California's venture capital firm Fifty Years is offering $25,000 loans with fewer payback demands to firms making hand sanitizers for hospital workers and at-home test kits. Also, Twitter and Square CEO Jake Dorsey says he's committing a third of his wealth to fight the pandemic. News from the technology world is on telemedicine, as well.

Stat:The Rare Investment Tool Behind Some Health Tech Coronavirus ProjectsExtraordinary times call for extraordinary financing instruments, according to one California venture capital firm. A San Francisco-based early-stage investor, Fifty Years, has offered $25,000 to 14 of the health tech companies its already invested in, all of which are now working on coronavirus-related projects and that money is coming with far fewer strings than usual. Its hoping the extra money will allow its portfolio companies to produce tests, treatments, or basic needed supplies like masks or hand sanitizers. (Sheridan, 4/8)

The New York Times:Jack Dorsey Vows To Donate $1 Billion To Fight The CoronavirusJack Dorsey, the chief executive of Twitter and Square, said on Tuesday that he planned to donate $1 billion, or just under a third of his total wealth, to relief programs related to the coronavirus, in one of the more significant efforts by a tech billionaire to fight the pandemic. Mr. Dorsey said he would put 28 percent of his wealth, in the form of shares in his mobile payments company Square, into a limited liability company that he had created, called Start Small. Start Small would make grants to beneficiaries, he said, with the expenditures to be recorded in a publicly accessible Google document. (Isaac, 4/7)

Modern Healthcare:Medicare Advantage Telehealth Expansion Needs Critical Changes, Experts SayWhile the healthcare industry is generally supportive of the CMS' efforts to expand telehealth services under Medicare Advantage, it has some problems with the policy details. It's also split on network adequacy standards for dialysis patients and united against the agency's proposal to change how it weighs patient experience in its Star Ratings system. (Brady, 4/7)

Boston Globe:In A Huge Shift Because Of Coronavirus, Most Doctors Now Seeing Patients By Phone Or VideoWhere does it hurt? When doctors at Bostons renowned teaching hospitals ask patients that question these days, its usually in a video conference or telephone call, even when physicians are treating people for life-threatening illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. Three weeks after Governor Charlie Baker ordered health insurers to cover telehealth in an effort to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, most outpatients at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Womens Hospital, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are seeing their physicians remotely. (Saltzman, 4/7)

Indianapolis Star:Telehealth Therapy During The Coronavirus Pandemic: What To KnowAs Indiana sees staggering increases in the number of people seeking help for mental health and addiction during the coronavirus pandemic, state officials are encouraging Hoosiers to utilize telehealth.Experts say the uncertainty of the pandemic is causingmany people extra stress and anxiety. For those with existing mental health conditions, the impact is exacerbated.(DePompei, 4/8)

Modern Healthcare:HCA Healthcare Opens Up COVID-19 Data Portal On Google's CloudFor-profit hospital chain HCA Healthcare is encouraging other hospitals to share COVID-19 data through a new project it unveiled Monday, dubbed the COVID-19 National Response Portal. HCA's vision is for hospitals across the U.S. to share data on COVID-19 testing results, critical-care beds, ventilator utilization and patient discharges, which the platform can aggregate to aid in response to the novel coronavirus. Illustrating the spread of the pandemic could help hospitals plan for challenges such as patient surges. (Cohen, 4/7)

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'All-Hands-On-Deck Moment': Investors In Tech World Provide 'Exotic' Methods To Provide Attractive Funding - Kaiser Health News

Ashes of Outland has officially been released, giving Hearthstone players a much needed card injection to Azeroth's CCG. With their Year of the Phoenix rotating out three of the game's most problematic expansions, now was a perfect time to get the meta just right and create a fun and engaging meta. Though it's still very early in the life cycle of the meta, it's starting to feel like the newly released Demon Hunter might be a bit overpowered. With a massive amount of card draw, board removal and powerful minions, Illidan seems to be on top of the competition. That doesn't mean other classes don't stand a chance, with Mage and Hunter both having seemingly viable archetypes.

Starting us off, here are two of the most consistently powerful Demon Hunter decks I've had the misfortune to pilot. Hearthstone pro Muzzy climbed to the top of Legend on launch day with this Demon Hunter build, utilizing the consistent power of the Demon draw engine. Though it might not be as flashy as the other option, it only uses the most consistent cards in the class.

But if you are looking for something with a bit more flair, then this Demon Hunter deck is perfect for you. Kael'thas Sunstrider with Twin Slices and zero cost Eye Beams allows you to play Inner Demon and Skull of Gul'dan for no cost. If you don't draw your combo, games against aggro decks can be a bit harder to win, but that doesn't make it any less powerful.

