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An Epidemic of Hardship and Hunger

Why won’t Republicans help Americans losing their jobs?




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Health administration students learn to manage rapid changes in health care

Students in Penn State’s Master of Health Administration program are learning first-hand how the skills and competencies they are acquiring in the classroom will be applied in their professional careers. A recent virtual roundtable event provided opportunities for students to learn real-world strategies from health care industry leaders that are being applied in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.




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2020 Special Olympics Summer Games canceled, will shift to virtual games

The 2020 Special Olympics Summer Games, slated for June 11 to 13, are being canceled due to concerns related to coronavirus. The games will shift to virtual events, with details to be announced in the near future.




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NHS contact tracing team reportedly mulls switch to Apple-Google API



In what could herald a course reversal for the UK's National Health Service, health officials in that country have reportedly asked a team of developers to "investigate" switching its contact tracing app to a cross-platform API provided by Apple and Google.




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Apple expects iPad, Mac sales to grow in June Q3 despite COVID-19



It's not exactly surprising that with all of the uncertainty in the world, Apple decided that it couldn't provide useful revenue guidance for its fiscal Q3 ending in June. It is unexpected, however, that Apple felt confident in announcing a silver lining to the pandemic -- it expects to sell more Macs and iPads in the summer of 2020 compared to 2019.



  • iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch

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Fatima confirms no pilgrims for May 13 feast day celebrations

Denver Newsroom, May 7, 2020 / 03:48 pm (CNA).- For the first time in over a century, the annual May 13 celebrations at the Fatima shrine will take place without the physical presence of pilgrims, the bishop of Fatima confirmed this week.

Cardinal Antonio Marto said in a May 3 statement that the celebrations for the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima “will take place as was announced April 6, without the physical presence of pilgrims, in the name of prudence to avoid the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus.”

“As planned in conjunction with the civil authorities, the May 12 and 13 celebrations for this year cannot have the physical presence of the pilgrims and will be transmitted by broadcast and digital media,” he continued.

The cardinal explained that hosting “an unpredictable multitude of people” gathering at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is still a serious threat would go against the efforts of health authorities to gradually lift restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the virus.

“We therefore respect, in an attitude of collaboration with the competent civil authorities, the guidelines for these celebrations to be held with a symbolic presence of participants,” Marto said.

The clarification over the Fatima feast day came as the Portuguese government gradually begins to ease restrictions that had been put in place in response to the pandemic, prompting speculation over whether the May 13 celebrations would be able to take place as normal. The annual event typically draws hundreds of thousands from around the world to the shrine.

The Portuguese Bishops’ Conference had announced earlier this month that public Masses could tentatively resume the weekend of Pentecost, May 30-31, in accordance with guidelines to be established by the country’s health department and the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Marto stressed that the decision to suspend public religious celebrations was based in a sense of responsibility toward the public health, as a way of loving one’s neighbor.

“[A]s much as our hearts would like to be in Fatima celebrating together in the same place, as has been the case since 1917, prudence counsels us not to do so this time,” he said, adding that Catholics can look forward to an end to the pandemic and an opportunity to gather together joyfully in the future.

Fr. Carlos Cabecinhas, rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, encouraged pilgrims who are unable to physically attend the events to make an interior pilgrimage, participating in the events of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Fatima through the internet or social media.

“This is a painful time: the shrine exists to welcome the pilgrims and we cannot do so, this is a cause for great sadness; but this decision is also an act of responsibility toward the pilgrims, protecting their health and welfare,” the priest said.

The shrine’s website offers four steps to guide people on this interior pilgrimage.

According to the website, “the celebrations of May 12 and 13 will maintain the usual schedule with recitation of the Rosary at 9:30 p.m. followed by the Candlelight Procession. On the 13th the Rosary will be prayed at 9:00 a.m. followed by the International Mass and the Farewell Procession.”

In March, 24 countries were consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.

At that ceremony, Cardinal Marto recalled that Saints Francisco and Jacinto Marto, shepherd children to whom an angel, and then the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in 1916 and 1917 at Fatima, both died amid the victims of the Spanish flu pandemic.

To date, Johns Hopkins University has reported 26,182 cases of novel coronavirus in Portugal, with 1089 deaths.

 




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Catholic teen seeks to inspire neighborhood with Marian sidewalk art

Denver Newsroom, May 7, 2020 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- A young Catholic artist has drawn an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on her parents' driveway bringing religious art to her local community during the quarantine.

The Diocese of Fargo posted on Facebook May 4 an image of Our Lady of Lourdes drawn by Maria Loh, a 17-year old who grew up in Fargo. She said it was an enjoyable experience to share her faith and art with her neighborhood.

“Being able to interact with people when they walked by was very moving in a way because a lot of people have never really seen sidewalk art done like that locally. So being able to share in that kind of experience, it was very, very good,” she told CNA.

