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Harris brings Biden a direct link to the party's African-American base, reflecting his team's strategy of generating excitement and high turnout in Black communities. Four years ago, the Democratic ticket lost Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania -- and with them, the White House -- by a scant 80,000 votes.

Harris also brings a connection to a politically potent, largely overlooked Indian-American community that has produced successful candidates throughout the nation. Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley were both elected Republican governors of Louisiana and South Carolina, respectively, and the current mayors of Hoboken, New Jersey, Anaheim, California, San Antonio, Texas are all of Indian descent. If elected, Harris would be the most prominent and powerful representative of this community.

At a time when demands for racial justice and inclusion are surging, Harris can speak with experience and authority about balancing the need for change with the core requirement of maintaining public safety. Attacks from leftist activists on her record as a tough prosecutor will likely fall flat. Harris comes across in public as pleasant, earnest and fair: Trying to accuse her of being pro-incarceration will sound like nonsense to most voters.

She is fearsome in debate and comfortable on television, two skills that will come in handy in a race that will largely be fought on small screens rather than at huge outdoor rallies.

Errol Louis is the host of "Inside City Hall," a nightly political show on NY1, a New York all-news channel.

Frida Ghitis: A running mate to inspire even Republicans

Joe Biden made precisely the right choice with Sen. Kamala Harris, a passionate, eloquent, inspiring figure with the potential to do everything a presidential candidate needs from his running mate.

To make his decision Biden, the former vice president and soon-to-be Democratic nominee, had to contend with competing demands. Pick someone who could help him win the election through campaigning prowess, or someone who can help him govern and is ready to take over if needed? Someone who would energize progressive Democrats, or someone who could appeal to the party's centrists? Someone who would boost turnout among Democrats, or someone who can lure disaffected Republicans?

The choice was obvious. As if by magic, Harris manages to meet all those seemingly-conflicting qualifications.

She is a centrist, like Biden. They share an overall philosophy, which is the most important criterion for choosing a potential successor. But most left-of-center progressives, despite some inevitable complaints, will find her an irresistible choice. She is a woman of color, with roots in Africa, India, the Caribbean. Her mother was born in India, her father in Jamaica. That means she is an American through and through; like pretty much all of us the product of immigration.

She would become the first woman vice president and she also has a very good shot at becoming president, not only because of Biden's age, but because she is now the automatic choice for his successor.

Some will object to her track record as a tough public prosecutor. But that prosecutorial background deals a devastating blow to President Donald Trump's efforts to claim the Democrats are soft on crime.

Ignore the sexists. They already accused her of being "too ambitious." Feel free to laugh at that charge: What politician is not ambitious? What Senator is not ambitious? Name one person who has run for high office who did aspire to have an impact, even to change the world. How many in Congress have dreamed of the presidency?

Some thought Biden would rule her out because she hit him too hard during the presidential debates. But Biden was probably impressed. Kamala is a brilliant debater, a fighter. She can spar with the best of them. She delicately shredded Justice Brett Kavanaugh with her questioning during his confirmation hearings.

The debate with Vice President Mike Pence will be must-see TV. Democrats, as if they needed more motivation than getting rid of Trump, will rally behind her. And those Republicans questioning their party's choice -- except for the most sexist and racist among them -- will find it tempting to back Team Biden-Harris 2020.

Scott Jennings: The problem with choosing Kamala Harris

In my view, several primary rivals like Bernie Sanders outlasted her because their authenticity was perceived to be far greater. But winning the vote of one person - Joe Biden, in this case - was easier than winning the millions of votes necessary to be the nominee herself.

Harris was the safe choice for a campaign that is playing it safe. The Biden camp thinks it is sitting on a lead so it took the safest route - a basically vetted person who will neither help nor hurt the Democratic campaign.

Tara Setmayer: Biden-Harris is the best choice for disaffected conservatives

From the beginning of his campaign, Joe Biden has made it clear that we are in a fight for the soul of America. He needed to find a partner in that fight -- now he has California Sen. Kamala Harris.

Throughout his career, Biden's most trusted advisers have been smart, strong women, from his wife Dr. Jill Biden to his sister Valerie Biden Owens, who has played a central role in every campaign throughout her brother's political career.

It's clear the Trump campaign will use Harris's prosecutorial record and Biden's sponsorship of the infamous 1994 crime bill as wedge issues to depress the black vote in crucial swing states. Harris and Biden must be fully prepared to assuage any voter concerns those issues may cause. They can't afford to make the same mistakes Hillary Clinton's campaign made in 2016.

As the country continues to reel from the tragic impact of a deadly pandemic, economic distress and racial division, the American people now have a clear choice in this 2020 presidential election.

Unlike Trump, Biden is competent, compassionate and battle tested through tragedy. With Harris at his side as a happy warrior with a powerful personal story of her own, the contrast couldn't be any starker. Biden-Harris is everything Trump-Pence is not.

Despite the policy differences many of us disaffected conservatives may have, the Biden-Harris ticket presents the best prescription to defeat the existential threat Trump poses to our democratic norms, institutions and ideals come Nov. 3.

David Gergen: Picking Harris shows Biden's good judgment

But from my perspective, there is even more reason why Harris is a good choice: Among the women of color under consideration, she is clearly the most qualified to become President. In this election, that matters.

David Gergen has been a White House adviser to Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, in addition to being a senior political analyst at CNN. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he is a professor of public service at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he founded the Center for Public Leadership.

Van Jones: The days of the Democratic establishment taking African Americans for granted are over

Shirley Chisholm is happy tonight. Barbara Jordan is happy. Fannie Lou Hamer is happy. Ella Jo Baker is happy. These pioneering activists are rejoicing in heaven tonight. Finally, we have a candidate who looks more like the women who have repeatedly rescued and revived American democracy than anyone who has yet sat in the vice president's office in the West Wing.

The days of the Democratic establishment taking African Americans for granted are over. Joe Biden's selection of California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate means that he will have some tough-minded tenderness to complement his tender-hearted toughness for the next four years. More importantly, it means that Black voters are finally being treated the way a core constituency of a political party should be treated.

No one thought it at all remarkable that Donald Trump picked Mike Pence -- a white, male, evangelical Christian -- because white, male evangelical Christians are the backbone of the Republican Party. Yet Harris is the first Black woman on the ticket, even though Black women and all Black voters are the backbone of the Democratic Party. That just goes to show how much the most loyal Democratic Party voters have been taken for granted all these years.

That time is over. This year, it would have been unthinkable for Biden to consider picking anyone BUT a Black woman, considering all the powerhouse candidates. Any one of those reported to be on his list -- Harris, Susan Rice, Karen Bass, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Stacey Abrams or Val Demings -- would have been a qualified running mate and governing partner. There was no rock star candidate from any other demographic who could have justified passing over a Black woman. In fact, the only other person with the charisma and appeal to qualify as a true rock star is another Black woman, Michelle Obama.

Harris inherits an incredible legacy of African-American women who stood up for the best of this country. Women who stood up to bullies and insults, and who had enough pride and self-respect to maintain their dignity and not back down. On Wednesday, an African American woman who shares their dignity, poise, strength and toughness will be standing next to the next President of the United States.

Patti Solis Doyle: Kamala Harris will help change how we view and treat women in politics forever

When the race is over and history has been made, Joe Biden will need a partner. He chose Kamala Harris because of her skill, her judgment, and her experience as a legislator, a prosecutor and a politician. Harris' gender and her race are icing on a very formidable cake -- and, for a woman of color like me, it just might be the most delicious icing ever whipped up.

