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In Saner Thought
"It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error"..Thomas Paine
opinionated SOB!
lobotero
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Closing Thought–01May17
Happy May Day…..celebrate the International Day of the Worker…..
The world over the worker is celebrated on May 01….that is except in the US we could not celebrate it with everyone else we had to have a separate day for labor…..1st Monday of September.
Around the early days of the 20th century the world was seeing the workers demanding some rights that have been denied them for so long. There were riots, protests, and movements popping up all over the world.
This is when the trade unions starting showing their strength…back in those days it was the IWW, the Wobblies…..and it grew from there….
So today I thought that some tunes from those days of struggle would be a good way to end the day for me….people like Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie,Paul Robeson, etc……..
Enjoy some musical history…..
I will see you guys tomorrow…..have a good day and evening…..be well, be safe….chuq
By loboteroin History, Labor, Society 1 May 2017 177 Words4 Comments
Troop Deaths Update
Before I move on to the meat of the post……I recently reported that 2 more Americans have died in the operations in Afghanistan….I have an update on those deaths…..
Pentagon officials continue to play up the "sacrifice" of a pair of US Army Rangers who were killed earlier this week in fighting in eastern Afghanistan. Yet the circumstances surrounding their deaths remain uncertain, with indications they may have been killed by "friendly fire."
The Rangers were participating in an anti-ISIS raid at the time when they were killed with small arms fire, but officials concede they have no idea who actually shot them, and that they might well have been shot either by other US troops in the area, or by Afghan commandos participating in the raid.
The two slain Rangers were shot almost immediately after they started the attack, and while there was some limited ISIS fire from fortified tunnels during the operation, there seems to be suspicion that the fact that US troops and Afghan commandos approached from opposite directions, and both came in firing, left the Rangers in a crossfire situation.
Iraq is next and we lost another US soldier over the weekend….
A U.S. service member in Iraq was killed Saturday by an explosive device outside Mosul, according to a statement released by the Pentagon.
The Pentagon said the service member died from wounds sustained in an "explosive device blast," stating further information would be released as appropriate.
The service member killed Saturday is the fifth combat death in Iraq since the U.S. launched military operations against IS in August 2014. IS fighters began growing in power in Iraq in early 2014 in the country's west and in the summer of 2014 swept across much of the country's north.
There are now more U.S. forces in Iraq than any time since the 2011 U.S. withdrawal, marking an intensifying war as Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition work to push IS out of the last pockets of territory the extremists control in Iraq.
Time for this to end.
Time to bring our troops home and give them a rest from the constant warfare we force them to fight.
By loboteroin Foreign policy, International Situations, Military, War 1 May 2017 365 Words5 Comments
Foreign Policy: First 100 Days
I have written, along with everybody else that writes a political blog, on Trump's 100 day mark…..well those that are looking at the administration some just roll over and agree with everything as long as the old white guy rules.
But since my forte is foreign policy I thought I would give my take on Trump's 100 day foreign policy….so far…..
Contrary to popular belief…I do find some things that Trump is doing to be positive even if it is in some small way…..so this analysis is from my point of view not from some others and I am sure that there will be those that will not agree with my assessment of his policies….
To be honest Trump's rhetoric in the beginning had me a bit disturbed…but thank goodness some of that has changed.
A positive sign was when Trump admitted that the job was harder than he expected….."This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier" (from the Reuters interview)……..
Another negative in my eyes was his choice for SecState, Tillerson….the man has zero experience plus the department is hemorrhaging diplomats, those people with expertise in the areas that in the news….plus Trump doesn't seem concerned and is not appointing people that are needed. On this I have to give him a "D"
His national security team is in chaos…..people come and go at an alarming rate….plus scandal has arisen around some of the people he has chose to lead the NatSec team……the grade for this is a fat "F"……..
Now on the the conflicts……
Syria……Trump said that we would satay out of Syria (that was a bit unrealistic)…….Trump is just rolling along with the same plan that was used by Obama and sending more troops (for now a trickle)….he flexed his muscle with the missile strike but the plan is an old one from a previous administration…..I have to give him a "C-"
Iraq……basically the same as Syria……same plan…..more troops….prolonged conflict…….another "C-"
Afghanistan……the longest war ever is not getting any better and Trump's answer is to send in more troops….as if this will end this conflict….doing the same thing over again….grade….."F"……
His battle with ISIS is going well but no where near his pledge to defeat ISIS in 30 days….the barbaric pricks are losing territory almost daily….the best I can do is a "C" because he is just riding the coattails of previous admins in this fight…now if he comes up with a better more successful plan his grade will improve considerably.
Other locations……Trump is sending more troops to Somalia, Yemen…….this is NOT a good idea…we will be fighting AQ and ISIS but as usual there will most likely be mission creep…..this is a bad idea and the grade will be a "D"
How about the countries that we are NOT at war with?
