Durga Puja is an integral part of Hindu Bengali culture. Apart from being a religious festival, it is an emotion that resonates in the hearts of the Bengali community. As such, it comes as no surprise that Bengalis wait in sheer anticipation of the annual Durga Puja. But, for Hindus living across the border in Bangladesh, the auspicious occasion was sullied by violence, vandalism, killings, rapes and desecration at the hands of radical Islamists.

In a Muslim-majority nation where they constitute less than 10% of the total population, Hindus remain vulnerable to attacks by radical Islamic terrorists. Opindia has documented 100s of such cases of persecution and ill-treatment meted out to the minority community. Given Bangladeshs track record of human rights violations, attacks on Hindus remains a routine affair. However, this time the Islamists tried to create a context to justify their ruthless atrocities on minorities, ahead of Durga Puja.

In the wee hours of Wednesday (October 13), radical Islamists reportedly entered the Nanuar Dighir Par Durga Mandir in Cumilla district and placed a copy of the Quran on the feet of the idol of Lord Hanuman. According to Shibu Prasad Dutta, the general secretary of Cumilla Mahanagar Puja Udjapon Committee, someone carried out the mischief in the morning when the guard was asleep. The miscreants took some pictures of this and ran away. Within a few hours, using Facebook, the propaganda spread like wildfire with the provocative pictures, confirmed a district official.

The foundation for orchestrating a Hindu pogrom was perfectly laid The insult of the Holy Book, the punishment for which is death. Dipan Mitra, the Secretary-General of World Hindu federation (Bangladesh Chapter), stated, Then they raised an issue of insulting Islam and gathered a mob and started attacked Hindu Temples in Cumilla town. After that, the attack on temples and Hindus was spread all over the country

He further added, They Vandalized more than 315 Temples and its Idols and looted all valuable things in more than 30 districts of Bangladesh during 13 16 October 2021. They attacked and vandalized nearly 1500 Hindu houses in Cumilla, Chandpur, Noakhali, Chittagong, Coxs Bazar, Feni, Chapai Nawabgonj and other districts. Mitra recounted the names of the 10 Hindus who were slaughtered by radical Islamists under the garb of blasphemy. They included Manik Saha, Jatan Saha, Prashanta Das, Priest Nimai Krishna, 4 unnamed Hindu priests and 1 more unidentified victim. Besides, 23 Hindu women and girls were raped and 17 Hindus remain missing.

Mitra concluded, Now is the time to clarify the position of the government do they want Bangladesh to be a secular prosperous Bangladesh or do they want to take it back to the ideology of previous Pakistan. He also mentioned that the lack of justice is giving birth to new crimes in this country. He appealed to the government for immediate arrest of all culprits and provides exemplary punishment.

While blaming the Hindu community for the desecration of the Quran, Islamists vandalised the Durga Puja pandal and the idols of the deities kept at the Nanuar Dighir Par Durga Mandir in Cumilla. According to Dipan Mitra, the Islamic extremists also attacked the Nrisingh Dev and Dashavuja Kali temples. He added that the mob also vandalised the Rishipara temple, Rajeswari Kali temple, besides 14 other temples and Durga pandals in the district.

The Secretary-General of the World Hindu Federation (Bangladesh Chapter) informed that the Muslim fanatics attacked 15 Puja pandals (Banskhali), 3 temples and puja pandals (Melaghar in Patia), 5 temples and Puja pandals (Sarkarhat and Hathazari) in the Chittagonj district. He added that attacks were also carried out at the Karunamoyi Kalibari temple at Chakbazar and J M Sen Hall Puja Pandal in Chittagonj.

At the same time, 70 Hindu houses were attacked in Hajiganj in the Chandpur district. About 150 Hindu families were targeted along with the iconic Ramkrishna Mission. Besides, 7 temples and puja pandals were also destroyed by Muslim extremists. Advocate Dr Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, Secretary-General of Bangladesh Jatio Hindu Mohajote, shared the news of the death of Manik Saha, publicity secretary of Chandpur district branch of Bangladesh National Hindu Youth Grand Alliance.

The Islamists attacked the Ram Thakur Ashram and vandalised 10 temples and puja pandals including Mongola, Nabadurga, Bijoya, Trishul and Koatbari Puja Pandal. About 20 houses were attacked in Nalchira, Chayanibazar, Begumgonj, Choumohoni and Sonaimuri. At the same time, 9 temples and puja pandals were vandalised at Choumohoni in Noakhali.

On Friday (October 15), a frenzied mob of radical Islamists attacked the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in the Noakhali district of Bangladesh.In a tweet, the official handle of ISKCON wrote, ISKCON temple & devotees were violently attacked today by a mob in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Temple suffered significant damage & the condition of a devotee remains critical. We call on the Govt of Bangladesh to ensure the safety of all Hindus & bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Bangladesh unit of ISKCON lamented that the sculpture of its founder, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, was burnt down during the arson attack on the temple. A Twitter account (@HinduVoice_in) had shared disturbing visuals of arson by radical Islamists. In the video clip, flames and smoke were seen rising from the burnt ISKCON temple. SpokesmanRadharamn Das had shared visuals of a Hindu monk, who was critically injured after sustaining a dagger attack to his head.

