Daily Archives: May 22, 2017

Dietary Supplements: The Face of a Self-Regulating Industry – The Global Dispatch

Posted: May 22, 2017 at 3:40 am

The pressure to look great weighs heavily on many. From people who want to lose weight to improve their overall health to those who want to lose weight to fit their ideal beauty standards, the dietary supplement industry regulates itself. According to a report done by ABC News, the weight loss industry makes $20 billion each year from weight loss surgeries, supplements, and diet books. This is good news for the dieting industry, but what about the general public? Lets check it out.

The downside of dietary supplements is that without healthy lifestyle choices, many dieters gain back the weight after they quit the supplement. For this reason, dieting is a vicious cycle for many people. One report shows that dieters may attempt to lose weight 4-5 times each year, often either giving into cravings and binge eating or quitting their supplements and gaining back the weight. The good news is that there are steps you can take to avoid this keep reading to learn more.

photo/pixabay public domain pictures

In the last decade, supplements like Garcinia Cambogia and Green Tea Extract, with many others, that make claims their product can melt away your fat. In many cases, the ingredients can make an improvement to your overall weight when they are supplemented in the right amounts. Unfortunately, while manufacturers of dietary supplements are required to ensure the ingredients in their supplements are safe enough for consumption and cannot make misleading claims, they do not have to prove their products are effective. This is because unlike prescription drugs, dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

This has led to many supplement fads over the years, as people vouch for and dispute the effectiveness of drugs. In the next section, we will take a look at if these supplements are really as good as they claim and if the dietary industry is worth it to the consumer.

If you do a quick search on a dietary supplement like Garcinia Cambogia, you are likely to find before-and-after photos, with statements about how the supplement has changed someones life for the better. However, you will also find those that dispute the claims, saying that the supplement cannot possibly work. So, whats the truth?

The effectiveness of the supplement often depends on the concentration of its ingredients. Not every dietary supplement is created equally, especially since the industry is not regulated by the FDA. For example, a supplement like Garcinia Cambogia can help boost metabolism and suppress weight loss, but only when given in high enough doses to be effective. To get a better idea of a supplement is right for you, youll have to research the facts behind each formulation. Check out studies and what amounts have been effective for supplementation. Look for websites that compare nutritional and dietary supplements such to help you break down exactly what youre getting.

The pressure to fit into societal standards will always be there, as will the dieting industry. While the trends that drive sales will change, companies simply need to offer new supplements to keep up with the latest research. By doing this, the dieting industry regulates itself. If you are trying to lose weight, the best thing you can do is do your own research on any nutritional or dietary supplements before you try them. Find out exactly what each supplement does and always research the quality of a supplement before deciding it is the right choice for you. If you have any questions, do not be afraid to turn to a doctor or dietician for help.

Author: Pankaj Deb

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Dietary Supplements: The Face of a Self-Regulating Industry - The Global Dispatch

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Cannes AIDS drama 120 Beats Per Minute emerges as major Palme d’Or contender – EW.com

Posted: at 3:38 am

Following a monumental, multi-monthstretch forLGBT cinema on the awards circuit, duringwhichMoonlight about a young, gay mans journey toward self-acceptance triumphed as the Academys best picture winner one year after Todd Haynes lesbian dramaCarol scored six Oscar nods at the 2015 ceremony, French-Moroccan filmmaker Robin Campillo has stormed the Croisette with the AIDS activism drama 120 Beats Per Minute, which is being hailed as the 2017 Cannes Film Festivals first major contender for theprestigious Palme dOr.

Robin Campillos Cannes competition film gracefully, sharply humanizes a historical tragedy, Richard Lawson writes for Vanity Fair. [The] deeply effective 120 Beats Per Minute is half sober and surveying docudrama, half wrenching personal illness narrative. Those two genres are fused together with an arresting artfulness, woozy and dreamy interludes mixing with the talky technical stuff to create a film that is broadly enlightening and piercingly intimate. Its no wonder many are putting the film on the short list for the Palme dOrits a vital contribution to queer and political cinema, a testament to crusaders of recent history whose nobility does not preclude their complicated and individual humanity.

