Connecticut and Illinois plan to start accepting jobless claims from gig workers and other self-employed residents who have been waiting weeks for help, amid rising concerns about computer systems already buckling under the strain of new claims.

Other states also have struggled to adapt aging technology to handle a crush of jobless claims, including the self-employed who were granted help by the CARES Act that Congress enacted in March. More than half of states have reported computer failures that held up payments, and in states such as Pennsylvania the self-employed have not yet been paid after applying.

Image: https://www.pewtrusts.org

May 6 is National Nurses Day, where the US recognizes the hard work and dedication of nurses. That's especially important this year, as nurses play an essential role on the front lines against the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The outbreak has had an effect on almost everyone's daily life in some way, such as schools and businesses shuttered to stem the spread. Hospital staff in particular are confronting the virus every day and putting their own health at risk to help test or treat those infected by coronavirus.  

Colleges across the country are grappling with how to make their spring commencements more meaningful for students and parents disappointed about not being able to attend in person. With ceremonies moved to virtual formats due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one institution went out of its way to make its event stand out.

Image: Thunderbird School of Global Management dean Sanjeev Khagram presents a diploma to master's graduate Juili Kale in a virtual commencement ceremony involving robots.- https://www.insidehighered.com

The Alliance of the European Clusters has decided to launch an open innovation platform against the coronavirus pandemic. This is a new collaborative platform between different actors will have the strategic challenge of sharing ideas and solutions that can help different countries fight against COVID-19 with effective products, including masks and ventilators, as well as innovative health services. Europe is facing a very demanding challenge and there is an increasing sense that projects like these are important during a time of both uncertainty and complexity in which we must be all together.

Image: https://www.neweurope.eu

Maybe it's just me. Or maybe it's the business I'm in, but I can't help but notice how often people with a pressing need to call a meeting find a way to work the "Let's get together and brainstorm" phrase into their invitation even when their meeting has absolutely nothing to do with brainstorming.

Since the first days of the novel coronavirus outbreak, public health officials, infectious disease specialists and politicians have acknowledged that the world’s best hope for beating the virus is a safe and effective vaccine. 

But, they cautioned, it would take a year to 18 months, at least, to make sure it was safe and effective.

For weeks on end now, much of the country has endured a kind of home-bound miasma that the poet William Carlos Williams once described as a “sluggish, dazed spring.” But as warmer temperatures arrive and many states cautiously reopen public spaces, thousands of stir-crazed Americans are flocking outdoors. Last weekend, images and reports of glutted beaches and parks have spurred several governors to roll back access to parks and shorelines for fear of a surge in new COVID-19 infections. At a certain point, it becomes physically impossible to pack so many people into six-foot intervals.

As a working parent, you’re familiar with putting the needs of others before your own. You take care of your family first, and by working hard in your career, you often prioritize your clients’, managers’, and employer’s time before carving out time for yourself.

As the long-term implications of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to evolve and impact citizens, policymakers, and businesses around the world, we have been in regular contact with the leaders of enterprising families who oversee complex multi-generational institutions. Some are struggling with existential issues of continuity, while others are struggling to keep up with demand, and many are managing both conditions simultaneously across a broad operating portfolio.

A new toolkit released by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is designed to help businesses figure out how to reopen safely following weeks of shutdown due to the novel coronavirus.

Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday Maryland’s stay-at-home order could be lifted as early as next week. If hospital admissions related to Covid-19 continue their downward trend, the state could be begin reopening under Hogan’s multi-stage Covid-19 recovery plan.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Sean Kuechenmeister: One of the most common myths that I hear is that, if unused, muscle tissue converts into fat. It's really important to say that muscle tissue has muscle cells and fat tissue has fat cells. They are not interchangeable. By no means is it chemically or physically possible for muscle tissue to convert over to fat and vice versa, fat into muscle.

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Better get used to virtual negotiations, as they might just be the way of the future.

With so many of us confined at home to stop the spread of COVID-19, it is fortunate that much economic activity, from buying groceries to banking services, can be carried online. Typical office jobs that involve a computer, a phone and regular meetings can take place from home, even though it may require a bit of creativity when it comes to keeping the kids in check.

Image: https://knowledge.insead.edu

Northern Arizona University's grounds are quieter these days, but campus life isn't a whole lot different for Muzi Li.

The finance major from Nanjing, China, is studying at Northern Arizona University through a dual degree program with China’s Yangzhou University. When NAU shifted courses online in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Li opted to stay at NAU rather than return to China. She concluded that the risk of infection would be greater if she were to travel by air and that if she went home she would have to deal with poor internet connectivity through a virtual private network, which would complicate her accessing classes remotely. She also feared she might not be able to return to the U.S. to finish her program.

Image: COURTESY OF MUZI LI - Muzi Li

Rates of entrepreneurship have been declining in the United States since the 1970s. Recessions don’t always help. Though many know the big tech platforms that came out of the Great Recession, and the companies that came from past economic declines and even the Depression, that’s not the prevailing truth, certainly not over the last generation.

Image: https://technical.ly

As several US states begin to lift lockdown measures, one expert says none of the states currently meet safety criteria that would warrant a reopening. 

Last month, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security created guidance for governors looking to reopen their states, outlining four criteria for phased reopenings. According to the center, states should consider reopening when: 

Image: People take advantage of a Duval County beach opening for physical activity amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Jacksonville, Florida, April 19, 2020. Sam Thomas/Reuters

Pitching for new business is a make-or-break moment for many teams. You want to win the pitch, and so you develop a detailed slide deck, tout your credentials, capabilities and successes (case studies), and select your strongest presenter – possibly the leader of your team or company — to do all the talking. Right? Wrong.

Sometimes, a big idea is the easiest part of an entrepreneur’s journey. Finding the capital to fund it? That’s when things can get tricky.

Enter our Funding Index, a comprehensive guide of local angels and venture capital and investment firms, designed to offer innovators an easier way to locate financial support that may work for them, right in their backyard (i.e., Greater Boston). We’ve highlighted different entities by type, below.

One afternoon, Kristen’s son downloaded a free app from an unsecured, third-party website to add special effects to selfies. The app contained malware, and when the phone was connected to her home network, the virus was able to spread to other devices, giving cybercriminals access to valuable financial data.

As Boston-area universities take their classes, incubator programs and even graduation ceremonies virtual, Babson College has launched “Summer Catalyst,” a 10-week virtual accelerator designed to replace the school’s renowned Summer Venture Program.

The new accelerator is structured similarly to the Summer Venture Program: It includes elements like Hot Seat, office hours and dedicated advisors but is delivered completely online, according to a press release from Babson.

Supermoons are a rare type of full moon. They appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than normal. While the full moon rises about once per month, supermoons can only occur a few times per year — max.

That's because the timing has to be just right. The Moon takes about 27.32 days to orbit Earth. During its orbit, the moon passes through two points: Perigee and apogee. Perigee is about 30,000 miles closer to Earth than apogee.

Image: https://www.businessinsider.com