Loh has recently been inspired by chalk art and pastels, which, she said, have vibrant and beautiful colors. She has drawn on the sidewalks a few times, including two images of Mary - Madonna of the Lillies and the Pieta by William Adolphe-Bouguereau.

Her most recent chalk drawing was Our Lady of Lourdes by Hector Garrido - an image she had seen as a magnet on her grandparents' refrigerator growing up. The picture has always been an inspiration, she said, noting that she decided to replicate it after Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in France had temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I heard that the shrine had been temporarily closed off to the public, and I remember … thinking that's really sad because especially in this time, we’re really looking for healing in more ways than one, like physically and mentally and spiritually,” she said.

“It really felt like people wouldn't be able to go to experience that. So I felt like drawing this image of Our Lady of Lourdes would be a good way to remind people that Our Lady is still with us even if we can’t go to her shrine.”

Loh, the oldest of five, has been involved with art projects and drawing for her entire life. She said, growing up in a Catholic family, she has been inspired by her faith and the religious art in churches.

“I see our faith as so precious... Especially in the form of the Eucharist - the actual body and blood of Christ, I've seen that we are very blessed to have that in our faith. It's something that has impacted a lot of my life growing up,” she said.

While she was working on the piece, Loh said, a majority of passersby did not know who the lady in the image was. She expressed hope that the picture would help remind people of Mary and the beauty of the Church, which, she said, is a powerful attraction to the faith.

“One thing that I hope this kind of art and image will evoke is a desire to come to know who Mary is and how rich our faith is. … All the beautiful art that can be seen in Catholic churches, especially like in Rome, there's almost a transcendental beauty to them that draws people into the faith to come to know things that they've never dreamed of before,” she said.

As Loh finishes her junior year of high school, she expressed the possibility of art school after graduation, but, while she is still uncertain of the future, said art will not be dropped anytime soon.

“I can definitely see [art school] being a possibility. I’ll have to spend some time, especially with God trying to figure out what he wants me to do. But, I don't think art is going out of my life anytime soon,” she said.




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Pinata Sweet Jar – Part 1 – Tutorial

In part 1 of this 2-part SOLIDWORKS Tutorial you will learn how to create the body of a Pinata. Part 2 of the tutorial involves shelling the model to turn it into a 2-part jar, and applying decals. The DXF file used in this tutorial are available to download from the blog description.

Author information

I am a 3D Designer and Solidworks Blog Contributor from the UK. I am a self taught Solidworks user, and have been using it to inform and create my designs since 2012. I specialise in the design of Ceramics, Home Accessories and Wooden Toy Design.

The post Pinata Sweet Jar – Part 1 – Tutorial appeared first on SOLIDWORKS Tech Blog.




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US commission faults Indian hospital's alleged religious segregation of coronavirus patients

CNA Staff, Apr 17, 2020 / 07:00 pm (CNA).- Reports of an Indian hospital's segregated wards for Hindu and Muslim coronavirus patients drew concern from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, though Indian authorities strongly disputed the allegation.

"USCIRF is concerned with reports of Hindu and Muslim patients separated into separate hospital wards in Gujarat,” the commission said on Twitter and Facebook April 15. “Such actions only help to further increase ongoing stigmatization of Muslims in India and exacerbate false rumors of Muslims spreading COVID-19.”

The bipartisan U.S. federal government commission linked to a story in the Indian Express newspaper that cites a hospital official and a patient in the city of Ahmedabad in the western coastal Indian state of Gujarat.

India's Ministry for External Affairs opposed the commission, saying it was spreading “misguided reports” and “adding religious color” that distracts from India's efforts to combat the novel coronavirus.

“No segregation is being done in civil hospitals on the basis of religion, as clarified by the Gujarat government,” the ministry said April 15.

The reports concern Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where there are some 1,200 beds prepared for patients suffering from the novel coronavirus.

Medical Superintendent Dr. Gunvant. H. Rathod described the hospital division to the Indian Express, saying “generally, there are separate wards for male and female patients. But here, we have made separate wards for Hindu and Muslim patients.”

“It is a decision of the government and you can ask them,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Nitin Patel said he was not aware of the situation and would make inquiries. Ahmedabad's district magistrate, K.K. Nirala, also was not aware of any decision, the Indian Express reports.

However, the Indian Express cited a hospital patient who said the names of 28 men in a ward were called out, and they were moved to another ward.

“While we were not told why we were being shifted, all the names that were called out belonged to one community. We spoke to one staff member in our ward today and he said this had been done for ‘the comfort of both communities’,” the patient said.

The Gujarat Health and Family Welfare Department said the reports were “absolutely baseless.” Rather, it said, patients are treated based on symptoms and severity and “according to treating doctors' recommendations.

As of Wednesday, new known cases of coronavirus in Gujarat rose by 127 to 766, with 88 cases in Ahmedabad. The death toll there totals 33, the Times of India reports.