His rave review of the expansive drama, which charts a dramatized version of thelegacy of the gay men and women who fronted the Paris chapter of the AIDS advocacy group ACT UP, continues: [120 Beats Per Minute is]a vital contribution to queer and political cinema, a testament to crusaders of recent history whose nobility does not preclude their complicated and individual humanity.

In a less ecstatic (but nonetheless positive) reaction, IndieWires Eric Kohn similarly lauds the films emotional impact.

While hardly groundbreaking filmmaking, the movies familiar trajectory displays a patient approach to exploring the movement across a leisurely two hours and 20 minutes, sometimes to the detriment of the soulful material at its core. Nevertheless, assembling the story out of small moments and gripping exchanges, Campillo grounds this earnest drama in a sense of purpose,his B-grade review reads. While 120 Beats Per Second never quite takesoff into the emotional intensity suggested by the material, it nevertheless arrives at a powerful raison detre, with layers of its ecosystem slowly assemblinguntil a fully defined revoltreveals itself. The finale is a masterstroke of editing, as Campillo merges lively dance floor actionand activist antics until they blur together as one. Its a brilliant cap to a moviefixatedon one point above all no matter the desperation of this battlefield, the communal bonds ensure that the party rages on.

With a jury that has already publicly squabbled about the kinds of movies theyll be considering for the festivals highest honor (Pedro Almodovar, president of this years collective, has voiced distaste with Netflixs release model, which competition titlesOkja and The Meyerowitz Stories will employ), its difficult to pinpoint which titles this years group will go for. Though critical taste is helpful in sifting out the rotten apples, juries can deviate from the media narrative with shocking results (I, Daniel Blake taking the top prize last year was a bold move, for example).

Though Haynes latest, Wonderstruck, was warmly received alongside The Square, Loveless, andOkja, 120 Beats Per Minute has seemingly got the goods to capture both the zeitgeist as it tugs universal emotional strings key in winning over any jury.

Singlingout the projects candidly queer sensibility as vital perspective now more than ever, Varietys Guy Lodge perfectly sums up the films strengthsin his ecstatic reaction, writing:Robin Campillos outstanding AIDS activist drama melds the personal, the political and the erotic to heart-bursting effectUnafraid of eroticism in the face of tragedy, this robust Cannes competition entry is nonetheless emotionally immediate enough to break out of the LGBT niche.

Read on for more review excerpts from the films world premiere screening at Cannes.

Guy Lodge (Variety) As in Eastern Boys, Campillos predominantly candid, unvarnished shooting style wrongfoots viewers ahead of his gutsiest manipulations of sound and image in this case, a stark, unsubtle passage of widescreen visual poetry that turns the Seine purple with the blood of the needlessly damned. The oblique title, meanwhile, refers not just to medical heart rates as bleakly tracked on hospital monitors, but to the euphoric rhythm of the electronic music that soundtracks ACT UPs occasional disco breaks, in which matters of love, death and ideology are briefly lost to the rush of the dancefloor, and strobe-lit faces fade into dust motes and blood cells. In one of BPMs most gently funny scenes, a well-meaning parent is ridiculed for suggesting AIDS is me, AIDS is you, AIDS is us as a campaign slogan. By the end, you see where her critics are coming from: Campillos sexy, insightful, profoundly humane film is most moving in those ecstatic interludes where, for a blissed-out moment or two, AIDS is no one at all.

David Rooney (The Hollywood Reporter) What Larry Kramers trenchant play (and subsequent film) The Normal Heart did for the early days of AIDS activism in 1980s New York at the height of the crisis, Robin Campillo in 120 Beats Per Minute aims to do for the same subject in 1990s Paris, albeit in a more contemplative style.Drawing inspiration from his own experience as a member of frontline protest organization ACT UP, Campillo brings unquestionable conviction to his mission to ensure that the ineffectual response of Francois Mitterands government at the time and the refusal of French drug companies to expedite potential breakthrough treatments are not forgotten.

Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian) Its a compelling feature about love, life and friendship which can be compared to David Frances 2012 documentary How To Survive A Plague, about ACT UP in the United States. As a fictional representation, it sometimes looks like a politicised, if de-romanticised, version of something like Abdellatif Kechiches Blue Is The Warmest Colour, from 2013This film has what its title implies: a heartbeat. It is full of cinematic life.

Eric Kohn (IndieWire) This isnt a characteristic project for Campillo, best known to English-language audiences for They Live, the film that inspired the Twin Peaks-like TV series The Returned, and Eastern Boys, a taut gay thriller in which Russian men posing as prostitutesrob an older man. 120 Beats Per Minute contains no such far-reaching hooks, instead bearing a closer resemblance to the social-realism of Campillos screenwriting with collaborator Laurent Cantet, which includes the Palme dOr-winning high school drama The Class. Like that movie, the main narrative engine of 120 Beats Per Minute is talk profound debates, casual chatter, furious showdowns and the sturdy performances that bring it to life.

Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) And I hope this movie will be given the distribution and marketing it deserves, as the traumas of the 1980s and 90s fade in the rearvieweven while AIDS rates are troublingly on the rise again. The films political and moral weight should not overshadow the artistry of its design, though, nor the quiet profundity of its unreserved and admirable approach to gay intimacy. Campillo has given his movie the breath of true life. It grieves and triumphs and haunts with abounding grace and understanding, its heartbeat thumping with genuine, undeniable resonance.

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Minnesota designers fueling feminist T-shirt craze | Lifestyles … – Post-Bulletin

Posted: at 3:38 am

MINNEAPOLIS The messages are strong and sometimes funny. One is feisty, another is in French. But always, they're wearable.

"Feminism: Back by popular demand"

The feminist T-shirt is having a moment. Fueled by people who want to express their support for women's rights at marches but also at work, out for dinner, on Instagram the shirts are growing in popularity and power. Sure, luxury brand Dior is selling a $700 feminist tee, but the trend is rooted in a $30 unisex shirt from the Los Angeles shop Otherwild. "The Future Is Female," the shirt declares.

Minnesota artists and designers are creating some of the more popular designs, using the T-shirts to raise money for nonprofits focused on women's health and equality. They're also gathering around the messages, hosting printing workshops and discussions.

"I think this activism zeitgeist just overlapped with a renewed interest in graphic tees as a medium for artists and designers," said Minneapolis designer Maddy Nye. "Of course, it's only a T-shirt, but it's contributing to a larger paradigm shift in awareness and action."

Protest art and imagery hangs from the walls of Nye's sunny home studio. For her "Matriarch" shirt, Nye used a bulbous typeface that "had its heyday during the environmental and women's movements in the 1970s," she said, "but I like to use it in a contemporary context."

So with just one word, the design asks questions about what's changed since then and what hasn't. Some people have bought Nye's tees for their mothers, women who fought earlier battles.

Angie Toner is "not shy" about being a feminist. But working in the beauty industry a few years back, she had conversation after conversation with women who eschewed that label. It got her thinking about the backlash against the word, the movement. Then she came across a photograph of a woman holding a sign: "Feminism: Back by popular demand."

"I need a sign like that," she decided, if only to hang on her wall.

Toner asked local sign painter Phil Vandervaart to draw the design. "The drawing was so great," she said, "that I was like, you know what? I'd like to move this around."

So she printed it onto T-shirts and bags at Gee Teez, a screen printing shop in south Minneapolis, and put them on Etsy in 2015: "A Grassroots Feminist Fashion Action," she calls it. Orders poured in. Since then, Toner has tried to quit the project a few times, to move on to new things. "But I've kept it going because anytime I try to let it fade out, someone will reach out," she said.

