: England v Wales, Scotland v France8 CRICKET Women’s World T20 final (Melbourne); RUGBY UNION Six Nations: Scotland v France, Women’s Six Nations: Ireland v Italy8-15 CYCLING Paris-Nice10-11 RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup fifth round10-11 & 17-18 FOOTBALL Champions League round of 16 second legs10-13 RACING Cheltenham Festival11-15 BADMINTON All-England Open (Birmingham)12 FOOTBALL Europa League round of 16 first legs12-15 GOLF The Players Championship (Florida)13-15 ATHLETICS World Indoor Championships (Nanjing); MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Qatar)14 RUGBY UNION Six Nations: France v Ireland, Italy v England, Wales v Scotland14-15 RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup sixth round14-24 BOXING Olympic qualifiers (Copper Box)15 BASKETBALL BBL Trophy final (Glasgow); FOOTBALL Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals; F1 Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne); RUGBY UNION Women’s Six Nations: France v Ireland, Italy v England, Wales v Scotland19 FOOTBALL Europa League round of 16 second legs19-23 CRICKET First Test: Sri Lanka v England (Galle)21 CYCLING Milan-San Remo (Italy)21-22 FOOTBALL FA Cup q-fs22 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir)22-29 TABLE TENNIS World Championships (Busan)24-25 FOOTBALL Women’s Champ­ions League quarter-final first legs25-29 GOLF World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play (Texas)26 FOOTBALL Euro 2020 play-off semi-finals: Bosnia-Herzegovina v Northern Ireland, Scotland v Israel, Slovakia v Republic of Ireland27 FOOTBALL Friendlies: England v Italy, Wales v Austria27-29 DIVING World Series (London Aquatics Centre); MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Spain)27-31 CRICKET Second Test: Sri Lanka v England (Colombo)28 FOOTBALL Scottish Challenge Cup final29 ROWING Boat Races (London)31 FOOTBALL Euro 2020 play-off finals, Friendly: England v Denmark 1-2 FOOTBALL Women’s Champ­ions League q-final second legs2-5 RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup sixth round3-5 RUGBY UNION European Champ­ions Cup and Challenge Cup q-fs4 RACING Grand National (Aintree)5 FOOTBALL Leasing.com Trophy final (Wembley); F1 Vietnamese Grand Prix (Hanoi)7-8 FOOTBALL Champions League quarter-final first legs9 FOOTBALL Europa League quarter-final first legs, Women’s Euro qualifier: Cyprus v Scotland9-12 GOLF The Masters (Augusta)10 FOOTBALL Women’s Euro qualifier: Wales v Faroe Islands11-12 FOOTBALL Scottish Cup semi-finals12 CYCLING Paris-Roubaix12-15 CRICKET Start of County Championship season14 FOOTBALL Women’s Euro qualifiers: Belarus v N Ireland, Wales v Norway, Scotland v Portugal14-15 FOOTBALL Champions League quarter-final second legs14-19 TENNIS Fed Cup finals/play-offs (Budapest)16 FOOTBALL Europa League quarter-final second legs17-19 MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Netherlands)18-19 FOOTBALL FA Cup s-fs18-4 May SNOOKER World Championship (Sheffield)19 FOOTBALL Women’s FA Cup s-fs; F1 Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)25 FOOTBALL League Two final day25-26 FOOTBALL Women’s Champ­ions League semi-final first legs26 ATHLETICS London Marathon; CYCLING Liege-Bastogne-Liege28-29 FOOTBALL Champions League semi-final first legs30 FOOTBALL Europa League semi-final first legs30-3 May CYCLING Tour de Yorkshire 1-3 RUGBY UNION European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup semi-finals2 FOOTBALL Championship final day; RACING Kentucky Derby2-3 FOOTBALL Women’s Champions League s-f second legs;3 FOOTBALL League One final day; F1 Dutch Grand Prix (Zandvoort)5-6 FOOTBALL Champions League semi-final second legs7 FOOTBALL Europa League semi-final second legs8-10 MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Imola)9 FOOTBALL Scottish Cup final, Women’s FA Cup final (Wembley)9-10 RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup q-fs9-31 CYCLING Giro d’Italia10 F1 Spanish GP (Barcelona)14 