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IBM Announces Major Blockchain Solution to Speed Global Payments

SIBOS: IBM today announced a new blockchain banking solution that will help financial institutions address the processes of universal cross-border payments, reducing the settlement time and lowering the cost of completing global payments for businesses and consumers. Using IBM Blockchain, and in collaboration with technology partners Stellar.org and KlickEx Group, the solution is intended to improve the speed in which banks both clear and settle payment transactions on a single network in near real time.



  • Banking and Financial Services

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Fables of the Permanent and Insatiable

[Image: An otherwise unrelated photo of fire-fighting foam, via Wikipedia.] There are at least two classes of materials that have always interested me: synthetic materials designed to be so resistant and indestructible that they verge on a kind of supernatural longevity, and engineered biomaterials, such as enzymes or microbes, designed to consume exactly these sorts … Continue reading "Fables of the Permanent and Insatiable"




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IBM and Blue Prism Deliver Digital Workforce Capabilities

As businesses increasingly recognize the opportunity to increase productivity, improve customer experiences and deliver new products and services through intelligent automation, Blue Prism and IBM have joined forces to deliver a secure, scalable and easy-to-use Digital Workforce for enterprises worldwide, such as Walgreens.



  • Services and solutions

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Maersk and IBM to Form Joint Venture Applying Blockchain to Improve Global Trade and Digitize Supply Chains

A.P. Moller –Maersk and IBM today announced their intent to establish a joint venture to provide more efficient and secure methods for conducting global trade using blockchain technology.




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China Construction Bank (Asia) and IBM Developing Hong Kong’s First Bancassurance Powered by Blockchain

China Construction Bank (Asia) Corporation Limited (“CCB (Asia)”) and IBM today announced the development of the first blockchain-enabled bancassurance project in Hong Kong. Built on the IBM Blockchain Platform, the solution is designed to streamline CCB (Asia)’s bancassurance process and greatly enhance customer experience and the quality of services delivered through faster transaction processing time and increased transparency.




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Sony and Sony Global Education Develop a New System to Manage Students' Learning Data, Built on IBM Blockchain

IBM Japan today announced that Sony Corporation and Sony Global Education, a subsidiary of Sony that works to provide global educational services, have developed a new blockchain-based student education records platform. With the solution, school administrators can consolidate and manage students' educational data from several schools, as well as record and refer their learning history and digital academic transcripts with more certainty. The new platform, developed using IBM Blockchain, uses blockchain technology running on the IBM Cloud to track students’ learning progress, as well as establish transparency and accountability of scholastic achievements between students and schools.




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Banorte - Ixe se asocia con IBM para establecer un modelo único de banca en América Latina, con enfoque total al cliente.

• Con vigencia de 10 años, Banorte e IBM firman alianza estratégica que permitirá establecer las bases de un nuevo modelo de banca enfocado al cliente, y mejorar sustancialmente sus índices de eficiencia para alcanzar niveles cercanos al 40%, así como retornos sobre capital superiores al 20%. El acuerdo incluye servicios de consultoría y de tecnología, investigación y desarrollo. • “Estamos plenamente satisfechos con el acuerdo logrado, pues este suma el mejor talento humano, tanto de IBM, como de Banorte Ixe, y está en línea con nuestra búsqueda de herramientas tecnológicas para servir a nuestros clientes de manera individualizada”: Alejandro Valenzuela.



  • Banking and Financial Services

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IBM presenta Blue Hub para acercar la innovación a más empresas mexicanas

IBM es y ha sido un jugador clave en el progreso de México, liderando en el transcurso de 90 años a diferentes generaciones a través de la transformación de industrias y profesiones, e impactando el panorama económico, académico y social del país gracias a la estrecha colaboración con todos los actores de la sociedad.




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IBM lidera iniciativa Global ‘Call for Code’ para utilizar Cloud, Data, IA y Blockchain para mitigar el impacto de desastres naturales

IBM y organizaciones aliadas lanzaron la iniciativa global 'Call for Code', el esfuerzo más grande y ambicioso para reunir a desarrolladores del sector académico y empresarial, para resolver uno de los problemas más acuciantes de la sociedad de nuestro tiempo: prevenir, responder y recuperarse de desastres naturales.