As the head of VP operations for the Barack Obama/Biden campaign in 2008, I got to watch Biden win, learn and excel at the vice presidential role. Here's the thing: No one knows more about what is needed in a vice president than Biden -- and no one knows more about the kind of support and trust a vice president deserves.

He wanted to be Obama's partnerto be the last voice in the room before then-President Obama made the most difficult decisions. That is the vice president he was, and that is what he wants in his owna partner who can help him as he manages multiple crises on multiple fronts -- a global health crisis, an economic crisis, an education crisis and a climate crisis.

By selecting Harris, Biden has made history: the first Black and first Indian American woman on a national ticket. She is transformational, and she will energize the base. And, if they win,

she will help change how we view and how we treat women in politics forever.

David A. Andelman: Kamala Harris will be a force for equilibrium

Joe Biden has telegraphed that as president his top global priority will be to reposition America in the world, with a key component recalibrating and re-establishing the United States as a reliable partner, loyal ally and steady force.

While vice presidents don't usually set the administration's foreign policy agenda, they can be instrumental in providing backup and support, especially if they are truly valued by the president. And while Kamala Harris has not played a major role internationally, the positions she has taken very much suggest she will be a force for equilibrium, embracing a whole range of congruences with Biden's foreign policy agenda.

During her run for the presidency, she suggested she was in favor of reversing key Trump actions, provided American interests were in every case protected.

Foreign media, which headlined Harris on their front pages, are emphasizing a welcome change in direction in the US. Still, it is unlikely governments will be taking any official position any time soon. As much as many foreign leaders would like to see a change in the White House, diplomats have learned that it's never wise to count out Donald Trump -- or any presidential incumbent.

Alice Stewart: A Biden-Harris ticket will not lure in independents

On paper, Joe Biden made a wise move in choosing California Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice president. Biden's former challenger brings diversity, youth and energy to the Democratic ticket.

As the first Black vice presidential nominee for a major party, Harris is also a historic pick and checks the female box that Biden promised back in March. On top of all that, Harris has the necessary leadership experience to step into the top job if needed, having served at the local, state and federal level in positions of power.

However, mark my words, while Democrats may be able to bury that hatchet, the Trump campaign will make sure the Biden-Harris divisions are front and center. Video of Harris attacking Biden for opposing forced busing as a means to integrating schools in the 1970s will play over and over and over -- until November. And President Donald Trump will continue to say, as he did just after the announcement, that Harris was "nasty" and "disrespectful" to Biden.

As for the historic nature of a Black running mate, I don't see that moving the needle. A majority of Black voters already support Democrats -- and likely would have with or without Harris on the ticket. It's the independent voters who matter, and it's unlikely these voters will be persuaded by a game of identity politics, especially when a Biden-Harris ticket is the most progressive presidential ticket in modern history. While independents are a mixed bag of political views, they will likely not embrace all the progressive policies that the Democrats are championing this election cycle.

So, while this week will be a high point in the Biden presidential campaign, when the confetti settles, reality will sink in. And independent voters, as well as much of mainstream America, will have a tough time supporting the Biden-Harris agenda.

Joe Lockhart: Good choice... but the election is still about Trump

Bottom line, Joe Biden hit a home run picking Kamala Harris as his running mate. She is smart, tough, a former prosecutor who can take it to Trump/Pence. All of those things matter, but her race makes this both a historic pick, as a Black woman who would be a heartbeat away from the Oval and as an affirmation of just how important Black voters and women are to Democrats in 2020.

This election is about one, and only one, person -- Donald Trump. His gross mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic carnage that has come as a result of his lack of leadership, makes this campaign a referendum on his presidency.

Harris is a great addition to the Biden team. But Biden/Harris will win in November because they offer hope that government can and will work for the people again -- and Trump will be relegated to the annals of the worst Presidents in our history.

Raul Reyes: The vice presidential debate between Harris and Pence will be epic

Harris is an outstanding pick for vice president for several reasons. She has been a presidential candidate, so she already has a high public profile. This matters because the presidential campaign will take place in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic -- meaning there will be few rallies, large events or opportunities for Harris to introduce herself to voters (the convention may well be largely virtual).

Her experience as a candidate for the nomination means that she has been through the press vetting and scrutiny that come with being in the national spotlight. Plus, Harris being on the ticket will energize key Democratic constituencies in battleground states. She can be expected to help drive turnout in African American voters, particularly African American women.

That Harris comes from California is important, as this state is a microcosm of the 21st century United States. She knows how to connect to and support communities of color.

Jen Psaki: The only reaction Democrats should have to Harris

The only reaction Democrats should have to Joe Biden picking Kamala Harris for his running mate is a warm embrace of his new running mate. Harris is not only a historic pick, as the first Black and Asian American woman to be on a national ticket for either party, but she is young, tough as nails (just ask Attorney General Bill Barr, or Biden for that matter) and prepared to do the job on day one.

Typically, there are only three big moments during a campaign when this choice matters. First, the day it is announced. The Biden team deserves high praise for rolling out the choice without leaks, inaccurate reporting and on a timeline that worked for them.

In addition to the element of surprise, they will have another chance with the official announcement on Wednesday, when Biden and Harris will appear together to announce their candidacy. Then, it will likely dominate news coverage for the next 48-hours, which is a great boost for them considering how hard it is to break through the President Donald Trump show.

The second moment is the Democratic National Convention next week. Harris' speech will be her chance to re-introduce herself to a national audience. We will hear about her biography, and hopefully we will hear more about her career as a prosecutor. Her law enforcement record has been picked apart, and that will continue, but she has a high-profile opportunity to talk about her record from a position of strength, describing how her experiences have impacted her positions today.

The third moment is the vice presidential debate in October. Vice President Mike Pence won't even dine alone with a woman. Now the most important night of his year will be spent debating one.

My bet is Harris will have more moments than the traditional three. But beyond 2020, Biden's pick also tells us something about the future of the Democratic Party. A Black woman is now the safe pick for running mate.

Charlie Dent: Harris brings enthusiasm to Biden campaign

Joe Biden has announced his long-awaited vice presidential selection, and no one should be surprised it is California Sen. Kamala Harris.

On a personal note, I'm very happy for Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, who is a friend and trusted colleague of mine at the law firm of DLA Piper.

Biden's selection of Harris is both safe and smart for a variety of reasons. Among the women under consideration, Harris has been battle tested and better vetted through the presidential primary than all the others (with the possible exception of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren).

Harris' history as a prosecutor caused many far-left Democrats to view her experience during the Democratic presidential primary as a liability. Not anymore.

Additionally, Harris possesses key attributes for constituencies important to the Democratic Party: women, Black Americans and people of South Asian heritage. African American women will no doubt be among the most excited by Harris, as she will be the first woman of color on a national ticket in American history.

Finally, Harris represents a fresh face and possesses a next generational appeal that Biden does not. Democrats can fall in love with Harris much like they did with previously successful young Democrats, like John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Let's face it, she'll give Biden a needed boost in the enthusiasm department.

The only downside to the Harris nomination is that she does not bring Democrats a state they didn't already have -- Biden's victory in California was already in the bag. Harris' foreign policy experience could be challenged, but foreign policy plays well to Biden's strength. Game on.

