Isabella

The world’s largest company by revenue is getting serious about drones.
Today, Walmart said it would launch a drone delivery pilot in Bentonville, AR, with unicorn Zipline. Last week, Walmart announced a similar pilot program in Fayetteville, NC, using cloud-connected quadcopters from Israeli startup Flytrex. 
A Grand Forks, ND, Walmart supercenter is already delivering food packs with Flytrex drones.  Back to Bentonville...then to Africa
Bentonville = Walmart HQ. The flights in Walmart’s backyard are slated to begin early next year, with deliveries of “select health and wellness products.” Walmart will expand to general merchandise if pilots are successful. 
Zipline, which officially launched in the U.S. in May, is familiar with scaling drone logistics. It serves virtually all of Rwanda and millions of people in Ghana. Zipline’s drones are reusable, electric, autonomous, and capable of servicing a 50-mile radius. In Africa, they drop vaccines, blood, and medication in boxes with parachutes. 
Sky high: Delivery volumes and operational tempo are experiencing hockey-stick-like growth during the pandemic. It took Zipline 3.5 years to reach 100,000 deliveries, then just 3.5 months for 200,000 (announced last week).  
Takeaways
1) Don’t sleep on Zipline.
2) Drone delivery will take flight in rural, exurban, and suburban places, in that order. Population-dense cities can have sidewalk delivery bots, as a treat. 
3) Healthcare-oriented deliveries get the right of way.
4) Drones still face technical and regulatory hurdles that have so far precluded commercial delivery services. 
Even after drilling flashcards all weekend with takeaway #4, I have to say it: Walmart could be laying the foundation for a powerful new logistics play. Its superstores are conveniently located in places conducive to drone delivery. And the retailer sells plenty of health products that pair well with on-demand delivery.
Zoom out and up: Walmart doesn’t want to cede the airspace to Amazon, or Alphabet’s Wing, or UPS, or Wayne Enterprises, or the many others tinkering with drone deliveries.
https://www.morningbrew.com/emerging-tech/stories/2020/09/14/walmart-zipline-launching-drone-delivery-pilot-program

Morris and his wife Esther went to the state fair every year, and every year Morris would say, "Esther, I'd like to ride in that helicopter".    Esther always replied, "I know Morris, but that helicopter ride is 50 dollars and 50 dollars is 50 dollars".    One year Esther and Morris went to the fair, and Morris said, "Esther, I'm 85 years old. If I don't ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance."    Esther replied, "Morris that helicopter is 50 dollars and 50 dollars is 50 dollars".   The pilot overheard the couple and said, "Folks I'll make you a deal. I'll take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say a word I won't charge you! But if you say one word, it's 50 dollars."   Morris and Esther agreed and up they went. The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was heard. He did his daredevil tricks over and over again, but still not a word. When they landed, the pilot   turned to Morris and said, "By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn't. I'm impressed!"   Morris replied, "Well, to tell you the truth, I almost said something when Esther fell out, but you know -- 50 dollars is 50 dollars".  

Jon and Lily Adams have lost track of the numbers of letters they've posted.
“It's a lot,” Mrs. Adams offered with a laugh.
She and her husband settle in to write letter after letter at their home in Maumee on Fridays and Saturdays, the days they dedicate to ministry through their kingdom hall. Before the onset of the pandemic, they were joining members of their congregation in fanning out across the neighborhood; these days, they're sharing largely the same message in a more socially distant medium.
“Usually I start off by explaining that I'm not able to come and speak with them in person because of everything that's going on with the pandemic, but I still wanted to share something with them,” Mr. Adams said of the individualized letters he's been writing.
Read more: https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2020/07/19/jehovah-s-witnesses-turn-to-letters-in-lieu-of-face-to-face-interactions/stories/20200719017
 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8675853/Riots-break-Sweden-300-people-gather-protest-against-far-Right-activists.html
Riots break out in Malmo, a town in the south of the country, after far-Right activists burnt the Koran in street Around 300 protesters took to the streets tonight, with tyres being burnt and rocks being thrown at the police It comes after leader of Danish far-Right party Hard Line, was denied permission to have a meeting in Malmo Rasmus Paludan was arrested on Friday by police who say they suspected he was going to break Swedish laws

