Automation may take our jobsbut it’ll restore our humanity – Quartz

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For humans to survive the automation revolution, we need to double down on our humanity.

The argument goes like this: Artificial intelligence is getting better and better at automating things that humans do. Not just repetitive tasks like assembling parts in a factory, but complex tasks that have traditionally been the domain of humans. Pretty soon, these machine agents will take all the jobs. Humans need not apply.

Weve seen this movie play out beforeand after a gritty fight, we won. The advent of agriculture put hunters and gathers out of business. Then industrial farming put farmers out of business. But each time technology ate one type of jobs, new ones appeared to take their place. Human ingenuity did its thing, we adapted, and we survived to live (and work) another century.

But, say the naysayers, this time is different. Were not talking about dumb machines programmed to do very specific taskswere talking about AIs that learn and get better by watching us and parsing our data for patterns. Globally networked AIs that learn and cooperate with each other will be very powerful, according to author and futurist Yuval Harari. In order to replace most humans, he says, the AI wont have to do very spectacular things.

I do not buy into that version of the future, and here are some reasons why.

AI is smart, but it really isnt as smart as we think. Its true that AI is getting better at tackling complex problems, but its equally true that AI is still not very good at doing many of the things associated with human jobs.

Automation will take away the parts of our jobs we dont like and leave room for more meaningful work.AIs have gotten pretty good at a believable facsimile of humanity in tightly controlled situationslike scheduling meetings. But a general-purpose AI that truly understands you and can respond with creativity and empathy, like the android Ava from Ex Machina? Not so much. AI isnt very good at jobs that require creativity, empathy, critical thinking, leadership, artistic expression, and a whole host of other qualities we traditionally think of as human. Which is why, according to Michael Chui of the McKinsey Global Institute, entire jobs or industries wont often be automated away.

Rather, automation will release humans from the need to perform specific tasks. Those will mostly be non-creative and non-personal tasks that can be broken down into relatively predictable parts. These are chores you didnt want to do to begin with. A lot of people arent hired to schedule meetings, submit receipts for reimbursements, or book flights, anywayfor a lot of folks, theyre just a dreadful set of tasks that came along with your otherwise pretty exciting job.

As venture capitalist Marc Andreessen points out, theres a subtext to the-robots-are-taking-our-jobs argument that is rarely discussed: It presupposes that humans are not smart enough to think up new industries and jobs.

But when industrialization killed the agriculture jobs that employed almost three quarters of the population, people dreamed up new ways to keep fellow humans working. We crisscrossed the country with highways. We took to the skies in flying machines. We built computers. We birthed entire industries around entertainment, healthcare, and education.

I have more faith in humans, and I have yet to see any real evidence to support the pessimism. As Andreessen says, people 100 years ago would marvel at the jobs we do today. The optimist in me finds it difficult to imagine why it will be any different 100 years from now.

AI can seem dystopian because its easier to describe existing jobs disappearing than to imagine industries that never existed appearing, tweeted Box CEO Aaron Levie. Hes right. Theres just no compelling reason to bet against humans when the past 200 years of history shows that were pretty damn good at adapting to technological change.

Not only havent we reached our full potential, but AI can help us reach higher. The debate between artificial intelligence (machines replace us) vs intelligence augmentation (machines help us) has been raging for decades. One side wants to engineer humans out of the equation, while the other thinks the role of machines is to help people perform better.

AI will make us better at our jobs, and better at being human.But that debate misses the point. The two ideas arent mutually exclusive. Its true that AI can do certain things far better than humansIve staked my entrepreneurial future on that. But its also true that when AI starts doing those things, it will make us better at our jobs, and better at being human.

Take a job in sales, for example. Right now, a sales assistant likely spends a lot of time doing things that could be automated: prospecting for and qualifying leads, sending follow-up emails, updating Salesforce, building reports, etc. Once all thats taken over by intelligent machine agents, whats left for you as a salesperson? Its the emotional and creative stuff. Youll spend your day building relationships and serving your clients with creative solutions to their problems. By freeing you from the mundane tasks you used to have to do, often grudgingly, AI will let you focus on things that form the core of your job: the stuff that only you, a human, can do.

This is already happening. Lets stick with the sales example. My companys AI assistant, Amy, removes the tedious task of scheduling meetings from your plate. A sales-specific assistant like Tact automatically captures sales data, reducing administrative load, and then Troops.ai automates the process of organizing it in Salesforce. When it comes time to communicate with leads, Crystal builds personality profiles based on social-media use and suggests ways to personalize your messages. These AI assistants are helping salespeople today by augmenting their existing skills and allowing them to focus on the human side of the job.

One implication of all this is that for humans to succeed in the AI-powered future, we need to double down on our humanity. Technical skills will no doubt remain important in the future of work, but as AI allows us to automate repetitive tasks across many industries, these will in many cases take a back seat to soft skills. Communication, emotional intelligence, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and cognitive flexibility will become the most sought-after abilities. To prepare for that future, we need to emphasize developing higher-order thinking and emotional skills.

While our formal education system catches up to the shifting definition of human intelligence, here are three basic ideas for improving your prospects in the future of work.

I see a bright future for humans. In fact, I believe there will be plenty of challenging work for humans because of AI, not in spite of it. I build AI agents for a living, but when it comes to creativity and innovation, Ill continue to bet on humans. Well come through with new ideas, new industries, and new ways to keep ourselves busy and productive, this time buttressed by AI helpers. Our imagination will carry us forward. It always does.

Learn how to write for Quartz Ideas. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.

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Automation may take our jobsbut it'll restore our humanity - Quartz

Raising the minimum wage spurs these companies to replace workers with automation – MarketWatch

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Raising the minimum wage may be one of the biggest factors in creating more automated jobs.

A sharp minimum wage increase in the U.S. will most severely impact low-skilled workers, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey data from 1980 to 2015 by economists Grace Lordan from the London School of Economics and David Neumark from the University of California at Irvine. The findings imply that groups often ignored in the minimum wage literature are in fact quite vulnerable to employment changes and job loss because of automation following a minimum wage increase, the paper distributed by the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Mass. concluded.

The highest concentration of industrial robots occurs in the Midwest and Upper South of the U.S., according to data released this week by the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. More than half of the nations 233,305 industrial robots are burning welds, painting cars, assembling products, handling materials, or packaging things in 10 Midwestern and Southern states, led by Michigan (28,000 robots or 12% of total number), Ohio (20,400 or 8.7%), and Indiana (19,400 or 8.3%). The entire West accounts for just 13% of the nations industrial robots.

Increases in minimum wage give firms incentives to adopt new technologies that replace workers. Their increased payroll costs effectively cause them to make investments in new technologies that they hope will save them money. While these adoptions undoubtedly lead to some new jobs, there are workers who will be displaced that do not have the skills to do the new tasks. While roughly half are under the age of 24, minimum-wage workers represent 15% of the overall workforce, Neumark said. This vulnerability among minimum-wage workers is greater for older workers, he said. For a 50-year-old, the opportunities and likelihood of retraining are a lot harder.

The political debate between Democrats and Republicans over the impact of the minimum wage has been raging for decades. One side says it puts pressure on small (and large) businesses, while the other argues that raising the minimum wage helps lift people out of poverty. The national minimum wage has risen only 116% over the last three decades, from $3.35 an hour to $7.25. But some 19 states have minimum wages that are higher than the federal rate. (Since 1985, Wall Street bonuses soared 890%, seven times the rise in the federal minimum wage, according to recent data by the New York State Comptroller released in March.)

Dont miss: When Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg sound the same dire warning about jobs, its time to listen

Many of these automation-heavy states voted for President Donald Trump in Novembers election. We know that many of the voters who propelled Donald Trump to victory were in rural areas, says Mark Hamrick, Washington, D.C. bureau chief at personal finance website Bankrate.com. Generally, these are areas of the country, like my own hometown in Kansas, which have seen declining population precisely because of a lack of economic opportunity. By contrast, people are attracted to areas where jobs are available or even plentiful, which tends to reinforce the cycle.

Robots are expected to create 15 million new jobs in the U.S. over the next 10 years, equivalent to 10% of the workforce, Forrester Research found. The downside: Robotics will also kill 25 million jobs over the same period. And the better a job pays, the less likely it is to be replaced by automation: Theres an 83% chance that automation will replace a job that pays $20 per hour, a White House report released last year concluded. That falls to 31% for a job that pays between $30 and $40 per hour, and only a 4% chance for a job that pays $40 per hour or more.