The day after President Donald Trump was elected, Toner gave the shirts away on the street. Orders again filled her inbox.

Politics and protests are inspiring big retailers to print "Feminist" on cheap totes and plastic jewelry. But it's also fueling local artists and small companies' longer-standing projects. My Sister, a Minneapolis-based company that uses "sweatshop-free" clothing to help fight sex trafficking, has been around for two years, raising $93,000 in that time.

Beyond the money, the messages themselves tackle gender inequality, one of trafficking's "root causes," said Mandy Multerer, the company's co-founder and CEO. "Stop Traffick" is the benefit corporation's bestseller, she said, but in recent months, a tank is trending. "It's my body," the shirt reads on one side, outlining the shape of a breast. "It's my choice."

"I think women feel strong when they wear it," Multerer said.

While some sketched their designs long before last year's election, others were spurred by it: A peach T-shirt for sale at Mille, a stunning south Minneapolis boutique with a national online following, grew out of a postelection conversation between owner Michelle LeBlanc and designer Nye.

"After the election, we were kind of devastated," LeBlanc said. "What can we do to be more active? What can we do to give back more?"

Half the proceeds from the "Solidarit fminine" shirt, which translates to "women solidarity," goes to Planned Parenthood. Already, the shop has donated $2,000 to the health care nonprofit. Money from a second T-shirt which quotes Michelle Obama's "Go high" in bubbly typeface goes to DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that allows donors to pick projects in public schools.

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[ May 20, 2017 ] Taking back the backcountry News and Views – The Rocky Mountain Goat

Posted: at 3:36 am

The regional district also retains responsibility for some backcountry roads, such as the road up to the Beaver River Stockyards, but they put up signs indicating the property is not maintained. Many locals are wondering why the Province cant do the same in other instances? / EVAN MATTHEWS

by EVAN MATTHEWS

Locals are working with their politicians to keep access to the Dore River Valley as backcountry roads are threatened with closures.

Forestry companies originally installed many of the Robson Valleys Forest Service Roads (FSRs) and permit roads, but once companies log and vacate the areas, many roads are decommissioned and the Ministry of Lands, Forests and Natural Resources takes control over the areas.

The Ministry is decommissioning many of the roads, as neither the logging companies nor the Province want the responsibility and/or liability that comes along with controlling them, according to locals.

Sledders, horse riders, cross-country skiers, hikers, farmers, trappers and hunters tourists and locals, alike all use the roads until they are decommissioned.

Theres quite a lot of roads like this, and its not my thinking we need to have all of them open, says Bill Arnold, having lived in the valley and accessed its backcountry since 1958.

But there are a few that should be kept open, and it should be up to residents of the valley as to which ones, he says.

The Dore River Valley is one of the more well-known and used backcountry areas, according to Glen Stanley, who has lived in the valley for 70 years, and is a member of the Ozalenka Alpine Hiking Club.

Now the Dore River Road might be closed for good, if the Province yanks out the bridge crossing the Dore River.

University students from who come as far as Ontario to use the backcountry near McBride.

Up the Dore River Valley, a hiking trail leads to an area with some extremely rare rock formations, according to locals. The rocks are rare in that the only other place scientists have found similar formations are along the ocean floor.

Geology students from Ontario come to study the formations in the summer. In the fall, students from the University of Northern British Columbia come to study the areas receding glaciers.

There is so much opportunity here, says Arnold.

Some said they have always done the majority of their hiking in Jasper, but after seeing it here, theyve said theyll never go (to Jasper) again, he says.

As much of the valley transitions from resource-based economies to a tourism-based economy, the existing infrastructure and the opportunity to develop new infrastructure should be viewed as a positive, and as an attraction to the increasing percentage of the tourist population, according to Arnold.

Its infrastructure providing access to a recreational activity, says Arnold.

We can advertise these areas, but we dare not advertise something we dont have access to, he says.