Russia….there was some concern that Trump might be in the pocket of Russia and allow the sanctions to lapse….that did not happen…sanctions remain and even piled a few more on the situation….this part gets a "B"….but there is another part ….the movement of more troops along the borders with Russia….this is a spitball to the face of Russia….an instigation of sorts…..this part is a "C" (because this is not needed but in response to Russian troop movement….a checkmate move) Overall grade: "C+"
China….tough talk before the election….but once in office Trump came to see the real situation with China and changed the tune of his rhetoric….plus the gentle push for China to intervene with North Korea so the US does not have to…….Grade: "B"
North Korea…..here is a failure in my mind….the tough talk……the threats….the insulting demeanor…..not just by the prez but also his advisers…..the situation can be handled without the threat of nuke war…..but did ask China for help so the grade is a "D"……
Trump's hard words for NATO and then a softening of his position…..even his turnaround about the organization itself…..illustrates some thought here….Grade: "B"
Trump is not using our intel sources to their full potential…instead he attacks them in the media and belittle their efforts to keep this country safe….he is getting briefings but they are watered down to one page….so his grade for the use of intel is a "D"………
He walked back his comments on NAFTA…he has slipped out of TPP…for now I give him the benefit of the doubt and a grade of "B+"
At the end of 100 days in foreign policy I have given Trump an overall score of……(drum roll)……"C" (it would have been better if he had achieved more of his pledges)…
I am pleased to say that , overall, Trump has learned a few lessons as he goes on foreign policy…..he needs to find a way to let diplomacy play a part in his policies…..if he had his grade would have been a bit higher.
He, Trump, has shown some maturity in foreign policy …..but will it continue or will the neocons win the day and conflicts will abound?
By loboteroin Foreign policy, Government, International Situations 1 May 2017 892 Words9 Comments
International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some places, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement,anarchists, socialists, and communists and occurs every year on May Day, 1 May, an ancient European spring holiday. The date was chosen for International Workers' Day by the Second International […]
via May Day May 1st: International Workers' Day. — The Militant Negro™
A re-blog from the blog of my friend Mr. Militant Negro…..We all know that I love my history and this is a great look at worker's movements from days past…..chuq
By loboteroin Politics 1 May 2017 100 Words4 Comments
What If ISIS No Longer Exist?
You know we hear daily about the measures being used to destroy ISIS….or we hear just how important it is that Assad be relieved of his command of Syria…..both are really good and important topics but with that said has anyone considered what the Middle east would look like with either of the position were actually achieved?
Then in the news came word that ISIS was losing fighters…….
ISIS is steadily losing territory in Iraq and Syria, and a lot of foreign fighters are apparently having second thoughts about fighting to the death for it. The Guardian reports that officials in Turkey and Europe say large numbers of foreign fighters are abandoning the group and trying to flee, especially now that an offensive is closing in on Raqqa, Syria, where many foreigners who joined the "caliphate" were based. Officials believe those fleeing include foreign fighters who have renounced the group, people who weren't fighters but found themselves living in ISIS territory, and hardcore militants suspected of planning terrorist attacks in their homelands.
Sources tell the Guardian that the latest foreigners to surrender to Turkish border police include a British couple and US citizen Kary Paul Kleman. A Turkish official confirmed to CNN that Kleman, a former Florida resident, was detained after arriving at the border with his Syrian wife and their three children. Authorities believe he "was compelled to escape the conflict zone following airstrikes and military operations against ISIS," the official says. Kleman's family says he converted to Islam after moving to the Middle East in 2011. They say he went to Syria in 2015 to help with humanitarian efforts but soon realized it was a "scam" and started trying to escape the country.
Is this good news or just news?
To answer my own questions…..the best answer is…..not really.
First of all, the most press worthy topic…..Assad is thrown out of Syria…..
A new study from IHS Jane's is cautioning that moves to undermine and ultimately oust the Assad government in Syria would greatly benefit ISIS, since a large portion of ISIS' fighting in Syria is against the Syrian government and its allies.
Though Western officials have long downplayed the amount of fighting between ISIS and Assad, and Western-backed rebels have even claimed at time the two are in league with one another, Jane's study showed that 42% of all ISIS fighting in Syria was against Assad-backing forces, with just 17% against the Kurdish YPG, and the rest against rival rebel factions, including the Turkish-backed rebels and al-Qaeda's Nusra Front.
The US has been keen to oust Assad for years, with CIA officials arguing that the war against ISIS would be enhanced by imposing regime change first and hoping a more "stable" government assumes control. The Jane's study seems to indicate that a shift in the US war to imposing regime change would free up a lot more ISIS forces, who have been fighting the Assad government, to recover lost ground.
