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Donohoe says Covid funding can't go on indefinitely

The Minister for Finance has said the State can afford to continue to fund the measures put in place by the Government to deal with the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.




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Did the Paycheck Protection Program Hit the Target? -- by João Granja, Christos Makridis, Constantine Yannelis, Eric Zwick

This paper takes an early look at the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a large and novel small business support program that was part of the initial policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We use new data on the distribution of PPP loans and high-frequency micro-level employment data to consider two dimensions of program targeting. First, we do not find evidence that funds flowed to areas more adversely affected by the economic effects of the pandemic, as measured by declines in hours worked or business shutdowns. If anything, funds flowed to areas less hard hit. Second, we find significant heterogeneity across banks in terms of disbursing PPP funds, which does not only reflect differences in underlying loan demand. The top-4 banks alone account for 36% of total pre-policy small business loans, but disbursed less than 3% of all PPP loans. Areas that were significantly more exposed to low-PPP banks received much lower loan allocations. As data become available, we will study employment and establishment responses to the program and the impact of PPP support on the economic recovery. Measuring these responses is critical for evaluating the social insurance value of the PPP and similar policies.




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Owner of floating B&B ready to move on

Liz Miller plans to pack up with her fiance, a St. Paul Public Works employee, and run a hostel-like inn on a Panamanian island just south of Costa Rica's Caribbean coast.




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O'Brien to stoke old fires as Rekindling rejoins yard

Joseph O'Brien is keen to start off slowly with Rekindling after welcoming the 2017 Melbourne Cup winner back to his yard.




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Hanover card kicks off German racing's return

Majestic Colt landed the first Listed prize of the German season as racing sparked back to life at Hanover on Thursday.




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Dutch won't allow fans in stadiums until vaccine found

Sporting events in the Netherlands will have to take place without fans in attendance until there is a vaccine for coronavirus, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said.




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City star Walker believes he is being 'harassed'

Kyle Walker claims he is being "harassed" after admitting that he breached lockdown rules to visit his sister and parents.




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Rangers' Robertson an isolated figure in SPFL row

Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson has been accused of making "baseless, damaging and self-serving attacks" by his fellow Scottish Professional Football League board members.




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A Multi-Risk SIR Model with Optimally Targeted Lockdown -- by Daron Acemoglu, Victor Chernozhukov, Iván Werning, Michael D. Whinston

We develop a multi-risk SIR model (MR-SIR) where infection, hospitalization and fatality rates vary between groups—in particular between the “young”, “the middle-aged” and the “old”. Our MR-SIR model enables a tractable quantitative analysis of optimal policy similar to those already developed in the context of the homogeneous-agent SIR models. For baseline parameter values for the COVID-19 pandemic applied to the US, we find that optimal policies differentially targeting risk/age groups significantly outperform optimal uniform policies and most of the gains can be realized by having stricter lockdown policies on the oldest group. For example, for the same economic cost (24.3% decline in GDP), optimal semi–targeted or fully-targeted policies reduce mortality from 1.83% to 0.71% (thus, saving 2.7 million lives) relative to optimal uniform policies. Intuitively, a strict and long lockdown for the most vulnerable group both reduces infections and enables less strict lockdowns for the lower-risk groups. We also study the impacts of social distancing, the matching technology, the expected arrival time of a vaccine, and testing with or without tracing on optimal policies. Overall, targeted policies that are combined with measures that reduce interactions between groups and increase testing and isolation of the infected can minimize both economic losses and deaths in our model.




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‘She was a pleasure to be around... you never expect this:' distraught dad grieves for daughter, killed by off-duty NYPD cop in car wreck

Instead of waking up to wish his daughter the best on her 23rd birthday, Collin Dixon got the phone call every parent dreads.




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New York ‘ready’ to snuff coronavirus when it lands thanks to training, technology and ‘secret shoppers'

New York health agencies says they're prepared for the coronavirus.




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HOMETOWN HELPERS: Brooklyn hospital X-ray technologist uses mental prep routine to 'amp up’ for hectic shifts on the coronavirus front line

Gina Torres, radiologic technologist at Wyckoff Heights Hospital in Brooklyn, knows the amount of stress waiting inside as coronavirus patients pour in day after day.




