Monthly Archives: February 2017

Thunder Bay’s population experiencing low growth – Tbnewswatch.com

Posted: February 10, 2017 at 3:09 am

THUNDER BAY Thunder Bays population grew between 2011 and 2016, but not by much.

According to census data released on Wednesday by Statistics Canada, the city and surrounding communities grew by just 25 people over five years

Thunder Bays census metropolitan area population now stands at 121,621, slightly more than the 121,596 posted in 2011.

However, the city itself experienced a slight drop in population, from 108,359 five years ago to 107,909, a decrease of 0.4 per cent.

"I think it underscores the challenge that all northern, rural, smaller communities right across Canada (and) right across North America continue to have," said Minister of Municipal Affairs Bill Mauro. "There is a level of large-scale urbanization that is taking place in our large centres -- Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and the like.

"Communities like ours and hundreds of others are continually faced with work and an effort to try to grow and sustain their population. It's not easy to do."

Mauro said the key to turning things around is economic diversification and embracing a knowledge-based economy, while protecting resource-based jobs as best as possible.

"I think that's the goal, I think that's the best way for us to see increases in our population and we've actually had some successes in that regard."

Regionally, Terrace Bay experienced tremendous population growth over the past five years, jumping by 10.5 per cent to 2,798 residents last year when the census was taken. Nearby Schreiber, however, fell by six per cent to 1,059, down from 1,126.

The national average growth was five per cent, representing about 1.7 million people. The countrys population was 33,476,688 in 2011 and is now 35,151,728.

Sylvan Lake, Alta experienced the highest growth level between census periods, increasing in size by 19.6 per cent. Among communities with more than 100,000 residents, Calgary was the fastest growing, jumping 14.6 per cent to 1,214,839.

Campbellton, N.B. was the lowest performing CMA in the country, seeing its population drop by 9.3 per cent.

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Left-Wing America Steps Up Calls For Free Money, Jobs Guarantee – Daily Caller

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Following a devastating election cycle where the American voting public sent a sharp rebuke to the status quo and policies of the Obama Administration, the left is now preparing to push for a universal basic income (UBI).

Left-leaning Americans are largely opposed to President Donald Trumps cabinet picks, all the way from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to the presidents pick to lead the Department of Labor: fast food executive Andy Puzder. (RELATED: Big Labor Curtails Spending As It Braces For Trump Presidency)

Labor unions have blasted Puzder for past comments about the future of low-wage workers in the fast food industry. Puzderwarned that the fight for a $15 minimum wage will hurt low-wage workers more than it can help, arguing that a better policy would be to encourage the private sector to create more middle class jobs.

Professors Mark Paul and William Darity, Jr. from Duke University, along with Darrick Hamilton from the Milano School of International Affairs, argued that the country needs a federal jobs guarantee in an article published recently in Jacobin Magazine, a self-proclaimed leading voice of the American left.

Supporters of a UBI argue that a government-subsidized wage guarantee to all citizens would stave off job loss from automation and advancements in technology.

Why We Need a Federal Job Guarantee, theorizes that giving everyone a job is the best way to democratize the economy and give workers leverage in the workplace.

Paul, Darity, and Hamilton argue that a UBI could successfully cover workers who have lost their jobs due to technological advancements. Existing social insurance programs are insufficient, the professors write. They offer five reasons in support a federal jobs guarantee, including the notion of preempting the problem before it is widespread. Robots havent taken over yet, they write, suggesting that getting ahead of the problem will reduce the number of poor Americans.

A UBI would redefine the relationship between individuals and the state by giving government the role of provider, said Orin Cass, domestic policy director for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romneys 2012 presidential campaign, inJune, 2016.It would make work optional and render self-reliance moot, he continued.

An underclass dependent on government handouts would no longer be one of societys greatest challenges but instead would be recast as one of its proudest achievements, Cass warned in a piece published by the National Review.

Labor experts seriously question free cash as sound economic policy, but some experts, including those who do not identify left, are not completely opposed to a jobs program.

Giving people cash is not the solution to improving opportunity, Aparna Mathur, a labor policy expert with the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Mathur did not rule out the idea of a federal jobs program but warned against unconditional handouts.