Charlie Dent is a former Republican US congressman from Pennsylvania who served as chairman of the House Ethics Committee from 2015 until 2016 and chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies from 2015 until 2018. He is a CNN political commentator.

Julian Zelizer: Biden's Harris pick should worry Trump

Joe Biden made an extremely strong pick. In this case, the safe choice is a bold choice. This selection will light up the ticket.

Senator Kamala Harris offers an important mix: she is a candidate with a track record showing she can govern and a skillful campaigner. During the Democratic primaries, the former prosecutor showed she can deliver a tough verbal punch.

She also has extensive experience as a public servant in California and Washington. Biden knows the importance of a running mate who would be able to help him lead in Washington after the responsibilities that he himself was given under the Obama administration. And if there are concerns about whether the vice president would be able to step into the role of president should that be necessarySenator Harris will allay them.

Through this choice, Biden sends the message that his administration would be committed to serious governancea stark contrast with the chaos that has been on display every day in the Oval Office under President Donald Trump.

The selection of a Black woman will offer more evidence to voters that Democrats aim to be a party that represents the pluralistic and diverse character of our nation in 2020 rather than some reactionary throwback to the nineteenth century. She will help Biden ensure that turnout is as strong as possible in every segment of the Democratic electorate.

But she has the opportunity to turn this to her advantage if she demonstrates a genuine commitment to changing the way the nation polices and imprisons. She can deliver this message as someone who has been "tough on crime" and understands the legal process better than most. Like Biden, she will be difficult to pin as part of the radical leftalthough the GOP will certainly try to do so.

Harris is also very good on television and social media, and this matters a great deal. During the pandemic campaign, Biden will need help selling his message on cameraone area where he doesn't shine as much as he does when he's out on the campaign trail. Most observers agree that Harris "pops" on the screen. Americans saw this not only during the debates, but also during Senate hearings, when she has delivered razor-sharp questions.

After dropping out of the primaries, Harris tweeted "Don't worry, Mr. President, I'll see you at your trial." While she was referring to Donald Trump's impeachment, the real trial will take place in November -- and now the senator will have the chance to deliver on her promise.

No vice-presidential candidate is perfect. Over the next few weeks, some of her weaknesses and flaws inevitably will be exposed as she faces the glare of the media once again. But the Trump campaign should be very worried. In one of his most important decisions of the campaign, Biden has made a strong choice that will greatly improve his chances of defeating President Trump.

Sarah Isgur: The Trump campaign's job just got a lot harder

Time and again, pundits through the winter said that Democrats were on the same path as Republicans were in 2016 -- too many candidates, catering to the extreme wings of their party, appealing to an ever-shrinking base unable or unwilling to run a campaign aimed at persuading voters in the middle. The far-left progressive wing was taking over and Bernie Sanders was moments away from being the leader of the Democratic Party.

Fast forward to August: Joe Biden is the nominee and Kamala Harris is rounding out the ticket. This is the Democratic equivalent in a lot of ways to a 2016 GOP ticket of Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. More conservative than George W. Bush? Sure. But hardly Ted Cruz or Mike Huckabee heralding the apotheosis of the Tea Party movement.

Over the coming weeks, polls are likely to tighten as voters "come home" (as campaign pros like to say) to their respective parties after wandering in the summer wilderness of the undecideds. The Trump campaign's new ad blitz has focused on portraying Biden as too extreme for middle America. And, no doubt, some voters will cite Harris as their reason for voting for President Donald Trump, but it's unlikely her nomination made any difference.

Pundits and prognosticators have loved the narrative that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party was poised to take over. But that plot line was too simple for 2020 -- and Harris is no Sanders. The Trump campaign will do its best to cast this ticket in the most extreme light, but their jobs just got a lot harder.

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Picking Kamala Harris makes history, but will it make a difference in November? - CNN

In 1990 I had the remarkable good fortune to spend a week with Roger Tory Peterson. I could write a book about that one week, but for now I only want to emphasize the importance of one particular conversation.

Peterson changed the interaction between people and wildlife when he invented the field guide a concise yet detail-packed book for identifying species but small enough to carry comfortably in the field.

When you invented the field guide, I said, you made it possible for people to identify birds without having to learn about birds.

After a quiet moment, Peterson replied, Youre right.

Our ensuing conversation made it quite clear that it was a subject that bothered him. As he mentally developed the concept and physically assembled it, he never thought of birding as a replacement for ornithology. He conceived it as an adjunct that would augment the degree to which the human-bird interface would produce positive outcomes.

This one particular unintended outcome progressively became a rhetorical point with profound ripple effects. The impact begins with the separating of birding and ornithology, and the ripples elaborate from there.

Just because a birder can distinguish a rock wren from a canyon wren for a checkmark on a list does not make that person an ornithologist.

Just because a person can catch a rainbow trout on bait, lure or fly does not make that person an ichthyologist.

Just because a person owns 15 wildflower identification books, spends dozens of hours afield every summer to find wildflowers and can give both American and Latin names for 100 species despite all this effort and accomplishment does not make that person a botanist.

The examples are almost endless, but three are of special importance right now.

First, just because a person hunts big game animals such as deer, elk and moose does not make that person a mammalogist.

Second, just because a person owns a ranch does not make that person an ecologist.

And third, just because a person finds aesthetic pleasure or even intellectual gratification in wildlife identification does not make that person a wildlife biologist.

All of this and other aspects as well can be collectively summarized in a single meaningful appraisal: Familiarity with selective wildlife, by itself, does not qualify as a credential of expertise.

As relevant as this concept is right now, it will be crucial when three months from now Coloradans vote whether or not to restore the gray wolf to Colorados ecosystems.

I assert without reservation that personal opinions should be based on best available knowledge and not on bondage to tradition. From this perspective I pose the earnest and legitimate question: What do you know biologically, mammalogically, ecologically and biogeographically about the gray wolf?

This question reveals the distinction between assumptive knowledge and actual knowledge. The two are not the same. So study up!

Next month, I will be quizzing you for what you actually know about the gray wolf.

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Wildlife Window: Time to study up on the gray wolf - Loveland Reporter-Herald

MASON CITY, Iowa - The former St. John Baptist Church has quite the history.

In 1919, a group of African-American Baptists formed the church, with members meeting in various homes for services, and then a labor hall, before buying a house on 6th Street SW, which would be moved for a basement to be dug to house a chapel. In 1937, church members bought recycled stone, flooring, windows, even wiring and pipe from the demolished Grant School that was only a few blocks away to build a permanent house of worship.

The church was located in a once ethnically diverse section of Mason City, which went under the "Brickyard" and "Powder Street" names, and the congregation held lively events and programs, including Saturday morning breakfasts.

"They gave to the whole neighborhood, whether you were white or black or Asian, it didn't matter. It helped everybody in the neighborhood, all kids, all people."

Since services stopped in 1996, the church has largely sat empty, though the pews, carpet and other materials inside have been preserved. Over the last few years, there have been plans to bring new life to the building, but none have been successful. Now, a group is looking to restore the former church, with the upstairs planned to be converted into a chapel and community center, with historical items related to the congregation on display. The basement would also be renovated, and would house the offices of Al-Yad, an organization that provides help to children in foster care.

However, Corinne Sills, who got involved with the project a few years ago, predicts that renovations would cost a couple of hundred thousand dollars, and despite applying for grants and other financial assistance, they have been unable to receive them. Sills, who is also with Al-Yad, says the only way to make the restoration possible is by donations and volunteers.