2x (0) Twin Slice

1x (1) Consume Magic

2x (2) Chaos Strike

2x (2) Immolation Aura

2x (2) Spectral Sight

2x (3) Aldrachi Warblades

1x (3) Altruis the Outcast

2x (3) Eye Beam

1x (4) Kayn Sunfury

1x (4) Maiev Shadowsong

2x (5) Chaos Nova

2x (5) Imprisoned Antaen

1x (5) Metamorphosis

2x (5) Skull of Gul'dan

2x (5) Wrathspike Brute

1x (6) Kael'thas Sunstrider

2x (7) Priestess of Fury

2x (8) Inner Demon

Deck code:

AAECAea5AwauugPMugPDvAPtvgPaxgPUyAMMh7oDyboD17sD4LwD98MDx8YD2cYD1cgD18gD2dMD29MD3dMDAA==

If Demon Hunter spam isn't for you, try this Hunter list. Utilizing the big bad Beasts introduced in this set, Rexxar honestly has some serious bite. Scavenger's Ingenuity is a god-send for Beast Hunter, who can draw a massive Augmented Porcupine that can be played on turn three. If the Beast stays around, dropping a Mok'Nathal Lion next turn deals even more damage. It isn't the best deck against control that can clear your minions with ease, but that shouldn't stop you from testing it out. This one can also be built on a budget by replacing Octosaru and Beastmaster Leoroxx with Freeze Trap or Deadly Shot.

2x (1) Helboar

2x (1) Tracking

2x (2) Fresh Scent

2x (2) Scavenger's Ingenuity

2x (3) Animal Companion

2x (3) Augmented Porcupine

2x (3) Diving Gryphon

2x (3) Kill Command

1x (3) Zixor, Apex Predator

2x (4) Escaped Manasaber

2x (4) Mok'Nathal Lion

2x (4) Scrap Shot

2x (5) Tundra Rhino

2x (6) Savannah Highmane

1x (8) Beastmaster Leoroxx

1x (8) Octosari

1x (10) Nagrand Slam

Deck code:

AAECAZ/DAwSDpwODuQO2uwP7uwMNqAK1A7sFlwjtCY6tA4O2A4S2A864A6O5A/a6A/m6A/+6AwA=

One of the most powerful and consistent decks in this expansion has to be Spell Mage. Using Raid the Sky Temple to build up your hand, combined with Font of Power and Learn Draconic, there are very few decks that can keep up. Deep Freeze is amazing Demon Hunter, but be prepared to see archetypes pop up solely to beat Reno and his Mage friends.

2x (1) Font of Power

2x (1) Learn Draconic

2x (1) Magic Trick

1x (1) Raid the Sky Temple

2x (1) Ray of Frost

2x (2) Ancient Mysteries

2x (2) Frostbolt

2x (2) Incanter's Flow

2x (3) Arcane Intellect

2x (3) Flame Ward

2x (3) Netherwind Portal

1x (4) Conjurer's Calling

2x (4) Fireball

2x (5) Apexis Blast

1x (5) Rolling Fireball

2x (8) Deep Freeze

1x (10) The Amazing Reno

Deck Code:

AAECAc2xAgSDlgO5pQPsrwOMtgMNuwKrBJYFn5sD/50Dv6QD9KsD8a8DwbgDwrgDjLkDgb8D3sQDAA==

Which of these decks is your favorite? Tell us in the comments.

Originally posted here:
'Hearthstone' Ashes of Outland Best Decks: Bow Down to Demon Hunter - Newsweek

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Hearthstones Ashes of Outland expansion is finally here. That means its time for everyone to get their chance to play as Malfurions emo brother, Illidan Stormrage.

Illidan joined Hearthstone today as the games first additional class, the Demon Hunter. To unlock the Demon Hunter class, youll need to play through Illidans Prologue in the story mode. This miniature story introduces you to Illidan Stormrage and familiarizes you with the mechanics of the Demon Hunter class.

The Demon Hunters Hero Power is called Demon Claws. This Hero Power costs one mana and allows you to gain +1 attack for a single turn. As you play the Demon Hunter throughout the prologue, youll come to realize how much of Illidans kit relies on pumping up your attack. Cards like Chaos Strike allow you to increase your attack while simultaneously drawing. There are also cards that deal damage based on your attack total.