In a video that has now surfaced on social media, a Hindu monk at ISKCONnarrated, Hare Krishna! Today, Jamaat attacked the ISKCON temple and other temples in Choumani in Noakhali. They have executed it as part of a vicious plan. ISKCON Mandir has been desecrated. They have killed one devotee outright and stabbed another, leading to his critical state. Several motorcycles were set on fire. There was a mob of 400-500 people. They have looted 1 lakh taka from our temple The Noakhali administration has yet not taken any action against the miscreants.

Radical Islamists attacked Hindus in the Feni district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh. A 14-second video clip had gone viral wherein radical Islamists could be seencreating mayhem on the streets. Equipped with lathis, the frenzied mob gathered in large numbers and then looted and vandalised Hindu temples in unison.

Reportedly, the President of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, Shukdeb Nath Tapan, was attacked by the same Islamist mob near the Joykali temple. The Hindu community was preparing to lead a march from the said temple to the old Dhaka-Chattogram Highways Trunk Road. Islamists, who had gathered near Trunk Road Bara Masjid attacked the Hindus with sticks and brickbats. In a bid to control the law and order situation, the cops deployed a large team in the Feni town. They resorted to firing tear gas shells to disperse the unruly mob.

According to Officer-in-Charge (Feni Model Police Station) Nizam Uddin, more than 40 people were injured during the clashes. They were then rushed to the Feni General Hospital. According to Shukdeb, the district administration took time in sending in Border Guard Bangladesh (BGF)and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The attackers torched a passenger vehicle at Kalipal, hurled crude bombs, vandalised a fire truck and attacked Hindu temples such as JoyKali, Jagannathbari, Kalibari Temple and Gaziganj Ashram.

As per eyewitnesses, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami named Islami Chhatra Shibir was among the perpetrators. Local activists of the Awami League and its student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League tried to resist the attackers. Weve got reports about vandalism of shops. We are working on it, stated Inspector Monir Hossain (Feni Model Police Station).

In a fresh attack on Sunday (October 17), they carried out arson at a village and burnt 20 Hindu homes in Pirganj Upazila in the Rangpur Division of Bangladesh.

BDNews24reportedthat Muslims in Jelepolli in Majipara had alleged that a Hindu man had posted content dishonouring religion on Facebook. District Superintendent Md Qamruzzaman stated, Police stood guard around his home. That home was saved, but the attackers set fire to some other homes not so far from his. The frenzied mob of radical Islamists targeted three villages namely, Majhipara, Bottola and Hatibandha villages in Pirganj Upazila.

BDNews24 added that the Fire Service Department received information about the arson attack at around 9:50 pm. It was only at 3 am on Monday morning that the fire could finally be extinguished. While there have been no casualties or estimates of the damage caused, it is believed that 15-20 houses were burnt down during the attack.

Dipan Mitra, the Secretary-General of the World Hindu Federation (Bangladesh Chapter) shared a list of temples, Hindu houses that were attacked and burnt in 24 other districts of Bangladesh. His comprehensive list reads

In a statement on Friday (October 15), the International Commission for Human Rights and Religious Freedom(ICHRRF) condemned the targeted attacks on the minority Hindu population during Durga Puja. ICHRRF remarked, Durga Puja is the years biggest religious festivity in traditional Bengali Hindu culture, and is a time of great celebration, musical performance, dioramas, feasts, parades and personal reflection, observed across social divides in Bengali society. However, this iconic Hindu religious festival has come under gruesome attack from Muslim mobs this year in Bangladesh, vandalizing Hindu temples, smashing icons, and assaulting devotees.

It further added, Across 22 districts of Bangladesh, major and minor incidents of attacks and vandalism have so far claimed the lives of at least 4 people and injured over 60 others, some critically. The violence erupted in Cumilla after rumours of an act of blasphemy at a Hindu religious gathering. Attacks followed in quick succession at several other locations. ICHRRF also condemned the targeting of the ISKCON temple in Noakhali. The International Commission for Human Rights and Religious Freedom also criticised the action of the Bangladeshi police.

To stop the attacks, Bangladesh police authorities have enforced a ban on all kinds of gatherings and rallies in several districts, effectively squelching public festivities and giving in to Islamist demands to exterminate overtly Hindu observances. The police also opened fire on a gathering of over 500 people, which is reported to have resulted in some casualties. The Durga Puja attacks this year are not isolated. They form part of a continuing series of attacks on Bangladeshi Hindus since early this year, which in turn are part of a decades long process of ethnic cleansing of minorities from Bangladesh, it concluded.

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From Hindu temples to Durga Puja pandals, Hindu homes, shops and villages: Comprehensive account of the carnage in Bangladesh by Islamists - OpIndia

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Sunday asserted that despite less time, all out efforts would be made to realise the peoples dreams by fulfilling the remaining promises made to them.

Reiterating his Governments firm commitment to ensure holistic development in the State and welfare of all sections of the society, Channi said

judicious utilisation of time would be done to achieve the goal for betterment of the State.