Jane's termed it an "inconvenient reality" that any US actions against the Assad government would necessarily benefit ISIS as well. The big question remains whether or not this will be sufficient to deter the US from carrying out more attacks against Assad, as the Trump Administration has been keen to threaten more action against them in recent weeks.
(antiwar.com)
Just maybe the "planners" at the Pentagon should look beyond next year…..there is a lot at stake.
Second point….the defeat of ISIS…..
In June 2014, ISIL seemingly came out of nowhere and has now grown to become a major force in the Middle East, more specifically in Iraq and Syria. The organization became especially prominent following its lightning-swift military advance over northern Iraq, where it encountered an abysmally low level of government resistance (Terrill 2014). With that being said, ISIL's hold on the region has recently been on the decline with territorial losses mounting in key areas along the Euphrates River Valley, the Tigris River Valley, and Northern Syria, with current operations threatening their capitals in both Raqqah and Mosul. Up to this point in time, the predominance of research and analysis has been carried out to figure out how to degrade and ultimately defeat the Islamic State. Governments of the 50+ Coalition nations from around the world that are participating in Operation INHERENT RESOLVE have seemingly put an infinite amount of time, money, and effort in the overall strategy of how to beat ISIL…which is, if you follow the news, still a plan very much so in the works.
Source: After ISIL: The Conflict Following the War | RealClearDefense
Is it just me or does our leadership at the Pentagon need a little reality injected into their midst?
By loboteroin International Situations, Terrorism, War 1 May 2017 787 Words14 Comments
The Balkans: Smoldering Ashes Of Conflict
All eyes are on North Korea with few glances toward Iran and a bit of fist pounding over Syria and Iraq……but these could just be diversions from a war that is brewing and No one is noticing….
Well not everyone is so diverted…..I have been watching the situation in the Balkans for some time and some of it does not look too promising for a peace region…..unfortunate since the late 1990's the Balkans have been all but ignored….plus I have a loyal visitor to IST that writes mostly about the Balkans and I thought I would see her take on this situiation/s…..
Some of my thoughts on the situations in the Balkans…….
Source: Balkan War Drums Beat Again – In Saner Thought
But wait there is more……
Source: Balkans–A Return To Yesteryear? – In Saner Thought
Something I read made me think about my past posts…..it seems I am not the only one that is watching the Balkans…..
As the world focuses on the Middle Eastern and Korean flashpoints, the next war may not occur in either region, but rather in a replay of an old conflict that has been largely forgotten.
In an interview with Politico's European edition, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama threatened war if Kosovo is denied entry into the European Union:
"Albania's prime minister said a union between Albania and Kosovo cannot be ruled out if EU membership prospects for the Western Balkans fade.
Source: Will the Next War Erupt in the Balkans? by — Antiwar.com
There is very little peace in the region that was ravaged by war in the 1990's…..but that matters not….what matters is to quell the fiery rhetoric and the threatened actions to prevent the region bursting into flames…..yet again.
Serbian officials are warning that the Albanian ambitions to absorb Kosovo could easily lead to another war in the Balkans, and that NATO and the European Union need to publicly rule out that possibility in an effort to forestall another ethnic war spanning the region.
The status of Kosovo is a big sore spot in the region, after NATO's 1999 war imposed a separation of Kosovo from Serbia, which was supposed by the Kosovar Albanian majority but widely opposed by ethnic Serbs in Kosovo. Kosovo's independence is heavily contested, with a number of countries refusing to recognize it.
Political turbulence is once again showing its ugly head in the Balkans…..
The trouble in the Balkans today is not Russian meddling, though there is some of that, but a special case of the malaise afflicting Eastern Europe: unchecked executive power, erosion of the rule of law, xenophobia directed at neighbours and migrants and pervasive economic insecurity. The pattern varies from country to country but is palpable from Szczecin on the Baltic to Istanbul on the Bosporus. The countries of the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia – have long tended to follow patterns set by their larger, more powerful neighbours. They are doing it again.
Source: New Balkan Turbulence Challenges Europe | Crisis Group
Mounting political instability in the Western Balkans has the potential to spark new crises on the EU's immediate borders. Political tensions are particularly high in Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Kosovo. Many EU policymakers are concerned that Russia aims to exacerbate this disorder, a worry that has intensified since elements of the Russian intelligence service were implicated in a failed coup in Montenegro last year. But the region's crises are rooted in a prevalent winner-takes-all party politics and flaws inherent in the political settlements forged to end the Yugoslav wars. While Russia has deep-seated interests in the Balkans, its interventions are more opportunistic than strategic.
Source: The Western Balkans: Fragile Majorities | Crisis Group
While writing this post news came out in the Balkans…..