Demon Hunter makes use of the games new Outcast mechanic, too. Cards with Outcast have a special effect if you play them from the edge of your hand. This introduces a sort of mini-game for the Demon Hunter player where youll need to decide whether playing a card youve just drawn for its Outcast value is better than your original plan.

Here are some of the Demon Hunter decks you should try on the first day on Hearthstones latest expansion. These Demon Hunter decks were gathered from a plethora of reliable players and sources, all of which will be credited below. But remember, this is the first day of the expansion, so its important to craft with caution.

Copy this code to use the deck in Hearthstone: AAECAea5AwTMugPDvAPtvgPaxgMNh7oDi7oDyboD17sD4LwDusYDx8YD2cYD18gD98gD/MgD/sgD/8gDAA==

Copy this code to use this deck in Hearthstone: AAECAQce/KMDhKcDkbEDh7oDi7oDyboDzLoDnLwDw7wD4LwDjb0D1r4D5r4D7b4DhMMD98MDusYDvMYDx8YD2cYD2sYD1MgD1cgD18gD98gD/8gDnMkD2dMD29MD3dMDAAA=

Copy this code to use this deck in Hearthstone: AAECAea5AwauugPMugPDvAPtvgPaxgPUyAMMh7oDyboD17sD4LwD98MDx8YD2cYD1cgD18gD2dMD29MD3dMDAA==

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Demon Hunter decks to try on day one of Hearthstone's new expansion, Ashes of Outland - Dot Esports

Local DJ lifts spirits during stay-at-home orders

By The Wave | on April 09, 2020

On April 1, the sun was shining warmly in Broad Channel as the dampness of a few days of heavy rain began to burn off. Unfortunately, due to government-directed stay at home orders, few were outside to enjoy the spring morning.

DJ Paddy Tubz is here for the partyAt exactly 9:00 am that morning, a Facebook post was launched by Broad Channel native known as DJ Paddy Tubz. The post read Ill be DJing off my back deck, from 6 pm 8:30 pm on Thursday.. It will be an evening of fun, sing-alongs and dance grooves.

DJ Paddy Tubz giving a shout out during his back deck party

Hundreds of Facebook likes/loves, shares, and comments later, it was apparent the little island of Broad Channel was in need of a good party and Paddy Tubz was just the right DJ to deliver the tunes.

The next day, albeit a bit chillier and windier, Tubz stayed true to his promise, setting up his gear on the deck of his home located on West 11th Road in BC.

At 6:30, the veteran DJ fired up a FB Live from The CoronaVirus Quarantine Virtual Bar a page created by locals to kick off virtual happy hours, display musical talent, and provide a place for a few light-hearted laughs during these strange times.

Donning his best pirate costume the perfect attire for an outdoor Coronacation party Tubz began spinning tunes and entertaining the crowds.

DJ Paddy Tubz giving a shout out during his back deck party.

Hundreds watched online, while Tubzs local canal block neighbors camped out on their adjacent decks with cocktails in hand to take in the performance. Both audiences took selfies of themselves and their families watching the spectacle and posted those pictures on social media.

As the sun went down, the winds were gusting, but Tubz continued to play with his neighbors cheering him on, singing along and some were even dancing on their decks. Friend and neighbor, Ruth Truden-Nocerino shared her enthusiasm and appreciation for Tubz on Facebook by posting For those that dont live in BC the wind was whipping off the bay and he still killed it!

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BC Back Deck DJ Party - Wave of Long Island

Petaluma-native Kary Hess new endeavor, the SparkTarot deck, could not have come at a better time. As the world seemingly unwinds minute by the minute and navigating the phantasmagoria of coronavirus, climate change and social unrest becomes ever more chaotic amidst the town criers and unhinged madmen, our days are harrowing at best.

Some have asked me if the tarot can predict the outcome of the current pandemic, says Hess, a regular Bohemian contributor known for her community and social-issue-themed features, who is also the life partner of its editor Daedalus Howell. Tarot can show you how you can approach the situation, creating an outcome for you. And as I always say, its not set in stoneif you dont see a desirable outcome, you can always consider what you can do differently now to evoke a different outcome later.

Often dismissed as New Age or occult, the tarot is not as old as one might think. Tarot first appeared as a deck of playing cards in 15th-century Europe, becoming trendier in later centuries when used for divination. The suits associated with contemporary playing cardsspades, clubs, hearts and diamondsvaried significantly by region. The modern tarot includes five suits: triumphs, cups, wands, swords and pentacles. The SparkTarot replaces swords with serpents, and pentacles with stones.

Hess figures are mostly female, and intentionally represent racial diversity, making the deck not only more inclusive but opening up new possibilities for interpretations.