If cash transfers are conditional on work or job training, they are much more likely to be effective in improving mobility than if we simply give everybody an unconditional cash transfer, she told TheDCNF, refusing to rule out the idea of a federal jobs guarantee completely.

The professors said that a federal jobs guarantee could build an inclusive economy, and that it could provide socially useful goods and services.

The language fails to take into consideration the additional benefits that may compel a company to install automation for certain jobs.

Some jobs dont produce enough economic value to bear the increase [minimum wage], Puzder said to theWall Street Journalin 2014.

In the long-run encouraging people to work or acquire skills and training and education is the only way to help people move up in life, Mathur explained, a statement that could comport with a federal jobs program.

If we gave people the money without making it conditional on work, it might reduce their incentive to work, Mathur concluded.

Finland experimented with a UBI, with some unemployed Finnish citizens taking home a salary regardless of whether or not they are working.

The nations largest labor union, The Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), said that the policy might reduce the labor force. SAK also asserted that aUBI makes it easier for potential prospects to turn down unpleasant jobs, opting to just take the government handout instead.

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OPINION: Human rights, basic needs – The Guardian

Posted: at 3:09 am

A basic income guarantee (B.I.G.) would transform the current social welfare system and policies to a system based on human rights and basic needs. Why is basic income especially important for people with disabilities?

A basic income guarantee would be a move away from determining a persons value based on their work. It would eliminate the discriminatory attitudethat people with disabilities are takers, not contributors, and challenge the harmful idea that wealth is for the blessed.

Disability and poverty are interlocking. Today, 70 per cent of people born with a moderate to severe disability will live their whole lives in poverty. The current social assistance system designed to support impoverished people is not working, and it is discriminatory in its effects. The statistics are astonishing: two-thirds of households in which social assistance is the main source of income are headed by people with disabilities, and almost three-fifths of persons with disabilities are unemployed or under-employed. The vast majority of Human Rights challenges on P.E.I. are related to disability and work.

When Islanders with disabilities talk about their experience, they say that many people with disabilities don't have enough to live on. Healthy food isn't affordable for people. Isolation is also something many people with disabilities face and housing is a huge issue. Too many people are living in unhealthy places, and this is making people sick. A basic income guarantee would allow people to live in healthier, safer places.

People with disabilities don't have equal access to jobs. Many are unemployed or underemployed. When people with disabilities do get jobs, they often have to be more qualified than other job-seekers in order to be hired. In the workforce, people with disabilities are often paid very little. Social Assistance rules claw back earnings above $75 per month, and this is unfair. People with disabilities, especially people with intellectual challenges, are sometimes expected to work for free.

A basic income guarantee would reduce discrimination against people with disabilities. If every Islander received a basic income guarantee, it would be a step towards true equality among people with different abilities. A basic income guarantee recognizes what people contribute to society just by being human as people who are valuable for themselves, valuable for their relationships and connections, valuable whether their contribution looks like a traditional job or not, valuable whether what they do is paid or unpaid in the workforce.

A basic income guarantee designed to meet peoples real day-to-day needs would, of course, need to recognize that the basic needs of a person with a disability may be different from others basic needs. A basic income guarantee could replace social assistance, for instance, but would not replace disability supports. For example, for some people with mobility issues, a wheelchair is a basic need. Disability supports are basic needs, not extras.

A basic income guarantee would promote inclusion, about including people better in society, and it is about equality and being treated fairly. A basic income guarantee could reduce isolation (make it more possible to use transit for instance) and make it easier to have a social life which is good for individuals mental health and good for all of society.

A basic income guarantee would celebrate all of our uniqueness, instead of pressuring people with different abilities to be normal. By valuing people as people, rather than just as earners, a basic income guarantee would help normalize differences.

- Marcia Carroll represents the P.E.I. Council of People with Disabilities and Leo Garland represents P.E.I. People First on the P.E.I. Working Group for a Livable Income.

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Most people are optimistic about workplace automation, social data suggests – ZDNet

Posted: at 3:08 am

Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto

There's lots of prognosticating about what impact robotics and automation will have on the future of work -- with mostly dystopian depictions predicting displaced workers and increasing unemployment. But new social data from Adobe Digital Insights suggests that the average worker is far less cynical when it comes to welcoming robots into the workplace.