Hundreds of protesters forced their way into Macedonia's Parliament Thursday and attacked several leading lawmakers, leaving Social-Democratic Union party leader Zoran Zaev with blood pouring down his face. The protesters, supporters of the conservative VMRO party, were enraged by the election of a new Parliament speaker by a coalition of Social Democrats and ethnic Albanian parties, the BBC reports. Nationalists, who are calling for new elections, have been protesting in the streets since Zaev created the coalition. His attempts to form a government have been blocked by President Gjorge Ivanov, whose candidacy was supported by VMRO.
Police say Ziadin Sela, leader of the Albanian Alliance, was the most seriously injured lawmaker, reports Radio Free Europe, whose journalists were attacked by the mob that stormed the Skopje Parliament building. Stun grenades were fired as police tried to force back protesters and clear the way for evacuation of lawmakers. At least 77 people were injured, including 22 police officers. "We condemn the violence in the strongest possible terms," the US Embassy in Macedonia said in a statement. "It is not consistent with democracy and is not an acceptable way to resolve differences."
Without the proper diplomats (thanx to the emperor) all the US can do is watch the events unfold…..from the sidelines……
This could escalate into all out bang bang conflict and yet we are powerless to do anything but observe.
By loboteroin International Situations 1 May 2017 871 Words5 Comments


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Social entrepreneur nudging evolution one person at a time.
The shape of your mind is one of the single most important characteristics of your life.
And you've probably never heard of it.
The way you think, feel, lead, relate and process your experience and the world is defined in large part by the shape of your mind. In a moment we'll walk through all ten shapes of mind that have evolved to date; I'll be using data drawn from population-level studies of adults in western Europe and the United States. But first, what is it?
Practically speaking, the shape of your mind creates the backdrop for every experience you have and all the meaning you ascribe to it, setting the mindscape through which you navigate your marriage, worldview, goals, relationships, emotional wellbeing, spiritual depth, leadership potential, career success, money habits...in a word: everything.
It is always changing and can be expanded intentionally (or, in an imprecise manner of speaking, intentionally contracted) .
Before I describe each of the ten shapes of mind, let's go through the key dimensions that help to drive your mental geometry, one-by-one. If your shape of mind is topographical, these represent the earth moving equipment.
Inputs: Correlated with your scope of life experience, what you choose to read, feel, eat, travel, try, etc. all define the scope of the inputs you have fed your mind. The broader and more varied the scope of inputs, the more your mental geometry will have to grow to be able to synthesize them into a new pattern of meaning-making that keeps the mind coherent and stable.
What you know: Every experience you have, from the sound of the phone ringing to the thought about tomorrow's party, is processed by what you already know — knowledge you already have. What you know impacts your current mental geometry, which is why some knowledge can itself accelerate the evolution of your shape of mind.
What you don't know: Some people lean into a knowledge or perspective gap. Others don't. Sometimes you're triggered in a particular domain–religion, politics etc.–where you don't want to lean into those gaps. But how you process experience that triggers what you don't know (and what makes you uncomfortable) is at least as important, if not more so, as any that encompasses what you do know.
Emotional patterning: Your emotional circuitry has a pattern that it will follow every single time certain conditions are met (e.g., getting angry when someone cuts you off in traffic). Each pattern has been built because it works for you (i.e., it either protects you from harm, affirms your sense of self, or gains you positive rewards, or any combination of the three). While there are as many possible patterns as life situations (i.e., virtually infinite), there are probably only a handful of "mega-patterns" you rely on. Emotions can act like a giant fence around your otherwise robust earth moving equipment, locking them in so that your current shape of mind clings tightly to its known topography.
Hardware: And of course, genetics, biology, neurophysiology and dozens of other factors bear on the basic biophysical scope of possibilities and patterns of each shape of mind. (I believe they'll find that neuroanatomical differences that foster openness to experience as a personality trait, for example, will be shown to correlate in some instances with later-stage shapes of mind). This variability makes it all the more amazing that developmental psychologists have discovered that shapes of mind aggregate into one of ten basic "mega-patterns."
Here are the 10 shapes that we find across all of human life, along with percentages of their prevalence (across the adult population in the US and Europe). You will notice that these 10 shapes are sequential, starting at 1 and growing in very few people to 10. There is a huge amount to know behind this list, so consider this a simplifying primer to a complex topic.
1. Incorporative (~0%) — Infantile consciousness that has not yet differentiated from the environment, in adults this requires institutionalization. This isn't you.
2. Impulsive (<1%) — Impulse-driven consciousness marked by cognitive simplicity characteristic of children from 2-4 years old. Impulsive adults will be easily overwhelmed, confused and emotionally disturbed. This also isn't you.
3. Opportunist (9%) — Warrior consciousness where might makes right and power is its own reward. Black and white distinctions made about a world animated by magic, full of danger and dark forces. Opportunists address the perceived scarcity of the world and threats to life through power, projecting power and displays of fearsomeness. This may be you, but more likely you'll see these folks at music award shows or dictators wearing military uniforms. Bonus points if you can name three brands that appeal to this stage of consciousness (hint: there's one where grown men wear makeup and costumes).