Traditional tarot decks are pretty medieval; white and male oriented, Hess says. I wanted this deck to be diverse and feminine, so most of the cards are women, even those that are traditionally male. That said, there are a couple of potentially male characters in the deck.

Hess has a degree in fine arts and has worked as a website and graphic designer as well as a journalist. She first became interested in creating cards as a child.

Ive always loved card decks, she says. When I was a kid, I made a deck of playing cards with different art than the usual plain hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. I remember thinking that the simple imagery on the playing card deck was a missed opportunity for art.

Over the years she began creating several tarot decks but never painted more than a few cards each time.

With this one I accidentally tricked myself into creating it, Hess says. My partner and I had just made a feature-length art film and one night we were watching an Agns Varda movie, Clo from 5 to 7, to get inspiration for the next film. The opening sequence was a tarot reading. I said, We need a tarot scene in the next film.

As the films production designer, she very practically decided she only needed to make nine cards for the shot.

After creating the nine cards, I was on a roll, she says. After seven months, Id painted the entire tarot deck, posted the cards on Instagram as I went, wrote a corresponding guidebook and started a business around it.

Hence, the Spark.

Her art supplies all fit into a portable bag, so she was able to paint most of the cards at cafs around the Bay Area.

I painted each card very deliberately and with absolute focus on the meaning behind it, Hess says. I considered older decks, looked at the imagery, decided what the core experience needed to be and began sketching. After one to three sketches, Id have my image. Then I drew it into a watercolor sketchbook and painted it. Id listen to inspiring music or podcasts while painting.

In the conception phase of SparkTarot, Hess sought to create a deck that leaned towards lifes potential and away from ominous foreboding.

The imagery on the SparkTarot deck isnt created to be scary, so it doesnt cause troubling readings visually, which some decks can do, Hess says, addressing doubters and those afraid of what a reading will reveal. As far as the readings themselves, when I read tarot I help guide people to see how they can approach an issue based on their current situation, so they are always in control of how they choose to react.

Hess cards connect phantom threads that stitch together imagery, intention and the latest theories in physics.

The Tarot has long been considered woo-woo or magic, but it might also be a perfect example of the quantum concept of collapse, she writes in her blog. Wave function collapseknown as the Copenhagen interpretationwas discovered by Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, and is the proposal that all outcomes of a situation exist simultaneouslyalso called superpositionuntil an observer takes action by observing, which then collapses the possibilities into one state or another.

Hess, who radiates a youthful glow in her late 40s, believes learning how to take spiritual guidance into ones own hands is needed now more than ever.

It has been so fulfilling to use my skills of painting, writing and graphic design with a spiritual project that is also really helpful to people looking for their next steps in life, she says.

Hess believes tarot can both deepen and heal ones broken connections to others and the natural world by simply helping them tune into their own process, using imagery with the universe as a guide.

What is great about tarot is that it is a simple, personal way to see your next step, Hess says. Sometimes life can be overwhelming or confusing, and its great to have the path illuminated, even just a little bit.

Hess explains how when one reads tarot, intentions infuse the cards, which informs how their imagery is interpreted. Because the cards represent aspects of life, its as if the universe participates in making sense of themand by extension, ones own life.

Maybe someday science will really explain what seems like magic to us now, Hess says. Malleable time, possibilities manifested with intention. But for now, we have tarot.

And what better way to re-enchant the psychic forest in these trying times, than with a little magic?

To learn more, visit SparkTarot.com.

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How Tarot Helped This Writer-Artist Find a Brighter Future - North Bay Bohemian

TriStar Skyline Medical Center hosted a "Park and Pray" event to bring people together during the coronavirus outbreak. Nashville Tennessean

Labor and delivery nurse Sarah Kremer thinks it might have been the Holy Spirit.

She feltthis overwhelming urge to invite a few of her colleagues up to the Vanderbilt University Medical Centerflight deck to pray over the Nashville hospital, which is on the front lineof the state's battle against the deadly COVID-19 virus.

"I just couldn't shake the feeling," Kremer said.

OnMonday morning,she bowed her head, clasped her hands and crouched down on the worn markings of a hospital helipad. Four of her coworkers in matchinglight blue scrubs prayed with her as the Nashvilleskyline stretched behind them.

"It was very peaceful," said Kremer, who celebrated her 38th birthdayMonday. "It's one of the few things I feel like we have some control over in the midst of everything that's going on in our world."