"I think it's important to preserve any kind of history for our children to view. Anything positive that we can put in today's society is extremely important."

While the building has largely remained intact, the bell tower is in desperate need of repair, as well a new roof, window replacement, new exterior wood, and modernizing the plumbing and electricity.

"If we don't get some of the outside done, it will start falling."

For those who want to donate to the efforts, you can drop a check off at NSB Bank, 451 S. Illinois Avenue in Mason City, with checks being written to Al-Yad.

For more information about the project, you can contact Sills at 641-425-9333, or Marcia Boster at 641-420-2879.

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Group working to restore historic Mason City church - KIMT 3

India Stoughton lived and covered the arts and culture scene in Beirut for eight years. She's currently based in London due to the pandemic.

At the moment that one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history blasted outwards from Beirut's port and swept across the city, Zeina Arida, the director of Sursock Museum, was standing outside her office with two colleagues. The force of the explosion, less than a mile away, threw them into the museum's stairwell, as all around them windows shattered and glass and debris rained down. "We have escaped by a miracle," Arida said over the phone three days later. "The museum is blown away, very simply... There is no door, no window, no glass left in the building."

The force of the explosion also brought down parts of the ceilings and internal walls in the museum, housed in an ornate white mansion dating from 1912. Less than five years after it reopened in October 2015 -- following a seven-year renovation costing more than $10 million -- the museum is a wreck.

Beirut's architectural heritage: What the city stands to lose Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images

It had displayed a significant collection of Lebanese art from the late 1800s onwards and was known to host regular temporary exhibitions by both Lebanese and international artists.

Many works from the institution's permanent collection were damaged but, according to Arida, the stained-glass windows that decorate the faade saved many more from destruction. "The tinted glass is so thin that when we first went to look at the damage we were walking on a ground of colored powder," she said.

Painted glass is seen in Beirut's Sursock Museum in the Lebanese capital on October 5, 2015. Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images

Stained glass windows in the Sursock Museum were completely destroyed in the musuem due to the explosion. Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images

Streets filled with artists

Beirut's tight-knit cultural sector is still in the throes of this crisis but it's clear that the explosion has had a devastating effect. Many of the city's art spaces were located in the cosmopolitan neighborhoods of Mar Mikhael and Gemmayzeh and in the industrial area of Karantina, all close to the epicenter of the blast. "These streets were a hub for artists from many walks of life. [They] are filled with our friends, our colleagues," said playwright and filmmaker Lucien Bourjeily.

A view from the roof of an apartment building overlooking the ravaged port of Lebanon's capital Beirut in the Mar Mikhael neighborhood. Credit: Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images

Three days after the explosion, he and others on the theater scene had set up an online group to offer help and support to those who had lost their homes and studios. Bourjeily, who helped organize protests in 2015 when rubbish was left to rot on the streets of Beirut, says artists play a crucial role in leading a call for change after the blast because they are often freelancers who are not as embedded in Lebanon's system of sectarian political patronage.

Galerie Tanit, located less than a kilometer (0.6 miles) from the explosion, was completely gutted by the blast, which destroyed all the windows and walls, leaving just concrete pillars behind. One employee was seriously injured and Jean-Marc Bonfils, the architect who designed the gallery and lived above it, was killed in the blast.

Gaia Fodoulian, the young director of Letitia Gallery, which closed in February after months of economic hardship, was also killed. Firas Dahwish, who worked at Agial Art Gallery and Saleh Barakat Gallery in the west of the city, was severely injured. He died in hospital five days later.

The Arab Image Foundation, which safeguards a significant collection of photographs documenting a century of life in the Middle East, was also badly damaged. Three staff and board members were injured.

As they mourn the dead, the city's gallerists, artists and creatives are struggling to process the damage to many of the city's most important cultural spaces. "The city is destroyed. It's beyond description... There is not a single person in Beirut who has not been damaged... It's an unbelievable apocalypse," said gallerist Saleh Barakat, who opened Agial Art Gallery, one of the oldest art spaces in the city, in 1990, just after the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.

Lebanese volunteers clear the rubble in the devastated Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, on August 7. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

The explosion is widely perceived to have occurred as a direct result of entrenched corruption and dysfunction among leaders who have clung onto power for more than three decades. "Maybe we needed this for a wake up call. We are very, very angry. We are burying our dead and we are taking care of our injured but the anger is just growing and growing," he said.

A slow road back to reopening

The disaster comes at the end of a year of upheaval that had already taken a heavy toll on the local culture scene. Last September, the 10th edition of the Beirut Art Fair attracted 36,000 visitors, signaling a decade of successful growth for Lebanon's art scene. Over the past five years, new commercial and non-profit arts spaces have sprung up all across the city. Amid upheaval in the wake of the Arab Spring, artists from across the region moved to Beirut, and international curators and dealers regularly traveled to its most important exhibitions. But massive anti-government demonstrations, which began last October and continued for months, caused many of the city's art spaces to strike in solidarity with protesters, allowing staff to join the demonstrations.

"It is going to be very unlikely that things will go back to normal or the art scene can be functional again in less than six months," said Barakat. "How can I open up again? I have no windows, I have no doors. I have nothing... I have seen a lot of very bad situations but there was hope every time... Now we were already broke. How are you going to do anything if you don't have any money?"

According to the gallerist, without an independent investigation into the causes of the explosion, no one has any hope that insurance will pay out. Money aside, he cannot fathom reopening while the same leaders many hold responsible for the explosion remain in power. "We are not going to stop defending our cause, but there should be some changes before we can continue... We should dedicate our time and lives to changing the system, and then we'll see," he said.

The front of Marfa' Projects before the blast. Credit: Courtesy Joumana Asseily

The front of Marfa' Projects after the blast. Credit: Courtesy Joumana Asseily

Marfa' Projects, an exhibition space located next to the customs house in the Lebanese port, was completely destroyed by the explosion. "All that time we were working, exhibiting, 500 meters (0.3 miles) away from a kind of nuclear bomb," said owner Joumana Asseily.

She had closed the gallery for a week due to lockdown. Anyone inside would have been killed. She said she no longer cares about the loss of her gallery. "What is gone is gone. Even the artists don't care at this point. It's all material damages. What really enrages me is the people who lost their lives... The people who don't have houses, who don't have money to rebuild their houses."

But she is determined to reopen -- although only once it's possible to rebuild at the port. "The location was crucial for me," she said. "You feel it is the heart of Beirut because everything passes there."

For some, the challenge of rebuilding is simply too daunting. "I don't think we're going to be able to pick ourselves up and move on... I am 55. I have reconstructed my life so many times, and this time it's just the last straw," said Antoine Haddad, whose gallery, Artlab, suffered extensive damage. He plans to emigrate to Canada, but will continue to run Artlab online. "I owe the artists, morally. I'm engaged to provide for them."

Andre Sfeir-Semler, by contrast, is determined to reopen as soon as possible, even if she has to do it without any windows. "Of course we want to go on... You need to nourish people with art and culture because that is what feeds their souls," she said. But Sfeir-Semler Gallery, located 1.7 kilometers (a little over a mile) from the explosion, is a wreck. "The walls all broke down. The cinema imploded. We have a hole in the roof," she detailed, adding that a staff member who was at the galley when the explosion occurred only survived because she was in the bathroom.

