More than a thousand organic farms are now operating in Pennsylvania, according to the 2019 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Organic Survey.
The 1,048 organic farms counted last year was a 31% increase from 2016, placing Pennsylvania in fourth place behind California, Wisconsin and New York.
These farms produced $ 742 million in organic produce – up 12% from 2016 – on 107,550 certified organic acres, a 15% increase from 2016. Pennsylvania ranked third behind California and Washington for the value of organic sales.
Of the more than a thousand farms, 559 said all of their sales were organic, 237 said they were 75 to 99 percent organic, and 149 said they were 50 to 74 percent.
In Pennsylvania, livestock and poultry were the top organic category at $ 449 million (up 16%), followed by crops at $ 124 million (up 48%) and mushrooms at $ 77.3 million. dollars (up 99%).
Of Pennsylvania’s organic farms, 87 reported growing squash; 59, cabbage; 58, potatoes; 57, tomatoes; onions, 54; lettuce, 51; peppers, 49; garlic, 44; carrots, 42; broccoli, 40; musketeer bears, 29; sweet potatoes, 29 years old; spinach, 29; herbs, 28; peas, 28; sweet corn, 23; watermelons, 22; cantaloupe and musk melons, 19; cauliflower, 17; strawberries, 16; blackberries, 10; blueberries, 10; raspberries, 6; celery, 6; apples, 5; and honeydew, 2.
A total of 362 dairy cows raised; 114, laying hens; 102, meat chickens; 54, turkeys; 26, beef cows; 13, pigs and pigs; and 3, sheep.
Only 11 of the organic farms reported producing maple syrup. They operated 167,419 faucets to produce 50,929 gallons of syrup, which they sold for $ 1,227,119.
Of the farms, 60 cited regulatory issues as a major obstacle to their operations, 30 as pricing issues and 31 as production issues.
Contact Marcus Schneck at [email protected].
]]>LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Super Bowl is in a few weeks, but for “Jeopardy!” addicts, the big game is here: Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer, the best winners of all time, compete for the right to brag.
“The first person to win three games will be crowned the greatest of all time,” said executive producer Harry Friedman. The winner receives $ 1 million, with $ 250,000 for each finalist in the contest airing on consecutive nights starting at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Host Alex Trebek gives the rookie credit for creating “Jeopardy! The greatest of all time ‘happen.
The tournament “was a natural one because of the appearance of James holzhauer“Trebek said.” Before that, there wasn’t a competitor who measured up, in the eyes of our viewers, to Ken Jennings or Brad Rutter. And this is James, and making more money faster than anyone else. had never done one on the show, and really caught America’s attention.
Friedman said there had been discussions with ABC about a rare prime-time foray into “Jeopardy!” But the format proved elusive until professional sports player Holzhauer made his way to glory in 2019 with his intelligence, skill and high-level Daily Double betting.
“There has been a lot of discussion online about, ‘Is he the greatest player of all time?’ “No, Ken Jennings, because he had that streak,” or someone would say, “I think it’s Brad Rutter, look how many times he’s won.” So it really fell into place, ”the producer said.
Trebek, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer as he continues to regularly host “Jeopardy!” matches, he was not asked directly if he was also ready to manage the championship series.
“We discussed the idea for this competition with him because we wanted to make sure he supported it as a concept, first and foremost. And he said, ‘Oh yeah, let’s go.’ With enthusiasm, ”Friedman said.
(“It’s part of my job,” Trebek said. He “struggled a bit” during the recording, he said, adding, “Well, that comes with the territory.”)
The large-scale competition took place in December. To keep the outcome a mystery, an ABC version runs it until January 16 “if necessary”.
For Jennings, knowing who he was going to face was both stressful – “usually everyone’s guessing who’s making the final” – and helpful.
“I could watch a tape of them, and they’re both extremely scary players, one of which (Rutter) I’ve played. He usually finds a way to win. So I knew these people were going to be the fastest, smartest people I had ever seen with a “Jeopardy!” “Buzzer,” Jennings said.
Holzhauer also did his homework.
“I studied more esoteric facts in the hopes that the writers would increase the difficulty of the question, but the great thing I did to prepare was additional repetitions of the buzzer practice, knowing that Brad and Ken are the two best in the history of the series on the signaling device, ”he said in an email.