U.S. wages have been flat. The average CEO of an S&P 500 company made 347 times more money than the average worker, according to separate data released in May by Executive Pay Watch, a report conducted by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. Last year, CEOs were paid 335 times the average worker who has seen his/her pay rise 3% per year. The average production and non-supervisory worker earned $37,600 annually in 2016. When adjusted for inflation, the average wage has remained stagnant for 50 years, the report concluded.

Lordan and Neumark did find that hikes in the minimum wage had a more positive effect on females in higher-wage jobs. This suggests that employment prospects for some workers in higher-wage occupations are boosted by minimum wage increases, consistent with a story in which some jobs are lost to automation, while others are created. Those that are created are for higher-wage workers among the lower-skilled workers, and perhaps given that result emerges for women among jobs less likely to involve manual or physically demanding labor.

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Raising the minimum wage spurs these companies to replace workers with automation - MarketWatch

Ag automation the theme at Future Farm Expo – East Oregonian (subscription)

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The Future Farm Expo kicked off Tuesday with talks on drones, smartphone apps and how automation will save farming.

Staff photo by George Plaven

Austin Hawkins, right, territory manager for Intelligent Ag, discusses wireless blockage monitoring technology for tillers and seeders Tuesday with Tom Jackson during the Future Farm Expo in Pendleton.

Staff photo by George Plaven

John Church, professor of precision ranching at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada, flies a drone as part of a presentation on managing cattle Tuesday during the Future Farm Expo.

George Kellerman has four predictions for the future of farm technology.

Speaking before a crowd of several hundred registered guests at the Happy Canyon Arena, Kellerman said he expects all farm equipment will be eventually be connected to the Internet, rigged with sensors, capable of artificial intelligence and able to operate autonomously in the field.

The future is now, Kellerman said. If we build the right kinds of vehicles, equipment and technology, I think its doable.

Not only is it doable, but Kellerman insisted it will become imperative as farm industries contend with a growing labor shortage.

A lot of people think robots are going to take jobs in agriculture, Kellerman said. Its just the opposite.

Kellerman, a founding member and chief operations officer of Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley, delivered the keynote address Tuesday morning at the Future Farm Expo in Pendleton, where he discussed how robotics and automation will save farming in the 21st century.

With that in mind, the Future Farm Expo serves as a forum where high-tech innovators from around the world can rub elbows with Eastern Oregon growers and explain how the latest developments from drones to smartphone apps will boost efficiency and production of local crops.

More than 250 people registered for the three-day conference. Jeff Lorton, who manages the Oregon UAS Future Farm program in Pendleton, said the goal is to build connections that can ultimately unlock the potential of agricultural technology.

The Columbia Basin is one of the worlds most productive agricultural areas, Lorton added, with a farm gate value of $20 billion.

This is the perfect place for the creation of a future farm, he said.

Day one of the three-day expo featured presentations about precision agriculture and how technology is steering farms from automation to autonomy. John Church, professor of precision ranching at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada, provided a live indoor demonstration of drones he uses to manage livestock from the sky.

Drones can be used on the ranch to find lost cattle, map pastures and take livestock inventory using multi-spectral cameras, Church said.

We can not only manage the cattle, but the pasture these cattle are on with these (unmanned aerial vehicles), he said.

The final panel of the day brought together industry experts who fielded questions about where they see farm technology heading in the next five to 10 years.

Mel Torrie, founder and CEO of Autonomous Systems Inc., said adoption of any new technology boils down to trust.

I think the route is going to be just greater and greater automation until that trust catches up to the technology, Torrie said.

The Future Farm Expo continues Wednesday, including UAV field demonstrations at Echo West Vineyard. The conference wraps up Thursday with a pancake summit back at the Pendleton Convention Center.

Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0825.

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Global Float Switch Market 2017-2021 – Increasing Need for Process Automation is Driving the Market – PR Newswire (press release)

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The global float switch market to grow at a CAGR of 3.48% during the period 2017-2021

Global Float Switch Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market. To calculate the market size, the report considers new installations, retrofit, replacement, aftermarket, and services market.

One trend in the market is increasing use of automated wireless pump control products. Vendors have introduced automated wireless pump control products to improve the efficiency of pump control. These products can be connected to float and mechanical switches. These devices help in remotely controlling the functions of the pumps, such as the flow of liquids and speed of the motor.

According to the report, one driver in the market is increasing need for process automation. Many end-user industries are upgrading their existing manufacturing facilities to improve the efficiency of the plants and reduce the operating costs. With the help of automation and robotic solutions, manufacturing facilities can improve the quality of their production, thereby improving the efficiency. With the help of IIoT, these manufacturing facilities can collect data, which can be used for analytics and strategic decision making. With the help of automation, the precision and quality of work can be maintained, which helps in improving the output of the products.

Further, the report states that one challenge in the market is premature failure of float switches. Certain models of float switches are not suitable for certain applications, which causes float switch failure. Failure may occur due to the temperature of the liquid, which could affect the functioning of the switches, corrosion of float switches of due to exposure of these switches to various viscous liquids, and improper installations. These factors can damage the float switches and raise the need for their replacement on a frequent basis. The lack of awareness during the selection of float switches is the major reason for the premature failure.

Key Vendors

Other Prominent Vendors

Key Topics Covered:

Part 01: Executive Summary

Part 02: Scope Of The Report

Part 03: Research Methodology

Part 04: Introduction

Part 05: Market Landscape

Part 06: Market Segmentation By Product Type

Part 07: Market Segmentation By End-User

Part 08: Geographical Segmentation

Part 09: Decision Framework

Part 10: Drivers And Challenges

Part 11: Market Trends

Part 12: Vendor Landscape

Part 13: Key Vendor Analysis

Part 14: Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/wrl8cx/global_float

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com

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Global Float Switch Market 2017-2021 - Increasing Need for Process Automation is Driving the Market - PR Newswire (press release)

Modern Slavery: alive and well in the UK – Lexology (registration)

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Speaking about the problem of modern slavery in the UK last Thursday, Will Kerr of the National Crime Agency (NCA) told a group of journalists:

The more we look for modern slavery, the more we find evidence of the widespread abuse of the vulnerable. The growing body of evidence we are collecting points to the scale being far larger than anyone had previously thought.

The following day, the news broke that 11 members of a Lincolnshire family had been convicted of a series of modern slavery offences after forcing at least 18 individuals, including homeless people and those with learning disabilities, to work for little or no pay and live in squalid conditions.

Apparently, the Rooney family had told their victims that they would offer them work and accommodation but once the individuals accepted, they were allocated dilapidated caravans, mostly with no heating, water or toilet facilities.

Its clear, then, that modern slavery is far from leaving our UK shores; its prevalence, instead, seems to be ever increasing.

So what counts as modern slavery?

It is often discussed in relation to sexual slavery and the exploitation of predominately young women and girls, but its important that discourse accounts for the diversity amongst the victims as well as the types of exploitation.

The Government has estimated that there are up to 13,000 people living in slavery in Britain today. Of this estimated total, far fewer are referred through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) which was set up for this purpose. In 2016, there were 3,805 referrals made (a number which has risen from 1,745 in 2013). 2,527 of the referrals were adults and, of those, 44% were subject to labour exploitation, 38% to sexual exploitation and 13% to domestic servitude.

Unsurprisingly, there were a far greater number of females referred in relation to sexual exploitation and domestic servitude (93% and 79% respectively) and there were far more males referred in relation to labour exploitation (84%). However, the split in terms of men and women referred to the NRM is relatively even; 1,936 females and 1,864 males.

Those referred to the NRM in 2016 had also originally come from 108 different counties; the seven most common countries being Albania, Vietnam, the UK, Nigeria, China, Romania and Poland.

With incidences of labour exploitation being reported in the beauty industry, catering, agriculture and amongst cleaners, care workers and couriers to name only a few, there can be no set image of what someone who is being exploited looks like. Ethnicities, ages, nationalities and levels of education can all vary. Vulnerability, alone, remains a constant.

Its important too that we are open about the fact that there are differing severities of exploitation. Some victims may be paid a wage, work in a customer-facing role and have at least some freedom in respect of their lives and activities. All this is possible, while they are still being paid well below the national minimum wage, working under coercion and living in fear of one form or another.

The precise reason it is important to have these discussions is so modern slavery can be tackled effectively. We might encounter victims at car washes and nail bars; victims might be delivering our pizzas or cleaning our houses.