Channi, in his address during a function held at local MLA and former Minister Sunder Sham Aroras residence, said the State Government was working round the clock to ensure overall development and timely completion of ongoing infrastructure works as urban development is a crucial component of holistic growth.

All basic amenities in urban areas will be provided to the people in the urban areas keeping in view their future needs, said Channi, adding that there was no dearth of funds for the same.

Announcing Rs 10 crore for Hoshiarpur to be given within next few days, the Chief Minister said that his Government was already making best use of available time so as to touch new heights of success and glory in the State as per peoples aspirations.

Pointing out, the Chief Minister also announced that Hoshiarpur would get state-of-the-art Biodiversity and Sports Park at a cost of Rs five crore to further develop flora and fauna in the region.

Foundation stone of this Park and the upcoming Medical College would be laid shortly. However, the classes of this Medical College would commence from the next academic session. All the necessary directions have already been issued to expedite the process for tender floating so that its construction could be started at the earliest, he added.

Extending a healing touch to the children, who lost their parents during COVID-19 pandemic, Channi handed over packets containing daily use items and some cash to them.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also went to the residences of MLA Arun Dogra and MLA Pawan Kumar Adia, where he met the families of both MLAs and interacted with them. Later on, the Chief Minister also visited MLA Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewals residence.

The Chief Minister, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Revenue Minister Aruna Chaudhary, also paid obeisance at Swami Jagat Giri Ashram in Pathankot. Channi, who attended the Satsang while sitting amongst the people, announced a grant of Rs 51 lakh for Ashram, road widening project that leads to the Ashram, and also laid the foundation stone of a hostel in MKM Public School at Ashram premises.

Special focus is being laid to strengthen the education and health sectors for ensuring affordable quality healthcare and education to the weaker sections of the society so that young minds from the unprivileged part of the society can contribute towards societys development, he said.

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Channi: Govt committed to ensure holistic development in State - Daily Pioneer

British-Vietnamese producer Chi Thai will shoot Paris Zarcillas debut feature, horror Raging Grace, this November in the UK. With inspirations including Get Out and Parasite, the film centres on an undocumented Filipina immigrant who lands a job that ensures a better life for her and her daughter, only to discover it will destroy everything she holds dear. Thai says the film will connect with any group thats been confronted with marginalisation or oppression from systemic forces.

To support Zarcilla while writing the script during the pandemic, Thai used money from the 2020 BFI Vision award for her company Last Conker. AMC-owned horror platform Shudder fully financed the film in April.

It is the latest step forwards for Thai in a career that kicked off at Leeds Northern Film School, where she graduated in 2001. She stepped away from the industry around the time of the 2007-08 recession, before returning a couple of years later with a real intensity after becoming a parent.

A passion for inclusion led to producing Kim Albrights 2016 short The Purple Plain, about the 13 women who underwent NASA astronaut training in the early 1960s. Matt Kays short doc Little Miss Sumo followed, about a female sumo wrestlers struggle against tradition and stigma. Netflix picked it up after it played at Tribeca 2019, releasing it in October that year.

The Promise, a 2020 animated short made for the BBC based on Nicola Davies and Laura Carlins book, was presented at Doc Societys Climate Story Lab, and launched in more than 1,500 UK schools. Her upcoming slate includes childrens animated series Me Jane with Irelands Cartoon Saloon, based on Patrick McDonnells picture book about UK primatologist Jane Goodall; plus Dark Chapter, adapted from Winnie M Lis Not The Booker prize-winning crime fiction.

This year Thai and cinema analytics executive Delphine Lievens published The Exclusion Act, a report indicating how the film industry is failing British East and Southeast Asians (BESEA). It found only 0.8% of British films in the last 10 years come from that diaspora. I want to work bigger, and with partners that help me do stories that centre on BESEA people, she says.

Contact: Chi Thai

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Stars of Tomorrow 2021: Chi Thai (producer) | Features | Screen - Screen International

The Rescue, an arresting truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story of a Thai youth soccer team trapped in a remote flooded cave system, opens on five screens in NY/LA/Chicago this weekend in a specialty market waiting for audiences to wake up and see that theyre missing out, according to Ed Arentz, co-president of the docs distributor Greenwich Entertainment. And sooner rather than later hes counting on strong word of mouth to expand to 350-400 screeens next weekend.

A triumph at Telluride and Toronto, The Rescue has the reach of National Geographic (its a Nat Geo film) and pedigreed filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the husband-and-wife team who won a Best Documentary Film Oscar for Free Solo in 2019.

That film followed a professional rock climber attempting the first free solo ascent of the famed El Capitans 900-meter vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park. The Rescue instead features a cast of hundreds assembled to help the Wild Boars soccer club led by a handful of eccentric amateur cave divers who performed the seemingly impossible. The 12 boys and their coach, hungry and sick and with monsoon rains about to flood their small air chamber, seemed irretrievable. Divers ultimately anesthetized and pulled them one by one over the course of three days through narrow, winding passages in pitch dark water to the cave mouth, each perilous foray taking two to three hours. Saving even one would have been considered a victory. They all made it. Deadline review here.