Jon and Lily Adams have lost track of the numbers of letters they've posted.
“It's a lot,” Mrs. Adams offered with a laugh.
She and her husband settle in to write letter after letter at their home in Maumee on Fridays and Saturdays, the days they dedicate to ministry through their kingdom hall. Before the onset of the pandemic, they were joining members of their congregation in fanning out across the neighborhood; these days, they're sharing largely the same message in a more socially distant medium.
“Usually I start off by explaining that I'm not able to come and speak with them in person because of everything that's going on with the pandemic, but I still wanted to share something with them,” Mr. Adams said of the individualized letters he's been writing.
Read more: https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2020/07/19/jehovah-s-witnesses-turn-to-letters-in-lieu-of-face-to-face-interactions/stories/20200719017
 

As part of the case, ten people are suspected of running a local religious organization affiliated with Jehovah’s Witnesses
VORONEZH, July 15. /TASS/. The Leninsky District Court in the Central Russian city of Voronezh ruled to place in custody until September members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious organization, outlawed in Russia, the court’s press service said on Tuesday.
"The court has chosen a pretrial custody for 1 month and 22 days, or until 03.09.2020 <...> as a measure of pretrial restraint for the individuals suspected of extremist activity," the statement says.
As part of the case, ten people are suspected of running a local religious organization headlined ‘Tsentralnaya, Voronezh.’ The organization, active in Voronezh and surrounding districts, is a part of the Administrative Center of Jehovah’s Witnesses, earlier deemed extremist and outlawed by the Russian Supreme Court.
The suspects are aged between 24 and 56. They were detained after more than 110 searches, during which large amounts of books and other prohibited printing works were seized.
On April 20, 2017, the Russian Supreme Court declared Jehovah’s Witnesses and all affiliated regional organizations an extremist organization. The organization’s activities are outlawed in Russia.
https://tass.com/society/1178595

Jon and Lily Adams have lost track of the numbers of letters they've posted.
“It's a lot,” Mrs. Adams offered with a laugh.
She and her husband settle in to write letter after letter at their home in Maumee on Fridays and Saturdays, the days they dedicate to ministry through their kingdom hall. Before the onset of the pandemic, they were joining members of their congregation in fanning out across the neighborhood; these days, they're sharing largely the same message in a more socially distant medium.
“Usually I start off by explaining that I'm not able to come and speak with them in person because of everything that's going on with the pandemic, but I still wanted to share something with them,” Mr. Adams said of the individualized letters he's been writing.
Read more: https://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2020/07/19/jehovah-s-witnesses-turn-to-letters-in-lieu-of-face-to-face-interactions/stories/20200719017
 

As a person in China... your social credit "score" will go down if you interact with too many others who are in debt.
This is a radar device for every citizen to avoid being around others or interacting with other citizens who are in debt.
Scary Big Brother stuff going on in china
 

El niño miraba al abuelo escribir una carta. En un momento dado, le preguntó:
–¿Estás escribiendo una historia que nos pasó a los dos? ¿Es, quizá, una historia sobre mí?
El abuelo dejó de escribir, sonrió y dijo al nieto:
–Estoy escribiendo sobre ti, es cierto. Sin embargo, más importante que las palabras es el lápiz que estoy usando. Me gustaría que tú fueses como él cuando crezcas.
El niño miró el lápiz, intrigado, y no vio nada de especial.
–¡Pero si es igual a todos los lápices que he visto en mi vida!
–Todo depende del modo en que mires las cosas. Hay en él cinco cualidades que, si consigues mantenerlas, harán de ti una persona por siempre en paz con el mundo.
Primera cualidad: puedes hacer grandes cosas, pero no olvides nunca que existe una mano que guía tus pasos. A esta mano nosotros la llamamos Jehová Dios, y Él siempre te conducirá en dirección a su voluntad.
Segunda: de vez en cuando necesito dejar de escribir y usar el sacapuntas. Eso hace que el lápiz sufra un poco, pero al final está más afilado. Por lo tanto, debes ser capaz de soportar algunos dolores, porque te harán mejor persona.
Tercera: el lápiz siempre permite que usemos una goma para borrar aquello que está mal. Entiende que corregir algo que hemos hecho no es necesariamente algo malo, sino algo importante para mantenernos en el camino de la justicia.
Cuarta: lo que realmente importa en el lápiz no es la madera ni su forma exterior, sino el grafito que hay dentro. Por lo tanto, cuida siempre de lo que sucede en tu interior.
Finalmente, la quinta cualidad del lápiz: siempre deja una marca. De la misma manera, has de saber que todo lo que hagas en la vida dejará trazos, e intenta ser consciente de cada acción.
"Que el Dios de la paz,que con la sangre de un pacto eterno levanto de entre los muertos al gran pastor de las ovejas,nuestro Señor Jesus,los equipe con todo lo que necesitan para hacer su voluntad y haga en nosotros mediante Cristo Jesús lo que es agradable a sus ojos.A el vaya la gloria para siempre jamas.Amen".
Hebreos 13:20,21.