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IBM contribuye a la reinvención de la fuerza de trabajo en América Latina, beneficiando a más de 370.000 estudiantes con acceso a conocimiento en IA, Cloud y Blockchain

IBM (NYSE: IBM) anunció hoy que está trabajando con más de 300 universidades y más de 400 instituciones educativas en toda Latinoamérica para respaldar la inminente necesidad de desarrollar habilidades asociadas a los requerimientos de la transformación digital, ya que el 60% de los ejecutivos se esfuerza hoy por mantener las habilidades de la fuerza laboral actualizadas y relevantes frente al rápido avance tecnológico.




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MineHub Technologies colabora con IBM para presentar una solución global de cadena de suministro de minería y metales utilizando blockchain

MineHub Technologies e IBM anunciaron hoy una colaboración para utilizar la tecnología blockchain con el objetivo de mejorar la eficiencia operativa, logística, financiamiento y reducir los costos en la cadena de suministro de concentrados minerales de alto valor, desde la mina hasta el comprador final.




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IBM y MIT Emprenden Investigación Conjunta en Inteligencia Artificial y Establecen el Laboratorio de IA MIT-IBM Watson

IBM y el Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts (MIT) anunciaron los planes de IBM para realizar una inversión de 240 millones de dólares por 10 años a fin de crear el Laboratorio de Inteligencia Artificia MIT-IBM Watson. El laboratorio llevará a cabo investigaciones fundamentales de IA y buscará impulsar avances científicos que desbloqueen su potencial. La colaboración tiene como objetivo avanzar en el desarrollo del hardware, el software y los algoritmos de IA relacionados con el aprendizaje profundo y otras áreas, aumentar el impacto de la misma en industrias tales como el cuidado de la salud y la seguridad cibernética, así como explorar sus implicaciones económicas y éticas en la sociedad. La inversión de IBM de 240 millones de dólares en el laboratorio apoyará la investigación de científicos de IBM y del MIT.




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IBM Helps NeSI Make Supercomputers More Widely Available for Research

IBM has provided extra high performance computing (HPC) capacity to the Universities of Auckland and Otago within a new collaboration called the New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (NeSI) that makes large-scale scientific computing more widely available to New Zealand researchers.




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ANZ and IBM developing blockchain solution for insurance industry

ANZ and IBM are working together to develop a blockchain solution for the insurance industry that will help make the data transfer and payment reconciliation process faster and more transparent between brokers and insurers.




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IBM to Make up to US$5 Billion Available to Accelerate Smart Infrastructure Initiatives Around the World

IBM announced today it is making up to €2.2 billion ($3 billion) available to finance IT initiatives in key economic stimulus projects in Europe and Asia-Pacific through IBM Global Financing, IBM’s lending and leasing business segment. Today’s announcement follows the availability of up to €1.5 billion ($2 billion) announced by IBM on April 30 to help jump start US economic stimulus programs.




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IBM Makes $4 Billion in Financing Available for Business Partners; Announces New Mobile App to Speed Access to Credit within Minutes

IBM announced today it is providing IBM Business Partners worldwide with $4 billion in financing for credit-qualified clients over a period of 12 months. This financing, through IBM Global Financing, can make obtaining credit easier and more accessible to enable IBM's global partner ecosystem and their clients to acquire advanced technologies such as cloud, analytics and PureSystems. As part of today's news, IBM is also launching a new mobile app as another step to simplify the way IBM's Business Partners can apply for and secure financing for their clients within minutes via any mobile device -- anytime, anywhere.




