Cody C. Platt, Author at Adoption Links

Lockdowns pile job losses and hunger onto Syrian refugees’ plight

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Ahmad al-Mostafa can’t afford milk for his baby daughter. A Syrian refugee, he has barely been able to feed his family since Lebanon sank into economic crisis last year. But now, a coronavirus lockdown has made things even worse.

“Nobody will hire us anymore,” said the 28-year-old, who lost his restaurant job a few months ago. He racked up hundreds of dollars in debt at the local minimarket getting food before the owner said he could borrow no more.

“We’re afraid of tomorrow,” he said. “We don’t know what will happen to us.”

His plight echoes that facing many of the 5.6 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, who had scraped by on meagre daily wages but now find even that is denied them as the coronavirus pandemic forces their host countries into shutdown.

Many Lebanese have themselves been hit by a financial crisis that has evaporated jobs and sent prices soaring, and have become less tolerant of the Syrians who have boosted the population by around 1.5 million to some 6 million.

‘THEY DON’T HIRE SYRIANS’

“Every time I go looking for work, they tell me they don’t hire Syrians,” said Mostafa, who fled into north Lebanon in 2014. “I’m sitting indoors – and everything is expensive.”

He can no longer afford diapers, which have doubled in price, and he relies on a charitable neighbour who gets milk for his one-year-old daughter.

More refugees say they are worried about starving than about the virus, said Mireille Girard, representative of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR in Lebanon.

In a survey last month, UNHCR found 70% were going hungry, while many could not buy soap. Since Syria’s war erupted nine years ago, many have languished in crowded camps where aid workers fear any COVID-19 outbreak would be rapid and lethal.

Syrian refugee girls carry stacks of bread on their heads, as Lebanon extends a lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho

‘NOT A SINGLE PENNY’

In Jordan, the Zaatari camp, home to 80,000 Syrian refugees, has been closed off by the authorities during a two-month lockdown, meaning those who used to go out to work on farms every day can no longer do so.

Jordan hosts some 900,000 refugees in all, most of whom live outside the camps.

Abdullah Aba Zaid, who used to get work picking tomatoes, has had no income for two months.

“For the last 10 days, I haven’t had a single penny in the house even to pay for bread. I am borrowing from here and there,” he said. “Everyone is waiting for God’s mercy … hoping things will improve.”

But even as businesses return to work after the government eased curbs this week, job losses are on the rise, making more Syrians dependent on already strained aid efforts.

UNHCR is getting more calls for help from refugee families who had been largely self-reliant, said Dominik Bartsch, its Jordan representative.

Some Syrians said their accumulating debts had forced them to sell U.N. food coupons to pay for rent and basic goods.

‘EVERYONE IS HUNGRY’

Since Turkey’s economy tipped into a brief recession two years ago, the public mood towards Syrians has soured, with some saying they have driven down wages and taken jobs from locals.

Many of the three and a half million Syrian refugees work as day labourers in construction and manufacturing, especially textile factories – sectors that have been hard hit by the pandemic curbs.

Unlike millions of Turkish workers who lost their wages, Syrians do not benefit from government aid packages but can apply for food aid from local municipalities. Still, many have no basic protection against the virus.

Slideshow (6 Images)

One in five does not have access to clean water, said Omar Kadkoy of the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV). “This brings the issue to an alarming level and the government should be acting to contain (it).”

In a camp in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, which authorities have sealed off during the lockdown, Younes Hamdou cannot find bread. Clean water is also scarce, illness rife and social distancing nearly impossible.

“We are prisoners … We have no immunity because of the lack of food,” he said. “Lebanese people have gone hungry, Syrians have gone hungry. Everyone is hungry.”

Writing by Ellen Francis; additional reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, Imad Creidi in Lebanon and Dominic Evans in Istanbul; Editing by Tom Perry and Kevin Liffey

COVID-19: Social video games to play throughout the coronavirus quarantine

This short article, written by Joe Todd, University of Waterloo, initially appeared on The Discussion and has actually been republished here with consent:

The #PlayApartTogether project has just recently been promoted by the World Health Company (WHO) to encourage individuals to remain socially connected from home. Regardless of having actually just recently categorized unmanageable gaming as a condition, the WHO could be beginning to see the advantages of online gaming.