With this in mind, Will Kerrs comments come as the NCA launch an advertising campaign to try and raise awareness about the signs of slavery in modern day life. Some signs could be that an individual is looking distressed and unkempt with dirty or very old clothing, they might be injured, either visibly or moving in a way that indicates pain or it may be apparent that someone else is controlling them, perhaps by not allowing them to speak for themselves or visibly guiding what they say or do.

The truth is that although its important for members of the public to be vigilant, identifying victims is difficult and not always going to be possible.

So what, then, can be done?

Unfortunately, substantial change will only occur at a governmental level. The introduction of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 was a step in the right direction and has focussed attention and resources on modern slavery. Arguably, however, its focus is too heavily on law enforcement and it doesnt go far enough to protect victims, particularly domestic workers, who are still expected to challenge their abuser in order to then seek protection, which then leaves them undocumented and therefore potentially criminalised.

Crucially, modern slavery, trafficking and labour exploitation cannot be isolated from each other and need to be viewed holistically. Moreover, they are firmly part of a worsening refugee crisis and a UK workforce that is becoming increasingly unregulated.

Yes, its helpful to hear Will Kerr talk about the scale of the problem in the UK and its important that prosecutions continue to be reported, but the Government will have to address these crises of modern Britain together in order to stand a hope of tackling modern slavery head on.

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Modern Slavery: alive and well in the UK - Lexology (registration)

Uzbekistan To Abolish Exit Visa System In 2019 – RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

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Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has signed a decree that will enable citizens to travel abroad from the state without permission as of January 1, 2019.

The decree, published by state media outlets on August 16, orders the introduction of biometric passports and the abolition of the exit visa requirement.

The decree says the new rules for foreign travel are designed to "rule out bureaucratic hurdles and instances of corruption" linked to the system under which Uzbeks must seek government approval to leave the country.

A draft decree posted on a government website in January included a clause scrapping the long-standing exit-visa requirement, but officials at the time suggested the change was not imminent.

The system inherited from the Soviet era has been a major barrier for Uzbeks seeking to leave the country, and a source of illegal income for officials who expedite the process in exchange for bribes.

Many people in the Central Asian country of some 30 million travel to Russia to find work and send remittances home.

Mirziyoev has taken steps to decrease Uzbekistan's isolation since he came to power in September 2016, after the death of autocratic longtime leader Islam Karimov.

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Uzbekistan To Abolish Exit Visa System In 2019 - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

Confederate statues don’t just promote white supremacy. They erase those who dared to revolt. – Vox

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Vox's home for compelling, provocative narrative essays.

This July, I traveled to Barbados to unwind and get away. I didnt know Id encounter a monument that would help me understand how America processes our history.

Heading into town from the airport, we circled a statue situated in one of the most prominent intersections in town. It depicts a black man, Bussa, breaking the chains that bound his hands in slavery. In 1816, Bussa, an enslaved African, organized enslaved black people across every major plantation to stage a nationwide revolt in what is now known as Bussas Rebellion. His actions were instrumental in bringing about the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies.

As someone who grew up in Florida, I had never seen anything like it. For me, a racial justice activist, it communicated viscerally what no study or analysis ever could. It helped me imagine a landscape of liberation.

That night, I tweeted an image of the statue. People began tweeting back pictures of others just like it. Statues in Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Colombia, Jamaica, Saint Martin, Haiti, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Curaao all of black men and women who organized, fought, and risked their lives for emancipation. Free. Fearless. Empowering by design.

These statues represented a reality I did not experience growing up. The monuments in my hometown celebrated the men who fought to keep those who look like me enslaved, not those who fought for freedom. A monument in downtown Orlando where I grew up depicted a Confederate soldier, rifle over his shoulder and towering above his surroundings. At its base was a plaque celebrating the heroic courage and unselfish patriotism of their cause. A few miles down the road, children spent their days learning in the classrooms of Robert E. Lee Middle School.

More than 700 monuments to these white supremacists dot the landscape of the United States not just across the South. Theres a Confederate Memorial Fountain in Montana, Jefferson Davis Park in Washington state, and Stonewall Jackson Drive located on an Army base in Brooklyn. These are symbols designed to empower hateful ideology and disempower those who continue to be oppressed by it. As we saw last week in Charlottesville, they have become rallying points for todays white supremacists.

When I was growing up, the Confederate statue seemed to blend into the landscape of the city. It loomed over us as we walked to recess in middle school. But it wasnt until I was older that I began to comprehend its significance. I'll never forget the anger I felt reading the words it used to describe the Confederates. Heroic courage. Unselfish patriotism.

These monuments are not benign markers of Southern heritage. They unequivocally celebrate a tradition of white supremacy. Look no further than Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy, who declared the Confederacy to be founded upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition.

The reason these statues were built has its roots in oppression. Most of these monuments were constructed in the early 1900s as the South was imposing Jim Crow segregation and racial terrorism on black communities. In fact, many were a direct reaction to the perceived threat of racial progress, as with the surge in schools being named after Confederates following the Brown v. Board of Education decision on school integration.

This concerted effort to resurrect the symbolism of the Confederacy so long after losing the war is without precedent. For instance, there are no statues of Hitler in Germany today. Swastikas and other Nazi emblems are banned throughout the country. Rather, the German government has chosen to shut down symbols of its nations history of hate and devote resources to commemorate the people who were victimized.

In 1739, an enslaved Central African man named Jemmy led the Stono Rebellion the largest slave uprising in colonial American history. Starting in South Carolina, Jemmy recruited, organized, and armed up to 100 freedom fighters. Together, they marched toward refuge in Florida carrying banners and chanting, Liberty! lukango in their native language Kikongo. They burned six plantations and fought off white militias for a week before the rebellion was ended. Jemmy was killed, but some of his followers are thought to have made it to Florida.

Today there is a lone sign propped up amid the grassy fields of South Carolina to bear witness to the Stono Rebellion. It does not mention Jemmy by name. Why are there so many monuments in America celebrating traitors like Jefferson Davis and so few celebrating heroes like Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner, and Jemmy? Even the US Capitol has at least three times as many statues of Confederate figures as it does of black people. Confederate statues celebrate racism, but the ideology of white supremacy not only venerates oppressors it also erases the stories and sacrifices of those who dared to resist.

It erases the stories of enslaved black people who, despite the most oppressive circumstances, managed to lead as many as 313 rebellions. It tells us that Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but not that 200,000 black soldiers many formerly enslaved fought to make emancipation a reality. This erasure robs us of a rich legacy of resistance to draw upon when confronting the oppression of today.

It doesnt have to be this way. Following persistent pressure from local activists, that statue in Orlando was relocated and Robert E. Lee Middle School renamed. This week, officials in Charlottesville, Louisville, and Baltimore began to remove those cities Confederate statues. In Durham, students tore down a Confederate statue whose odious presence in front of the courthouse could not be endured any longer. Progress is being made.

Yes, each Confederate statue should be removed, each Confederate school and street renamed. But the fact that the national debate still centers on whether pro-slavery monuments should be taken down, not on how many anti-racist monuments should be built, speaks volumes. Why isn't the idea of building statues like Bussas being considered prominently in this national conversation? Why does it seem so hard for this nation to imagine a world where black freedom fighters are celebrated instead of their oppressors?

At a time when white supremacists pose a growing threat, local leaders, artists, and activists should work together to build symbols that unequivocally reject this hateful ideology: monuments that give voice to the truths unheard, celebrate the heroes untaught, and inspire the next generation to join the necessary work of perfecting our union. We deserve to look up to freedom fighters like Bussa, not continue to be looked down upon by our historys cruelest oppressors.

We deserve more statues that depict our liberation.

Samuel Sinyangwe is an activist and data scientist who co-founded Campaign Zero, a policy platform focused on ending racism and police violence in America.

First Person is Vox's home for compelling, provocative narrative essays. Do you have a story to share? Read our submission guidelines, and pitch us at firstperson@vox.com.

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Confederate statues don't just promote white supremacy. They erase those who dared to revolt. - Vox

Views Taking action on HR technology – Employee Benefit News (registration)

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More than $2 billion in investment capital was raised for HR technology in 2015. The HR function is inundated with technology options to help automate, secure and streamline internal processes. These advancements encompass everything from benefits, enrollment, compliance, reporting, payroll, wellness, to employee engagement and more.

In 2016, Deloittes Global Human Capital Trends survey found that 75% of respondents believed digital HR support to be a strong priority, yet only 38% of companies are even thinking about digitizing their HR tools and only 9% are fully on board with digital HR systems.