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Selon IBM, les acheteurs du monde entier ont doublé le taux de croissance des ventes en ligne pendant le Cyber Monday

Les revendeurs internationaux observent une croissance significative pendant Thanksgiving et le Black Friday. IBM enregistre un engagement record dans son rapport annuel Holiday Readiness Clients




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IA et Publicité : IBM lance Advertising Accelerator with Watson pour améliorer la performance des campagnes publicitaires

A l’occasion du CES de Las Vegas, IBM annonce le lancement d’Advertising Accelerator with Watson, une solution unique de prédiction d’audiences pour annonceurs.




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ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, IBM, Scentre Group and Westpac Commence Live Pilot for Lygon, A Blockchain-based Platform to Transform the Bank Guarantee Process

ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, IBM Scentre Group and Westpac have jointly launched a live pilot for Lygon, a new digital platform using blockchain technology to transform the way businesses obtain and manage bank guarantees that are often required as part of a retail property lease.




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WesTrac Selects IBM's Portable Modular Data Center

IBM today announced that WesTrac Pty Ltd, an industrial machinery supplier headquartered in Perth, has selected IBM to design and implement a Portable Modular Data Center (PMDC) solution to provide the company with a flexible, cost-effective data centre to meet its immediate business needs as well as support future IT growth.




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IBM Establishes Institute for Advanced Security in Asia-Pacific

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the launch of the IBM Institute for Advanced Security in Asia-Pacific, an expansion of its company-wide initiative to provide governments, businesses and other key organisations with a forum to collaborate with IBM’s global network of security research, services, software and technology experts.




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Successful blockchain trial for bank guarantees

ANZ and Westpac have teamed with IBM (NYSE:IBM) and shopping centre operator Scentre Group and have now successfully digitised the bank guarantee process used for commercial property leasing.



  • Banking and Financial Services

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Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre publishes results from study using IBM Watson for Clinical Trial Matching

A Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre study has demonstrated the potential for artificial intelligence to help reduce the time for clinicians to match lung cancer patients to relevant clinical trials.




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Speech: Innovation for a sustainable future

My topic today is innovation for a sustainable future. This raises two questions:



  • Energy & Utilities

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IBM Smarter Water Solution Enables Yarra Valley Water to Use Analytics to Improve Customer Outcomes

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a business consulting and technology partnership with Yarra Valley Water to enhance the management and functionality of its assets and customer service to over 1.7 million people and 50,000 businesses throughout Melbourne now and in the future. Through this partnership Yarra Valley Water will gain access to critical insights to maximise asset performance and improve customer service outcomes across its operations.



  • Energy & Utilities

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IBM’s New Virtual Desktop Offering Available in Australia

IBM (NYSE: IBM ) today announced the local availability of the Virtual Desktop for Smart Business, a new workforce mobility solution offering anytime, anywhere, access to corporate data from mobile devices, such as tablets or laptops on the move.




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SLC-0L-04: Red State, Blue State



To learn to create evocative light with flash, it helps to better understand how we experience the continuous light we see every day.

To do that, you'll need to wean yourself from auto white balance, and even to abandon familiar waypoints like your daylight WB preset. Because our goal is to learn to exist in a more fluid way along the Kelvin scale. Read more »




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M blogOstyle

2019.9.19うすどうもはいるいてぃですルイティーなのかなるいティなのかなどっちでも、いいけどcircus大阪公演終えておうちただいまおおきに洗濯して寝るぞこれは富山からのバス移動での色々休憩とか続きをみる

『著作権保護のため、記事の一部のみ表示されております。』




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Black & Red by CharmHazel [PG]

Raised by his godfather, following the events of Halloween 1981, Harry spends his childhood, hidden from the Wizarding World, preparing to face his destiny. However, his world is turned upside down when he reunites with the beautiful redhead he rescued down in the Chamber.




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In Red & Black Pencil Dress in Alameda for the Launch of Reticence


Recently I had an event in Alameda, CA for the launch of Reticence. Because the cover is quite red, I dug into my closet for an old favorite...


This is a red Jessica Wiggle dress from way back in the day. No longer available. 
I paired it with a little back cardy, black vintage leather gloves, cut jet tassel jewelry, a facinator from Amazon. You can find many items similar to these on this list. 
The shoes are from Shoes of Prey, make your own, a service I adore the idea of but hasn't really worked for me. 