Beneath the anger and sadness, many are simply exhausted. "The culture scene relies so much on private initiatives and very often on specific individuals that have been fighting for the past 25 years, if not more, and what is frightening is that we are already so exhausted, so discouraged," said Sursock Museum director Zeina Arida.

A sad city

"We all have this feeling that what the state failed at building, they have just destroyed." What gives her hope, however, is the support from other institutions, both local and international, who have pledged to help with everything from restoring artworks to renovations.

An aerial view of Sursock Palace, damaged in the explosion on August 7. Credit: Haytham Al Achkar/Getty Images

Gregory Buchakjian, an art historian and artist who spent 10 years documenting Beirut's abandoned buildings, described a long-running "war" between those who want to preserve the city's architectural heritage and the government, whose lax zoning laws and lack of formal protection for structures built after the 17th century leave Ottoman and French-mandate era buildings vulnerable to developers who want to tear them down and replace them with more lucrative skyscrapers. "Many people were saying that the municipality will try to demolish buildings on the pretext that they are on the verge of collapsing," he said. "It's definitely going to be a battle to preserve what can be preserved."

He added: "What is heartbreaking is that some of the buildings that were abandoned when I did my study were renovated, and now they are completely ruined."

Sursock Palace, a private residence close to Sursock Museum, built in 1860, was painstakingly restored over 20 years after the civil war ended. The interior of the three-story mansion was torn apart by the blast. Ornate Ottoman painted wooden ceilings collapsed, leaving antique furnishings smashed and buried under wood, rubble and glass. Its owners say there is little point in trying to fix the damage while the same corrupt leaders remain in power.

Buchakjian believes it's too early to predict how the explosion will affect Beirut's culture scene in the long term. "People are still just cleaning the rubble, assessing the damage."

A crooked painting hangs on the wall of the Sursock Palace, heavily damaged after the explosion. Credit: Felipe Dana/AP

But some people are already looking ahead. "There is this sense of solidarity... We really have the sense that we are all in trouble together," he said.

Back at the Sursock Museum, Arida has gathered the shattered pieces of two ceramic sculptures by Lebanese artist Simone Fattal, part of the permanent collection, in case the artist wants to use them to create something new. She has also offered use of the museum's storage spaces to other institutions and artists.

"It's a very sad city now... It's going to take years and it's going to take a lot of work," Marfa' Projects' Joumana Asseily said, but "all these institutions are so essential, so important... It's going to be very difficult. A lot of them won't survive. But the ones that make it are more important than ever. They must go on. I can't imagine how, but we need them."

All interviews for this article were conducted over the phone. The top image is an interior shot of Sursock Palace.

Continue reading here:
Beirut's once-thriving cultural community was already at breaking point. Then the blast hit - CNN

The vast majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs indoors, most of it from the inhalation of airborne particles that contain the coronavirus. The best way to prevent the virus from spreading in a home or business would be to simply keep infected people away. But this is hard to do when an estimated 40% of cases are asymptomatic and asymptomatic people can still spread the coronavirus to others.

Masks do a decent job at keeping the virus from spreading into the environment, but if an infected person is inside a building, inevitably some virus will escape into the air.

I am a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Much of my work has focused on how to control the transmission of airborne infectious diseases indoors, and Ive been asked by my own university, my kids schools and even the Alaska State Legislature for advice on how to make indoor spaces safe during this pandemic.

Once the virus escapes into the air inside a building, you have two options: bring in fresh air from outside or remove the virus from the air inside the building.

The safest indoor space is one that constantly has lots of outside air replacing the stale air inside.

In commercial buildings, outside air is usually pumped in through heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. In homes, outside air gets in through open windows and doors, in addition to seeping in through various nooks and crannies.

Simply put, the more fresh, outside air inside a building, the better. Bringing in this air dilutes any contaminant in a building, whether a virus or a something else, and reduces the exposure of anyone inside. Environmental engineers like me quantify how much outside air is getting into a building using a measure called the air exchange rate. This number quantifies the number of times the air inside a building gets replaced with air from outside in an hour.

While the exact rate depends on the number of people and size of the room, most experts consider roughly six air changes an hour to be good for a 10-foot-by-10-foot room with three to four people in it. In a pandemic this should be higher, with one study from 2016 suggesting that an exchange rate of nine times per hour reduced the spread of SARS, MERS and H1N1 in a Hong Kong hospital.

Many buildings in the U.S., especially schools, do not meet recommended ventilation rates. Thankfully, it can be pretty easy to get more outside air into a building. Keeping windows and doors open is a good start. Putting a box fan in a window blowing out can greatly increase air exchange too. In buildings that dont have operable windows, you can change the mechanical ventilation system to increase how much air it is pumping. But in any room, the more people inside, the faster the air should be replaced.

So how do you know if the room youre in has enough air exchange? Its actually a pretty hard number to calculate. But theres an easy-to-measure proxy that can help. Every time you exhale, you release CO2 into the air. Since the coronavirus is most often spread by breathing, coughing or talking, you can use CO2 levels to see if the room is filling up with potentially infectious exhalations. The CO2 level lets you estimate if enough fresh outside air is getting in.

Outdoors, CO2 levels are just above 400 parts per million (ppm). A well ventilated room will have around 800 ppm of CO2. Any higher than that and it is a sign the room might need more ventilation.

Last year, researchers in Taiwan reported on the effect of ventilation on a tuberculosis outbreak at Taipei University. Many of the rooms in the school were underventilated and had CO2 levels above 3,000 ppm. When engineers improved air circulation and got CO2 levels under 600 ppm, the outbreak completely stopped. According to the research, the increase in ventilation was responsible for 97% of the decrease in transmission.

Since the coronavirus is spread through the air, higher CO2 levels in a room likely mean there is a higher chance of transmission if an infected person is inside. Based on the study above, I recommend trying to keep the CO2 levels below 600 ppm. You can buy good CO2 meters for around $100 online; just make sure that they are accurate to within 50 ppm.

If you are in a room that cant get enough outside air for dilution, consider an air cleaner, also commonly called air purifiers. These machines remove particles from the air, usually using a filter made of tightly woven fibers. They can capture particles containing bacteria and viruses and can help reduce disease transmission.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that air cleaners can do this for the coronavirus, but not all air cleaners are equal. Before you go out and buy one, there are few things to keep in mind.

The first thing to consider is how effective an air cleaners filter is. Your best option is a cleaner that uses a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, as these remove more than 99.97% of all particle sizes.

The second thing to consider is how powerful the cleaner is. The bigger the room or the more people in it the more air needs to be cleaned. I worked with some colleagues at Harvard to put together a tool to help teachers and schools determine how powerful of an air cleaner you need for different classroom sizes.

The last thing to consider is the validity of the claims made by the company producing the air cleaner.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers certifies air cleaners, so the AHAM Verifide seal is a good place to start. Additionally, the California Air Resources Board has a list of air cleaners that are certified as safe and effective, though not all of them use HEPA filters.

Both the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that poor ventilation increases the risk of transmitting the coronavirus.

If you are in control of your indoor environment, make sure you are getting enough fresh air from outside circulating into the building. A CO2 monitor can help give you a clue if there is enough ventilation, and if CO2 levels start going up, open some windows and take a break outside. If you cant get enough fresh air into a room, an air cleaner might be a good idea. If you do get an air cleaner, be aware that they dont remove CO2, so even though the air might be safer, CO2 levels could still be high in the room.