It’s “crazy to be compared to the two best players who came before me, but I know I can hang out with them,” said Holzhauer. down.'”
Rutter considers the players to be equal in their skills.
“It’s really about timing and knowing the buzzer, and we’re all pretty good at it,” he said. I am a little too focused. … James is also ready with jokes, but he also has a good analytical sense. “
“But we all put a bunch of strategy into it,” Rutter said. Any chance he shares his? “Tap into knowledge.”
Rutter enters the contest as the first winner of any game show with $ 4.69 million in “Jeopardy!” to play. Jennings holds the record for winning streaks of 74 games and has grossed $ 3.37 million. Holzhauer set and broke over a dozen records for the biggest wins in one day, won the 2019 Tournament of Champions and took home $ 2.7 million in prize money.
Rutter is the veteran player, performing his first “Jeopardy!” Appearance nearly 20 years ago, in October 2000, when the champions were “retired” from the regular season after five wins. Jennings’ first game took place in June 2004, a year after the rules were changed to allow players to accumulate unlimited winnings.
Subsequent tournaments saw Rutter triumph on a regular basis. But Jennings can claim a qualifying victory on show: In a 2011 showdown with IBM’s Watson, the computer won, but Jennings passed Rutter to take second.
Applicants share obvious abilities – as well as gender. Could a future “Biggest” competition be more inclusive?
“Absolutely,” Friedman replied. The applicant pool is more diverse and includes more women since online testing was added to make the initial application process widely available, he said.
Associated content:
]]>>> Potential candidates for MSCI inclusion are the focus of attention
>> Investors flock to postal savings to secure higher interest rates
>> Diagnostic stocks on the rise on Dalal Street
>> Overseas Indians try a trick to circumvent the new tax
Hi. Welcome to ETMarkets Morning, the money, business and markets show. I am Sandeep Singh.
Let’s start with a quick look at the state of the markets.
Dalal Street signaled a sense of weakness on Monday morning and Nifty futures traded around 15 points lower on the Singapore Stock Exchange at 7 a.m. (IST). Other Asian markets opened mixed after Wall Street indices rallied overnight to record a high on strong economic data that added to evidence of a strengthening recovery. In foreign currencies, the dollar resisted Monday’s losses. The rupee fell 18 paise on Monday to close at 73.30 against the US dollar. US Treasury yields stabilized at 1.70%. Oil retained most of its 4.6% decline due to growing delays in reopening Europe and impending Iranian supplies. Gold traded little on international markets.
That said, here’s what’s in the news.
Potential candidates for inclusion in the MSCI index are focused on Dalal Street. IIFL Alternative Research released a report, claiming that Adani Enterprises, Adani Total Gas, Adani Transmission, SBI Cards and Cholamandalam Investment are “high probability” candidates for inclusion in the MSCI Standard Index at the next semi-annual review in may. He said Jindal Steel, Voltas, SRF, Godrej Properties and Bharat Electronics are “medium likelihood” candidates for inclusion. Shares of the Adani Group could see inflows ranging from $ 207 million to $ 229 million each on such inclusion.
Diagnostic stocks are at their highest. Those shares jumped in the middle of Monday’s sale on expectations that the increase in Covid-19 cases will boost testing. Fund managers said investors were mixing their portfolios in favor of companies that could benefit from essential services rather than discretionary spending. Thyrocare Technologies jumped 7.35% on Monday while Metropolis Healthcare gained 2.6% and Dr Lal PathLabs 6.1%.
Many wealthy Indians with overseas businesses and jobs are trying to get around the country’s new tax rule that targets the global income of its citizens. These individuals set aside a slice of their income in jurisdictions like Singapore and Hong Kong to pay a small tax there in the hope that they would escape the glare of the income tax department in India. But whether their aggressive strategy pays off, it will depend on how harshly the tax authorities interpret the law.
Credit rating agency ICRA said bad debts from Indian banks could increase significantly this fiscal year when the government and the RBI roll back regulatory and tax support measures. Banks could see gross bad debts rise to 9.7% of advances in FY21 and 10.2% by the end of FY22, the rating firm said in a report. “While the asset quality and restructuring figures are encouraging, they do not reflect the underlying pressure on banks’ asset quality,” said Anil Gupta, head of the financial sector ratings sector at the ‘ICRA.
