Monthly Archives: January 2021

Scientists Are Hoping to Turn Mars Green – ComicBook.com

Posted: January 19, 2021 at 8:58 am

Scientists are hoping to turn Mars green one day according to a new study in Icarus. The journal details Basically NASA is helping scientists learn how they might be able to start up food production or more on the red planet. In-Situ Resource Utilization, basically replacing objects commonly found on Earth, for use in both establishing a community there or farming for people back on our planet. But, tossing a bunch of Miracle-Gro in a space shuttle isnt very practical. Researchers are trying to estimate how hard it would be to have the soil on our neighboring planet grow organic life. Its a herculean task that would dramatically alter Mars if it proved successful. But, for the moment, actually terraforming the planet is the stuff of science fiction. But, one day, it could really be possible if multiple societies put their minds to the task. Regolith, Mars soil, contains elements like calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium. But, the rocks on the surface are so oxidized, along with concerns about the atmospheric conditions that there is a long way to go. For now, keep your eyes to the sky.

Soil on Mars is known to contain the majority of planet essential nutrients, but many questions of both the benefits (e.g. bioavailability of present nutrients) and limitations (e.g. extent of toxins) of Martian soil as a plant growth medium remain unanswered, researchers said in the Icarus article.

Andrew Palmer, an ocean engineering and marine sciences associate professor told Florida Tech News, These findings underscore that ISRU food solutions are likely at a lower technological readiness level than previously thought. Our strategy was, rather than saying this simulant grows plants so that means we can grow plants everywhere on Mars, we need to say that Mars is a diverse planet,

Simulating the mineral makeup or salt content of these Martian mixtures can tell us a lot about the potential fertility of the soil. Things like nutrients, salinity, pH are part of what make a soil fertile and understanding where Mars soils are at in that spectrum is key to knowing if they are viable and if not, are there feasible solutions that can be used to make them viable, Laura Fackrell, UGA geology doctoral candidate told The Next Web.

Do you think we will see Mars growing food within our lifetimes? Or is that just a little bit too far-fetched? Let us know down in the comments!

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Scientists Are Hoping to Turn Mars Green - ComicBook.com

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The Evolution of All-American Terrorism – Reveal

Posted: at 8:58 am

Reveal transcripts are produced by a third-party transcription service and may contain errors. Please be aware that the official record for Reveal's radio stories is the audio.

Al Letson: Hey, hey, hey. It's Al, and I have some exciting news. Okay, so in July, we brought you American Rehab. That was our eight-episode series that uncovered tens of thousands of people desperately in need of help for their addictions, but instead of getting treatment, they were sent to work without pay, sometimes at big corporations. The New Yorker called it riveting, urgent, and mind-bending. Now we're making it available for your binging pleasure. You can find it by subscribing to Reveal Presents: American Rehab wherever you get your podcasts. Again, that's Reveal Presents: American Rehab. All right, get to binging.

Speaker 2: Why did an American family leave behind a comfortable life in Indiana and wind up at the heart of the ISIS caliphate in war-torn Syria? Join the worldwide search to unravel this family's complicated journey and explore what happens as they return to the U.S. Listen to I'm Not a Monster, a new podcast from Frontline, BBC Panorama, and BBC Sounds. Search for the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Al Letson: From the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, this is Reveal. I'm Al Letson. The morning of January 6, before the storming of the halls of Congress, reporter David Neiwert tweeted a prediction, "Today is likely to be a historically violent day in the nation's capital."

David Neiwert: Yeah. No, that wound up being an understatement, didn't it?

Al Letson: David wasn't surprised that pro-Trump extremists did what they did. In fact, he linked to a video from the night before shot on the streets of D.C. in which a middle-aged white man in a Trump hat tells a young white nationalist livestreamer-

Speaker 4: In fact, tomorrow, I don't even like to say because I'll be arrested-

Speaker 5: Well, let's not say it.

Speaker 4: I'll say it.

Speaker 5: All right.

Speaker 4: We need to go into the Capitol.

Speaker 5: Let's go!

David Neiwert: It certainly wasn't a surprise for any of the people who've been reporting on and researching the radical right here in the United States in the past year, because they've been pretty upfront about it. They were saying they were going to do this.

Al Letson: David has been following the radical right for decades. A few years back, he and the nonprofit newsroom Type Investigations teamed up with Reveal to start tracking what looked to him like an uptick in far right terrorism. We put together a database of every single domestic terror event starting in 2008.

Al Letson: In 2017, that data showed that right-wing extremists had become the biggest threat, while law enforcement under President Obama was focused on those acting in the name of Islam. Last summer, we ran the numbers for terrorism under President Trump, and we found that far right terror had grown and become more lethal, responsible for almost the same number of deaths during Trump's first three years as during all eight years under Obama. The men, it's almost always men, who are responsible for many of those deaths were driven by the same ideology.

David Neiwert: There's a very specific stripe of white nationalism that we're seeing run through, especially, these more recent mass killings.

Al Letson: Today, we're bringing back a show we first aired last June. We're going to connect the dots to show how extremist ideas and extremist violence spread online, and we'll ask why law enforcement is still struggling to catch up. Reveal reporters Stan Alcorn and Priska Neely dug into this for months. Priska starts us off with the story of a man who witnessed the deadliest domestic terror attack of 2019.

Priska Neely: Guillermo Glenn is well-known in El Paso's Mexican-American community. He's 79 now, and he's been a community organizer and labor rights activist for most of his life.

Guillermo Glenn: We conducted a lot of protests. We blocked a bridge. We went to jail.

Priska Neely: On August 3, 2019, he was just going about his weekend routine.

Guillermo Glenn: It was a Saturday morning around 10:00. I had gone to Walmart to buy some pet food. I was way in the back, and I heard this great big noise.

Priska Neely: A warning, Guillermo is going to share graphic details about what happened that day.

Guillermo Glenn: A large number of families, women and men were running towards me from the front of the building, and then I noticed at least one of the women was dripping blood. I said, "Well, there's something really wrong." I ran into the woman who was... Both her legs had received some type, either shrapnel or bullet wounds, and she was bleeding. So I stopped there to help her, and I grabbed a first-aid kit and tried to at least tend to her wounds in her legs. One of the firemen or paramedic came and told, "You have to get her out. We're getting everybody out of the store." So we put her in one of those grocery baskets.

Priska Neely: When he wheeled the woman to the front, he saw what had happened.

Guillermo Glenn: Right at the front door, there was a lot of blood. I knew then that there'd been a shooter. It was a very traumatic scene. I saw the body of a man with half his head shot off. There was a lady laying on the pavement across from where we're loading the people. I didn't know exactly who he'd taken out. I didn't have that information that he was actually shooting Mexicans.

Priska Neely: The suspected gunman, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, drove roughly 10 hours from outside Dallas to the El Paso Walmart right near the Mexican border. Police say he opened fire, 23 people were killed and many were wounded, and then he drove off.

Speaker 8: Minutes later, Patrick Crusius stopped his car at an intersection near the Walmart. He came out with his hands raised in the air and stated out loud to the Texas Rangers, "I'm the shooter."

Priska Neely: He's facing 90 federal charges, including 45 hate crimes.

Priska Neely: After Guillermo witnessed what happened that day, he got in his car and went to the restaurant where his friends always gather on Saturdays.

Guillermo Glenn: Several of my friends came up and hugged me and said, "Oh, you're okay. We're so glad. We've been looking for you. We thought you might be there." Then they showed me the manifesto.

Priska Neely: The manifesto. Minutes before the attack, the shooter had posted a document filled with anti-immigrant rhetoric to the online message board 8chan. Some of Guillermo's friends showed him a copy.

Guillermo Glenn: I sat down. I had some food, had some of my regular Saturday menudo. Then I finally realized what had happened, right after I read the manifesto.