4. Diplomat (12%) — Conformist consciousness where adherence to "the tribe's" expected values and behavior is the defining value system. The Diplomat's goal is to avoid overt conflict and promote order and stability within the in-group. A shape of mind with limited cognitive nuance, as leaders they are unable to create the truthful communication and discernments necessary for a group to navigate the complexity of the world. The dominant value system is to address the perceived scarcity of the world and threats to life through social visibility, working very hard to effect an approved, popular public appearance and social persona. There are various social media celebrities and religious personalities in this group.
5. Expert (38%) — Expert consciousness attempts to perfect itself and its world through mastery of knowledge, expertise and continuous improvement. Experts see the world and life as a system that has rules and can be optimized, giving rise to movements such as quantified self, Big Data and the underpinnings of Silicon Valley's dominant techno-meritocratic epistemology. As the most prevalent shape of mind in corporate leadership, they spend inordinate amounts of time on water-tight analysis of data and quantified argumentation, and yet this also can present a bias against collaboration and deep, empathic listening (EQ is typically valued less at this shape of mind than certain others). Experts typically display a high level of self-certainty, cognitive assuredness and rapid judgment formation. Generally they are not interested in inner mental or emotional work as the complexity of perspective required to do so—seeing one's own interior as an object to be worked upon—is still largely out of reach for the Expert. The Expert's values call for addressing perceived scarcity in the world and threats to life by winning and maintaining self-certainty, which it does by not allowing itself to become overly open-minded to contradictory views. Wall Street's analyst corps is trained to this stage in the early-part of their careers.
Author's note: In the first 5 shapes of mind we just covered 60% of the adult population.
6. Achiever (25%) — Achiever consciousness places rationality, universal ideals and earnest conviction at the forefront of a life well-lived and a society that can be perfected through ongoing progress, technology and rationality. This is the shape of mind that all modern social systems (e.g., education etc.) are designed to develop adults to become. Achievers believe deeply in the notion of autonomy and freedom and are very goal-driven, even while they can begin to see the impacts their actions have on the broader world. Achiever values are found everywhere, from the curation of TED to the pages of Fast Company and Inc. magazines.
Cognitively, the achiever shape of mind sees a powerful world-system at work that through optimization and further discovery can be progressively enhanced, believing in the notion of system perfectability. Achievers begin to run into the deeper contradictions inherent in reality and remain fearful of losing control. But they cannot yet see the constructed nature of reality, meaning-formation and intersubjective contexts (i.e., they are not yet aware of their own "epistemic situatedness" in terms of their values, their language, their social contracts etc.). Achiever leaders are the primary goal of corporate programs—they are effective, focused and goal-driven. Nevertheless, they struggle with the complexity required of senior leaders in large, global organizations today, which require more advanced shapes of mind.
7. Relativist (10%) — Relativist consciousness makes an important breakthrough to seeing truth as situated in context and thereby bounded by the system from which it's generated. In this regard Relativists begin to suspect that the best reply to the complexity that they're beginning to see in the world is to privilege each individual's viewpoint on it. Truth, beauty and goodness tend to become subjective for the Relativist, a values-sensitivity that philosophically presaged and still underpins the equal rights, environmental and gender movements.
Cognitively the Relativist shape of mind begins to see that world is composed of innumerable interacting complex systems and that "finding a right way through" has to give way to "anything goes as long as no one gets hurt."Relativist values have permeated contemporary culture as aspirational values–even though only 10% of the leading edge of the population is Relativist, it nevertheless animates downward an ethos: from the authenticity of craft brewing and the maker movement to the conscious lifestyle of the yoga and mindfulness movements the heritage of Relativist consciousness is passed down to Diplomats, Experts and Achievers who constitute a significant part of those movements.
Relativists often evolve away from the Achiever's bias for autonomy and freedom and towards a new bias for community interaction, group process and emotional sanctity. Paradoxically it is their loyalty to the precious subject that often prevents them from being able to maintain stable, unified communities, despite this being the most communally-inclined shape of mind to evolve since Diplomat. They soon discover that sanctifying every subject's viewpoint is a recipe for massive communal fragmentation.
Nevertheless, because the Relativist is rediscovering their inner life for what feels like the first time after leaving the highly exterior-orientation of the Achiever, it is a shape of mind that often feels like a euphoric liberation of magical possibility. Heavily populating the new age movement of the modern west, it is the mind through which a "re-enchantment of the world" occurs. The Relativist's values call for addressing perceived scarcity in the world and threats to life by trying ever harder to reconcile differences and foster (sometimes domineering) movements of liberation. In the end Relativists can accept anything goes except those people for whom anything doesn't go.