And finally, worried Indian investors are now rushing into postal savings. Eyeing simple products and visible returns, they rush to post offices to take advantage of the higher returns offered by postal savings plans. The government kept the interest rates on these small savings products unchanged for the April-June quarter, making these devices attractive compared to bank deposits. Financial planners believe that it is only a matter of time before the interest rates of these programs are reduced in line with the general low interest rate environment.
NOW Before you go, here’s a look at the actions buzzing this morning …
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), which last year acquired a 75% stake in the port of Krishnapatnam, bought an additional 25% for Rs 2,800 crore, making it a wholly owned port.
JSPL, led by Naveen Jindal, will divest 100% of its electricity subsidiary Jindal Power (JPL) in order to reduce the company’s overall debt by 28,000 crore rupees and reduce carbon emissions within the group.
Mortgage lender HDFC announced on Monday that it would acquire a 9.90% stake in Kerala-based infrastructure fund management company KIFML.
The country’s largest automaker, Maruti Suzuki India, said on Monday that its total production in March 2021 had increased significantly to 1,723,433 units compared to the same month last year.
Alcoholic beverage maker Tilaknagar Industries said it has signed an agreement with French distiller Pernod Ricard to manufacture its products at its manufacturing facility in Maharashtra.
Steelmaker JSPL announced a 20% increase in sales to 7.28 million tonnes for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 with production up 19% to 7.51 mt, the company said.
Also check out over two dozen stock recommendations for today’s trade from top analysts on ETMarkets.com.
That’s all for the moment. Stay with us for all the market news throughout the day. Good investment!
]]>As part of the investigation into former President Donald Trump and the finances of the Trump Organization, New York State prosecutors have subpoenaed the banking records of Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, The New York Times reported wednesday.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, headed by Cyrus Vance, Jr., is investigating gifts Trump gave Weisselberg and his family, sources told The Times.
As a longtime CFO, Weisselberg stood by Trump’s side and maintained a keen knowledge of his financial dealings.
“He knows where the bodies are buried”, and is therefore “a crucial witness”, former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Cramer told the insider.
The investigation began with Vance examining the role of the Trump Organization in making discreet cash payments to two women who claimed to have had extramarital affairs with Trump.
Former personal attorney Michael Cohen arranged the payments and then pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges. Cohen testified before Congress that Weisselberg devised a strategy to hide the Trump Organization reimbursing Cohen for making a payment of $ 130,000 to one of the women, adult actress Stormy Daniels.
The prosecution did not charge Weisselberg with wrongdoing during Cohen’s indictment. Upon release from prison, Cohen is cooperating with Vance and the Manhattan DA, sources told The Times last month.
The investigation has since widened and investigators are now investigating whether the Trump Organization falsely reported property values to secure loans and tax breaks, the Times said.
Vance’s office subpoenaed the files of several banks that have partnered with Trump and the Trump Organization, including Capital One and JPMorgan Chase, sources said. The banks have reportedly turned over their files to prosecutors; they received Trump’s personal tax information in February.
Prosecutors have also reportedly searched the ledgers for several of the more than two dozen Trump Organization properties that the company failed to return last year. Ledgers provide a breakdown of each property’s financial condition, including daily receipts, checks and income, according to the Times report.
“Prosecutors could compare these details with information the company has provided to its lenders and local tax authorities to assess whether it has fraudulently misled them,” the report said.
In recent weeks, the prosecution has questioned Weisselberg’s former daughter-in-law Jennifer Weisselberg, who was married to Weisselberg’s son Barry, director of Trump Wollman Rink in Central Park.
In an interview, Ms Weisselberg said prosecutors asked her about several gifts Trump and his company had given the family over the years, the Times said, including an apartment on Central Park South, cars for several family members and tuition at a private school.
Ms Weisselberg handed prosecutors seven boxes of documents given to her as part of her divorce settlement, she told the insider.
“They picked up documents several times. They ended up taking seven boxes of my documents and scanning them, going through them,” she said, adding that prosecutors also took depositions, checks, numbers. routing and bank account information.
