While some of the underlying thinking behind the so-called 4% rule was prudent, it was hatched in an era in which interest rates were much higher, capital markets less volatile and, most important, Americans had shorter lifespans. Given today's market volatility and changed retirement landscape, it's safe to assume that the 4% rule may be obsolete.

As Congress considers ideas in the coming weeks seeking to help America recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Insured Retirement Institute has proposed a five-point plan to help American retirement savers enhance their ability to save for retirement today and ways to strengthen their financial security for tomorrow.

With many Americans still counting the days until they get their $1,200 checks, some are in for a surprise. If you're American, but your spouse is not, you may not be qualified. Now, some groups are suing the government over the issue.

First the asylum seekers were used to further Turkey’s regional ambitions, now they are made to suffer in quarantine camps

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

At the beginning of March, thousands of refugees gathered in the shadow of the Pazarkule border gate in Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he would “open the gate” to Europe.

The move was a reaction to the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in Idlib province on 28 February and designed to exert pressure on the EU and Nato to support its military operation in northern Syria.

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From being a goose on the loose to controlling whole galaxies, here’s a world of experiences for all the family

• Modern Toss on video games ...

The cinemas may be shut, the gig venues closed, but there is one place you can still meet your friends and be entertained without leaving your house: the world of gaming. For many of us, it has been years since we could really justify spending all day in our pyjamas slaying virtual dragons – now that way of life, for some at least, is a little less frowned-upon. But if you’re returning to serious gaming after a few years away, where exactly should you be spending your valuable money and time? Here are no less than 100 highly recommended titles, from family favourites to epic sci-fi sagas – all available on current platforms, be it PC, smartphones or consoles. Whether you want to be moved, terrified, relaxed or intellectually challenged, alone or with pals, we’ve got more than enough here to keep you occupied until you’re out and about again …

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Well-publicized philanthropy shows how afraid the super-rich are of a larger social safety net – and higher taxes

As millions of jobless Americans line up for food or risk their lives delivering essential services, the nation’s billionaires are making conspicuous donations – $100m from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos for food banks, billions from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for a coronavirus vaccine, thousands of ventilators and N95 masks from Elon Musk, $25m from the Walton family and its Walmart foundation. The list goes on.

Related: Call for super-rich to donate more to tackle coronavirus pandemic

Why should we believe that Gates or any other billionaire’s 'boldness' necessarily reflects society’s values and needs?

Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a columnist for Guardian US

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Pay-monthly service sees huge surge in players and gaming time due to Coronavirus lockdown

Microsoft has announced that its Xbox Game Pass subscription service has passed 10 million members. The initiative, which adopts a similar model to Netflix and other streaming platforms, gives subscribers unlimited access to more than 100 Xbox and PC games for a monthly fee.

Commenting on the figure, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said that use of Game Pass, as well as the company’s online multiplayer gaming service Xbox Live, had increased substantially in recent weeks due to Covid-19. “Since March, Xbox Game Pass members have added over 23 million friends on Xbox Live, which is a 70% growth in friendship rate,” he said. “Game Pass members are also playing twice as much and engaging in more multiplayer gaming, which has increased by 130%.”

We saw record engagement in gaming this quarter:
• Xbox Live has nearly 90 million monthly active users
• Xbox Game Pass has more than 10 million subscribers
• Project xCloud has 100s of thousands of active users in preview across 7 countries, with more coming

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Xbox livestream showcases new titles designed to support the advanced features of the forthcoming console

Microsoft has revealed 13 games coming to its Xbox Series X console when the machine launches this winter. In an hour-long presentation, streamed live on Thursday, the company announced that well-known titles such as the recently announced Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, as well as Madden NFL 21 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, will all be on Xbox Series X.

Also featured was Paradox Interactive’s vampire adventure, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. Codemasters presented its racer DiRT 5 complete with impressive lighting and mud splatter effects, and an option to run it in 4K at 60 frames-per-second or in a lower resolution at 120fps. Namco Bandai showed a new anime-style sci-fi thriller named Scarlet Nexus, about a group of psychic law enforcers.

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The Nevada Gaming Commission has just set guidelines for casino reopenings. Jay Snowden, Penn National Gaming CEO, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss their guidelines for reopening and partnership with Barstool.

Todd Gordon, Ascent Wealth Partners and John Petrides, Toqueville Asset Management, discuss the stay-at-home stocks they're watching with Seema Mody.

"We need to acknowledge that good things can still happen without going into denial about all the bad things that are currently happening," the "Mad Money" host said.

Across America, dairy farmers have dumped countless gallons of fresh, entirely usable milk, because there is no one to buy it. The shelter-in-place orders given by governments around the country in response to the coronavirus pandemic have shuttered big customers such as restaurants and schools and kept people at home. About 50 percent of the milk produced in the United States goes to restaurants and other food service operations, according to the National Milk Producers Federation.