Priska Neely: The Crusius manifesto reads kind of like a corporate website. It has an About Me section and parts where he outlines his warped vision for America. He matter-of-factly explains how his attack will preserve a world where white people have the political and economic power. He says peaceful means will no longer achieve his goal.

Priska Neely: Reporter David Neiwert says this alleged shooter is the quintessential Trump-era terrorist, a man largely radicalized online, entrenched in white nationalist ideology, and fueled by the belief that white men like himself are being replaced by Latino immigrants. Crusius wrote that the media would blame President Trump for inspiring him, but he claimed that his ideas predated the Trump campaign. Here's David.

David Neiwert: Patrick Crusius, especially, was so filled with loathing for Latino people that he didn't see them as human.

Priska Neely: When David reads the manifesto, he can immediately see the fingerprints of other white nationalists.

David Neiwert: Here's how Crusius opens his manifesto. "In general, I support the Christchurch shooter and his manifesto. This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas. They are the instigators, not me. I am simply defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an invasion."

Priska Neely: That opening line is a direct signal back to a previous act of terrorism, the shooter who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, just months before. David says this is part of a trend. One terrorist inspires another, and the cycle continues. Guillermo says he didn't understand all of the references at first, but it was clear to him that the manifesto had ties to a larger movement.

Guillermo Glenn: I think he was trying to show that somebody had to take action, and that really angered me at that point. Why would somebody come and shoot innocent people like that?

Priska Neely: David say Crusius started doing online research because of the anger he felt over how the country was changing demographically.

David Neiwert: But in the process of doing this research, he came across multiple white genocide theories, including The Great Replacement.

Priska Neely: The Great Replacement, or replacement theory, unites many acts of hate that we see across the country, around the world.

David Neiwert: That's this idea that comes out of white nationalism that white Europeans face a global genocide at the hands of brown people and that they're being slowly rubbed out of existence.

Priska Neely: Only a few terrorists in recent years have referenced replacement theory by name, but it's widely popular among right-wing extremists. It's linked to ideas that are many decades old, but one attack in Europe showed how those ideas can be weaponized.

David Neiwert: Anders Breivik's terrorism attack in Oslo and Utya Island, Norway, in 2011.

Priska Neely: Breivik killed 77 people in a bombing and mass shooting. Before the attack, he sent out a 1,500-page manifesto about how he planned to lead white supremacists on a crusade against the "Islamification of Europe." Around the same time, a French writer named Renaud Camus refined and popularized the ideology in a book. The title translates to The Great Replacement.

David Neiwert: The Great Replacement essentially is this idea that brown people, particularly refugees and immigrants from Arab countries in Europe, are being deliberately brought into the country in order to replace white people as the chief demographic.

Priska Neely: The conspiracy theory claims all this is orchestrated by a cabal of nefarious globalists. That's code for Jews.

Speaker 9: You will not replace us!

Speaker 10: You will not replace us! You will not replace us! You will not replace us!

Priska Neely: In August 2017, white supremacists in the U.S. took up this concept as a rallying cry at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Speaker 10: Jews will not replace us! Jews will not replace us!

Priska Neely: The next day, a neo-Nazi drove his car into a crowd and killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer. This incident had an immediate impact on the public perception of terrorism, making it clear that white nationalists violence is a serious threat.

Speaker 11: Today, the nightmare has hit home here in the city of Pittsburgh.

Priska Neely: At a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, Robert Bowers is accused of killing 11 people.

David Neiwert: He went to a Jewish synagogue because he was angry about the Latin American caravans. The caravans had been in all the news in the weeks prior to that synagogue attack. He blamed Jews and went to a Jewish synagogue to take revenge for Latino immigration.

Priska Neely: These are the ideologies that are zigzagging across the globe. In March 2019, the gunman who livestreamed his mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Facebook also wrote a manifesto. The title, The Great Replacement. The New Zealand manifesto inspired the El Paso shooter to target the people he felt were replacing him. Recent manifestos and books put a new spin on violent, hateful acts, but David traces these sentiments back much further.

David Neiwert: What's remarkable in a lot of ways when I read these manifestos is so many of them are expressing ideas that I read in the 1920s coming from eugenicists. Look, I would even take it back to the 1890s, when we first started seeing the wave of lynchings in the South as a form of social control. This was very clearly a form of terrorism.

Priska Neely: After the El Paso shooting, activist Guillermo Glenn says white supremacist ideology was barely part of the conversation. There were brief efforts to unite the community against hate, a few events held under the banner El Paso Strong.

Guillermo Glenn: The politicians, the businessmen, the mayor, everybody was pushing this idea that we had to survive, but they weren't really talking about who caused it or why.

Priska Neely: Before we talked for this story, Guillermo says he didn't identify as part of this larger group of survivors that includes Jewish and Muslim communities.

Guillermo Glenn: You say, well, it's the Jewish people that they attacked, it's the Muslim people that they attacked, and here on the border it's the Mexican and Central Americans. But nobody talks about, what does the Great Replacement mean? Nobody put all these incidences together and say, "Hey, this is something that we should be aware of nationally."

Priska Neely: And he says that's part of the failure, part of the reason these attacks keep happening.

Al Letson: That story from Reveal's Priska Neely.

Al Letson: As we've been saying, these extremist groups are using online communities to spread their messages and find new recruits. When we come back, we'll hear how it works.

Josh Bates: It's a conditioning process, it's a grooming process, and I let myself fall into that.

Al Letson: The evolution of the white supremacist internet, next on Reveal.

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Al Letson: If you like what we do and you want to help, well, it's pretty simple. Just write us a review on Apple Podcasts. It's easy and only takes a few seconds. Just open the Apple Podcasts app on your phone, search for Reveal, then scroll down to where you see Write a Review. There, tell them how much you love the host. Your review makes it easier for listeners to find us, and well, it really does make a difference. And if you do it, you will get a personal thank you from me right now. Thank, not him, no, you. Yes, you. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. All right.

Al Letson: From the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, this is Reveal. I'm Al Letson. We're continuing with our show we first broadcast last summer about domestic terrorism during the Trump administration.

Al Letson: The FBI and academic researchers say there's no such thing as a terrorist profile. You can't tell who's going to become a terrorist with a personality test or a demographic checklist. But the young white men who attacked the synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway and the Walmart in El Paso, they had a lot in common. Not only were they motivated by the same conspiracy theory about white people being replaced, they developed those ideas in some of the same spaces online. Two of them even posted their manifestos to the same website, 8chan.

Al Letson: Now, you can't blame today's white supremacist terrorism on the internet, but you also can't understand it without talking about the way the white supremacist movement uses the internet and how it's changed over the last decade. Reveal's Stan Alcorn is going to tell that story through the eyes of a man who lived it. Here's Stan.

Stan Alcorn: Josh Bates's decade as a white supremacist started in his mid-20s, with a YouTube video about the presidential candidate he says he supported at the time, Barack Obama.

Josh Bates: I was scrolling through the comments section, "He's a Muslim," "He wasn't born here," things of that nature, and somebody said, "You guys sound like those Stormfront (beep)." I was like, "What in the world is Stormfront?"

Stan Alcorn: Stormfront is a message board that a former KKK leader set up in the '90s. Josh says he went there at first because he was curious, then to argue. But then the middle-aged message-board neo-Nazis started winning him over.

Stan Alcorn: How could they be convincing in these arguments? Can you help me understand that?

Josh Bates: Well, I wish I could answer that question, because I still ask myself that a lot. How could I end up falling for something like that? But I guess it's probably similar to how we look at people who fall into cults. It's a conditioning process, it's a grooming process, and I let myself fall into that.

Stan Alcorn: The experts I talked to say that first step is more about the person than what they're stepping into. Josh had just left the Marines, where he used to have a team and a mission. Now all he had was a computer.