CRICKET First ODI: Ireland v Bangladesh14-17 GOLF US PGA (California)16 CRICKET Second ODI: Ireland v Bangladesh; FOOTBALL League Two play-off final (Wembley)17 FOOTBALL Final round of Scottish Premiership matches, Premier League season finishes; FA Trophy and FA Vase finals (Wembley)19 CRICKET Third ODI: Ireland v Bangladesh22 RUGBY UNION European Challenge Cup final (Marseille)22-24 MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Aragon); SKATEBOARDING World Championships (Copper Box)23 FOOTBALL FA Cup final (Wembley); RUGBY UNION European Champions Cup final (Marseille)23-24 RUGBY LEAGUE Magic weekend (Newcastle)23-24 ACTION SPORTS Nitro World Games (Cardiff)24 FOOTBALL Women’s Champions League final (Vienna); F1 Monaco GP (Monte Carlo), Indianapolis 50024 FOOTBALL League One play-off final (Wembley)24-7 Jun TENNIS French Open (Roland Garros)25 FOOTBALL Championship play-off final (Wembley)27 FOOTBALL Europa League final (Gdansk)27-31 GOLF Irish Open (Mt Juliet)28 CRICKET Vitality Blast starts30 FOOTBALL Champions League final (Istanbul)31-7 Jun CYCLING Crit du Dauphiné 2 FOOTBALL Friendly: Austria v England (Vienna)4-7 Jun GOLF US Women’s Open4-8 CRICKET First Test: England v West Indies (The Oval)5 FOOTBALL Women’s Euro qualifiers: Northern Ireland v Belarus, Scotland v Albania, Ukraine v Republic of Ireland6 RACING The Derby (Epsom); RUGBY UNION Final round of Premiership matches6-7 CYCLING UCI Mountain Bike World Cup (Fort William); RUGBY LEAGUE Women’s Challenge Cup final (tbc), Challenge Cup semi-finals (tbc); TRIATHLON World Series (Leeds)7 FOOTBALL Friendly: England v Romania (tbc); F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku)8-11 TENNIS Davis Cup8-13 CYCLING Women’s Tour8-14 TENNIS Nature Valley Open (Nottingham)9 FOOTBALL Women’s Euro qualifiers: Northern Ireland v Faroe Islands, Wales v Belarus, Finland v Scotland12 FOOTBALL Euro 2020 opening match: Italy v Turkey12-13 RUGBY UNION Premiership semi-finals (tbc)12-14 MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Misano)12-16 CRICKET Second Test: England v West Indies (Edgbaston)12 Jun-12 Jul FOOTBALL Copa America (Argentina & Colombia)13 FOOTBALL Euro 2020: Wales v Switzerland (Baku)13-14 BASEBALL MLB Cardinals v Cubs (London Stadium); MOTOR RACING Le Mans 24 Hours14 FOOTBALL Euro 2020: England v Croatia; F1 Canadian GP (Montreal)15-21 TENNIS Fever Tree Championships (Queen’s), Nature Valley Classic (Birmingham)16-20 RACING Royal Ascot17 FOOTBALL Euro 2020: Turkey v Wales (Baku)18-21 GOLF US Open (New York)19 CRICKET First ODI: Ireland v New Zealand; FOOTBALL Euro 2020: England v tbc20 RUGBY UNION Premiership final (Twickenham), Pro14 final (Cardiff)20-21 ATHLETICS British Champ­s and Olympic trials (Manchester)21 CRICKET Second ODI: Ireland v NZ; FOOTBALL Euro 2020: Italy v Wales (Rome); RUGBY UNION England Barbarians22-28 TENNIS Nature Valley International (Eastbourne)23 CRICKET Third ODI: Ireland v New Zealand; FOOTBALL Euro 2020: Czech Republic v England25-28 GOLF KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (Pennsylvania)25-29 CRICKET Third Test: England v West Indies (Lord’s)26 CRICKET ODI: Scotland v NZ26-5 Jul CYCLING Women’s Giro27 CRICKET First T20: Ireland v NZ27-19 Jul CYCLING Tour de France27-30 FOOTBALL Euro 2020 last 1628 F1 French GP (Le Castellet)29-12 Jul TENNIS The Championships (Wimbledon)30 CRICKET 2nd T20: Ireland v NZ 1-5 ROWING Henley Royal Regatta2 CRICKET Third T20: Ireland v NZ3 CRICKET First T20: England v Australia (Durham)3-4 FOOTBALL Euro 2020 q-fs3-5 MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Donington Park)4 RUGBY UNION Australia v Ireland (Brisbane), Japan v England (Oita), New Zealand v Wales (Auckland), South Africa v Scotland (tbc)4-5 ATHLETICS Diamond League/Anniversary Games (London)5 CRICKET Second T20: England v Australia (Old Trafford); F1 Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg)7 CRICKET Third T20: England v Australia (Headingley)7-8 FOOTBALL Euro 2020 