Considering that the pandemic began, free-to-play games such as Fortnite, Peak Legends and Call of Task: Warzone have actually been even more popular. The video game platform Steam recorded a record of 20 million simultaneous users.

As people strive to stay social throughout a time of physical distancing, online gaming is seeing a boom in users. With a user base growing each day, and people wanting to not only pass the time, but stay social, what better way exists to remain in touch with loved ones throughout a duration of seclusion than computer game?

While board video games stay popular with the increase of board game cafés, we are sadly unable to get together with one another at these cafés. When video games ended up being multiplayer, they were– and numerous still stay– localized, “ sofa co-op” video games.

And now thanks to online services such as Xbox Live, PlayStation Plus, Nintendo Switch Online, Steam, to name a few, we are now connected to countless games but also millions of individuals. During this pandemic, the closure of cinema, the stoppage of expert sports and the general state of quarantine indicates that leisure and socialization is limited to what is discovered in the house and online.

Online socializing: Advantages and disadvantages

Video game analytics specialist Nick Yee states there are three significant reasons why people play computer game, among which is the social component. Chatting with others, making buddies and developing long-term relationships are some the social activities that take place in online video gaming.

Socializing online is what scientists Constance Steinkuehler and Dmitri Williams call an “ online third place” Popularized by American sociologist Ray Oldenburg in 1999, the third place concept explains a setting where people can collect and socialize beyond house and work such as coffeehouse and bars.

The qualities of a 3rd location– conversation, ease of access, playful mood, house away from home and more– use to enormously multiplayer online (MMO) games such as Wow(WoW). Online third places are a place where people from worldwide can gather and interact socially.

But online gaming is not without its concerns: homophobia, racism and sexism prevail challenges. Some online video gaming neighborhoods have developed a hazardous behaviour: one that includes cyber-bullying and basic game interruption.

You require only look at personal stories from within the gaming community to see that mingling through video games can make for strong and significant connection. Research to date has revealed the capabilities that video games have for developing online relationships

Here are some ways to stay linked via video games during this time of isolation:

Dip into house as a household

If you’re wishing to have a household game night with those in the house or further away, look no further than JackBox Games With 6 different celebration loads featuring a variety of various video games, all you need to play is a cellular phone and eight of your many enjoyable relatives.

Jackbox Games has actually even provided a convenient guide of how to play through videoconferencing apps like Zoom or Google Hangouts

Make brand-new pals

If you’re wanting to make brand-new friends or connect to millions of strangers, attempt playing an MMO game like Wow While a regular monthly service fee and a decent computer are required to play, the collaborative aspect of questing and battling monsters in MMO video games is the best in WoW For more affordable options try The Elder Scrolls Online or a number of free-to-play MMO’s like Bless Unleashed and Neverwinter

Get schooled

It is a family-friendly game that motivates creativity, teamwork, problem fixing and much more. Minecraft is likewise using an edition of the video game with lessons available in mathematics, science, language arts, history and visual arts.

Video game on, granny and grandfather

Finally, it is necessary to highlight the most vulnerable population, the older grownups. About 53 per cent of the population older than 65 have access to a mobile phone. Rather than a gaming console, try a mobile-based game like Words with Buddies or Candy Crush, which are both addictive and social.

It is necessary to remain socially linked at a time of physical distancing. Online video games offer us a chance to stay linked as we physically separate.

Joe Todd, PhD Student in Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo

This article is republished from The Discussion under a Creative Commons license. Read the original post

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3 charged in murder of Family Dollar security guard over face mask dispute

FLINT (WJRT) – Three people are charged with the murder of a Family Dollar security guard in Flint, Michigan, who was enforcing the store’s policy requiring face masks.

Two men remain at large while a woman has been arrested and is awaiting arraignment in jail.

The male suspects are 44-year-old Larry Edward Teague and 23-year-old Ramonyea Bishop. Teague’s wife and Bishop’s mother, 45-year-old Sharmel Teague, has been arrested.

All three suspects are facing a charge of first-degree premeditated murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole if they are convicted.

