Magna to manufacture thousands of Cartkens fully autonomous delivery robots in the US – Electrek.co

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Global contract manufacturer Magna International has agreed to produce and scale a fleet of autonomous delivery robots for silicon valley-based robotics company Cartken. The robots are being built at a Magna facility in Michigan and will soon offer autonomous last-mile deliveries to businesses around the world.

Magna International ($MGA) sits as one of the top contract manufacturers in the world, particularly in the world of automotive mobility. The company has produced over 3.7 million vehicles across thirty different models for 10 different OEM customers, including the likes of Ford, Rivian, and GM. This fall, Magna will begin production of Fisker Inc.s flagship EV, the Ocean.

As the entire automotive industry quickly pivots toward all-electric models, Magna has followed suit, developing everything from electrified power trains to battery enclosures and ADAS systems. That being said, there are plenty of advanced technologies Magna develops and implements on its own that not only apply to the automotive world but advanced mobility as a whole.

Magna International describes itself as a 65-year-old start-up and didnt become the largest contract manufacturer in North America by simply building cars for OEMs. Magna looks to help further new mobility by helping solve todays challenges sustainably.

This is a huge reason why an agreement to build autonomous delivery robots for Cartken makes a lot of sense.

Magna International announced its latest manufacturing collaboration in a press release today, sharing insight into the decision to help scale Cartkens autonomous delivery robot technology to help support a growing segment of sustainable last-mile delivery vehicles. Magnas executive vice president and global lead for new mobility, Matteo Del Sorbo, elaborated:

We continue to identify opportunities in the new mobility ecosystem where we use our capabilities to unlock new growth areas and new business models. This collaboration withCartken is great example of that approach. Our ability to design, engineer and manufacture complete vehicles makes Magna an ideal partner for companies looking to solve last mile delivery challenges with sustainable, autonomous and cost-effective solutions.

Cartkens Model C is a fully autonomous delivery robot, equipped with a remote monitoring and teleoperation system that allows for instant human override if needed. These robots can smoothly traverse indoor and outdoor situations and are equipped with multiple cameras, advanced machine learning, and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)-based navigation algorithms.

Under the current terms of the agreement, Cartken expects thousands of autonomous delivery robots to be manufactured once Magnas production capacity ramps up in the coming months.

Cartkens current fleet of Model C autonomous delivery robots is already in commercial operation, serving various use cases in malls, hotels, universities, retail, and warehouses around the globe.With Magnas help, Cartken looks to expand its autonomous footprint much further. Company cofounder and CEO, Christian Bersch, shared his thoughts:

We seek strategic partners that can accelerate the trajectory of Cartkens growth. This partnership is a significant step toward scaling our business and getting more Model Cs into the world. Were honored that Magna, as a global leader with deep systems knowledge and manufacturing excellence, recognized the potential of our robots and the quality of our technology. Were inspired by Magnas push into new spaces and are excited to move forward together in our effort to scale distribution.

Looking ahead, both parties are discussing additional autonomous delivery robot models joining the assembly line, based on the same platform as the Model C. Future models could serve additional business models like robot-as-a-service. For now, Model C production is underway at Magnas manufacturing facility in Michigan and will continue to expand through 2022.

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Legged Robots to Aid with Planetary Research – USC Viterbi | School of Engineering – USC Viterbi School of Engineering

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(Photo/Courtesy of Feifei Qian)

Every night across the globe, people look up and see the moon. Some nights, it appears as a small sliver; other nights, it is full and lights up the dark sky. What is this satellite made of? Does it have water? Has it ever sustained animal or plant life?

Robots have long assisted scientists in answering these and other questions about the moon and the planets that grace our solar system. However, todays rovers have generally had wheels that could get stuck in planets terrain, sometimes causing them to abort important exploration missions.

Feifei Qian, a WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, is leading a three-year $3-million research project funded by NASA to create legged robots that could more easily glide through icy surfaces, crusted sand and other difficult-to-navigate environments, significantly enhancing scientists abilities to gather information from planetary bodies.

The overarching goal of this endeavor is to understand how to integrate robotics technology with both planetary science and cognitive science, to improve robot-aided exploration of planetary environments. Essentially, this project aims to create next-generation high-mobility robots and rovers that can easily move through planetary surfaces and flexibly support human scientists exploration goals.

This project employs bio-inspired robots with legs, meaning their form is modeled after animals unique abilities to move well on challenging surfaces like soft sand. Utilizing the latest direct-drive actuator technology, these robots can feel the terrain (e.g., sand softness, rock shapes) from their legs. This ability allows the legged robots to interact with the environment in the same manner as animals, adjusting their movement as needed.

As lead investigator Qian puts it, these robots are modeled in a manner that allows them to not just mimic how the animals look, but really understand what makes these animals successful on different terrains.

The ability to feel the terrain using legs also allows these legged robots to easily gather information about the environment as they move around, and adjust exploration strategies based on this information. Integrated with additional scientific instrumentation, these robots can collect a large amount of useful information as they walk around planetary surfaces.

For the many planetary environments that we would like to explore, we would like to send rovers and robots to gather information before sending humans, said Qian, Even for environments where its safe to send astronauts, mobile robots can integrate scientific instrumentation and help take precise measurements while moving around.

While the Mars Exploration Rovers and other robots have been successfully sent into space, they typically operate based on pre-programmed agenda, which means human scientists and engineers need to input detailed instructions on where to go, and what to do, prior to the robots arrival at the planet. As a result, when the robot encounters any unexpected scenarios or discovers any interesting measurements, it has limited capabilities to adapt its plan. This could hinder the robots or rovers ability to effectively navigate the new environments, or even miss out on opportunities to make important scientific discoveries.

Qians research project, LASSIE, meaning Legged Autonomous Surface Science In Analogue Environments, seeks to make it possible for robots to simultaneously move more effectively in various environments while gathering information about them. This information has the potential to allow researchers to understand more about what these planets look like and how they react to disturbances. By understanding how human scientists interpret this information and adapt their exploration plans, roboticists and cognitive scientists on the LASSIE team will together create intelligent robots that can begin to make exploration decisions like a scientist. One of the questions guiding this research, said University of Pennsylvania Professor Doug Jerolmack, a co-investigator, is how do we exploit a robot most efficiently, so it takes on some of the burdens of decision making?

The NASA project will fund Qian and her team to test these legged robots at locations such as Mount Hood, Oregon, and White Sands, New Mexico, which mimic the terrains of planets such as Mars and the moon. Analyzing how Qians bio-inspired robots perform on earth will allow researchers to make tweaks before the legged robots. USC Viterbis Prof. Feifei Qian is the lead researcher for a $3-million project that could significantly improve robots ability to aid with planetary explorations deployed on other planets and the moon.

One of the legged robots measuring regolith strength in White Sands, NM. Photo/Courtesy Feifei Qian

The research group consists of Qian, eight co-investigators from various research universities, including Texas A&M University, University of Pennsylvania, Oregon State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as the NASA Johnson Space Center. Much of the NASA funding supports the students who work on this project.

This is the dream team and a very rare chance to bring a team with all the components into one project, Qian said.

Qian joined USC Viterbi as an assistant professor in 2020. She holds a masters degree in physics and a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The technology and understandingthat this project will develop will also be beneficial for scientific explorations on earth [because] our project will provide understandings of how human scientists make sampling decisions and adapt exploration strategies in response to incoming measurements, said Qian. With a team of roboticists, earth and planetary scientists, and cognitive scientists working together, the LASSIE team led by Prof. Qian will create the next-generation robots and rovers that can significantly expand our knowledge about the moon and other planets.

Published on September 7th, 2022

Last updated on September 7th, 2022

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Legged Robots to Aid with Planetary Research - USC Viterbi | School of Engineering - USC Viterbi School of Engineering

HAI ROBOTICS Japan and Gaussy to Cooperate in Robot Subscription Services and Exhibit HAIPICK A42N at Logis-Tech Tokyo 2022 | RoboticsTomorrow -…

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HAI ROBOTICS Japan and Gaussy Inc. signed a distribution agreement and will exhibit the comprehensive "Roboware" solution at Logis-Tech Tokyo 2022.

HAI ROBOTICS Japan and Gaussy Inc. signed a distribution agreement in August 2022 to promote the HAIPICK ACR series in Japan. The collaboration will adopt HAIPICK A42N as a robot subscription service "Roboware" provided by Gaussy, including warehouse solutions provided by both companies. The two companies are planning to conduct various joint demonstration activities. This time the two companies will exhibit the comprehensive "Roboware" solution at "Logis-Tech Tokyo 2022" and demonstrate the benefits of "HAIPICK A42N."

Joint exhibition solutionsHAIPICK ACR system "HAIPICK A42N" Demo: The ACR robot was independently developed by HAI ROBOTICS. It supports mixing picking of cartons/totes, such as cases of 160cm in size, larger than the standard, and increases the efficiency of picking. It also realizes high-density storage. The HAIPICK ACR system is one of HAI ROBOTICS' main products and has been implemented across a large number of projects. Currently, the company has implemented more than 500 projects worldwide.

Gaussy exhibition booth: The company will exhibit its Warehouse robot subscription service "Roboware." In addition to that, visitors will have the chance to see the Three-dimensional Sorting Robot "Omni Sorter," the Shelf Transfer Robot "Ranger GTP," the Pallet Transport Robot "Ranger IL," the Autonomous Robot "FlexComet/FlexSwift," and two Sharing-type Warehouse Service "WareX.."

About the exhibitionEvent name: Logis-Tech Tokyo 2022

Date: Tuesday, September 13 - Friday, September 16, 2022, 10:00 - 17:00

Venue: Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center) East Halls 1-8

Booth No.: East Hall 5 Booth 5-502 Display Name "Gaussy Co., Ltd."

Click here for pre-registration

About HAI ROBOTICS JAPAN, Inc.Founded in 2016 in Shenzhen, China, HAI ROBOTICS is the pioneer and leader in Autonomous Case-handling Robot (ACR) systems. The company provides efficient, intelligent, flexible and customized warehouse automation solutions through robotics technology and AI algorithms. Since its establishment, it has grown rapidly by incorporating global needs and providing a comprehensive ACR system developed in-house. The company was ranked in the "Unicorn Ranking List" of Hu Run Research Institute in December 2021. HAI ROBOTICS now has more than 500 projects globally and offices in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, serving customers from more than 30 countries and regions.

HAI ROBOTICS JAPAN Co., Ltd., was established in 2021 in Japan as a subsidiary of HAI ROBOTICS Co., Ltd., and promotes automation and DX in the logistics and manufacturing industry through one-stop services from the introduction of ACR systems to operational support. Aiming to do business activities specialized in the Japanese market. HAI ROBOTICS Japan Technical Center was opened in March 2022 to demonstrate and simulate ACR products and solutions.