From left, Vanderbilt staff members Tanya Dixon, ORT; Beth Tiesler, ORT; Sarah Kremer, RN; Angela Gleaves, RN; and McKenzie Gibson, RN, pray on the hospital's helipad. Kremer asked her group of nursing friends to celebrate her birthday by praying with her.(Photo: Submitted )

Hospitals keepers of the living and the dying have long inspired prayer.

But as the life-threatening pandemic spreads,many of the faithful are focusing more of their appeals to Godon these mighty medical institutions andasking their higher power to protect the people inside who aretrying to heal and survive.

It is an anxious time in the U.S. The novel coronavirus andattempts to slow its spread are upending nearly every facet of Americanlife. The future feels unstableas public health experts and elected officials warn the worst is still to come.

Stay informed: Sign up for the Coronavirus Watch newsletter to get the latest updates.

Manyare looking for light in this time of darkness, including medical professionals who are risking their own health to care for those who are sick from the disease.

"I think a lot of people during stressful times lean on their faith," said Christine Lunger, a 36-year-old nurse andclinical director of critical care servicesat TriStar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville.

"I think there is just a comfort in knowing that there's a higher power with us, supporting us doing what we're doing."

Nurses onteams Lunger oversees started praying togetheras more coronavirus patients came intothe hospital.

After the7 a.m.and 7 p.m. pre-shift meetings,those who want to participate gather in the break room and spend a few minutes asking God for good patient outcomes and giving thanks for their own health, Lungersaid.

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They pray God will protect them so they can continue to serve as many patients as they can for as long as they are needed, she said.

"It's been a good thing for the staff," Lunger said. "It really has a level-setting for the day that God is with us through this."

In an attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, hospitals are severely limiting the number of people who cancome into theirbuildings. This means many patients are in the hospital alone.

Not only are health care workers addressing medical needs, but they are filling in as their patients'de facto family members and taking care of their spiritual needs, too.

Kim Fitzgerald, a nurse at Skyline, prays during a park and pray event at TriStar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, April 2, 2020. Participants parked outside of the medical center and prayed at their cars while practicing social distancing. (Photo: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean)

That dynamic is what inspired another Skyline nurse, Kim Fitzgerald, to organize the park and pray event held outside the hospital on Thursday evening. Fitzgerald, 47, works in Skyline'sspecial procedures department.

Fitzgerald said she and her colleagues were recently prepping a sweet but scared 76-year-old patient for a procedure.

"She said, 'Will y'all just be my family for the day because my family is not allowed to be here.' She just broke down in tears," Fitzgerald said. "We started crying with her because I work with a bunch of softies here and everybody's like, 'Absolutely, we'll be your family for today.' We just loved on her."

Fitzgerald could not stop thinking about the patient.

Inspired by similar events happening elsewhere and what she believes was a nudge from God, she startedseeking permission and making plans for asocial distancing-friendly prayer event just outside of Skyline.

People want to help. They want to do something right now, something for the greater good, something that's bigger.

Vehicles streamed into the hospital's parking lot Thursday evening. Fitzgerald scheduled the park and pray eventfor 7:14 p.m. a nod to a Bible verse, 2 Chronicles 7:14:

"If my people, who are called by my name,will humblethemselves and pray and seek my faceand turnfrom their wicked ways, then I will hearfrom heaven, and I will forgivetheir sin and will healtheir land."

Together, they prayed and sang while keeping theirdistance.

"People want to help. They want to do something right now, something for the greater good, something that's bigger," said Fitzgerald, in a Thursday interview before the event. "This is something they can do to help to show love to our patients that are here alone to show love to our health care workers."

The Vanderbilt staff who found peace in prayer on the flight deck of the hospital are also inspiring others. A photo of the moment they asked God for comfort and protection for all who are a part of the medical center's community spread quickly on social media.

The positive response they have received totheir vulnerable moment is overwhelming. Kremer, the nurse who organized the prayer over the Nashville hospital, is normally aprivate person, but agreed to share the photo with the thought that it could offer people hope and turn them toward God.

The prayer calmed 46-year-old labor and delivery nurse Angela Gleaves. As a small breeze blew Monday morning,tears started to fall from her eyes.

"I just felt like that wind was God loving us and pushing us forward to go and do what we're supposed to do," Gleaves said. "We just want people to know that we're here, trained to do whatwe're doing and we want them to be as comfortable as possible."

Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com or 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.

Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2020/04/03/covid-19-hospital-staff-pray-flight-deck-parking-lot/5115539002/

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Amid COVID-19, why hospital staff are praying on flight decks, before shifts and in parking lots - Tennessean

(Credit: Unsplash)

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration ofThe European Stingwith theWorld Economic Forum.