All who accessOther examples have come forward, too.

Lester Blouin, a McBride resident who helped build many of the roads, says to remove them at this point just doesnt make sense.

Ron Westlund, who lives on Westlund Road, has a family farm and tenure up the Dore River Valley.

Westlund brings his cattle to the valley to graze, but he says if he cant access the area by road then he cant access the area at all. Hed have to find an alternative solution, if such a thing exists, he says.

Arnold and Stanley have been working together to add signs up the Dore Valley, he says, as the signs act as a tourists guide to the waterfalls and glaciers.

Its more interesting up there if you know the names and you have reference, says Stanley.

In listening to her constituents, Regional District Director for Electoral Area H and McBride resident Dannielle Alan has put forward a resolution to the North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA) on this very issue.

The North Central Local Government Association is a non-profit, non-partisan association comprised of all elected officials in North Central B.C., including Valemount and McBride.

The NCLGA is currently developing a list of resolutions on behalf of its members, so the organization can advocate for its members regarding specific issues, in this case, decommissioned roads.

Director Alan says in talking with locals, there is a definite need for access to some of these areas, and people are willing to work with government to come up with viable solutions.

Ideally, the Province would consult with communities to identify key access roads, preferably before they are decommissioned, and would work with communities, industry and stakeholder groups to put together a maintenance plan to keep these roads accessible to the degree mutually agreed upon, says Alan.

For some roads it may mean foot and ATV traffic only, for others by motor vehicle. It depends on the circumstance, she says, adding it would be up to the Province to set the parameters of the conversation.

Liability, again, makes the situation more difficult, Alan noted.

Now, in what feels like a power struggle between locals and the province, Arnold says locals are working in clarifying the record.

Were not interested in controlling the roads or the process, says Arnold.

Were just interested in keeping some of them open.

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Basic Income Guarantee: Can it be a sustainable solution …

Posted: at 3:35 am

Will the numbers from Ontario's Basic Income pilot add up to people being able to lift themselves out of poverty?

By Erin Walters, Health Promoter and Educator at Quest CHC, St. Catharines

Across Ontarios political spectrum, support is growing for a Basic Income Guarantee. The idea isnt a new one: Mincome has roots in the policies of the Manitoba NDP in the 1970s. Now, the concept has backing from a former Canadian senator, a former Canadian bank CEO, the World Economic Forum, and now the Ontario government, which is launching a pilot project in three communities across the province.

The reasons for the growing support are many.

For each of the current provincial and federal income support programs available to Ontarians, conditions are attached, which means that many people fall through the cracks. For those who do qualify for social assistance, the amount of financial support provided makes it hard to live a dignified life. As one of many Health Promoters working in Community Health Centres across Ontario, I witness first-hand the negative effects of these challenges on peoples overall health and wellbeing.

An Ontario Works recipient receives $706 per month, which often isnt nearly enough to cover basic needs such as housing, food, clothing, medications, and transportation. People are forced to make choices about whether to pay the electricity bill or buy a bus pass, or to buy nutritious food or allow their child to attend a class fieldtrip. These are heartbreaking decisions that limit a persons ability to fully participate in life, and ultimately harm their chances of leaving poverty and its ill effects on health -- behind.

With a volatile labour market that has seen a rise in precarious employment and job losses due to automation, more people than ever are struggling to attain income security. Thats why now is the time for changes to Ontarios social assistance system. Can a Basic Income Guarantee be part of the solution?

Basic Income Pilot

Radically re-thinking the way in which social assistance is delivered to the people who need it could be an effective way not only to address shortcomings of the current system, but also might be a way to reduce stigma related to income assistance, encouraging more participation in the labour market and community life overall.

That brings us to Ontarios Basic Income pilot project.