Why? These companies are thinking short term when they need to be evaluating the long-term impact that intuitive software programs could have on their bottom line. Streamlining and automating HR processes reduces cost redundancies and eliminates unnecessary errors by offering an easier way to track, report and maintain important company records.

Another important consideration is the emerging workforce in which millennials will make up about 50% of the U.S. working population by 2020. This cohort has a very different viewpoint on technology and how they interact with it often to improve the efficiency and quality of their lives. If you want the millennial generation to be as engaged and loyal as previous generations have been before them, your company needs to be evolving right alongside the new digitized era of healthcare technology.

Benefits technology and new innovations in healthcare delivery have made it easier for employees to access and interact with their employer-sponsored health programs, allowing for more engagement when it comes to selecting their benefits, practicing preventive care and even saving for the future.

Healthcare tech integration can seem complex, considering the amount of sensitive data that must be distributed to various stakeholders. However, according to a recent Aflac Report on Workforce Open Enrollment, employees are increasingly going online to enroll in their benefits, as opposed to manually filling out paper forms or going through a call center. Additionally, these employees are expected to carry a greater percentage of their healthcare costs, so they expect advanced decision-making tools and online calculators for support in the process of selecting the coverage that best fits their needs.

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ADP, Deloitte and Maestro Health are just a few of the providers offering employers advanced software and service that promise to improve worker engagement and productivity.

The benefit of these HR technology systems doesnt just support employees. They streamline HR tasks and allow managers to take care of multiple jobs at once via a single online platform. And they provide countless opportunities to increase productivity, eliminate common errors, and free up time for HR functions to focus on more important goals such as recruiting and hiring. Data quality can also increase with the use of technology and you can gain greater insight into your employees, rather than trying to guess when they need you and how best to employ your staff to help them.

Key considerations for adopting a new HR platform:

These days even small to mid-size employers must be adopting new, advanced HR technology platforms to keep them compliant and align them with the needs of their employees. Its not enough to take a wait and see approach because that will put any company behind the curve, especially when it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent.

Durkin is director of sales and business development at benefitsContinuum.

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Opinion: This technology shift opens up new possibilities for iPhones, Androids and virtual reality – MarketWatch

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New camera and image-processing technology promises to change how smartphones and virtual-reality headsets see the world.

Apples AAPL, -0.40% upcoming iPhone 8 is widely expected to have facial-recognition and iris-detection abilities, raising fears that Android phones would fall behind in a key technological area.

Now Qualcomm QCOM, -1.04% the dominant chipset, processor, and wireless connectivity provider for Android-based devices, has released information about an updated set of Spectra image processors that will enable similar capabilities in Android phones, tablets and VR headsets later this year.

How a smartphone senses the physical world impacts the ability to include security features in the device, add realism to gaming and augmented reality, and open up markets for new uses that dont yet exist. This capability comes from depth sensing, an ability for the device to passively or actively locate itself in the physical world while measuring the spaces and items around it.

Depth sensing isnt new to smartphones and tablets, first seeing significant use in Googles GOOG, +0.51% GOOGL, +0.66% Project Tango and Intels INTC, -0.53% RealSense technology. Tango uses a laser-based implementation but requires a bulky lens on the rear of the device. Intel RealSense used a pair of cameras and calculated depth based on parallax mapping between them, just as the human eye works.

Devices like the iPhone 7 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S8 offer faux depth perception for features like portrait photo modes. In reality, they only emulate the ability to sense depth by use different-range camera lenses and dont provide true depth-mapping capability.

The market for depth-sensing capability will grow significantly with the buzz Apple inevitably creates with its new iPhone, and Qualcomm can ride that wave of interest into Android devices from the numerous phone vendors eager to compete, including Samsung 005930, +2.67% HTC 2498, -0.79% and LG Electronics 066570, +0.41%

For consumers, this means more advanced security and advanced features on mobile devices. Face detection that combines the standard camera input along with infrared (IR) depth sensing will allow for incredibly accurate and secure authentication. Qualcomm claims the accuracy level is enough to prevent photos and even 3-D models of faces from unlocking a device thanks to interactions of human skin and eyes with IR light.

It also will be possible to have 3-D reconstruction of physical objects with active depth sensing, allowing gamers to bring real items into virtual worlds. Designers will be able to accurately measure physical spaces that they can look through in full 3-D. Virtual reality and augmented reality will benefit from the increased accuracy of its localization and mapping algorithms, giving systems like Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream a better sense of where the user is in physical space.

Entry-level phones that today dont have any depth-sensing capability will have integrations that open up new features. Low-cost phones will have the ability to integrate image quality enhancements like blurred bokeh (portrait mode) and basic mixed or augmented reality, previously only available on flagship devices at much higher prices.

The more advanced, and costly, integration for depth sensing uses infrared projects and cameras to more accurately measure spaces. This increased resolution opens up more areas for development and innovation.

Qualcomm is going to accelerate adoption of this higher performance depth sensing technology by offering pre-built and pre-optimized modules that phone vendors can simply chose from a menu of options. This decreases costs and time to market, and should lead to a greater level of adoption than previous next-generation technologies in the Android market.

Though Apple is letting developers build applications and integrations with current hardware, it will likely build its own co-processor to handle the compute workloads that come from active depth sensing to help offset power consumption concerns from using a general-purpose processor.

Early leaks indicate that Apple will focus its face-detection technology on a similar path as Qualcomm: security and convenience. By using depth-based facial recognition for both login and security (as a Touch ID replacement), users will have an alternative to fingerprints. That is good news for a device that is having problems moving to a fingerprint sensor design that uses the entire screen.

Now read: Apple might be a money maker, but its behind the curve on almost all of its products

Ryan Shrout is the founder and lead analyst at Shrout Research, and the owner of PC Perspective. Follow him on Twitter @ryanshrout.

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Opinion: This technology shift opens up new possibilities for iPhones, Androids and virtual reality - MarketWatch

The glow of technology has a dark side – Houston Chronicle

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Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Staff

The Night Shift feature in Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones and iPads filters out the display's blue light during hours the user specifies. The company says this can lead to better sleep.

The Night Shift feature in Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones and iPads filters out the display's blue light during hours the user specifies. The company says this can lead to better sleep.

The glow of technology has a dark side

The reason your smartphone, laptop, flat screen or any manner of electronic gadgetry keeps you up nights may not be what you think.

Obsessive surfing, scrolling and binge watching doesn't help. But the larger culprit is the bright blue glow cutting through the darkness and tricking the brain into thinking it is daytime, scientists have figured out in recent years.

Just how much all this personal technology messes with sleep was a question a team of University of Houston researchers set out two years ago to find out.

"We believed that blocking blue light would improve sleep quality and duration" said Lisa Ostrin, lead researcher and an assistant professor at the UH College of Optometry.

They weren't prepared for the magnitude of their finding.

Just by slapping on a pair of cheap orange sunglasses a few hours before bedtime while still using their regular devices, study participants' melatonin levels shot up by 58 percent. Melatonin is the hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain that signals it's time to sleep.

In addition, by simply shifting the visual hue from blue to orange (think sunset) the group reported drifting off earlier and more easily, plus staying asleep longer. Most added about a half-hour to their sleep total, one volunteer caught an extra hour and a half.

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.

For a nation where reportedly one in three are sleep deprived, that just might sound like heaven.

The UH project was completed in early 2016 and its findings were published in June in Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics, the national medical journal of the college of optometrists.

Twenty-one volunteer participants, ages 18 to 40, pledged they would wear the tinted glasses - safety glasses bought at Walmart for about $10 - for two weeks during the hours leading up to bed. Most importantly they would continue usual routines of reading phones or tablets, watching television or working on computers while wearing the glasses.

They also wore specialized smart watches to bed to monitor sleep duration and patterns. While some similar studies have been conducted in sleep labs, Ostrin said she wanted hers to more closely replicate the way people live. Each night and again in the morning the participants underwent saliva swabs to measure melatonin levels.

"I've had poor sleep quality since I was a teenager," said Krista Beach, a 38-year-old post-doctoral student who signed up for the study. She said by wearing the glasses she was able to fall asleep earlier. Even now if she is worried about getting enough sleep before a big day she will grab the glasses.

"Yes, you look kind of funny," she admitted. The biggest cringe-worthy moment was when she showed up at a night performance at the Houston Shakespeare Festival sporting them. In the end she found herself getting sleepier earlier, which meant she slept more.

