Saturday, May 02, 2020

VOTING-BY-MAIL: Coronavirus threatens the US election. Voting by mail could save it.

A simple solution - but why so hard to get it done?
"On April 7, 2020, as the coronavirus held much of the US under lockdown, the state of Wisconsin held an election. Many other states had already decided to delay their spring elections to protect voters. But in Wisconsin, voters were forced to choose between participating in the election, and their own safety. Wisconsin's decision sparked outrage, but it also highlighted a question that the US really needs to figure out soon: How do you hold an election during a pandemic? Fortunately, there's actually a simple solution to this one: voting by mail. Tens of millions of Americans already vote this way, and if the rest of the US can prepare their election systems in time for the November election, they could avoid Wisconsin's fate. 
But time's running out. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Read more from Dave Roberts on Vox.com: https://www.vox.com/science-and-healt... Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.

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2008 Was Just "A Flesh Wound" > El-Erian: We will have the worst recession since the Great DepressionProble

Problems created by de-coupling Main Street from Wall Street : wealth, income and opportunity. Is The Fed picking winners-and-losers? 
Credit channels create a massive entanglement of public and private >
A SPAGHETTI BOWL 
101,971 views
•Apr 30, 2020  
El-Arian uses Game Theory to help explain this crisis . . . 

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Scott Manley Upload: NASA Artemis Lunar Lander Selection Surprises Many (In a good way)

Five contractors submitted proposals for the Artemis Human Landing system in November, and yesterday the final 3 were announced and give cash awards to work on their concepts before the final selection. 
The three winners were Blue Origin, Dynetics and SpaceX but many were surprised that not only did SpaceX propose using Starship, a vehicle vastly more ambitious than required, but, NASA included them as a finalist. 
This marks the first time NASA has put money directly towards Starship development. Most believe the other two options are the safe bets, but this gives SpaceX another 10 months to show significant progress on Starship and SuperHeavy development. 
If all goes well it might very well be used to take NASA astronauts to the moon as part of Artemis.
209,454 views
•May 1, 2020 
(Running time: 12:25)


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Thursday, April 30, 2020

100-Year Endless Boom-or-Bust Cycle >> Poised for Massive Revaluation | Shiller PE Ratio

This is a technical analysis of the US stock market for 2020 I analyse the broad market and give potential scenarios for the future of the stock market.I take a look at the fundamentals in the economy like monetary policies, interest rates etc, I compare this economic environment to other similar periods in history to try and draw conclusions for potential scenarios in the future. . I use long term charts and the market cycle theory template to illustrate potential outcomes. This video takes a look at important patterns appearing on the sp500. I also take a look at specific levels to break or to bounce off of for profits. 
SUBSCRIBE and LIKE if you enjoyed! Game of Trades Technical Analysis uses simple momentum indicators like the MACD and RSI to analyse and predict trends or trend changes using divergence and overbought/oversold readings. I display the analysis in an easy to understand way, even for beginner stock trading. The videos help with: - Learning simple technical Analysis - Effective chart patterns - Measuring trade targets - Identifying good stops for trades And most importantly trying to give the right mindset to trade efficiently.
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Economist Thomas Piketty: Coronavirus Pandemic Has Exposed the “Violence of Social Inequality”

As nearly 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment in just six weeks and millions worldwide face hunger and poverty, we look at the global economic catastrophe triggered by the pandemic and its impact on the most vulnerable. 
As the World Food Programme warns of a massive spike in global hunger and more than 100 million people in cities worldwide could fall into poverty, can this crisis be a catalyst for change? 
We ask French economist Thomas Piketty. His 2014 internationally best-selling book, “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” looked at economic inequality and the necessity of wealth taxes. 
His new book, “Capital and Ideology,” has been described as a manifesto for political change. #DemocracyNow 
1,340 views
•Apr 30, 2020
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RELATED CONTENT ON THIS BLOG

12 September 2019

Low-Key Introduction > One of The Most Important Books of The 21st Century

Thomas Piketty‏Verified account @PikettyLeMonde 6 hours ago
By the way, Capital and ideology is published today in France! 
In a few months in English and other languages  
12:41 AM - 12 Sep 2019           
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This is more like it: THE IMPACT
"The epic successor to one of the most important books of the century: at once a retelling of global history, a scathing critique of contemporary politics, and a bold proposal for a new and fairer economic system. ... Google Books "
"Our economy, Piketty observes, is not a natural fact. 
Markets, profits, and capital are all historical constructs that depend on choices
. ... Piketty argues for a new “participatory” socialism, a system founded on an ideology of equality, social property, education, and thesharing of knowledge and power."
https://www.hup.harvard.edu › catalog
 
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economics
Thomas Piketty Is Back With a 1,200-Page Guide to Abolishing Billionaires
By      
"Thomas Piketty’s last blockbuster helped put inequality at the center of economic debates. Now he’s back with an even longer treatise that explains how governments should fix it –- by upending capitalism.
The French edition of “Capital and Ideology,’’ weighing in at 1,232 pages, comes out on Thursday
(English speakers will have to wait till next year for a translation)
It’s a sequel to “Capital in the 21st Century,’’ which has sold more than 2.5 million copies in 40 languages since 2013, according to its publisher.
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Find Some Joy In A Book: Mobile Art Forms