The Indian newspaper The Week reported that the commission had previously criticized India's Citizenship Amendment Act, which became effective in January 2020.

In December 2019 the commission expressed concern about the legislation, which enshrined a pathway to citizenship for immigrants but specifically excluded Muslims. The commission recommended U.S. sanctions on India as a possible response.

The U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom reviews alleged religious freedom violations and makes policy recommendations to the U.S. president, Secretary of State, and Congress.

The commission’s 2019 report said that religious freedom conditions in India “continued a downward trend” in 2018. It said India’s “history of religious freedom has come under attack in recent years with the growth of exclusionary extremist narratives—including, at times, the government’s allowance and encouragement of mob violence against religious minorities—that have facilitated an egregious and ongoing campaign of violence, intimidation, and harassment against non-Hindu and lower-caste Hindu minorities. Both public and private actors have engaged in this campaign.”

Mob violence against Christians by Hindus has been particularly acute.

In August 2019, six suspected members of a radical Hindu group were arrested after dozens of Catholics were attacked on a Marian pilgrimage from Karnataka to the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni, a coastal town in south east India.

In September, around 500 armed Hindu extremists attacked a Jesuit mission in the Archdiocese of Ranchi. Armed with sticks, chains, iron bars, knives, and pistols, the mob beat tribal students including two who were seriously injured, and also seriously damaged the school’s facilities.

Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal has said numerous mob lynchings of Christians have occurred in which the victims are accused of eating beef or otherwise harming cattle, which are considered sacred in Hinduism.

Karnataka state suffered a wave of anti-Christian violence in 2008, when Hindu extremist groups led attacks on churches, schools and homes of Christians and physically beat hundreds of people. A 2011 independent report on the violence, known as the Saldhana Report, charged that attacks were pre-planned and backed by the state’s highest government authorities.

 



  • Asia - Pacific

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And That’s My Opinion!

Before I head to a new assignment, here are some final words on a few topics.




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20181113api

Topics in this issue include:

New - Support for Additional Calendar Spread Options

Effective Sunday, December 2 (trade date Monday, December 3), pending all relevant CFTC regulatory review periods, CME ClearPort will support trade entry for the following Calendar Spread Options (CSOs):

For more information, please refer to SER-8279 in the Special Executive Report (SER) Notice Archive.

This enhancement will be available for customer testing in New Release on Wednesday, November 14.

Back to Top

 

Price Precision Extension

CME Group is implementing end-to-end technology changes to support increased price granularity. Currently, CME Group systems support a maximum of 7 decimals. With this initiative, products with up to 9 decimals may be listed and traded. Effective Sunday, January 13, 2019 (trade date Monday, January 14), pending regulatory approval, the 2 Year Treasury Note futures and spreads will move from 7 decimals to 8 to support trading at 1/8 of 1/32.

Customers are encouraged to move to support 9 decimals now; but there are no plans to list a product that uses the 9th decimal at this time.

The attributes listed below will be impacted.

For more on impacted products and CME Globex, iLink messaging, Drop Copy and Market Data impacts, view the CME Globex Client Impact Assessment.

Trade Capture Reports and Acknowledgements

Price will be impacted at the Trade Capture Report and Trade Instrument Leg Group levels.

Level Field Name FIXML Attribute Name
/TrdCaptRpt - inbound Trade Price LastPx
/TrdCaptRpt/TrdLeg - inbound Leg Last Price LastPx
/TrdCaptRptAck - outbound Trade Price LastPx
/TrdCaptRptAck/TrdLeg - outbound Leg Last Price LastPx
/TrdCaptRpt - outbound Trade Price LastPx
/TrdCaptRpt/TrdLeg - outbound Leg Last Price LastPx

Reference Data

Level Field Name FIXML Attribute Name
/SecDef/Instrmt MinPriceIncrement MinPxIncr
/DerivSecList/DerivSecDef/DerivInstrmt MinPriceIncrement MinPxIncr

These enhancements are currently available for customer testing in New Release.

Back to Top




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20181219api

Topics in this issue include:

 

CME Reference Data API Launch

CME Group has launched CME Reference Data API, a real-time solution for accessing information on every instrument and product at CME Group.

Embed the CME Reference Data API in your system’s product matrices and databases to automate product reference data for all CME Group and hosted partner exchange markets.

CME Reference Data API includes:

  • Contract specifications
  • Product codes and symbols
  • Trade and order type eligibility
  • Instrument life cycle dates: first and last trade date, notices, delivery and settlement

Key Benefits:

  • Reduce the risk of errors with automated definitions
  • Machine-readable API delivers product and instrument information without human intervention
  • Access CME Group markets and products faster
  • A cost-effective solution to accessing product data

Request Access:

Contact Global Account Management to obtain access to the Reference Data API:

U.S.: +1 312 634 8700
Europe: +44 20 3379 3754
Asia: +65 6593 5505

Additional Resources:

Back to Top

 

Price Precision Extension

CME Group is implementing end-to-end technology changes to support increased price granularity. Currently, CME Group systems support a maximum of 7 decimals. With this initiative, products with up to 9 decimals may be listed and traded. Effective Sunday, January 13, 2019 (trade date Monday, January 14), pending regulatory approval, the 2 Year Treasury Note futures and spreads will move from 7 decimals to 8 to support trading at 1/8 of 1/32.