Shannon Martine...: It's pretty concurrent with a whole lot of people, where they felt really deeply disempowered in their lives.

Stan Alcorn: Shannon Martinez is a former white supremacist who's helped people, including Josh, leave the movement.

Shannon Martine...: When you encounter information that's presented that this is the real truth, the true truth people don't want you to have because, if you did, it would be too empowering for you and too disempowering for them, that's an incredibly powerful, toxic drug.

Stan Alcorn: That drug, widely available on the internet, is, at its heart, a conspiracy theory. It says your problems aren't your fault; it's immigrants, Black people, Jews.

Josh Bates: They talk about, oh, Hollywood and the media and all these Jews that are in these positions of power. When you google that kind of stuff and you see it and you consume it, eventually after a few months you kind of get desensitized to it. Everybody's agreeing with everyone for the most part. You get along. There's that online community. Stormfront was my first one.

Stan Alcorn: He didn't know their names, but they were his team now. He'd spend the next 10 years as what he calls a keyboard warrior for the white supremacist movement. He'd be there for every step in its evolution, from joining the KKK and the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement to more diffuse groups and websites that called themselves alt-right and identitarian.

Stan Alcorn: Some of these groups would go to some lengths to appear respectable and say, "We're not racists. We're not Nazis. We're not the KKK." Then some of those groups were Nazis; they were the KKK. You were in all of them. Does that tell you that the differences between these groups are more about the image and the tactics than the core ideas or who they attract?

Josh Bates: Absolutely. We've been using the terms white nationalism 1.0 and white nationalism 2.0 for a few years now. 1.0 is your early groups, Ku Klux Klan. They're very explicit, National Socialist Movement, walking around with swastikas on their uniforms and their flags. Your 2.0 guys, they're your Identity Evropas, where they're dressing in khakis and collared shirts and dock shoes, and they've got these nice cropped haircuts. They call that good optics. But anybody who was in the early 1.0 movements like myself, I could see right through it. They just put lipstick on a pig. That's all they did.

Stan Alcorn: But people who followed the white supremacist movement for decades, like Type Investigations reporter David Neiwert, they say that this alt-right makeover of the old racist right, it was transformative.

David Neiwert: That radical right was very backward-looking, very stiff and formal. They didn't have any... Humor was not part of their repertoire. In fact, their primary recruitment demographic really was men between the ages of 40 and 60. With the advent of the alt-right, what we saw was this very tech-savvy, very agile movement that, instead of running away from the culturally savvy aspects of the internet, rather embraced them wholly.

Stan Alcorn: Instead of writing racist newsletters that people had to sign up for, they were making memes and jokes in places like Reddit and 4chan. These forums that celebrated being politically incorrect, they were the perfect place for those ideas to take root, hybridize with other fringe ideas, and grow into something that could be shared on more mainstream platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

David Neiwert: It was very brilliant because it meant that suddenly their recruitment demographic was much larger and had a lot more political activist energy. They were younger people.

Stan Alcorn: Josh Bates says that energy got a huge boost in 2016 with the rise of a new presidential candidate.

Donald Trump: They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. Some, I assume, are good people.

Josh Bates: Because Trump was spouting off a lot of the same talking points as general white nationalists, he breathed new life into that movement. The thought leaders of the movement just took full advantage, thinking that they could take it even further, and they did.

Stan Alcorn: They started to take their ideas into the real world.

Megan Squire: They were being emboldened by Trump and really acting out.

Stan Alcorn: After Trump's election in 2017, computer scientist Megan Squire set up software to track extremists on Facebook. She'd started out studying the misogynist Gamergate movement, but that had led her to all of these different anti-Muslim and neo-Confederate and white supremacist groups.

Megan Squire: At the time, Facebook was a central player, if not the central player, and it was the place where these guys all wanted to be. I was looking for ideological crossover, group membership crossover, just trying to, I guess, map the ecosystem of hate on Facebook.

Stan Alcorn: She watched this ecosystem plan what one neo-Nazi website would call the Summer of Hate, anti-Muslim marches, misogynist Proud Boy rallies, and what was shaping up to be this real-world meetup of all these different mostly online hate groups, the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. This is where she came across Josh Bates.

Megan Squire: There was a person who was talking about they didn't have enough money to go to Charlottesville, and someone else suggested, "Hey, we have this crowdfunding site. Why don't you set up a fundraiser?"

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The Evolution of All-American Terrorism - Reveal

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The challenge of integrating automation on ships – Ship Technology

Posted: at 8:57 am

Automation has been gaining traction among shipowners as an enabler of greater efficiency and cost savings. However, the president of Hglund Marine Solutions Brge Nogva believes that the industry is still a long way from exploiting its great potential.

A Norwegian provider of advanced marine technology (specifically, integrated automation and energy solutions), Hglund has long been an advocate of automation in shipping in Europe and beyond.

The company recently launched a partnership with DNV GLs independent data platform provider Veracity to help shipowners accelerate their digital initiatives. As Nogva explains below, these alliances are becoming an increasingly important part of the sectors transition to automation, but this could be delayed by a lack of uniform standards and regulation.

Hglund Marine Solutions president Brge Nogva.

Maritime stakeholders have been preparing to adopt automation for some time, yet according to Nogva, their approach has so far been too slow and ineffective.

At the core of the issue is a string of inefficiencies that are affecting providers like Hglund, as well as shipowners, charterers and cargo owners. We provide quite traditional automation systems for traditional ships, he says. This is for us, in many ways, a dilemma, as we want to present better automation solutions, but the requests we get for our systems from the market arent really asking for much more than what has been done for years.

Finding projects where we can actually apply our automation technology is hard.

The slow shift towards digitalisation adds to several other issues, such as a decrease in the number of ships being built every year and different demands for automation from shipyards. The standard projects that come from shipyards in China and elsewhere tend to follow a very traditional specification that hardly says anything about automation, he explains.

On the other hand, there are more specialised projects in Europe where the requirement is to have a higher level of integration and a ship-to-shore solution, so that you can actually have data from the ship available from one shore-based office.

Inevitably, Covid-19 has helped decrease the number of similar projects taking place in Europe and bolstered a decline in ship orders that had already been hitting the market for the past five years.

GlobalData's TMT Themes 2021 Report tells you everything you need to know about disruptive tech themes and which companies are best placed to help you digitally transform your business.

Finding projects where we can actually apply our automation technology is hard, he continues. At the same time, there are cheaper alternatives that comply just with the exact specification of the shipyard youre sending out so we cant compete.

Centralised data servers collect information from the different vessel systems and communicate them to the shore-based owner. Credit: Hglund Marine Solutions.

Beyond their geographical variations, shipyard specifications are also posing technical challenges for system providers like Hglund. Whats frustrating is that we work a lot with shipowners and operators and tell them how they should write the specifications to bring about the kind of insight into the ships that they would like to add, but they dont get because of the low level of automation, says Nogva.

So, they will have to make a much better effort at developing the shipbuilding specification so that it actually describes in detail that there must be an onboard data server.

Owners now want to collect all this data and get access to it.

Having a centralised data server on a ship is an essential step, as this collects information from the different vessel systems and communicates them to the shore-based owner. However, because there are several systems on board and all of them speak different data languages and have different interfaces there needs to be an automated server that would work as, in Nogvas words, the nervous system of the ship.

He claims that retrofitting vessels with a data server is becoming an increasingly costly and tough operation. Owners now want to collect all this data and get access to it and those who will be able to fix it will be automation, engineers, and companies like us, who can do this because we are experts in dealing with interfaces so we can talk all these different languages, which is essential for actually making it happen, he adds.

Hglunds recent partner DNV GL is making significant steps forward in this context. They have now made new classification rules for shipowners who want to bring their ships to a more advanced level when it comes to not just automation but digital platforms, he comments, mentioning the companys cloud service Veracity and how it helps keep data stored in one place.