What Alexander Calder Understood About Joy

America’s greatest sculptor gave objects a playful life of their own.
RACHEL CORBETT
Calder: The Conquest of Space: The Later Years: 1940–1976 BY JED PERL KNOP 

THIS ONE IS THE SECOND OF AN "exhaustive two-volume biography, Calder, which now concludes with The Conquest of Space: The Later Years: 1940–1976. 
(The Conquest of Time: The Early Years: 1898–1940 came out in 2017.) 
A contributing art critic for The New York Review of Books, Perl offers a sweeping dismissal of previous assessments of Calder, particularly those that emphasized the lighthearted and derivative dimensions of his work. “All the critics of Calder’s art, from the philistines to the intellectuals, missed the point,” he announces, a dose of hyperbole that might prompt some readers to ask just how clear-eyed this reverent guide can be about his subject . . "
"Perl situates Calder in the lineage of modern-art pioneers such as Auguste Rodin, Paul Cézanne, Constantin Brancusi, and Pablo Picasso, “who reconsidered what it meant to create life.” They weren’t, as Perl sees it, simply upending academic conventions and representational techniques. They were intent on transforming “the life of the work of art itself” and unlocking new sources of aesthetic vitality. “For Calder, this meant that the object had to take on a life of its own. Calder’s objects began to move.” A modern master, he enlisted science—in particular, physics—in the service of a spatial and kinetic leap forward in art. . ."
READ MORE > https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine
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Live Stream Now > Mesa City Council Study Session TODAY

Really 258 people watching! AWESOME
Entire Agenda and links provided below

 First thing to do is get informed - the first item after the Roll Call alone could take hours:
Review and discuss items on the agenda for the May 4, 2020 regular Council meeting.
_________________________________________________________________
Then there are 4 Presentation/Action Items 
Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on
2a Proposed funding allocations of $1,130,033 in Emergency Solutions Grant-Corona Virus (ESG-CV) funds
2b Funding recommendations for the fiscal year 2020/2021 Human Services Program
2c An update on the Mesa CARES program, focusing on the Mesa CARES Small Business Assistance and Reemergence Program
2d The 2020/21 fiscal year budget summary, adoption process, and financial forecast.
_________________________________________________________________
+ one more (Item 3a) Release of Approved Minutes > 39 pages
AUDIT, FINANCE AND ENTERPRISE COMMITTEE MEETING
05 March 2020
2-a. Hear a presentation and discuss the following audits:
1. Police Jail Services Contract
2. Benefits Medical Claims Administration Contract
3. Agreements with Nonprofit Support Organizations (Follow-Up Review)
2-b. Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide a recommendation on the proposed fees and charges for the following 9 City departments: 
Business Services, Arts & Culture, Library Services, Falcon Field, Police, Transportation, Engineering, Development Services, and Municipal Court

File #:20-0515   
Type:MinutesStatus:Agenda Ready
In control:City Council Study Session
On agenda:4/30/2020
Title:Audit, Finance and Enterprise Committee meeting held on March 5, 2020.
Attachments:1. March 5, 2020 Audit, Finance and Enterprise
_________________________________________________________________
MESA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION FINAL AGENDA WITH LINKS AND ATTACHMENTS:
Please take the time - your time - to access and open the presentations and notice who is scheduled to make the presentations.
58 POWER POINT SLIDES_________________________________________________________________0530 > FY 2020/21 Human Services Funding (5 slides)
Michelle Albanese, Housing & Community Development Director 

0501 > Proposed funding allocations of $1,130,033 in Emergency Solutions Grant-Corona Virus (ESG-CV) funds
Michelle Albanese Housing & Community Development Director (11)

0502 > BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020/21 And Financial Forecast (28)
Candace Cannistraro: Management and Budget Director 
Brian Ritschel: Management and Budget Deputy Director
0516 Mesa CARES Small Business Reemergence Program (14)
Jaye O’Donnell | Assistant Economic Development Director

     _______________________________________________________________
    ITEM 2a
    File #:20-0501   
    Type:PresentationStatus:Agenda Ready
    In control:City Council Study Session
    On agenda:4/30/2020
    Title:Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on proposed funding allocations of $1,130,033 in Emergency Solutions Grant-Corona Virus (ESG-CV) funds to provide services to prevent and respond to the spread of infectious diseases for homelessness, and to prevent homelessness in Mesa due to COVID-19 impacts. The proposals are recommended based on local community assessment information as well as the HUD-issued guidance policy.
    Attachments:1. Presentation
    _________________________________________________________________
    ITEM 2b
    File #:20-0530   
    Type:PresentationStatus:Agenda Ready
    In control:City Council Study Session
    On agenda:4/30/2020
    Title:Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on funding recommendations for the fiscal year 2020/2021 Human Services Program.
    Attachments:1. Presentation
    _________________________________________________________________
    ITEM 2c
    File #:20-0516   
    Type:PresentationStatus:Agenda Ready
    In control:City Council Study Session
    On agenda:4/30/2020
    Title:Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on an update on the Mesa CARES program, focusing on the Mesa CARES Small Business Assistance and Reemergence Program.
    Attachments:1. Presentation
    _________________________________________________________________
    ITEM 2d
    File #:20-0502   
    Type:PresentationStatus:Agenda Ready
    In control:City Council Study Session
    On agenda:4/30/2020
    Title:Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the 2020/21 fiscal year budget summary, adoption process, and financial forecast.
    Attachments:1. Presentation
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