About Gaussy Inc.With the vision of "Logistics gets you there," Gaussy will provide new options for businesses by building a system that can flexibly respond to changes in warehouse needs and cargo volume. Gaussy offers two services: "Roboware," a subscription-type monthly warehouse robot service that allows anyone to easily operate a warehouse using robots, and "WareX," a sharing warehouse service that allows anyone to easily use vacant warehouse space.

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HAI ROBOTICS Japan and Gaussy to Cooperate in Robot Subscription Services and Exhibit HAIPICK A42N at Logis-Tech Tokyo 2022 | RoboticsTomorrow -...

Hyderabad student bags gold at int’l robotics competition for her physiotherapy robot – EdexLive

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Next time, when you are in need of a physiotherapist, you might just find a solution at home without having to go to a hospital. How come, you ask? Here's the invention of 13-year-old Riddhima L Chukkapalli, ARMsio, the physiotherapy robot.

Riddhima, a Class IX student from Oakridge International School, Hyderabad has possibly made the future of the medical industry easier by inventing ARMiso. What's more? It even helped her bag the gold medal in the 2022 International Youth Robotics Competition (IYRC) in the senior robot design category (solo). Thailand, Russia, Malaysia and many other countries participated in it.

Nursing an ambition to become an orthopaedic surgeon, the first thing that came to mind for this young star was to come up with an instrument that can help people.

The young robotics engineers robot ARMsio aids in physiotherapy and rehabilitation services.

After surgeries, patients require physiotherapy sessions by a physiotherapist. The robot that has been developed can aid the physiotherapist. Here's how. The robotic arm must be strapped to the arm of the patient using the velcro straps. The robot moves the elbow and the wrist of the patient at angles ranging from 0 to 90 degrees, at set intervals. The main benefit of ARMsio is that it can be accessed anywhere, anytime and as per the comfort of the patient, says Riddhima.

Being a dancer myself, I know how difficult it is to depend on someone when you get hurt and with ARMsio, one can access their own personal physiotherapist anytime, anywhere, said Riddhima.

I faced a number of issues when I had to take this idea from paper and make it work. I had to do a lot of research and only then was I able to successfully execute this idea, added Riddhima about the challenges she faced during the making of this robot. In addition to being an expert in robotics, this youngster is also interested in Kuchipudi and playing the piano.

The teenage champion Riddhima, who has participated in two IYRCs previously, said, It was really challenging to participate in this competition online. Looking at your competitors and the reaction of the judges while explaining about the robot is what motivated me, but now explaining everything to the camera felt a bit awkward.

Riddhima, showed interest in robotics at a young age, when she was in Class V. Pursuing her interest was made possible due to the exposure provided at her school and the help of her cousins. She then decided to take her interest forward by enrolling at Leap Robots, Research and product development in Hyderabad. My mentors at Leap Robots guided me a lot. They helped me with the structure of this design and I came up with the program," she said. I really wish that this competition was held offline which would be another great exposure for me to meet students and dignitaries from different countries across the world, added Riddhima.

The IYRC is an internationally-scaled robotics competition that has been held for the past few years that encourages youngsters to come up with innovative creations and also provides a variety of programmes.

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Hyderabad student bags gold at int'l robotics competition for her physiotherapy robot - EdexLive

Robotics hiring levels in the mining industry rose in August 2022 – Mining Technology

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The proportion of mining industry operations and technologies companies hiring for robotics related positions rose in August 2022 compared with the equivalent month last year, with 26.9% of the companies included in our analysis recruiting for at least one such position.

This latest figure was higher than the 25.3% of companies who were hiring for robotics related jobs a year ago but a decrease compared to the figure of 29.5% in July 2022.

When it came to the rate of all job openings that were linked to robotics, related job postings dropped in August 2022 from July 2022, with 1.3% of newly posted job advertisements being linked to the topic.

This latest figure was an increase compared to the 1% of newly advertised jobs that were linked to robotics in the equivalent month a year ago.

Robotics is one of the topics that GlobalData, from whom our data for this article is taken, have identified as being a key disruptive force facing companies in the coming years. Companies that excel and invest in these areas now are thought to be better prepared for the future business landscape and better equipped to survive unforeseen challenges.

Our analysis of the data shows that mining industry operations and technologies companies are currently hiring for robotics jobs at a rate higher than the average for all companies within GlobalData's job analytics database. The average among all companies stood at 0.6% in August 2022.

GlobalData's job analytics database tracks the daily hiring patterns of thousands of companies across the world, drawing in jobs as they're posted and tagging them with additional layers of data on everything from the seniority of each position to whether a job is linked to wider industry trends.

You can keep track of the latest data from this database as it emerges by visiting our live dashboard here.

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Robotics hiring levels in the mining industry rose in August 2022 - Mining Technology

Big Iron Farm Show demonstration will show the potential of artificial intelligence and robotics in ag – Agweek

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WEST FARGO, N.D. If a farmer didn't have to spray his entire field but could instead target weeds at their earliest stage and stop infestations before they start, the cost savings could be immense. Plus, consumers increasingly want less herbicides and other chemical applications applied to food crops, and agriculture continues to strive to be more environmentally friendly.

Dr. Rex Sun, an assistant professor in the department of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering at North Dakota State University, and his team will have a new technology on display at the 2022 Big Iron Farm Show, Sept. 13-15 in West Fargo, that they think will accomplish those goals a remote control "weedbot" that uses artificial intelligence and robotics to perform site specific weed management.

The daily demonstrations at 1 p.m. will involve bringing real weeds from an NDSU greenhouse and showing how the robot identifies and eliminates them.

"Right now, the farmers are spraying weeds on the whole field, but we don't want to do that," Sun said. "So hopefully by using our precision agriculture technologies like robotics and AI, they can use this robot and identify the early stage and make that solution right on the spot so we don't have to spray the whole field."

The robot is in proof-of-concept stage, and there are improvements left to be made, Sun said, noting that a robot that uses mechanical means to eliminate weeds or systems that look for pests and disease are possible, too.

"This kind of platform, it can customize depending on what kind of applications the farming industry needs," he said.

While the robot is not autonomous, that is another possibility down the road, he said.

John Nowatzki, a retired agricultural machine systems specialist at NDSU who serves on the Big Iron Committee, said another demonstration will be a repeat from last year, with Titan Machinery and Raven Industries showing off their autonomous grain cart technologies . The demonstration will be west of the food court this year, because the space south of the racetrack used in the past is now a corn maze.

Hundreds of vendors also will be on hand at Big Iron, and many are preparing to show off new products or explain popular existing ones.

Nick Chiodo, marketing manager at Crary Industries, said Crary will have their Wind System on display for those who haven't seen it and experts to explain it. The system is an attachment for a soybean header that reduces shatter loss and feeds the combine more evenly through the blowing of high velocity air. Chiodo said the system can increase bushels per acres by as much as 5, with configurations that fit on most brand-name headers.

"Anywhere that grows soybeans, we're probably out there," he said.

They'll also have information and experts on their Revolution Ditcher, for use in cleaning out water ways, ditches or terraces. Chiodo said they'll have the "latest and greatest" on that in their booth.

Crary is planning a Dec. 15 event called Full Pod, which will feature famous farm YouTubers. For the cost of their ticket, attendees at that event will get dinner, a hooded sweatshirt, a grab bag and a chance to win door prizes, as well as opportunities to interact with the YouTubers and other farmers. Chiodo said anyone who has registered for the event can show their ticket at the booth and be entered to win a Grizzly cooler with the Full Pod log.

Big Iron is a must for Crary, Chiodo said. Crary is located close at hand to the fairgrounds.

"It's right across the street from us," he said. "It's our backyard."

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Big Iron Farm Show demonstration will show the potential of artificial intelligence and robotics in ag - Agweek

Researchers are creating underwater robots to study microplastics and map the ocean – WVTF

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Researchers at Virginia Tech are developing underwater robots, to be able to map the ocean and study the impacts of microplastics, which are broken down bits of plastic pollution that are filling most of our waters, and could be posing health risks to humans and animals across the world.

Right now the systems that are currently exploring the deep ocean are really large, really expensive, and require an entire ocean ship to support it, said Dan Stilwell, a professor of electrical and computer engineering. Stilwell is director of VTs Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics program, and is part of the interdisciplinary team working on the project to improve technologies that can study the ocean.

He and two PhD engineering students recently tested out one of their robots as it dove beneath the surface of Claytor Lake in Pulaski County. The robot is bright-yellow and shaped like a missile. It can go more than 1600 feet deep, but on this day, they tested it at a depth of about 9 feet. It was built using 3-D printers at Virginia Tech.

The robot glided, then dipped underneath the water, then practiced doing figure eights along the edge of the lake. Its learning how to orient itselfand the team is testing whether robots can work collaboratively, together, to map huge areas of the ocean.

Were trying to figure out how to reduce the logistics footprint to something really small, Stilwell said. Deploy a lot of vehicles, with very little surface support, and have them work for months at a time.

Several sponsors are interested in the technology, including two alumni who made a $2 million donation to the project. This fall an interdisciplinary group of researchers led by geoscientist Robert Weiss will begin a four-year project to use the robots to collect data on microplastics in Virginia Beach and the Chesapeake Bay.

This report, provided byVirginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from theVirginia Education Association.

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Researchers are creating underwater robots to study microplastics and map the ocean - WVTF

Robots perceived as threats in countries with higher inequality – TRT World

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A study finds that workers in countries with greater income and societal inequality are more likely to see disruptive technologies like AI in negative terms.

As we step rapidly towards a machine-powered cognitive revolution, the future of work has increasingly been dominated by headlines like robots are taking your job.

According to a World Economic Forum report, 85 million jobs globally will be displaced by robotics and automation. Conversely, advanced technologies will create 97 million new jobs that require more skills and training.

That disruption is creating a lot of anxiety. For some, greater automation indicates the end of drudgery and mind-numbing tasks. But for others, this rapid development spells a jobless future.

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Central Florida has found that workers in countries with greater amounts of income and societal inequality were more likely to perceive robots and artificial intelligence (AI) as threats.

The study examined countries in Europe and was published in the journal Technology, Mind and Behavior.

It found that in countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, robots are more likely to be viewed in positive terms than in countries like Greece and Spain, where income inequality is greater.

Data from over 13,000 respondents from 28 EU member states were used, gathered from a 2017 Eurobarometer public opinion survey that examined if there was an association between workers viewing AI and robots as threats and a countrys inequality.

The researchers found a positive association between income inequality through an economic measure called the Gini index, and perceptions that AI and robots pose threats to general job loss.

Building on psychological research on inequality, the studys authors anticipate that people living in more unequal societies will, on average, perceive robots and AI as greater workforce threats.

They highlight that while the objective potential impacts of AI/robots are one thing, the primary focus is what people believe these new technologies are capable of.