semi-finals (Wembley)9-12 GOLF Scottish Open (N Berwick)11 CRICKET First ODI: England v Australia (Lord’s); RUGBY UNION Australia v Ireland (Sydney), Japan v England (Kobe), New Zealand v Wales (Wellington), South Africa v Scotland (tbc)12 CRICKET First T20: Ireland v Pakistan; FOOTBALL Euro 2020 final (Wembley)14 CRICKET Second ODI: England v Australia (Ageas Bowl), Second T20: Ireland v Pakistan16 CRICKET Third ODI: England v Australia (Bristol)16-19 GOLF The Open Championship (Sandwich)17 CRICKET The Hundred starts: Oval Invincibles v Welsh Fire18 RUGBY LEAGUE Challenge Cup final (Wembley); RUGBY UNION NZ v Scotland (Dunedin)19 F1 British GP (Silverstone)20 CRICKET Royal London Cup opening round22 CRICKET The Women’s Hundred opening match24-9 Aug OLYMPICS Olympic Games (Tokyo)25-26 MOTOR SPORT Final round of Formula-E Championship (London)28-1 Aug RACING Glorious Goodwood30-2 Aug GOLF British Masters (Newcastle)30-3 Aug CRICKET First Test: England v Pakistan (Lord’s)31-2 Aug MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Oschersleben) 2 F1 Hungarian GP (Mogyorod)7-11 CRICKET Second Test: England v Pakistan (Old Trafford)7-16 TENNIS Rogers Cup (Toronto)8-9 TRIATHLON London12 FOOTBALL Uefa Super Cup (Porto)13 CRICKET Royal London Cup q-fs13-16 GOLF Women’s Scottish Open (North Berwick)14-15 CRICKET The Hundred finals weekend (tbc)14-6 Sept CYCLING Tour of Spain16 ATHLETICS Diamond League/Grand Prix (Gateshead); CRICKET Royal London Cup semi-finals; CYCLING London-Surrey Classic18-21 CRICKET Vitality Blast q-fs20-23 GOLF Women’s British Open (Royal Troon)20-24 CRICKET Third Test: England v Pakistan (Trent Bridge)21-23 CYCLING Women’s Tour of Scotland; TRIATHLON ITU Grand Final (Edmonton)25-6 Sept PARALYMPICS (Tokyo)26-30 ATHLETICS European Championships (Paris)29 CRICKET First T20: England v Pakistan (Headingley)30 MOTOR CYCLING British MotoGP (Silverstone); F1 Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)31 CRICKET Second T20: England v Pakistan (Cardiff)31-13 Sep TENNIS US Open (NY) 2 CRICKET Third T20: England v Pakistan (Southampton)3-5 FOOTBALL Nations League matchday one4-6 MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Algarve)5 CRICKET Vitality Blast finals day (Edgbaston)6 F1 Italian Grand Prix (Monza)6-8 FOOTBALL Nations League matchday two6-13 CYCLING Tour of Britain10 CRICKET First ODI: England v Ireland (Trent Bridge)11 RUGBY LEAGUE Final round of Super League fixtures12 CRICKET Second ODI: England v Ireland (Edgbaston)15 CRICKET Third ODI: England v Ireland (The Oval)16-23 ROWING World Championships (Bled)18 FOOTBALL Women’s Euro qualifiers: Norway v Wales, Scotland v Finland, Rep of Ireland v Germany18-20 MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Catalunya)19 CRICKET Royal London Cup final (Trent Bridge)20 F1 Singapore GP (Marina Bay)20-27 CYCLING Road World Championships (Switzerland)22-25 CRICKET Final round of County Championship season25-27 GOLF Ryder Cup (Wisconsin); MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (Magny-Cours)26 AUSTRALIAN RULES AFL Grand final (Melbourne)27 F1 Russian Grand Prix (Sochi) 1-4 GOLF Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (Scotland)8-10 FOOTBALL Nations League matchday three9-11 MOTOR CYCLING World Superbikes (San Juan)10 RUGBY LEAGUE Super League Grand Final (Old Trafford)11 ATHLETICS Chicago Marathon; F1 Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka); RUGBY LEAGUE Women’s Super League Grand Final (tbc)11-13 FOOTBALL Nations League matchday four18 CRICKET T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka v Ireland (Geelong)19 CRICKET T20 World Cup: Netherlands v Scotland (Hobart)20 CRICKET T20 World Cup: Ireland v Oman (Geelong)21 CRICKET T20 World Cup: Namibia v Scotland (Hobart)22 CRICKET T20 World Cup: Papua New Guinea v Ireland (Geelong)23 CRICKET T20 World Cup: Bangladesh v Scotland (Hobart)25 F1 United States GP (Texas)26 CRICKET T20 World Cup: England v qualifier (Perth)26-1 Nov TENNIS WTA Elite