According to Adobe, most people are talking (on social media) about how robots are helping their work, not taking it away. Workers are also upbeat about being able to hand over mundane tasks to robots so human workers can do more meaningful jobs. Machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robots were the most discussed FOW topics.

Adobe's report is based on roughly 3 million social mentions captured from Twitter, news, blogs and forums between January 2016 and January 2017. Interestingly, the FOW hashtag was mentioned twice as many times on Twitter than on workplace-focused LinkedIn.

Across social media, Future of Work (FOW) mentions are up 40 percent year-over-year, automation mentions have doubled year-over-year and average daily mentions of robots and jobs have increased 70 percent year-over-year.

"Overall, people seem to believe the FOW is promising, particularly when it comes to the automation of traditionally mundane tasks," Joe Martin, head of social insights for Adobe, wrote in a blog post. "Automating document and signature processes, for example, could open up new possibilities for people as the tech revolution advances. Work environments should continue to improve as employees demand more from their space."

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The next wave of IT innovation will be powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. We look at the ways companies can take advantage of it and how to get started.

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Rockwell Automation Surged 10% in January as Growth Picked Up Steam – Motley Fool

Posted: at 3:08 am

Could domestic manufacturing equipment become a hot business if trade barriers suddenly pop up around the world? What happened

Shares of Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) jumped 10.1% in January, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, after an impressive earnings report and improved guidance gave investors a bullish outlook on the future.

Fiscal first-quarter 2017 revenue was up 4.5% from a year ago to $1.49 billion, and net income jumped from $185.5 million a year ago to $214.7 million, or $1.65 per share. But it was really full-year guidance that got investors' attention. Management increased growth guidance by a full percentage point, and now expects reported and organic growth of 1% to 5%. On the bottom line, guidance was increased by $0.10 to $5.56 to $5.96 per share.

Image source: Getty Images.

Automation equipment is going to be a key growth driver of efficiency in the economy, and may be even more necessary if trade barriers start going up around the world. When financials start matching up with that bullish investment thesis, it could be a big driver of stocks like Rockwell long-term. I don't think this will suddenly be a double-digit growth company in the near future, but with these tailwinds and a 2% dividend yield, I think Rockwell Automation is a well positioned stock for the economic trends of the next decade.

Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Travis Hoium has been writing for fool.com since July 2010 and covers the solar industry, renewable energy, and gaming stocks among other things.

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A Sharper Focus on the Edge – Automation World

Posted: at 3:08 am

Not so long ago, when automation suppliers talked about the future of manufacturing, cloud computing was central to nearly every conversation. Though the cloud remains poised to play a significant role in manufacturings future, there is a great deal more attention being focused on edge computing today.

If youre unsure about the difference between the two, the simplest way to understand edge computing is to realize that it is simply the placement of servers, or other computing deviceeven a microcomputer, on or near a plant floor device for data collection, analysis and storage. Cloud computing, on the other hand, involves sending plant floor device data to an offsite server for storage and analysis. Read more about edge computing here.

At this years ARC Forum, edge computing had a high-profile in several automation suppliers exhibits and was central to announcements by Inductive Automation, Bedrock Automationand Stratus.

SCADA/HMI at the Edge Last year at the ARC Forum, Inductive Automation announced its partnership with Cirrus Link Solutions around the release of MQTT modules for Inductive Automations Ignition product. Those modules were designed to decouple applications, such as HMI and SCADA, from plant floor devices and send the devices data to an MQTT server which could then be connected to various applications. By taking this step, Inductive Automation and Cirrus Link addressed the growing network traffic issues and negative impacts of too much direct data polling of plant floor devices.

Now, Inductive Automation and Cirrus Link are planning to release IgnitionEdge a set of three products designed for plant floor edge computing applications. The products include: IgnitionEdge Panel, which creates local HMIs for field devices; IgnitionEdge Enterprise for synchronizing data collected from an edge device to a centralized server, and IgnitionEdge MQTT to publish field device data through MQTT. Read more about MQTT.