From this, if you manage to sort out all this data in a clever way, you can then create new services that shipowners will have the benefit of in the future, Nogva claims.

As markets start picking up after a disastrous 2020, a lot more will be expected in terms of compliance from shipyards.

There are many requirements that ship owners today have to comply with and these will develop further because of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union making new rules, so owners will have to continue installing new systems or modify the ones they have on board, says Nogva.

It will be interesting to see if the owners are bringing new items into the ships specifications.

Once more ships are ordered, it will be interesting to see if the owners are bringing new items into the ships specifications. We are quite used to things going very slowly, though considering everything that is happening now, the specifications in the future should soon require a completely new level of automation system.

This transition will have to be facilitated and supported by regulators like the IMO and the EU. I am quite confident that if it is left to the shipowners and operators, they will not make many changes to this because they have to fight in a very hard market, says the Hglund president.

If were going to have a quick change, the requirements must come from the IMO and the EU who have to put legislation in place for us to comply.

The coronavirus pandemic has had devastating impacts on the global maritime industry, but one silver lining is that it may speed up the shift towards digitalisation.

The pandemic has shown the importance of making the most out of todays digital possibilities.

Hglunds expertise in providing remote access and modifications to ships has proved fundamental over the past year. This has shown several owners and shipyards of the possibility of reducing their costs, comments Nogva. The pandemic has surely shown the importance of making the most out of todays digital possibilities and owners are interested in this.

Shipowners might well be eager now, but over the next few years, they will need more than mere interest to embrace automation. Charterers, cargo owners and the supply chain that serves the shipping sector will play a critical role, imposing their standards and demands to those they collaborate with.

[In the future] a stricter attitude from the cargo owners, charterers and authorities such as the IMO and EU will have to continue and rules will need to be more stringent, clearer and obliging to put systems in place that can actually monitor progress, he concludes. For now, this continues to go painfully slow in the maritime business when they actually need to shift from one technology to the other, and they need a proper push.

Marine Brakes, Clutches, Stopping, Turning, and Locking Systems

28 Aug 2020

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The challenge of integrating automation on ships - Ship Technology

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Outlook on the European Irrigation Automation Market to 2026 – Industry Analysis and Forecast – GlobeNewswire

Posted: at 8:57 am

Dublin, Jan. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Europe Irrigation Automation Market By Application, By Irrigation Type, By Type, By Component, By Country, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020 - 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Europe Irrigation Automation Market is expected to witness market growth of 21.8% CAGR during the forecast period (2020-2026).

From the past few years, it is observed that there has been a shift in the irrigation process from manual to automatic systems. Feedback based approaches united with automated systems have allowed more efficient and effective handling of resources compared to the traditional irrigation systems. Automatic irrigation involves the incorporation of hardware components, like controllers, sensors, sprinklers, valves, and other components, in order to build an automated system for both agricultural and non-agricultural applications. These automatic systems facilitate the user to adjust the irrigation process depending on the real-time data, volume, time, and computer-based systems that help to control the watering. Furthermore, irrigation automation systems are frequently used in a massive irrigated area, which is further divided into small segments that are termed as irrigation blocks. These segments are then watered in sequence in order to match the discharge that is available from the water source.

The market is likely to show an incremental rise in demand owing to an increase in water scarcity conditions and a changing trend concerning the mechanization of agricultural processes in the world. Growing water crisis along with random and unpredictable rainfall patterns is markedly hindering the use of traditional agrarian irrigation techniques, therefore it is accelerating the demand for the use of more advanced irrigation techniques that were adopted for cultivation globally. Irrigation automation systems require no or minimum manual intervention in addition to surveillance. Similarly, these automation systems also minimize the wastage of water, labor costs, and constant monitoring.

Based on Application, the market is segmented into Agricultural and Non-Agricultural. Agricultural Segment is further classified across Open Fields and Greenhouses & Others. Based on Irrigation Type, the market is segmented into Drip Irrigation, Sprinkler Irrigation and Surface Irrigation & Others. Based on Type, the market is segmented into Time-based, Volume-based, Realtime-based and Others. Based on Component, the market is segmented into Controllers, Sensors, Valves, Sprinklers and Others. Based on countries, the market is segmented into Germany, UK, France, Russia, Spain, Italy, and Rest of Europe.

The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include The Toro Company, Valmont Industries, Inc., Lindsay Corporation, Orbia Advance Corporation (Netafilm Ltd.), Hunter Industries, Inc., Rain Bird Corporation, Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, Rubicon Water, Galcon Ltd. and Telsco Industries, Inc. (Weathermatic).

Scope of the Study

Market Segmentation:

By Application

By Irrigation Type

By Type

By Component

By Country

Unique Offerings from the Publisher

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology1.1 Market Definition1.2 Objectives1.3 Market Scope1.4 Segmentation1.4.1 Europe Irrigation Automation Market, by Application1.4.2 Europe Irrigation Automation Market, by Irrigation Type1.4.3 Europe Irrigation Automation Market, by Type1.4.4 Europe Irrigation Automation Market, by Component1.4.5 Europe Irrigation Automation Market, by Country1.5 Methodology for the research

Chapter 2. Market Overview2.1 Introduction2.1.1 Overview2.1.2 Executive Summary2.1.3 Market Composition and Scenario2.2 Key Factors Impacting the Market2.2.1 Market Drivers2.2.2 Market Restraints

Chapter 3. Competition Analysis - Global3.1 Cardinal Matrix3.2 Recent Industry Wide Strategic Developments3.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements3.2.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions3.2.3 Mergers & Acquisitions3.3 Top Winning Strategies3.3.1 Key Leading Strategies: Percentage Distribution (2016-2020)3.3.2 Key Strategic Move: (Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements : 2019, Jan - 2020, Oct) Leading Players

Chapter 4. Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Application4.1 Europe Irrigation Automation Agricultural Market by Country4.2 Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Agricultural Type4.2.1 Europe Open Fields Irrigation Automation Market by Country4.2.2 Europe Greenhouses & Others Irrigation Automation Market by Country4.3 Europe Irrigation Automation Non-Agricultural Market by Country

Chapter 5. Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Irrigation Type5.1 Europe Irrigation Automation Drip Irrigation Market by Country5.2 Europe Irrigation Automation Sprinkler Irrigation Market by Country5.3 Europe Irrigation Automation Surface Irrigation & Others Market by Country

Chapter 6. Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Type6.1 Europe Time-based Irrigation Automation Market by Country6.2 Europe Volume-based Irrigation Automation Market by Country6.3 Europe Realtime-based Irrigation Automation Market by Country6.4 Europe Other Type Irrigation Automation Market by Country

Chapter 7. Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Component7.1 Europe Controllers Irrigation Automation Market by Country7.2 Europe Sensors Irrigation Automation Market by Country7.3 Europe Valves Irrigation Automation Market by Country7.4 Europe Sprinklers Irrigation Automation Market by Country7.5 Europe Others Irrigation Automation Market by Country

