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NC Lawmakers Meet For A Historic Pandemic Session

North Carolina lawmakers gaveled in Tuesday for a legislative session unlike any other — their first since the coronavirus pandemic hit the state.




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The News Between Four Walls: Student Journalists Cover the Home Front

When in-person classes were cancelled for the semester at Wake Forest University, Professor Justin Catanoso knew he would have to break some of his own rules.




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Sharing The Wonders Of Nature With The World: Meet Eleanor Spicer Rice

Eleanor Spicer Rice spent her childhood fascinated by ants, flies, maggots, bones and other natural curiosities. Her family encouraged that inquisitiveness — her father would take her on walks in the swamps near their Goldsboro home, and her parents never told her the bugs that enchanted her were gross.




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Meet NC’s Mayors — Bettie J. Parker Of Elizabeth City

She did not expect to be the only person of color in a classroom, and certainly not as the teacher. Before she was elected mayor of Elizabeth City, Bettie J. Parker taught math for 33 years at the local high school.




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Meet NC’s Mayors — James Reid Of Andrews

He personally put up the barricades to keep visitors out in order to protect his mountain hometown from the coronavirus. But James Reid remembers when the problem was folks no longer stopping through Andrews.




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Meet NC’s Mayors — Mitch Colvin of Fayetteville

He leads in ribbon-cuttings and celebrations of life. Mitch Colvin took over his family’s funeral home before running for office. His day-job provides insight into buileint community in difficult times.




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Immerse Yourself in the Deep Web to Investigate Cyber Crime in GoldGun for iOS

In this podcast, Thomas Domville introduces us to GoldGun, a recently released audio game for iOS where you play the adventures of Soren, a police officer investigating cybercriminal activity in the deep web.

Description from the App Store:

The game is presented in a cinematic like experience and it is delivered through seven episodes, in a format similar to TV series. Each episode is launched every two or three months. The first episode (launch date 31st January 2019) is completely free, so everybody can play and enjoy it. The sounds in the game are implemented using 3D-audio in order to provide an immersive experience and playing with headphones is highly recommended. The game mechanics include the use of the gyroscope (tilt the phone to move) and tactile interface (swipe and tap actions to interact with objects).

The story is presented like a single-player narrative, with extensive voice acting and no use of voice-over software. Each episode includes a series of minigames, which grow in length and complexity as the story deepens and progresses in the future episodes.

GoldGun is available as a free download from the App Store.



  • Gaming
  • iOS & iPadOS Apps

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Quick Tip: Using the New Features in Seeing AI for iOS

In this podcast, Robin Christopherson takes us through some nice new features recently added to Microsoft's popular Seeing AI app for iOS.




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Quick Tip: Three Examples of Where a Double-Tap and Hold can Make your use of iOS more Efficient and Productive

In this short podcast, Graham Langford shares three quick tips on where you can use a 1-finger double-tap and hold (also known as a “long-press”) to be more efficient and productive on iOS.

  1. Quickly access draft emails in the iOS Mail app with a “long-press” on the Compose button.
  2. Quickly archive an email message with a “long-press” on the Delete button.
  3. “Long-press” on the Delete key on the iOS keyboard to delete text faster - in some instances, the speed will increase incrementally with the amount of time you are holding the key.

Please post a comment to share your own tips on where “hidden” iOS features such as these make you more efficient and productive.





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How to Customize VoiceOver Haptic Feedback on iOS

In this podcast, Thomas Domville discusses and explores how in iOS 13 users have the capability to customize the haptic feedback given when performing VoiceOver gestures.







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Type With Ease and Speed With the Tap Strap 2, a Single Handed All-in-One Wearable Keyboard, Mouse and Air Gesture Controller

In this podcast, The Evil Chocolate Cookie gives us a demonstration of the Tap Strap 2, a single handed all-in-one wearable keyboard, mouse & air gesture controller.

Tap is a wearable keyboard and mouse that enables you to type, mouse and control any Bluetooth enabled device, using any surface and in any position. Tap has accelerometers built into each finger ring, which register which fingers you are tapping and sending the associated letter, number, symbol, or macro to a paired Bluetooth device.