While it is now understood in scientific circles that there is a link between blue-wavelength light and sleep disruption, Ostrin said she wanted to objectively quantify it. She also wanted to explore the "how" behind this modern-day sleep-tech conundrum.

One of the answers lies in the recent discovery of a third sensory element in the eyes, beyond the more well-known rods and cones. Cones control the ability to distinguish colors, while rods are used for night vision, motion detection and peripheral vision.

The third sensor, called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, signals light changes. It is those sensors that send a message to the brain to start or stop the pineal gland. They have also been found to be the most sensitive to blue light.

"It is very unnatural to receive any blue light at night," explained Kaleb Abbott, one of the study co-authors.

So it stood to reason that exposure to blue light would disrupt the natural order of things.

The UH researchers pondered how they could reset the body's sleep clock.

"It's not like we're all going to turn off our computers and go to bed at 8 o'clock," Ostrin said.

One of the great ironies of unintended consequences is that just about the time one group of scientists was figuring out the third sensor in the retina that cued sleep, another group was paving the way for the tech explosion.

Although most personal device screens may appear white, they are usually illuminated with blue LED lights, which were found to be more energy efficient and easier to see.

A breakthrough to help people work better and longer also worsened their sleep, Ostrin said.

The tech world has jumped on the phenomenon lately, offering devices with night-time modes that switch to softer hues with longer wavelengths and a reddish tint. It is a shift the UH researchers predict is coming in the next tech wave.

One complaint, though, is some consumers say the nighttime modes make it harder to read so they give up.

That helps with sleep, too.

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The glow of technology has a dark side - Houston Chronicle

Progress, but no solution to Ireland’s Brexit problem – POLITICO.eu

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Demonstrators dressed as custom officials set up a mock customs checkpoint at the U.K.-Irish border crossing in Killeen to protest against the potential introduction of border checks after Brexit. The U.K. has issued a position paper saying it aims to avoid any border checks with Ireland | Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images

The UK wants no checkpoints, no scanners, no cameras. But that means flexible and imaginative solutions will be needed.

By Charlie Cooper and Simon Marks

8/16/17, 8:00 PM CET

Updated 8/16/17, 8:02 PM CET

LONDON It was billed as the U.K.s solution to the intractable problem of the Northern Irish border.

To the Irish government, as well as businesses and traders on both sides of the Irish Sea, it looked like progress but far from a solution.

The position paper, the second of a series setting out more detail about the U.K.s Brexit stance, certainly told us things we did not already know.

The U.K. government has gone beyond its previous rhetoric of no hard border, and now says it wants to avoid any physical border infrastructure whatsoever. No checkpoints, no scanners, no cameras. The open border approach will apply to both people and goods moving across the 310-mile border.

In another positive sign for those farmers and manufacturers who want to maintain the current seamless, invisible frontier, the paper proposed harmonizing the U.K.s post-Brexit food standards with the EU. This could restrict the U.K.s room for maneuver in future free trade agreement talks with other countries who might demand a looser regime but the calculation appears to have been made in Westminster that it is worth it to keep a soft border in Ireland.

Irish businesses are not just worried about the land border, but about their east-west trade with the U.K.

There was also support, as anticipated, for residents of Northern Ireland, who can choose whether to be British citizens, Irish citizens, or both, keeping these rights and thus being able to claim EU citizenship even after Brexit. And the U.K. government signaled its intention to maintain the islands common energy market, which it said had helped reduce power prices as well as boosting renewables and security of supply.

The European Commission said Wednesday that it would carefully study the paper, though a spokesperson for the EUs executive cited an oft-repeated phrase from the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, that frictionless trade is not possible outside EU rules.

In Dublin, Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister, welcomed the principles of the position paper but said he was still lacking detailed answers on the border issues.

There is no straightforward solution to this. If there was we would have heard it by now. This is going to require a unique political solution, he told reporters at his departments office.

Precisely what the solution will be will depend on the future customs relationship the U.K. has with the EU. London offered two proposals on Tuesday, one of which could completely remove the need for a customs border in Ireland, but would require complex tracking of goods.

The other, to maintain a seamless border, would mean flexible and imaginative solutions. One of these, floated in the paper, would involve smaller regional traders, who make up more than 80 percent of the cross-border traffic, to be exempted from customs processes because they dont represent economically significant international trade. The paper also proposed a registration system for major traders so-called Authorized Economic Operators.

In either scenario, the Irish business lobby fears a major uptick in costly regulation unwanted extra red tape of the kind Brexiteers often denounce when it emanates from Brussels.

Irish businesses are not just worried about the land border, but about their east-west trade with the U.K. For the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (Ibec), the simplest and best solution would have been for the U.K. to remain in the EU customs union. London has ruled this out, and while Irish firms welcomed Tuesdays confirmation that the U.K. will seek a transition arrangement very similar to the customs union, there is still a sense of exasperation that the simplest solutions staying in the customs union and single market were never on the table.

U.K. Brexit policy continues to be dictated by domestic party political concerns, not rational economic considerations, said Danny McCoy, Ibecs CEO. We all stand to lose out as a result. A fundamental rethink of the U.K. position is needed if we are to avoid a significant economic hit to key sectors of the economy.

Labour MP Pat McFadden, a supporter of the cross-party, pro-EU, Open Britain campaign, agreed, saying the government was needlessly attempting to reinvent the wheel with its proposals to avoid a hard border.

In Northern Ireland, the position paper was warmly welcomed by the Conservatives Westminster allies, the Democratic Unionist Party, who said it contained many of their ideas.

We are pleased that the relationship between the DUP and the Conservative Party can be seen to bear fruit in many ways, including in the EU exit negotiations, said DUP MP Sammy Wilson, a member of the Brexit select committee in parliament.

Republican party Sinn Fin, with whom the DUP are yet to agree a deal on forming a new government in Belfast, were less enthusiastic.

The U.K. position demonstrated that Northern Ireland was a fleeting concern for the British government. We are collateral damage, said the partys northern leader, Michelle ONeill.

Kalina Oroschakoff contributed reporting.

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Progress, but no solution to Ireland's Brexit problem - POLITICO.eu

China’s making major progress with its aircraft carrier tech – Popular Science

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Though China launched its much-ballyhooed Type 001A aircraft carrier just a few months ago, the People's Liberation Army Navy is hardly resting on its laurels, instead making steady progress on technology for its second home-built carrier, the Type 002.

The Type 002 carrier, development for which is slated to wrap in 2020 or 2021, will be a 70,000-ton aircraft carrier with catapults designed to launch heavier aircraft.

And giant catapults aren't the only new tech in development. Pictured above, the CGT-60F is a heavy duty, F-class gas turbine (which typically have a power output of 170-230 megawatts) designed by Tsinghua University's Gas Turbine Research Center with the Dongfang Electric Group and Shanghai Electric Group.It's completely domestic design that exceeded expectations for cooling and temperature distributionvital factors for large turbines. As such, thestate-run China Daily suggested that the CGT-60F would be a suitable candidate to power a large warship, such as an aircraft carrier.

Additionally, the aircraft carrier mockup at Wuhan (which also hosted the electromagnetic test rig for the Type 055 destroyer)is modifying its island to include newelectronic systems.

Previously modeled after the Liaoning's older island, the changes include the installation of an additional bridge deck,and new, flat paneled Type 346x series AESA radarsjust like the Type 001A carrier, but with smaller AESA radars above the Type 346s.

The Type 002's island would likely have a similar multi-paneled radar system found on the Type 055 DDG's integrated mast. Those smaller AESA radars could be used for targeting and fire control, allowing the Type 002 to datalink with missiles launched from aircraft and other ships, extending their range.

China has alsocontinued catapult testing at the Huangdicun. Obsessives may recall that earlier this summer, China launched the catapult-capable J-15T from the land-based electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), as well as debuted new steam catapults.

By putting both the J-15T and catapultthrough extensive testing, the pilots and aircrew of the Type 002 carrier will be able tomove quickly toward complexoperations when launched.What's more, a J-15 (serial number "111") was spotted in early July 2017 with a inflight refueling pod, slung under the fuselage centerline, between the engine nacelles.This kind of refueling would expand the range and flight times of current fighters.

Additionally, the second prototype J-31 stealth fighter has made additional flights this summer, the most recent on July 25. This burst of activity gives credence to reports that Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, the J-31's builders, is planning to create a third J-31 prototype with the capability to operate on catapult-equipped aircraft carriers.