Jimmy and I, like many people in 2018, were living the story, the lows and the highs, said Vasarhelyi. How many different people came together. Both of us being Asian and having spent time in Thailand, we were tracking the story from the beginning.

Finding footage was a huge challenge. Many docs have lots of footage but no story. We had a great story but no footage, said Vasarhelyi. The duo gathered it piece by piece from divers GoPros and never-before-seen images they tracked to the wife of a Thai admiral. The rescues were re-created in part at Pinewood Studios with the original divers and deftly melded. When you see a child get initially anesthetized, that was real footage. Then they go underwater. Someone underwater, that is a re-enactment, she said.

Some 2,000 people attended a NYC premiere Tuesday night outside in Central Park.

Most filmmakers including us want the big screen and the theatrical experience, Vasarhelyi said. But more than anything, I want people to feel safe and do what they feel comfortable with. I am grateful for anyone who comes out to see the film.

That sums up a specialty market now, still awaiting the arthouse equivalent of Shang-Chi, Venom or Bond (is it The French Dispatch? The Tragedy of Macbeth?) and a return of its key older demo. Theres debate over whether the trouble is the product, the audience or the theaters. A still-shuttered ArcLight in L.A. is sorely missed, for example, but other arthouses were losing traction even pre-Covid.)

Mostly we need to see multiple films performing well and drawing from different segments of the audience, said Arentz. The past few months have seen maybe one decent holdover each weekend with everything else is left in the dust.

So the films keep coming. This weekends releases include A24s twisted Icelandic horror Lamb, from Cannes, in 500-plus theaters; Bleecker Streets well-reviewed drama Mass on four screens (two in NY and two in LA, adding Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston and Phoenix next weekend; and Aharon Keshales noirish Jason Sudeikis starrer South of Heaven.

Lamb, starring Noomi Rapace, follows a sad, childless couple in rural Iceland who make an alarming discovery one day in their sheep barn and face the consequences of defying the will of nature. This dark, atmospheric but also deadpan-funny folk tale is a debut feature from director Valdimar Jhannsson.

Mass, Fran Kranzs writing and directing debut, has two set of parents sitting down to talk years after an unspeakable tragedy a school shooting tore their lives apart. With Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney and Ann Dowd as the respective parents of the victim and the shooter, who took his own life, on a journey of grief, anger and acceptance.

In South of Heaven, after serving 12 years for armed robbery, Jimmy (Sudeikis) gets an early parole. Upon his release from prison, he vows to give Annie (Evangeline Lilly), his childhood love whos now dying from cancer, the best year of her life. If only it were that simple. From RJLE Films. In 19 theaters. With Mike Colter, Shea Whigham. Deadline review here.

Elsewhere in specialty, Hard Luck Love Song from Roadside Attractions is a gritty love story inspired by singer-songwriter Todd Sniders Americana hit Just Like Old Times. It follows Jesse (Michael Dorman), a charismatic, down-on-his-luck troubadour living in cheap motels and making bad decisions. He finds himself at an existential crossroads during a chance encounter with Carla (Sophia Bush), an old flame. Written and directed by Justin Corsbie.

Jacinta will premiere on Hulu and in select theaters. The doc landed first-time director Jessica Earnshaw the Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award at the Tribeca Festival. It follows a young woman who struggles to find stability after years of addiction and reconnect with the daughter she left behind. Shot over three years, the film begins at the Maine Correctional Center where Jacinta, 26, and her mother Rosemary, 46 both recovering addicts are incarcerated together.

Knocking from Yellow Veil Pictures is Frida Kempffs Swedish horror thriller about a woman who, after experiencing a traumatic incident, is unnerved by a haunting knocking sound from upstairs in her new apartment building. Cecilia Milocco stars. Premiered at the Midnight section at Sundance.

Demigod from Gravitas, more horror. Miles Doleacs film follow a woman (Rachel Nichols) who travels with her husband (Yohance Myles) to Germanys Black Forestto collect her inheritanceafter her huntsman grandfather dies. A terrifying secret forces her to reckon with her familys past and a mysterious ritual she thought was the stuff of fairy tales.

Comedy Golden Voices from Music Box Films follows Raya (Maria Belkin) and Victor (Vladimir Friedman), who built career as the Soviet Unions most beloved film dubbers, translating the work of Federico Fellini and Stanley Kubrick into Russian over the decades. Upon the collapse of the USSR in 1990, the Jewish couple must emigrate to Israel and reinvent themselves, but opportunities for first-rate vocal performances are few and far between. Raya finds herself catering to a lonely Russian community as a phone-sex operator, while Victor falls in with a band of black-market film pirates from the VHS underground. Directed by Evgeny Ruman.

Ascension from MTV Documentary Films, shot at locations across China by Jessica Kingdon, explores the class divides exposed by the nations economic growth. It took awards for best documentary and best new documentary filmmaker at the Tribeca Festival.

The Gig Is Up by Shannon Walsh, from Gravitas, takes on the gig economy, bringing to light the often-harrowing stories of the countrys shadow workforce.