IgnitionEdge products can handle up to 500 tags from PLCs and come with OPC-UA, Modbus, Siemens and Allen-Bradley drivers. The products are also cross-platform, meaning they can work on any platform from Windows and OSX to Linux and even Raspberry Pis.

Though the IgnitionEdge Panel is a straightforward product for creating local HMIs, an added benefit is its ability to buffer dataenabling one weeks worth of data to be stored on the device in the event of failed network connection.

IgnitionEdge Enterprise allows for the creation of a hub-and-spoke architecture so that it can act as a remote server to synchronize data from an edge device to a central Ignition server via the Ignition Enterprise Administration Module. In addition to its remote backup, restoration management, centralized monitoring of performance and health metrics, and remote alarm notification, IgnitionEdge Enterprise has store-and-forward capabilitiesmeaning that, like the IgnitionEdge Panelit can handle local data buffering to collect historical data for up to one week if the connection to the central several goes down. Once connections are restored, data will synchronize back to the central server.

IgnitionEdge MQTT essentially enables any device to become an edge gateway by converting the devices data into MQTT and publishing it to an MQTT broker, which can then be accessed by the MQTT Engine Module.

Arlen Nipper, president and CTO of Cirrus Link Solutions, noted a key aspect of IgnitionEdge as being its ability to enable devices to deliver the root authority on tag information. With the tag itself becoming the root authority for information about the device, this means that human tagging can become a thing of the past, he said, adding that, if a tag is manually changed, that change will be automatically reflected all the way back to the central server.

With IgnitionEdge, people can stop talking about how to adopt IoT and get on with doing it, said Don Pearson, chief strategy officer of Inductive Automation. Ignition Edge takes any field device and turns into a lightweight IoT-enabled device.

Cybersecurity at the Edge Bedrock Automation, which made a surprising entry into the automation market just two years ago with a unique approach to designing controllers, I/O and even the backplane, extended its embedded cybersecurity capabilities with the release of Bedrock Cybershield 2.0. A key addition to this upgrade is the incorporation of a certification authority into Bedrocks hardware root of trust.

Certification authority is a critical aspect for interconnected automation systems, particularly as operations technology (OT) and IT systems converge. Adding this capability into Bedrock Automations root of trust means that applications and developers can now receive certificates of authority (CAs) to incorporate Bedrock encryption keys into their software, giving their programs secure access to Bedrock controllers.

Software providers working with Bedrock Automaton on this include 3S,which isusing its IEC61131 configuration and runtime engines running over TLS (transport layer security) with authentication to the Bedrock system root of trust, and M&M with its Softwares Field Device Tool (FDT) for HART configuration. Albert Rooyakkers, founder and CTO of Bedrock Automation, noted that Inductive Automation and other SCADA partners will begin working with Bedrock Automations CAs later this year.

Explaining the benefits of adding CAs to Cybershield, Rooyakkers said it extends BedrockAutomations embedded securityfrom the controller to the networks, applications and edge devices connected to it. At the ARC event, Rooyakkers provided insight into how this CA approach to cybersecurity will extend even to the people accessing the system via multi-factor authentication with smart cards, biometrics and role-based access management authenticated to the root of trust inside the machine. The biometric and smart card features will be available in subsequent Cybershield releases later this year.

With this approach, the person operating the workstation has certification authority to access the automation system and so does the workstation itself, said Rooyakkers. And with OPC UA, we deploy an open communications standard for Ethernet networks at the control and I/O. OPC UA server runs in the Bedrock Secure Power and UPS products with the client running in the Ethernet I/O module.

Certification authority adds to the layers of intrinsic security designed into Bedrock Automations electronic components and modules, which include strong cryptography, secure components, component anti-tamper, secure firmware, secure communications and module anti-tamper. From embedded cryptography to physical tamper resistance, the design of Bedrock Automations products address industrial security concerns with the objective of a nation-state defense posture, said Rooyakkers.

Companies can also personalize their own unique root keys with Bedrock Automations SCC.X controller, which allows for customer-specific root keys to be placed within the controller in the Bedrock factory at the time of order. Rooyakkers said these unique root keys not only provide an additional layer of protection for user IP, the system modules and applications can be defined by company, plant or other designations desired by the user.