Customers are encouraged to move to support 9 decimals now; but there are no plans to list a product that uses the 9th decimal at this time.

The attributes listed below will be impacted.

For more on impacted products and CME Globex, iLink messaging, Drop Copy and Market Data impacts, view the CME Globex Client Impact Assessment.

Trade Capture Reports and Acknowledgements

Price will be impacted at the Trade Capture Report and Trade Instrument Leg Group levels.

Level Field Name FIXML Attribute Name
/TrdCaptRpt - inbound Trade Price LastPx
/TrdCaptRpt/TrdLeg - inbound Leg Last Price LastPx
/TrdCaptRptAck - outbound Trade Price LastPx
/TrdCaptRptAck/TrdLeg - outbound Leg Last Price LastPx
/TrdCaptRpt - outbound Trade Price LastPx
/TrdCaptRpt/TrdLeg - outbound Leg Last Price LastPx

Reference Data

Level Field Name FIXML Attribute Name
/SecDef/Instrmt MinPriceIncrement MinPxIncr
/DerivSecList/DerivSecDef/DerivInstrmt MinPriceIncrement MinPxIncr

These enhancements are currently available for customer testing in New Release.

Back to Top




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CME ClearPort API Entity Reference Data Changes for Brokers

Please be advised that effective Sunday, August 25, 2013 (for the August 26th business date) there will be changes to CME ClearPort API Entity Reference Data that will impact Party Detail List Reports and Party Entitlement Reports for CME ClearPort API Brokers and CME ClearPort API Platforms who request Entity Reference Data on behalf of Brokers.

These changes will be available for testing in the New Release environment on August 14th.

Changes to Existing Reponses

When a Broker (or Platform on behalf of Broker) submits a request for all related accounts using the Party Details List Request message or a request for all related accounts which trade a particular product using the Party Entitlement Request message, the following information is provided for each account in Related Party Detail blocks:  The Clearing ID of the Account’s Clearing Firm (Party Role 1), the Trading Firm / Account Owner’s firm identifier (Party Role 7),  and the Broker Firm’s firm identifier (Party Role 30).

Going forward, when the same requests are submitted, an additional Related Party Detail block will appear on the response if there is an Asset Manager Firm assigned to the account:  the Asset Manager Firm’s identifier (Party Role 49).

In the following examples, ACCT1 has been assigned an Asset Manager by the Clearing Firm, while ACCT2 has not.

<FIXML v="5.0 SP2" xv="109" s="20090815" cv="CME.0001">

<PtyDetlListRpt ReqID="123437" RptID="1376864472358" ReqRslt="0" Txt="Valid request">

<Hdr SID="CME" SSub="CPAPI" TID="PLTFM" TSub="username"/>

<PtyDetl ID="ACCT1" Src="C" R="24">

<AltPty ID="A-12345" Src="H"/>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="123" Src="C" R="1">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="2"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="trading_firm1" Src="C" R="7">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="36"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="broker_firm1" Src="C" R="30">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="22"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="asset_mgr_firm1" Src="C" R="49">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="32"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

</PtyDetl>

<PtyDetl ID="ACCT2" Src="C" R="24">

<AltPty ID="A-67890" Src="H"/>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="456" Src="C" R="1">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="2"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="trading_firm2" Src="C" R="7">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="36"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="broker_firm1" Src="C" R="30">

 

 

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="22"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

</PtyDetl>

</PtyDetlListRpt>

</FIXML>

 

<FIXML v="5.0 SP2" xv="109" s="20090815" cv="CME.0001">

<PtyEntlmntRpt ReqID="123412" RptID="1376865078371" ReqRslt="0" Txt="Valid request">

<Hdr SID="CME" SSub="CPAPI" TID="PLTFM" TSub="username"/>

<PtyEntlmnt>

<PtyDetl ID="ACCT1" Src="C" R="24">

<AltPty ID="A-12345" Src="H"/>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="broker_firm1" Src="C" R="30">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="22"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="trading_firm1" Src="C" R="7">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="36"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="asset_mgr_firm1" Src="C" R="49">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="32"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="123" Src="C" R="1">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="2"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

</PtyDetl>

<PtyDetl ID="ACCT2" Src="C" R="24">

<AltPty ID="A-67890" Src="H"/>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="broker_firm1" Src="C" R="30">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="22"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="trading_firm2" Src="C" R="7">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="36"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="456" Src="C" R="1">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="2"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