If you walk into a building and it feels hot, stuffy and crowded, chances are that there is not enough ventilation. Turn around and leave.

By paying attention to air circulation and filtration, improving them where you can and staying away from places where you cant, you can add another powerful tool to your anti-coronavirus toolkit.

[Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week. Subscribe to The Conversations science newsletter.]

Originally posted here:
How to use ventilation and air filtration to prevent the spread of coronavirus indoors - The Conversation US

Photo: ODHS

The Oliver museum has been struggling with drafts, hotand cold issuesyear-round and the outside wood has been degrading due to the building'sold windows. But after a conservationproject got underway, their problems were solved.

Thanks to a grant from Heritage BCs Heritage Legacy Fund and a donation from the late Carolyn Cope, the 1924-era windows were able to be carefully restored recently.

Gerry Plantes Carpentry Ltd stepped up to repair the old wood, sand and repaint it, and replace the cracked panes on the building.The project included new putty and weather stripping to help to regulate inside temperatures.

The building was Olivers former BC Police Station, and remains in the nationally-recognized conservation standards since the completed project preserved the original material on the building.

Oliver and District Heritage Society (ODHS) are looking forward to having abetter environment for both artifacts and people.

See original here:
Old windows replaced in the museum help the 96 year old building look good as new - Penticton News - Castanet.net

Helen Holmes (Instagram @TheOfficeMuse)

The Chinese were first with the transition from commodity money to paper money, from money that was atoms to money that was atoms about atoms. They had the necessary technologies (you cant have paper money without paper and you cant do it at scale without printing) and, more importantly, they had the governance. In 1260, Kublai Khan wisely decided that it was a burden on commerce and drag on taxation to have all sorts of currencies in use, ranging from copper coins to iron bars, to pearls to salt to gold and silver, so he decided to implement a new currency. The Khan decided to replace metal, commodities, precious jewels and specie with paper. A paper currency!Imagine how crazy that must have sounded!

Just as Marco Polo and other medieval travellers returned along the Silk Road breathless with astonishing tales of paper money and the end of commodity currencies, so modern commentators (e.g., me) came tumbling off of flights from Shanghai with equally astonishing tales of a land of mobile payments, where not only paper money but also payment cards are vanishing as consumers pay for everything with QR codes. That must have sounded pretty crazy in America too, or at least it did until PayPal PYPL announced they would be bringing mobile QR code payments to 8,000+ CVS stores.

Chinas thinking has been evolving for some time. Back in 2016, the Governor of thePeoples Bank of China(PBOC), Zhou Xiaochuan, set out the Bank's thinking aboutdigital currency, saying thatit is an irresistible trend that paper money will be replaced by new products and new technologies. He went on to say that as a legal tender, digital currency should be controlled by the central bank and after noting that he thought it would take a decade or so for digital currency to completely replace cash in China, he went to state clearly that the bank was working out how to gradually phase out paper money. Rather than simply let the cashless society happen, which may not led to the optimum implementation for society, they were developing a plan for a cashless society.

But how will they do it? I got a window into the likely way forward when I listened toKevin C. Desouza(Professor of Business, Technology and Strategy in the School of Management at the QUT Business School, a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Governance Studies Program at the Brookings Institution and a Distinguished Research Fellow at the China Institute for Urban Governance at Shanghai Jiao Tong University). He is someone with a pretty informed perspective. I heard him in conversation with Bonnie S. Glaser (senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS) on theChinaPower PODCAST.

Kevin and Bonnie were discussing China's plan to develop a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). I have looked at Chinas CBDC system (the Digital Currency/Electronic Payment, DC/EP) in some detail and have speculated on its impact myself, so naturally I wanted to double-check my views (coming from a more technological background) against Kevin and Bonnie's informed strategic, foreign policy perspective.

One particularly interesting aspect of their discussion concerned Chinas ability to advance in digital currency deployment and use because of the co-ordinated plans of the technology providers, the institutions and the state. The technological possibilities are a spectrum and there are a wide variety of business models and many institutional arrangements to investigate, balance and optimise. Hence it needs some co-ordination to make something happen. This is where China can bring co-ordinated and effective governance to bear.

To take one example, consider the issue of the relationship between central bank money and commercial bank money. Yao Qian, from the PBOC technology departmentwrote on the subject in 2017, saying that to offset the shock to commercial banks that would come from introducing an independent digital currency system (and to protect the investment made by commercial banks on infrastructure), it would be possible to incorporate digital currency wallet attributes into the existing commercial bank account system" so that electronic currency and digital currency are managed under the same account.

This rationale is clear and, well, rational. The Chinese central bank wants the efficiencies that come from having a digital currency but also understands the implications of removing the privilege of money creation from the commercial banks. You can see why this is a potential problem for a digital currency created by the central bank, even if it is now technologically feasible for them to do so. If commercial banks lose both deposits and the privilege of creating money, then their functionality and role in the economy is much reduced. Whether you think that is a good idea or not, you must agreed its a big step to take.

This why I think that the PBOC position,reinforcedin 2018 by Fan Yifei, Deputy Governor of the Peoples Bank of China, that Chinese digital currency should adopt a double-tier delivery system whichallows commercial banks to distribute digital currency under central bank control make sense. I dont doubt that this will be the approach adopted by the Federal Reserve when the US eventually decides to issue a digital dollar, which is why we in the West should be studying it and learning from it.

A Chinese bank employee counts 100-yuan notes and US dollar bills at a bank counter in Nantong in ... [+] China's eastern Jiangsu province on August 6, 2019 (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images).

Im fascinated that Chinas long experiment with atoms about atoms is almost over and will soon be replaced by bits about bits. This will come about not because of Bitcoin or Libra, Unionpay or PayPal, but because the PBOC has beenstrategicin its thinking andtacticalin its governance. Their decisions on the topic for many years have been measured and consistent. Digital currency is coming, and China will take the lead in digital currency just as it did in paper currency.

Link:
The Great Chinese Money Experiment Is Over - Forbes

Club Industry was not involved in the creation of this content.

New CDC Guidelines Call for Changes as Business Reopens with Heightened Health and Safety Awareness

Denver, COJuly 7, 2020--With the CDC recommending that office building employers, building owners and managers, and building operations specialistsreplace high-touch communal items, such as water coolers, in Americas workplaces, FloWater announces the addition of a foot pedal mechanism to its already self-sanitizing FloWater Refill Stations, making them fully touchless.

FloWater CEO and Co-Founder, Rich Razgaitis, sees a workplace where new tech, fully touchless and self-sanitizing water refill stations replace traditional water coolers. There is no need for offices, hotels, gyms and retail outlets to return to the expense and plastic waste involved in bringing back the single-use plastic water bottle, says Razgaitis. There is a far better and less costly way to provide unlimited and continuous access to clean, purified, and hygienic drinking water for your employees, guests and customers.

Already in place at the likes of Google, Microsoft and RedBull, the FloWater Refill Stations award-winning design and advanced technology include:

The FloWater technology also alkalizes and oxygenates the water and adds electrolytes for better hydration. Surveys show a 2-5X increase in water consumption where FloWater Refill Stations are in use and a reduction of 50% for consumption of coffees and sugary drinks. According to the CDC, proper hydration is essential for a healthy immune system to optimize our bodies natural defenses for maximum protection against COVID-19. A carbon coconut filter finishes the chilled water for a great taste.