The pilot project will replace the current Ontario Works (OW) program and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) with one that: provides an adequate amount of income every month to ensure all basic needs are covered; requires less monitoring as money is provided without conditions; and distributes income support automatically without a difficult application process. This income support, which is delivered through a negative income tax model, would be available to individuals whose income falls below a certain threshold, whether or not they are currently receiving OW or ODSP.

On April 24, the provincial government released additional information regarding the design of the pilot project based on feedback from 35,000 people. The pilot will randomly invite individuals 18-64 years of age living on a low income from Hamilton, Brantford, Brant County; Thunder Bay and the surrounding area; and Lindsay to participate in the pilot.

Participants will receive up to $16,989 per year for a single person, or $24,027 per year for a couple. People with a disability will receive an additional $6,000 per year. Importantly, people on social assistance who are chosen to participate wont lose their drug and dental benefits.

Policy Discussions and Concerns

Policy circles have been abuzz since the pilot was first announced in 2016. Countless social policy think tanks, including the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Mowat Centre, and Maytree released reports discussing important considerations about the implementation of a Basic Income program. Other organizations, including AOHC, have released official statements on the topic (AOHCs official statement can be found here in English or French.) And while it remains clear there is broad support for the idea, there are reservations about potential design elements and concerns that the pilot project may postpone other necessary poverty reduction actions, such as raising social assistance rates, increasing the minimum wage, and investing in new affordable housing. Another key question will be whether $16,989 - 75 percent of the Low Income Measure (LIM) - will be enough for individuals to lift themselves above the poverty line.

For now, proponents of poverty reduction and health equity must await the Ontario pilot projects full launch this spring and be prepared to monitor its roll out and progress carefully. Since there are AOHC member centres in Thunder Bay, Hamilton/Brantford and Lindsay, its our hope that well get to see what the benefits can be for a person when a Basic Income Guarantee is combined with the kind of wraparound, interprofessional, team-based services and programs that my colleagues and I deliver across the province every day. While those of us who work on the frontlines of community-governed primary health care know the significance of income as a determinant of health, we also know that the intersection of income and other social determinants such as education, race, gender and sexual orientation, housing or social support can have profound impacts that go well beyond what a boost to income alone can address.

As a Health Promoter, Im optimistic and I look forward to the coming years because I see a Basic Income Guarantee as an incredible opportunity to go from the constant uphill battle of trying to help people beat the odds to attain the best possible health and wellbeing, to permanently changing the odds for all people affected by poverty.

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Greens to unveil plans for universal basic income in manifesto launch – The Guardian

Posted: at 3:35 am

The Greens are seen as trying to outflank Labour on the left with a number of their policies. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

People could get a universal basic income and a shorter working week under plans proposed by the Green party on Monday.

Launching the manifesto, Caroline Lucas, the partys co-leader, said the proposals were big, bold ideas to create a confident and caring country we can all be proud of.

The partys flagship pledges, called their green guarantee, would reverse the privatisation of the NHS and fill the funding gap in the health service, paid for partly by scrapping the UKs Trident nuclear deterrent.

It would also promise another referendum when Britain strikes its Brexit deal and guarantee EU citizens rights.

But its most radical proposals are a promise to work towards the introduction of a universal basic income - a flat rate paid to everyone whether or not they are in work.

A universal basic income is regarded by some on the left as a response to the robotisation of the workforce, which it is feared could replace lower-skilled jobs and exacerbate inequality

The Greens said the proposal would initially take the form of a government-sponsored pilot scheme and the phasing in a of a shorter working week.

Their programme amounts to an attempt to outflank Labour on the left, promising policies that have been explored by Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell that did not end up in their manifesto.

McDonnell has expressed an interest in a universal basic income but it was not contained in Labours manifesto. Corbyn is also opposed to renewing Trident but the party is officially committed to the nuclear deterrent.

And with Labour having promised to scrap university tuition fees if elected, the Greens last week went one step further, with a pledge to write off all existing student loan debts, at a cost of more than 14bn over the next parliament.