</PtyDetl>

<Entlmnt Typ="0" Ind="Y">

<InstrmtScope Oper="1" ID="NN" Src="H" SecTyp="FUT"

 

Exch="NYMEX"/>

 

 

</Entlmnt>

 

</PtyEntlmnt>

</PtyEntlmntRpt>

 

</FIXML>

 

NEW- Broker Requests Asset Manager Users at an Asset Manager Firm

In a previous CME ClearPort API release a change was made to allow Brokers (or Platforms on behalf of Brokers) to specify asset manager users in party role 36 (instead of a trader at the account owner firm) to satisfy the trader individual requirements for applicable market types like energy and metals.  Now Brokers can use ClearPort API reference data to obtain a list of asset manager users for their related accounts.  Once the above responses are received, the Broker or Platform can use each related Asset

Manager Firm (Party Role 49) to request a list of users at the firm:

 

Request

<FIXML v="5.0 SP2" xv="109" s="20090815" cv="CME.0001">

<PtyDetlListReq ReqID="123437">

<Hdr SID="PLTFM" SSub="username" TID="CME" TSub="CPAPI"/>

<ReqPty ID="broker_firm1" R="30"/>

<Pty ID="asset_mgr_firm1" R="49"/>

<ReqR R="36"/>

</PtyDetlListReq>

</FIXML>

 

 

 

 

Response

 

<FIXML v="5.0 SP2" xv="109" s="20090815" cv="CME.0001">

<PtyDetlListRpt ReqID="123437" RptID="1376866782295" ReqRslt="0" Txt="Valid request">

<Hdr SID="CME" SSub="CPAPI" TID="PLTFM" TSub="username"/>

<PtyDetl ID="asset_mgr_user1" Src="C" R="36">

<Sub ID="First Last" Typ="9"/>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="asset_mgr_firm1" Src="C" R="49">

<Sub ID="Company Name" Typ="5"/>

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="6"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="CMD" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="CME" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="DME" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="NYMEX" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="COMEX" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

<ReltdPtyDetl ID="CBT" Src="C" R="22">

<Rltnshp Rltnshp="12"/>

</ReltdPtyDetl>

</PtyDetl>

</PtyDetlListRpt>

</FIXML>

 

For more detailed information regarding entity reference data retrieval through CME ClearPort API, please see the CME ClearPort API Reference Data Guide:

http://www.cmegroup.com/clearing/files/Clearport_Reference_Data_API_FIXML_Message_Specification_

and_Samples.pdf

 

If you have questions or need help facilitating your tests in the New Release environment, please contact:

 

Market Operations Technical Support

24 Hour 6 Days a Week Support available from Sundays at 5PM ET to Fridays at 5PM ET

Phone: 800-275-6215 / 212-301-4720

Email:  thirdpartyservices@cmegroup.com




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The spiteful hedgehog brings Easter joy

With the help of puppets, Corrie, a short-term worker from the UK was able to share the message of Christ in schools and kindergartens across Hungary this Easter.




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Zimbabwe's Operation Murambatsvina: The Tipping Point?




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Hindering SADC From Shaping Poll Landscape

Zanu PF's limited commitment to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) and the resultant institutionalisation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) is why the party began to push for elections as from 2010, a strategy seen as steering the total collapse of the agreement.




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Hot day invites hospitality

OM short-term workers visit a Muslim family and enjoy food and conversation, which they hope will help lead the family to the truth.




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Changing the spiritual atmosphere

An OM short-term team worships God and engages in conversations about God in the public square of a city with an Arab majority in Israel.




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Of punctures, an epileptic, and healing

Cycling to reach people in remote villages in Malawi, Yolanda Mamvura experienced a puncture which led her to pray for an epileptic.




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God glorified despite change in plans

In spite of difficult circumstances and a change in plans, the Freedom Climbers did what they set out to do.




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Cross-cultural pioneers

OM team in Hong Kong breaks cross-cultural ground, learning how to reach out to the ethnic minority, largely ignored by the Chinese population.




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Catholic teen seeks to inspire neighborhood with Marian sidewalk art

Denver Newsroom, May 7, 2020 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- A young Catholic artist has drawn an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on her parents' driveway bringing religious art to her local community during the quarantine.

The Diocese of Fargo posted on Facebook May 4 an image of Our Lady of Lourdes drawn by Maria Loh, a 17-year old who grew up in Fargo. She said it was an enjoyable experience to share her faith and art with her neighborhood.

“Being able to interact with people when they walked by was very moving in a way because a lot of people have never really seen sidewalk art done like that locally. So being able to share in that kind of experience, it was very, very good,” she told CNA.

Loh has recently been inspired by chalk art and pastels, which, she said, have vibrant and beautiful colors. She has drawn on the sidewalks a few times, including two images of Mary - Madonna of the Lillies and the Pieta by William Adolphe-Bouguereau.