Trophy (Zhuhai)28-1 Nov MOTOR RACING GB Rally30 CRICKET T20 World Cup: England v South Africa (Sydney)31 RUGBY LEAGUE First Ashes Test: England v Australia (Bolton)31-8 Nov TENNIS Paris Masters 1 ATHLETICS New York Marathon; CRICKET T20 World Cup: England v India (Melbourne); F1 Mexican GP (Mexico City)2-8 TENNIS WTA Finals (Shenzhen)3 RACING Melbourne Cup4 CRICKET T20 World Cup: Afghanistan v England (Brisbane)7 CRICKET T20 World Cup: England v qualifier (Adelaide);7 RUGBY LEAGUE Second Ashes Test: England v Australia (Elland Road); RUGBY UNION Internationals: England v New Zealand, Ireland v Australia, Scotland v Argentina10-15 TENNIS Next Gen ATP Finals11-12 CRICKET T20 World Cup semi-finals (Adelaide & Sydney)12-14 FOOTBALL Nations League matchday five14 RUGBY LEAGUE Third Ashes Test: England v Australia (Tottenham); RUGBY UNION England v Argentina, Ireland v South Africa, Scotland v Japan15 CRICKET T20 World Cup final (Melbourne); F1 Brazilian Grand Prix (Sao Paulo)15-17 FOOTBALL Nations League matchday six15-22 TENNIS ATP Tour Finals (O2)21 RUGBY UNION England v tbc, Ireland v Japan, Scotland v NZ23-29 TENNIS Davis Cup finals (Madrid)28 RUGBY UNION England v Australia29 F1 Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Marina)

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ has underpinned many a motorsport programme over the years, be it a mega-bucks manufacturer-backed Formula 1, Le Mans or world rally team or a more realistic dealer-supported national race or rally squad.If it seems naive today to think that those six words could convince a mega-bucks industry to write cheques in support of sporting excellence, flick through pictures from the 1960s and you’ll soon get a sense that it was both persuasive and pervasive. Of course, as the world has evolved so too has the significance of the phrase. Today, motorsport budgets are typically controlled by marketers – an extension of their advertising budgets, if you like, and talked about in terms of the benefits of relationship building, positive sentiment analysis and brand awareness.They will produce reams of analysis in support of all those things. I know, because I once read a document justifying why Infiniti was spending $30 million a year putting a sticker on cars it didn’t power. Cynical I may have been, but there was an evident logic to it compared with spending $200m as an actual manufacturer.While Ferrari without F1 is unthinkable, you don’t have to go far down the chain to realise that motorsport soon becomes expendable. Right now, even the dominant F1 force of the decade, Mercedes, is having to justify its involvement as being cost neutral, thanks to TV, sponsor and engine supply income, not because it sells cars. I’ve no doubt that F1 provides significant exposure for the brand, and sways many a potential Audi or BMW buyer its way, but it would take a huge amount of swagger to claim that alone justifies its involvement.There is also a deeper issue here. Burning fossil fuels is an anachronism, developing high-performance hybrids costly and launching all-electric championships too costly, complex and compromising to many of the elements of the sport that make it appeal in the first place. Formula E’s fans may disagree, but they total tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands rather than millions – certainly not enough to justify the cost long term.Maybe there is one way out. What if the big brains and big budgets of the top-level championships stopped pandering to the latest powertrain trends and instead focused on prolonging the current ones? Today, synthetic fuel – essentially a damage-free version of petrol or diesel – is an expensive reality, but with the right focus, it could be a cost-effective secret to not only keeping today’s engines running but also tomorrow’s, all cleanly, economically and without the need for a wholesale infrastructure change. Then motorsport really would have a platform from which to shout again.