Anyway this was a fun out fit to throw together. And I do mean thrown, I had planned on a different dress but I find I have out grown it and don't like the way it looks with this foundation corset so I went into the chopping pile and I had to scramble for an alternative on the fly. 


The previous night I wore a new eShakti for a launch at Borderlands, with leopard accessories: 


Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

You can shop my recommendations via the following lists:
Steampunk, Retro Jewelry, Makeup, Retro Clothes, Lifestyle


Product links on this blog are usually to Amazon using my associate code. At no additional cost to you this means I get a slight kick back if you make a purchase. Thank you! This allows me to continue to produce this blog without sponsors.




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Fun Historical Costumes from National Museums in Edinburgh and Dublin


I visited both the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and the Naitonal Museum of Ireland in Dublin, here's some fun fashion related stuff that I saw...

In Dublin




In Edinburgh 











Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

You can shop my recommendations via the following lists:
Steampunk, Retro Jewelry, Makeup, Retro Clothes, Lifestyle


Product links on this blog are usually to Amazon using my associate code. At no additional cost to you this means I get a slight kick back if you make a purchase. Thank you! This allows me to continue to produce this blog without sponsors.




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This Retro Rack Blog is Fading

In case you hadn't noticed recently, Fashionable Reader, I've been lax about posting to this blog.

 Maintaining two blogs has gotten a bit overwhelming for me. Something has got to give. Much as I love fashion, it isn't actually my primary working world. Writing is, so that has to take most of my focus.



What's Going On?


I have been migrating and posting my historical fashion stuff, which ties to my books, over on my main blog, at my gailcarriger.com website.

There is a Victorian fashion tag there if you want to see all my posts on the subject.

And I have been posting pictures of myself in my outfits there as part of the footers there.



In other words, I'm fading this one away.


However! I promise there are ways to stay in touch with me and my fashion.

Instagram


Of course I am also on Instagram. I would truly LOVE it if you follow me there. Apparently there are secret things you can unlock and have access to if you get over 10k followers and I am ... almost ... there.


Pinterest


Alternatively I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to my Retro Style & Looks and their inspiration, you can always follow that board. Or I have one that is all my Steampunk outfits.

Facebook


I always post pictures of my event outfits to Retro Rack's Facebook group.

I know that's not ALL the platforms, but again, writing and lack of time mean I have to be selective about where I spend my online chips.

Anyway! Thank you for sticking with me for almost 10 years, and I hope you will not lose touch.

I will keep this blog's old posts, particularly the useful ones like eShakti shopping tips and how to prepare for breast reduction surgery, and links alive as long as Blogger will let me.

I might move some of my popular ones of these plus steampunk DIYs over to my author blog eventually. I won't be deleting this blog, I will just stop posting to it. 

Stay in touch, please.

Yours,
Miss Gail


You can visit the following shopping lists: Travel Dork, My Steampunk, My Wardrobe.

Product links on this blog are usually to Amazon using my associate code. At no additional cost to you this means I gets a slight kick back if you make a purchase. Thank you! This allows me to continue to produce this blog without sponsors.




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Double Aurora Award win!

Woohoo! First, I’m thrilled that my Quantum Night just won the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Award (“the Aurora“) for Best Novel of the Year this evening; the award (pictured above) was presented at Hal-Con in Halifax. The nominees were: Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay, Viking Canada Company Town by Madeline […]




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Serve up Blue Milk Pudding, a Tatooine Treat

That trip to Tosche Station can wait!



  • Recipes
  • Star Wars Day
  • Blue milk pudding
  • star wars day
  • star wars recipes

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Board Game Review: Black Skull Island

Black Skull Island is a quick playing 2-9 player card game from Strawberry Studio (now under the publisher Board and Dice).

