President Joe Biden declared Wednesday night in his first address to a joint session of Congress that “America is rising anew,” and pointed optimistically to the nation’s emergence from the pandemic as a vital moment to rebuild the U.S. economy and fundamentally transform government roles in American life.
Biden marked his first 100 days in office as the nation pushes out of a menacing mix of crises, making his case before a pared-down gathering of mask-wearing legislators because of pandemic restrictions.
Speaking in highly personal terms while demanding massive structural changes, the president urged a $1.8 trillion investment in children, families and education to help rebuild an economy devastated by the virus and compete with rising global competitors.
He speech took place in a setting unlike any other presidential address in the familiar venue, with the U.S. Capitol still surrounded by fencing after the building was stormed in January by insurrectionists protesting his election. The nationally televised ritual of a president standing before Congress for the first time was one of the most watched moments of Biden’s presidency so far, a chance to sell his plans to voters of both parties, even if Republican lawmakers prove resistant.
“America is ready for takeoff. We are working again. Dreaming again. Discovering again. Leading the world again. We have shown each other and the world: There is no quit in America,” Biden said.
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Biden to the nation and world: 'America is rising anew'
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April 29, 2021
April 28, 2021
The Netherlands: How a 94-meter superyacht is transported through narrow canals in the Netherlands
It's not every day you see a gigantic superyacht weaving through the narrow canals of the Netherlands.
Thankfully photographer Tom van Oossanen was on hand to capture the astonishing scenes as Project 817, a 94-meter (310 feet) vessel built by Dutch shipyard Feadship, was transported from its Kaag Island facility to the North Sea at Rotterdam last week.
In a series of stunning images, the vessel, one of the largest to be launched in 2021, is guided through the water with tugboats, passing by houses and churches, as crowds look on in amazement.
Resd more at: How a 94-meter superyacht is transported through narrow canals in the Netherlands | CNN Travel
Thankfully photographer Tom van Oossanen was on hand to capture the astonishing scenes as Project 817, a 94-meter (310 feet) vessel built by Dutch shipyard Feadship, was transported from its Kaag Island facility to the North Sea at Rotterdam last week.
In a series of stunning images, the vessel, one of the largest to be launched in 2021, is guided through the water with tugboats, passing by houses and churches, as crowds look on in amazement.
Resd more at: How a 94-meter superyacht is transported through narrow canals in the Netherlands | CNN Travel
April 27, 2021
India: The Netherlands Is Banning Passenger Flights from India
The Netherlands is banning passenger flights from India, where coronavirus infections are surging to record levels.
The government says the ban comes into force Monday evening and initially lasts until May 1. Flights carrying cargo and medical staff are exempt.
About seven flights a week arrive in the Netherlands from India.
Read more at: The Netherlands Is Banning Passenger Flights from India | heatlh & science , coronavirus | The National Herald
The government says the ban comes into force Monday evening and initially lasts until May 1. Flights carrying cargo and medical staff are exempt.
About seven flights a week arrive in the Netherlands from India.
Read more at: The Netherlands Is Banning Passenger Flights from India | heatlh & science , coronavirus | The National Herald
April 26, 2021
Genocide - Hypocracy: many countries have a dark page in their history: Historian Examines Native American Genocide, its Legacy, and Survivors
Genocide documents the murderous intentions that lurked beneath the idealized self-imaging of a young American nation.
“In order to have a ‘land of opportunity’ required space to expand,” Ostler notes. “Early American senses of ‘freedom’ fundamentally depended upon the taking of Native lands—which almost inevitably would lead to the taking of Native lives.”
From the beginning, he believes, US leaders understood and embraced this grim calculus. However, they obscured their true aims with a series of self-serving narratives built around the ideal of “civilization.” At first, this was held forth as a precious and necessary gift the colonizers were offering to Indigenous populations. Later, “defending civilization” would be invoked as justification to kill them.
Read more at: Historian Examines Native American Genocide, its Legacy, and Survivors | Around the O
“In order to have a ‘land of opportunity’ required space to expand,” Ostler notes. “Early American senses of ‘freedom’ fundamentally depended upon the taking of Native lands—which almost inevitably would lead to the taking of Native lives.”