New jobs listedConstruction Materials Field Technician (1170281)Specialized Engineering seeks experienced or entry-level Construction Materials Testing Field Technicians to work on-site at contract locations throughout the region. Primary responsibilities include conducting tests and field observations for construction materials, including soil, concrete, asphalt, reinforcing steel, foundations, and masonry in addition to performing duties as a quality assurance inspector on construction sites. Technicians ensure materials on the project meet standards required by engineering plans and specifications. Work includes performing field density and moisture testing of construction materials, (soil and asphalt) sampling and testing of concrete, tests for the slump, temperature, air content and unit weight, and fabricating concrete test cylinders and recording results.Accounts Payable/Bookkeeper (1170658)The accounts payable/bookkeeper is responsible for ensuring that the company’s bills are paid on time for the proper amounts. Additionally, the accounts payable/bookkeeper makes sure that these transactions are reflected properly in the company’s books. The accounts payable/bookkeeper also assists the accounts receivable/billing clerk in posting cash receipts and billing. All work is done in a timely manner to facilitate the month-end close process.Animal Caretaker I (1175106)KEY ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES· Variety of routine tasks associated with the general laboratory animal care in biomedical research· Feeding and housing laboratory animals· General laboratory animal housekeeping· Cleaning tasks associated with the upkeep of a research animal facility· Ordering and stocking supplies· Keeping simple records· Utilizing computer skills for email, training, and basic data entry· Operate automatic washing and cleaning equipment· Work schedule may include weekend and holiday hoursLong-Term Care Facility Liaison (1172012)The LTCF Liaison will participate in weekly meetings/calls as they pertain to COVID response for the agency; review and report out on testing and outbreak data as it pertains to the LTC and AL Facilities; respond to concerns/complaints as they pertain to the LTC and AL Facilities; follow and communicate the recommended guidance given by CDC, CMS and MDH; communicate with, direct, support and provide guidance and oversight to the nurses assigned to the LTC and AL facilities; make site visits to the LTC and AL Facilities as needed; communicate with OHCQ and other regulatory bodies as needed; and more.Driver/Warehouse Logistics/Receiving (1169320)Local cybersecurity company is seeking an experienced driver for a 26-foot box truck (no CDL required) to pick up electronic equipment on military bases and various secured facilities. You will assist in sorting a wide variety of electronic equipment: PCs, servers, communication equipment, copiers, and parts. Will work in a secure facility and must have a clean driving record and must be able to pass background and drug tests, be able lift 60 pounds and know MS Excel.Production Worker (1156881)A leader within the home building industry is hiring Production Workers for the following shifts: (1) 1st shift (6 am to 2:30 pm); plus overtime – wages begin at $17.10/hr, and (2) 2nd shift (4 pm to 2:30 am); plus overtime – wages begin at $19/hr. These are direct hire/permanent positions, with excellent benefits. Seeking dependable candidates with solid work experience, including manual labor experience in a production environment; carpentry skills are also a plus.Human Resource Generalist (1174721)The human resource generalist is responsible for performing HR-related duties on a professional level and works closely with the Senior Director of HR. This position carries out responsibilities in the following functional areas: benefits administration, employee relations, training, performance management, onboarding, policy implementation, recruitment/employment, affirmative action and employment law compliance.Accreditation Officer (1050216)Assist with, processes, and maintains all aspects of the accreditation process, including batching, application, assessor assignment, reviewing and evaluating the assessor report, reviewing and making judgements on corrective action reviews, assigning the final review to the Accreditation Council, addressing negative Accreditation Council votes, processing renewal and initial accreditation, processing annual review, processing surveillances, scope expansions, extensions, interim assessments, withdrawals of accreditation, and handling adverse accreditation decisions.Warehouse Team Member/Truck Driver (1161008)The primary responsibility is to ensure that inventory is pulled, delivered to, or picked up from customers in a courteous, safe and efficient manner while providing the highest possible level of customer service. Full-time Warehouse Delivery Driver. Must have experience driving a box truck and a delivery van.Senior QA Analyst (1169870)The QA Analyst’s primary mission is to maintain system data integrity by ensuring data processes consistently, testing