Author: Christopher Alessi, Digital Editor, World Economic Forum

As the world wrestles with the unprecedented implications of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, we are facing a human crisis unlike any we have experienced and our social fabric and cohesion is under stress.

That was the assessment of UN Deputy-Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed during a digital meeting of the Forums COVID Action Platform on 8 April.

Launched last month, the platform aims to convene the business community for collective action to protect peoples livelihoods, facilitate business continuity and mobilize support for the global response to the virus. To date, more than 1,300 companies, organizations and individuals have joined the platform.

In addition to Deputy-Secretary-General Mohammed, participants on this weeks digital meeting included Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank and Member of the Forums Board of Trustees; Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust; Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America and Chair of the World Economic Forums International Business Council; and Andr Hoffmann, Vice Chairman of Roche and Member of the Forums Board of Trustees.

Here are some of the key quotes from the call:

On the economic impact of the crisis:

We have moved to a recession that will be worse than the one we experienced in 2008, said Mohammed.

Given the nature of the crisis, all hands should be on deck, all available tools should be used, said Lagarde. We are providing support, as attractively as we can, so that from the household to the large big corporate account, all economic players can access financing through their banks, she added.

Moynihan noted: As a result of central bank actions across the globe, markets have been flooded with liquidity that has been able to stabilize markets to a certain degree across the board.

Image: World Economic Forum

What is the World Economic Forum doing about the coronavirus outbreak?

A new strain of Coronavirus, COVID 19, is spreading around the world, causing deaths and major disruption to the global economy.

Responding to this crisis requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forums mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

The Forum has created the COVID Action Platform, a global platform to convene the business community for collective action, protect peoples livelihoods and facilitate business continuity, and mobilize support for the COVID-19 response. The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.

As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.

The number one thing is to focus on is employees and customers, Moynihan said on how companies should set priorities and manage the ongoing crisis. When it comes to taking care of employees, he added, the goals should be: keep them well, keep them employed and keep them mentally healthy.

Moynihan also encouraged businesses of all sizes to adopt the Stakeholder Principles endorsed by the World Economic Forum and businesses on 1 April: to keep employees safe; to secure shared business continuity with suppliers and customers; to ensure fair prices for essential supplies for end consumers; to offer full support to governments and society; to maintain the long-term viability of companies for shareholders; and to continue sustainability efforts, including to fight climate change.

Mohammed, meanwhile, said companies should focus on scaling up production, making sure supply chains are alive and reliable, retaining workforce and and engaging young people.

On the need to find a vaccine:

This infection is not going to disappearwithout science leading us to vaccines, we will get second and third waves of this, said Farrar on the long-term destructive damage the coronavirus could wreak on the globe.

Unless we do produce drugs and vaccines we are not going to have an exit strategy, he added.

Similarly, Hoffmann said: There is no solution to this crisis without a properly functioning vaccine.

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All hands should be on deck key quotes from leaders on the fight against COVID-19 - The European Sting

Diplomats in Washington are working overtime to repatriate stranded citizens worried about the accelerating coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

Its frantic, said Gabriel Issa, Lebanons ambassador to the United States. His embassy in Washington, DC, has set up hotlines to collect the names of Lebanese citizens who want to return home, and a skeleton staff is manning the phones.

A lot of times we cant even answer all the phones at the same time, Issa said. We are overloaded but trying to do our best.

Amid tightening restrictions on travel in their home countries and the continued cancellation of flights in the United States, the phone lines at many Middle East embassies in DC are ringing off the hook with expats desperate for the latest information on possible return flights. Staff who are typically assigned to nonconsular services are pitching in, answering calls and facilitating travel.

We see all hands on deck, said Elad Strohmayer, spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in DC. There are people who on a regular basis dont deal with these issues and now theyre helping if needed.

The only remaining direct flight to Israel is operated by United Airlines out of Newark, New Jersey. Strohmayer saidhis embassy is encouraging any Israelis who wish to leave to do so while they still can.

Those from elsewhere in the region are caught in travel limbo with passenger flights to their countries canceled entirely.

Its just endless, the stories, said a Jordanian official not authorized to speak to the media. Some of them you really want to help out, but you dont know how because theyre stuck.

With 364,000 cases of COVID-19 and a death toll exceeding 10,000, the United States surpassed China and Italy to lead the world in coronavirus infections.