Tap is the only ergonomic solution that allows you to type in any position that is comfortable to your specific body without being bound to a desk. Tap’s design takes stress off your median nerve, allowing for hours of typing without strain. Tap also allows you to write without hunching forward, which causes posture problems as well as neck, shoulder and back pain.

Learning to Tap takes about 2 Hours – which is approximately 10 times faster than it takes to learn to QWERTY touch-typing. You learn to Tap using finger combinations, not key locations, making it usable in a variety of situations where you could not use a QWERTY. The fastest way to learn is by playing our free TapGenius Learning Game, which takes you through the Tap Alphabet using a series of fast, engaging challenges.




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AppleVis Unleashed March 2020: Coffee Anyone?

In this month's edition of AppleVis Unleashed, Thomas Domville, Randy Rusnak, and Mike Malarsie discuss recent Apple news and other topics of interest. Topics featured in this podcast include:

You can contact the Unleashed Team with feedback or questions at unleashed@applevis.com




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Friday Feature: Providing A Helping Hand; Needing A Helping Hand During COVID-19 Pandemic

Guests of this Friday Feature Interview of the Week were Megan Robinson, Executive Director of the Western NC American Red Cross and United Way of Greenville County, SC Executive Director Megan Barp. Both agencies are important, year-round organizations, with staff/volunteers that want to offer support and services, especially during the coronavirus crisis. However, these groups could use additional volunteers and donors to achieve full capacity. This conversation first aired on April 3, 2020. Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature- Paul Foster, WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host




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Nationwide To Require Some Employees To Permanently Work From Home

Columbus-based Nationwide Insurance plans to require coporate office employees in Columbus, Des Moines, Scottsdale and San Antonio to work from home permanently.




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Logan County Sheriff Laying Off Employees Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Logan County Sheriff Randall Dodds says he is laying off 21 staffers, includuing deputies and jail guards starting on May 2.




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Music Interview: The Stamford Symphony Throws A Birthday Party For Beethoven

The Stamford Symphony Orchestra is celebrating the genius of Beethoven with concerts on Saturday, Feb. 22 and Sunday, Feb. 23. Kate Remington talks with Music Director Designate Michael Stern about the works on the program: the Coriolan Overture , the Symphony No. 7 and the spectacular Violin Concerto with guest soloist Pamela Frank.




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Music Interview: Fairfield County Chorale Throws A Birthday Bash for Beethoven

For their celebration of Beethoven's 250th birthday this year, the Fairfield County Chorale is performing one of his most famous works, the Emperor Piano Concerto with soloist Ilya Yakushev, and one of Beethoven's least known sacred works on Saturday, March 7 at the Norwalk Concert Hall. Kate Remington talks with Artistic Director David Rosenmeyer about what makes each of these two works so special.




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Music Interview: Musical Masterworks Presents ALL Of Beethoven's String Quartets

There are celebrations of Beethoven's 250th birthday all over the world this year, but close to home, Musical Masterworks in Old Lyme is presenting every string quartet by Beethoven in two sets of three evening performances by the Ehnes Quartet beginning on Friday, March 13th. Kate Remington talks with series Artistic Director Edward Aaron about the concerts, which he'll be experiencing from the inside out as the cellist with the Ehnes Quartet.




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Oda Tilset Sees Computer-Generated Music As A Tool, Not A Threat

At this year's (now postponed) Game Developers Conference, composer and sound designer Oda Tilset planned to present a session about how incorporating music created by a computer's Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool. Oda tells me that AI-generated music is really helpful to generate ideas that a composer might not have thought of. For musicians and composers who are just getting their feet wet with computer-generated music software, Oda reccommends Noknok Audio , which is very flexible and easy to use. One of the murkier aspects of using AI to create music is who owns the end product. Oda has studied numerous user agreements for sharing audio and music, including SoundCloud and there's no clear answer. She says the best part of using AI is that it's like having a collaborator without those painful discssions about whose ideas are better! Episode tracklist All tracks composed by Oda's computer AI, modified in her digital audio workstation. Thanks to Dick Roberts for production




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Live Friday, February 14th between 3 & 4pm: Jack Broadbent - Canceled

Hailed as “The new master of the slide guitar” by the Montreux Jazz Festival and “The real thang” by the legendary Bootsy Collins, Lincolnshire, England folk/blues musician Jack Broadbent has spent the the past few years wowing international audiences with his unique blend of virtuosic acoustic and slide guitar and songs. You've likely heard us play songs from his new album Moonshine Blue lately. He plays Isis in West Asheville Saturday night.