Chapter 8. Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Country8.1 Germany Irrigation Automation Market8.1.1 Germany Irrigation Automation Market by Application8.1.1.1 Germany Irrigation Automation Market by Agricultural Type8.1.2 Germany Irrigation Automation Market by Irrigation Type8.1.3 Germany Irrigation Automation Market by Type8.1.4 Germany Irrigation Automation Market by Component8.2 UK Irrigation Automation Market8.2.1 UK Irrigation Automation Market by Application8.2.1.1 UK Irrigation Automation Market by Agricultural Type8.2.2 UK Irrigation Automation Market by Irrigation Type8.2.3 UK Irrigation Automation Market by Type8.2.4 UK Irrigation Automation Market by Component8.3 France Irrigation Automation Market8.3.1 France Irrigation Automation Market by Application8.3.1.1 France Irrigation Automation Market by Agricultural Type8.3.2 France Irrigation Automation Market by Irrigation Type8.3.3 France Irrigation Automation Market by Type8.3.4 France Irrigation Automation Market by Component8.4 Russia Irrigation Automation Market8.4.1 Russia Irrigation Automation Market by Application8.4.1.1 Russia Irrigation Automation Market by Agricultural Type8.4.2 Russia Irrigation Automation Market by Irrigation Type8.4.3 Russia Irrigation Automation Market by Type8.4.4 Russia Irrigation Automation Market by Component8.5 Spain Irrigation Automation Market8.5.1 Spain Irrigation Automation Market by Application8.5.1.1 Spain Irrigation Automation Market by Agricultural Type8.5.2 Spain Irrigation Automation Market by Irrigation Type8.5.3 Spain Irrigation Automation Market by Type8.5.4 Spain Irrigation Automation Market by Component8.6 Italy Irrigation Automation Market8.6.1 Italy Irrigation Automation Market by Application8.6.1.1 Italy Irrigation Automation Market by Agricultural Type8.6.2 Italy Irrigation Automation Market by Irrigation Type8.6.3 Italy Irrigation Automation Market by Type8.6.4 Italy Irrigation Automation Market by Component8.7 Rest of Europe Irrigation Automation Market8.7.1 Rest of Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Application8.7.1.1 Rest of Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Agricultural Type8.7.2 Rest of Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Irrigation Type8.7.3 Rest of Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Type8.7.4 Rest of Europe Irrigation Automation Market by Component

Chapter 9. Company Profiles9.1 The Toro Company9.1.1 Company Overview9.1.2 Financial Analysis9.1.3 Regional & Segmental Analysis9.1.4 Research & Development Expenses9.1.5 Recent strategies and developments:9.1.5.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:9.1.5.2 Acquisition, Mergers, and Investments:9.2 Valmont Industries, Inc.9.2.1 Company Overview9.2.2 Financial Analysis9.2.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis9.2.4 Research & Development Expenses9.2.1 Recent strategies and developments:9.2.1.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:9.2.1.2 Acquisition, Mergers, and Investments:9.3 Lindsay Corporation9.3.1 Company Overview9.3.2 Financial Analysis9.3.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis9.3.4 Research & Development Expense9.3.5 Recent strategies and developments:9.3.5.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:9.3.5.2 Acquisition, Mergers, and Investments:9.3.5.3 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:9.4 Orbia Advance Corporation (Netafilm Ltd.)9.4.1 Company Overview9.4.2 Financial Analysis9.4.3 Segmental and Regional Analysis9.4.4 Research & Development Expense9.4.5 Recent strategies and developments:9.4.5.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:9.4.5.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions:9.5 Hunter Industries, Inc.9.5.1 Company Overview9.5.2 Recent strategies and developments:9.5.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:9.6 Rain Bird Corporation9.6.1 Company Overview9.6.2 Recent strategies and developments:9.6.2.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:9.7 Jain Irrigation Systems Limited9.7.1 Company Overview9.7.2 Recent strategies and developments:9.7.2.1 Product Launches and Product Expansions:9.7.2.2 Acquisition, Mergers, and Investments:9.8 Rubicon Water9.8.1 Company Overview9.8.2 Recent strategies and developments:9.8.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:9.9 Galcon Ltd.9.9.1 Company Overview9.10. Telsco Industries, Inc. (Weathermatic)9.10.1 Company Overview9.10.2 Recent strategies and developments:9.10.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements:

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Alpha Mu hosts 42nd annual candlelight vigil for Martin Luther King Jr. – Daily Northwestern

Posted: at 8:57 am

Maia Pandey/The Daily Northwestern

Rabbi Jessica Lott closed the Monday afternoon event with a benediction, while Alpha Mu members held candles in front of their screens.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Northwesterns Alpha Mu Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity held its 42nd annual candlelight vigil in honor of the civil rights leader, who was a member of the fraternity at Boston University.

The hour-long vigil was a part of MLK Dream Week, a University-organized series of virtual events in celebration of Dr. Kings legacy. The Northwestern Community Ensemble opened Mondays event with a performance of Lift Every Voice and Sing, followed by a performance from spoken word poet Timothy Mays and a prayer led by Chaplain Tahera Ahmad, NUs director of interfaith engagement.

Even in secular institutions we cannot dismiss that Dr. King was a man of deeply rooted spirituality, Ahmad said. For a man who was incarcerated 29 times, you better believe that he was deeply connected to the divine.

Godson Osele, Alpha Mu chapter vice president, said mass incarceration and its disproportionate effect on the Black community was on the organizers minds when planning this years event. As a historically Black organization and a chapter of the oldest Black fraternity in the nation, Alpha Mus programming was influenced by NU Community Not Cops protests, the McCormick senior said.

Osele said they chose author and actor Hill Harper, an advocate against mass incarceration, as Mondays keynote speaker in hopes of furthering the abolitionist conversation on campus and building on abolitionist activist Mariame Kambas MLK Dream Week address last week.

(We wanted) to add to that dissenting voice in the community to let people know that its no longer time for just talking about it, Osele said. Weve seen the numbers, we can give you all these speakers that are going to let you know this is an issue, and basically enoughs enough for just talking about it.

Harper, who is also an Alpha Pi Alpha member, has won seven awards from the NAACP for his work. His most recent book, Letters to an Incarcerated Brother: Encouragement, Hope, and Healing for Inmates and Their Loved Ones speaks to the crisis of mass incarceration.

The United States contains about 5 percent of the worlds population, yet holds over 20 percent of the worlds prisoners, the majority of whom are people of color, Harper said in his address.

One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King is, We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, Harper said. There are multiple systemically racist and systemically unjust instruments that try to block you through your journeylets think about how important it is for each and every one of you to claim your purpose.

Alpha Mu also announced the four grant winners of its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Vigil Award, before Rabbi Jessica Lott closed the event with a benediction, while Alpha Mu members held candles in front of their screens.

Email: [emailprotected]Twitter: @maiapandeyRelated Stories: Activist Mariame Kaba talks abolition and mutual aid, condemns campus police in Dream Week keynote Alpha Mu hosts annual Martin Luther King Jr. candlelight vigil

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Saru Jayaraman: Tipping Is A Legacy Of Slavery That Needs To Be Abolished – HuffPost

Posted: at 8:57 am

Saru Jayaraman used to believe that leaving a generous tip on a restaurant check meant providing a reward for good service. Now, the activist, co-founder and director of One Fair Wage and director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley, knows that restaurant workers depend on tipping for their wages.

In this Voices in Food story, Jayaraman talks about her commitment to eliminating the tipped minimum wage of $2.13 per hour and ensuring that all restaurant workers receive the federal minimum wage plus tips for their work.

On the road to activism for restaurant workers

My first job out of law school was working with immigrant workers on Long Island, New York. I worked with different immigrant workers in lots of different jobs restaurants, nail salons, day laborers but after Sept. 11 happened, I got a phone call from the union that represented the restaurant workers who worked at Windows on the World, the restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center, asking if I would start a relief center in the aftermath of the tragedy. We started Restaurant Opportunities Center, or ROC. We were flooded by cries for help from restaurant workers first all over the city and then all over the country, and what started as a relief center grew into a national organization.

The idea that this whole industry gets away with saying, 'Customers should pay our workers wages for us,' is an anathema and in direct contradiction to what we as a nation decided 150 years ago with the abolition of slavery, when we decided as a nation that employers should be paying for the value of labor.

At ROC, it became very clear through lots of research and organizing work that workers top concerns were their wages. Most tipped workers in America continued to look at the subminimum wage as negligible. They rely almost entirely on tips as their sole source of income. We ended up focusing all of our efforts on One Fair Wage at ROC in 2013 and finally spun One Fair Wage into a broader effort to end all subminimum wages in the United States.