Larry Teague and Bishop also are facing several weapons charges while Teague faces an additional charge of violating Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said Sharmel Teague and her daughter went in the Family Dollar at 877 E. Fifth St. in Flint around 1: 40 p.m. Friday. Teague was wearing a mask, but her daughter was not.

While inside, security guard Calvin Munerlyn confronted the daughter about not wearing a face mask.

Whitmer issued an order in April requiring everyone entering an enclosed space to wear a face mask or covering over their nose and mouth to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Family Dollar has adopted that as a store policy for customers.

Sharmel Teague and Munerlyn got into an argument about the policy. Leyton said Sharmel Teague spit at Munerlyn, who then ordered her to leave the store and told the cashier to refuse service to her.

Surveillance video showed Teague and her daughter leaving the store in a red GMC Envoy and enter the nearby River Village Apartments complex. Minutes later, cell phone records show Sharmel Teague made a phone call to Larry Teague, Leyton said.

About 20 minutes after Sharmel and her daughter left the store, Leyton said Larry Teague and Bishop drove the same GMC Envoy back to the store.

Leyton said surveillance video shows Larry Teague and Bishop enter the store and start an argument with Munerlyn. Witnesses reported hearing the suspects ask Munerlyn who had disrespected his wife.

During the altercation, Leyton said Bishop pulled out a handgun and shot 43-year-old Munerlyn in the head. He was rushed to Hurley Medical Center, where he died later Friday.

Larry Teague and Bishop remained at large on Monday. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-422-JAIL.

A $1,000 reward is available for information leading to their arrests. Both suspects should be considered armed and dangerous, Leyton said.

“We’re confident that we’ll get them,” he said.

Genesee County Commissioner Bryant Nolden, who is executive director of the Berson Field House in Flint, said Munerlyn was active and beloved at the facility. He called the murder “extremely senseless.”

“He didn’t bother a soul,” Nolden said of Munerlyn. “All he did was provide for his family.”

John Legend and Jennifer Hudson Perform ‘Charm and the Beast’

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See some of John Legend and Jennifer Hudson’s performance of ‘Charm and the Beast,’ part of ‘The Disney Household Singalong: Volume II.’ Watch the full unique and highlights on ABC and Hulu! #stayhome #withme

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Should You Give ‘Unschooling’ a Try?

Most of us have been home with our kids for at least a month. My kids have been home since March 6 (but who’s counting?), and although we are happy to keep our distance as long as necessary, I desperately long for the days when I could drop my girls off with their patient and qualified professional educators instead of facilitating Zoom calls and digital learning platforms all day.

Parents are watching the calendar tick by in slow motion, trying to catch up with emerging expectations for digital learning and lamenting not having the time or energy to create our own at-home education complex.

We were only a week into quarantine school when I saw this post on Facebook from child psychologist Dr. Emily W. King:

On the verge of tears and ready to throw the iPad out the window, I finally felt seen. Can we keep this up (full-time parenting, working and teaching) until June? Can we do this again in the fall if things don’t go back to normal? Maybe, like me, you’ve fantasized about throwing in the towel on structured education in 2020… turning your kids out in the backyard, and letting them come back inside only once they’ve stumbled upon a PhD-level understanding of roly-poly bugs or something.

My fantasies led me to investigate a term I’d heard before—unschooling—and whether an unconventional approach to education could ease some of the pressure we reluctant parent-teachers are feeling right now.

What is unschooling?

The term unschooling was introduced in 1977 by educator John Holt, an advocate for alternatives to the public school system. Holt believed instead of sitting in classrooms and following a prescribed curriculum and testing schedule, children could be educated through their own curiosity, with parents providing resources and support.

Can I just pause here to say how much I appreciate teachers and schools and everything they do? Especially now? That said, lots of families choose an unschooling approach, and their children thrive, too.

A 2017 review of literature estimates 1 million U.S. children are engaged in unschooling. It’s a type of homeschooling that does not follow any curriculum or try to recreate the classroom experience. You may have heard it called free-range learning, worldschooling, or roadschooling. So what does it look like in the real world?

Sorry, there’s no guidebook—that’s kind of the point.