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‘Like Uber Computer': How a Brooklyn middle school delivered hundreds of laptops amid the coronavirus school shutdown

A Brooklyn middle school took a novel approach to remote learning: A computer drop-off service to students.




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'I don’t know what that grading system should look like’: Reality - and dilemma - of NYC’s remote learning sets in

Teachers and school leaders across the country are struggling to maintain a semblance of structure and normalcy during remote learning while adapting to the approach’s many limitations. Grades are at the center of that debate.




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'Back to square one’: Coronavirus dorm closures at CUNY sends some students back to their foster homes

Many of the city's foster youth were thrust into uncertainty last week when CUNY ordered them out of their dorms due to coronavirus. Unlike their peers, these students have no childhood bedrooms to return to, and often no families who can help them through the shutdown of the economy or the closing of their colleges.




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Ighalo wants to see out the season with United

Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo hopes that his loan deal at Manchester United is extended until the Premier League season is completed following the coronavirus lockdown.




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US Women's team file to appeal equal pay ruling

The US Women's soccer team have filed to appeal a district court decision handed down last week that dismissed their claims for equal pay.




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'There is no altruism in the Premier League'

Watford are the latest club to rail against plans to end the season at neutral venues, with chairman Scott Duxbury saying the Premier League has a "duty of care" to address concerns about a "distorted nine-game mini-league".




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Walsh: Empty stands wouldn't bother players

Tommy Walsh believes playing inter-county championships behind closed doors would be preferable to cancelling the 2020 season and that putting the players' health first is key.




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Collins: Players are amateurs - they don't have to play

Clare football boss Colm Collins believes players should not be pressurised into returning to competitive action in any way, stressing their amateur status gives them the right to refuse to take to the field if they're uncomfortable.




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GAA volunteers answer communities' call

The GAA has estimated that almost 20,000 of its volunteers have been involved in a community response to the Covid-19 pandemic.




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RTÉ GAA Podcast: Spillane and Cavanagh on half-forwards

Runaway vote leader Pat Spillane and five-time All-Star Sean Cavanagh join Mikey Stafford and Rory O'Neill to discuss the best half-forwards of The Sunday Game era.




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When Spillane snubbed NFL & Jackie Stewart in Bahamas

When Pat Spillane competed in the 1979 edition of International Superstars the school teacher from Templenoe was an amateur among pros, but he had the chance to pocket up to €3000 per event if he could win.




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'People shouldn't be hurt, we should be creating joy'

Former Mayo boss Frank Browne - now coaching Galway - believes it's time for those involved in Mayo football to bury the hatchet for the good of the players




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The Sunday Game pundits on the GAA's 2020 vision

Pat Spillane believes the GAA "kicked the can" down the road with its most recent statement regarding the 2020 championships, while Anthony Daly argues the longer-term view was the correct call.




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Man called 911 to report 'a black male running down the street’ before Ahmaud Arbery shooting, audio recordings confirm

Audio recordings of two 911 calls placed moments before Ahmaud Arbery was killed confirm that at least two people were concerned that a black man was running in their Georgia neighborhood.




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‘I learned a lot from Richard Nixon,’ Trump during interview on Fox & Friends

During a rambling interview on FOX & Friends, President Trump did a victory lap following DOJ's decision to drop charges against Michae Flynn and how he learned from Nixon as not firing people during an investigation.




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England's Lincoln Cathedral Is Consecrated (1092)

Not long after William the Conqueror named Remigius de Fécamp bishop of what was then the largest diocese in the country, he decided to move the seat of the diocese to a more central location. For the next 20 years, Remigius oversaw construction of a magnificent new cathedral in Lincoln, only to die days before its consecration. Today, its architecture is considered to be priceless. When Queen Eleanor died nearby in 1290, which parts of her body were buried at the cathedral? Discuss




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RFU chief: 2021 Six Nations cancellation 'catastrophic'

Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney has described the prospect of the sport being postponed into 2021 as "catastrophic".




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RTÉ Sport Classics: Briggs steps back into the unknown

Ireland's historic 2013 Women's Six Nations Grand Slam victory is the latest of our RTÉ Sport Classics which you can watch on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player at 9.30pm tonight. Niamh Briggs, who played a key role in that triumph relives the glory day before she watches it back for the first time.