]]>One of the most famous derivative transactions during the dot-com era was performed by the one and only, Mark Cuban.
In 1998, Mark Cuban and his partner Todd Wagner sold Broadcast.com, a giant multimedia company specializing in audio and video streaming, to Yahoo! for $ 5.7 billion. At the time, Mark Cuban had received 14.6 million shares of Yahoo at $ 95, so his concentrated position had a market value of $ 1.4 billion. In order to protect the value of the 14.6 million shares, he decided to set up a no-cost options collar, which allowed him to protect his billions without paying an insurance premium. Probably because there was a blocking period for him to sell Yahoo stock, or he used those Yahoo stocks as collateral for a bank loan, or he didn’t want to miss the opportunity if Yahoo continued to rally, he chose to enter a collar to lock in his stock value without selling the stock. Here is the detail of the option transaction:
1) For every 100 Yahoo shares, 1 sales contract (strike 85) was purchased and 1 purchase contract (strike 205) was sold. In total, 146,000 purchase contracts and 146,000 sales contracts were negotiated.
2) The put premium exactly offset the call premium, so there was no cost for this trade (Mark probably had to pay a commission, but it is likely that the cost of the commission was been incorporated into the premium as part of the total agreement between Mark and brokers or counterparts).
3) All options expired in 3 years.
Such an option structure is called a collar and consists of two stages: buying a put option down and selling a call option up. A free collar has the put premium exactly offsetting the call so that there is no cost to enter the collar trade.
After the entry of the Cuban necklace trade, Yahoo’s stock price hit the stratosphere of $ 237 in January 2000, making its trade look like a mistake. Then the Internet bubble burst and Yahoo reached the abysmal price of $ 13 (end of 2002), making its job a stroke of genius, an excellent job of risk management at no cost. Cuban was able to determine the stock’s value (or nearly 90% of it), regardless of subsequent stock movement, and preserve most of the original value he received for Broadcast.com. **
Concentrated equity positions: considerations and strategies
Whether you have inherited a large stake, exercised options to buy shares in your company, sold a private company, held restricted stock, or benefited from repeated stock splits over the years, have a large position in one. action comes with unique challenges. Even if the stock has performed well, you may want more diversification or have new financial goals that require a change in strategy.
When a single stock dominates your portfolio, selling the stock can be complicated by more than the associated tax consequences. There may also be legal constraints on your ability to sell, contractual obligations such as lock-in agreements, or practical considerations such as the possibility that a large sale could overwhelm the market for a thinly traded stock. The choices that are right for you are complex and depend on your circumstances and tax considerations, but here’s a quick rundown of some of your options.
Sell your shares
Selling obviously frees up funds that can be used to diversify a portfolio. However, if you have a low cost base, you might be concerned about capital gains taxes. Or if the position is that large, you might want to avoid any perception of market manipulation or insider trading. You might consider selling stocks over time, which can help manage the tax burden over the course of a year, while still allowing you to participate in any future growth. Consider the tax consequences of any sale with your financial planner. The American Tax Relief Act of 2012 set the maximum tax rate on long-term capital gains at 20% for those in the 39.6% federal tax bracket; a 15% rate will generally apply for individuals in the 25%, 28%, 33% or 35% tax brackets, and a 0% rate will generally apply for those in the 10% and 15%. In addition, if your adjusted gross income exceeds $ 200,000 ($ 250,000 for married couples filing jointly), your net investment income will be subject to an additional tax of 3.8% on the contribution to Medicare. Unlike in previous years, these rates are not scheduled to expire on a certain date. This increased certainty should simplify your financial planning.
If you own restricted stocks, you can set up a 10b5-1 plan, which sets a predetermined schedule for selling stocks over time. These written plans state in advance the dates, prices and amounts of each sale and comply with SEC Rule 144, which governs the sale of restricted shares and was designed to prevent insider trading. A 10b5-1 plan demonstrates that your selling decisions were made before you had any insider knowledge that could influence specific trades. You might also be able to avoid some of the restrictions on how much and when you can sell by selling shares privately rather than in the public market. However, keep in mind that you will likely have to sell below market value and still have to pay capital gains taxes.