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The Rescue Tests Murky Arthouse Waters: We Need To See Multiple Films Performing Well Specialty Preview - Deadline

A health worker administers a test for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on a member of the public at the Bondi Beach drive-through testing centre during a COVID-19 outbreak lockdown in Sydney, Australia, October 5, 2021. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Oct 4 (Reuters) - Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

New Zealand drops elimination strategy

New Zealand on Monday abandoned its longstanding strategy of eliminating coronavirus amid a persistent Delta outbreak, and will instead look to live with the virus and control its spread as its vaccination rate rises.

The Pacific nation was among just a handful of countries to bring COVID-19 cases down to zero last year and largely stayed virus-free until an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant in mid-August frustrated efforts to stamp out transmission.

"With this outbreak and Delta, the return to zero is incredibly difficult," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference, in a major policy shift. read more

Australia sees outbreak levelling off

Australia's Delta outbreak appears to have levelled off, with more than half the country in extended lockdowns and vaccination rates starting to approach national targets, Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Monday.

Hunt said 80% of Australians will have had their first COVID-19 jabs this week, while the overall battle against the virus has been boosted by the arrival in recent days of 15,000 additional doses of treatment drug sotrovimab.

The Australian government wants all restrictions, including travel bans, to be lifted when 80% of the population above 16 is fully vaccinated. It expects that target will be reached in mid-November. read more

Indonesia's Bali to reopen to some foreign tourists

Indonesia will reopen its tourist island Bali for some international travellers, including those from China, New Zealand and Japan, from Oct. 14, senior cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Monday.

Bali's Ngurah Rai international airport will be open to foreign tourists from that date, with visitors required to quarantine for eight days at their own expense, Luhut told reporters. read more

Workers flee Vietnam's largest city

Tens of thousands of people, mostly migrant workers, left Ho Chi Minh City over the weekend as the largest metropolis in Vietnam eased a months-long lockdown, triggering fears of labour shortages and more disruption to manufacturing.

The mass exodus comes as the city and its nearby industrial provinces struggle to ensure sufficient workers to help revive the country's economy, which posted a record GDP slump in the third quarter due to COVID-19 curbs. read more

Thailand in talks for 200,000 courses of potential COVID-19 treatment

Thailand's government is in talks with U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co to purchase 200,000 courses of the company's experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 treatment, a Thai official said on Monday.

Many Asian countries are scrambling to lock in supplies of the potential treatment early after they lagged behind Western nations in vaccine rollouts, hit by tight supplies.

South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia said they are all in talks to buy Merck's potential treatment, while the Philippines, which is running a trial on the pill, said it hopes its domestic study would allow access to the treatment. read more

Hungary's deaths rise to highest since start of fourth wave

Hungary's COVID-19 deaths and new infections jumped over the weekend to their highest level since the start of the fourth wave of the pandemic, government data showed on Monday.

Health authorities registered 1,492 new infections and 31 deaths over the past three days, bringing the total number of cases to 824,876 and deaths to 30,230 since the start of the pandemic.

Although the latest figures are still well below those registered during previous waves, the data reflects a slowly worsening trend. read more

Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Jan Harvey

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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What you need to know about the coronavirus right now - Reuters

There are a few sacred cows that have unwritten rules to leave alone. One is Social Security benefits. Another is about 401(k)s. Well, the audacity of the current Congress is pushing them to open up one of those cans of worms. Some changes are not bad but aimed at making things better. Like considering raising the age for taking required minimum distributions from 72 to 75. I like that one! Another is enhancing tax credits for small businesses that offer workplace retirement plans. Letting people age 60 and older contribute more to 401(k)s. Another of my favorites to make even better, expanding qualified charitable distributions made directly out of IRAs. Finally, another is letting employers offer student debt relief through workplace retirement plans. Now for the negative changes. Depending on your point of view of course. One is requiring automatic enrollment in workplace plans, but at least giving the employee the option to opt-out. (Currently, its up to the employee to opt-in to a workplace plan.) Another negative being bantered about in the dark halls of Congress reducing the amount of pretax pay-ins to 401(k)s. Specifically, catch-up contributions to workplace qualified retirement plans, such as 401(k)s, to be considered non-deductible ROTH type classifications instead of the current arrangement of being fully deductible against taxable wages. This means the extra up to $6,500 contributed by workers who are 50 or older would automatically go into a ROTH 401(k), thereby NOT reducing taxable wages by that amount contributed. (The good news is when that portion of your 401(k) is withdrawn years later, it will NOT be taxed.) One senator is jealous of folks who paid a high price to save early and invested wisely and grew their ROTH IRA account balance to over $5 million. He wants to prohibit further contributions when the ROTH IRA account goes beyond $5 million. This same senator also wants to block ROTH conversions for high income earners, locking them into tax paying retirement plans and Required Minimum Distributions. Hes a Democrat from Oregon and is the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee (the one that writes tax law). So watch out. Joining this jealous senator are many other Democrats who dont think that is far enough. They want to limit IRA activity for anybody with $5 million or more in their IRA account. Getting back to some positive movement in the retirement plan world, Congress is interested in getting the IRS to spend resources teaching the low-income public about the Savers Credit that pays up to $2,000 for single or $4,000 for married folks with low Adjusted Gross Income (capped out at $33,000 for single and $66,000 for married folks) when they make contributions to a retirement plan arrangement. The credit is as high as 50% of the actual amounts contributed. I wonder how much money the IRS can spend to try to talk folks into doing something they just cannot afford? So, there you have it. This Congress is willing to mess with one of the sacred cows of politics. Maybe it will help them. Time will tell. Have you heard? Deut 32:34 says, Is not this laid up in store with me, sealed up in my treasuries? Kelly Bullis is a certified public accountant in Carson City. Contact him at 882-4459. On the web at BullisAndCo.com. Also on Facebook.