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Lack of support for women's rugby disappoints Murphy

Jenny Murphy believes Irish women's rugby has not developed enough in the time period since the senior team's historic Grand Slam win in 2013.




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Bring "Spooky Action at a Distance" into the Classroom with NOVA Resources

Quantum physics impacts the technology students use every day. Use these resources from NOVA broadcasts, NOVA Digital, and What the Physics!? to introduce quantum concepts to your classroom.




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Meet <i>Cambroraster falcatus</i>, the sediment-sifting ‘Roomba’ of the Cambrian

This crustacean-like critter stalked the seas half a billion years ago.




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October Events: "Look Who's Driving" Screenings & Panel Discussions

This month, NOVA is hosting three events that will dive into how autonomous vehicles work, how they may change the way we live, and whether we will ever be able to entrust them with our lives.




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NOVA Marathons: Space & The Universe

Six episodes exploring the vast, mysterious, and powerful universe we live in.




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NOVA Marathons: Health & Medicine

Five episodes exploring the fascinating science and innovations in health and medicine.




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Video: Sam Hill Gets Loose on Dusty Trails in 'Dealing the Dirt'



Sam Hill takes on his local trails for some raw riding action.
( Comments: 86 )




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Video: Creating and Racing the GT LTS - 'Full Travel' Ep.2



A look behind the scenes at the creation of the GT LTS from development to racing with the GT Factory Racing team.
( Comments: 30 )




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Podcast: Andrew Neethling Talks to Brendan Fairclough &amp; Cam Zink in Episode 1 &amp; 2 of 'Moving the Needle'



As a professional international downhill mountain biker, and now commentator, Andrew 'Needles' Neethling brings 18 years of experience in all aspects of the cycling industry into podcast form.
( Photos: 3, Comments: 4 )




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How Has COVID-19 Impacted Bike Retail in North America &amp; Beyond?



With the world in the throes of a global pandemic, bicycle retailers have come up with solutions to continue business and keep riders on their bikes as best they can.
( Photos: 10, Comments: 131 )




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First Look: ENVE's New, Adjustable-Geometry Rigid Fork



The US-made carbon fiber fork lets you choose between 44mm or 52mm of rake.
( Photos: 4, Comments: 152 )




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Review: Giro's New Manifest Helmet



The Manifest is Giro's brand new high-end trail helmet.
( Photos: 8, Comments: 164 )




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First Look: Shimano's New Deore 12-Speed Group &amp; Other 2021 Updates



The 12-speed trickle down continues as Shimano unveils their new Deore drivetrain, along with new brakes and wheels.
( Photos: 14, Comments: 471 )




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Podcast: Volume 8 of The Lockdown Companion with Olly Wilkins &amp; Jono Jones



Life as a banker, backflips gone wrong, mountain bike career decisions and what it's like to ride with other pros.
( Photos: 1, Comments: 7 )




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Video: Official Trailer for 'The Legend of Tommy G'



The film will premiere on the 12th of May.
( Photos: 1, Comments: 11 )




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A Complete Timeline of Coronavirus' Effects on Mountain Biking [Update: Christchurch Adventure Park Prepares to Open]



We'll continuously update this story as more news comes in.
( Photos: 10, Comments: 256 )




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First Ride: Newmen's Advanced SL A.30 Carbon Fiber Wheelset



Best known for their aluminum products, Newmen's new carbon fiber wheelset is aimed at enduro riders.
( Photos: 10, Comments: 96 )




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Details Announced for New Mountain Bike Board Game 'Send It!'



Cross-Country Carrie "replaces all the bolts on her bike with titanium ones and refuses to wear a hydration pack" and Downhill Derek "loves techy rock gardens and jumping but HATES pedaling.”
( Photos: 5, Comments: 20 )




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Video: Watch Anthill's Movie of the Week - Not 2 Bad



You can watch Anthill’s one and only sequel, Not2Bad, right now (and anytime for that matter) on Red Bull TV.
( Photos: 2, Comments: 4 )




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From The Top: Karl Nicolai on Gearboxes, Geometry, &amp; How His Company Found Its Niche



We sat down with the founder and owner of Nicolai Bikes to talk about the past, present, and future.
( Photos: 17, Comments: 92 )