On how we ended up with a two-tiered wage system

Around 1850, there was a massive strike of waiters who were mostly men, and restaurants replaced them with women. It happened around the time of emancipation, so the feminization of this industry was combined with the entrance of Black people into the labor market and that combination resulted in a mutation of tipping from being an extra or bonus to becoming the wage itself. In 1938, as part of the New Deal, workers got the right to the minimum wage for the first time except for three groups of workers: farm workers, domestic workers and tipped restaurant workers, who were told they get a zero wage as long as tips bring it to the full minimum wage.

On the problem with a tipped minimum wage

The idea that this whole industry gets away with saying, Customers should pay our workers wages for us, is an anathema and in direct contradiction to what we as a nation decided 150 years ago with the abolition of slavery, when we decided as a nation that employers should be paying for the value of labor.

When you have a dynamic in which a woman is completely dependent on tips to feed her kids, managers are able to tell women, 'Im telling you to encourage your objectification so that you can earn more money in tips.'

Today, 70% of these workers are women and they are disproportionately women of color who are not earning enough money in tips to survive. They use food stamps at double the rate of the rest of the U.S workforce, and they have the highest rates of sexual harassment of any industry because they have to put up with all this inappropriate customer behavior to earn enough tips to feed their families. So its a crisis, but theres no reason it cant be changed.

On the connection between tipping and sexual harassment

The wage is so low that it goes entirely to taxes, leaving [workers] to live completely off their tips and completely dependent on putting up with whatever the customer does and says because the customer pays their bills, not their employer.

In research, we saw managers telling women to dress sexier, show more cleavage, wear tighter clothing in order to make more money. When you have a dynamic in which a woman is completely dependent on tips to feed her kids, managers are able to tell women, Im telling you to encourage your objectification so that you can earn more money in tips, and frankly, it benefits the employer because that means more sales. But its all dependent on a woman allowing herself to be objectified, allowing herself to be harassed.

On the impact One Fair Wage would have on the economy

Seven states Alaska, California, Nevada, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon and Washington all changed their laws to One Fair Wage 30-plus years ago. California changed its law 50 years ago, so we have decades of data showing how effective and successful it is to pay a full minimum wage.

All seven states have booming restaurant industries. The industries are growing faster, sales revenue is higher, job growth is greater and tipping is higher. You just have to look at Californias booming restaurant industry to know that its absurd to think that this kills the restaurant industry. On the contrary, the data is showing the opposite.

On how COVID-19 has exacerbated the issue

Tips are way down and its all become so much clearer during the pandemic, because any customer that comes in the door, they have more power over the workers. Workers are more dependent on any customer because there are fewer customers, and so that power dynamic gets exacerbated. In a report we just published, female restaurant workers reported that male customers are saying, Take off your mask so we can see how cute you are and decide how much to tip you. It obliterates the idea that tipping ever correlated with the quality of the service.

The restaurant industry is the canary in the coal mine for all sectors where workers earn a subminimum wage. Its both a canary in the coal mine in a negative sense having a subminimum wage is a boondoggle that a lot of other industries like the gig sector are increasingly trying to emulate but it can also be a canary in the coal mine for building back better post-pandemic and really rethinking everything about how we work in America.

On the best ways to support restaurant workers right now

The answer is not to stop tipping the workers desperately need those tips. The answer is to demand that these restaurants pay a full minimum wage. Consumers can call on governors and state legislators to change the laws in their states and encourage their favorite restaurant owners to change their practices.

Hundreds of independent restaurants have changed their practices during the pandemic to go to a full minimum wage, and we as consumers should encourage that. We have a website, highroadrestaurants.org, that lists which restaurants are already doing the right thing, and consumers have a lot of power to encourage their favorite restaurants to move to a full minimum wage.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

New Software Brings Automation to Additive Manufacturing – DesignNews

Posted: at 8:57 am

Automation is used in traditional manufacturing for efficiency and speed. Researchers want to bring that same advantage to additive manufacturing (AM), which involves 3D-printing machinery and processes.

Innovations in 3D printing hardware such as five-axis machines have moved beyond the reach of the software that operates the equipment. To help solve this problem, researcher Xinyi Xiao helped to develop an automated process-planning software to save money, time, and design resources.

Related: New Process Allows 4D-Printed Objects to Resume Original Shape

A researcher from Penn State University developed an automated process-planning software to help save money, time, and design resources when creating parts with five-axis additive manufacturing machines.

Five-axis AM is a young area, and the software isnt there yet, said Xinyi Xiao, an assistant professor of mechanical and manufacturing engineering at Miami University in Ohio. She recently received her doctorate at Penn State University where she worked under the supervision of Sanjay Joshi, professor of industrial engineering.

Related: New Material Could Transform How Electronics Are Built

Five-axis machines are designed to move linearly along an x, y, and z plane and rotate between these planes to change the objects orientation. The machines are an innovation beyond traditional three-axis 3D-printing machines, which lack rotation capabilities and require support structures.

While these new machines are potentially more efficient and can yield cost savings, there is a drawback to their reaching their full potential, Xiao said. They currently lack the same design planning and automation that three-axis machines have. Xiao tackled this problem as part of her doctoral program at Penn State.

At Penn State, Xiao developed a methodology to automatically map designs from CAD computer-aided design software to AM to help cut unnecessary steps. You save money by taking less time to make the part and by also using less materialfrom three-axis support structures, said Xiao.

Joshi noted that Xiao invented is software that uses an algorithm that can automate the decision process for manufacturing designs with the goal of push-button additive manufacturing. The idea of the software is to make five-axis AM fully automated without the need for manual work or re-designs of a product, said Joshi.

Xiao compared the way the software works to putting Lego building blocks together. The algorithm automatically determines both the sections and orientations of a part. The software designates when each section will be printed, as well as the orientation in the printing sequence.

Each section of the part can be printed without support structures and are made in order, giving the machine the ability to rotate throughout its axes to reorient the part and continue printing.

The algorithm can create automation and efficiency by helping to inform a designers plan before the part is printed. This allows the user to make corrections or alter the design to avoid waste and save on costs. It also can determine the feasibility of printing a part using support-free manufacturing. With an algorithm, you dont really need expertise from the user because its in the software, said Joshi. Automation can help with trying out a bunch of different scenarios very quickly before you create anything on the machine.

Researchers published a paper on their work in the Journal of Additive Manufacturing.

Xiao plans to continue her work to expand the scope of the software. She would like to see it automate AM is aerospace and automotive where she believes efficiencies are needed. Large metal components, using traditional additive manufacturing, can takes days and waste lots of materials by using support structures, Xiao said. Additive manufacturing is very powerful, and it can make a lot of things due to its flexibility.

Elizabeth Montalbano is a freelance writer who has written about technology and culture for more than 20 years. She has lived and worked as a professional journalist in Phoenix, San Francisco, and New York City. In her free time, she enjoys surfing, traveling, music, yoga, and cooking. She currently resides in a village on the southwest coast of Portugal.

New Software Brings Automation to Additive Manufacturing - DesignNews

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Following a year filled with racial tension, 2021 could be time for criminal justice reform in Indiana – Washington Times Herald

Posted: at 8:57 am

INDIANAPOLISRep. Carolyn Jackson spent 30 years as a probation officer at the Cook County Adult Probation Department.

Now her experience informs her legislation. In House Bill 1128, Jackson, D-Hammond, calls for mental health checks for police officers. She was emotional as she said a friend was shot on duty.

They came back to work after a couple of days and, and everybody seemed to think that he was OK, but as it turned out, he was not OK, Jackson said. And, you know, things just kind of spiraled out of control.

The bill requires the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board, which oversees the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, to establish a psychological fitness test, which officers would be given following potentially traumatic events.

A lot of times, they dont want to come out and say, You know what, Im really hurting, or, This is really bothering me, and sometimes you dont know, Jackson said. And theyre suffering. And not only are they suffering, but those individuals around them are suffering as well because they dont know how to deal with it.