“The beauty of unschooling is in the search for the answers,” writes Leo Babauta on The Beginner’s Guide to Unschooling website. “If anyone had all the answers, there would be no search. And so what I’d love to teach unschooling parents and kids is that the search is the joy of it all.”

If you are still toying with the idea—as a way to wrap up this weird school year, maximize learning in the summer, or as a family experiment for next school year—here are the basics of unschooling.

Kid’s choice

What your kid is interested in will completely drive the direction of unschooling. There is no outside requirement to meet any reading or math milestones. Unschooled kids learn to read and do math because those are tools they need for pursuing their interests.

You may already know your child is obsessed with robots or LEGO, and that’s your starting point. But if you don’t know where to start, don’t worry. The next element will help reveal and nurture her areas of interest.

A rich learning environment

It’s tough to define, but odds are you already have a rich learning environment at home. Do you have access to books? Safe internet content? Outdoor space? Friends and family (even if it’s virtual for now)? Materials that can be repurposed creatively? None of these elements are required, but a few of them together can help a child get started on a path of discovery.

No assignments or tests

Deep down I’m a rule-following, standardized test-loving, report card-waving girl. If you don’t give me A’s, how will I know I’m doing well? Well, unschooling devotees might say that system gives children an unnatural need to be evaluated and ranked.

However, since goals are defined by the individual child in unschooling, they don’t need a grade to measure success. (Unschooling is legal in all 50 states, although each state may have individual laws for how you approach or report their progress.)

Even if your family is not ready to give up on traditional school and all its benefits, you can be empowered by the idea of unschooling to ease up on the structure and expectations that feel so suffocating right now. Kids and parents have been flooded with digital resources and learning opportunities since schools closed. Think of them less as a mountain of assignments and more as a “Choose Your Own Adventure” menu. Your home is a library of unconventional texts and a cache of creative materials just waiting for a child’s idea to pull them together.

Questions are the cornerstone of self-directed learning. When your child asks a question, follow that lead! When your child hits a roadblock, guide him with a question! Tap into your intuition and honor your child’s intuitive style of learning.

If your mind wanders back to phonics and new math, give yourself permission to worry about those things again in September. Odds are, if your children are being raised by a parent who would dive into pedagogical research to determine the best, most holistic method of education that works for the whole family in a time of global crisis, they will probably turn out fine no matter what the next school year looks like.

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Google Duo group video calls coming to Chrome in weeks

Google’s Duo video chat gains effects and masks.

Google

Google on Friday said it’s working on an update to its Duo video calling service that will let you make group video calls over the web. The search giant said Duo group video chats for the web would come as a preview in its Chrome browser in the coming weeks.

Google also added a “Family Mode” feature to Duo for Android and iOS that lets you doodle on calls and add effects and masks like cats and astronauts to keep calls entertaining. The Duo app already lets you make group and one-to-one calls. Currently, the web version of Duo handles just one-to-one voice and video calls.

Video chatting has become an increasingly popular way for friends and family to stay in touch during the coronavirus pandemic, and Google is retooling some of its chat apps so more people can use them. The company just made its Meet business and education video chat service available for free to everyone. Facebook, Skype, Microsoft and of course Zoom have free group video chat services.

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Coronavirus, terminal cancer and a Zoom wedding this Sunday: ‘We can’t put off joy’

familyportrait — Jenessa Schwartz and husband-to-be Trevor Davis pose with Solly and Ramona, Schwartz’s children from a previous marriage. “My kids fell in love with him quickly,” she says.

Jenessa Schwartz

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO website.

On Sunday afternoon, Jenessa Schwartz and Trevor Davis will get married in their Northern California backyard. It will be a small affair — just the two of them, Schwartz’s dad and her two young children. And 50-plus guests dialing in via Zoom.

Schwartz and Davis won’t be the first couple to hold a Zoom wedding during these bizarre, locked-down times — there are even online tutorials for planning a virtual wedding, including how to ensure “Zoombombers” can’t crash the fun. But a particular urgency drove their decision to exchange virtual vows rather than postpone their nuptials, as many others are doing. The bride is simultaneously battling terminal colorectal cancer and navigating the coronavirus crisis as someone with a compromised immune system.

jandtpromo-1 — Trevor Davis has been by Jenessa Schwartz’s side for her many chemo treatments. “His support has been nothing short of Herculean,” she says.