New York City, which is home to a number of Middle Eastern immigrant communities, is now the epicenter of the US outbreak with more than 5,400 dead. On Tuesday, New York Gov.Andrew Cuomo announced 731 more patients died in what marked the biggest single-day increase in deaths since the virus emerged in the state last month.

At the Embassy of Oman, the worsening pandemic prompted diplomats to pull an all-nighter last month, staying overnight at the embassy to coordinate returntrips for hundreds of citizens. On March 30 and 31, two government-chartered planes picked up 660 Omanis who wanted to fly back.

Weve been working around the clock, said Qusai al-Mahrouqi, the embassys assistant information attache. It wasnt easy because we have thousands of Omanis all around the United States.

Of particular concern for many embassies are the international students unsure whether to leave the United States in the middle of their schooling. Some students fear they will be unable to return to their schools once travel restrictions are lifted. Others worry they will be penalized if they overstay their visas while waiting out the virus in the United States.

They are panicking and they are calling us every day with the same question: I want to leave, but what about my I-20?, said Hamad al-Muftah, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Qatar in DC.

Muftah said the Qatari Embassy has sent anxiety-ridden students an email reminding them if they want to leave to first check with their sponsor and the overseas office at their universities.

At the Lebanese Embassy, Issa said hes directed his staff to start calling US officials to see what the formal guidance is for students and other travelers whose visas may expire during quarantine.

A spokesperson for USCitizenship and Immigration Services told Al-Monitor it can extend the stay of those impacted by circumstances out of their control, as well as provide special consideration or expedited processing for those who may need it on a case-by-case basis.

Embassies are in the meantime trying to alert all remaining citizens of changes via email, phone and social media. At the Jordanian Embassy, staff have compiled a database with the names of hundreds of students and other travelers who wish to go home.

Diplomats are dealing with issues as they arise, but so much is out of their hands, the Jordanian official said.

We say in Arabic hta esh'ear akhr: until further notice. Its a common thingthats being said.

The rest is here:
'All hands on deck:' Middle East embassies inundated with citizens stranded in US - Al-Monitor

Josiah Carter from Below Deck offered a special cocktail recipe so quarantine can be a little more like being on a yacht. Well sort of.

Carter was often seen whipping up special drinks for charter guests when he was on the show. So he decided to treat Instagram fans to an ultra-refreshing version of a gin and tonic. He called the drink the Summer Gin and Tonic that includes fruit and lots of ice.

He posted a video that offers a demonstration and also the special recipe. Carter also told fans that they could make more cocktail requests. Hes been dishing about some special yachting insider secrets, such as how to clean and disinfect surfaces. So how do you make Carters special cocktail?

Instead of just gin, tonic and lime, Carter likes to infuse his cocktail with some fresh or frozen berries. You will need gin, tonic, limes and frozen fruit. You can use fresh fruit, he adds.

First, he rolls one lime to release the juices. He cuts the lime in half and then cuts the halves into threes. This move allows you to create evenly sliced lime wedges. He deposits one of the wedges directly into his tall glass.

Next, he adds that fruit. He doesnt have any fresh fruit left. But you can use fresh fruit, frozen fruit or fruit liqueur, he advises. Carter also has a rolling pin nearby. You would normally muddle it, Im not gonna muddle it, he says. So I just got a little rolling pin. He smashes the fruit to get all the juices going. He then shows the camera the end of the rolling pin too. Nice color, he remarks.

Carter adds huge handfuls of ice to the glass. I like to fill it to the top, he says of the ice. The ice melts less and it makes it just a bit tastier. He then adds two shots of gin. He prefers Tanqueray. And a little more for good luck, he says pouring a little more from the bottle into his glass.

And then simply top it off with tonic water, he says pouring a can of tonic into his glass. Its a bit summery, its a bit nicer, he says. He then uses a spoon to mix it and he is ready to enjoy his cocktail. Carter also shared the specific recipe on his Instagram story too.

Fans loved the cocktail tutorial and begged for more. One person asked for his version of the old fashioned. He made an old fashioned for the final group of charter guests when he was on Below Deck. Chief stew Kate Chastain asks Carter to make the group one of his famous old fashioned cocktails. He delivers but the primary charter guest complains he made the drink with an orange instead of a lemon. This is not a lemon rind, she says to him. I said, No orange! Well get there eventually. Although the primary didnt want an orange, it seems as though fans are craving that drink.

More here:
'Below Deck': Josiah Carter Shares His Special Gin and Tonic Recipe - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. sent an email to its head office staff in early March, asking for volunteers to leave their jobs and work in grocery stores instead.