None of this is happening in the next year or two, writes tech journalist Sean Captain.

The 5,10, or more years it takes for robots to catch up in both capability and numbers offer time for the current and next generation of workers to learn more advanced skills beyond what machines can do. And those skills could earn them more money, in more interesting jobs. Rather than people losing their employment to machines, the machines may simply fill in for occupations that people no longer want to do anyway.

While the studys focus was on European countries, co-author Mindy Shoss, a professor in UCFs Department of Psychology, says the findings could help better understand the issue in the US as well.

The US always ranks pretty high on inequality and societal inequality, Shoss said. Given that, I would suspect that there probably are, on average, similar negative views of AI and robot technology in the US.

Shoss said that in highly unequal societies there are greater inequalities in income, health and education, as well as more attention given to the social mobility of people, which leads to anxiety and uncertainty about income, status and job security.

Countries that have more people in unequal standing, on average, tend to see these technologies more as a threat, she said.

Shoss added that based on the studys findings, the issue of inequality should be taken more seriously into account when designing and implementing technology, as well as addressing the ways advanced technology could improve jobs or incomes to increase public acceptance.

Source: TRT World

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Robots perceived as threats in countries with higher inequality - TRT World

FTC expands Amazon investigation to include healthcare and robotics buyouts – Input

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The Federal Trade Commission has been investigating Amazons Prime business for a while now, but the scope of that investigation is being broadened to include the companys recent acquisitions in healthcare and robotics. Reports from The Wall Street Journal and Politico reveal that both of Amazons recent buyout propositions of Roomba parent company iRobot and of medical provider One Medical are now part of the FTCs ongoing investigation.

While the FTC has kept quite tight-lipped about this investigation in general, its obvious at this point that its a sprawling one. The FTC could potentially sue to block either or both of these acquisitions, slowing or halting them. The watchdog agency has been increasingly proactive in its scrutiny of Big Tech acquisitions under the leadership of Lina Khan.

Leaving no crumbs Amazons summer acquisitions have raised eyebrows from plenty of tech watchdogs, but the FTC has said nothing about the propositions just yet. In July, Amazon announced its plan to buy the entirety of One Medical for $3.9 billion. One Medical is a large-scale healthcare operation that operates 125 clinics across the United States and offers virtual appointments for members. That acquisition which would give Amazon a significant footprint in the healthcare industry writ large was confirmed as under investigation by a securities filing made last week.

Just a few weeks later, Amazon announced that it would be buying iRobot, maker of the popular Roomba smart vacuum system, for $1.7 billion. A formal probe has not yet been opened by the FTC on this front, but sources familiar with the situation told Politico theyd expect that step to be taken sooner rather than later.

Both buyouts would significantly expand Amazons already-massive trove of user data. Both acquisitions could easily be seen as anticompetitive in nature, too, given Amazons penchant for buying competitors rather than actually competing with them.

Amazon wont be happy FTC chairwoman Lina Khan has always been open about her intentions to regulate Amazons sprawling business. As of late, that cause has taken the shape of a deep investigation of Amazons Prime business practices. The FTC seeks to understand whether or not Amazon uses deceptive practices in coercing consumers to sign up for Prime, as well as information on how difficult Amazon makes it for Prime customers to cancel their memberships.

Amazon has made plenty of fuss about this investigation, up to and including filing an official complaint accusing the FTC of harassing executives like former CEO Jeff Bezos. You can bet Amazon will continue to fight the FTC every step of the way as its investigation continues. You dont become a trillion-dollar behemoth without being willing to fight dirty.

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FTC expands Amazon investigation to include healthcare and robotics buyouts - Input

From farm to fork, thanks to … AI and robots? – Marketplace

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Much of the western United States dealt with scorching temperatures over the past week, with some parts of California reaching more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit. That state is suffering a multiyear drought, and some residents are allowed to water their gardens and lawns only one day per week.

Texas, Nevada and New Mexico are also experiencing severe droughts, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. So, farmers have to be especially careful about how they use precious resources like water.

Marketplaces Kimberly Adams spoke with Jill McCluskey, a professor of sustainability at Washington State Universitys School of Economic Sciences, about how smart tech in agriculture can help. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Jill McCluskey: It seems like farmers and producers are almost turning into artificial intelligence engineers. They are using smart crop monitoring and drones, satellites and GPS to become more efficient and reduce costs.

Kimberly Adams: What are some of the issues, or industry concerns, that are really pushing innovation in agriculture technology right now?

McCluskey: I would say the two biggest concerns for agriculture are the availability of labor and the availability of water. Artificial intelligence, robotics and machine learning can help with both of those issues. And so as we have more robotic harvesting, for example, and autonomous farm machinery, we can use less labor. And this also is probably good for the workers, that it reduces the need for them to engage in some of the menial and dangerous work.

Adams: What does a farm robot look like?

McCluskey: It depends on the crop. So for lettuce, for example, it might have wheels on both sides that go over the row of lettuce and can harvest. But for apples, it might have a raising platform that can help harvest the apples. Its just different for each crop, they would be different.

Adams: How much of farm work can be automated at this point?

McCluskey: A lot of it can be automated. If you think about [it], we have self-operated machinery thats connected to sensor data and GPS data. And so you can imagine a combine without a driver harvesting. The more challenging part in terms of harvesting is for the delicate crops that are very labor-intensive. So an example is the raspberry. So if you think about it, a raspberry is very delicate. Its really hard for a robot to pick it without damaging the fruit.

Adams: Is there any technology in development to solve that problem?

McCluskey: Theyre currently working on it. I know for some products, theyre using vacuums to pick the fruit instead of pinching it like a finger would do. They actually vacuum the fruit off the bush.

Adams: There is, of course, this bad drought happening out West this year. And water issues are just an ongoing problem for many parts of this country. How is technology working to address the water shortages many farmers are experiencing?

McCluskey: Sensors that are smart connected and satellites and drones can provide in-ground data of the moisture level. And so the water can be more efficiently applied. In the past, in the West weve often had just irrigation of fields. And so water is not used in an efficient way. And agriculture does use a large proportion of water. And as water gets more scarce, we need to use it optimally.

Adams: How affordable are some of these new technologies for farmers?

McCluskey: Affordability is still an issue. But as we continue to develop cheaper versions of it, I think itll be adopted in a more widespread way. And often, berry farmers and those types of farmers tend to be smaller than, say, a huge wheat farm or a huge soybean farm in the Midwest. So those farmers with huge fields have been able to invest in really expensive farm machinery, but the smaller operators cant. So that is an issue; it needs to get cheaper over time.

Adams: Already, large agricultural companies have a big advantage over the smaller farms. How will the fact that they can invest in these technologies and the smaller farms cant affect that dynamic moving forward?

McCluskey: It definitely puts the large farms at an advantage. And the small farms they probably would be more likely to produce organic crops and other crops that have more value added. And they could specialize in those types of crops in order to survive. But I think it is an issue that as labor gets more expensive, and the robotic technology is also expensive, itll be harder for the small farms to compete.

Adams: Labor shortages in the agricultural sector have been an issue for some time now. And I wonder how that is affecting the urgency of this push to automation.

McCluskey: I think it definitely has affected the urgency. So as labor gets more expensive, we come closer to robotics that are essentially a backstop technology, so then its more expensive. But as the price of labor hits that backstop technology, it might actually be cheaper to invest in robotics for harvest. And at the same time, I think that it becomes a priority for research and development as labor becomes more expensive.

Adams: So with all this new technology, what happens to the workers who remain?

McCluskey: I think in the future, there will be less need for agricultural workers the traditional work that they did of harvesting crops, picking crops. So we would hope that some of those people would be trained to run some of the machinery. They would be trained to do work that is more satisfying and socially sustainable.

Adams: How important is sustainability in the development of all this technology in agriculture?

McCluskey: I think sustainability really drives the use of technology in agriculture. So the use of technology will help producers be more sustainable in their use of water, which is such a difficult problem that were facing as a society, and also be sustainable in terms of workers so that they will need fewer workers to do the really hard and dangerous tasks.

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From farm to fork, thanks to ... AI and robots? - Marketplace

Robotics research shortlisted for education Oscar! – Heriot-Watt University

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Published:2 Sep 2022

Research led by Heriot-Watt University has been shortlisted in the prestigiousTimes Higher Education THE Awards 2022, in recognition of its ground-breaking robotics research to support the energy transition.

Offshore wind is a critical component in the drive to net zero. However, inspecting and maintaining these infrastructures is dangerous, expensive and requires support vessels with a high carbon footprint.

Launched in October 2017, with expertise from 13 universities and 30+ industry partners, the Offshore Robotics for Certification of Assets (ORCA) Hub has been leading a revolution in offshore energy inspection, collaborating on an unprecedented scale to match research directly to industry needs.

The work, which is now being progressed as part of the National Robotarium, a partnership between Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, has demonstrated how Robotics and Autonomous Systems can safely inspect, maintain, and repair offshore infrastructure, guided by people on ships or onshore. Examples include what is believed to be the first autonomous foundation inspection at an offshore wind farm, developing 3D maps to show repair needs.

Widely known as the Oscars of higher education' the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards attracted more than 550 entries this year. The ORCA Hub is shortlisted for STEM: Research Project of the Year.

Professor Yvan Petillot, director of the ORCA Hub and joint academic lead of the National Robotarium, said: We are enormously proud to be shortlisted for this prestigious award and it is a testament to the incredible work of all our researchers, our multiple collaborators and industry partners who have supported our work over the last five years. The ORCA Hub's work has prompted a revolution in offshore energy inspection, raising the profile of Robotics and Autonomous Systems while accelerating government and industry net zero ambitions.

Together with our collaborators, we have equipped drones with contact capabilities to monitor turbine surfaces, reducing risky human-led operations. We've showcased our work to more than 15,000 people in person through events and we've highlighted our research to more than 200 million people globally through media coverage. We're continuing our work as part of the National Robotarium to address some of industry's biggest challenges. Our far-reaching work has international impact and the ability to meet major societal needs as the race to net zero gathers pace. We'd urge those with an interest in collaborating to get in touch with us.

THEeditor John Gill said:This is the 18thyear that the THE Awards will celebrate the best that UK higher education has to offer, across 20 categories covering all aspects of university activity. Once again, the shortlists reflect universities doing extraordinary things in extraordinary times, during the 2020-21 academic year, when the pandemic continued to force higher education and all who work in it to respond to an unprecedented challenge.

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Southwestern Pa. to put $62.7M toward areas distinctive strength in robotics | Today in Pa. – PennLive

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You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa at this link, or on any of your favorite apps including Alexa, Apple, Spotify, and Stitcher. Episodes are available every weekday on PennLive. Feel free to subscribe, follow or rate Today in Pa. as you see fit!