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Live Thursday, February 13th between 11am & Noon: Dana & Susan Robinson

Dana and Sue used to call Marshall, NC home, and many in WNC will remember this sweet couple contributing to the local old-time and folk music scene. They moved back to Vermont a few years back, and are back in the area in support of The Town That Music Saved: A Collection of Vermont-Inspired Songs. They play Isis in West Asheville Thursday night.




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Live Tuesday, February 18th between 3 & 4pm: Gold Rose

This Asheville alt-country trio consists of singer/songwriter, guitarist Kevin Fuller, bassist Ryan Kijanka and drummer Ryan Sargent. The band meshes crunchy guitar noise with folk, country and Americana stories. They play the Mothlight in West Asheville on Sunday the 23rd.




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Live Wednesday, February 19th between 1 & 2pm: Krista Shows

Adopted from Texas and raised in Mississippi, Krista Shows was a kid who grew up singing in church. She spent time in Los Angeles, Hawaii, and Western North Carolina before returning to Mississippi in her early 20s. She's now back in Asheville, and has a sweet blend of folk, R&B, and country influences. She performs (with a full band!) at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall in Asheville on Saturday the 22nd.




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Live Thursday, February 20th between 3 & 4pm: The Mastersons

Chris Masterson & Eleanor Whitmore have a 4th album of their own material coming out next month, "No Time For Love Songs." As for one of the possible themes of this new collection: "Only by cataloging and acknowledging loss and grief can we move forward with gratitude for what we have." When not working on their own songs, they are The Dukes in Steve Earle & The Dukes. Before joining Steve, Chris used to work with Son Volt among others, and Eleanor with Regina Spektor and Angus & Julia Stone. They're passing through our area briefly on an East Coast tour.




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Live Thursday, February 27th between 11am & Noon: Kerry Hart

Heartfelt songs from this Los Angeles-based artist, passing through the area on a radio station tour for her new album I Know a Gun . “All of the songs come from emotions that I needed to process,” says Hart, who partly attributes her intricate inner world to growing up in a troubled home and learning to tend to herself at a young age. “In the end, I needed to make this album for my own wellbeing and healing and peace, almost as a balm for my own hurt. Now I want everyone to take this medicine for themselves, and realize the value of their own magic." Get to know her more here .




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Live Thursday, February 27th between 3 & 4pm: Paul Thorn

Just listening to him tell a story will transport you to his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi, growing up the son of a pentecostal preacher who charted his own course: from furniture factory full-timer to professional boxer to the great professional blues/rock musician he is today. Paul Thorn returns to WNCW Thursday afternoon before a string of shows in our area: Asheville Thursday night, Johnson City on Friday, Shelby, NC on Friday the 6th, and Newberry, SC on Saturday the 7th.




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Live Wednesday, March 4th between 11am & Noon: Tom Rush

Tom Rush helped shape the folk revival in the ’60s and the renaissance of the ’80s and ’90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, “Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences.” His voice and guitar skills remain as rich and vibrant as ever, and we are honored to host him for a live morning session before his concert at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall Wednesday evening.




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Live Friday, March 6th between 3 & 4pm: Alvin Youngblood Hart

"The cosmic American love child of Howlin Wolf and Link Wray…" He's been making music and performing around the world for over two decades now, and it feels like almost that long since we had him on for a live session. The long absence ends this Friday when he visits us on his way to Ambrose West in West Asheville.




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Live Friday, March 13th between 3 & 4pm: Firecracker Jazz Band

Firecracker has played everywhere from street corners, secret speakeasies, jazz festivals, & swing-and-swill dance halls, to Bonnaroo and the Kennedy Center. They've returned to the 20's -- as in the 1920's, give or take a few decades -- on their fine new collection of songs from the Teens through today, centered around their great Dixieland and New Orleans jazz heroes. Album release show Saturday the 14th at The Mothlight.