the system for accuracy and constructing test solutions on our various integration platforms for our customer’s solutions. The QA Analyst is a salaried position based at our Corporate Office located in Middletown, MD.Bookkeeping Assistant (1169308)Local automotive company seeking a part-time individual to assist with HR and Bookkeeping functions. This individual will work approximately 25 – 30 hours a week. Confidentiality, excellent organizational skills and accuracy are important qualifications for this position, also good interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate clearly.Security Guard (1175044)Metropolitan Protective Service Inc. (MPSI) is seeking hardworking dedicated professionals to join the Elite Team for the City of Frederick, Maryland in their quest for Unarmed Security Guards. If you are up for the challenge and are ready to join a dedicated team that works together to provide our clients with the highest possible level of security services please apply below.Project Manager (1162373)Perform a complete range of tasks relating to project management for all customer service requirements. The Project Manager will serve as the main point of contact for customer activities relating to proposal initiation and submittal, contract review, ordering, scheduling and delivery.Automotive Tech (1164141)Local Frederick service center seeking full-time Automotive Tech. Must be able to: Diagnose drive-ability problems and make repairs. Do 4 wheel alignments. Must be able to lift heavy items at times. Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made. Estimate costs of vehicle repair. Troubleshoot fuel, ignition, and emissions control systems, using an electronic testing equipment. Repair, overhaul, or adjust automobile brake systems. Test electronic computer components in automobiles to ensure proper operation.Trackhoe Operator (1168840)Operate or tend machinery equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets, to excavate and load loose materials. Minimum 5 years’ of experience and must have reliable transportation.Pipe Foreman (1168842)Lay pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains. Perform any combination of the following tasks: grade trenches or culverts, position pipe, or seal joints.Event:Leidos BioMedical conducting Virtual Interviews: Hiring for the following positions, .and MORE!· Glassware Processor· HVAC Mechanic· Animal Caretaker I· Service Worker· Research Associates· Manufacturing AssociatesDate: Wed., July 1, 2020How: MUST call 301-600-2762 to schedule your interview time!

Pokémon Café Mix (Android, iOS [reviewed], Switch) Developer: Genius Sonority Publisher: The Pokémon Company Released: June 23, 2020 MSRP: Free-to-play w/ Microtransactions A few years ago, I wrote a review for The Pokémon Cookbook, an instructional book designed for kids that teaches you how to shape your food into Pokémon. It did not go well. I didn't make edible Pokémon so much as I created food so horrific looking that even Andrew Zimmern wouldn't touch it. Turns out, making food art is, well, an art.Making dishes that look like my favorite pocket monsters is certainly out of my reach in real life, but it's something I excel at in Pokémon Café Mix. There is no getting around that Pokémon Café Mix is one of the sweetest looking games available on mobile platforms. It opens with a decadent looking video of a Pokémon café from your past before you set off to start your own restaurant. Helping you along the way will be Leah, who'll introduce the puzzles that stand between you and operating the best damn Pokémon cafe on the planet. Soon enough, adorable looking Pokémon will start lining up to try your goods, and if you impress them enough, they'll join your team and bring their special skills along with them.Initially, the actual puzzle mechanic behind Pokémon Café Mix doesn't look all that complicated. You touch a Pokémon icon and then move it around the puzzle board, linking it to matching icons as you try to go for big combos. Each puzzle manifests itself as an order at your café, and there are certain requirements to clearing each one successfully, such as clearing a certain number of a specific Pokémon or reaching a specific score. You only have a set number of moves to complete each puzzle in and if once you touch an icon on the screen, you only have a couple of seconds before whatever combo you've amassed clears from the board. Successfully clear a puzzle, and the Pokémon rewards you with golden acorns based on how many turns you had left.If you ever come across a puzzle you can't immediately solve, and you will, there are special skills that can help you out. Each Pokémon has a unique ability, Leah drops megaphones onto the puzzle board from time to time, and there are café skills you can use to clear entire lines of Pokémon and gimmicks or immediately unlock a Pokémon skill. It's very intuitive, though, with fat fingers like mine, I preferred playing the game on my iPad or Switch rather than smaller Pixel 3a. Speaking of the platforms, know in advance there is no universal login for Café Mix, and