Angie Kim, a senior director of finance, used to be a store manager years ago, so she knows how they work. She volunteered and has since been working 12-hour days at Toronto-area stores, cleaning carts, stocking shelves and assembling online orders for curbside pickups.

In the middle of the coronavirus crisis, grocery chains are scrambling to bolster their ranks as demand spikes, hiring thousands of people and redeploying hundreds of corporate-office volunteers to pitch in on the front lines, despite the increased risks of getting the virus and being hassled by customers.

I do struggle every day when I wake up, like, Can I do it again? Kim said. Because Im scared. Right? The pandemic is real. I see hundreds of customers every day. I get selfish sometimes thinking, I dont have to do it. I volunteered. No ones expecting me to show up. Can I do it again?

Still, she continues to do it, remembering the words of a colleague who told her that all well remember when the crisis is over is how we treated each other.

I know Ill regret it if I take the easy way out, Kim said. I want to be proud of myself looking back.

Even the chief executive of Longos, an Ontario chain of supermarkets, has made a point of working in the store.

Everyone in our business is all hands on deck, said Anthony Longo, who regularly visits stores and distribution centres, helping to stock shelves if new shipments come in, or bagging groceries when check-out lines are long.

Longos chief financial officer has also jumped in at the call centre to help with a surge in online grocery orders.

Part of the reason Longo and his fellow executives do it is to calm the jitters that are growing in his labour force. About seven or eight per cent of his store staff are healthy, but wont come in.

I do struggle every day when I wake up, like, Can I do it again? Because I'm scared

Angie Kim

We do have quite a number of people who dont feel safe, and thats an issue in the industry, he said. We want people to know that it is safe. Im out there.

At Loblaw, roughly 400 corporate-level staff now work at stores. Walmart Canada said it asked its head-office employees to shift to in-store work in mid-March and has since had dozens of volunteers. And, late last month, Empire Co. Ltd., parent company of the Sobeys, Safeway and FreshCo chains, sent a note asking interested corporate staff to fill out a survey about their relevant experience, so they could be placed in the right job.

Not only can you feel proud of stepping up during this crucial time, youll gain valuable visibility and insight into a different part of the business, the emailed note said.

Ryan Skelton was one of more than 200 employees who, as of Friday, had answered Empires survey. He usually works as a chef, designing take-home meals at head office.

I have so many friends and colleagues currently working at the stores now, he said, so I dont see why I shouldnt also step forward and take those chances.

The transition into the store can be startling.

Kim, the Loblaw finance director, was in charge of the lineup outside a No Frills in downtown Toronto last week. The store only allows 30 customers inside at a time now, so she was doing crowd control, only letting someone in when someone else left.

A woman at the front of the line, who had waited maybe 10 or 15 minutes in the cold, didnt look well and was coughing, Kim said. As a result, she had to stop the woman from coming in.

She offered to take the womans grocery list and shop for her. But the woman started cursing, Kim recalled. She was in a motorized scooter and started trying to push past.

Standing there by myself Im 52, 100 lbs Im not the most intimidating person, Kim said. I had to get a little bit of back up because she refused to leave Those interactions leave an impression. It stays with you throughout the day.

What concerns Kim is how often those flare-ups are happening. Customers will be mean or inconsiderate dozens of times a day, upset about the inconvenience of the new rules or angry about a missing product or a long wait to get in. Some ignore social distancing protocols and lean in too close to ask questions of a clerk.

Im used to showing up to work at the head office where everybody is super kind and polite and respectful, she said. Theres zero tolerance of abuse or harassment of any kind.

Kim, concerned about the full-time clerks who seem too used to the cruelty to complain, wrote a post on LinkedIn that asked shoppers to speak up if they see clerks being mistreated.

I am not hiding any stock in the back room, she wrote. I am not making you wait outside the store for fun. Im trying to protect everyone.

Galen Weston, Loblaws executive chairman, is apparently concerned, too. In one of his regular missives to customers last month, he scolded those who were reportedly ignoring requests to keep their distance, or making uncomfortable jokes about being COVID-19 positive while leaning around protective screens.

Fortunately, most customers are just grateful they can still shop.

Theres going to be the odd customer comment or behaviour that may weigh you down, but there are so many more customers who tell us were doing a good job, Kim said.

Last week at a No Frills on Parliament Street in Toronto, a customer gave the store $50 to buy lunch for the staff, just as a thank you. Kim went out and bought pizzas.

There is definitely a sense of fear,Kimsaid. But there is more a sense of pride.

Financial Post

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'All hands on deck': Grocery store executives get a taste of the hard life on coronavirus front lines - Financial Post