I was sent a review copy of the game and it only seems to make it onto the table when we need a filler game to serve as an appetizer before a meaty Euro. The gameplay is extremely simply: each player gets 2 pirate themed character cards and selects one of them to play during a round, keeping the other one in hand. Every card is numbered from 0 to 15. All players reveal their character cards simultaneously and then the actions on the cards are executed by the players who hold them in sequential order of the the card numbers. Most actions focus either on (1) drawing booty (treasure cards or coin cards), (2) stealing or deactivating other players’ character cards, (3) stealing or swapping booty cards  from/with another player or (4) an order for all players to pass a character card to their left or right. Over successive rounds, booty cards worth 0-4 coins build up in players' hands and as soon as a player acquires their 7th booty card, the game is over. At that point, whichever player has the most coins in their booty collection wins the game.

Black Skull Island  is a lot of luck mixed with a little take-that and honestly, it all feels very random by the end, regardless of what cards you’ve played. I couldn't muster up anything but apathy for the outcome as I felt it was completely divorced from my actions.

The components consist of 109 well-constructed cards (no sleeving is necessary as the cards are coated unless you play very frequently), with cutesy artwork that I'd deem adequate but unremarkable.

That's really the best way to summarize the entire game - unremarkable. If you're into take-that filler games, there are much more compelling and entertaining options out there and likewise if you love point collection card games, there are many I'd recommend over Black Skull Island. The saving grace for this game is that it's kid friendly, so if you need an easy and accessible game to teach to your little ones and give them something to do with their friends, you could pass this their way. An inexpensive birthday gift for a tween perhaps or the kind of thing you might bring to a secret Santa exchange. Otherwise, meh.

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Publisher: Strawberry Studio
Players: 2-9
Actual Playing Time (vs the guideline on the box): About 10 minutes
Game type: point collection, take-that
Rating:

Jenni’s rating scale:
OUI: I would play this game again; this game is ok. I probably would not buy this game myself but I would play it with those who own it and if someone gave it to me I would keep it.
OUI OUI: I would play this game again; this game is good. I would buy this game.
OUI OUI OUI: I LOVE THIS GAME. I MUST HAVE THIS GAME.
NON: I would not play this game again. I would return this game or give it away if it was given to me.




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STARFIGHTER PANTIES are now available for pre-order!

These panties are super soft and comfortable American Apparel hot shorts! They come in white with the STARFIGHTER logo on the derriere and stars on the front! Perfect for the sexy ladies to flaunt their fandom! They're limited in quantity, so get them while they're available!

ORDER AVAILABLE ONLINE @ STARFIGHTER SHOP
http://shop.starfightercomic.com/

The panties ship on September 7th! More merchandise is on the way! -HamletMachine




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NEWS: Starfighter Prints Now Available

Starfighter prints are now up for sale at the online shop! These have previously only been available at conventions, but now you can have a print of your very own! There are five different illustrations to choose from; each print is 8 1/2" x 11" on matte paper, wrapped with a backboard.

Enjoy! -HamletMachine




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NEWS: Double Update and New Merch

It's a double update all the way!

We had an awesome time at Yaoi-Con last weekend, it was so wonderful being able to meet all of you that came to the table and to the panel. Now that we're back home, Hamlet worked extra hard to get two new pages out for everyone this week!

We've also put a few new pieces of merchandise up on the Starfighter Shop! There's a new print, a Starfighter Icon Necklace, and a super-cute Sticker Sheet.

Enjoy! -Thisbe




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Trumpův oblíbený uhelný průmysl čerpá půjčky pro malé podniky

Prostřednictvím amerického Programu ochrany mezd pro malé podniky získal uhelný průmysl v USA více než 31 milionů dolarů. Ozývají se rozhořčené hlasy z řad environmentalistů. Administrativa Donalda Trumpa podle nich využívá finanční pomoc na záchranu odvětví, které mělo potíže již před krizí.



  • Ekonomika - Zahraniční

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America Doesn’t Have a Public Health System

Dr. Anthony S Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and just...




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What’s Missing From the Coronavirus BillThe public health and...



What’s Missing From the Coronavirus Bill

The public health and economic crises we’re experiencing are closely related. They reveal in stark terms the dangerous mythology of trickle-down self-sufficiency and the need for policies that respond to the real needs of people who are or will soon be affected.