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Kelly Bullis: Congress changing retirement stuff | Serving Carson City for over 150 years - Nevada Appeal

After much prayer and consideration, Ive decided that its time to turn the page on my career in the NFL. It feels surreal to be moving on from this 20-year stint of lacing up the cleats every fall, but Im committed to following the voice of God, and it has become clear that up ahead He has a new and exciting future prepared for my family and me.

(Photo courtesy of Austin Carr)

To all the coaches, staff members and teammates along the way, I hold nothing but gratefulness in my heart for all the ways youve challenged and refined me.

To my agent, Carter, and the team, thank you for believing in and advocating for me from beginning to end.

To my family, words cannot express how grateful I am for your love, sacrifice and support from youth football practices on Springs Road to the Superdome on Sundays.

To my bride, Erica, youve played so many roles and put on so many hats for my sake, Im frequently humbled by how undeserving I am of your love.

And to the Lord, who has protected, guided and loved me all along, You are eternally worthy of all glory, honor and praise from these undeserving lips. Truly, I can sing with the psalmist, Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1).

A wise man once said, If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat. Its not always easy, but its always right for us to put our total trust in Jesus Christ. Heres to the next season of life, stepping out onto the water of His calling.

Best, Austin

Austin Carr is a 27-year-old wide receiver who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017, when he initially signed with the New England Patriots. He was cut after the preseason and subsequently picked up by the New Orleans Saints, with whom he spent all four seasons of his NFL career. Previously, he was a walk-on standout at Northwestern (2012-16) after becoming the all-time rushing and scoring leader at Benicia (California) High School.

RELATED STORIES: SS PODCAST: Austin Carr, New Orleans Saints Wide Receiver THE INCREASE: When NFL Success Doesnt Make You Happy Austin Carr

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Austin Carr announces retirement from NFL, 'following the voice of God' - sportsspectrum.com

Retirement Unlimited opened two new communities in 2019 and then the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

But the organizations efforts to quickly stabilize occupancy and operations in its lease-up communities laid the foundation for the Roanoke, Virginia-based provider to defend its overall census and position it for success in a post-pandemic environment, President Doris-Ellie Sullivan told Senior Housing News.

Despite securing communities from April to June of last year during the peak of the first wave, as well as losing staff during that period, Retirement Unlimited rebounded and met its 2020 occupancy targets, without needing to readjust lease projections, Sullivan told SHN.

She also credits the companys signature programming with helping to maintain occupancy levels and operations throughout the pandemic.

Now, Retirement Unlimited is focusing on recruiting new talent to the industry, and on growing its portfolio through development and acquisitions. The organizations portfolio currently consists of 10 communities in Virginia, two in Florida, and two under construction set to open in 2023.

The company opened two new communities in the months prior to the pandemic The Wellington in Gainesville, Florida in August 2019, and Woodland Hills in Roanoke in January 2020 and managed to stabilize occupancy at both buildings by the time the first wave of positive Covid-19 cases swept across the country. This helped overall operations when Retirement Unlimited closed its communities to all new move-ins and tours from April 2020 to June 2020.

Sullivan credits strong pre-leasing at both communities with being able to stabilize occupancy in a short period of time, and allowing the operator to focus on keeping residents inside the buildings safe throughout.

Moreover, sales and marketing teams were able to hit the ground running when community restrictions were relaxed, and residents who paid deposits prior to the lockdowns moved into the buildings in short order. Today, The Wellington and Woodland Hills boast a combined 95% occupancy rate.

We were so far ahead of our lease-up [pro formas] that, by the time we opened up the doors, we never missed our targets, she said.

Retirement Unlimited struggled with labor issues during the pandemic, along with the industry at large. Sullivan noted that there was an initial panic among frontline employees during Covid-19s first wave, resulting in a 24% turnover rate by the end of 2020.

But in sharing stories with other industry executives about their pandemic-related struggles, she found that the operator fared better than most, which she attributes to Retirement Unlimiteds family-based ownership structure and hands-on leadership. Staff at its communities were already offered meals during shifts, and the operator held its own with enhanced benefits throughout the pandemic, relative to other companies in its markets.

Compared to the rest of the industry, I think this is excellent, she said.

This year has presented different challenges in two specific areas.