This is just one of many bills being introduced this session involving policing in Indiana. Other members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus are introducing legislation along with Republican lawmakers and former police officers.

In a separate bill, Jackson, who serves as the chaplain of the Black Legislative Caucus, hopes to establish a database of police misconduct. It would give police departments background information on officers in order to prevent departments from unknowingly hiring officers with a history of malpractice, Jackson said. She said officers often resign upon committing a fireable offense, and without shared information between departments, the officer can be easily hired to a new agency.

What if there is no way for another law enforcement department to know that these different things have transpired, that you have this long record of doing things? Jackson said. Then they think you are the greatest person to hire because you have experience, you have training, and you have a lot of quantifications behind you.

Jackson said that when an individuals history of misconduct is revealed, supervisors say they had no knowledge of the offenses because the officer was at a different department. This database would not only protect citizens, Jackson said, but protect police departments from hiring incapable officers.

Rep. John Bartlett, D-Indianapolis, also a member of the Black Legislative Caucus, authored another bill requiring Indiana State Police oversight in cases of excessive use of force.

So if a local policeman shoots someone, he doesnt go before his buddies and they say, No, it was justifiable, Bartlett said. I want the state standard to be set, and I dont care if you live in a small town or a big city, in a rural community, urban community. Everyone goes before the same commission, and everyone has to abide by the same rules.

Bartlett denounced the idea of defunding the police, an approach that has gained support in some cities in the wake of the George Floyd killing in 2020.

I tell the folks in my district, thats not what you want to do. Defunding the police, thats not an answer, he said. We need to do some fine-tuning with the police.

Bartlett said more energy needs to be focused on decreasing the number of homicides in Marion County.

We need to take a long hard look at ourselves, and its that time, Bartlett said. We ended up with 255 murders in Marion County. And we marched in protest because the police kill one person. One person is wrong, and Im not downplaying that.

The person Bartlett referred to is 21-year-old Dreasjon Reed, who was shot in May 2020 after being pursued by police for reckless driving. The incident was partially caught on Facebook Live. IMPD found a weapon at the scene and believe it belonged to Reed. Bartlett publicly denounced Reeds murder.

Its now time that we begin to look at not only the police but look at ourselves as well, he said.

Bartlett said he is hosting town halls to find the solution to this problem. At 72 years old, he said things have changed since his youth, and he wants to sit down and take notes from citizens on how crime can be decreased in Indianapolis.

Some advocates dont believe reform is enough

Jessica Louise, a community organizer for Indy Ten BLM, said the group pushed for mental health checks for officers before transitioning their goal from reform to defunding as a means to abolish the police. She said this would consist of pulling money from police department funding and using it for community projects and services with the goal of eventually disbanding police departments.

I think the legislation is just one piece of the puzzle, Louise said. Legislation can offer itself more to reform that abolition, and were students and studiers of abolition.

Working off the idea that people commit crime because their basic needs havent been met, Louise said working to address these needs would decrease criminal activity in the city.

Our hope is to reallocate any funding that comes into community initiatives that serve peoples basic needs, and as that happens, study and watch the level of activity and police response, and then utilize that to push forward with abolition, Louise said.

The national Black Lives Matter website does not discuss abolition, but does prioritize defunding police.

Initially, her organization sought reform.

Seven years ago, under former Indiana Metropolitan Police Department Chief Rick Hite and former Indianapolis Mayor Gregory Ballard, Louise said the group called for cultural competency and implicit bias training along with mental health checks for officers.

We attempted to be consistent with those suggestions, she said. We took them to two organizations as well as the chief of police and the mayor at the time, and those arent things that they found to be of benefit or that they wanted to devote their energy to.

A recent example cited by Louise was the police killing of 19-year-old McHale Rose in Indianapolis in May 2020. IMPD Chief Randal Taylor ordered the four IMPD officers involved returned to duty after being placed on administrative leave for three months.

Chief Taylor had an opportunity to navigate that process with more grace than he has, and he chose not to, Louise said.

A separate bill that would require de-escalation training, make chokeholds illegal in most instances and have mandatory record-sharing between departments passed unanimously in a House committee Tuesday.

The bill was authored by Rep. Greg Steuerwald, R-Avon, and co-authored by three other legislators, including Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis, chair of the Black Legislative Caucus. In testimony before the committee, the lawmakers said they aim to use reform measures to build trust between police officers and their communities.

However, Louise said its too late for police departments to gain trust.

Weve had to shift our energy from reform again to defunding and abolition, she said. Unfortunately, that trust is gone, and every opportunity that theyve had to rebuild that trust and every opportunity theyve had to build transparency and accountability, theyve shied away from.

Jackson said that a lot of the legislation introduced for police reform isnt new, but a summer of protests and discussions with their constituents highlighted that it is overdue.

Republican lawmakers are seeing state oversight of IMPD

With Indianapolis hitting a high in homicides with 245 killings in 2020, former police officer Sen. Jack Sandlin, R-Indianapolis, introduced legislation to create an advisory board over the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, is a former member of the Indianapolis City-County Council and is also an author of the bill. The bill has 10 Republican co-authors.

Sandlin, a former councilman, said the bill came about because he saw no action plan from IMPD or the City-County Council.

Something bold needs to happen to address the crime and violence and the response to the police morale, Sandlin said.

The five-person board would consist of Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and four members appointed by Gov. Eric Holcomb. The board would appoint a police chief, serve as the merit board, and create and execute rules for the department.

Bartlett called this idea crazy.

If youve got a flat tire, you dont get rid of the car. You change the tire, he said. Instead, he said the Indianapolis City-County Council should continue to oversee the department.

In a press release, Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, a member of the Black Legislative Caucus, said this was an attack by Republicans in an attempt to gain control of the local government in Indianapolis and encouraged the Indiana General Assembly to instead focus on passing criminal justice reform bills.

Sandlin said he didnt want to create government oversight of IMPD, but he has been getting calls from people in the community, businesses and law enforcement officers telling him something needs to be done.

I spent a career in policing. I think I grasp the concepts and whats going on, and I hate it that were here, Sandlin said. But, you know, theres really nothing going on to address the issues.

Sandlin said the appointment of the police chief by the board, rather than by the mayor of Indianapolis, would remove political aspects of the job. Under the current state and city leadership, members appointed by Holcomb, who is a Republican, would be serving on the board with Hogsett, who is a Democrat.

There are some agencies in the U.S. where they appoint a police chief for a determined period of time and then that chief can be removed only for cause, which eliminates some of the political nuances that go on in policing, he said.

Louise said its troubling that the Republican Party, which typically advocates for smaller government, is advocating for extending state government to a city police department.

It kind of seems ironic that, now that we have two civilian majority boards, that now theyre wanting to step in and take that power from, you know, civilians and community members, and give it to the state, she said.

Sandlin said the board would still allow the current Citizens Police Complaint Board to operate and that members of the board would be primarily selected out of the City-County Council.

If you have a board thats working toward the professional operation of the Metropolitan Police Department and makeup such that it represents the community, Sandlin said, I think you have the opportunity for better communication and less nuts-and-bolts political influence.

Sandlin emphasized he hopes this change will increase communication between law enforcement and the Indianapolis community.

We used to have great communication between law enforcement and in the community, and its just almost nonexistent at this point, Sandlin said.

Sandlin repeatedly acknowledged that the bill is not necessarily in its final form and modifications may come. If signed into law, the changes would begin in 2023.

Taylor Wooten is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

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Following a year filled with racial tension, 2021 could be time for criminal justice reform in Indiana - Washington Times Herald

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IT Process Automation Tool Market: Industry Trends and Developments 20202027 – KSU | The Sentinel Newspaper

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Research N Reports has recently published a new research that provides detailed insights on the working dynamics of the IT Process Automation Tool Market. The research report offers in-depth information about the key market segments, vendor landscape, geographical outlook, and the factors driving and inhibiting growth.