From the beginning, he believes, US leaders understood and embraced this grim calculus. However, they obscured their true aims with a series of self-serving narratives built around the ideal of “civilization.” At first, this was held forth as a precious and necessary gift the colonizers were offering to Indigenous populations. Later, “defending civilization” would be invoked as justification to kill them.
Read more at: Historian Examines Native American Genocide, its Legacy, and Survivors | Around the O
April 25, 2021
EU mulls legal action against AstraZeneca over shortfalls - by Elena Sánchez Nicolás
aThe European Commission said on Thursday (22 April) it has not yet decided whether to take legal action against AstraZeneca for failing to meet its contractual obligations - but repeated that all options are still on the table.
"What matters is that we ensure the delivery of a sufficient number of doses, in line with the company's earlier commitments," a commission spokesperson said.
Read moreat: EU mulls legal action against AstraZeneca over shortfalls
"What matters is that we ensure the delivery of a sufficient number of doses, in line with the company's earlier commitments," a commission spokesperson said.
Read moreat: EU mulls legal action against AstraZeneca over shortfalls
April 24, 2021
The Netherlands: A pricey rapid-testing programme rings alarms in the Netherlands
SIPPING A BEER on a pub terrace may be the Netherlands’ holiest rite of spring. But the country’s grim incidence of covid-19, currently far higher than in Germany or Italy, has kept its pubs shut. As the weather has warmed, cries of “open the terrasjes!” have sounded ever louder in Dutch politics, and this week the government gave in. From April 28th cafés may open outdoor seating (two people per table, maximum) between noon and 6pm. Meanwhile the state is eyeing a more permanent solution. It is funding pilot programmes to explore whether rapid testing of patrons can allow reopening of restaurants, museums, cultural events and the like.
The budget is huge: €1.1bn ($1.3bn) through August, more than 0.1% of GDP. Of that, €2.7m goes to experiments this spring with large-scale events such as theatre performances and football matches. But critics say these are so flawed that they may prove useless. Participants are asked to get follow-up tests and report the results, but only about four-fifths do, spoiling the results for epidemiologists. Oddly, the researchers say they are not even trying to study whether the events lead to more infections, but only whether participants follow social-distancing rules. Public documents do not specify the trials’ research questions, as would be expected for a scientific Process.
Read More at: A pricey rapid-testing programme rings alarms in the Netherlands | The Economist
The budget is huge: €1.1bn ($1.3bn) through August, more than 0.1% of GDP. Of that, €2.7m goes to experiments this spring with large-scale events such as theatre performances and football matches. But critics say these are so flawed that they may prove useless. Participants are asked to get follow-up tests and report the results, but only about four-fifths do, spoiling the results for epidemiologists. Oddly, the researchers say they are not even trying to study whether the events lead to more infections, but only whether participants follow social-distancing rules. Public documents do not specify the trials’ research questions, as would be expected for a scientific Process.
Read More at: A pricey rapid-testing programme rings alarms in the Netherlands | The Economist
April 23, 2021
Netherlands keeps crown as world’s best pension system - by Rachel Fixsen, Venilia Amorim
The Dutch pension system has won the highest score in the latest Global Pension Index report from Mercer, with the international consultancy using this year’s publication to sound a stern warning on the impact of the pandemic on retirement income systems around the world.
In the 2020 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index report – previously called the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index – which awards national pension systems points for adequacy, integrity and sustainability as well as giving them an overall score, the Netherlands came top with 82.6 points, followed by Denmark with 81.4 and Israel with 74.7 points.
Read more at: Netherlands keeps crown as world’s best pension system | News | IPE
In the 2020 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index report – previously called the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index – which awards national pension systems points for adequacy, integrity and sustainability as well as giving them an overall score, the Netherlands came top with 82.6 points, followed by Denmark with 81.4 and Israel with 74.7 points.
Read more at: Netherlands keeps crown as world’s best pension system | News | IPE
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