FloWater Refill Stations are free-standing and easy to install, connecting to any potable water line within 10. The new FloWater Touchless foot pedal activation device will be available in July 2020 for both new FloWater Refill Stations and for the over 5,000 units already in place in offices, hotels, stores, gyms, and schools across the country.

About FloWater

Recognized by Inc. and the Financial Times as one of Americas fastest growing companies and honored by Fast Company as a World Changing Idea, FloWater is the worlds first company building a comprehensive platform of water purification products. The FloWater team is passionate about eliminating plastic waste and providing safe, great-tasting drinking water to everyone, wherever they are. Today, some of the worlds best brands hydrate with FloWater, including Hyatt, Google, Red Bull, Play Station, Specialized Bikes, Microsoft, Club Pilates, Hulu, Urban Remedy, and ONeill. FloWater delivers meaningful impacts for health and well-being, boosting hydration 200-500% while reducing the consumption of coffee and sugary beverages by 50%. Since the companys launch, FloWaters Refill Stations have saved over 300 million plastic water bottles from entering the environment and are on target to hit one billion by the end of 2022. For more information, visitwww.drinkflowater.com and follow FloWater on Facebook and Instagram.

Here is the original post:
FloWater Set To Replace Water Coolers In America's Workplace With Fully 'Touchless', Self-Sanitizing Water Refill Stations - Club Industry

Knoxville artist Paris Woodhull is one of at least 10 women artists painting murals across Tennessee for the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Knoxville News Sentinel

What's new in your community? Find out here at the Shopper-News blog. We'll have updates on people, places, businesses, schools and sports in your community. Check back throughout the week.

BEARDEN

John Shearer, Shopper News

While many families have grown restless being stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, the Akards of West Knoxville have taken the opposite route.

Kevin Akard and his 12-year-old son, Luke, have been outside,completing all of the roughly 800-900 miles of trails inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Luke Akard is shown on his very first hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2012 shortly after he turned 4.(Photo: Submitted)

They have literally taken the term like father, like son to a new and inspiring level.

Although the National Park Service does not keep records or tallies about such accomplishments, his father believes Luke might be about the youngest ever to complete the feat.

For the youngster, though, the multi-year journey was just as rewarding as the destination. Just getting to spend time away from civilization and being able to get out and experience nature and have time with Dad was nice, said Luke.

According to father Kevin, a mechanical engineering professor at Pellissippi State who developed an early interest in hikingin the Boy Scouts in Bristol, they started hiking together in the Smokies in 2012, not long after Luke turned 4.

I thought it might be something he would be interested in and would give us time together, he said.

However, he said they did not initially start with any goal in mind other than enjoyment. They actually were very sporadic the first few years and did not hike there in either 2014 or 2016.

After they began setting a goal of hiking somewhere in the Smokies once a month in 2018, they were on their way to covering some distance and enjoying some accomplishments.

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Through some multi-day hikes, they realized at the beginning of 2020 they were about two-thirds of the way to hiking all the trails. But they still did not think it was possible to achieve the goal this year.

That was in part because they had a spring break cruise planned with wife and mother, Kathy, to enjoy their otherinterest of scuba diving.

But then the pandemic began sweeping the country, and they realized they would have to traverse the countryside closer to home. However, even the outdoors was affected by the coronavirus, as the national park was closed for several weeks during the spring.

That did not dampen their enthusiasm, though. When it reopened in May, we were there on the morning it reopened, said Kevin.

They covered 161 miles in May through multiple day and overnight hikes, 70 in June and about 120 in July.

They saved the 72 miles of the Appalachian Trail through the park for last, finishing the five-day route from Fontana Dam at the south end to the Davenport Gap area near where Interstate 40 crosses into North Carolina on July 29.

For young Luke, reaching the completion point of an eight-year journey offered mixed emotions.

It was happy but at the same time kind of sad, said the youngster, who is entering seventh grade at West Valley Middle School and was featured in the Shopper News in 2018 for a patch he designed that won a trip to the International Space Station. But when I got there, it was awesome.

A representative of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park 900 Miler Club for those who have completed all the trails told the family that they also dont keep detailed information, but that she knew of only two teenagers who have completed it.

We dont know for certain, but we are pretty confident he is the youngest one to do it, said Kevin.

Luke Akard stands atop a rock at Charlies Bunion along the Appalachian Trail a couple of days before he and his father, Kevin, completed all the trails inside the park.(Photo: Submitted)

Also along the way, almost as many memories as miles were secured. Besides all the breathtaking views, they also had their breaths taken away once when they realized a black bear had been outside their tent after they cooked and ate inside due to rain. They also saw plenty of birds, chipmunks and squirrels, and an occasional snake.

Luke said his favorite path was probably Old Settlers Trail between Gatlinburg and Cosby.

It is pretty long but very flat for the Smokies, and before the park was made, there was a community there, he said, adding that ruins of old houses and cabins are still visible.

As far as new goals, the father and son might look at going down into the water instead of up some mountains by scuba diving in all 50 states, even though the youngster has already set foot in all of them.

For that adventure, Luke is game once again. I havent experienced a whole lot of scuba diving, so that would be fun, he said.

KARNS/HARDIN VALLEY

Nancy Anderson, Shopper News

Most places you can have it quick, cheap or done right. If you are lucky you get to pick two. At this place you pleasantly get all three. Punctuality, quality, and value, wrote Scott Toomey in a Google review about Asian Auto Specialists at 7130 Oak Ridge Highway.

Owner Kenny Allison checks out an engine at Asian Auto Specialists at 7130 Oak Ridge Highway. Monday, Aug. 3, 2020.(Photo: Nancy Anderson/Shopper News)

Many other reviews added a fourth pillar, honesty.

Ive worked at five or six different shops over the years and Ive seen the way people are overcharged or oversold on parts, said owner Kenny Allison.

We dont do that in this shop. Giving honest service is the only way I can sleep at night. We dont have a service writer who is paid commission. Its me and my word, which means a lot to me.

I want customers to come back. If you maintain your client base, you dont have to spend a lot of money on advertising and you get to know people.

I dont have people coming back to me saying they were overcharged or the repair wasnt done correctly. Thats the last thing I want.

Allison opened the shop April 1, 2019, and specializes in Asian imports. He said he does work on American cars too, but prefers not to work on European models.

Owner Kenny Allison, lead mechanic Tony Smith and shop assistant Trevor Allison all say they are proud of their work at Asian Auto Specialists at 7130 Oak Ridge Highway. Monday, Aug. 3, 2020.(Photo: Nancy Anderson/Shopper News)

Ive been working on all the imports for more than 33 years. European cars have gotten a lot more technical and require specialized tools. Imports are more straightforward.

Allison said he tries to repair a car quickly.

Scheduling is really hard, because you never know if the problem is as simple as a belt or as complicated as replacing an engine. It could take a couple of hours or three days, but we work hard to get the cars back out the door as soon as possible. Its still got to be done right, so you do have to take your time and make sure of that.

He said he doesnt hold up small jobs in favor of the big expensive ones.

If someone needs a belt or something simple, I dont let that sit on my lot for days, I get that done quickly.

He said it didnt take long for the shop to see a fair amount of customers. He and his customers posted on social media, which seemed to do the trick.

Lead mechanic Tony Smith said its satisfying to repair a vehicle and get it running just right at Asian Auto Specialists at 7130 Oak Ridge Hwy. Monday, Aug. 3, 2020.(Photo: Nancy Anderson/Shopper News)

When I first opened, I did a lot of advertising, which did nothing. It really is all about reputation and word of mouth.