Bedrock Automation also unveiled its new 20-channel discrete output (DO) moduleSIO8.20. Key features of the new module include:

Servers at the Edge One of the most frequently asked questions about the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is: Where do I start? And while there are plenty of entry points to IIoT, one of the most basic approaches involves shoring up your edge computing capabilities.

With a long history in the financial and telecom sectors, Stratus has been turning its attention toward industrial automation and is positioning its fault tolerant servers and high availability software for use across industry. Evidence of this can be seen in Stratus achieving a 40 percent increase year-over-year in revenue from industrial companies in the Americas.

Jason Andersen, vice president at Stratus, said that most of the business Stratus has done in industry comes from the process side, specifically oil and gas, water/wastewater, electricity, food & beverage and pharmaceuticals. He also noted that Stratuss primary customer in industry is someone in operations technology, not IT. We support the whole stack, so it avoids any finger pointing by IT, he said.

Explaining why off-the-shelf, general business servers are not the best choice for industrial automation applications, Andersen said that Stratus is often brought in to work with industrial companies because something broke [with a general business server] and it was painful for the company, or theyre looking to upgrade their operating software to enable failsafe operation and remote management of edge servers.

Another key aspect of Stratuss offering for industry, and which holds particular appeal for its OT clients, is Stratuss ability to perform predictive maintenance on its server and software.

Andersen said that most industrial computing today involves providing a platform for HMI and SCADA. But as companies look to do more with IIoT, theyll need more software at the edge and it needs to be protected thats where we come in, he said. We provide a smart connected hub for industry. Like Google Home or Amazon Echo for consumer usewe connect devices to the cloud. Were essentially selling an onramp to the future of IIoT, he said.

In terms of its use in industry, Alexander said Stratus servers and software are application transparent, meaning that they can support any industrial software applications. Current industrial automation partners include Rockwell Automation, Wonderware by Schneider Electric, GE Digital and Siemens.

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Orbita Ingenieria: New Age Terminal Automation – Port Technology International

Posted: at 3:08 am

Port Technology International (PTI) is excitedto announce that Francisco J. Grau Cavanillas, MD of the Ports and Terminals division at Orbita Ingenieria, is a speaker for PTI's upcoming Terminal Automation & Training C-Level Networking Conference taking place from April 19-20, 2017, in London.

At the start of his career, Grau programmed PLCs and SCADAs, mainly in the Ford Motor Company factory in Almussafes, Valencia.

In 2003, he started to work alongside the Port Authority of Valencia on its automation projects, eventually becoming more involved in management and the ports operations.

Grau became one of the founders of Orbita Ingenieria in 2006, which sought to provide its founders and those involved in the company with an environment to develop their passion for engineering and address the challenges being faced in the industry through automation.

Orbita has sustained continuous growth over the last 11 years, growing from 12 employees at the end of 2006 to 130 today. This has allowed the company to create three different divisions in 2013, Factory Automation, Process Automation and Ports and Terminals.

During this time, Grau has gained expertise in team management and R&D activities and now holds aposition on the board of directors.

The ports and terminals division, 'Orbita Ports&Terminals',was created to develop the groups industry expertise, developed for many years in the Port of Valencia while expanding Orbita internationally.

Grau said: One of the key differentiating elements of our company is our broad industry automation approach, which enables us to provide know-how and experience from different sectors into the ports sector, and vice versa.

We started our international expansion in 2013, only fouryears ago, and I can say that I am very satisfied with the work that we have carried out these past years in getting the market to know our Company.

Graus work during this time has been to lead the strategic movements of Orbita Ingenieria in product development, marketing, and build a talented team, turning the vision into a reality.

In order to achieve this, Grau views Port Technology International as the best media partner companion available.

The Ports and Terminals divisions growing list of clients include renowned companies such as PSA, MSC and APMT.

Also included are terminals such DCT Gdansk and commercial and technical partners like Kalmar and Siemens.

Grau said of the Terminal Automation & Training C-Level Networking Conference: It will be a great opportunity to meet the industry leaders together in one single, high level event.