This report is presented in a clear and concise way to help you better understand market structure and dynamics. Recent trends and developments in the IT Process Automation Tool Market have been analyzed. Opportunities leading to market growth have been analyzed and stated. The report focuses on the global market and provides answers to the most important questions that stakeholders are facing today in the world. Information on the size of the market raises the issue of expanding competitiveness and hindering market-leading sectors and market growth.

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This report studies the IT Process Automation Tool market size by players, regions, product types and end industries, history data 2014-2018 and forecast data 2020 to 2027; this report also studies the Global market competition landscape, market drivers and trends, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porters Five Forces Analysis.

The main goal for the dissemination of this information is to give a descriptive analysis of how the trends could potentially affect the upcoming future of IT Process Automation Tool market during the forecast period. This markets competitive manufactures and the upcoming manufactures are studied with their detailed research. Revenue, production, price, market share of these players is mentioned with precise information.

In 2020, the Global IT Process Automation Tool market size was xx million US$ and it is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of xx% between 2020 and 2027.

Major key players are covered in this report:Optessa, Microsoft, Micro Focus, SMA Technologies, Resolve Systems, Vmware, AutomationEdge, Broadcom, ServiceNow, BMC

Regional Outlook:North AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle East & AfricaLatin America

This report provides comprehensive analysis of:Key market segments and sub-segmentsEvolving market trends and dynamicsChanging supply and demand scenariosQuantifying market opportunities through market sizing and market forecastingTracking current trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive insights

Opportunity mapping in terms of technological breakthroughs

Analysis tools such as SWOT analysis and Porters five force model have been inculcated in order to present a perfect in-depth knowledge about IT Process Automation Tool market. Ample graphs, tables, charts are added to help have an accurate understanding of this market. The IT Process Automation Tool market is also been analyzed in terms of value chain analysis and regulatory analysis.

The report is presented in a clear and concise manner so that readers can understand the market structure and dynamics effectively. Recent trends and developments in the Global IT Process Automation Tool market have been analyzed. Opportunities leading to the growth of the market have been analyzed and stated. The report focuses on the Global IT Process Automation Tool market, and answers some of the most critical questions stakeholders are currently facing across the globe. Information about the size of the market (by the end of the forecast year), companies that are most likely to scale up their competitive abilities, leading segments, and challenges impeding the growth of the market are given.

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The information for each competitor includes:

IT Process Automation Tool Market report has used top-down and bottom-up approach to make a complete report on IT Process Automation Tool Market. Further, it has used reliable data from trusted sources to evaluate and validate the size of the entire market along with its sub-markets. Various qualitative as well as quantitative research has been conducted to analyze IT Process Automation Tool Market thoroughly. Key players involved in the manufacturing of IT Process Automation Tool Market are identified through secondary survey and on that basis, maximum shareholding companies are identified and profiled in the IT Process Automation Tool Market report.

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Key questions answered in this research study

Table of Contents

1 Study Coverage

2 Executive Summary

3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers

4 Breakdown Data by Type

4.1 Global IT Process Automation Tool Market Sales by Type

4.2 Global IT Process Automation Tool MarketRevenue by Type

4.3 IT Process Automation Tool MarketPrice by Type

5 Breakdown Data by Application

5.1 Overview

5.2 Global IT Process Automation Tool MarketBreakdown Data by Application

6 North America

7 Europe

8 Asia Pacific

9 Central & South America

10 Middle East and Africa

11 Company Profiles

12 Future Forecast

13 Market Opportunities, Challenges, Risks and Influences Factors Analysis

14 Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis

15 Research Findings and Conclusion

16 Appendix

Click Here For More Information: https://www.researchnreports.com/technology-and-media/Global-IT-Process-Automation-Tool-Market-Research-Report-2020-to-2027-831561

About Us:

Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.

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IT Process Automation Tool Market: Industry Trends and Developments 20202027 - KSU | The Sentinel Newspaper

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Dr. Kings message is more important today than ever | Column – Tampa Bay Times

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The legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. carries special meaning today as our nation wrestles with the unthinkable acts carried about by a violent, conspiratorial mob opposed to foundational elements of our democracy. Dr. King understood that, in spite of the challenges America faces, the most patriotic thing we can do is one day rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.

Dr. King recognized that Americas founding principles are so profound that, if you look at every great cause in our history abolition, womens suffrage, the Civil Rights movement he led, and beyond you see that each great stride toward justice came from an appeal to those ideals.

Governance in this country must be aimed at realizing these principles. As legislators, we are tasked with carrying forward Dr. Kings work and doing just that securing justice, bringing about the common good and, in particular, preserving the essential dignity of the human soul. That dignity rests on three elements: access to a loving family and rich community; a nourishing faith that keeps us connected with God; and economic opportunity to provide for ourselves and others through safe, decent work.

At this moment, those ideals may seem quaint and even naive, but we cannot allow the most insidious actors white supremacists, armed militia groups, and dangerous, conspiracy-driven groups like QAnon to determine Americas future. Instead, that task falls to those of us who share Dr. Kings vision and pursuit of what he called the Beloved Community.

The success of our shared future depends, in large part, on American children growing up in stable, two-parent households, with flourishing neighborhoods waiting for them just outside their doorstep. This must not be limited by race or zip code.

Human dignity is also predicated on our freedom to practice our faiths as dictated by our conscience. As a Baptist minister, Dr. King understood the greater Christian context in which his work took place, which, when properly acted out, eagerly seeks to overturn injustice. All men and women are equal as children of God born with rights endowed to them by their creator, not their politicians and America as a nation must reflect that.

And to do so, we must also recognize the importance of maintaining our connection with the almighty and our freedom of religion for Americans of all spiritual backgrounds. Runaway secularism leaves us adrift, deprived of guiding values and vital notions of forgiveness or mercy in our disputes. The gnashing of our culture wars grows all the more frenzied, our political fights uglier. To invoke Dr. King, (t)he old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding. ... It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible.

And, in particular, policymakers must recognize that human dignity today is contingent on opportunity, especially when it comes to work. As Dr. King repeatedly noted, all forms of labor have dignity. That dignity cannot be reserved for those on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley. Fair wages, strong benefits, and general stability must be available to sanitation workers and metalworkers, teachers and cashiers alike.

For far too long, too many in our government ignored that fundamental truth. Recognizing this mistake, we should strive to preserve and extend that dignity to those who have suffered from reduced economic opportunity through short-term decision-making. As political and corporate elites chose to hollow out and offshore Americas industrial base to China, millions of Americans were left stripped of their vocation and ability to provide as a result.

That process of deindustrialization has affected Americans all across the country. But as factories shut down in places like Chicago, Baltimore and Detroit, neighborhoods of color were among the hardest hit hard right as they were beginning to feel the economic gains of the Civil Rights era. Realizing Dr. Kings vision of the Beloved Community will require recognizing the challenges facing Americas families, places of worship, and workers today and committing to substantive action to fix them.

Ultimately, we must remember that America is not a government, or a president, or a Congress. America is something much larger something much more tangible and intimate. It is your family, your congregation, and your community. And this is what Dr. King understood so well: that our pursuit of a more perfect Union requires unity and recognizing the inherent dignity in all Americans in that endeavor.

Marco Rubio, a Republican, is the senior U.S. senator from Florida.

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Dr. Kings message is more important today than ever | Column - Tampa Bay Times

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Following a year filled with racial tension, 2021 could be time for criminal justice reform in Indiana – Washington Times Herald

IT Process Automation Tool Market: Industry Trends and Developments 20202027 – KSU | The Sentinel Newspaper

Dr. Kings message is more important today than ever | Column – Tampa Bay Times

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