The shop has two full-time mechanics, including Allison, and a shop assistant. While the sign on the door says the shop closes at 5:30 p.m., Allison finds himself staying late often.

He has big plans.

Id like to have five or six bays with mechanics for each. Someday Id like to just work the office or maybe even not have to be here at all, just stop by and make sure things are going smoothly.

Info: Contact Asian Auto Specialists at 865-240-3004.

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NORTH/EAST

Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News

Fred Mister Rogers famously extended his mothers advice, during times of crisis and fear, to his young viewers. He said, Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.

Ben Maney is a helper.

June Hopper and Ben Maney, married since 2008, now both work at home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Its nice! says Maney. I feel like I have an office mate as well as a life mate. Feb. 20, 2017.(Photo: Carol Z. Shane/Shopper News)

The Lincoln Park resident, who teaches piano at the Community School of the Arts, Green Magnet Academy and in his private studio, is well known in Knoxville as one of the citys finest jazz pianists and composers.

He says he generally feels extremely lucky during this time of financial uncertainty. His wife, June Hopper, who investigates credit card fraud for TVA Credit Union, is able to work at home, and Maney has continued with almost all of his students in virtual lessons. Though hes lost income from evening gigs hes a regular at The Bistro at the Bijou he says he and Hopper are pretty secure.

But from the start of the coronavirus pandemic, hes been acutely aware that not all of his colleagues have fared so well.

I noticed that there were professional musicians that I knew who were out in the cold, as well as other gig workers restaurant and bar workers. And I was also starting to worry about some of my students especially some that I had been working with at Green Magnet. I wanted to do something.

Community School of the Arts teacher Ben Maney helps student Joshua Washington become fluent in the musical language of jazz. October 3, 2017.(Photo: Photo courtesy Community School of the Arts)

So he did a virtual benefit concert. Then he did another. Maney donated the proceeds to his friends in need and to Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee (CAC).

Hes also released an album with local musician, composer and producer Matt Honkonen, who runs Pitchwire, a music production company. Available on Bandcamp, its called A Space for Us. All proceeds will benefit the Community School of the Arts, which provides after-school music and art lessons to underserved children and teens.

Now, six months after the start of the pandemic, Maney is concerned about the mood of the nation. Something has changed, he says.

In the initial stage, I thought maybe people will galvanize over this. Maybe well all work together. Its a virus; its not political; it affects everyone. But that hasnt happened.

So Maney whose humanitarian instinct is every bit as big as his talent has decided to do another virtual concert. This time, its just for the joy of playing and lifting peoples spirits. Unlike the fundraisers, its free, though Maney wont turn away tips. So everyone, near and far, can hear one of Knoxvilles jazz luminaries from the comfort of home.

In pre-pandemic days: Ben Maney helps his student Makaia Gray get in a festive mood to practice her piece for the 2016 Community School of the Arts Holiday Concert. Sept. 26, 2016.(Photo: Carol Z. Shane/Shopper News)

Our government is in shambles and its failing people, says Maney. Its hard to live in this pressure chamber and find places to decompress. He hopes his concert will provide that. Were all trying to navigate through this.

You can hear A Solo Performance by Ben Maney on Facebook Live at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14. Go to facebook.com/events/640786969866612 for more info. Buy the album A Space for Us at MattHonkonen.bandcamp.com/album/a-space-for-us.

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POWELL

Al Lesar, Shopper News

After more than a dozen tries, Carolyn Duffey knew it was right. She had found the connection she sought.

Carolyn Duffey and Ayah, her PTSD support dog, are ready to share their training secrets with other support dogs.(Photo: Submitted)

Duffey, who moved to Powell from south Texas more than three years ago, suffers from Post-traumatic stress disorder that stemmed from an abusive relationship. She was in search of a service dog that would help her deal with the tough times. Two years ago, she was scouring area animal rescues until she found Ayah.

The day I met her, I knew she was the right one, Duffey said. We just had an instant connection.

At the time, Ayah was a 6-month-old Mountain Cur pup, looking a lot like a bulldog.

I was looking for an older dog, but when its right, its right, she said.

Duffey and Ayah went through a year of training. The results have been impressive.

We can go to a restaurant now and shell quietly sit under the table, Duffey said. That wasnt always the case. Its nice to have people who knew her before come up to me and say how well behaved she is.

Duffey has turned the experience she had with Ayah into a business of her own. In June she started Duffeys Dog Training, which is available for any dog but can specialize in PTSD service dogs.

Rosie and her handler Terry are one of Carolyn Duffey's training clients in July 2020.(Photo: Submitted)

Not long ago, Duffey said she was cooking dinner when she felt a panic attack coming on. She turned off the stove and went to her room to lie down. As always, Ayah followed.

She saw me lie down and she knew something was wrong, Duffey said. She went to me, then she went to my husband (in another room) and barked, went back to me, then went to my husband and barked. He finally came.

Duffey said the bond between her and Ayah is strong.

Shes like a toddler. Wherever I go, she goes. If I put my hands over my face, shell come up to me and put her face in mine. She understands when Im having a tough time.

While in a shoe store recently, Duffey said there were several young boys doing what young boys do. Ayah completely ignored the commotion and stayed right by Duffeys side, which is a quantum leap from the limited focus she had had just months earlier.

Ayah is a sensitive dog, Duffey said. You can tell the progress shes made.

One of the important parts of training for a support dog is to stay calm amid chaos.(Photo: Submitted)

If theres one noise that dogs dont like to hear, its coins rattling around in a tin can.

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Shopper News blog: Luke Akard hiked every trail in the Smokies, almost 900 miles. He's 12. - Knoxville News Sentinel

Parkview Financial announced it has provided a $7.2 million construction loan to GA Views Management, LLC for the completion of The Views at Georgia Avenue, a Class A, 20-unit apartment property. Located at 3557 Georgia Avenue NW in the Park View neighborhood in the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the six-story property is currently in the framing stage and will be completed in summer 2021.

The 23,000-square-foot (sf) building will include 10 two-bedroom floor plans ranging between 696 sf and 835 sf, and 10 one-bedroom floor plans ranging between 530 sf to 545 sf with ground floor retail space totaling approximately 3,358 sf. In addition to the retail component, amenities for the residences include storage areas of 442 sf in the basement, a rooftop deck totaling of 964 sf, and patio area totaling 600 sf. Each unit will include hardwood flooring and carpeting, double pane windows, a full kitchen with upgraded appliance package, and in-unit washer/dryer.

Parkview is pleased to provide construction financing for The Views at Georgia Avenue, said Paul Rahimian, CEO of Parkview Financial. Demand for housing in this area is strong and this property will offer high-quality, upgraded rental living in a gentrifying neighborhood.

The Georgia Avenue NW area features an eclectic mix of residential and commercial properties, including many restaurants and bars, small locally owned shops, and supporting commercial and civic uses. The neighborhood is adjacent to the Petworth and the Columbia Heights neighborhoods and is three miles north of the National Mall in a dense, urban infill area. It will provide convenient public transit for residents linking to the entire D.C. metro area. The commute to the downtown Washington D.C. is a 16-minute drive and 40 minutes via transit.

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Parkview Financial provides $7.2 million construction loan for 20-unit apartment property in Washington DC - Yield PRO magazine