Lucas, who is seeking re-election in Brighton Pavilion as the UKs only Green MP, said the manifest was about protecting our environment for our children and grandchildren [and] saving our NHS from crisis and ridding it of private sector profiteering.

She added: It means giving people a proper say on the Brexit deal, not shutting them out of the process. And it means exploring changes to our economy to make it fairer and fit for the future.

Jonathan Bartley, who shares the leadership with Lucas, added: By voting Green on 8 June, people can elect MPs who will always fight their corner, and push for the major changes we need to make this country a world leader, rather than the little Britain envisioned by the Tories.

We are unapologetic in fighting to remain close to Europe, and in defending free movement as a wonderful gift to my generation that is being robbed from the next. We will always defend our public services, stand up for our NHS and push for bold changes so our economy delivers on fairness and on pioneering new technology.

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Income guarantee program must include First Nations: Report – The North Bay Nugget

Posted: at 3:35 am

PostMedia

A new report from the Northern Policy Institute warns that implementation of a basic income guarantee program for Ontario may have unforeseen negative consequences for First Nations communities without pilot-testing, sustained government commitment, and significant engagement with First Nations.

As the province moves ahead with its BIG pilot, NPI has released the first report in its BIG series, Basic Income Guarantee and First Nations: Cautions for Implementation, by Gayle Broad and Jessica Nadjiwon-Smith, who have identified several key areas of concern.

According to Broad and Nadjiwon-Smith, First Nations communities differ substantially from non-Indigenous municipalities, with exceedingly diverse histories, cultures, and contexts including vastly differing geographies, and remote access to urban centres and services. The report adds that Indigenous peoples in Ontario face different challenges in addressing social, economic and health indicators.

Due to complexities facing First Nations, the face of poverty in these communities differs substantially from that in other municipalities and rural communities in Ontario, Broad said in a statement. Because of this, it is unclear whether First Nations will gain the same benefits from a BIG as other communities in the province might.

Beyond unique challenges related to poverty, the report identifies social assistance administration and First Nations autonomy as other factors for consideration, arguing the elimination of local administration could lead to a loss of culturally appropriate service provision and limit the range of services available for First Nations community members.

The report also cautions that Canadian governments historically have underfunded and sometimes undermined programs in First Nations, and questions what evidence supports the likelihood that the implementation of a BIG would be any different.

Broad and Nadjiwon-Smith conclude these concerns may only be definitively answered through pilot-site testing, with a comprehensive evaluation component attached, and proper discussion and engagement with First Nations, cautioning such a commitment should not be extended and then withdrawn.

Implementing a basic income guarantee in communities that differ so much from other Ontario municipalities requires thoughtful consideration and a great deal of insight that can only be provided through meaningful engagement with First Nations communities themselves, Broad said.

The paper is the first of a series that will explore the various topics presented at NPIs Basic Income Guarantee conference in October 2016. Report topics include food security issues, potential models for a BIG pilot, tax implications, and the potential impact on social innovators.

To view presentations from the NPIs BIG conference and explore comments and feedback from participants, visit http://www.northernpolicy.ca/big.

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Retail Automation: Nearly Half of all Retail Jobs Could Be Lost … – Fortune

Posted: at 3:35 am

Between 6 million and 7.5 million retail industry jobs are vulnerable to automation within ten years, according to an exhaustive study released this week.

The report, by Cornerstone Capital Group, concluded that the jobs of as many as 47% of the 16 million Americans currently working in retail could be made redundant by highly-automated e-commerce and other innovations. In-store roles most vulnerable to automation include cashiers and order clerks while salespeople and freight handlers are slightly less exposed.

Jobs that require a personal touch like store greeters would also be insulated from direct replacement by robots or apps. But increasing competitive pressure could still make such jobs too expensive for stores to justify.

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Cornerstones study points out that while sales roles are just as likely to be filled by women as men, 73% of retail cashiers are womenand that job is considered one of the most easily automatable in the entire economy. Amazon , for instance, is developing a convenience store format called Amazon Go that has no cashiers. The plan is for sensors and intelligent vision to automatically detect what customers have in their carts and then bill them when they walk out the door.