As restrictions on communities are relaxed and normal operations return, Retirement Unlimited finds itself competing with other industries for new talent, particularly in dining operations. Its communities have multiple dining venues, from tablecloth dining service and bistros, to wine clubs and coffee shops, and it is fighting for new workers with restaurants and other foodservice establishments that are resuming normal operations.

The company is addressing this competition by adjusting its culinary budget. It offers shift differentials to frontline staff, implemented a bonus structure in lieu of tips, and is exploring other payroll enhancements to entice new workers to the fold, as well as thank existing employees for their service.

The other pressure point involves staff vaccinations, where employee rates have lagged resident percentages across the industry.

Retirement Unlimited mandated staff vaccinations with the launch of vaccine clinics last January. The mandate did result in some staff resigning, but the operators vaccination rate among its workforce currently stands at 95%. Furthermore, with more providers across the industry mandating vaccinations, the company is finding some workers returning to their old positions.

Despite these challenges, Sullivan credits Retirement Unlimiteds signature lifestyle and wellness programming as an essential component for sailing through choppy waters.

One of its more popular programs, RUI University, experienced an uptick in enrollment over the past 18 months. The program provides free continuing education to residents via partnerships with colleges such as Virginia Tech University and Radford University in Radford, Virginia. Community lockdowns led Retirement Unlimited and its university partners to pivot to virtual courses, which were well-received and attended during lockdowns, via tablets and other hand-held devices.

Another program, Leash on Life, provides pet concierge services at Retirement Unimiteds communities. The Leash on Life program ensured pets received above-and-beyond care throughout the pandemic, particularly for residents with mobility issues. Concierges also made sure that residents pets had ample supplies available.

Covid-19 is not deterring Retirement Unlimited from future growth plans. The operator opened a new community, The Westmont at Short Pump in Glen Allen, Virginia, in May 2021. Two more communities are under development and set to open in 2023, and two of its Roanoke communities are adding cottages in expansion projects.

Retirement Unlimited is also looking to build scale through acquisitions, and is exploring several opportunities. And it is exploring an expansion of Care Impact, a home health and private duty concierge program. The operator recently hired a director of home health, applied for licensure in Virginia for Care Impact, and identified clinics across its portfolio which it will staff with nurse practitioners to work inside its buildings, as well as within the larger community.

All of this is critical to everybodys success, Sullivan said.

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Retirement Unlimited President: With Strong Occupancy, We Are Gaining Scale and Bolstering Operations - Senior Housing News

The S&P 500 gained more than 16% last year despite an unprecedented global shutdown.

But you shouldn't plan your retirement based on double-digit returns.

You should aim to spend up to 4% of your nest egg per year in retirement, according to financial advisor Winnie Sun. That percentage can drop, however, based on several factors such as if your home isn't paid off or if you have high health-care costs, Sun said.

The strategy also assumes that you have a balanced portfolio, focusing more on bonds and cash-type investments for your short-term needs. This allows the stocks in your portfolio to grow for the future, according to Sun.

Check out this video to see a few different case studies of how much spending money you'll have if you retire on $1 million.

More from Invest in You: 'Predictably Irrational' author says this is what investors should do during pandemic Coronavirus forced this couple into a 27-day quarantine on their honeymoon cruise How to prepare for a family member with COVID-19

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CHECK OUT:Why January is a particularly great time to invest your moneyvia Grow with Acorns+CNBC.

Disclosure: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns.

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How much money you'll have in your monthly budget if you retire with $1 million - CNBC

Many senior living providers have been pivoting to wellness in their operational models, and memory care is no exception.

But given the particular needs of memory care residents, fostering a wellness-first approach is not easy. Bringing wellness into memory care involves engaging multiple stakeholders, specific training, transforming physical spaces, and integrating technology.

Most importantly, memory care providers pivoting to wellness are reassessing their approaches toward caring for residents in their charge. That is according to leaders with Senior Star and Sunshine Retirement Living, who spoke during a recent webinar hosted by Senior Housing News.

The tendency of memory care providers used to be approaching residents from the perspective of their cognitive decline, instead of as people who still have much to give, and plenty of life to live, said Shadoworee Betts, senior vice president of clinical services at Senior Star. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based senior living providers operates a portfolio of 12 communities in five states. Memory care is a particular area of expertise; company founders Bill Thomas and Bob Thomas have served at the national leadership level of the Alzheimers Association, and Betts sits on the National Alzheimers Association Dementia Care Roundtable.

We like to look at the person holistically these individuals, prior to the diagnosis, had fulfilled lives and careers, Bettssaid.

Kena Phillips, regional vice president with Sunshine Retirement Living, agrees. Based in Bend, Oregon, memory care is offered in 23 of the providers communities. In Dec. 2020, the company announced an expanded rollout of a wellness-focused memory care program, including Montessori-style programs, new sensory experiences and technology, and other elements.

Phillips believes that wellness is a complementary holistic component to clinical and health care, and helps create environments where memory care residents can thrive, creating situations where they have more life in their days.

We want to get away from identifying individuals as a disease process, and remember that they are a sum of their parts, she said.

Hiring the right people not just having the proper staffing levels is essential to bringing wellness into memory care.