Her most recent chalk drawing was Our Lady of Lourdes by Hector Garrido - an image she had seen as a magnet on her grandparents' refrigerator growing up. The picture has always been an inspiration, she said, noting that she decided to replicate it after Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in France had temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I heard that the shrine had been temporarily closed off to the public, and I remember … thinking that's really sad because especially in this time, we’re really looking for healing in more ways than one, like physically and mentally and spiritually,” she said.

“It really felt like people wouldn't be able to go to experience that. So I felt like drawing this image of Our Lady of Lourdes would be a good way to remind people that Our Lady is still with us even if we can’t go to her shrine.”

Loh, the oldest of five, has been involved with art projects and drawing for her entire life. She said, growing up in a Catholic family, she has been inspired by her faith and the religious art in churches.

“I see our faith as so precious... Especially in the form of the Eucharist - the actual body and blood of Christ, I've seen that we are very blessed to have that in our faith. It's something that has impacted a lot of my life growing up,” she said.

While she was working on the piece, Loh said, a majority of passersby did not know who the lady in the image was. She expressed hope that the picture would help remind people of Mary and the beauty of the Church, which, she said, is a powerful attraction to the faith.

“One thing that I hope this kind of art and image will evoke is a desire to come to know who Mary is and how rich our faith is. … All the beautiful art that can be seen in Catholic churches, especially like in Rome, there's almost a transcendental beauty to them that draws people into the faith to come to know things that they've never dreamed of before,” she said.

As Loh finishes her junior year of high school, she expressed the possibility of art school after graduation, but, while she is still uncertain of the future, said art will not be dropped anytime soon.

“I can definitely see [art school] being a possibility. I’ll have to spend some time, especially with God trying to figure out what he wants me to do. But, I don't think art is going out of my life anytime soon,” she said.




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Café hopping in North Africa

An OM writer spends a week in North Africa sipping café crème and learning about friendship evangelism.




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Helping Sudanese Nubians write worship music in their own language and style

Ethnomusicologists visited a North African country to help local singers and a Sudanese Nubian believer write a worship song in his language and style.




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Making broken pieces beautiful

By offering a creative class for women, an OM worker finds ways to transform broken tiles into art and make relationships where she can share God’s truth.




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Hope returns to the Philippines

After a successful dry dock in Hong Kong, OM Ships’ vessel Logos Hope is en route for a two-port visit to the Philippines from the end of May.




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Doctors and therapists point to Jesus

On a recent outreach to several towns in the Amazon jungle, OM Peru worked with the Presbyterian Church of Moyabamba and its annexes.




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Freedom Challenge climbs Machu Picchu

Forty women climb Machu Picchu to raise awareness about human trafficking during a five-day Freedom Challenge trek in Peru.




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CDF: Belgian Brothers of Charity hospitals must drop Catholic identity over euthanasia

CNA Staff, May 4, 2020 / 12:01 pm (CNA).- The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has ordered 15 psychiatric hospitals in Belgium which belong to the Brothers of Charity to cease identifying as Catholic institutions after they allowed the euthanization of patients in 2017.

The hospitals are managed by a civil non-profit corporation with the same name as the Brothers of Charity religious congregation which owns them.

The CDF decision was communicated in a letter dated March 30, stating that "with deep sadness" the "psychiatric hospitals managed by the Provincialate of the Brothers of Charity association in Belgium will no longer be able to consider themselves Catholic institutions."

In a statement responding to the CDF's decision, the superior general of the Brothers of Charity, Br. René Stockman, said that "with a heavy heart" the religious congregation "must let go of its psychiatric centers in Belgium."

Br. Stockman pointed out that it is "painful" that the psychiatric centers of the Brothers of Charity in Belgium have lost their Catholic status, considering also that the brothers "were among the pioneers in the field of mental health care in Belgium."

At the same time, Stockman said he recognizes that "the congregation [the Brothers of Charity] has no choice but to remain faithful to the charism of charity, which cannot be reconciled with the practice of euthanasia on psychiatric patients."

The decision by the Vatican's doctrinal office ends three years of disputes between the Brothers of Charity and the corporation which manages their hospitals in Belgium.

In 2017, the board decided to allow euthanasia to be carried out in its hospitals in Belgium, where the euthanasia law is among the most broad.

At the time of the decision, the board of the corporation was composed of 15 members, with only three of them religious brothers of the congregation. 

Two of the three religious brothers among the board members, Luc Lemmens, 61, and Veron Raes, 57, supported the euthanasia decision. Their terms on the board ended at the end of September 2018 and were not renewed.

The religious congregation, especially Stockman, protested the decision, reiterating the Brothers of Charity's rejection of euthanasia in their hospitals.

The brothers appealed to the Vatican, which asked the psychiatric hospitals to change their protocol allowing euthanasia as “a medical act” under certain conditions.

The hospital management responded with a long statement in September 2017, in which it contested a lack of dialogue and maintained the hospital was "perfectly consistent" with Christian doctrine.