The J-31, while smaller than the J-20 stealth fighter, has improved stealth and avionics capability on its second prototype. Plus, production versions are planned to be equipped with faster WS-17 engines, which could allow for supersonic flight without fuel-thirsty afterburners.Those putative J-31 fighters could prove to be stiff competitors in air combat with F-35C fighters of the U.S. Navy.

Looking beyond the Type 002, the Type 003 aircraft carrier could be a true supercarrier, with nuclear power and a 90,000-ton displacement. If official displays in China's military museum are any indication, the Type 003 would come with futuristic aircraft like stealthy drone bombers and sixth-generation fighters. It could also have enough electricity to power Chinese lasers and railguns currently under development.

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China's making major progress with its aircraft carrier tech - Popular Science

Mayor’s Lunch highlights county progress, future – Columbia Daily Herald

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By JAY POWELL jpowell@c-dh.net

Maury County experienced another year of growth, new milestones and a road ahead full of hope, tourism dollars and a community thats making an increasing mark on the nations map.

The annual Mayors Lunch sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance took place Tuesday with remarks from leaders of all Maury County factions, including County Mayor Charlie Norman, Columbia Mayor Dean Dickey, Mt. Pleasant Mayor Jim Bailey and Spring Hill Vice Mayor Bruce Hull.

Each speaker touched on the past years accomplishments, major investments and new businesses. Norman said Maury County has reached the attention of international investors, with companies like Italy-based Landmark Ceramics in Mt. Pleasant and Columbias Wiremasters, which last month announced plans to open two new facilities in Germany and Mexico.

Its an exciting time to be living in Maury County and my goal and hope is to make Maury County the best place in this state to live, to learn, to work and to raise a family, Norman said. Today the state of Maury County is strong and prosperous as we continue to transform into a competitive global economy. Who would have thought that 10 years ago?

Dickey covered several aspects of Columbias yearly progress, including new businesses, restaurants and residential developments. There has been a 70 percent building increase since last year, he said, totaling $54 million in value.

The city also has embarked on a new marketing plan for tourism and investors following a recent study by Franklin-based marketing firm Chandlerthinks. This included hiring a new city tourism director, Kellye Murphy, and launching a new Columbia tourism web site in the near future. Other plans include opening a visitors center on the lower level of the Jack-n-Jill building located on North Main Street next to Columbia Police Department.

Moving forward into the next year, Columbias priorities lie within growing the citys economy, provide excellent financial service and to make a more attractive and livable city with a vibrant downtown square.

Building renovations currently underway show a vibrant downtown in which private investment and redevelopment are ongoing. Real estate transfers over the last year set a record high for properties in the downtown historic district, Dickey said. The Columbia Arts District is anticipated to continue to experience arts-related residential and commercial growth and prosperity that will eventually be recognized as a destination for residents and visitors alike.

As Mt. Pleasant mayor, Bailey said the town of about 5,000 residents is spending its time reviewing its local policies, refinancing the citys debt, restoring downtown buildings and working to repair the citys sewer lines. He hopes the revitalization efforts will attract more residents and that the town can someday experience the growth as seen in Columbia and Spring Hill, which could be just around the corner.

A lot of good things are happening out in Mt. Pleasant right now. Were revamping a lot of policy, trying to go through everything we have and playing catch up, Bailey said. Mt. Pleasant has some wonderful employees that are doing a great job to hold an insolvent situation together and were really starting to come out of it.

Spring Hill is one of the states fastest growing cities in many aspects. Its many road projects include the widening of Duplex Road and a roadway extension of Saturn Parkway to Beechcroft Road. The city will also begin annexation of Rippavilla Plantation, of which ownership was acquired by the city earlier this year.

Other top projects in Spring Hill include a 24,000-square-foot expansion to the Spring Hill Public Library and designs for a new Spring Hill Police station.

Hull also touched on the citys recently-passed $44.35 million 2017-2018 budget, which he described as a grueling process to balance. He warned that, given the difficulty of this years budget, there will be tough decisions to face with next years, such as a possible property tax increase to help pay for projects the city needs to complete to combat the expected growth. A special census will also be conducted next year in an effort to acquire more state-shared dollars awarded to cities based on population.

With anything, such as our companies, governments, churches, whatever it is, the budget drives it all, Hull said. Were at a point where were going to have to address our property tax in Spring Hill. Weve already addressed impact fees by hitting up developers, and do it all the time, and make the developers pay for it. We all have to share in the process.

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Mayor's Lunch highlights county progress, future - Columbia Daily Herald

Wenger transfer update: ‘No progress’ on Alexis Sanchez; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere to stay – Eurosport.com

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Sanchez is into the final year of his contract and could leave Arsenal on a free at the end of the season, with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City reportedly keen to capitalise on the situation by signing the Chile international for a fee of around 50-60m before the window closes.

Wenger has stubbornly refused to consider selling his best player, even if it means the club taking a huge financial hit in June, and says he is more concerned with the sporting benefits Sanchez can provide as Arsenal target a return to the top four, and a title challenge.

We have not progressed on that front, he said of talks with Sanchez. At the moment he is player who goes into the final year of his contract and goes into the season. No progress on that.

On whether he was prepared to lose the forward on a free, Wenger replied:

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Arsenal is challenged by Riyad MahrezGetty Images

Midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain has been linked with a move to Chelsea, who are reportedly considering a 35 million offer for a player who is also in the final year of his contract.

But Wenger says he has no intention of selling the England international and expects big things from him.

Jack Wilshere of AFC Bournemouth goes down injured during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Bournemouth at White Hart Lane on April 15, 2017Getty Images

Another player out of contract at the end of the season, Wilshere recently turned out for the Under-23s to signal his return to fitness following a broken leg sustained during a loan spell with Bournemouth last season.

The England international was recently linked with a surprise move to Championship club Aston Villa but Wenger says Wilshere will stay at Arsenal, for now at least. He said:

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Wenger transfer update: 'No progress' on Alexis Sanchez; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere to stay - Eurosport.com

UVa football team shares message of love and unity in the wake of violence in Charlottesville – The Daily Progress

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The image Bronco Mendenhall selected to show his Virginia football team involves a blue sky, green trees and white paint. HATE HAS NO PLACE HERE. WE CHOOSE LOVE, reads the iconic Beta Bridge on UVas Grounds.

Color has been tough to ignore recently in Charlottesville. White nationalists came here and caused unrest from the Rotunda to the Downtown Mall. Tuesday, a variety of Mendenhalls players both black and white spoke to the local media for the first time since the weekends tragic events.

From Micah Kiser to Quin Blanding to Kurt Benkert, they echoed Beta Bridges message.

We just want to show that football is very diverse, said Blanding, a senior safety from Virginia Beach. And once you step on a team and once you become a team and once you form a brotherhood, thats your brotherhood no matter color, no matter race, no matter religion.

Were all one no matter what. Theres no hate on a team. Were all together, we share the same goals and we share the same heart.

On Monday, the Cavaliers assembled on the Rotundas steps, locking arms with one another and smiling. No one was in a helmet or shoulder pads. Each wore a T-shirt, some of an orange shade, some blue, some gray, some black, some white.

Kiser, a two-year captain and senior linebacker from Baltimore, helped organize the team photo. He thought of the idea Friday night while seeing the shocking images of white nationalists marching with tiki torches on his schools campus.

Just us staying together, Kiser said. Us showing what we are, what we represent, how we want to represent this community, how we want to represent this city. I think it was important. Us gathering together.

We didnt take a team picture last year. So us together as a team, not even really wearing football gear because a lot of times people think African-Americans are just here to play football. We wanted to show that were not just here to play football. Were here to be great stewards of the community, get a great education and play football as well.

Us, together as one, locked in arms at the Rotunda. I think we saw a lot of the torch-carrying white nationalists, they were walking down the Lawn and on the Rotunda and kind of claiming that space as theirs. We wanted to say, No, thats not your space, thats our space.

The Wahoos scrimmaged Saturday morning at Scott Stadium. Near the practices end, Mendenhall was alerted by UVa athletics director Craig Littlepage that the city was in a state of emergency. Players were then instructed to board the bus back to the McCue Center.

As soon as we got back, said Benkert, a senior quarterback with roots in Florida and Maryland, all of our phones are blowing up and people are asking, Whats going on? Are you OK?

I think it was shock at first because we had really no idea. We knew that stuff had happened the night before, but we werent sure what was going on that day.