But details are still being kept under wraps, and in March, Amazon delayed the store's opening while it hones the technology.

Cornerstone lays out two strategies retailers can take in dealing with the shifting landscapewhat could be termed as the low road and the high road. Lower-end retailers can use technology to increase convenience and volume, while high-end shops should focus on technology that enhances the customer experience. If more retailers ultimately focus on using technology to support highly skilled workers and enhance service, it may mean fewer layoffs and even higher pay for staffers.

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Thats essentially the split that strategy expert Howard Yu laid out in a recent piece for Fortune , citing the Apple Stores amazing customer service and mobile card-swipe machines as an example of the high-end approach most likely to preserve jobs. But the recent struggles of department stores like Macys, which have long focused on customer experience and good service, calls into question just how broadly applicable that model might be.

Meanwhile, stores at the lower end of the market are more likely to use technology to eliminate workers, with serious consequences for smaller U.S. cities. Wal-Mart , for instance, has a 25% share of the retail market in U.S. cities with populations under 500,000, suggesting major consequences if it automated a high proportion of jobs.

And of course, predictions about retail automation have fallen short before. Grocery stores began aggressively pursuing self-checkout in the early 2000s, but the technology proved unwieldy and frustrating for customers. Fifteen years later, self-checkout takes up a few lanes at most in any store.

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Automation actually improves the economy, tech insider says – New York Post

Posted: at 3:35 am

Robots really mean skyrocketing economic growth and higher-paid jobs, a new think-tank report reveals.

In a slap in the face to conventional wisdom, Robert Atkinson, president of the DC nonprofit Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), and lead author of False Alarmism: Technological Disruption and the US Labor Market, 1850-2015, told The Post the US economy could dig itself out of economic malaise and quintuple US growth from the present anemic 1 percent or so.

And, he added, it could wipe out the almost $20 trillion in staggering federal debt at the same time.

The answer is in the steely embrace of anonymous robots and advanced automation, Atkinson said, explaining, Technology is the big fix.

Just how big? Every 1 percent increase in US productivity brings $50 billion extra to the federal treasury, according to Atkinsons calculations. By that measure, a 10 percent jump in productivity translates into a half-trillion dollars annually.

I agree with President Trump productivity growth is an important component of controlling our debt, Atkinson said. Yes, we are going to have to raise taxes; yes, we are going to have deal with entitlements. But it is an easier nut to swallow if you raise productivity through technology.

Tech-driven innovations have sadly eliminated major categories of jobs and disrupted societies throughout history, Atkinson said. In the 1960s, for example, the US economy lost 40 percent of its telephone operators. However, technology ultimately created many more jobs elsewhere at higher wages, thanks to streamlined activities and more goods and services at lower prices, the ITIF says.

In a doomsday study, the Bank of England estimates that 47 percent of all US jobs may well be replaced by technology in the coming 15 years, eliminating 80 million positions.

Contrary to the doomsayers, Atkinson said tech disruption has abruptly slowed, asserting that it is dismantling fewer jobs today than in any decade since World War II. People see Uber disrupting the taxi market, robots assembling cars and artificial intelligence reviewing legal documents, and they assume no occupation is safe, Atkinson said. But when you look, you find we are actually in a period of relative tranquility.

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Automation actually improves the economy, tech insider says - New York Post

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Goodbye, Card Sound Road toll booths. Automation is on the way – Miami Herald

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Miami Herald
Goodbye, Card Sound Road toll booths. Automation is on the way
Miami Herald
A $2 million project to convert the Card Sound Road toll booths in North Key Largo into an automated system could break ground Aug. 1. The Monroe County Commission last week approved a $1.79 million construction contract, along with an $263,700 ...

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Goodbye, Card Sound Road toll booths. Automation is on the way - Miami Herald

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