The CDF's direction that the hospitals must no longer identify as Catholic was communicated in a letter signed by CDF prefect Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer and secretary Archbishop Giacomo Morandi.

The letter retraced the developments of the story, recalling that the document allowing euthanasia in the brothers' hospitals "refers neither to God, nor to Holy Scripture, nor to the Christian vision of Man."

According to the letter, the CDF had spoken with the Brothers of Charity and had also informed Pope Francis of the gravity of the situation.

Other audiences had also taken place beginning June 2017, including with the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Secretariat of State, the representatives of the Brothers of Charity and the managing corporation, as well as representatives of the Belgian bishops' conference.

The Holy See also sent Bishop Jan Hendriks, auxiliary of Amsterdam, as an apostolic visitor, but he did not register any steps forward nor a desire to find "a viable solution that avoids any form of responsibility of the institution for euthanasia."

The request of the CDF to the Brothers of Charity and to the managing corporation was clear: “affirm in writing and in an unequivocal way their adherence to the principles of the sacredness of human life and the unacceptability of euthanasia, and, as a consequence, the absolute refusal to carry it out in the institutions they depend on."

The corporation "did not give assurance on these points."

The CDF therefore reiterated that "euthanasia remains an inadmissible act, even in extreme cases," and strengthened the statement by citing St. John Paul II's 1995 encyclical Evangelium vitae, and a Jan. 30 speech by Pope Francis to the CDF.

The CDF stressed that "Catholic teaching affirms the sacred value of human life," the "importance of caring for and accompanying the sick and disabled," as well as "the Christian value of suffering, the moral unacceptability of euthanasia" and "the impossibility of introducing this practice in Catholic hospitals, not even in extreme cases, as well as of collaborating in this regard with civil institutions."

The Brothers of Charity is a religious congregation of lay brothers founded in 1807 in Belgium, whose specialization is care for the sick and those with psychiatric diseases.

At the congregation's July 2018 general chapter the group stressed that the Brothers of Charity "believes in sacredness and absolute respect for every human life, from conception to natural death. The general chapter requires that each brother, associate member and others associated with the mission of the congregation adhere to the doctrine of the Catholic Church on ethical issues."




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Therapy and Psychotropic Medication Use in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Guidelines suggest young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receive intensive nonpharmacologic interventions. Additionally, associated symptoms may be treated with psychotropic medications. Actual intervention use by young children has not been well characterized. Our aim in this study was to describe interventions received by young children (3–6 years old) with ASD. The association with sociodemographic factors was also explored.

METHODS:

Data were analyzed from the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (AS-ATN), a research registry of children with ASD from 17 sites in the United States and Canada. AS-ATN participants receive a diagnostic evaluation and treatment recommendations. Parents report intervention use at follow-up visits. At follow-up, 805 participants had data available about therapies received, and 613 had data available about medications received.

RESULTS:

The median total hours per week of therapy was 5.5 hours (interquartile range 2.0–15.0), and only 33.4% of participants were reported to be getting behaviorally based therapies. A univariate analysis and a multiple regression model predicting total therapy time showed that a diagnosis of ASD before enrollment in the AS-ATN was a significant predictor. Additionally, 16.3% of participants were on ≥1 psychotropic medication. A univariate analysis and a multiple logistic model predicting psychotropic medication use showed site region as a significant predictor.

CONCLUSIONS:

Relatively few young children with ASD are receiving behavioral therapies or total therapy hours at the recommended intensity. There is regional variability in psychotropic medication use. Further research is needed to improve access to evidence-based treatments for young children with ASD.




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Anaerobic Necrotizing Pneumonia: Another Potential Life-threatening Complication of Vaping?

An adolescent girl with a history of frequent electronic cigarette use of nicotine was hospitalized with severe necrotizing pneumonia. Blood cultures obtained before the administration of empirical broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics had positive results for the growth of Fusobacterium necrophorum. The pathogen is an uncommon but well-known cause of anaerobic pneumonia with unique features that are collectively referred to as Lemierre syndrome or postanginal sepsis. The syndrome begins as a pharyngeal infection. Untreated, the infection progresses to involve the ipsilateral internal jugular vein, resulting in septic thrombophlebitis with direct spread from the neck to the lungs causing multifocal necrotizing pneumonia. The teenager we present in this report had neither a preceding pharyngeal infection nor Doppler ultrasonographic evidence for the presence of deep neck vein thrombi, leading us to explore alternative mechanisms for her pneumonia. We propose the possibility that her behavior of frequent vaping led to sufficient pharyngeal irritation such that F necrophorum colonizing her oropharynx was inhaled directly into her lungs during electronic cigarette use. Preexisting, but not yet recognized, vaping-related lung injury may have also contributed to her risk of developing the infection. The patient was hospitalized for 10 days. At follow-up one month later, she still became short of breath with minimal exertion.