I would like to debate the issue of the growing software dependence and the consequent workforce adaptation in the Terminals.

"Also, I would like to hear the operators points of view regarding automation introduction plans in their terminals and compare this to last year, asking the question: has the commitment to automation increased?

I would also like to discuss topics related to the Internet of Things, big data and the evolution of automation in the Ports Industry over recent years.

Cavanillas has an Industrial Engineering degree from the Polytechnic University of Valencia with a specialisation in Electronics and Process Control.

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Did Darwin’s theory of evolution encourage abolition of slavery … – Washington Post

Posted: at 3:07 am

By Jerry A. Coyne By Jerry A. Coyne February 9 at 2:26 PM

Jerry A. Coyneis professor emeritus in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Why Evolution Is True and Faith vs. Fact: Why Science and Religion Are Incompatible.

On New Years Day, 1860, four men sat around a dinner table in Concord, Mass., contemplating a hefty green book that had just arrived in America. Published in England barely a month before, Charles Darwins On the Origin of Species was sent by the author himself to Asa Gray, a Harvard botanist who would become one of Darwins staunchest defenders. Gray gave his heavily annotated copy to his wifes cousin, child-welfare activist Charles Loring Brace, who, lecturing in Concord, brought it to the home of politician Franklin Sanborn. Besides Sanborn and Brace, the distinguished company included the philosopher Bronson Alcott and the author/naturalist Henry David Thoreau.

According to Randall Fuller, this meeting changed America by catalyzing the movement to rid the nation of slavery. Although Gray and the Concord Four were ardent abolitionists, only Gray was interested in the recondite biological details of Darwins theory. The rest of them focused on the books implicit message about human races.

[The Metaphysical Club, the Boston philosophers who changed the way American thought]

This is curious because On the Origin of Species carefully sidesteps the topic of human evolution and says nothing at all on the subject of race. Darwin was so concerned about the heretical nature of his message that he decided to avoid mentioning the most incendiary of all his conclusions: that humans, supposedly created in the image of God, were in fact nothing more than modified great apes. He therefore devoted just 12 timid words to human evolution in the entire 500-page work: Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history.

But that was enough. Reading between the lines, everyone, including the Concord Four, saw what Darwin had kept to himself: that humans had, like all other species, evolved via natural selection from ancient ancestors.

[Darwin the liberator: how evolutionary thought undermined the rationale for slavery]

What is the relevance of all this to abolitionism? At the time, it was debated whether humans had a single origin or several, with each race being separately created. The multiple-creation school, polygenism, was popular with apologists for slavery. If, as they supposed, the Adam-and-Eve creation produced whites, but other races derived from earlier and inferior acts of creation, then whites were justified in applying a different moral standard to people of nonwhite race, who were not created in Gods image. Polygenists sometimes saw blacks as subhuman intermediates or even as members of a different species, justifying their subjugation and enslavement.

But if humans had a single origin (monogenism), as Darwin proposed for other species, then all human races were genealogically connected: Blacks were every bit as human as whites equivalent to distant cousins and slavery became morally untenable. This is perhaps one of the very few times in the history of evolutionary biology that Darwins ideas aligned with a literal interpretation of the Bible. Like Darwin, the Genesis account suggests a single origin for all humans courtesy of Adam and Eve with no mention of multiple creations. This detail was overlooked by advocates of slavery, who proved to be creative and slippery theologians. According to Fuller, the excitement Darwin brought to Gray and the Concord Four came from providing a scientific justification for overturning the multiple-origins argument.

The Book That Changed America gives a vivid picture of the intellectual life of Concord, infused not just with abolitionism but with the Transcendentalist philosophy that saw a divine spark within each human, prizing subjective experience over hard facts. Fullers story ranges widely and sometimes discursively, including colorful characters such as Louisa May Alcott (daughter of Bronson), who, before gaining fame with Little Women, wrote unpublishable books about interracial love; Louis Agassiz, another Harvard professor, a racist and polygenist implacably opposed to Darwins theories; John Brown, whose disastrous attempt to start a slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry was secretly financed by Sanborn; Frederick Douglass, a former slave turned orator and writer; and even P.T. Barnum, whose interest in science was driven by his desire to turn everything into a pay-per-view spectacle.