A burglars three-year crime spree may have come to an end. The southwestern part of the state will use $62.7 million in funds to expand the regions distinctive strength in robotics. Splendid news, teachersyou can get free coffee for the whole of September courtesy of Wawa. And a chipmunk named George goes viral.

Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa., a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Claudia Dimuro. Today in Pa. is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories pertaining to Pennsylvania that lets you know, indeed, whats happening today in Pa.

Todays episode refers to the following articles:

If you enjoy Today in Pa., consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, wed like to know what you think about the program, too.

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Southwestern Pa. to put $62.7M toward areas distinctive strength in robotics | Today in Pa. - PennLive

Career Wise: Success is Automated as a Robotics Professional, Here’s How to Land the High Tech Jobs – News18

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As the board exam results are being announced, students are ready to transition from schools to colleges.The firststep in this transition is to make a career choice. To help you in selecting the right professional path for you, every week we explore new professional avenues for you. Bring a unique career and a roadmap that can help you take up a job in that profession. If you have any other queries or have a course or career you want us to explore, write to us on Twitter at @News18dotcom.

During the first two industrial revolutions, mechanical engineering got consolidated as a profession for designing, building, managing machinery, etc. Its central body of knowledge evolved to include knowledge areas of materials, mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, machine design, and manufacturing. Thus, it is the predecessor of all other forms of engineering and will continue to be enriched by them to conceive, design, build, and manage more sophisticated machinery with enhanced complexity, flexibility, connectivity, automation, and intelligence.

Various technologies of the fourth industrial revolution are now making the body of knowledge and professional practice of mechanical engineering much more interdisciplinary as compared to the earlier industrial revolutions. Some of these key technologies are AI and ML, IoT, Robots and Cobots, Big Data, 5G, Augmented and Virtual Reality, and 3D and 4D printing.

Machines with automation mechanisms have existed since pre-historical times. Traps for hunting animals were probably the first man-made machines that operated automatically as the animal passed through. Today, automation engineers apply diverse technologies to streamline, improve, and automate manufacturing, electricity generation, warehouse distribution, mining, and many other processes to reduce the need for human intervention and maximise efficiency.

As per the 2020 report on the Future of jobs by the World Economic Forum, robotics and industrial automation are likely to be adopted by more than 60per cent of companies. A McKinsey Global Survey of October 2021, showed that 70per cent of global respondents say that their companies are at least piloting automation in one or more business units or functions.

Students who want to pursue a career in automation and robotic engineering in India can choose from a variety of study options, including either broad UG studies like mechanical engineering, electronics engineering, or computer science and engineering, or specialised UG studies like mechatronics engineering, automation and robotics engineering, etc.

Many universities are also offering PG programmes like MTech. in robotics, MTech in automation and robotics, MTech in intelligent systems and robotics, MTech in mechatronics, PhD in robotics, etc. The choice between a broad or a specialised programmemust be made by carefully examining the curriculum, courses, lab facilities, and faculty quality. In many cases, a broad programme with many courses relevant to automation and robotics can be better than some specialised programs.

Engineering students interested in this field should acquire adequate skills while they are in college to build a bright career for themselves. In order to serve in the area, students should basically develop the ability to conceive, design, implement, and manage automation systems by using principles of machine design, process control, mechatronics, cyber-physical systems, robotics, artificial intelligence, and state of the art components and tools.

It will be crucial to learn and have an interest in machine design, programming, embedded systems, IoT, mathematics, etc. Furthermore, every automation and robotics engineer must possess some fundamental competencies systems thinking, computational thinking, complex problem solving using an inter-disciplinary approach, lifelong learning, communication, and the ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team.

Candidates with a relevant educational background and project experience can work in the fields of system integration, application development, quality control, manufacturing, and research and development for robots and other mechatronics systems. They can work as a robotics programmer, robotics design engineer, robotics systems engineer, robot test engineer, or automated product design engineer.

Globally, robotics engineering is regarded as a high-end job. Those with professional expertise in robotics engineering are in for a world of several work options. A robotic engineer can find work in manufacturing facilities, the automation industry, machinery/automobile manufacturers, research facilities, etc.

A large number of well-paying automation and robotics jobs are set to be in demand in India as well as overseas in the coming years. For example, as per Indeed, the current average annual salary for a robotics engineer is around 90,000 USD, comparable to the average annual salary of a software engineer in the United States.

According to several estimates, a fresher robotics engineers average salary in India is around Rs 5 lakhs.

Written by Dr Sanjay Goel, Director of Institute of Engineering and Technology, JK Lakshmipat University

Explore other career options with us:Career in Sound Designing, Sound Engineering|Sustainability Professional|Yoga & Naturopathy|Software Testing|Medical Coding|Cloud Developer & Cloud Architect|3D Technology| Garment Technologist |AI & Robotics |

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Career Wise: Success is Automated as a Robotics Professional, Here's How to Land the High Tech Jobs - News18

Robot Takes Loan! Robotics Company Brings ‘Sayabot’ Dressed in Saree To Receive Loan Sanction Letter From – LatestLY

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Kochi's Federal Bank recently gave a tail wind to robotics innovation company,ASIMOV Robotics Pvt Ltd. The firm brought its 'Sayabot' to receive the sanction letter from bank officials. In a video, the robot dressed in saree and other traditional adornments was seen taking the letter on behalf of its company. Innovative occurrence left the internet in awe of the personalisedtech gesture as the clip went viral on Twitter. Check out robot taking loan in the video below.Do Snakes Have Legs? Viral Video Shows Snake Walking With Robotic Legs Thanks to an Engineer Who Decided To Play God!

Watch Viral Video of Robot Taking Loan from Bank Officials:

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)

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Robot Takes Loan! Robotics Company Brings 'Sayabot' Dressed in Saree To Receive Loan Sanction Letter From - LatestLY

Indianapolis officials say white nationalist group didn’t need permit to march but never notified city of plans – WFYI

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City officials say the white nationalist group that marched through downtown Indianapolis Saturday would not have needed a permit to do so, but the group gave no notice of its plans.

A now-viral video posted to Twitter showed some 70 members of the Patriot Front, identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a designated hate group, marching through the streets with a banner that read Reclaim America.

A campaign volunteer for Democratic 5th congressional district candidate Jeannine Lee Lake posted the video. Lake said seeing the march was disheartening.

It makes me very sad to see. I thought we were past some of that stuff here in Indiana. And in America, she said.

Lake said plans are underway for a counter-demonstration sometime next weekend.

We need to collectively, as leaders send them a message publicly to say dont come here with that, she said. We dont know if they are from Indiana, we dont know if they are from Indianapolis, or if they came from outside, because these cowards put a sheet over their head and marched so they wouldnt be recognized.

Both Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police released statements condemning the march.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, Patriot Front is responsible for the vast majority of white supremacist propaganda distributed in the United States. Patriot Front is a splinter group from Vanguard America, formed in the wake of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.

In an online post, Patriot Front said its Indianapolis demonstration was in recognition of Labor Day. The march occurred around the same time as the Indy Laborfest, put on by the local union group AFL-CIO.

David Goldenberg is midwest regional director for the Anti-Defamation League. He said its common for Patriot Front to try and adopt the language of existing events to attract new members.

Earlier this year in Chicago, they attempted to co-opt a pro-life march, he said. But those are things where they try and co-opt them as potential recruitment tools and opportunities.

Goldenberg said free speech is protected in the U.S., but Patriot Front pushes messaging that is meant to incite.

Its clear that their speech and their actions are about inciting hate and in some cases inciting violence, he said. Thats not ok, and thats something we should all be speaking out against.

This isnt the first time hate groups have marched around the city of Indianapolis. In 2021, the Proud Boys marched around the city on Jan. 6, coinciding with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Goldenberg said Indiana is a state with a history of white supremacist hate groups, but that history doesnt have to define the present or future.

Now the question is: what do we do about it? How do we forcefully say this is not OK, he said. How do we forcefully make clear that if they show up again they will be met with 10 times as many protestors and against those hateful views?

Contact WBAA/WFYI reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter:@sad_radio_lad.

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Indianapolis officials say white nationalist group didn't need permit to march but never notified city of plans - WFYI

How Many People Died In The Civil War? Inside America’s Bloodiest War – All That’s Interesting

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At least 620,000 soldiers died during the American Civil War more than two percent of the U.S. population along with an untold number of civilian fatalities.

The United States has engaged in multiple wars. But none were as devastating as the war the nation waged against itself, the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 until 1865. So how many people died in the Civil War?

During the four years of conflict, Union troops faced off against Confederate soldiers on battlefields across the nation. These brutal confrontations sometimes resulted in tens of thousands of casualties for the two sides, as soldiers perished from both injuries and disease.

Yet once the war came to an end in 1865, determining the Civil Wars death toll proved to be a difficult task. Ever since, the question of how many people died in the Civil War has become a matter of debate, with some claiming that around 600,000 died and others arguing that the actual death toll was much higher.

When Southern states seceded and President Abraham Lincoln vowed to quash their rebellion, both sides thought the looming war would be a short one. Lincoln activated troops for only 90 days, and the newly formed Confederacy believed that one decisive battle could win their independence.

But on July 21, 1861, that battle, the First Battle of Bull Run, proved both sides wrong. As spectators watched, including U.S. senators, 28,450 Union troops clashed with 32,320 Confederate soldiers. The hard-fought battle resulted in a Confederate victory and set the stage for a much longer conflict.

The U.S. Congress promptly extended the term of enlistment from 90 days to three years, according to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, and expanded the army from 75,000 to 500,000 men. The Union was steeling itself for a drawn-out conflict with the Confederacy and, indeed, the war would last almost four more years.

During that time, Civil War battles grew even bloodier. Though both sides had lost hundreds of troops during the First Battle of Bull Run, both Union and Confederate casualties would soon reach the tens of thousands. The Second Battle of Bull Run, fought from August 28 to 30, 1862, for example, saw over 24,000 casualties. And the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, Gettysburg, saw some 50,000 casualties.

By the time the war ended in 1865 with Confederate General Robert E. Lees surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, the conflict had touched every corner of the nation. Families had lost sons, husbands, and fathers. But how many people died in the Civil War?

After the war, two Union veterans set out to determine the true Civil War death toll. According to The New York Times, they meticulously pored over muster lists, battlefield reports, and pension requests. William F. Foxs Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, 1861-1865 (1889), and Thomas Leonard Livermores Numbers and Losses in the Civil War in America, 1861-65 (1900), offered the first estimate of the Civil War dead.

Fox and Livermore, among other researchers, came to believe that roughly 618,222 people died during the Civil War, with Union deaths numbering 360,222 and Confederate deaths numbering 258,000. Men died in battle, from injuries, in captivity, and from disease, at a rate of about 500 per day.

Since then, 620,000 has frequently been cited as the Civil War death toll. But J. David Hacker, a demographic historian from Binghamton University in New York, recently challenged that static. He suggested in 2011 that the true number of Civil War deaths was probably higher, likely between 650,000 and 850,000.

According to History, Hacker studied census data from 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. By examining the survival rates of native-born white men in the pre-war decades, he was able to determine approximately how many Americans died in the Civil War. Hacker additionally calculated death rates for foreign-born men and studied existing estimates of fatalities among Black soldiers.

However, Hacker presented his data with a couple of caveats. He didnt estimate how many civilians died during the Civil War, an ongoing question among historians, and wasnt able to differentiate how many soldiers who died in the Civil War were Union or Confederate troops.

You could assume that everyone born in the Deep South fought for the Confederacy and everyone born in the North fought for the Union, he told The New York Times. But the border states were a nightmare, and my confidence in the results broke down quickly.

That said, many historians were quick to praise Hackers work.

It even further elevates the significance of the Civil War and makes a dramatic statement about how the war is a central moment in American history, Eric Foner, a Civil War historian, said according to The New York Times.

However, not everyone has accepted Hackers estimate of how many men died in the Civil War. Some believe the number is as high as 850,000, the American Battlefield Trust wrote. The American Battlefield Trust does not agree with this claim.

They called Hackers estimate an important insight, but concluded that it was very broad and not directly linked to the war years of 1861-1865.

Hacker acknowledged that his methodology was far from perfect, but also argued that the 620,000 number for Civil War dead is also imperfect.

They say, How can you publish a number with that big of a possible error range (650,000 to 850,000)?' Hacker told History. So theyre going to stay with a number that we all know is much more specific. But to me, the 620,000 number has a big error range with it We shouldnt prefer that number just because it does not include the possible error range.

Further study is needed, he said, to understand the Civil War death toll. But if his estimate is correct, and the Civil War death toll is higher than 620,000, that also means that more women and children were impacted by the conflict.

Wars have profound economic, demographic and social costs, Hacker told The New York Times. Were seeing at least 37,000 more widows here, and 90,000 more orphans. Thats a profound social impact, and its our duty to get it right.

Whether the Civil War death toll is 620,000 or higher, it stands as the bloodiest conflict in American history. The Civil War dead dwarf those Americans who died in World War II (405,399), World War I (116,516), and Vietnam (58,209).

In fact, more Americans died in the Civil War than they did in every conflict between the American Revolution and the Korean War combined.

And when the Civil War is broken down into numbers, it paints a devastating picture. As PBS explained, approximately 2.5 percent of Americans living in the 1860s died during the Civil War (adjusted for todays population, that would be the equivalent of about 7 million people). Some 40 percent of the Civil War dead were never identified, including 66 percent of Black soldiers.

Each Civil War death, of course, was someones family member, friend, lover, or child. As such, the mere number, whether its 620,000 or 850,000, tells only part of the story. Perhaps President Abraham Lincoln himself put it best when he said in 1864:

War at the best, is terrible, and this war of ours, in its magnitude and in its duration, is one of the most terrible.

After reading about the stunning Civil War death toll, go inside the grim question of how many people died on the RMS Titanic. Or, see how many people Joseph Stalin killed during his time in power in the Soviet Union.

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How Many People Died In The Civil War? Inside America's Bloodiest War - All That's Interesting

Confederates were traitors: Ty Seidule on West Point, race and American history – The Guardian

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In a 36-year army career, Ty Seidule served in the US, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Kosovo, Macedonia, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. He retired a brigadier general.

An emeritus West Point history professor, he now teaches at Hamilton College. His online video, Was the Civil War About Slavery?, has been viewed millions of times, and in 2021 he published a well-received book, Robert E Lee and Me: A Southerners Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause.

Outside academia, Seidule is a member of the Naming Commission, a body set up in the aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd and the protests for racial justice it inspired, tasked with recommending changes to military memorials to Confederates who fought in the civil war.

Asked how the US military came to name bases, barracks, roads and other assets after soldiers who fought to secede from the union and keep Black people enslaved, Seidule said: The first thing to know is that in the 19th century, most army officers saw the Confederates as traitors.

Thats not a presentist argument. Thats what they thought. And particularly about Lee, who renounced his oath, fought against this country, killed US army soldiers and as [Union general and 18th president Ulysses S] Grant said, did so for the worst possible reason: to create a slave republic.

So in the 19th century, they would not have done this the first memorialisation of a Confederate at West Point is in the 1930s. So, why is that? [Its about] segregation in America. The last West Point black graduate was 1889. The next one was in 1936. West Point reflects America. [The first memorials] were a reaction to integration.

Seidule rejects the notion that memorials to Lee and other Confederates PGT Beauregard, a West Point superintendent fired for sedition, William Hardee, a commandant who fought in the west might be claimed as symbols of reconciliation.

The problem with that is it was reconciliation among white people, at the expense of Black people.

There had already been reconciliation. Magnanimously, the United States of America pardoned all former Confederates in 1868 reconciliation is sort of an agreement among whites that Black people will be treated in a Jim Crow fashion. So no, its not a reconciliation based, I would say, on an America we want today.

Last week, the Naming Commission made headlines when it highlighted a bronze at the United States Military Academy which depicts a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Seidule told the New York Times that though the Klan bronze fell outside the remit of the commission the racist terror group was founded after the defeat of the south the panel chose to highlight it because we thought it was wrong.

The commission has issued reports concerning military bases and the military and naval academies. It will present its final report in October. Speaking to the Guardian, Seidule cited such ongoing work as reason not to discuss the Klan plaque further. But West Point did so on its Facebook page.

It said: There is a triptych (three bronze panels) at one of the entrances of Bartlett Hall [the science centre] that depicts the history of the United States. The artwork was dedicated on 3 June 1965 As part of the middle panel titled One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, there is a small section that shows a Ku Klux Klan member.

The artist, Laura Gardin Fraser wanted to create art that depicted historical incidents or persons that [documented] both tragedy and triumph in our nations history.

Noting that the work was dedicated to graduates who served in the second world war and the Korean war, West Point added: The academy strives to graduate diverse leaders of character for our nation.

Lee did not lead the Confederacy. Its president was Jefferson Davis, a former secretary of war and senator from Mississippi. But Lee, who died in 1870, became the most-memorialised Confederate.

Asked why, Seidule said: If you think of Confederate monuments, of the burning of books which the United Daughters of the Confederacy did in the early part of the 20th century, to ensure that textbooks said the right thing, really its that every religion needs its God. And in a way, thats what Lee became.

Today, conservatives are banning books in attempts to control teaching of history, race, sexuality and other culture-war issues.

Seidule concentrates on his historical work. Lee, he said, was in part idealised for lack of other options. James Longstreet enjoyed battlefield victories but after the war fought for biracial democracy in New Orleans. So you cant use him.

While Lee ended up losing hugely, completely defeated, his armies destroyed, he was successful for a time before that. And so he was seen by the white south as their best general, as their ideal. And by the 1930s, he comes to represent something not just in the south, but among white Americans in general.

Beyond West Point, the Confederate battle flag has become a symbol of rebellion, reaction and racism more potent than any statue or building. On 6 January 2021 it even flew in the halls of Congress, when Trump supporters attacked.

Again, Seidule rejects any notion that use of the flag might in any way be excused.

We have to remember that it really didnt mean that much different then than it does now. In 1863 it represented the Army of Northern Virginia, which was fighting to create a slave republic. Now, some people say it reflects rebellion. But remember, this was rebellion to create a slave republic. And so, to me, it is a symbol of all that America is not.

Its a symbol of insurrection, its a symbol of somebody that would not take the results of a democratic election. I grew up with it, my dad had Confederate flags over the mantle. I know how powerful these symbols are.

One thing we often do with the civil war as historians is we let the smell of gunpowder seduce us into thinking about the war as American football, [about the] Xs and Os of military history, without understanding the purpose. Thats the thing I always come back to: why this cruel war?

Seidules next book will be about events at West Point towards the end of another cruel war: Vietnam. In 1971, Richard Nixon decided he wanted to oversee a moral rebirth of an army in disarray.

OK, Seidule says, thats great. But the next thing he does is go to Trophy Point, the focal point of the West Point campus, high over the Hudson river. If youve seen Battle Monument, you know it says on there, the War of the Rebellion. Nixon says, Wheres the Confederate monument? So he orders the superintendent to put a Confederate monument on Trophy Point.

And the Black cadets find out. And they nearly mutiny and they write a manifesto based on the Attica uprising at a New York prison in 1971 and [eventually] just so many things change.

They put on a concert to raise money for sickle cell anemia research, featuring Stevie Wonder and the Supremes, up at Michie Stadium, the home of Army football. They bring Louis Farrakhan to talk. They institute remarkable change, which Im arguing comes from one of the most successful protest movements in American military history that nobody knows about, and eventually it kills the Confederate monument.

So thats the book Im writing now.

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Entheogen – Wikipedia

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Psychoactive substances that induce spiritual experiences

Entheogens are psychoactive substances that induce alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior[1] for the purposes of engendering spiritual development or otherwise[2] in sacred contexts.[2][3] Anthropological study has established that entheogens are used for religious, magical, shamanic, or spiritual purposes in many parts of the world. Entheogens have traditionally been used to supplement many diverse practices geared towards achieving transcendence, including divination, meditation, yoga, sensory deprivation, asceticism, prayer, trance, rituals, chanting, imitation of sounds, hymns like peyote songs, drumming, and ecstatic dance.[citation needed] The psychedelic experience is often compared to non-ordinary forms of consciousness such as those experienced in meditation,[4] near-death experiences,[5] and mystical experiences.[4] Ego dissolution is often described as a key feature of the psychedelic experience.[6]

The neologism entheogen was coined in 1979 by a group of ethnobotanists and scholars of mythology (Carl A. P. Ruck, Jeremy Bigwood, Danny Staples, Richard Evans Schultes, Jonathan Ott and R. Gordon Wasson). The term is derived from two words of Ancient Greek, (ntheos) and (gensthai). The adjective entheos translates to English as "full of the god, inspired, possessed", and is the root of the English word "enthusiasm". The Greeks used it as a term of praise for poets and other artists. Genesthai means "to come into being". Thus, an entheogen is a drug that causes one to become inspired or to experience feelings of inspiration, often in a religious or "spiritual" manner.[7]

Ruck et al. argued that the term hallucinogen was inappropriate owing to its etymological relationship to words relating to delirium and insanity. The term psychedelic was also seen as problematic, owing to the similarity in sound to words pertaining to psychosis and also due to the fact that it had become irreversibly associated with various connotations of 1960s pop culture. In modern usage entheogen may be used synonymously with these terms, or it may be chosen to contrast with recreational use of the same drugs. The meanings of the term entheogen were formally defined by Ruck et al.:

In a strict sense, only those vision-producing drugs that can be shown to have figured in shamanic or religious rites would be designated entheogens, but in a looser sense, the term could also be applied to other drugs, both natural and artificial, that induce alterations of consciousness similar to those documented for ritual ingestion of traditional entheogens.

In 2004, David E. Nichols wrote the following about nomenclature:[9]

Many different names have been proposed over the years for this drug class. The famous German toxicologist Louis Lewin used the name phantastica earlier in this century, and as we shall see later, such a descriptor is not so farfetched. The most popular nameshallucinogen, psychotomimetic, and psychedelic ("mind manifesting")have often been used interchangeably. Hallucinogen is now, however, the most common designation in the scientific literature, although it is an inaccurate descriptor of the actual effects of these drugs. In the lay press, the term psychedelic is still the most popular and has held sway for nearly four decades. Most recently, there has been a movement in nonscientific circles to recognize the ability of these substances to provoke mystical experiences and evoke feelings of spiritual significance. Thus, the term entheogen, derived from the Greek word entheos, which means "god within", was introduced by Ruck et al. and has seen increasing use. This term suggests that these substances reveal or allow a connection to the "divine within". Although it seems unlikely that this name will ever be accepted in formal scientific circles, its use has dramatically increased in the popular media and on internet sites. Indeed, in much of the counterculture that uses these substances, entheogen has replaced psychedelic as the name of choice and we may expect to see this trend continue.

Entheogens have been used by indigenous peoples for thousands of years.[13]

R. Gordon Wasson and Giorgio Samorini have proposed several examples of the cultural use of entheogens that are found in the archaeological record.[14][15] Hemp seeds discovered by archaeologists at Pazyryk suggest early ceremonial practices by the Scythians occurred during the 5th to 2nd century BCE, confirming previous historical reports by Herodotus.[16]

Most of the well-known modern examples of entheogens, such as Ayahuasca, peyote, psilocybin mushrooms, and morning glories are from the native cultures of the Americas. However, it has also been suggested that entheogens played an important role in ancient Indo-European culture, for example by inclusion in the ritual preparations of the Soma, the "pressed juice" that is the subject of Book 9 of the Rigveda. Soma was ritually prepared and drunk by priests and initiates and elicited a paean in the Rigveda that embodies the nature of an entheogen:[citation needed]

Splendid by Law! declaring Law, truth speaking, truthful in thy works, Enouncing faith, King Soma!... O [Soma] Pavmana (mind clarifying), place me in that deathless, undecaying world wherein the light of heaven is set, and everlasting lustre shines.... Make me immortal in that realm where happiness and transports, where joy and felicities combine...

The kykeon that preceded initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries is another entheogen, which was investigated (before the word was coined) by Carl Kernyi, in Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter. Other entheogens in the Ancient Near East and the Aegean include the opium poppy, datura, and the unidentified "lotus" (likely the sacred blue lily) eaten by the Lotus-Eaters in the Odyssey and Narcissus.

According to Ruck, Eyan, and Staples, the familiar shamanic entheogen of which the Indo-Europeans brought knowledge was Amanita muscaria. This fungus could not be cultivated and thus had to be gathered from the wild, making its use compatible with a nomadic lifestyle, rather than that of a settled agriculturalist. When they reached the world of the Caucasus and the Aegean, the Indo-Europeans encountered wine, the entheogen of Dionysus, who brought it with him from his birthplace in the mythical Nysa, when he returned to claim his Olympian birthright. The Indo-European proto-Greeks "recognized it as the entheogen of Zeus, and their own traditions of shamanism, the Amanita and the 'pressed juice' of Soma but better, since no longer unpredictable and wild, the way it was found among the Hyperboreans: as befit their own assimilation of agrarian modes of life, the entheogen was now cultivable."[17] Robert Graves, in his foreword to The Greek Myths, hypothesises that the ambrosia of various pre-Hellenic tribes was Amanita muscaria (which, based on the morphological similarity of the words amanita, amrita and ambrosia, is entirely plausible) and perhaps psilocybin mushrooms of the genus Panaeolus. Amanita muscaria was regarded as divine food, according to Ruck and Staples, not something to be indulged in, sampled lightly, or profaned. It was seen as the food of the gods, their ambrosia, and as mediating between the two realms. It is said that Tantalus's crime was inviting commoners to share his ambrosia.

Entheogens have been used in various ways, e.g., as part of established religious rituals or as aids for personal spiritual development ("plant teachers").[18][19] There are also instances where people have been given entheogens without their knowledge or consent (e.g., tourists given ayahuasca).[20]

Shamans all over the world and in different cultures have traditionally used drugs, especially psychedelics, for their religious experiences. In these communities the absorption of drugs leads to dreams (visions) through sensory distortion. The psychedelic experience is often compared to non-ordinary forms of consciousness such as those experienced in meditation,[21] and mystical experiences.[21] Ego dissolution is often described as a key feature of the psychedelic experience.[6]

Entheogens used in the contemporary world include biota like peyote (Native American Church[22]), extracts like ayahuasca (Santo Daime,[23] Unio do Vegetal[24]), and synthetic drugs like 2C-B (Sangoma, Nyanga, and Amagqirha[25][26][27]).Entheogens also play an important role in contemporary religious movements such as the Rastafari movement.[28]

Bhang is an edible preparation of cannabis native to the Indian subcontinent. It has been used in food and drink as early as 1000 BCE by Hindus in ancient India.[29]The earliest known reports regarding the sacred status of cannabis in the Indian subcontinent come from the Atharva Veda estimated to have been written sometime around 20001400 BCE,[30] which mentions cannabis as one of the "five sacred plants... which release us from anxiety" and that a guardian angel resides in its leaves. The Vedas also refer to it as a "source of happiness", "joy-giver" and "liberator", and in the Raja Valabba, the gods send hemp to the human race.[31]

It has been suggested that the Amanita muscaria mushroom was used by the Tantric Buddhist mahasiddha tradition of the 8th to 12th century.[32]

In the West, some modern Buddhist teachers have written on the usefulness of psychedelics. The Buddhist magazine Tricycle devoted their entire fall 1996 edition to this issue.[33] Some teachers such as Jack Kornfield have suggested the possibility that psychedelics could complement Buddhist practice, bring healing and help people understand their connection with everything which could lead to compassion.[34][self-published source?] Kornfield warns however that addiction can still be a hindrance. Other teachers such as Michelle McDonald-Smith expressed views which saw entheogens as not conducive to Buddhist practice ("I don't see them developing anything").[35]

The fifth of the Pancasila, the ethical code in the Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions, states that adherents must: "abstain from fermented and distilled beverages that cause heedlessness".[36] The Pali Canon, the scripture of Theravada Buddhism, depicts refraining from alcohol as essential to moral conduct because intoxication causes a loss of mindfulness. Although the Fifth Precept only names a specific wine and cider, this has traditionally been interpreted to mean all alcoholic beverages.[citation needed]

The primary advocate of the religious use of cannabis in early Judaism was Polish anthropologist Sula Benet, who claimed that the plant kaneh bosem - mentioned five times in the Hebrew Bible, and used in the holy anointing oil of the Book of Exodus, was cannabis.[37] According to theories that hold that cannabis was present in Ancient Israelite society, a variant of hashish is held to have been present.[38] In 2020, it was announced that cannabis residue had been found on the Israelite sanctuary altar at Tel Arad dating to the 8th century BCE of the Kingdom of Judah, suggesting that cannabis was a part of some Israelite rituals at the time.[39]

While Benet's conclusion regarding the psychoactive use of cannabis is not universally accepted among Jewish scholars, there is general agreement that cannabis is used in talmudic sources to refer to hemp fibers, not hashish, as hemp was a vital commodity before linen replaced it.[40] Lexicons of Hebrew and dictionaries of plants of the Bible such as by Michael Zohary (1985), Hans Arne Jensen (2004) and James A. Duke (2010) and others identify the plant in question as either Acorus calamus or Cymbopogon citratus, not cannabis.[41]

It has also been suggested[by whom?] that in modern times cannabis can be used within Judaism to induce religious experiences.[42]

Alcohol is often used in the Christian tradition for religious ceremonies; for example, the Eucharist, however, many[weaselwords] Christian denominations disapprove of the use of most illicit drugs.[citation needed] Nevertheless, scholars such as David Hillman suggest that a variety of drug use, recreational and otherwise, is to be found in the early history of the Church.[43]

The historical picture portrayed by the Entheos journal is of fairly widespread use of visionary plants in early Christianity and the surrounding culture, with a gradual reduction of use of entheogens in Christianity.[44] R. Gordon Wasson's book Soma prints a letter from art historian Erwin Panofsky asserting that art scholars are aware of many "mushroom trees" in Christian art.[45]

The question of the extent of visionary plant use throughout the history of Christian practice has barely been considered yet by academic or independent scholars. The question of whether visionary plants were used in pre-Theodosian Christianity is distinct from evidence that indicates the extent to which visionary plants were utilized or forgotten in later Christianity, including heretical or quasi-Christian groups,[46] and the question of other groups such as elites or laity within orthodox Catholic practice.[47]

The Native American Church (NAC) is also known as Peyotism and Peyote Religion. Peyotism is a Native American religion characterized by mixed traditional as well as Protestant beliefs and by sacramental use of the entheogen peyote.

The Peyote Way Church of God believe that "Peyote is a holy sacrament, when taken according to our sacramental procedure and combined with a holistic lifestyle".[48]

Santo Daime is a syncretic religion founded in the 1930s in the Brazilian Amazonian state of Acre by Raimundo Irineu Serra,[49] known as Mestre Irineu. Santo Daime incorporates elements of several religious or spiritual traditions including Folk Catholicism, Kardecist Spiritism, African animism and indigenous South American shamanism, including vegetalismo.

Ceremonies trabalhos (Brazilian Portuguese for "works") are typically several hours long and are undertaken sitting in silent "concentration", or sung collectively, dancing according to simple steps in geometrical formation. Ayahuasca, referred to as Daime within the practice, which contains several psychoactive compounds, is drunk as part of the ceremony. The drinking of Daime can induce a strong emetic effect which is embraced as both emotional and physical purging.

Unio do Vegetal (UDV) is a religious society founded on July 22, 1961 by Jos Gabriel da Costa, known as Mestre Gabriel. The translation of Unio do Vegetal is Union of the Plants referring to the sacrament of the UDV, Hoasca tea (also known as ayahuasca). This beverage is made by boiling two plants, Mariri (Banisteriopsis caapi) and Chacrona (Psychotria viridis), both of which are native to the Amazon rainforest.

In its sessions, UDV members drink Hoasca Tea for the effect of mental concentration. In Brazil, the use of Hoasca in religious rituals was regulated by the Brazilian Federal Government's National Drug Policy Council on January 25, 2010. The policy established legal norms for the religious institutions that responsibly use this tea. The Supreme Court of the United States unanimously affirmed the UDV's right to use Hoasca tea in its religious sessions in the United States, in a decision published on February 21, 2006.

The best-known entheogen-using culture of Africa is the Bwitists, who used a preparation of the root bark of Tabernanthe iboga.[50] Although the ancient Egyptians may have been using the sacred blue lily plant in some of their religious rituals or just symbolically, it has been suggested that Egyptian religion once revolved around the ritualistic ingestion of the far more psychoactive Psilocybe cubensis mushroom, and that the Egyptian White Crown, Triple Crown, and Atef Crown were evidently designed to represent pin-stages of this mushroom.[51] There is also evidence for the use of psilocybin mushrooms in Ivory Coast.[52] Numerous other plants used in shamanic ritual in Africa, such as Silene capensis sacred to the Xhosa, are yet to be investigated by western science. A recent revitalization has occurred in the study of southern African psychoactives and entheogens (Mitchell and Hudson 2004; Sobiecki 2002, 2008, 2012).[53]

Among the amaXhosa, the artificial drug 2C-B is used as entheogen by traditional healers or amagqirha over their traditional plants; they refer to the chemical as Ubulawu Nomathotholo, which roughly translates to "Medicine of the Singing Ancestors".[54][55][56]

Entheogens have played a pivotal role in the spiritual practices of most American cultures for millennia. The first American entheogen to be subject to scientific analysis was the peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii). One of the founders of modern ethno-botany, Richard Evans Schultes of Harvard University documented the ritual use of peyote cactus among the Kiowa, who live in what became Oklahoma. While it was used traditionally by many cultures of what is now Mexico, in the 19th century its use spread throughout North America, replacing the toxic mescal bean (Calia secundiflora). Other well-known entheogens used by Mexican cultures include the alcoholic Aztec sacrament, pulque, ritual tobacco (known as 'picietl' to the Aztecs, and 'sikar' to the Maya (from where the word 'cigar' derives)), psilocybin mushrooms, morning glories (Ipomoea tricolor and Turbina corymbosa), and Salvia divinorum.

Datura wrightii is sacred to some Native Americans and has been used in ceremonies and rites of passage by Chumash, Tongva, and others. Among the Chumash, when a boy was 8 years old, his mother would give him a preparation of momoy to drink. This supposed spiritual challenge should help the boy develop the spiritual wellbeing that is required to become a man. Not all of the boys undergoing this ritual survived.[57] Momoy was also used to enhance spiritual wellbeing among adults. For instance, during a frightening situation, such as when seeing a coyote walk like a man, a leaf of momoy was sucked to help keep the soul in the body.

The mescal bean Sophora secundiflora was used by the shamanic hunter-gatherer cultures of the Great Plains region. Other plants with ritual significance in North American shamanism are the hallucinogenic seeds of the Texas buckeye and jimsonweed (Datura stramonium). Paleoethnobotanical evidence for these plants from archaeological sites shows they were used in ancient times thousands of years ago.[58]

The indigenous peoples of Siberia (from whom the term shaman was borrowed) have used Amanita muscaria as an entheogen.

In Hinduism, Datura stramonium and cannabis have been used in religious ceremonies, although the religious use of datura is not very common, as the primary alkaloids are strong deliriants, which causes serious intoxication with unpredictable effects.

Also, the ancient drink Soma, mentioned often in the Vedas, appears to be consistent with the effects of an entheogen. In his 1967 book, Wasson argues that Soma was Amanita muscaria. The active ingredient of Soma is presumed by some to be ephedrine, an alkaloid with stimulant properties derived from the soma plant, identified as Ephedra pachyclada. However, there are also arguments to suggest that Soma could have also been Syrian rue, cannabis, Atropa belladonna, or some combination of any of the above plants.[citation needed]

In the mountains of western China, significant traces of THC, the compound responsible for cannabis psychoactive effects, have been found in wooden bowls, or braziers, excavated from a 2,500-year-old cemetery.[59]

Fermented honey, known in Northern Europe as mead, was an early entheogen in Aegean civilization, predating the introduction of wine, which was the more familiar entheogen of the reborn Dionysus and the maenads. Its religious uses in the Aegean world are intertwined with the mythology of the bee.

In 440 BCE, Herodotus in Book IV of the Histories, documents that the Scythians inhaled cannabis in funeral ceremonies, stating they "take some of this hemp-seed, and throw it upon the red hot stones" and when it released a vapor, the Scyths, delighted, shout[ed] for joy.[59]

Dacians were known to use cannabis in their religious and important life ceremonies, proven by discoveries of large clay pots with burnt cannabis seeds in ancient tombs and religious shrines. Also, local oral folklore and myths tell of ancient priests that dreamed with gods and walked in the smoke. Their names, as transmitted by Herodotus, were "kap-no-batai" which in Dacian was supposed to mean "the ones that walk in the clouds".

The growth of Roman Christianity also saw the end of the two-thousand-year-old tradition of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the initiation ceremony for the cult of Demeter and Persephone involving the use of a drug known as kykeon. The term 'ambrosia' is used in Greek mythology in a way that is remarkably similar to the Soma of the Hindus as well.

A theory that naturally-occurring gases like ethylene used by inhalation may have played a role in divinatory ceremonies at Delphi in Classical Greece received popular press attention in the early 2000s, yet has not been conclusively proven.[60]

Mushroom consumption is part of the culture of Europeans in general, with particular importance to Slavic and Baltic peoples. Some academics argue that the use of psilocybin- and/or muscimol-containing mushrooms was an integral part of the ancient culture of the Rus' people.[61]

It has been suggested that the ritual use of small amounts of Syrian rue[by whom?] is an artifact of its ancient use in higher doses as an entheogen (possibly in conjunction with DMT-containing acacia).[citation needed]

John Marco Allegro argued that early Jewish and Christian cultic practice was based on the use of Amanita muscaria, which was later forgotten by its adherents,[62] but this view has been widely disputed.[63]

In general, indigenous Australians are thought not to have used entheogens, although there is a strong barrier of secrecy surrounding Aboriginal shamanism, which has likely limited what has been told to outsiders. A plant that the Australian Aboriginals used to ingest is called Pitcheri, which is said to have a similar effect to that of coca. Pitcheri was made from the bark of the shrub Duboisia myoporoides. This plant is now grown commercially and is processed to manufacture an eye medication.

There are no known uses of entheogens by the Mori of New Zealand aside from a variant species of kava,[64] although some modern scholars have claimed that there may be evidence of psilocybin mushroom use.[65] Natives of Papua New Guinea are known to use several species of entheogenic mushrooms (Psilocybe spp, Boletus manicus).[66]

Kava or kava kava (Piper Methysticum) has been cultivated for at least 3,000 years by a number of Pacific island-dwelling peoples. Historically, most Polynesian, many Melanesian, and some Micronesian cultures have ingested the psychoactive pulverized root, typically taking it mixed with water. In these traditions, taking kava is believed to facilitate contact with the spirits of the dead, especially relatives and ancestors.[67]

Notable early testing of the entheogenic experience includes the Marsh Chapel Experiment, conducted by physician and theology doctoral candidate Walter Pahnke under the supervision of psychologist Timothy Leary and the Harvard Psilocybin Project. In this double-blind experiment, volunteer graduate school divinity students from the Boston area almost all claimed to have had profound religious experiences subsequent to the ingestion of pure psilocybin.[citation needed]

Beginning in 2006, experiments have been conducted at Johns Hopkins University, showing that under controlled conditions psilocybin causes mystical experiences in most participants and that they rank the personal and spiritual meaningfulness of the experiences very highly.[68][69]

Except in Mexico, research with psychedelics is limited due to ongoing widespread drug prohibition. The amount of peer-reviewed research on psychedelics has accordingly been limited due to the difficulty of getting approval from institutional review boards.[70] Furthermore, scientific studies on entheogens present some significant challenges to investigators, including philosophical questions relating to ontology, epistemology and objectivity.[71]

Some countries have legislation that allows for traditional entheogen use.[citation needed]

Between 2011 and 2012, the Australian Federal Government was considering changes to the Australian Criminal Code that would classify any plants containing any amount of DMT as "controlled plants".[72] DMT itself was already controlled under current laws. The proposed changes included other similar blanket bans for other substances, such as a ban on any and all plants containing mescaline or ephedrine. The proposal was not pursued after political embarrassment on realisation that this would make the official Floral Emblem of Australia, Acacia pycnantha (golden wattle), illegal. The Therapeutic Goods Administration and federal authority had considered a motion to ban the same, but this was withdrawn in May 2012 (as DMT may still hold potential entheogenic value to native or religious peoples).[73]

In 1963 in Sherbert v. Verner the Supreme Court established the Sherbert Test, which consists of four criteria that are used to determine if an individual's right to religious free exercise has been violated by the government. The test is as follows:

For the individual, the court must determine

If these two elements are established, then the government must prove

This test was eventually all-but-eliminated in Employment Division v. Smith 494 U.S. 872 (1990) which held that a "neutral law of general applicability" was not subject to the test. Congress resurrected it for the purposes of federal law in the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1993.

In City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507 (1997) RFRA was held to trespass on state sovereignty, and application of the RFRA was essentially limited to federal law enforcement. In Gonzales v. O Centro Esprita Beneficente Unio do Vegetal, 546 U.S. 418 (2006), a case involving only federal law, RFRA was held to permit a church's use of a DMT-containing tea for religious ceremonies.

Some states have enacted State Religious Freedom Restoration Acts intended to mirror the federal RFRA's protections.

Peyote is listed by the United States DEA as a Schedule I controlled substance. However, practitioners of the Peyote Way Church of God, a Native American religion, perceive the regulations regarding the use of peyote as discriminating, leading to religious discrimination issues regarding about the U.S. policy towards drugs. As the result of Peyote Way Church of God, Inc. v. Thornburgh the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 was passed. This federal statute allow the "Traditional Indian religious use of the peyote sacrament", exempting only use by Native American persons.

Many works of literature have described entheogen use; some of those are:

See the article here:

Entheogen - Wikipedia

Conspiracy and Antisemitism in the Debate Over Peyote Decriminalization – Psychedelic Spotlight

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Last week a colleague at Psychedelic Spotlight forwarded an image so shocking and offensive it was hard to tell if it was a badly made racist meme or a troubling 4chan conspiracy manifesto. The antisemitic image featured yellow stars of David with the words Scarcity, Profits, and Control below a conspiracy pyramid of alleged peyote profiteers. The image immediately raised red flags and called into question the judgment of the person who made it. Imagine my surprise when I was told it was the work of Carlos Plazola, a co-founder of the wildly popular Decriminalize Nature organization, which lobbies for the decriminalization of natural entheogens nationwide.

By the time the image landed in my feed it had been shared widely enough to make it back to the subjects of the alleged The 605 peyote conspiracy, David Bronner of Dr. Bronners soap and Cody Swift and Miriam Volat of the River Styx Foundation. David Bronner had already posted a response to this image a week earlier, entitled Responding to the Anti-Semitic Bigotry and Anti-Indigenous Colonialism of Decriminalize Natures Leadership. Bronner makes a link to the image available in his post, which you can view by clicking here.

Later that day I was informed that the Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) had just released a statement entitled Students for Sensible Drug Policy Ends Partnership with Decriminalize Nature National. Both statements from Bronner and SSDP condemned Decriminalize Natures Leadership, but failed to mention Plazola by name. But to be clear, Plazola was the person who made and shared this image, and he eventually took responsibility for it in an Instagram story on Decriminalize Natures feed where he posts a lengthy description of how he is under constant attack from intensive divide and conquer strategies and that Microsoft Paint made him accidentally do an antisemitism.

Plazolas Instagram statement and other statements hes made in the comments on Bronners blog post indicate his clear frustration with policy positions regarding the decriminalization of peyote (which Plazola insists on calling Peyotl). Amidst rising concerns that the wild population of peyote is over-harvested and scavenged to the point of extinction, many local decriminalization efforts carve out an exception for peyote, requesting that the harvesting of wild peyote remain prohibited for everyone except the indigenous groups who gather peyote for ceremonies in yearly rituals. The reasons for these exemptions are clear it takes ten years for a peyote blossom to mature, and over-harvesting peyote would lead to the extinction of native gathering rituals and ceremonies within a decade. To date, the Native American Church (NAC) is the only group with the religious exemption to gather and use peyote, and most decriminalization efforts support the continuance and extension of this policy.

Plazola sees it differently, and his argument centers around the fact that Peyotl is also widely used by Mexican nationals who have no affiliation to indigenous peoples or the NAC. Plazola claims that it would be unfair to criminalize the use of Peyotl for some groups while allowing other groups exclusive access to the limited natural supply. If you want to get into the weeds on the issue, local decriminalization efforts are different in every state and county. Some groups call for full decriminalization of all natural entheogens, but many groups specifically leave peyote off the list of natural entheogens for conservation reasons and to respect the wishes of the NAC and other indigenous groups. Plazola was once seen as the face of the Decriminalize Nature movement, but his stance on peyote has set him at odds with the prevailing sentiment in the decim scene.

Before the problematic image came to light I had heard there was some friction with Plazola in the larger decrim movement. Decriminalize Nature Seattle had a major victory in 2021 when they successfully lobbied the Seattle City Council to decriminalize natural entheogens, including psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, ibogaine, and non-peyote-derived mescaline. Notice that they intentionally left naturally sourced peyote off the list. This decision caused some friction with Plazola, and within months the Seattle decrim group changed their name to the Psychedelic Medicine Alliance of Washington (PMAW).

I reached out to Kody Zalewski, the Co-Director of PMAW to ask what their ongoing relationship was with Plazola and the national Decriminalize Nature (DN) organization. We severed ties with DN because we disagree with his stance on peyote and continue to support the wishes of the Native American Church, says Zalewski. Carloss response to this decision was disappointing and could have been handled with more tact and maturity.

When asked about Plazola sharing the problematic image, Zalewski responds, With the recent allegations, we strongly condemn any antisemitism and are disappointed to see continued discord in the psychedelic community.

There is a lot to unpack with this story, but it should be noted that even before Plazola produced this antisemitic image he had already created many divisions within the larger decrim movement. For many this image was the straw that broke the camels back, and now many groups are seeking to make a clean break from him. For me, its not just about the clashes with other decrim groups, or the accidental antisemitic imagery, it is about the unhinged irrationality and poor judgment that would go into crafting and sharing such an image, and the creepy non-apology pre-accusing anyone who would call him antisemitic of gaslighting and using ad-hominems and divide and conquer strategies.

I can go on about how much is wrong with both the image and the Instagram non-apology, but let us just step back for a moment and think about what is going on when a man sits down to make a conspiracy chart in Microsoft Paint. This alone is a questionable decision. And how in the world could Plazola look at his finished product and think, I gotta get this out there right now! It looks like an unhinged meme from an alt-right troll, and the yellow stars are really something else. Plazola claims, I have found there to be only one useful color in Microsoft Paint that can be used to highlight a word: Yellow. The software provides about a half dozen shapes useful to insert around a word, half of these shapes being stars. In other words, Plazola implies that it is Microsoft Paint that is inherently antisemitic, not him. He then claims that anyone calling his use of the yellow star antisemitic is gaslighting, and claims that many BIPOC people probably dont even know the history of the Nazis forcing Jews to wear yellow stars in occupied territories.

There are more troubling statements in his non-apology. For instance, he says, I shared this document with about 50 people of various backgrounds, receiving no feedback related to the stars. Several of these people shared it with several people and again we received no feedback related to the stars. Okay, well how about the feedback that this document looks like the kind of propaganda used to stoke stochastic terrorism in online hate forums. Did you get any of that feedback? Because if not, I have to ask why nobody said, How about you make this a PowerPoint slide and delete the stars, because the vibe you are sending here is unhinged racist troll.

You can only take this image two ways. Either Plazola is so clueless he made antisemitic hate propaganda on accident because he is out of touch and incompetent, or he knew exactly what he was doing and he is now trying to cover his ass. In Plazolas defense, he claims that he is out-of-touch and incompetent, and at this point I am starting to believe him. Do you think he is trying to gaslight me?

More here:

Conspiracy and Antisemitism in the Debate Over Peyote Decriminalization - Psychedelic Spotlight

Where are psychedelics legal or decriminalized in the US? – Leafly

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As cannabis legalization continues to sweep the nation, another movement has emerged in its wake.

In the past three years, ballot measures and city council resolutions to legalize or decriminalize naturally-occurring entheogenic plants and fungithe term refers to a substance with mind-altering effectshave sprung up across the country.

That list of substances typically includes psychedelic mushrooms, ayahuasca, mescaline, ibogaine, and peyote. Cannabis is also considered an entheogen. These decrim measures generally do not apply to LSD or MDMA.

Related

How to dose psychedelic mushrooms

While Oregon is currently the sole US state where psilocybin has become legal for therapeutic use, over a dozen additional cities and counties have effectively decriminalized psilocybin and other entheogens as well.A measure that would legalize psychedelics statewide will go before Colorado voters in November, 2022.

Its important to remember that decriminalization, in this context, simply means that law enforcement deprioritizes the enforcement of their prohibition as much as possible. Entheogens technically remain illegal in these cities and counties.

Read on for a list of Americas emerging psychedelic hot spots and the legal dos and donts in each to ensure youre staying within your legal rights.

Related

Election 2022: Colorado psychedelic legalization and decriminalization guide

In November 2020, Oregon voted in favor of Measure 110which reduces the penalty for possession of small quantities of any and all drugs to a minor violationby a margin of 58-42.

Under the new law, if you get caught with a small quantity of any illegal drug, you simply pay a $100 fine.

Measure 110 also establishes a robust drug addiction treatment and recovery program. Oregon will fund the program with both cannabis sales revenue and the anticipated savings achieved from the current cost of enforcing criminal drug possession penalties.

In the same election, Oregon passed Measure 109 by a margin of 56-44. That measure legalizes, regulates, and taxes the manufacture, sale, and administration of psilocybin for mental health purposes. Measure 109 permits the consumption and sale of psilocybin exclusively at a licensed psilocybin service center, and only under the supervision of a licensed psilocybin service facilitator.

It taxes the sale of psychedelic mushrooms at 15%.

The program will go into effect on January 1, 2023. Beginning this November, Oregon localities can vote to opt out of permitting sales: At least eleven cities and two counties will hold such a vote.

Related

Which psychedelic drugs are legal?

In September 2020, the Ann Arbor City Council voted unanimously to effectively decriminalize the use, possession and personal cultivation of naturally occurring entheogenic plants and fungi.

Washtenaw County, where Ann Arbor is located, subsequently expanded the measure to apply county-wide. Law enforcement in the county will still charge anyone driving under the influence of an entheogenic substance, however.

In October 2021, the Arcata City Council voted unanimously to effectively decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi for all adults.

In February 2021, Cambridge became the second Massachusetts city to effectively decriminalize entheogens. The vote passed in City Council on a vote of 8-1. The policy furthermore prevents the city from allocating funds towards the arrest of individuals for entheogens, and asks the County District Attorney to stop prosecuting people for the use, possession or cultivation of psychedelics without intent to distribute.

In May of 2019, Denver voters narrowly approved a ballot measure to effectively decriminalize psilocybin use and possession.

A few weeks later, Governor Jared Polis (D) signed House Bill 19-1263, which made the possession of small quantities of Schedule I or Schedule II substances a misdemeanor instead of a felony. That law went into effect in March 2020.

This November, Colorado will vote on the Natural Medicine Health Act. The measure would legalize the use, possession, and cultivation of most entheogens and open the door to regulated therapeutic treatment at licensed healing centers. It does not include possession limits. Nor does it legalize the recreational sale of entheogenic plants and fungi.

In November 2021, Detroit passed a measure to effectively decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi within city limits by a margin of 61-39.

In October 2021, Easthampton City Council voted to effectively decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi within city limits.

In March 2022, Hazel Parkdirectly north of Detroitvoted to effectively decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi within city limits.

In March 2021, Northampton City Council voted unanimously to effectively decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi.

In June 2019, Oakland became the first US city to effectively decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi for adults via a unanimous City Council vote.

In December 2021, the Port Townsend City Council voted unanimously to effectively decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi for adults.

On Sept. 6, 2022, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to decriminalize all entheogens, naming psychedelic drugs the lowest priority for local law enforcement agencies.

Related

San Francisco decriminalizes psychedelics

In February 2020, the Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously to effectively decriminalize the possession and personal cultivation of entheogenic plants and fungi.

In October 2021, Seattle City Council voted unanimously to effectively decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi. The resolution dictates that the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of anyone engaging in entheogen-related activities should be considered the lowest priority for local law enforcement.

In January 2021, Somerville City Council voted unanimously to effectively decriminalize the use and possession of entheogenic plants and fungi.

In November 2020, DC residents voted 76-24 to effectively decriminalize the use and possession of entheogenic plants and fungi.

Max Savage Levenson

Max Savage Levenson likely has the lowest cannabis tolerance of any writer on the cannabis beat. He also writes about music for Pitchfork, Bandcamp and other bespectacled folk. He co-hosts The Hash podcast. His dream interview is Tyler the Creator.

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Where are psychedelics legal or decriminalized in the US? - Leafly