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Live Thursday, March 12th between 3 & 4pm: Fireside Collective

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Western NC has some of the freshest, most innovative bluegrass being made, thanks in part to Fireside Collective. It's Joe Cicero on guitar, Alex Genova on banjo, Jesse laquinto on mandolin, and Tommy Maher on resonator guitar, and Carson White on upright bass. Their brand new album is a real winner! And they officially release it at the Grey Eagle in Asheville on Saturday the 14th. We have a rather firy streak of local Studio B acts this week, with Firecracker Jazz band live Friday at 3.




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Live Wednesday, March 11th between 1 & 2pm: Elonzo Wesley

This Charlotte band started off as a solo project of singer/guitarist and SC native Jeremy Davis, but their sound has morphed to the great fiddle/mandolin/bass lineup they have today. And their indie-rock roots still show with a new cover of My Morning Jacket's "Golden". We welcome them back to Studio B in advance of their Friday the 13th show at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain.




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Live Tuesday, March 17th between 3 & 4pm: Amythyst Kiah - Canceled

Johnson City's own performs solo and with her own band, when not part of Our Native Daughters (for which she received particular acclaim for her song "Black Myself".) Following are words from Amythyst herself, in a Facebook post regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic: "...I love what I do and I am thinking of all of the beautiful, hardworking, full-time musicians I've met that this will affect. It's important now more than ever for us to talk to and support one another in the music industry - most of us musicians are not millionaires with Swiss bank accounts. I'm proud to see so many resourceful folks finding new ways to do things. We'll make it through this, but also remember it's okay to freak out if you need to, and then use that energy and anxiety to make it work. We'll see you all back out on the road soon enough."




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Google Says Most Of Its Employees Will Likely Work Remotely Through End of Year

Google says most of its employees will likely be allowed to work remotely through the end of year. In a companywide meeting Thursday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said employees who needed to work in the office would be allowed to return in June or July with enhanced safety measures in place. The rest would likely continue working from home, a Google spokesperson told NPR. Google had originally told employees work-from-home protocols would be in place at least through June 1. Facebook also said it would allow most of its employees to work remotely through the end of 2020, according to media reports. The company had previously announced it was canceling large events through June 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Both companies began telling employees to stay home in March . Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.




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Seen 'Plandemic'? We Take A Close Look At The Viral Conspiracy Video's Claims

A slickly produced 26-minute video called Plandemic has exploded on social media in recent days, claiming to present a view of COVID-19 that differs from the "official" narrative. The video has been viewed millions of times on YouTube via links that are replaced as quickly as the video-sharing service can remove them for violating its policy against "COVID-19 misinformation." In it, filmmaker Mikki Willis conducts an uncritical interview with Judy Mikovits, who he says has been called "one of the most accomplished scientists of her generation." Never heard of her? You're not alone. Two prominent scientists with backgrounds in AIDS research and infectious diseases, who asked not to be identified over concerns of facing a backlash on social media, told NPR that they did not know who she was. If you were aware of Mikovits before this week, it is probably for two books she published with co-author Kent Heckenlively, one in 2017 and another last month. Heckenlively has also written a book




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Coronavirus FAQs: Do Temperature Screenings Help? Can Mosquitoes Spread It?

This is part of a series looking at pressing coronavirus questions of the week. We'd like to hear what you're curious about. Email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions." More than 76,000 people in the U.S. have died because of COVID-19, and there have been 1.27 million confirmed cases across the country — and nearly 4 million worldwide. Though the virus continues to spread and sicken people, some states and countries are starting to reopen businesses and lift stay-at-home requirements. This week, we look at some of your questions as summer nears and restrictions are eased. Is it safe to swim in pools or lakes? Does the virus spread through the water? People are asking whether they should be concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus while swimming. Experts say water needn't be a cause for concern. The CDC says there is no evidence the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas or water




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Top 5 Moments From The Supreme Court's 1st Week Of Livestreaming Arguments