The Cavalier Inn, located at Emmet Street and Ivy Road, houses 70 percent of the team during training camp. Theyre checked into rooms on the third, fourth and fifth floors, Mendenhall said. It was soon learned that some white nationalists, in town to protest the planned removal of the Robert E. Lee statue at Emancipation Park, were staying on the first and second floors.

Benkert said a teammate remembered seeing the silver Dodge Charger that killed Heather Heyer and injured 19 others.

We always stick together, Blanding said. No matter what, were always brothers and we got each others back no matter where they [protestors] are. Unfortunately they were staying a couple floors under us, but were big, tough guys as well. Im not saying we were going to go out there and pick up violence, but we always got each others back no matter what.

Mendenhall said he instructed his team to channel its anger and to stay away from the chaos that ensued on the Downtown Mall.

When adversity hits and theres opposing forces and theres choices to be made, I go to my core beliefs and those are tied to faith, Mendenhall said of his message.

So I was giving them instruction as, when challenged and when you have decisions to make, those arent things to be done spur of the moment, they arent things to be done reactionary. Those things are done to be thoughtfully considered.

And you go deep as possible to assess what you do believe, what examples of that belief do you have in your life and then work to model that as best as possible. And contemplation before action was really what I was sharing with our team.

Many Cavaliers took to Twitter to express their feelings Saturday. Benkert referenced a Bible passage, Romans 12:19-21.

I think it started with the team meeting we had with Coach Mendenhall, Benkert said. How he views whats going on. For me, its just youre not going to make anything better, in my opinion, if you just show more hate than whats already out there.

Thats kind of the approach that I want to take, and its a hard one to take. People are hurt, people are killed and theres a lot of bad going on. But I feel like if you only bring hatred to that, its not going to make the situation any better.

Its love the Cavaliers are after.

Simple and powerful, Mendenhall said of the Beta Bridges updated look.

Virginia opens its season Sept. 2 when it hosts William & Mary.

Thats the cool thing about a team, there is no color, said Marques Hagans, UVas wide receivers coach and Charlottesville resident for the majority of his adult life. Everybodys one. We all wear the same uniforms and bleed the same thing. There is no color in a locker room.

So for us to be able to come together and rally behind the strength of Charlottesville, for what they represent, I think it would be huge for us to get out on the field and try to give something back to the community and show them that we appreciate what they did last weekend in the face of adversity and a lot of hate and ignorance.

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UVa football team shares message of love and unity in the wake of violence in Charlottesville - The Daily Progress

Honoring Honor: Jean-Ren Van der Plaetsen’s Moving Account of the Epic Figures of Free France – HuffPost

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You may have heard French novelist Thophile Gautiers phrase, The French lack the sense of the epic.

Unfortunately, the saying remains accurate nearly two centuries later.

Indeed, it applies beyond France, from one end to the other of a discouraged Europe overtaken by nihilism, where even the idea of envisioning or imagining something a little greater for mankind has become unintelligible and absurd.

Which is why I am always inclined to view with a favorable eye books that reveal an attachment to the old-fashioned virtues of heroism, greatness, and a will to go beyond what was thought possible, despite the generalized disenchantment and cynicism that are the hallmarks of our age.

One such book is La Nostalgie de lhonneur,to be released in France on September 6. In it, journalist and columnist Jean-Ren Van der Plaetsen looks back on his grandfather, General Jean Crpin, one of the brightest (but until now poorly documented) figures of the epic of Free France.

The story begins in Manoka, Cameroon, where, on the morning of August 20, 1940, an artillery captain in the French colonial army, gripped by one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions on which great destinies are sometimes built, decides to follow an unknown general, Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque.

It continues with the adventures of a handful of mystical bums who, like himself, bet their lives on the crazy dream of liberating Paris, of hoisting the French flag over Strasbourg cathedral, and of ridding Europe of Nazism.

That mission accomplished, the story follows the heroes into a complicated Indochina redolent of the novels of Graham Greene and French novelist Lucien Bodard.

And then into the quagmire of the Algerian war, where some of the band will lose their way, even while continuing to believe themselves faithful, literally, to the oath they took in the summer of 1940.

And finally into old age: Splendidly gray, proud of their military feats but strangely sad, recognizing one another, Van der Plaetsen tells us, by the fixed star they bear on their forehead like a seal visible only to those who have seen and done what they have seen and donethese are taciturn men with the overwhelming modesty that is the mark of the truly great; reticent men, hesitant to impart lessons of courage and nobility, which must be pulled out of them, as here, by stubborn grandchildren.

Some may find some aspects of this story overly martial.

Some may be startled to read that, in the eyes of the author, there is no calling more noble than that of the soldier.

And perhaps they may detect, here and there, an echo of the prodigious atmosphere of youthful friendship typical of nostalgic war writing in the mold of Philippe Barrss La Guerre vingt ans(War at Age 20) or Henry de Montherlants La Relve du matin(Morning Watch), both published at the beginning of the twentieth century.

But they would be wrong to leave their assessment there.

Because the essence of the book lies in its portrait of the generation of justly named Free French who make up the loftiest, most chivalrous, and most romantic of French orders of merit.

It lies in its description of that brotherhoods ties of suzerainty to General de Gaulle, who emerged suddenly from the ranks in an ascent that can be compared only to Napoleons rise over his own peers.

I admire the authors way of bringing alive the conversions of philosophy professor Andr Zirnheld, of mountain infantryman Tom Morel, and of an obscure Georgian prince, and othersall transformed, by the grace of their heroism, into the stuff of legends. Plaetsens feat reminds me of Roland Dorgelss observation in Wooden Crosses (1919) that, were it not for war, Joan of Arc would have died a shepherdess and 1789 hero Louis-Lazare Hoche a stable boy.

Because that is all true, and because it echoes a truly great novel of war from the 1920s, Jean Schlumbergers Camarade infidle(Unfaithful Comrade), I admire Van der Plaetsens conclusion that his characters tasted something so layered and so strong that everything against which they later had to measure themselves seemed either bland or bitter.

And I must say that these pages contain scenes of great beauty: the entrance of undaunted De Gaulle, accompanied by generals Koenig and Leclerc, into the nave of Notre Dame under fire from the last collaborationist militiamen; the funeral of Leclerc, two years later, with a tank carrying his coffin and with the hero of the book, by request of his peers, stock still at attention at the right of the tank, to offer last military honors to the departed hero; or, forty years later, the encounter between the junior general, now a very respectable bourgeois gentleman, with a column of union demonstrators who jostle and manhandle him until Crpin, pulling himself up to his former height, raising his voice slightly, and brandishing his cane as years ago he would have done a sword, holds his ground until the marchers back away and allow him to pass, dumbstruck by the unassailable, almost magical authority that he still exudes.

I, too, am a son of Free France.

Like the author, I was raised to respect the exceptional adventure that was early Gaullism.

And, like him, I have never been able to read without a shiver the commendation my father received on July 19, 1944, after the battle of Monte Cassino, from another of the books characters, General Diego Brosset: Andr Lvy, always willing day or night whatever the mission, performed evacuations under mortar fire with complete disregard for his personal safety, returning several times to the lines to recover the wounded under intense enemy fire ...

Which is to say that in paying tribute here to Van der Plaetsens Nostalgie de lhonneur,in saluting his noble act of devotion, reparation, and preservation of memory, I know what I am talking aboutand have weighed my words.

Translated from French by Steven B. Kennedy

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Honoring Honor: Jean-Ren Van der Plaetsen's Moving Account of the Epic Figures of Free France - HuffPost

Jimmy Fallon’s Condemnation Of Trump Is Too Little, Too Late – Forward

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I could never really explain my distaste for Jimmy Fallon until I visited Munich during Oktoberfest a few years back. I entered a beer tent to thousands of glassy-eyed revelers partaking in that most hedonistic of human activities drinking until you lose consciousness.

Jimmy Fallon would love this, I thought, and just like that, I understood where my feelings for him came from. Its not to say I have anything against Oktoberfest (on the contrary!) but I realized in that instant that hedonism is exactly what Jimmy Fallon represents. His comedy is the product not of suffering but of having grown up white, male, and economically secure. It has no substance because its not saying anything.

Theres nothing wrong with enjoying this kind of humor and Im also not saying that Fallon himself doesnt know pain, although a knowledge of pain is certainly not Fallons brand. That I dont personally appreciate comedy rooted in happiness is neither here nor there. But when a commitment to keeping it light means failing to stand up for the people who dont have that option those whose rights are in very real and present danger in this country it becomes a problem.