8. Strategist (4%)–Strategist consciousness emerges when the fragmentation of the Relativist viewpoint creates enough cognitive tension to force a move to deeper discernment, often situated in natural hierarchies of order, power, social regulation and complex systems. Strategists are able to not only cognize the complexity of the world's competing systems in the manner of the Relativist, they begin to synthesize how these systems interoperate, allowing them to reestablish a definitive sense of direction, strategy and capability in the face of overwhelming complexity. Animated by this newfound ability to integrate complexity, Strategists sometimes wear themselves out through sheer overreach: seeing what can be done and must be done, and then deciding that they must do it.
Strategists, though still relatively rare, make highly-effective, often visionary corporate leaders: they've integrated at least some of the interior fluency of the Relativist (emotional intelligence, spiritual sensitivity and communal coordination) with the hard-hitting efficacy of the Achiever and Expert. They can develop a compelling vision, can rally people behind it and can proceed to implementation.
The Strategist's response to scarcity and threat is paradigmatically different than previous shapes of mind: rather than contract into a threatened-self or a set of lofty but judgmental ideals, the Strategist understands that scarcity and decay is a natural aspect of reality, but can be influenced by creating new systems of abundance. Paraphrasing Bucky Fuller: don't try to change a system, create a new one that makes the old one obsolete. Eventually, however, the Strategist runs into its limiting problem: they begin to suspect that the scope of their vision and the complexity of their mind are themselves at the core of a more fundamental limitation of their own self-identity, a being-in-the-world who can only redeem its potential by finding the simplicity on the other side of all that complexity. As they approach Alchemist they understand finally that to be a nobody after being somebody is the only sustainable unwinding of the world-knot they see, and though true for everyone eventually, it becomes urgent for themselves.
9. Alchemist (<1%)–A tiny fraction of adults in the western world evolve to Alchemist consciousness, a shape of mind whose defining characteristic is the ability to see through all constructions placed on a mysterious reality–from language to economic systems, from emotional patterning to political discourse–and to do so in nearly real-time. For the Alchemist this creates what feels like a paradoxical and irresolvable tension of living authentically amidst a world of ever-reflecting surfaces: even though the Alchemist can see through all of them it still requires constant surrender to the tension of being anybody at all in a world that desperately demands somebodies (demanding they offer salvation in its various guises). Indeed, this becomes a surrender into a near-constant state of presence as the only realm where the illusive play of opposites is resolved without artifice.
10. Unitive (~0%)–There is (scant) research that suggests that in the case of a select few adults today they have reached a 10th shape of mind that situates itself as a unity with being. Though words inevitably will fail to convey what Unitive consciousness feels like from within, and very little research is available to depict the topography of the shape of mind from without, some comments can be made. First, from my work I have absolutely no doubt that this shape of mind will be emerging ever more prominently over the coming few decades; I know personally several people who I believe are entering this shape of mind now. Because the Unitive emerges as the solution to the central conflict of the Alchemist, the Unitive has largely dissolved a separate sense of self as apart from reality, and instead operates as being a transcendent cosmic unfolding: not a subject viewing evolution as witness, but as evolution witnessing itself. The felt-state of the Unitive, therefore, is love. When one is nothing, one is everything; and when one is everything, loving is one's identity. Not as a noun, but as a verb. The Unitive shape of mind is the act of loving the unfolding nature of being as itself, with no substantive differentiation amongst beings. And yet with no loss of one's ability to be a unique expression of that love in the world. The Unitive is a unique self.
More to know about the shapes of mind.
• Your shape of mind will determine what you can see, make sense of and therefore the complexity of problems you can work on.
• As you can imagine, the question of "better" and "worse" shapes of mind is a loaded question. The important question is whether you're happy with yours. This is not as superficial as it might sound: any shape of mind that is well-suited to your current life conditions will often produce a powerful and nourishing sense of order, happiness and efficacy. On the other hand unhappiness and disharmony can sometimes signal a shape of mind that is still in a disintegrated transition zone, either leaving an old one behind or a new one not yet having firmed up entirely. Over the years hundreds of my friends have talked to me about feeling purposeless, with their career becoming less meaningful after they've achieved success. I tell them to watch for a several year-transition from Achiever to Relativist as they shuck off the conventional definitions of success that they thought they were supposed to achieve.
• It will also determine the upper-limit of complexity you can cognize without feeling overwhelmed or excited.
• It will strongly influence the nature and success of your goals and therefore bears strongly on all behavior change and habit formation.
• Higher complexity of life conditions as well as mental-emotional practices drive adaptations to higher-order shapes of mind.
• People cannot self-assess their own shape of mind. When they try, they often overestimate by up to two levels.
• Changing from one shape of mind to the next can take 6-10 years in adulthood, and there are definitely some practices to accelerate the process (I'll post on how to do so at some point).
• Every new shape of mind is a solution to the core problem that the former stage created as it evolved, and it brings with it the seeds of the next core problem (i.e., each shape of mind is an "evolutionary truce" between one's way of making-meaning and the complexity of its surrounding life conditions).
• There are tools to change your shape of mind. My intention is for Chrysallis to evolve as transformational technology that might do so at-scale in a full-spectrum way; we will both succeed and fail in our own ways, but what we learn might pave the way for a successful approach.
• Be careful what you wish for. Changing your shape of mind is not a panacea.
• The story is more complex than I'm telling you, because that would be a very long post indeed.


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Massive US Tech Show Becomes A Digital Event
This undatde handout photo released on January 11, 2021, courtesy of Consumer Technology Association(CES), shows behind the scenes on the set of the all-digital CES 2021. (Photo by Handout / Consumer Technology Association(CES) / AFP)
Several autonomous disinfection robots are being shown at CES, and other gadgets include wearables that monitor vital signs and could provide early detection for coronavirus infections.
– Wearables, companions –
Other devices aim to help cope with the isolation of coronavirus lockdowns including companion robots and monitoring systems for the elderly living alone.
CES has more than 300 speakers lined up, and a heightened focus on sessions diving into issues such as privacy and 5G internet.
Speakers include chief executives Mary Barra of General Motors, Hans Vestberg of Verizon and Corie Barry of Best Buy.
Sessions will be immediately available for replay on demand, and remain accessible until mid-February, according to CES organizers.
When the virtual show floor opens on Tuesday, attendees will be able to click into online exhibition booths for demos and chats.
Some unveilings that would normally draw crowds in Las Vegas are going ahead in the virtual space: Audi is set to launch its electric sports car, while other companies will be releasing gadgets adapted to superfast 5G wireless networks which are gaining traction.
But some analysts say the lack of in-person events has pushed many participants to the sidelines.
Show organizers said they hope to deliver a new kind of experience which can be useful to the expected online crowd of 100,000 or more.
"CES is one of the most experiential events in the world, where attendees can actually see and touch and experience the latest innovations," CTA spokeswoman Jean Foster said during a briefing ahead of the show.
"And while we can't recreate that magic that happens in Las Vegas, we can bring our audiences a new and unique whole digital experience."
Posted on January 11, 2021 Author Anthonia OrjiCategories Info TechTags CES, Digital, techLeave a comment on Massive US Tech Show Becomes A Digital Event
Twitter Investigating Global Platform Outage
In this file photo illustration, a Twitter logo is displayed on a mobile phone on May 27, 2020, in Arlington, Virginia. Olivier DOULIERY / AFP
Microblogging and social networking service, Twitter says it is working to resolve a global outage of the platform used by hundreds of millions worldwide.
The outage which started on Thursday evening marked a new setback for the network, which is fending off accusations of bias over the decision to block a news report critical of Democratic White House candidate Joe Biden.
"We know people are having trouble tweeting and using Twitter. We're working to fix this issue as quickly as possible," a company spokesperson told AFP at 2225 GMT.
Read Also: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Backs Nigeria's #EndSARS Protest, Calls For Bitcoin Donations
Repeated attempts to post a tweet were greeted with the message: "Something went wrong, but don't fret — let's give it another shot."
According to downdetector.com, users on every continent had reported being unable to use the platform, but the outages were concentrated on the east and west coasts of the United States, as well as Japan.
The outage appeared to have started around 21:30 GMT.
"We are continuing to monitor as our teams investigate. More updates to come," Twitter's application programming interface site said.
Posted on October 16, 2020 October 16, 2020 Author Rejoice EwodageCategories Info TechTags #EndSARS, #EndSWAT, social media, tech, twitterLeave a comment on Twitter Investigating Global Platform Outage
itel Picks New Brand Slogan, 'Enjoy Better Life', Unveils S16 Series
itel Mobile, the foremost customer-centric brand on Monday presented her new brand direction and slogan, Enjoy Better Life at a grand virtual launch event in Lagos.
The event also heralded the introduction of the S16 series, the brand's latest selfie series and a batch of new products – itel TVs and smart accessories.
Enjoy Better Life is a product of painstaking consumer research conducted in 2019 across African markets, including Nigeria, where itel Mobile has established presence for about 13 years.
The research provided fresh insights on serving consumers better in markets across Africa.
From the insights, demands for electronic products – TV, TWS earbuds and smart band ranked as the most important concern. The brand subsequently made use of the insights to design electronic products with user-friendly features and specifications.
Commenting on the new brand direction and products, Marketing Manager (West Africa 1), itel Mobile, Oke Umurhohwo said: "The Enjoy Better Life slogan expresses our commitment to listening to consumers and meeting their most pressing needs with value-driven offerings. Enjoy Better Life is an open invitation to everyone for an amazing user experience with the new category of products.