For the first time in its 231-year history, the Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments remotely by phone and made the audio available live. The new setup went off largely without difficulties, but produced some memorable moments, including one justice forgetting to unmute and an ill-timed bathroom break. Here are the top five can't-miss moments from this week's history-making oral arguments. A second week of arguments begin on Monday at 10 a.m. ET. Here's a rundown of the cases and how to listen. 1. Justice Clarence Thomas speaks ... a lot Supreme Court oral arguments are verbal jousting matches. The justices pepper the lawyers with questions, interrupting counsel repeatedly and sometimes even interrupting each other. Justice Clarence Thomas, who has sat on the bench for nearly 30 years, has made his dislike of the chaotic process well known, at one point not asking a question for a full decade. But with no line of sight, the telephone arguments have to be rigidly organized, and




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Little Richard, The 'King And Queen' Of Rock And Roll, Dead At 87

Updated at 2:24 p.m. ET Little Richard, the self-described "king and queen" of rock and roll and an outsize influence on everyone from David Bowie to Prince, died Saturday in Tullahoma, Tenn. He was 87 years old. Bill Sobel, a lawyer for Little Richard, tells NPR that the cause of death was bone cancer. Rolling Stone was the first to report on Little Richard's death. With his ferocious piano playing, growling and gospel-strong vocals, pancake makeup and outlandish costumes, Little Richard tore down barriers starting in the 1950s. That is no small feat for any artist — let alone a black, openly gay man who grew up in the South. He was a force of nature who outlived many of the musicians he inspired, from Otis Redding to the late Prince and Michael Jackson. His peers James Brown and Otis Redding idolized him. Jimi Hendrix, who once played in Little Richard's band, said he wanted his guitar to sound like Richard's voice. The late David Bowie was 9 years old when he first saw Little




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Roberta Gambarini: Keeping Jazz Legacy Alive At Detroit Jazz Festival

Earlier this Month vocalist Roberta Gambarini visited Detroit to be the judge for Detroit Jazz Festival Vocal Competition and appear at The Dirty Dog Jazz Café. She also visited WEMU to share her Italian and international jazz life story as well as her admiration for jazz masters such as Hank Jones and Jimmy Heath. She also brought her most recent CD “Connecting Spirits”.




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Linda Yohn: Sweet 16 Jazz Albums Of 2016

As I reflected on the past 12 months, I realized that 2016 was a banner year for jazz releases. It was extremely difficult to narrow my selections of outstanding recordings to just 16. My criteria for this list is that these were all CDs that moved me emotionally. They are albums that I would like to keep in my permanent collection.




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Hear Diana Krall Play an Exclusive Live Session, and Talk About Her Sleek New Album

Early in her musical career, in the ‘90s, Diana Krall played a regular gig on Saturday evenings in Boston. When she drove down to New York City on Sunday mornings, she’d plan the trip so she could get close enough to hear the FM signal of WBGO in time to hear Singers Unlimited. She’s been hearing herself playing piano and singing ever since on WBGO. Diana Krall performs live in-studio, and speaks with Michael Bourne. Recorded 5/5/17. Nowadays, she can listen to wbgo.org during her travels around the world or in her hometown, Nanaimo, British Columbia. “I listen to you all the time,” she said when she came in for a recent session with a killer band, featuring frequent quartet-mate Anthony Wilson on guitar, along with bassist Robert Hurst, drummer Karriem Riggins and violinist Stuart Duncan.




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New York Lawmaker Proposes Tuition Freeze At SUNY, CUNY Schools

Legislation introduced in New York could place a four-year freeze on tuition costs at state and city universities.




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Treating Depression In Teens Using What They Know Best – Their Phone

Researchers at Stony Brook University hope to find new ways to treat depression among teenagers – using a computer or smartphone.




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Yale Pioneers Medical Marijuana Trials

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a medical marijuana clinical trial led by the Yale University School of Medicine. Researchers say it’s the first of its type to be run on human subjects.




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By Mapping Oceans, Scientists Identify Areas Most In Need Of Protection

A team of marine scientists are on a mission to preserve biodiversity in oceans around the world. To do it, they need accurate maps that will help them identify areas in need of protection. There are several ongoing projects to create these maps. But they’re led by different groups, using different methods that can produce conflicting results.