Unfortunately, Fullers engrossing account of the literary and intellectual hub of New England does little to support his thesis that Darwins book gave powerful ammunition to abolitionists, ultimately contributing to the Civil War. That is dubious for two reasons.

First, although the Concord abolitionists found a modicum of support in Darwins ideas, they already had strong moral arguments against slavery, and at any rate had almost no influence on the conflagration that began in 1861 but had been smoldering for decades. Second, Darwins ideas gave ammunition to the pro-slavery movement as well, for social Darwinists simply co-opted Darwins idea of competition among groups in nature to argue that whites had outstripped blacks in the struggle for existence. Like the Bible itself, Origin has been cited in support of diverse and often conflicting ideologies.

Its worth noting that the real revolution wrought by Origin the replacement of a divine creationism with a purely naturalistic explanation of lifes history had nothing to do with slavery. Within a decade of the books publication, virtually all American scientists and intellectuals were on board with Darwins ideas, which changed not only the whole of biology but also our self-image. Gone was the idea of humans as Gods special creation, replaced by the view that we are a product of a shuffling by natural selection of randomly arising variation a process involving huge amounts of suffering and death. In a letter to Gray, Darwin admitted that the facts of evolution didnt comport with the Abrahamic God: But I own that I cannot see, as plainly as others do, & as I should wish to do, evidence of design & beneficence on all sides of us. There seems to me too much misery in the world. I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent & omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonid [parasitic wasps] with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of caterpillars, or that a cat should play with mice.

It was this issue of God and spirituality that led four of the five main characters in Fullers book to ultimately reject Darwins scientific message. The exception was Thoreau, who spent his last years obsessively cataloguing data on the Concord woodlands in a nebulous project cut short by his death from tuberculosis. But even Thoreau couldnt fully embrace Darwins message of naturalism, seeing science as powerless to explain things like emotions and behavior. Transcendentalists such as Alcott and Ralph Waldo Emerson, with their emphasis on the spiritual over the material, read into Darwin a misguided teleology of increasing perfection of the human soul. Brace became a theistic evolutionist, seeing God as masterminding the whole process. In the end, even the stalwart Gray was driven by his faith to see evolution as partly divine, proposing that God himself created the variation now known to be mutations in the DNA that fueled evolution.

Things havent changed much since 1860. A 2014 Gallup poll showed that 42 percent of Americans are young-Earth creationists, while another 31 percent are theistic evolutionists like Gray, accepting some form of human evolution but insisting it was directed by God. And only 19 percent of us 1 in 5 adhere to Darwins view that humans evolved in a purely naturalistic way with no supernatural help. Slavery, thankfully, is no longer with us, but, like the Transcendentalists, most of us still insist that a divine hand guided the origin of our species.

The Book That Changed America

How Darwins Theory of Evolution Ignited a Nation

By Randall Fuller.

Viking. 304 pp. $27.

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Did Darwin's theory of evolution encourage abolition of slavery ... - Washington Post

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Judicial review is government at work – The Independent Florida Alligator

Posted: at 3:07 am

In todays lesson plan, we are going to be covering the U.S. Government. Its become clear in the past few weeks that a lot of Americans are not entirely aware of how the government functions. It has, after all, been a long time since seventh-grade civics or senior-year Advanced Placement U.S. Government. And unless you have some aspirations in politics or listen to the Hamilton soundtrack regularly, there might be some holes in your memory.

Disclaimer: This is a brief synopsis, and if you want a very thorough analysis of the early days of the U.S. Government, you will have to hit up your local history major or take UF professor Samuel P. Staffords American Civil Liberties class.

Our government is set up with separation of powers, a system of checks and balances which ensures no one branch of government overpowers another. You see, our newly formed country still had bad memories of England and an overruling tyrant, so the Continental Congress wanted to make sure that didnt happen. The first run of a set of laws for our country were the Articles of Confederation, which essentially allocated no executive power, leaving everything up to the states. Theres a reason we dont use them anymore and a reason the Continental Congress had to reassemble and figure out another way to whip our country into shape.