This sky map shows the path that Comet NEOWISE will take across the evening sky in late July and early August.  (Image credit: SkySafari app)
Comet NEOWISE (aka C/2020 F3) was discovered on March 27 by astronomers during the NEOWISE mission, which used NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope to look for near-Earth objects, like asteroids and comets. The comet made its closest approach to the sun (called perihelion) on July 3. At the time, it swept to within 29.4 million miles (44.1 million kilometers) of the sun, or inside the orbit of Mercury, the innermost planet. 
Shortly thereafter, the comet blossomed. It did not attain the status of a "great" comet (exceptionally brilliant comets with bright, long tails), but it still put on a formidable show which more than satisfied those who saw it. Although it has been moving away from the sun ever since, it was steadily approaching the Earth. On Wednesday evening, July 22, NEOWISE passed as close to the Earth as it will come (called perigee), 64.3 million miles (103.5 million km) away.
https://www.space.com/comet-neowise-is-dimming.html

This sky map shows the path that Comet NEOWISE will take across the evening sky in late July and early August.  (Image credit: SkySafari app)
Comet NEOWISE (aka C/2020 F3) was discovered on March 27 by astronomers during the NEOWISE mission, which used NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope to look for near-Earth objects, like asteroids and comets. The comet made its closest approach to the sun (called perihelion) on July 3. At the time, it swept to within 29.4 million miles (44.1 million kilometers) of the sun, or inside the orbit of Mercury, the innermost planet. 
Shortly thereafter, the comet blossomed. It did not attain the status of a "great" comet (exceptionally brilliant comets with bright, long tails), but it still put on a formidable show which more than satisfied those who saw it. Although it has been moving away from the sun ever since, it was steadily approaching the Earth. On Wednesday evening, July 22, NEOWISE passed as close to the Earth as it will come (called perigee), 64.3 million miles (103.5 million km) away.
https://www.space.com/comet-neowise-is-dimming.html

The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Russian Federation. As we said on 12 March, the ruling of the Russian Supreme Court in July 2017, which rejected the appeal against the decision to categorise Jehovah’s Witnesses as “extremists”, criminalised the peaceful worship of 175,000 Russian citizens and contravened the right to religious freedom that is enshrined in the Russian Constitution, and in multiple OSCE commitments.
It is with deep regret that we learned that on 13 July, 110 homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses were simultaneously searched by Russian authorities in the cities of Voronezh and Stary Oskol. Thirteen Jehovah’s Witnesses were detained at the time and two individuals were reportedly beaten during a home search.
The total number of homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses that have been searched by Russian law enforcement authorities now stands at over 1,000. As we noted in March, home raids are often conducted in the early hours of the morning by large numbers of masked and armed police.
We repeat our concern that the increasing number of searches, as well as use of simultaneous large-scale home raids, creates the impression of an organised campaign of persecution against Jehovah’s Witnesses.
So-called “evidence” used against those investigated and prosecuted includes regular aspects of communal religious life. We again remind the Russian Federation of our extensive commitments on freedom of religion or belief, including from Vienna 1989, as well as Kyiv 2013, where States committed to:
Fully implement their commitments to ensure the right of all individuals to profess and practice religion or belief, either alone or in community with others, and in public or private, and to manifest their religion or belief through teaching, practice, worship and observance, including through transparent and non-discriminatory laws, regulations, practices and policies;
For three years now, the delegation of the Russian Federation has assured the Permanent Council that individual Jehovah’s Witnesses are able to practice their religion at home, as no permission is required to pray in Russia. However, we have witnessed time and again that any manifestation of their faith by Jehovah’s Witnesses can result in the search of their homes, lengthy detention, criminal prosecution and imprisonment.
We again call on the Russian Federation to end the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and to uphold the commitments on the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief for all individuals across the Russian Federation.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/situation-of-jehovahs-witnesses-in-the-russian-federation-uk-statement
#jwrussia
#uk
 

The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Russian Federation. As we said on 12 March, the ruling of the Russian Supreme Court in July 2017, which rejected the appeal against the decision to categorise Jehovah’s Witnesses as “extremists”, criminalised the peaceful worship of 175,000 Russian citizens and contravened the right to religious freedom that is enshrined in the Russian Constitution, and in multiple OSCE commitments.
It is with deep regret that we learned that on 13 July, 110 homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses were simultaneously searched by Russian authorities in the cities of Voronezh and Stary Oskol. Thirteen Jehovah’s Witnesses were detained at the time and two individuals were reportedly beaten during a home search.
The total number of homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses that have been searched by Russian law enforcement authorities now stands at over 1,000. As we noted in March, home raids are often conducted in the early hours of the morning by large numbers of masked and armed police.
We repeat our concern that the increasing number of searches, as well as use of simultaneous large-scale home raids, creates the impression of an organised campaign of persecution against Jehovah’s Witnesses.
So-called “evidence” used against those investigated and prosecuted includes regular aspects of communal religious life. We again remind the Russian Federation of our extensive commitments on freedom of religion or belief, including from Vienna 1989, as well as Kyiv 2013, where States committed to:
Fully implement their commitments to ensure the right of all individuals to profess and practice religion or belief, either alone or in community with others, and in public or private, and to manifest their religion or belief through teaching, practice, worship and observance, including through transparent and non-discriminatory laws, regulations, practices and policies;
For three years now, the delegation of the Russian Federation has assured the Permanent Council that individual Jehovah’s Witnesses are able to practice their religion at home, as no permission is required to pray in Russia. However, we have witnessed time and again that any manifestation of their faith by Jehovah’s Witnesses can result in the search of their homes, lengthy detention, criminal prosecution and imprisonment.
We again call on the Russian Federation to end the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and to uphold the commitments on the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief for all individuals across the Russian Federation.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/situation-of-jehovahs-witnesses-in-the-russian-federation-uk-statement
#jwrussia
#uk
 

The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned about the situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Russian Federation. As we said on 12 March, the ruling of the Russian Supreme Court in July 2017, which rejected the appeal against the decision to categorise Jehovah’s Witnesses as “extremists”, criminalised the peaceful worship of 175,000 Russian citizens and contravened the right to religious freedom that is enshrined in the Russian Constitution, and in multiple OSCE commitments.
It is with deep regret that we learned that on 13 July, 110 homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses were simultaneously searched by Russian authorities in the cities of Voronezh and Stary Oskol. Thirteen Jehovah’s Witnesses were detained at the time and two individuals were reportedly beaten during a home search.
The total number of homes of Jehovah’s Witnesses that have been searched by Russian law enforcement authorities now stands at over 1,000. As we noted in March, home raids are often conducted in the early hours of the morning by large numbers of masked and armed police.
We repeat our concern that the increasing number of searches, as well as use of simultaneous large-scale home raids, creates the impression of an organised campaign of persecution against Jehovah’s Witnesses.
So-called “evidence” used against those investigated and prosecuted includes regular aspects of communal religious life. We again remind the Russian Federation of our extensive commitments on freedom of religion or belief, including from Vienna 1989, as well as Kyiv 2013, where States committed to:
Fully implement their commitments to ensure the right of all individuals to profess and practice religion or belief, either alone or in community with others, and in public or private, and to manifest their religion or belief through teaching, practice, worship and observance, including through transparent and non-discriminatory laws, regulations, practices and policies;
For three years now, the delegation of the Russian Federation has assured the Permanent Council that individual Jehovah’s Witnesses are able to practice their religion at home, as no permission is required to pray in Russia. However, we have witnessed time and again that any manifestation of their faith by Jehovah’s Witnesses can result in the search of their homes, lengthy detention, criminal prosecution and imprisonment.
We again call on the Russian Federation to end the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and to uphold the commitments on the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief for all individuals across the Russian Federation.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/situation-of-jehovahs-witnesses-in-the-russian-federation-uk-statement
#jwrussia
#uk
 