It involves hiring for the type of culture providers plan to implement having the necessary soft skills and approachability to get residents to engage with frontline staff, Betts said.

If a job candidate has those skills in place, then odds are solid they have the purpose required for a career in memory care, and then providers can train them in the needed skills. For instance, how to assist residents, identify what agitates them, and learn de-escalation techniques if an episode occurs.

We spend a lot of time on the process of hiring right, first, she said.

New hires at Senior Stars memory care facilities spend a lot of their onboarding and early weeks on the job in sensitivity training, including simulations to provide a clearer sense of what it is like to live with cognitive decline. This leads new staff members toward being more patient and empathetic toward residents.

The training is continuous, and involves engaged leaders who observe and are willing to teach in the moment. Leaders provide associates with the flexibility to make on-the-spot decisions and empower the lives of the residents that theyre serving.

When youre able to address what [staff are] asking you to address, you create raving fans from your associates. That allows them to be a little bit more successful in an engagement process, Betts said.

Sunshine completely immerses its frontline staff in the care process, and solicits their advice on developing care plans, building on a teams collective experience, Phillips said.

This approach helps staff forge bonds with residents as well as each other, and gives all team members from CNAs to housekeeping staff agency in the care of residents.

We encourage a whole team approach, and we encourage that no one department is above another department, she said.

After lagging behind other industries for years in embracing technology, Covid-19 shattered the barriers holding the senior living industry from incorporating tech platforms into their operations.

Technology poses unique opportunities, and challenges, for memory care settings. But providers are pleasantly surprised by how residents are embracing tech, in particular.

Sunshine implemented virtual reality capabilities within its memory care settings, and Phillips had doubts if it would take root.

When we first started talking about this, I thought, Oh, no. This is not going to be pretty, she said.

Instead, memory care residents have embraced virtual reality goggles and headphones. The VR tech allows for near-unlimited scenarios, from skydiving and virtual tours of foreign destinations, to watching musicals and touring museums and other cultural institutions.

Its an amazing tool that I would have never embraced, if our wellness team had not been pressing me to do that, she said.

Sunshine also uses video technology to assist in calming agitated residents. The provider uses recordings to capture primary caregivers and loved ones and, if they cannot be contacted when an event occurs, plays the recordings as a second option to calm residents.

Phillips indicated that Sunshine has only scratched the surface in how deeply it can ingrain technology into its memory care operations. In the future, she sees potential for creating video scrapbooks, and even more opportunities for personalized virtual experiences that can lead to positive outcomes.

I encourage everyone to not get in the trap that I was in, [convinced] this wont ever work, she said.

Senior Star is bringing in virtual reality capabilities for its memory care neighborhoods, and intends to train staff and residents families on the technology, in addition to residents, Betts said.

She sees Senior Star using VR as a tool to give staff and residents families, in particular, a semblance of what residents in cognitive decline live with on a daily basis.

Theyre used to being caregivers. Theyre not used to being the person that has the disease; VR equipment will allow us to help with those experiences, she said.

Senior Star is exploring partnering with a third-party provider on an artificial intelligence-based fall detection platform, which can predict when a resident is most susceptible to falls, and eventually reduce the likelihood of an event occurring.

Betts believes that gathering data will help Senior Star identify the contributing factors behind falls, put measures in place to reduce the chances of a fall in the future, and explain to families why loved ones are falling and the measures being taken to prevent future incidents.

Senior Star plans to launch the partnership in early 2022. The provider is also exploring additional engagement technologies for residents and associates to more positively engage in their environments.

It provides great reassurance for our family members, Betts said.

Senior living has adapted wellness-based design trends for years, and the pandemic has accelerated the adoption.

This is especially true of memory care, where building designs are a foundational component of an operators care programming. Sunshine designs its buildings in a figure-eight layout with seating areas and watch stations throughout, in order to keep residents engaged should one decide to walk around, Phillips said.

Design innovations extend to exteriors, as well. Sunshines courtyards incorporate bright colored flowers in landscaping as engagement tools and wayfinding devices, and wide walking paths with more seating areas.

To encourage stimulation, Sunshine also has spaces designed to resemble offices with desks where residents can work or nurseries where residents tend to babies.

Kitchen stations are stocked with melamine plates and service ware for residents to safely wash dishes and feel a sense of purpose.

The operator constantly assesses these stations and their frequency of use, going so far as to review residents life histories to customize how these stations are designed, and where they are laid out.

Its important for the physical plant to be easily modifiable, if you will. We cant move walls, but we can move areas, she said.

Senior Stars memory care design incorporates many of the same principles as Sunshine, with the courtyards situated in the middle of the neighborhood for engagement and connections. These areas are laid out similarly to a neighborhood outside a community. Seating stations are designed to resemble those at bus stops, parks, or schools. Senior Star brings in cars for residents to wash, as an engagement tool.

When [families] choose to bring their loved ones to memory care, theyre not prepared at times for what theyre going to see. We try to take that trauma away from them and make sure our environment is inviting, she said.

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Inside the Wellness-Driven Memory Care Models of Senior Star, Sunshine Retirement - Senior Housing News