Cover your position
You may want to try to protect yourself against the risk of a substantial price drop in the short term by using Options. *
Buying a protection put essentially puts a floor below the value of your shares by giving you the right to sell your shares at a predetermined price. Buying put options that can be exercised at a price below the current market value of your stock can help limit potential losses on the underlying stock while allowing you to continue to participate in any potential appreciation. . You would also lose money on the option itself if the stock price remains above the strike price of the put option.
Writing covered calls with a strike price above the market price can generate additional income from your holdings which could help offset potential losses if the stock price falls. On the other hand, the appeal limits the extent to which you can benefit from price appreciation. And if the stock price hits the strike price of the call, you’ll need to be prepared to answer that call.
A collar consists of buying protective puts and selling call options, the premiums of which offset the cost of buying the puts. However, as with a covered call, the upward appreciation in your holdings is then limited to the strike price of the call. If this price is reached before the expiration date of the necklace, you would not only lose the premium you paid for the put, but you would also face capital gains on any stocks you sold. Be careful not to close one side of the collar while the other side of the trade remains pending. For example, if you exercised the put option but the stocks you sell are then called before the call option expiration date, you could end up with an unhedged call option. You could potentially suffer a loss if you had to buy back the shares at a higher price to answer the call.
Make sure your collar is not too tight: Transaction costs in multi-legged options strategies, such as a tunnel, can be significant and should be taken into account as these strategies involve multiple commissions, fees, and charges. Also, the prices set for a necklace must not violate the rules against a so-called implicit sale. A strategy that eliminates all risk is actually a sale and therefore subject to capital gains tax. The strike prices of a necklace should not be too close to your share price.
Time matters: When dealing with a large shareholding, think about your schedule. Some strategies, such as hedging, may be most appropriate for the short term or if you can’t sell. Others, like donating to a trust, may be more profitable over a longer period of time, although your charitable intentions obviously play a role as well.
Borrow to diversify
If you want to keep your stocks but need the money to build a more diversified portfolio, you can use your stocks as collateral to buy other stocks on margin. However, trading in securities in a margin account involves risks that you should discuss with a financial professional before considering this strategy.
Donate shares to a trust
If you want income rather than the growth of your stocks, you can transfer stocks to a trust. If you have highly valued stocks, consider donating them to a charitable residual trust (CRT). You get a tax deduction when you pay the contribution. Typically, the trust can sell the shares without paying capital gains tax and reinvest the proceeds to provide income to you as a donor. When the trust is terminated, the charity retains the remaining assets. You can set a payout rate that meets both your financial and philanthropic goals (the donation is irrevocable). Another option is a Charitable Master Trust (CLT), which in many ways is a mirror image of a CRT. With a typical CLT, the charity receives the income stream for a specified period; the rest goes to your beneficiaries. You do not receive any tax deduction for the transfer of assets unless you name yourself the owner of the trust, in which case you will pay annual income taxes. Other philanthropic options include a direct donation to a charity or private foundation and a tax deduction.
Managing a concentrated equity position is a complex task that can involve investment, tax and legal issues. Consult with professionals who can help you navigate the maze.
If you would like to read my future articles, please click ‘Follow’ at the top of this article.
** You can read more details about the trade at http://investmentxyz.blogspot.com/2006/05/cubans-collar-anatomy-of-famous-trade.html
]]>The Law on Economic Aid for Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Hard-Affected Sites (Economic Aid Law) changes the rules for existing PPP loans, second-draw PPP loans and new PPP loans .
In short, the Law on Economic Aid extends eligible expenses for recipients of initial PPP loans who have not yet applied for a pardon. These provisions will also be available to new loan applicants using the replenished PPP program contained in the Consolidated Credit Law of 2021, a law that improves and expands certain provisions of the Law on Aid, Relief and Economic Security against coronaviruses (CARES).
Here are some of the highlights of the Economic Aid Act. Eligible expenses now include:
In addition, salary costs (60% of PPP loan funds must be spent on payroll for full discount) have been broadened to include group life insurance, disability, vision benefits. and dental care paid by the employer.
Borrowers who have not requested a rebate or have not depleted their funds in accordance with the guideline can now include these additional eligible expenses in their request. If the rebate has already been obtained, it is not necessary to take these additional eligible expenses into account, unless a borrower expects to request a second round of PPP.
Expenses will only be eligible if they are incurred during the period covered. Those applying for second round funding will not be able to include additional eligible costs incurred before the new period covered, which begins on the day the second round funding is deposited.
Currently, a new or revised exemption request of 3508 is now available for loans of $ 150,000. This updated application will require the borrower to sign and submit a single page attestation to the lender detailing:
No supporting documentation will be required at the time of application. Instead, the borrower’s attestation will be accepted.
In addition to this one-page certification, the borrower must certify that they have complied with the requirements of the PPP loan. Borrowers are also required to keep all relevant employment-related records for four years, and all other records for three years after submitting the form.
Additionally, the new legislation clarifies that grants for Economic Disaster Lending (EIDL) are not taxable and will not be deducted from PPP loan forgiveness amounts.
Another important change resulting from the law on economic security concerns the choice of the period covered. Previously, borrowers had to choose a covered period of 8 or 24 weeks. A borrower can now choose any period covered between 8 and 24 weeks. The covered period begins on the date the PPP loan funds were deposited into the borrower’s bank account.
There is a lot to consider when applying for PPP loan forgiveness. Understanding the highlights above can influence your path forward.
Christine Hall, Karen Blacik and Matthew Rambaran work at CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA), which provides industry-focused wealth advisory, outsourcing, auditing, tax and advisory services. CLA has more than 6,500 people, 130 locations in the United States (including several in Massachusetts) and a worldwide affiliation. To learn more, visit CLAconnect.com.
]]>Written by
Brett McMillen has been at the forefront of the federal government’s transition to cloud computing over the past decade. An engineer by training, McMillen has spent most of his career helping government agencies leverage innovative IT solutions, having worked for a number of leading telecommunications companies before joining AWS in 2011, where he is now a Director. from Amazon’s US Federal Web Services.
McMillen has been recognized for his work helping the federal government make important information, such as the 1,000 Genome Project, available as public datasets on AWS and working with federal officials to achieve FedRAMP certification for AWS. .
FedScoop recently sat down with McMillen to get his current take on how agencies are evolving with the cloud.
FedScoop: Government agencies are constantly being asked to do more with less. In many ways, the pandemic has revealed that agencies are capable of doing more than many thought possible. Where have you seen good examples of this among federal agencies?
Brett McMillen: If you had asked me where I thought we would spend most of our time and effort during the pandemic, I would have guessed places like the FDA, CDC, and NIH. And while we did a lot of work supporting these agencies, there were other areas we weren’t expecting. One example is the US Small Business Administration, which was tasked with administering the Paycheck Protection Program under the CARES Act. We helped the SBA provide an additional portal to process loans through the SBA’s E-Tran system. We stepped in to help, and with the support of our partners, SBA was able to offer a portal for more lenders to submit their loans to the agency for federal guarantee. These loans were then used to provide financial support to small businesses to keep workers on the payroll and open for business.
The US Census Bureau is another example. While they have been conducting the census since 1790, it was really done with pen and paper. 2020 was the first year people could participate in the Decennial Count online. While AWS began working with them years ago to bring the Decennial Census online, the pandemic has made modernization even more critical. At a time when the Census Bureau has curtailed some of its in-person data collections, the ability to collect responses online has allowed census operations to continue in a safe and efficient manner.
FedScoop: In some cases, the economic shutdown that followed the pandemic has caused fees to drop sharply for some government agencies. Where have you seen technology helping agencies innovate or optimize their operations in response?
McMillen: While some organizations needed to grow, other organizations saw less demand and needed to scale up. One example is the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. As fewer people searched for visas and passports during the pandemic, the fees they were collecting dropped significantly and had to be reduced. Downscaling has enabled CIS to serve those who need it at a lower cost. We have seen it in several agencies.
The ability to scale up and down is one of the benefits agencies see in moving to the cloud. Agencies cannot know when the next crisis will occur or what resources they will need. It is essential that every system is prepared to scale up or down, so that they can meet these changing needs.
FedScoop: Where else have you and your support teams at AWS seen the innovative or progressive use of cloud services?
McMillen: When the federal government first introduced its “Cloud First” policy and “25 point implementation plan,” most agencies would choose a specific workload to try to move to the cloud. They found success with these workloads and started to move more. As agencies moved more workloads to the cloud, they saw the need to move to enterprise-wide engagements.
Now, rather than looking at each workload separately, agencies are asking, “How would you solve this mission problem with the latest and greatest technology?” With AWS, agencies have access to our technologies and services, as well as technologies available from our partners who are powered by AWS. These technologies can help create new systems or improve existing applications.
For example, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services help distribute money to states to help those in need through programs like the Child Health Insurance Program. However, CMS did not have a good feedback mechanism to determine who benefited from these benefits; they weren’t able to get really accurate data and understand it. Now we’re working with CMS and helping them build apps to answer questions like, “In this postcode, are mothers below poverty getting the antenatal care they need?” With these improvements, they are able to better understand the funding that is disbursed and how it serves citizens.
FedScoop: What do you think made the difference in how agencies were able to mobilize so quickly and productively during the pandemic?
McMillen: Agencies that were able to pivot quickly had already made fundamental IT improvements before the pandemic began. When a pandemic or any unforeseen event occurs, you don’t know where you are going to need to increase and decrease. Making those investments and improvements in advance helped them react quickly.
An example of an improvement that can be made up front is setting up an acquisition vehicle for general operations, which allows anyone within that department to quickly and easily access modern cloud technologies. . Agencies can also set up standard operating procedures and authority to operate that any organization within the agency can operate.
Having some of these fundamentals in place makes it easier to respond to unforeseen events and set up a new system in the cloud. For example, AWS works with agencies to create what we call landing zones, a compliant environment that meets the security and acquisition needs of those agencies.
It is also helpful for government agencies to continue to focus on modernizing the workforce and training employees on modern technologies on an ongoing basis. Then, when unforeseen events occur, their employees are already trained to pivot and react quickly.
FedScoop: What lessons from the pandemic suggest that agencies can still accelerate their modernization efforts even with limited budgets?
McMillen: Public service can be unpredictable, and leadership and administrative transitions can lead to frequent changes. Agencies therefore need to look at each of their systems and consider whether they are scalable and responsive to change. Unfortunately, too many of these systems were built a long time ago and lack this ability to scale.
However, modernizing IT doesn’t necessarily mean boiling the ocean. Agencies can inject modern technologies into existing systems. Over time, this translates into modernization or continuous improvement of these systems. The agencies that take this approach are the ones that are able to pivot very quickly.
As we have already seen, this pandemic is not going to end overnight. It will still be a long process. Agencies should use this process to modernize and make long-term improvements to their systems, which will improve service delivery to the American people.
Find out how AWS can help your agency capitalize on today’s cloud Where contact AWS.
Read more from AWS leaders at how agencies are using the power of the cloud to innovate.
]]>KALAMAZOO, MI – Kalamazoo’s newest health food store makes protein shakes that don’t compromise on calories or flavor.
Rose St. Nutrition, located at 402 S Rose St under the apartment complex, offers 70 flavors of shakes. Most of the shakes are dairy-free, with the exception of whey protein, and many have a gluten-free option, co-owner Jami Robbins said.
“It’s not going to be heavy on the stomach like a fast food meal would,” she said.
Popular flavors include mocha coffee and Blue Moon ice cream. For a seasonal treat, the Oreo Pumpkin Cheesecake is a customer favorite, Robbins said.
“They have a taste for cheating, but they are not,” she said.
Robbins and his business partner Robert Potter met on a weight loss journey. Both are HerbaLife nutrition coaches who met at a fitness camp in Battle Creek.
The two friends wanted to open their own nutrition club and saw Kalamazoo as a health conscious market. Their business finally found a home when the 400 Rose Apartments asked residents what they wanted in the downstairs retail space. Residents voted for a cafe or health food store.
Rose Nutrition offers a bit of both. In addition to the shakes, the store offers aloe tea and shots to help with digestion. Customers who want to try a little of everything can get a combo for $ 9.
Protein iced coffee is also on the menu along with other energizing tea options. The flagship item of the store are tea bombs without sugar.
“It’s clean, safe energy without the crash later,” Robbins said.
Rose Nutrition is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends.
More local restaurants on MLive:
Local Eats: Turbo Chicken promises ‘better than chain’ chicken
Local Eats: The Union over Kalamazoo shopping center reopens after coronavirus hiatus
Local Eats: Black-owned restaurants feature community favorites in Kalamazoo
Local Eats: Kalamazoo’s Middle Eastern Appetite Brings Different Cultures to a Kitchen
Local Eats: Blue Dolphin owner grateful for support from Kalamazoo community during pandemic
]]>Hyatt Hotels defended his decision to host the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday, at a time when the political climate has become increasingly volatile, citing his belief that individuals and organizations should be able to come together peacefully and express their own opinions.
The three-day event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Florida, featuring a large number of prominent Republican speakers, lawmakers and former administration officials to President Donald Trump.
A spokesperson for Hyatt told FOX Business in an emailed statement that its primary goal is to provide a safe and inclusive environment for its colleagues, guests and customers.
“We pride ourselves on operating a highly inclusive environment and believe facilitating gatherings is a central part of what we do as a hotel business,” the spokesperson said. “We believe in the right of individuals and organizations to peacefully express their opinions, regardless of the degree to which the perspectives of those who organize meetings and events in our hotels match our own. Our own values support a culture characterized by empathy, respect and diversity of opinions and backgrounds, and we strive to bring this to light through what we do and how we engage with those who are entrusted to us.
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The #boycottHyatt hashtag began to spread on social media after users learned that Hyatt would host the conservative event, which some people claimed the company approved by allowing it to be held at one of its properties.
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It was felt that the event could have a multi-million dollar impact on the local area at a time when the U.S. economy as a whole struggles to combat the devastating financial effects of the ongoing pandemic.
The conference is the largest annual gathering of activists and conservative leaders. Fox Nation is a sponsor of CPAC 2021.
]]>Brown tree snake on a pole – now scarier than before.
Bruce jayne
New video footage will no doubt fuel the nightmares of full-fledged ophidiophobes and those who just cringe at the thought of a snake climbing up the nearest pole for a snack.
Researchers have found that the brown arboreal snake can twist its lasso-shaped body to use a novel form of locomotion to climb a smooth vertical pole.
Scientists say that this roping locomotion only becomes the fifth mode of locomotion known to snakes, with lateral winding, lateral undulation, rectilinear (in which the muscles of the ribs successively flex to act almost like a series of legs) and the accordion (a combination of gripping, pulling or pushing with different points of the body).
The find came as a surprise during a project in Guam where researchers were working to protect the nests of Micronesian starlings from snakes. Three-foot-long cylindrical metal baffles were assembled to prevent snakes from climbing into the nesting boxes.
It turns out that tree snakes had an application for this.
“Initially, the baffle worked, for the most part,” Tom Seibert, professor emeritus of wildlife biology at Colorado State University, said in a statement. “Then all of a sudden we saw this snake forming what looked like a lasso around the cylinder and wiggling its body upward. We watched that part of the video about 15 times. It was a shock. that I have never seen compare to this. ”
Seibert is co-author of an article on the discovery published Monday in the journal Cell Press Current Biology.
The lasso method is different from the accordion form of movement, in which snakes typically grip a surface at two or more points on their body, then climb by pulling or pushing upwards. Instead, the researchers explain, the tree snake wrapped its lower body around the cylinder like a lasso to create a unique grip area that it then uses to push itself straight across the smooth metal surface. The process is broken down in more detail in the video above.
“The snake has these little elbows in the loop of the lasso that allow it to move upward by moving the location of each elbow,” University of Cincinnati co-author Bruce Jayne said, adding that to go full lassoing is not really easy for snakes. “Even though they can climb using this mode, it pushes them to their limits. The snakes stop for long periods to rest.”
So the next time you think the bird’s nest on top of a light pole is safe from a snake attack, think again. Even a smooth metal pole could look like a ladder for a brown snake.
Researchers say the discovery could lead to new methods to better protect starlings and other birds in the future.
“I’ve been working on snake locomotion for 40 years and here we’ve found a whole new way to get around,” Jayne said. “Chances are there is more to discover.”
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