But Trump doesn’t seem to understand that. Before agreeing to an actual coronavirus relief bill, his administration was considering more corporate tax cuts, tax cuts targeted to the airlines and hospitality industries, and a temporary payroll tax cut. 

But tax cuts will be useless. They’ll be too slow to stimulate the economy, and won’t reach households and consumers who should be the real targets. And they’ll reward the rich, who don’t spend much of their additional dollars, without getting money into the hands of the poor and middle-class, who do.

Thankfully, Congress has moved forward on some of the most urgent priorities like free coronavirus testing, strengthening unemployment insurance and food security programs. But it doesn’t go far enough.

Instead, Congress must immediately provide an emergency $500 billion to help all Americans protect themselves and their families, and keep the economy going.

The money should be used for:

Coronavirus testing and treatment. Diagnostic tests should be mandatory and universal, and free. And everyone with the virus should have access to treatment and to any future vaccines, regardless of ability to pay.

Guaranteed paid sick leave for ALL employees. The current relief bill does cover paid sick leave for some but has huge carve-outs, exempting all companies with over 500 employees and some small businesses under 50 employees. That exclusion could affect up to 20 million Americans. Without guaranteed paid sick leave and family leave, workers who are sick will not remain home and will end up exposing others.

Extended unemployment insurance. Without it, large numbers of Americans will be furloughed or laid off without adequate income to support themselves and their families. As it is, unemployment insurance reaches a measly 27 percent of the unemployed. 

Extended Medicaid. No one should avoid seeing a doctor because of fears about out-of-control medical bills. Right now, 28 million Americans have no health insurance, and countless more are reluctant to see a doctor because of large deductions or co-payments. Especially in a health emergency, health care should be available to all regardless of ability to pay. 

Immediate one-time payments of $1,500 to every adult and $500 per child, renewable if necessary. Some consumers might spend the money right away to meet rent if they lose their regular paycheck. Others might have stronger balance sheets and spend the money at whatever uncertain date the virus is contained. 

Suspension of the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule that enables federal officials to deny green cards to immigrants who use social safety net programs. Programs like, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and Women Infants and Children are more important than ever.

For the same reason, testing and treatment should be available to undocumented immigrants, without fear of deportation.

Trickle-down economics and trickle-down public health are deeply flawed. Corporate tax cuts won’t save us. The coronavirus doesn’t distinguish between rich and poor. We are in this imminent health and economic emergency together, and our own health and wellbeing are dependent on the health and wellbeing of everyone else. 

Each of us is only as healthy as the least-healthy among us.




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It’s Morally Intolerable for the Privileged to Profit from this Emergency

Societies gripped by cataclysmic wars, depressions, or pandemics can become acutely sensitive to...




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Public Health First

Dick Kovacevich, former CEO of Wells Fargo bank, thinks most Americans should return to work in...




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24 Things Are Unreliably Promised: Thing 4


As a rule, the more intricate and over-worked the doodle, the worse the writing's going...




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24 Things: the in-itself-surprising 'Double Figures' post. Thing 10.


All these things can be clicked for bigger-er, by the way.




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24 Things - Half way point, or possibly way over half way point: Thing 12.

Oh no.
It's happened again. 



We've got Muppets.





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24 Things, or so the legend goes. Probably nonsense. Thing 14.


Also drawn for the tour show. And also animated, though that was done by the excellent Chris Lincé, not by me.

And indeed not in Salford. Because in Salford, the computer that we run the show on froze at the start of the Kirates sketch, and Simon and I had to stick our heads round the back cloth and do it live. Whilst in the middle of changing into our red trousers...




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24 Things, probably, but taking nothing for granted. Thing 22.




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Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: All Books are Tax Deductible

In the latest episode of their visionary, extravagantly muscled podcast, Ken and Robin talk Blake at the Tate, Colby Elliott, and Ken's latest London book raid—complete with record-scratching twist!



  • Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff