Category Archives: Post Human

SCOTTSBORO U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt on Monday took her campaign to rural Jackson County where she outlined her key priorities in addressing national security issues.

In her return to the states Mountain Lakes region, Britt spoke to a number of issues facing the country which she has made an integral part of her candidacy. Among these were cancel culture, education, election integrity, broadband expansion, agriculture, economic growth and others.

In matters of importance relating to national security, Britt honed in on the threat posed to the United States by way of illegal immigration and the communist regime of China.

The first-time candidate outlined statistics regarding the growing number of border encounters the nation was experiencing under the Biden administration. Britt then advocated for the return to Trump-era border security policies to curb the rising tide of illegal aliens overwhelming border enforcement personnel.

[W]e must seal and secure our border we have to, declared Britt. We have to put back Remain in Mexico and public charge. Folks, and its not just about national security, which I hope you know is of paramount importance, because they are catching about 41 criminals 3,677 pounds of drugs [per day]. It is also about ending the humanitarian crisis that is happening there every single day.

She added, As they traffic more men, women and children they found just under 15,000 children unaccompanied at the border last month Folks, we have to seal and secure our border. China is sending enough fentanyl to Mexico thats coming across our border that they said could kill every single American four times over. So no matter which way you look at it, we gotta build the wall, build it tall, and secure the border.

Britt went on to sound the alarm over the intensified aggression China had displayed against the United States, saying the communist nation was undermining us at every single turn.

From the origins of the virus, to stealing our intellectual property, to undermining the American worker We saw it first hand with regards to the intellectual property. So they steal about $600 billion of intellectual property a year, which is about two and a half times our annual GDP here in the state of Alabama, she advised.

Britt touched on Chinas recent launch of a hypersonic nuclear-capable rocket in low-space orbit which circled the globe until nearly reaching its intended target.

And the sad thing is, we dont even know about all of it. When we saw that hypersonic weapon that they tested, it came 12 miles from hitting its target. The worst thing about that was that was our technology that we didnt know they have. We have to have leaders that will hold them accountable, realize theyre ten steps ahead, not only catch up but leave them in the dust, she proclaimed.

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL

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Katie Britt talks China, illegal immigration in Scottsboro campaign stop - 'We have to have leaders that will hold them accountable' - Yellowhammer...

Children's book Save Us tells the story of a sea turtle trapped in plastic who needs help from humans to be set free

A North Yorkshire author's inspiring the next generation to become more environmentally friendly through her new book.

Save Us is a tale about a seal, whale and sea turtle that addresses the problem of plastic causing problems in our oceans, but things take a turn when the turtle becomes trapped in plastic who needs help from humans to be set free.

It's hoped the book will help young people to understand what can happen if plastics aren't recycled properly and the damage it can cause to the planet.

Author Christina Gabbitas, said:

"Sienna Seal and Wahilda Whale rescue Thierry Sea Turtle out of a plastic bag that's floating in the ocean but they realise that his feet are also bound in plastic and they can't set him free so they need human intervention. So it's educating the children that the oceans need our help, they need human intervention to stop this crisis.

"I thought if we can educate children from a young age to look after our planet and environment then we've got a better fighting chance. The children are always really engaged with it and really switched on to what is happening in their world.

"It's just getting that message across, because you can never underestimate the power of storytelling. It's evident they really care about the environment and in some cases more than the adult generation.

"Whilst Thierry is rescued out of this dreadful plastic, I make it clear that it isn't always like that. So the story has a happy ending but there are messages in there that we need to do all we can to help."

Christina goes into schools across the county educating children through her books and gets them to create a wrap poem as a way to make sure they understand the subject matter.

The inspiration for writing this story came from when Christina watched BBC Blue Planet 2 with David Attenborough and she was shocked at how dangerous it had become.

It's predicted plastic pollution is set to treble in a decade unless action is taken to deal with the problem.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.

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North Yorkshire author educating children about the impact plastic is having on the planet - Free Radio

Published: November 7, 2021 3:56 pm ET

Up-and-coming horseman Dakota Jackson made a bold, three-wide move down the backside with his own Rockaholic to win the $4,500 Maine Amateur Driving Club (MADC) race on Saturday (Nov. 6) at Cumberland.

Tipping to the outside past the three-eighths marker, Jackson was dead last going to the half and pushed three-deep through that good Southern Maine air to look the leaders in the eye around the final turn. As the pacers turned for home, Jackson urged the 11-year-old son of Rocknroll Hanover to the front and emerged victorious with a length and a quarter advantage in 1:59.2.

Rockaholic is owned, trained and driven by Dakota Jackson, giving the 23-year-old reinsman his fourth career driving victory, and his first at Cumberland.

Eager to continue at the First Tracks facility, Jackson stated, I claimed [Rockaholic] during Windsor Fair week and plan on having a horse to drive in the amateur races every week.

Colorful Speech (post seven, Zach Vickerson) also rallied from behind to finish second. Three-year-old colt A Sweet Bidda Luck (post two, Scott McKenzie) set the tempo and hung on for third.

Rockaholic (post four) paid $12.80 to win, and coupled with Colorful Speech, the exacta paid $104.40.

In the second MADC split, group B, series heavyweight Benson Merrill steered Zampara to a perfect wire-to-wire score from post four, picking up his seventh victory of the season. The seven-year-old son of American Ideal was the wagering favourite and let no horse pass him, winning by a neck in 1:58.2 for owners Mo Coo Inc and Jonathan Klee Racing.

Dancin Hill (Alex Richardson) finished second and Baywood Shadow (Derek Howes) was third.

Also trained by Merrill, Zampara paid $2.60 to win.

As always, the Maine Amateur Driving Club is proudly sponsored by the good folks at Blue Seal Feeds of the Windham and North Yarmouth locations. Swag bucket trophies of stable supplies were presented by Aimee Nichols, the amiable territory manager for Blue Seal and Kent Feeds.

In the feature trot of the day, a $5,500 conditioned event, favourite Bend In The River (post five) did not disappoint his backers as driver Nick Graffam sat a perfect two-hole trip and shook loose at the head of the stretch to draw off and win by five lengths in 1:57.3.

Owned and trained by Stanley Whittemore, the eight-year-old son of Southfork picked up his seventh win of the season and first victory since a two-race win streak at the Fryeburg Fair.

High-stepping Bruizn (post six, Andy Harrington) finished second and local favourite Cherry Crown Jewel (post one, Matt Athearn) was third.

Bend In The River paid $3.20 to win the 27th race of his career.

For the on-track fans, the Trackside Pub hosted a special benefit for Futures for Standardbreds. Round Up donations and raffles took place during the races, with t-shirt giveaways tossed by winning drivers throughout the card. Founded in 2014, Futures For Standardbreds is a Southern Maine-based nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization that has helped retrain and rehome dozens of Standardbreds when their racing careers are over. This event was held in collaboration with Blue Seal Feeds and First Tracks Cumberland, both of which help support Standardbred aftercare programs.

Racing continues at First Tracks Cumberland for its Winter Festival extended pari-mutuel meeting featuring back-to-back cards on Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov. 9 and 10) and continues weekly through December 31, 2021.

(With files from First Tracks Cumberland)

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Jackson, Merrill Score Maine Amateur Wins - Standardbred Canada

Full disclaimer, I havent been all that into TWS. I mean, I know that this is the way of the industry today but the anti-establishment in me has always been reluctant to hop onto the wireless audio train. Maybe I have been in denial or I am an aging dinosaur but I have always sworn by wired earphones.

But when my trusty, beloved Pace Mzooka earphones met their untimely death courtesy of a door handle, it was time to hop onto the hype train and go for true wireless earbuds. A quick consult with my colleagues revealed that everyone had their own preference but the Anker Soundcore Life P2 Review were my go-to.

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As fate would have it, Oraimo announced their Freepods 3 just a couple of weeks ago and I thought, Oraimo is one of my favorite Africa-focused brands and I have heard good things about the previous Freepods 2 Pro so, why not get the Freepods 3? Well, today I just took procession of my Freepods 3, and heres my experience. Spoiler; these things are the real deal!

The unboxing experience is pretty unique and clearly, Oraimo put a lot of thought into this. For just a pair of TWS, the box is a little bulky but opening it reveals why this is so. You might actually want to keep this box.

In the box, you get the following:

The pairing process is pretty seamless. Just open the case and once you see the LED on the earbuds, open your phone and go to the Bluetooth settings. Locate the Oraimo Freepods 3 and tap to pair.

The Freepods 3 do support AAC codecs. AAC is one of the most popular codec after MP3 and employs a complex lossy compression method and is the most common audio format on the internet. More on that in our explainer for Bluetooth codecs.

To say that I was blown away by the audio out of these little guys is an understatement. I loved my wired earphones and they had some serious punch in the sound. But no earphones I have owned come close to the kind of sound from the Freepods 3.

The bass is punchy but isnt overbearing. Oftentimes, I have had to install an EQ app to tweak the music from my phone just how Id like it but with these Freepods, I dont really need to. The sound is balanced out of the box with the highs and mids coming through clearly in almost all volume levels except when youre like, maxing it out.

Oraimo makes some bold claims over the battery life on these bad boys. In my week or so of usage, I wasnt able to kill them in one sitting which involves several hours of music streaming while connected to the PC.

Oraimo quotes 8 hours per charge for the Freepods and an additional 28 hours from the charging case and I am inclined to believe that. Besides, 8 hours of charge is more than enough for even the longest Zoom meetings.

Basically, there is no reason to worry about the battery life on these buds.

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The FreePods 3 come with touch-sensitive areas on both earbuds. Tapping on these allows you to perform various functions as follows.

I am still trying to figure out the touchpoints of these Freepods, maybe because I am new to these touch controls, or maybe they arent as sensitive as they probably should be but I am still having some trouble about a week in.

Perhaps one of the most hyped aspects of this product is the Environmental Noise cancellation Technology. This is supposed to isolate your voice from a noisy place and have users on the other end of meetings and calls hear you more clearly.

In my testing, these buds offered decent voice isolation but nothing too dramatic. I didnt get to use the previous generation but I suppose these should be better than the previous gen due to this feature.

One thing is for sure though, these are no match for any Noise canceling earbuds in the market today.

One nifty feature that I love about these buds is the replaceable ear tips. The packaging also offers you two extra pairs of these silicon tips, presumably for users who need a different fit but if were being honest, many will just use these as replacements for when they lose the default ones.

So, awareness mode is the mode when you use the Freepods 3 without the tips. This allows ambient sound to get through to your ears hence awareness mode. Bass mode is when you have the silicon tips attached. These should provide a seal and result in deeper bassBass mode!

I legit struggle to find bad things to report about these Freepods 3, mostly coz my expectations have been exceeded, especially for the price. But these arent perfect.

The Freepods 3 have a default tune that is a little heavy on the bass. This is fine for most casual users but might not be ideal for audiophiles. And unfortunately, theres no way of changing this. Itd be nice to have a companion app, but for the price, this is nitpicking.

The Freepods 3 have been available in the market for about a month now and you can find them in your nearest accessory store. You can also get them from Oraimos official online store.

The Freepods 3 should run you a cool KES 3,300 ($30) but could go as high as KES 4,000 owing to the current demand and ongoing shortage of supply.

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Oraimo Freepods 3 Review: These are the ones to get - Dignited

Combination of Signaturit, Ivnosys and Universign aims to create a leading European provider of digital signature, digital transaction management and trust services

PSG, a leading growth equity firm focused on partnering with middle-market software and technology-enabled service companies, today announced that it has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Universign, a leading provider of SaaS-based electronic signature solutions. Universign will join Signaturit and Ivnosys to offer one of the widest catalogues of digital transaction management and trust services in Europe.

Headquartered in France, Universign was founded in 2001 and has evolved into a leading e-signature, e-seal and timestamping software solutions provider, serving more than 9,000 clients. Universign has built longstanding relationships with large corporates and expanded towards the SMB segment. As one of the sectors pioneers and a qualified trust service provider under the eIDAS regulation, Universign provides high levels of compliance and security coupled with modern and scalable technology through dashboard and API-led products. The Universign operations will continue to be led by Founder and CEO Julien Stern, who will join the senior management team and remain Head of France, becoming a shareholder of the combined group.

Julien Stern, Founder and CEO of Universign, said: In our view, weve built our business on two key principles: simplicity and compliance. This investment is a testament to our vision, our team and our commitment to providing clients with a solution they can trust. We look forward to working with our new colleagues at Signaturit and Ivnosys, as we believe our combined product suite and expanded European footprint will allow us to accelerate our growth and better serve our clients throughout the region.

Sergio Ruiz and Jaime Castello, co-CEOs of Signaturit and Ivnosys, said: Were thrilled to welcome Universign to the Signaturit and Ivnosys group and believe we can create with them a digital signature leader in Europe. Julien and his talented team have built a leading software solution that shares our aim to deliver the safest and most secure solutions in the industry. Together, we aim not only to scale our full platform, but to continue to innovate and expand our breadth of products.

As part of this combination, the company has appointed Bertrand Sciard as the new Chairman of the Board.

Bertrand Sciard, new Chairman of the Board of the combined group, said: I feel privileged to take on this role at such an exciting time for the company. The last 18 months have demonstrated an accelerated need for fully compliant, digital solutions in accordance with the European eIDAS regulation. We believe the addition of the Universign platform to Signaturit and Ivnosys will enable us to continue providing the same digitisation solutions to existing customers, and build on that to expand the product suite and quality of services to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. I look forward to supporting the combined group as it continues to build onto its current offering.

The acquisition follows the recent combination of PSG-backed Signaturit and Ivnosys in April 2021. The combined platform aims to provide a complete suite of trust services and digital transaction management software to corporates, small-medium enterprises and individuals in Europe. Through fit-for-purpose solutions, dashboard-led products and API-led deployments, the combined business today serves roughly 236,000 clients across the region.

About PSGPSG is a growth equity firm that partners with middle-market software and technology-enabled services companies to help them navigate transformational growth, capitalize on strategic opportunities and build strong teams. Having backed more than 80 companies and facilitated over 325 add-on acquisitions, PSG brings extensive investment experience, deep expertise in software and technology and a firm commitment to collaborating with management teams. Founded in 2014, PSG operates out of offices in Boston, Kansas City and London. To learn more about PSG, visit http://www.psgequity.com.

About UniversignUniversign is an eIDAS Qualified Trust Service Provider that offers a SaaS platform for electronic signature, seal and timestamp services. It aims to ensure electronic transactions are legally recognised and comply with European regulations. Founded in 2001, Universign serves over 9,000 clients across various sectors including Insurance, Banking, Industry and Energy, Services as well as the Public sector. Each year, over 24 million signatures are processed on the Universign platform.

For more information on Universign, please visit http://www.universign.com/en/

About SignaturitSignaturit is a Qualified Trust Service Provider that offers innovative cloud-based solutions in the field of Electronic Signatures (eSignatures), Certified Registered Delivery (eDelivery), and Electronic Identification (eID) to digitise transactions between companies and individuals, securely and with legal compliance. Founded in 2013, the company serves over 5,000 customers in more than 40 countries and has completed over 38 million signatures on its platform. Signaturits Trust Services seeks to optimise the signature process by enabling customers to reduce paper consumption, improve their billing and hiring processes and provide their teams with a tool that helps them to streamline their administrative tasks related to document signing. For more information on Signaturit, please visit http://www.signaturit.com/en

About IvnosysIvnosys, founded in 2013 in Valencia, develops customizable solutions and services that enable the digitalization of processes in corporates, SMEs, and individuals. Ivnosys product suite includes a market-leading platform for the centralized management of digital identities (certificates), electronic signatures, and notifications. Serving approx. 225,000 clients, Ivnosys provides its solutions both on-cloud and on-premise, seeking to provide strong legal guarantees as a Qualified Trusted Service Provider. Please visit http://www.ivnosys.com for more information.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211107005128/en/

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PSG-Backed Signaturit and Ivnosys Join Forces with Universign - Marketscreener.com

Increasing awareness about health benefits of nutritional supplements is driving growth of the global nutritional supplement market. Nutritional supplements are used in order to treat nutritional deficiency in the human body. Nutritional supplements consist of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other necessary ingredients. Health benefits associated with consumption of nutritional supplements are reduction in signs of aging and improved cardiovascular health, among others.

The global dietary supplements market size was valued at USD 140.3 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6%

The research report studies the Nutritional supplements Market using different methodologies and analyzers to provide accurate and in-depth information about the market. For a clearer understanding, it is divided into several parts to cover different aspects of the market. Each place is then elaborated to help the reader comprehend the growth potential of each region and its contribution to the global market. The data analysts have used primary and secondary methodologies to consolidate the information in the report.. They have also used the same data to generate the current business scenario.

Top Key Players inNutritional supplements market:Abbott Laboratories, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), American Health, Inc., Amway Corporation, Arkopharma Laboratoires Pharmaceutiques, Ayanda, DuPont, DSM, the Natures Bounty Co., Herbalife International of America, Inc, Stepan Company, Pfizer Inc., Nestle S.A., Natures Sunshine, and GlaxoSmithKline.

Regional Analysis:

The market research report on the global Nutritional supplements market offers complete analysis across various regions around the globe. The report contains detailed country-level analysis, market revenue, market value and forecast analysis for the following countries and regions: Geographically, the comprehensive analysis of ingestion, revenue and Market share and growth speed, historical and forecast (2021-2027) of these regions are covered:

Influence of theNutritional supplements Market report:

Key questions answered in this report

Contact Us:

Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email:sales@coherentmarketinsights.com

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Nutritional supplements market Is Expected To Reach USD 140.3 billion in 2025 | Abbott Laboratories, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), American Health,...

Vitamin D is among the top three most common deficiencies in the US. So, that explains why a 2020 ConsumerLab.com survey found that vitamin D remains the most popular supplement, with 66% of respondents buying it. There's no denying vitamin D is important: it plays a key role in bone health, as well as supporting immune health, brain cell activity, and muscle function. But should you be taking vitamin D supplements? Are they actually effective?

According to experts, most people could benefit from these supplementsparticularly vegans and those who get limited sun exposure because they live somewhere with long winters. It's also worth noting that your vitamin D needs increase after the age of 70, making it more difficult to meet the daily requirement.

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"People with low vitamin D levels may experience fatigue, mood changes, and muscle weakness," says Jamie Nadeau, RD. "Maintaining optimal vitamin D levels supports your immune system which is responsible for fighting bacteria and viruses, lowers your risk for osteoporosis, and studies have also shown that low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk for depression. The best thing you can do to determine whether or not you need a vitamin D supplement is to visit your doctor and ask to have your vitamin D levels checked."

Once your doctor has determined that you have a deficiency via blood tests, they may suggest taking a vitamin D supplement, or a multivitamin with vitamin D. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 600 International Units (IU). However, Ana Reisdorf, MS, registered dietitian at Wellness Verge, says that's the minimumand she actually advises aiming for closer to 1,000 to 2,000 international units (IU).

"Overt signs of vitamin D deficiency, like weak bones or extreme fatigue, are rare," says Reisdorf. "But if you work inside and live in a colder climate, you likely need a vitamin D supplement. In fact, I think everyone should take a vitamin D supplement right now. Most of us spend way too much time indoors and don't get enough vitamin D, which comes from the sun."

Indeed, spending some time in the sunshine can trigger your skin to make vitamin Dbut how much it makes depends on a variety of different complicated factors, like the season, latitude of your location, your skin pigmentation, and the time of day. And unfortunately, wearing sunscreen can block the sun from penetrating your skin, which is what allows your body to synthesize vitamin D.

"Experts say that between 5 to 30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure of the face, arms, hands, and legs may be enough, however, unprotected sun exposure is not recommended due to skin cancer risk," says Nadeau.

Vitamin D is also found naturally in some foods, like salmon, tuna, sardines, egg yolks, and beef liverand it's also added to some foods, like fortified milk, orange juice, and cereal. Still, Reisdorf adds that vitamin D supplements may be more effective, simply because most foods don't fulfill the RDA, meaning you'd have to eat large quantities of them to meet your needs.

According to Reisdorf, a vitamin D supplement can not only improve bone health, but also help with your energy levels, weight management, and immunity. And if you still need more reasons to start supplementing, consider that a 2021 study published in the journal Nutrients found that you have a 0% chance of dying from COVID-19 if your vitamin D3 levels are 50 ng/mL.

The bottom line? A vitamin D supplement can offer numerous health benefits, and if you don't get enough vitamin D through your diet and/or sun exposure, it's definitely a good idea to take one. All that said, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. So, be careful not to take more than 2,000 IU of vitamin D supplements, says Reisdorf. Because it's a fat-soluble vitamin, it can cause toxicity at excessively high levels.

For even more vitamin D tips, read these next:

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The Final Verdict on Whether You Should Take Vitamin D Supplements Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

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If you find yourself popping vitamin C supplements every year at the beginning of cold and flu season, you're not alone.

Vitamin C has a long list of benefits for your health. Research suggests that taking vitamin C may increase your body's ability to absorb iron, reduce your risk of heart disease, reduce your risk of dementia, and may make your body better equipped to fight off viruses and other pathogens.

RELATED: What Taking Vitamin C Every Day Does to Your Body

In fact, according to a 2018 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, study subjects with higher levels of vitamin C in their bloodstream were less likely to die of heart disease, cancer, and less likely to die from any cause. However, not all vitamin C supplements are created equal in terms of either their ability to be absorbedor their side effects. To reap the most benefits from vitamin C, you should be looking through the supplement aisle for liposomal vitamin C.

Liposomal vitamin C is a form of vitamin C encapsulated in liposomes, which are "small artificial vesicles of spherical shape" formed from phospholipids or cholesterol, according to research published in Nanoscale Research Letters.

The liposome's purpose is to protect the vitamin C from digestive acids and enzymes that might break it down within the digestive tract. "This protective phospholipid shield or barrier remains undamaged until the contents of the liposome are delivered to the exact target gland, organ, or system where the contents will be utilized," the Nanoscale Research Letters authors explain.

How does liposomal vitamin C compare to standard vitamin C supplements?

Is it really necessary to take this "special" type of vitamin C? Alicia Galvin, RD, a registered dietitian with Sovereign Laboratories says "yes."

"The typical challenges with vitamin C supplements are poor bioavailability and stomach irritation when supplemented in higher doses over a limited amount of time," Galvin explains.

On the other hand, liposomal vitamin C is more bioavailable than your standard vitamin C from supplements.

"With vitamin C supplements and vitamin C-rich foods, the actual amount of vitamin C that the body absorbs is quite low," says Galvin.

"The 'best' absorption rate of a supplement is only about 50%. [Liposomal vitamin C] meets this threshold, yet most other brands fall well below, as do vitamin C-rich foods," says Galvin.

RELATED: Major Effects of Taking Vitamin C Supplements After 50, Says Dietitian

You'll likely reap more benefits with any brand of liposomal vitamin C compared to your standard vitamin C pill, but Galvin specifically recommends Vital C-LD from Sovereign Laboratories.

"The technology used for Vital C-LD, the liposomal delivery and delayed-release capsules, allows the Vitamin C to be maximally absorbed, and also helps prolong the biological activity and antioxidant capacity without irritating the stomach or GI tract," Galvin adds.

$29.95 at Sovereign Laboratories

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The #1 Vitamin C Supplement to Take, Says Dietitian Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

The devil went down to Silicon Valley; he was looking for a soul to steal. But he ended up taking a consulting gig with Palantir instead.

In the meantime, the algorithms in charge of punishing the wicked now. And these days the sign above hells gates reads Abandon Open Source, with an Amazon smile beneath the print.

Those condemned to an eternity of pain and suffering in the modern era are now forced to read the same five AI articles over and over.

Which kind of sounds like what its like to read tech news back here on Earth anyway. Dont believe me? Lets dive in.

No it wasnt. These articles usually involve a text generator such as OpenAIs GPT-3. The big idea is that the journalist will either pay for access or collaborate with OpenAI to get GPT-3 to generate text from various prompts.

The journalist will ask something silly like can AI ever truly think like a human? and then GPT-3 will use that prompt to generate a specific number of outputs.

Then, the journalists and editors go to work. Theyll pick the best responses, mix and match sentences that make the most sense, and then discard the rest.

This is the editorial equivalent of taking the collected works of Stephen King, copy/pasting a single sentence from each book into a word doc, and then claiming youve published an entirely new book from the master of horror.

In hell, you stand in a long line to read hyperbolic, made-up stories about AIs capabilities. And, as your ultimate punishment, you have to rewrite them for the next person in line.

I remember reading about an early funding round for an AI company called PredPol. It had raised several million dollars to develop an AI system capable of predicting crime before it happens.

Im sorry. Perhaps you didnt read that right. It says: predicting crime before it happens.

This is something thats impossible. And I dont mean technologically impossible, I mean not possible within the realms of classical or quantum physics.

You see crime isnt generated from hotspots like mobs spawning in an MMO every 5 minutes. A first year statistics or physics student understands that no amount of historical data can predict where new crimes will occur. Mostly because the past isnt literally prescient. But, also, its impossible to know how many crimes have actually been committed.Most crimes go unreported.

PredPol cant predict crime. It predicts arrests based on historical data. In other words: PredPol tells you where youve already arrested people and then says try there again. Simply put: it doesnt work because it cant work.

But it raised money and raised money until one day it grew into a full-grown company worth billions all for doing nothing.

In hell, you have to read funding stories about billion-dollar AI startups that dont actually do anything or solve any problems. And youre not allowed to skim.

Theres variations on this one Googles AI demonstrates a 72% reduction in racial bias, Amazons new algorithm is 87% better at spotting and removing Naziproducts from its store front and theyre all bunk.

Big techs favorite PR company is the mainstream media.

Facebook will, as a hypothetical example, say something like our new algorithms are 80% more efficient at finding and removing toxic content in real time, and thats when the telephone game starts.

Youll see half a dozen reputable news outlets printing headlines that basically say Facebooks new algorithms make it 80% less toxic. And thats simply not true.

If a chef were to tell you theyve adopted a new cooking technique that results in 80% less fecal matter being detected in the soup theyre about to serve, you probably wouldnt think that was a good thing.

Increasing the efficiency of an algorithm doesnt result in a unilateral increase in overall system efficiency. And, because statistical correlations are incredibly difficult to make when you dont have access to the actual data being discussed, the people writing up these stories are simply taking the big tech marketing teams word for it.

In hell, you have to read articles about big tech companies that only have quotes from people who work at those companies and statistics that cant possibly be verified.

Weve all read these stories. They cover the biggest issues in the world of AI as if theyre writing about the weather.

The story will be something like Clearview AI gets new government contracts, and the coverage will quote a politician, the CEO of Clearview, and someone representing law enforcement.

The gist of the piece will be Ethics aside, law enforcement agencies say these products are invaluable.

And then, way down towards the end of the article, youll see the obligatory studies have shown that facial recognition struggles to identify some faces. Experts warn against the use of such technologies until this bias can be solved.

In hell, every AI article you read starts with the sentence this doesnt work as well for Black people or women, but were just going to move past that like it isnt important.

My least favorite AI article is the ones that profess to tell me what non-experts think.

These are the articles with headlines like Study: 80% of people believe AI will be sentient within a decade and 75% of moms think Alexa is a danger to children.

These studies are typically conducted by consultancy companies that specialize in this sort of thing. And usually theyre not out conducting studies on the speculation that some journalist will find their workappealing. They get paid to do their research.

And by research, I mean: sourcing answers on Amazons Mechanical Turk or giving campus students a gift card to fill out a survey.

These studies are often bought and paid for ahead of time by an AI company as a marketing tool.

These pitches, in my inbox, usually look something like Hey Tristan, did you hear that 92% of CEOs dont know what Kubernetes is? Are you interested in this exclusive study and a conversation with Dr Knows Itall, founder of the Online School For Learning AI Good? They can speak to the challenges of hiring quality IT talent.

Can you spot the rubbish?

In hell, the algorithm tells you that you can read articles covering actual computer science research as soon as you finish reading all the vapid survey pieces on AI published in mainstream outlets.

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The 5 articles you read in AI hell - The Next Web

Despite a basic structure, Indian federalism needs institutional amendment to be democratically federal

Events coinciding with the jubilee of Indias Independence draw attention to the federal structure of Indias Constitution, which is a democratic imperative of multi-cultural India, where the constituent units of the sovereign state are based on language, against competing identities such as caste, tribe or religion. This built-in structural potential for conflict within and among the units, and that between them and the sovereign state, need imaginative federal craftmanship and sensitive political management. The ability of the Indian Constitution to keep its wide-ranging diversity within one sovereign state, with a formal democratic framework is noteworthy. Possibly, with universal adult suffrage and free institutions of justice and governance it is nearly impossible to polarise its wide-ranging diversity within any single divisive identity, even Hindutva; so that, despite its operational flaws, the democratic structure and national integrity are dialectically interlinked. But its operational fault lines are increasingly denting liberal institutions, undermining the federal democratic structure as recent events have underscored.

First, the tempestuous Parliament session, where the Rajya Sabha Chairperson broke down (in August 2021), unable to conduct proceedings despite the use of marshals; yet, the House passed a record number of Bills amidst a record number of adjournments. Second, cross-border police firing by one constituent State against another, inflicting fatalities, which also resulted in retaliatory action in the form of an embargo on goods trade and travel links with its land-locked neighbour.

Such unfamiliar events of federal democracy are recurrent in India, except their present manifest intensity. Legislative disruption was described by a Union Law Minister (while in Opposition) as a legitimate democratic right, and duty. In the 1960s, the Troika around Lohia claimed its right to enter Parliament on the Janatas shoulders to exit on the Marshals; posters with labels such as CIA Agent were displayed during debates; suitcases were transferred publicly to save the government; occasionally, Honorable Members emerged from debates with injuries. This time, in the federal chamber, Honorable Members and Marshals are in physical contact both claiming casualties official papers vandalised and chairpersons immobilised. Even inter-State conflict has assumed a new dimension.

Such empirical realities have led scholars to conceptualise Indias Post-colonial democracy, and federalism, differently from their liberal role-models. Rajni Kotharis one party dominance model of the Congress system has now been replaced by the Bharatiya Janata Party; Myrdalls soft state is reincarnated in the Pegasus era with fake videos and new instruments of mass distraction and coercion. Galbraiths functioning anarchy, now has greater criminalisation in Indias democracy, which includes over 30% legislators with criminal records, and courtrooms turning into gang war zones; it is now more anarchic, but still functioning, bypassing any Dangerous Decade or a 1984.