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A powerful earthquake off Alaska’s southern coast shook sparsely populated coastal communities late Tuesday and prompted some residents to briefly flee to higher ground because of tsunami fears.
There were no immediate reports of damage in the Alaska Peninsula and the tsunami warning was canceled after the magnitude 7.8 quake offshore created a wave of a less than a foot (30 centimeters).
The earthquake struck Tuesday at 10:12 p.m. local time and was centered in waters 65 miles (105 kilometers) south-southeast of the tiny community of Perryville, at a depth of 17 miles (28 km), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/powerful-78-earthquake-hits-alaska-isles-tsunami-71913976

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A powerful earthquake off Alaska’s southern coast shook sparsely populated coastal communities late Tuesday and prompted some residents to briefly flee to higher ground because of tsunami fears.
There were no immediate reports of damage in the Alaska Peninsula and the tsunami warning was canceled after the magnitude 7.8 quake offshore created a wave of a less than a foot (30 centimeters).
The earthquake struck Tuesday at 10:12 p.m. local time and was centered in waters 65 miles (105 kilometers) south-southeast of the tiny community of Perryville, at a depth of 17 miles (28 km), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/powerful-78-earthquake-hits-alaska-isles-tsunami-71913976

The Truth and Transparency Foundation — the nonprofit group behind the controversial MormonLeaks website — has settled a copyright infringement lawsuit with the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The settlement comes after the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the publisher for the religious group, sued the nonprofit, alleging it violated copyright when it published Jehovah’s Witnesses’ educational videos on its FaithLeaks website.
The lawsuit alleged that the Truth and Transparency Foundation, run by Ryan McKnight and Ethan Dodge, published 74 copyright videos on its website. A post detailing the leak described the videos as content shown exclusively during annual conventions. Those who attempted to distribute or upload the videos were met with threats of a lawsuit if they didn’t take the videos down, the post says, which has included the Truth and Transparency Foundation in the past.
The nonprofit had said it intended to fight the lawsuit, asserting the release of the videos is covered under a constitutional right to free speech. But after fundraising efforts came up short, the group settled the lawsuit instead.
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/07/20/mormonleaks-founders-pay/

The Truth and Transparency Foundation — the nonprofit group behind the controversial MormonLeaks website — has settled a copyright infringement lawsuit with the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The settlement comes after the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the publisher for the religious group, sued the nonprofit, alleging it violated copyright when it published Jehovah’s Witnesses’ educational videos on its FaithLeaks website.
The lawsuit alleged that the Truth and Transparency Foundation, run by Ryan McKnight and Ethan Dodge, published 74 copyright videos on its website. A post detailing the leak described the videos as content shown exclusively during annual conventions. Those who attempted to distribute or upload the videos were met with threats of a lawsuit if they didn’t take the videos down, the post says, which has included the Truth and Transparency Foundation in the past.
The nonprofit had said it intended to fight the lawsuit, asserting the release of the videos is covered under a constitutional right to free speech. But after fundraising efforts came up short, the group settled the lawsuit instead.
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/07/20/mormonleaks-founders-pay/

The Truth and Transparency Foundation — the nonprofit group behind the controversial MormonLeaks website — has settled a copyright infringement lawsuit with the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The settlement comes after the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the publisher for the religious group, sued the nonprofit, alleging it violated copyright when it published Jehovah’s Witnesses’ educational videos on its FaithLeaks website.
The lawsuit alleged that the Truth and Transparency Foundation, run by Ryan McKnight and Ethan Dodge, published 74 copyright videos on its website. A post detailing the leak described the videos as content shown exclusively during annual conventions. Those who attempted to distribute or upload the videos were met with threats of a lawsuit if they didn’t take the videos down, the post says, which has included the Truth and Transparency Foundation in the past.
The nonprofit had said it intended to fight the lawsuit, asserting the release of the videos is covered under a constitutional right to free speech. But after fundraising efforts came up short, the group settled the lawsuit instead.
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/07/20/mormonleaks-founders-pay/