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Eosinophilic Pneumonia and Lymphadenopathy Associated With Vaping and Tetrahydrocannabinol Use

Idiopathic acute eosinophilic pneumonia is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition that is defined by bilateral pulmonary infiltrates and fever in the presence of pulmonary eosinophilia. It often presents acutely in previously healthy individuals and can be difficult to distinguish from infectious pneumonia. Although the exact etiology of idiopathic acute eosinophilic pneumonia remains unknown, an acute hypersensitivity reaction to an inhaled antigen is suggested, which is further supported by recent public health risks of vaping (electronic cigarette) use and the development of lung disease. In this case, a patient with a year-long history of vaping in conjunction with tetrahydrocannabinol cartridge use who was diagnosed with idiopathic acute eosinophilic pneumonia with associated bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy is described.




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Management of Opioid Misuse and Opioid Use Disorders Among Youth

In response to the growing impact of the current opioid public health crisis in the United States on adolescents and young adults, pediatricians have an expanding role in identifying opioid use early, preventing escalation of risky use, reducing opioid-related harms, and delivering effective therapies. Research and expert consensus suggest the use of brief interventions focused on reducing risks associated with ongoing opioid use and using motivational interviewing strategies to engage youth in treatment. Because fatal opioid overdose remains a major cause of opioid-related mortality among youth, delivering overdose education as part of any visit in which a youth endorses opioid use is one evidence-based strategy to decrease the burden of opioid-related mortality. For youth that are injecting opioids, safe injection practices and linkage to needle or syringe exchanges should be considered to reduce complications from injection drug use. It is crucial that youth be offered treatment at the time of diagnosis of an opioid use disorder (OUD), including medications, behavioral interventions, and/or referral to mutual support groups. The 2 medications commonly used for office-based OUD treatment in adolescents are extended-release naltrexone (opioid antagonist) and buprenorphine (partial opioid agonist), although there is a significant treatment gap in prescribing these medications to youth, especially adolescents <18 years of age. Addiction is a pediatric disease that pediatricians and adolescent medicine physicians are uniquely poised to manage, given their expertise in longitudinal, preventive, and family- and patient-centered care. Growing evidence supports the need for integration of OUD treatment into primary care.




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A picture of transformation

A remarkable story which came to a climax on February 23 this year when OM Ireland took possession of the deeds to Lacken House as their new headquarters and ministry centre.




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By the Spirit

Short-term participants from around the world joined OM for the Impact Ireland outreach to share Jesus with the people of Ireland.




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OM sows seeds at National Ploughing Championships

OM Ireland's community outreach team participates in one of Ireland's biggest events: the 2011 National Ploughing Championships in Athy, Co. Kildare from 20 -22 September.




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Teens helping teens

Students from the US show Irish teens what a life with Jesus looks like during a week of outreach in a community school and town centre.




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Teaching spiritual and physical fitness

An OM Ukraine sports team member helps young Ukrainian women gain a healthier understanding and appreciation of the bodies God gave them.




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MaxMara, the epitome of Italian style open Scottish store

Sponsored Editorial




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Fin24.com | Unit trusts: the top picks

A handful of listed companies dominate the investment portfolios of local general equity funds.




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Fin24.com | MONEY CLINIC: How can I invest my R1.2m savings without eroding my capital?

A Fin24 set to retire this year is looking to invest his R1.2m savings in order to receive a monthly payout.




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What it feels like ... to be a champion oyster shucker

Tristan Hugh-Jones, oyster farmer




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Picture special: Shahbaz Majeed puts Scotland in the frame

RIGHT now, Shahbaz Majeed should be heading to Glencoe. Or flying over central Scotland. Or making his way to Harris which he has been trying to get back to since his first visit in 2018. Or maybe visiting some other part of Scotland so he can capture it in a photograph. Instead, he is at home in Dundee (where he is web development manager at the University of Dundee), “climbing the walls,” and looking forward to life after lockdown.




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Get your coat.... GANT keeping you warm this Winter

SPONSORED EDITORIAL




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Fin24.com | Farming robots, pizza-delivery droids: One VC gears up for post-pandemic transportation

It’s been a nerve-wracking few years for the traditional auto industry. One Silicon Valley VC firm speculates on its future in an interview with Bloomberg.




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Fin24.com | OPINION | How investment managers are really voting at shareholder meetings

Anecdotal evidence suggests that institutional investors in South Africa and across the globe are starting to take their ownership rights more seriously.




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Special Olympics in Slovenia

We look at how the Slovenian FA is tackling disability football.




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FA hopes to inspire youth

We find out about the grassroots events organised in England in conjuction with the UEFA Champions League final.




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UEFA Champions festival history

Find out about the festival of football that has proceeded the UEFA Champions League final every year since 2006.




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Germany's mini-pitch focus

We find out how mini-pitches were the centrepiece of Germany's UEFA Grassroots Day celebrations.