Before the 1986 World Cup my brother and I had nearly 100 stickers of the Hungarian and we wanted him to lose, badly

Before the internet ruined the World Cup there was wonder in ignorance. You could look forward to discovering great players and teams about whom you knew next to nothing. In 1986 my brother and I hoped the tournament would be all about some Hungarian called Zoltan Peter. Our reason was bad.

All we knew about Peter was his name and his face because he seemed to be in every pack of Panini stickers we bought. Every time we removed that shiny wrapper there he was, seemingly mocking us with his Lego-man hairdo and the haunting expression of someone who knew there is no problem so grim it cannot be made worse.

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In the latest in our series on how Covid-19 will change football, we look at its impact at grassroots and non-league level

This could be the end of grassroots football. The impact is going to be horrendous. The main problem now is we’re not getting money we would usually receive from training-session fees or fundraising, because they’re not taking place. That money goes towards subsidising teams for the next season, helping them with pitch fees, league fees, trophy presentations, etc.

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The Everton right-back joined Schalke on loan in pre-season and hopes to play against Borussia Dortmund on 16 May

As Jonjoe Kenny remembers the sights and smells that defined his childhood it is tempting, more so at a time such as this, to close your eyes and travel back with him. He can tell what, with a few bumps here and there, is the textbook story of a local boy made good, and Everton games were the focal points throughout. Kenny grew up in Kirkdale, virtually on the doorstep of Goodison Park, and the glimpse of a buzzing County Road brought the kind of sensory assault that would leave thousands pining today.

“It’s about a five-minute walk round the corner,” Kenny says. “On matchdays going to the stadium it was always busy in our area. The chippies were packed, the pubs were packed, and when you’re walking to the game through it all there’s no better feeling. As a kid growing up, it was such a big thing.”

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A trip to Devon meant updates were via a classmate’s radio but it gave me my first real glimpse of the power of football

It seems a little odd pitching a game I’ve not seen for this series. I wasn’t at Wembley, I didn’t watch on TV and I didn’t listen to it on the radio. How, then, I hear you say, can the 1998 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Newcastle possibly be my favourite game?

I had always been an Arsenal fan, I didn’t have a choice. I grew up in a council flat in Hackney where if you left the windows open on matchdays you could faintly hear the Highbury goal celebrations. I went to a primary school in Islington. My dad supported Arsenal, so did my grandad.

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Date	24-Sep-2018

Category	Growth
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NAV	12.5992
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Category	Income
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NAV	12.8997
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Date	18-Jan-2018

Category	Debt Scheme - Dynamic Bond
NAV	1335.4360
Repurchase Price	1322.0816
Sale Price	1335.4360
Date	16-Jun-2015

Category	Debt Scheme - Medium to Long Duration Fund
NAV	12.3651
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Date	09-Oct-2018

[To be published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i)] Government of India Ministry of Finance

[To be published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i)] Government of India Ministry of Finance

Today Kevin’s game, Starcom: Nexus, releases in Early Access on Steam. It’s a thing of beauty, and also a lot of fun. If you like games that take you into outer space where you get to explore mysterious worlds, build a powerful ship, and explode bad guys, you should buy it, and play it, and let your gamer friends know about it. Yes, I’m biased, but reviewers and streamers  - who are not his spouse  - also love it :o). (FYI those last two links go to youtube streaming vids.)

***

Conversation at the dinner table:

Kevin: How was your day?

Me: Okay, I guess. I still can’t figure out how to get this girl to accidentally set her house on fire, then cause an explosion and get stuck in a window grille.

Kevin: I believe in you.

Me: Thank you. How was your day?

Kevin: Okay. When my enemy ships get within a certain distance of each other, they spontaneously explode.

Me: Oh!

Kevin: It’s not supposed to happen. It’s a bug.

Me: Oh.

Kevin: I can’t figure it out.

Me: I believe in you!

***


There are a lot of similarities between the work Kevin and I do. We both create complicated worlds with characters and plots. We’re both entertainers.

Meet your commander.

We have some processes in common: for example, we both study the books/games we love, then try to learn from them. We both think about the things we don’t like in other books/games, then try to come up with alternatives we prefer. We both know how to wear the creator hat; then switch to the reader/gamer hat, reading/playing our own project with a critical eye; then go back to the creator hat to fix what isn’t working. We’re both extremely familiar with the phenomenon wherein you change one little thing, then a ripple effect passes through the entire work, complicating/breaking things in ways you didn’t anticipate.

Meet the Ulooquo, an underwater alien race.

We can also get similarly overwhelmed by our own projects. I’ve talked a lot on the blog about how a book has many parts, and writing a book involves many jobs. Well, a game has SO many parts. It has music and art, visual effects, numerous interfaces, plot and character, mysteries and rewards. It must be able to support and absorb the choices of individual gamers, over which the creator has no control. It has SO many (literally) moving parts!



We also both work by ourselves for years on self-directed projects… then put our creations out into the world, hoping they’ll find the people who will love them.

These similarities are deep. They help us to understand each other’s frustrations and joys, and support each other meaningfully. This is awesome. However, I want to talk a little bit about the differences, which are many.

For example, in my writing career, I have an agent. She connects me to an editor who helps me craft the right words. Then, my editor works with my publisher to create a beautiful physical book, publicize and market that book, and sell that book for me.

An indie game developer, on the other hand, does everything himself, in an extremely saturated market with a lot of roadblocks. He can hire other people to help. Kevin hired a composer and an artist, to help him with his music and his characters (like the Commander and the Ulooquo above). He hired a marketing consultant to do a few things too. But he worked closely with those people, because he knew exactly what he wanted. And everything else has been the work of his own hands. He’s done SO much marketing and publicity work on his own that’s made me appreciate my own marketing and publicity departments even more than I did before. Self-promotion in a saturated market is really, really hard. It’s also stressful for a guy who happens to be humble and was raised with the good-old New England ethos of not bragging about himself :o).

Here’s another big difference: Kevin can release his game while it’s still in production, then use the feedback from early players to shape it and make it better. He can write code into the game that allows him to see how long players play; where they decide to drop out of the game; which options are being chosen more often than others. (He receives this information anonymously, in case you’re starting to worry that he can actually tell what you’re doing inside his game!) As a writer, I definitely don’t know where someone decides to abandon my book. Nor do I want to know, because once people are reading my book, it’s final! If everyone is bailing at a certain point, there’s nothing I can do about it. The words in my book are not going to change. Kevin’s game is more of a living, growing creature, even after it releases, and based on player reactions.

Another big difference is that while I am a wordsmith, Kevin is a programmer. A lot of the time, when I step into his office, he’s working with programming language on his many screens, and I don’t understand the smallest bit of it. My readers read my actual words. His gamers play a game built on a framework of programming that looks and feels very different from the actual game. He also works with a lot of complicated software (like, for 3D modeling) and does a lot of math. He uses trigonometry to [I just asked him to explain it and he said something about spaceships shooting at each other, vectors, and cosines. ???]. I can come home and tell him practically everything I struggled with at work that day. A lot of what he does is too technical for me to understand—though he is really good at creating analogies and explaining things to me when I ask (and when I'm not rushing to finish a blog post!).

Another difference is that he is a visual artist. For example, he created Entarq's Citadel below, which is one of the worlds his gamers get to explore.


Here's another.


Another difference:  I can do my work anywhere. All I need is my notebook and a pen. Kevin needs his fancy computer and his big monitors. So he works from home. Home office and self-employed means he’s working most of the time. Most mornings, he’s working by the time I get out of bed. By the time I leave for my office, he’s put hours in. I come home and he’s making me dinner; after dinner, he works for a few more hours. I go away on trips without him; he works while I’m gone! I always thought I worked really hard. I have a new standard now.

And now his work has created this beautiful, fun game that’s getting really positive attention from gamers and streamers :o). Today, you can buy it in Early Access, and become one of the players who contributes to what it will ultimately become.

And that's my little explanation of what it's like to live with an indie game developer. Check out the links if you’re interested! The trailer is below.

The game has also reached 10 million unique players since launch

The post EA Confirms Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Is the First Game in New Franchise appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

The musical remake of the '80s cult classic is set to hit digital platforms on Friday!

The post CS Interview: Josh Whitehouse on Playing American in Valley Girl appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

The guest stars of Orphan 55 talk about starring in Doctor Who, working with team TARDIS and living a lifelong dream.

Many, many local game stores are closed and struggling. Some of those retailers are offering curbside pickup, delivery, or online orders. Please see this list of game stores that GAMA has assembled and, if possible and one is near you, place an order today! Let's make sure that we keep these stores alive and there for us to enjoy once each is able to open their doors again.

From GAMA:

During these changing times, stores have begun offering alternate shopping experiences such as curbside pick-up or local delivery for purchased items. Some stores are also offering gift cards as another outlet for customer support. Search for your nearby store(s) and support the gaming community!

Check out the store list today!

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Best Beasts In The West

Sometimes not even your trusty six-shooter will help you against the horrors of the Weird West. GURPS Classic: Deadlands – Varmints includes an assortment of monsters, both classic Deadlands critters converted to GURPS Deadlands and new creatures with stats for both systems. Download your own batch of trouble today from Warehouse 23!

Munchkin Legends takes the classic game of dungeon-looting and monster-bashing into the original source of many of those monsters, the myths and legends of the world. From ancient foes such as Grendel and Baba Yaga to more modern monsters such as Slender Man and the Sewer Gator, you'll have fights the bards will sing of for generations!

(Can't shut bards up, apparently. We've tried.)

Pick up the original game or our fancy Deluxe version, and maybe grab the expansion, Faun and Games, while you're at it! All are available right now at Warehouse 23!

– Andrew Hackard

Warehouse 23 News: Quirk Smarter, Not Harder!

Give your GURPS heroes some extra character, extra personality, and a few extra points for goodies with GURPS Power-Ups 6: Quirks. This collection of minor flaws – including many that are new or expanded – is perfect for making your heroes stand out. It's just a download away from Warehouse 23!

Would you like to receive information on new games, special events, and important news? Subscribe to our newsletter and you will start receiving a few emails every month where we highlight the latest games and expansions, and (at times) direct you to our crowdfunding campaigns.

The newsletter is just one way to stay in touch with us. For other options, including links to our various social-media channels, visit this page on our site.

Subscribe to the newsletter today!



Warehouse 23 News: Keep Watching The Skies!

The truth is revealed; UFOs are real! And they may have plans! GURPS Monster Hunters 5: Applied Xenology is your guide to bringing a new threat to GURPS Monster Hunters heroes: the terrors of science! Fight aliens, unleash technomagic, become a different kind of champion, and more. Danger is just a download away from Warehouse 23!

Buy Clotilde's latest book, The French Market Cookbook!

Not long after my second son was born, I received a message from Audrey, a reader I’d been conversing with […]

The post Caramelized Sesame Chocolate Bar Recipe appeared first on Chocolate & Zucchini.

Buy Clotilde's latest book, The French Market Cookbook!

I have been wanting to share this recipe for ramen-style pork belly with you for, oh, two years and a […]

The post Instant Pot Ramen-Style Pork Belly Recipe appeared first on Chocolate & Zucchini.

President Trump dangerously suggested injecting disinfectants could help patients sick with the coronavirus, then said he was being "sarcastic." But his remarks led to a spike in calls to helplines about taking disinfectants. We look at "What We Know About the Most Touted Drugs Tested for COVID-19" with Tanya Lewis, associate editor for health and medicine at Scientific American.

We go to Moscow for an update on the pandemic in Russia, where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, with at least 10,000 new cases a day and the second-highest infection rate in the world, and more than 100 medical workers have died fighting the virus, and many have reported lack of personal protective equipment. Meanwhile, three Russian healthcare workers mysteriously fell from hospital windows over the past two weeks. Two died, and the one who is hospitalized had posted a video online to note the lack of medical equipment and said he had to keep working despite testing positive. We speak with Joshua Yaffa, Moscow correspondent for The New Yorker magazine.

We look at the deadly disparate impact of the pandemic on African Americans as told through an in-depth story for The New York Times Magazine by writer Linda Villarosa in her new piece, "'A Terrible Price': The Deadly Racial Disparities of Covid-19 in America," that tells what happened to the Zulu club, a Black social organization in New Orleans, during and after Mardi Gras. She reports that the experience is usually a joy, but the coronavirus made it a tragedy.

Markings on big cats are hard to distinguish, meaning one animal may be counted as two

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

The same face

Draft regulations to amend Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988 open for public comments...

CBDT amends rule 44G to invoke mutual agreement procedure...

• Punk Rock

Today I wanted to share a little DIY for a vintage inspired ornament. Not only do these make cute ornaments, but they are great tied to the top of gifts too. I actually have a folder on my computer for vintage Christmas ornaments I want to try and recreate, so … Continue reading →

Ask each customer if they have Covid-19. If they say no, ask if they would like to pre-order Covid-19. Explain the benefits of pre-ordering. Upsell them on Covid-19 insurance (to protect their Covid-19) and a subscription to Game Informer.

An exclusive look into the madness that was being an employee of 'Tiger King," a controversial zoo that is the subject of a wildly popular new Netflix documentary series.

Interview with Rani Baker, Goon Lurker and Internet Hero.

A journey to stop a bully has unintended emotional consequences.

OH THe games! FINAL FANCY VII: REMARK, JOHN MADEIT FOOTBALL 2021, and THE LEGEND OF ZACHA: BRAFF OH HE WILD all on one cart plus 98 more!

Hey, Gamers: Do you like Super Mario, Doom, Animal Crossing, Forza, Civilization, Slay the Spire, and sandwiches? Then you’ll LOVE the hot new release: Maximum Outer Space