Federal theorist K.C. Wheare analyses Indias centralized state with some federal features as quasi-federal. He underscores the structural faultlines of Indian federalism not simply as operational. So, while many democratic distortions are amenable to mitigation by institutional professionalism, Indian federalism, to be democratically federal, needs institutional amendment despite being a basic structure. Wheares argument merits consideration.

Democratic federalism presupposes institutions to ensure equality between and among the units and the Centre so that they coordinate with each other, and are subordinate to the sovereign constitution their disputes adjudicated by an independent judiciary with impeccable professional and moral credibility. But Indias federal structure is constitutionally hamstrung by deficits on all these counts, and operationally impaired by the institutional dents in the overall democratic process. Like popular voting behaviour, institutional preferences are based either on ethnic or kinship network, or like anti-incumbency, as the perceived lesser evil, on individual role-models: T.N. Seshan for the Election Commission of India, J.F. Ribeiro for the police or Justices Chandrachud or Nariman for the judiciary.

Indias federal structure, underpinned on the colonial 1935 Act which initiated provincial autonomy, attempted democratising it by: renaming Provinces to autonomous States; transferring all Reserved Powers to popular governance; constitutionally dividing powers between the two tiers; inserting federalism in the Preamble, and Parts 3 and 4 containing citizens Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles; but nothing about States rights, not even their territorial boundaries. This has enabled the Centre to unilaterally alter State boundaries and create new States. The Indian Constitution itself has been amended 105 times in 70 years compared with 27 times in over 250 years in the United States.

With nation-building as priority, the constitutional division of power and resources remains heavily skewed in favour of the Centre; along with Residual, Concurrent and Implied powers, it compromises on the elementary federal principle of equality among them, operationally reinforced by extra-constitutional accretion. While the judiciary is empowered to adjudicate on their conflicts, with higher judicial appointments (an estimated 41% lying vacant), promotion and transfers becoming a central prerogative, their operations are becoming increasingly controversial.

The story is not different for the all India services, including the State cadres. What is operationally most distorted is the role of Governors: appointed by the Centre, it is political patronage, transforming this constitutional authority of a federal link to one of a central agent in the States. Thus, the critical instruments of national governance have been either assigned or appropriated by the Centre, with the States left with politically controversial subjects such as law and order and land reforms. Thus, most of Indias federal conflicts are structural, reinforced by operational abuses.

Yet, there is no federal chamber to politically resolve conflicts. The Rajya Sabha indirectly represents the States whose legislators elect it, but continue even after the electors are outvoted or dismissed; with no residential qualification, this House is a major source of political and financial patronage for all political parties, at the cost of the people of the State they represent.

Possibly, this explains its continuity. Constituting roughly half the Lok Sabha, proportionately, it reinforces the representative deficit of Parliament, which, through the Westminster system of winner-take-all, continues to elect majority parties and governments with a minority of electoral votes. The second chamber is not empowered to neutralise the demographic weight of the populous States with larger representation in the popular chamber; it cannot veto its legislations, unlike the U.S. Senate. It can only delay, which explains the disruptions. Joint sessions to resolve their differences are as predicable and comical as the voice votes in the Houses. Indias bicameral legislature, without ensuring a Federal Chamber, lives up to the usual criticism: when the second chamber agrees with the first, it is superfluous, when it disagrees, it is pernicious.

Historically, party compositions decide when they agree or disagree. Whenever any party with a massive majority in any state finds itself marginalised in the central legislature, it disrupts proceedings, just as popular issues not reflected in legislative proceedings provoke undemocratic expressions and reciprocal repression. Such examples abound in Indias quasi- federal democracy till now.

Empirical and scholarly evidence suggest Wheares prefix about federalism arguably applies to other constitutional goals (largely operationally), while the federal flaws are structural, reinforcing conflicts and violence, endemic in the distorted democratic process. It is a threat to national security by incubating regional cultural challenges to national sovereignty, and reciprocal repression. We might learn from the mistakes of neighbouring Sri Lanka and Pakistan rather than be condemned to relive them. Indias national security deserves a functional democratic federal alternative to its dysfunctional quasi-federal structure, which is neither federal nor democratic but a constitutional basic structure.

Aswini K. Ray is a former Professor of Comparative Politics and International Relations, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

The rest is here:
Reflections on the 'quasi-federal' democracy - The Hindu