So they drafted up the Constitution and worked on getting it approved by the states.

One of the biggest roadblocks in ratifying our current Constitution was that people feared it would give the government namely the executive branch too much power. But eventually it was obvious we couldnt just leave everything up to the states. So compromises were made, powers were checked and balanced, and thus our Constitution was born and has been amended 27 times to keep up with changing times.

Now, a lot of people will point out that the original Constitution did not give the judicial branch much power. Indeed, it was only with the Supreme Court case of Marbury v. Madison that judicial review the power of the Supreme Court to determine whether a law is constitutional was established. But since then, all checks and balances and branches have been pretty even.

Currently, a very textbook example of the judicial branch stepping in to balance out the executive branch is playing out. Namely, the contentious travel ban by President Donald Trump has been halted and put up for review.

This is nothing new. Yet hundreds of thousands of people are acting personally victimized that (gasp!) the government dare do its job. The sad (and scary) part is that some of these people work for the government. Its not un-American or unpatriotic that the judicial branch is doing this it is, in essence, the most American thing of all. We feared a strong, overbearing single branch of government, so within our laws, we did our best to prevent that. Our government has been doing that for the past two hundred and some years.

From judicial review came: Miranda rights, the abolition of poll taxes in state elections, the separate but equal ruling, the subsequent overturning of that ruling, the rejection of former President Richard Nixons notion of executive privilege and thats just scratching the surface. The fact is this has been a very vital and important part of our country since 1803.

Challenging a presidents or Congresss decision is not going against the government. It is the government doing what it was made to do: work for the people. Not for a political party, or for groups of senators or representatives, but all the people of our country.

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Empowering the Data Subject Manila Bulletin Business – Manila Bulletin

Posted: at 3:06 am

Published February 9, 2017, 10:01 PM

For the past months, we at the National Privacy Commission have been working both as advocates and enforcers of the Data Privacy Act. Making sure that organizations that handle our data are aware of their responsibilities, however, is only half the task. To truly cultivate data privacy and security, the public must be made aware of their rights which the law has defined for them asdata subjects.

Raymund E. Liboro Chairman, National Privacy Commission

A data subject is an individual whose personal information is processed. In this day and age this means practically each one of us is a data subject . That is why, whenever I speak in front of data controllers and processors, I always remind them to wear two hats during my talk: one as data controller or processor and as a data subject. After-all, even if they belong to the business of processing the personal data of others, at the end of the day, everyone is basically a data subject. Truly, in contemplating the Data Privacy Act, the old maxim, Do not do unto others what you dont want done unto you, rings relevant.

We at the National Privacy Commission have started to receive complaints from citizens. They are still coming in trickles. But we expect the figure to rise as citizens learn more about their rights as data subjects through our intensified public awareness campaign. After all, knowing your rights and standing up for them are the first steps to protect yourself and collectively build a culture protective of privacy. All of us should realize that through these rights, we regain control of our data.

First of these is the right to be informed whether your data will be, is being or was processed. At the same time, you should be notified of the description, purpose, basis and scope of the personal data processing, among others. To further let you know and verify the lawfulness of the processing, you have the right to reasonable access to your data.

You also have the right to object to the processing of your data, including processing for direct marketing, automated processing or profiling. Consent may be withheld in case of any amendment in the information supplied to you.

If the data held about you is inaccurate, you may dispute and correct it. With substantial reason, you may exercise your right to suspend, withdraw or order the blocking, removal or destruction of your data from organizations filing system. You may be indemnified for damages caused by inaccurate and unlawfully obtained data, along with unauthorized use.

For you to be in full control of your data, you have the right to data portability. This allows you to obtain and electronically move, copy or transfer your data in a secure manner, for further use.

As I always say, information has become the new currency running in the veins of the global economy. Your personal information has become your 21st century asset. And If you liken it to money, then, surely, you would want to exercise control over this type of asset.

The Data Privacy Act brings back control of personal information to the individual. It signals the dawn of the age of empowerment of the data subject.

Tags: Empowering the Data Subject, Manila, manila bulletin, manila news, National Privacy Commission, news today, Privacy matters

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