the mobile and Switch versions currently do not link up to one another. The challenge in Pokémon Café Mix comes from the various menu items and gimmicks the game slowly adds to the puzzle formula as you progress. For the first few orders or so, your only concern is linking as many Pokémon together as you can. Soon enough, the game introduces sugar cubes, which you can clear with a megaphone, a café skill, a Pokémon skill, or by clearing linked Pokémon three times while they touch the cube. From there, it introduces more gimmicks, including honey, which respawns if you don't clear it all, ice that freezes Pokémon and gimmicks in place, and the most annoying of them all, bubbles.You can clear all these gimmicks with a skill, megaphone, or clearing linked Pokémon that touch them. However, some require a different strategy. Tomatoes, for instance, must be moved to the baskets at the bottom of the puzzle screen. You can only clear nuts from the puzzle board with megaphones or skills. Some of the puzzles can look daunting, but knowing how to use the puzzle formula to my advantage kept it from feeling overwhelming.Throughout my journey through the first 100 puzzles, I've only had two massive roadblocks on my progression. Order 64 and order 88 took several attempts and required a lot of waiting for my hearts to refill. You're able to play Pokémon Café Mix as long as you want so long as you're winning. Each time you fail, you lose a heart, and each one takes a half-hour to refill. You have five hearts to work with, but on these two puzzles, I ended up putting my phone down as I did something else to pass the time until I could tackle them again. The gimmicks I can deal with, but there is one aspect of Café Mix that proves far more irksome the further I get into it. As stated above, satisfied customers will eventually start volunteering at your café and each helper Pokémon has a unique skill. Charizard, for instance, will clear Pokémon and gimmicks to the right of his skill icon. Combine two of his skill icons, which you can do for all characters, and it is even more powerful.Now, the game will recommend which Pokémon are best suited for the puzzle challenge at hand, even if you don't have that Pokémon. One of the puzzles I struggled with had a recommended Pokémon of Munchlax. For whatever reason, I'd only served Munchlax once at that point in the game and was still a few visits away from them joining my squad. Every three or so fails of this puzzle, the game would recommend I switch to the Pokémon best suited for this challenge, a Pokémon I did not have. Thankfully, I was able to add Munchlax to my roster not long after using party invitations that invite two customers to your café for two dishes. It's an easy way to build up your rapport with the Pokémon, but it's limited in how many times you can throw a party and who's invited.As this is a free-to-play game, there are microtransactions you can purchase and it does sporadically encourage you to do so, mostly when you run out of golden acorns. You can buy these acorns with the cheapest price starting at 99¢ for 1,200 all the way up to $19.99 for 24,400. You can use acorns to refill hearts, swap invitees to your parties, and to give you an extra three turns on any puzzle. Just know those extra turns start at 900 acorns and that price goes up with each subsequent use on the same puzzle. There are also item packs available for purchase that net you acorns as well as café skills. These packs start as low as $3.99, and go all the way up to $79.99, which the game considers a "good value." Spoiler alert, but paying $80 for an item pack in a free-to-play mobile game is neither a good value nor a good idea, and frankly, it's gross the developers present it as such. Those microtransactions are easy to ignore right now, but I have a feeling going forward, they're going to become a lot more tempting. Genius Sonority has already updated the game with new puzzles and dishes, and currently, there is a Scorbunny visiting your café for a limited time. Just like with all the other Pokémon, if you impress them enough, they'll join your team. But as more challenging puzzles are added, getting these limited-time 'mon will arguably become a more trying affair. If your favorite is only there for a week or two, I can see how that could push players into dropping real cash on fake acorns.Right now, however, it has not reached that point of player exploitation where I'd recommend deleting it off your phone entirely. Pokémon Café Mix is currently in that sweet spot where it's mostly harmless with only a few bits of frustration. The puzzle formula is entertaining enough to bring me back two or three times a day to try and get past those roadblocks, but really, I'm firing the app up far more often than that just to get a look at those delectable Pokémon dishes.[This review is based on a retail version of the free-to-play game.] CPU: Info CPU SPEED: Dual Core CPU RAM: 4 GB OS: Microsoft Windows 7.1/8/8.1/10 VIDEO CARD: Graphics card with DX10 (shader model 4.0) capabilities PIXEL SHADER: 4.0 VERTEX SHADER: 4.0 FREE DISK SPACE: 3 GB