Jenessa Schwartz

“It’s going to sound trite and a little cliche, but I’ve cultivated this seize-the-day attitude,” Schwartz says. “We decided we can’t put off joy.”

It’s an outlook best summed up by the title of a post on the blog where Schwartz, 37, chronicles her three-year cancer journey: “Let’s carpe this MF diem.”

If the Zoom wedding attendees lean in to their screens, they’ll see garlands twisting around a trellis in the couple’s San Jose yard. And they’ll notice a distinctive color theme for the occasion — blue, for colon cancer awareness.

The bride will wear bright blue boots. The groom will sport a blue blazer. A blue dress covered with stars will offset 9-year-old Ramona’s bright red hair, and the equally flame-haired Solly, 7, will look dapper in a blue button-down shirt. Even Rocky the pitbull mix will wear a blue bowtie, homemade by Ramona.

“While it certainly isn’t going to look the way we expected it to, I’m thrilled that it’s going to happen,” Davis says. “All I can hope for is that it really does.”

Schwartz and Davis, 32, met when they were teaching at the same school — she in language arts, he in physics. They started as close friends. Their friendship turned into romantic love shortly after Schwartz got shattering news in March 2017: She had stage four colon cancer, meaning it had metastasized beyond its original site. Doctors gave her a prognosis of one to two years, a projection she’s thankfully outlived.

The physical and emotional vagaries of life with cancer have been difficult for both of them. But falling more deeply in love has been easy.

“I’ve never been a very outgoing or chatty person, but with Ness it’s always been easy for me to share myself,” Davis says. “When I talk to her, she listens. Even more importantly than that, she gets me in a way that no one else ever has. People sometimes talk about finding their person. Jenessa has been mine since the moment I met her.”

cyndi-jenessas-mom-trevor-and-jenessa-playing-mah-jongg-during-chemo — Davis, Schwartz and her mom Cyndi play mah jongg during a chemo treatment.

Jenessa Schwartz

Colon cancer typically affects older adults, though it can strike at any age. Schwartz consulted a doctor after spotting blood in her stool. She had long experienced irregular bowel habits, fatigue, nausea and anemia, but attributed the symptoms to her pregnancies — in addition to her two kids, she carried twins as a surrogate for a gay couple. She figured she also might just be tired from the rigors of motherhood.

Then, the diagnosis that changed everything: incurable cancer.

Her disease is, however, treatable. Treatments have involved an eight-hour surgery to remove part of her colon and liver, plus her appendix, gallbladder, uterus, ovaries and even more of her insides. She has gone through dozens of rounds of grueling chemotherapy and endured lengthy hospitalizations. She shares all aspects of the experience on her blog, titled My Colon Cancer: Semicolon Not Full Stop. “When life gives you cancer, make a punctuation pun,” she jokes.

Her posts are searingly honest, frequently funny and full of determination and gratitude. Often, even in her darkest moments, she’ll include a “silver lining roll call.”

“My belly now looks like I’ve been in a wicked knife fight, which is kickass,” she wrote after her surgery. And, of her teaching: “Middle school students are so well-behaved after you tell them you have cancer.”

rocky-1 — Even Rocky will wear blue to the wedding to symbolize colorectal cancer awareness.

Jenessa Schwartz

Through it all, Davis has stood by her side. He’s stayed with her every night she’s been in the hospital and accompanied her to almost every chemotherapy treatment. After chemo infusions, he tucks her into bed and brings her whatever she needs.

“His support has been nothing short of Herculean,” Schwartz says.

In June 2018, Schwartz got the remarkable news that her scans showed no signs of cancer. A year later, it returned. Cancer treatment is never easy, but cancer treatment amid the COVID-19 pandemic is even more complex.

Hospitals have enacted restrictions on visitors, meaning less in-person support during chemo appointments. Some cancer surgeries are being postponed or canceled, as are scans. Schwartz was scheduled for a routine PET scan next week to gauge the efficiency of her current round of chemo, but it’s been delayed until next month.

“That may not sound like a big deal, but if my disease has progressed, that means I will have endured unnecessary and ineffectual chemotherapy and I’ll be weeks behind a new treatment plan,” she says.

COVID-19 is its own threat — to the healthy, yes, but especially to those considered high-risk, including the elderly and people with underlying problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and cancer. The rate of death for cancer patients in China who tested positive for coronavirus was 7.6%, compared with the overall death rate of 3.8% for those infected, according to a report from the World Health Organization-China joint mission.

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While Schwartz and Davis’ upcoming wedding stands as a symbol of defiance in the face of a life drastically altered, there are also realistic considerations.

“The darker side of it is that now, more than ever, it’s important to have our affairs in order,” Schwartz says. “We wanted to make sure we had a legal marriage and all of the benefits that come with that.”

But for now, the couple is looking forward to their special Sunday, a day they set for the celebration before coronavirus upended the world. A day that had already rooted itself in their minds as their future anniversary — whatever that future may look like.

“When you have a wedding date, the day feels important somehow,” Schwartz says. “We decided that that’s our wedding date, that it’s going to remain our wedding date.”

That day, May 3, 2020, will be a day of love, hope, family and friends. And bright blue.

Our new reality now that coronavirus has sent the world online

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Zoom vs. Microsoft Teams: The main differences between the two video chat apps

Microsoft’s illustration for its Teams login page.

Screenshot by Lynn La/CNET

In the wake of coronavirus outbreak quarantines, lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders, use of video chats apps and services has surged. Many people are now working from home, and in-person visits have gone digital.

While there are many options available, whether you’re looking for a way to spend a virtual happy hour or host a brainstorming session with coworkers, two popular choices are Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Here’s how the two video-chat and conferencing apps compare — especially in light of Zoom’s recent security and privacy issues.

Microsoft

If your workplace uses Office 365, you already have access to Microsoft Teams — a platform for chat, video conferencing and audio calls. The workplace communication hub integrates with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Office apps for seamless presenting and file sharing. The app has a similar feel to Slack — you can talk to team members privately or in specific channels, and you can call attention to the whole group or just an individual with the mention feature.

You can video chat with up to 250 people at once with Teams, or present live to up to 10,000 people. Share meeting agendas prior to a conference, invite external guests to join a meeting, and access past meeting recordings and notes. Meetings can be scheduled in the Teams app or through Outlook.

As more people began to rely on video conferencing amid the pandemic, Microsoft posted a blog about its security practices, and the company regularly posts in a Transparency Hub. Microsoft said it doesn’t use your Teams data to provide ads, it doesn’t track participant attention, and it deletes all your data after your subscription ends — making a pretty clear effort to differentiate itself from Zoom and its many privacy and security concerns.

Teams is included with your Office 365 subscription, but you can also download a free version. In March, Microsoft lifted limitations on the free version so businesses and schools can use it even without a traditional subscription. The company is also offering a six-month free trial of Office 365 E1, Microsoft’s enterprise software suite, for businesses that aren’t already licensed for Teams. Office 365 business plans that include Teams start at $5/user/month.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The Zoom video conference app works for Android, iOS, PC and Mac. The app offers a basic free plan that hosts up to 100 participants. There are also options for small and medium business teams ($15-$20 a month per host) and large enterprises for $20 a month per host with a 50-host minimum. You can adjust meeting times, and select multiple hosts. Up to 1,000 users can participate in a single Zoom video call, and 49 videos can appear on the screen at once.

The app has HD video and audio capabilities, collaboration tools like simultaneous screen-sharing and co-annotation, and the ability to record meetings and generate transcripts. Outlook, Gmail and iCal support scheduling and starting meetings. In Gmail, for example, just click the calendar icon, then click the time of your meeting, then click the link under Join Zoom Meeting. If the host scheduled it, there might also be call-in options.

If your mic and camera are off, Zoom has the option to communicate via chat (the interface looks a bit like Slack). This feature can also be helpful if it’s a massive all-hands meeting and the opportunity for questions is available.

It’s free to sign up with Zoom — you can either manually create an account with an email or sign in with Google or Facebook.

If you use Zoom, it’s important to take into consideration the security issues that have come to light since its rapid rise in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic. Privacy experts have expressed concerns over the video-conferencing software’s privacy risks and hacking vulnerabilities, as well as zoombombing (where uninvited attendees break into and disrupt meetings). The New York City Department of Education recently told teachers to stop using Zoom in favor of Microsoft Teams while security threats are addressed by the company.

However, if you’re still using the platform, there are some steps you can take to protect your meetings, like using a per-meeting ID and enabling the “Waiting Room” feature so you can see who is attempting to join a meeting before allowing access.

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Did the Rockefellers Already Know? Family Exited Oil Investments in 2016.

El fondo de la familia Rockefeller anunció en 2016 que desinvertiría el capital que mantiene hasta ahora en la petrolera Exxon Mobil Corp.

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Esta nueva era sigue dando sorpresas, pero tal vez algunas que ya se veían venir. En 2016, los herederos del empresario estadounidense John D. Rockefeller, fundador de Standard Oil en 1870 y quien en determinado momento llegó a monopolizar la industria, anunciaron que dejarán el negocio de los hidrocarburos.

“No hay ninguna razón sensata para que las empresas sigan explorando nuevas fuentes de hidrocarburos”, argumentó el Fondo de la Familia Rockefeller a través de una carta publicada en su página web.

“Al tiempo en que la comunidad global trabaja para eliminar el uso de combustibles fósiles, tiene poco sentido financiero o ético continuar invirtiendo en estas compañías”.

Aunque solo una pequeña parte de los 130 millones de dólares se invierten en combustibles fósiles, la medida cobra relevancia ya que hace un siglo Rockefeller hizo una fortuna con Standard Oil, un precursor de Exxon Mobil. La familia dijo que también se desprendería de sus inversiones en carbón y arenas petrolíferas de Canadá, pues señaló que la conducta de Exxon en cuestiones climáticas parece ser “moralmente reprobable”.

¿Qué está pasando con el Big Oil?

Los Rockefeller son sinónimo de las grandes empresas del siglo XXI, pero esta semana vivimos uno de los momentos históricos más asombrosos en la industria del petróleo (como tambiñen se conoce, Big Oil). Los contrato de futuros de petróleo se cayeron en picada y encendieron las alarmas en una industria que ya estaba viviendo momentos muy complejos. Este 20 de abril, los futuros del crudo WTI para mayo tocaron un piso récord de 1,02 dólares el barril, para luego cotizar con una pérdida de 16,47 dólares, o un 80%, a 16,47 dólares el barril.

La caída de los precios del crudo y la reducción en la producción ha puesto en jaque a países enteros que dependían casi en su totalidad de la actividad petrolera.

Pero, más allá del morbo que pueden provocar nombres como Rockefeller o Rothschild, hay que entender qué está pasando con el petróleo hoy por hoy.

1. Cada vez cuesta más trabajo obtener petróleo

Los ritmos de extracción de los combustibles fósiles tienden a hacerse más lentos con el tiempo. Países como México, Argelia, Venezuela, Argentina, Guinea, Indonesia, Noruega y el Reino Unido ya llevan años con su producción en declive.

2. Sorpresa: es caro sacar petróleo

La fractura hidráulica requiere unas inversiones muy elevadas y tienen unas consecuencias ambientales desastrosas. Y como lo mencionamos en el punto anterior, la calidad del crudo es cada vez menor.

3. Vamos a tener que hacer la transición energética… eventualmente

El petróleo es un recurso energético no renovable. Es decir, eventualmente se va a acabar. Por el momento todavía estamos desarrollando alternativas de energía limpia que satisfagan las necesidades de las grandes poblaciones (energía eólica, energía solar), pero no lo hemos conseguido. Pero la tecnología avanza día con día y eventualmente, se encontrará otra forma de darle poder al mundo que no dependa de los combustibles fósiles.

Se trata de una oportunidad de oro para los emprendedores que están buscando soluciones alternativas como biocombustibles o incluso, revitalizar la industria que está anquilosada porque la única verdad es que estamos extrayendo carbón, petróleo y gas a un ritmo inmensamente mayor de lo que puede regenerarse.

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