Jimmy Fallon is being lauded for his condemnation of Donald Trump Tuesday night. But what people are missing is this: after months of ignoring the terror the Trump administration has wrought upon this country particularly upon women, immigrants, Jews, people of color, the LGBTQ community it took actual Nazis marching in the streets for Fallon to finally speak up.

Even though The Tonight Show isnt a political show, its my responsibility to stand up for intolerance and extremism as a human being, Fallon said before launching into an admonishment of Trumps refusal to denounce the Charlottesville white supremacists. I was watching the news like everybody else and youre seeing Nazi flags and torches and white supremacists and I was sick to my stomach. My daughters were playing in the next room playing and I was thinking, how can I explain to them that there is so much hatred in this world. They are two and four. They dont know what hate is.

There is a reason we do not watch movies about 1930s Germany that do not in some significant way feature the Holocaust. It would be a bizarre, indefensible, and irresponsible artistic choice to make such a movie, as if the Holocaust didnt intimately affect the lives of every German, Jewish and otherwise, during that period. Though we cannot compare modern America to the horrors of Nazi Germany, we cannot pretend the ascendence of Donald Trump isnt a starkly present backdrop in the lives of all Americans right now. Progress is being undone, civil rights are being challenged, and the threat of white supremacy is more explicitly vocal than it has been in years.

In this world, silence is complicity. This goes for all people, especially those who have benefited and continue to benefit from the very white supremacy those marching in Charlottesville this past weekend are fighting to preserve. But it especially goes for someone like Jimmy Fallon, who has a platform and an audience whose apoliticism the reason, perhaps, many of them choose to tune in to Fallons show must be challenged for the sake of this countrys well-being.

Jimmy Fallons long-awaited condemnation of Donald Trump is appreciated but Im saddened by how long this man took to acknowledge the reality of whats going on in America. It doesnt matter if your show is political or not. It hasnt mattered for a long time.

Becky Scott is the editor of The Schmooze. Follow her on Twitter, @arr_scott

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Jimmy Fallon's Condemnation Of Trump Is Too Little, Too Late - Forward

Clockenflap 2017: Higher Brothers bring Chinese hip hop to Hong Kong and the world – South China Morning Post

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Hip hop has been experiencing a rebirth across China thanks to a new generation of rappers who focus more on hedonism than political messages.

One of the most popular Chinese hip hop crews are the Higher Brothers. The outfit from Chengdu in Sichuan province will be flying the flag for Chinese rap at Hong Kongs Clockenflap festival this November.

The crew have notched up more than four million views on YouTube for their Made in China video and have won critical praise for their debut album, Black Cab, which was released in May this year.

In the lead-up to the citys biggest annual music and arts festival, the Higher Brothers visited Hong Kong earlier this month to preform at Kitec in Kowloon Bay, where their lyrical prowess was on full display to the packed house.

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Clockenflap 2017: Higher Brothers bring Chinese hip hop to Hong Kong and the world - South China Morning Post

Cakes Da Killa’s ‘Gon Blow’ Video is an Ode to Dance Culture – Out Magazine

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Photography: Eric Johnson

The rapper'sHedonism highlight features longtime collaborator Rye Rye.

Wed, 2017-08-16 13:08

Cakes Da Killa pumps the beat on "Gon Blow," the Rye Rye-assisted standout off his debut studio album, Hedonism. Following music videos for "Talkin Greezy" and "Been Dat Did That,"the New Jersey rapper has dropped yet another, this time pairing the aggressive sounds of "Gon Blow" with colorful animations by Ben Marlowe. Spliced together with black-and-white scenes from a party Cakes hosted, the video is a celebration of dance culture.

"The visual is a collaboration with myself, photographer Eric Johnson and animator Ben Marlowe," Cakes told Vibe. "For me, the track is all about movement, so we included some B-roll from a party Eric and I threw. Bens animations helped add some dance sequences to the video, because dance culture influences my music a lot, and I feel there is a disconnect between that and rap culture lately."

Related |Queer Rapper Cakes Da Killa on Finding Self in Music: 'I Was Born Out of the Closet'

This isn't the first time Cakes has collaborated with Rye Rye, the M.I.A. affiliate whose debut rap album Go! Pop! Bang! was one of 2012's strongest, unsung releases. The pair also joined forces on "Get 2 Werk" off Cakes' Hunger Pangs mixtape, another high-energy cut that opens with New York's Contessa Stuto proclaiming her Cunt Mafia realness.

Watch Cakes Da Killa's "Gon Blow" video, below.

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Cakes Da Killa's 'Gon Blow' Video is an Ode to Dance Culture - Out Magazine

Empiricism as Foundational – Patheos (blog)

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I have talked before about the empiricism vs rationalism debate that has taken place historically and presently in philosophical circles. Today, I am going to explore this a little further.

As I said before

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophystatesthat rationalists adopt at least one of three statements:

The Intuition/Deduction Thesis: Some propositions in a particular subject area, S, are knowable by us by intuition alone; still others are knowable by being deduced from intuited propositions.

The Innate Knowledge Thesis: We have knowledge of some truths in a particular subject area, S, as part of our rational nature.

The Innate Concept Thesis: We have some of the concepts we employ in a particular subject area, S, as part of our rational nature.

We eitherknowthings to be true intuitively, or as part of being rational agents, or the empirical may trigger concepts already embedded within our nature. Of course, one weakness here is in establishing what intuitionactually is.

Whilst other ideas and theses are closely connected to rationalism, or are often associated with it, I will keep it simple by only involving the above three.

One question that is often touted about such rationalism is the epistemic warrant: if someone uses intuition about a certain proposition, then it can be seen as lacking reason, and is thus potentially less justifiable, lacking in being warranted. How does an intuitive claim become a warranted claim?

For the empiricist, the following must be true in some way:

The Empiricism Thesis: We have no source of knowledge in S or for the concepts we use in S other than sense experience.

The source of knowledge for us is claimed to bea posteriori(from the latter)in its entirety, at source. Things may become intuitive, and even lacking reason, but they are as a result of us using our senses over time to formulate our propositional knowledge, and our systems that we use to navigate through the world. As the SEP continues:

Empiricism about a particular subject rejects the corresponding version of the Intuition/Deduction thesis and Innate Knowledge thesis. Insofar as we have knowledge in the subject, our knowledge isa posteriori, dependent upon sense experience. Empiricists also deny the implication of the corresponding Innate Concept thesis that we have innate ideas in the subject area. Sense experience is our only source of ideas. They reject the corresponding version of the Superiority of Reason thesis. Since reason alone does not give us any knowledge, it certainly does not give us superior knowledge. Empiricists generally reject the Indispensability of Reason thesis, though they need not. The Empiricism thesis does not entail that we have empirical knowledge. It entails that knowledge can only be gained,if at all, by experience. Empiricists may assert, as some do for some subjects, that the rationalists are correct to claim that experience cannot give us knowledge. The conclusion they draw from this rationalist lesson is that we do not know at all.

The thing is, we can sit here and wax lyrical about how wonderful rationality is, and how great it is to use logic, but unless these things have a pragmatic use then they are kind of meaningless. The question that we really need to ask is, How doI measure how good or useful logic is? or How doI evaluate a rational argument?

The answer, it appears, alwaysdefers to some kind of empirical appeal.

Take this as an example.

Its me and you, reader, and were living together. I write something really nasty about you on a post-it note. We might say that this has some moral value. However, now imagine that I put that post-it in my pocket where it disappears. You never find out about it, and I instantly forget I wrote it, and no one else in the world is any the wiser. What this means is that that terribly nasty note has no impact, no empirical legacy, on the world. There are no consequences whatsoever to writing that. As a moral action, the writing of that note now becomes a-moral it has no moral value. It seems to me that something can only have moral value if it has some kind of effect on reality. The only way we can know the effect something has on reality is to experience it in some way, to empirically sense it.

The same can be said of logic. Why is it good that a proposition adheres to logical rules such that it is rational? Well, the goodness of logic s surely measured in how we can use it. If it has no application to reality then it is rather meaningless. Rationality is only reveredbecause of what it can achieve. If rationality had no effect on reality, then it could not be seen as good (in a sense that good means to work well or have use).

If things only have exist in abstraction without any ramification on the world in any way, then they become impotent or meaningless. At the very minimum, beliefs and propositions and rational arguments have n effect on the psychology of the thinker.

It appears to me that empiricism lies at the heart of the consideration and evaluation of all things.

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Empiricism as Foundational - Patheos (blog)