"The S16 series, itel TV, TWS earbuds and smart bands come with customized features and they are affordable. With the products, our consumers are getting convenience, comfort and a better life filled with love and happiness."
AI Selfies for Everyone – S16 and S16 Pro
Features on the S16 series help users up their selfie game. The Triple Rear Camera setup consists of an 8MP main camera, 2MP Macro camera, and depth sensing camera. The collaborative effort managed by the refined AI Selfie 2.0 captures great moment with details no longer blurred out. Now clear and vivid photos can come from the budget-friendly devices. The sharpened AI Selfie 2.0 has mastered several new modes to make the pictures shout louder than ever before.
Both S16 and S16 Pro come packed in a Super Slim 8.3mm Unibody design culminating in curved glass edges on the display. The 2.5D screen provides both an aesthetic and an ergonomic advantage to the user. Making swiping around the edges smoother than ever before and the grip in hand, more secure. Thus, one-handed operation will remain comfortable despite the wide-screen displays.
The itel S16 Pro comes with a 6.6-inch dot-notch design, and the itel S16 with 6.5-inch waterdrop design. The two large displays take full advantage of the minimal presence of front cameras to make watching videos and playing games a bigger and more enjoyable endeavour. The radial texture of colours on both phones creates a refreshing feel. Whether you are a fan of the chilly S16 Ice Crystal Blue, or the uplifting S16 Pro Gradient Green – both natural colours are crafted to create an invigorating impact on sight. To stay cool and look fashionable.
itel TV, TW earbuds & Smart bands – Smart access to the Better Life
itel TV – S321 and S431 is fitted with the user-friendly i-cast feature, allowing users to enjoy a bigger viewing experience by projecting the smartphone screen (S16 Pro only) to itel TV without wi-fi router or cables. Both devices come with A+ grade panel and DVB-T2/S2 decoder. This is a digital satellite transmission technology, offering more channels for user's TV transmissions.
The itel D243 TV is covered by an extra glass made from tempered glass materials which better protects against shocks.
itel true wireless earbuds ITW-60 comes with a Bluetooth V5.0 and pop-up pairing function. It also offers 18hours playtime and the case provides 6 full charges to ensure users can enjoy with the smart pop-up pairing function. A single tap on the smartphone connects users to the earbuds. Ensuring music all day long and erasing worries around running out of power.
Smartband IFB-11 is colourful and light. The smartband comes with an HD colour display that keeps track of time without needing to take out the phone. The smartband pairs with the smartphone to give gentle notifications from phone to watch, and upload activity and sleep monitor data from watch to phone.
The health and fitness accessory is IP67 certified (splash and sweat resistant), has 3 training modes, and the battery can last up to 20 days. itel's IFB-11 tracker is an accessible way to join social sharing of fitness activities.
The new products are on sale at itel dealer shops and mobile phone stores across Nigeria. Visit @itelMobileNG on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to participate in the giveaway activities and win freebies!
Name: Oke Umurhohwo
Tel: +234 8171901960
Mobile: [email protected]
Posted on October 6, 2020 October 6, 2020 Author Rejoice EwodageCategories Info TechTags itel, iTel Mobile, techLeave a comment on itel Picks New Brand Slogan, 'Enjoy Better Life', Unveils S16 Series
TikTok Rejects Microsoft Offer, Oracle Sole Remaining Bidder
This photo illustration taken on September 14, 2020 shows the logo of the social network application TikTok (L) and a US flag (R) shown on the screens of two laptops in Beijing. – US tech giant Microsoft said on September 13 its offer to buy TikTok was rejected, leaving Oracle as the sole remaining bidder ahead of the imminent deadline for the Chinese-owned video app to sell or shut down its US operations. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP)
American tech giant Microsoft said Sunday its offer to buy TikTok was rejected, leaving Oracle as the sole remaining bidder ahead of the imminent deadline for the Chinese-owned video app to sell or shut down its US operations.
TikTok is at the center of a diplomatic storm between Washington and Beijing, and President Donald Trump has set Americans a mid-September deadline to stop doing business with its Chinese parent company ByteDance — effectively compelling a sale of the app to a US company.
The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported that Oracle had won the bidding war, citing people familiar with the deal, although the company did not immediately confirm that to AFP.
But two Chinese state media outlets — CGTN and China News Service — said Monday that ByteDance will not sell TikTok to Oracle either, citing unnamed sources.
The Oracle bid would need approval from the White House and Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a source told the Journal, with both parties under the belief it would meet US data security concerns.
Microsoft had indicated at the beginning of August that it was interested in acquiring TikTok's US operations, but announced Sunday that bid had been rejected.
"ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikTok's US operations to Microsoft," it said in a statement.
"We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok's users, while protecting national security interests."
In early August, Trump issued an executive order stating that if a purchase agreement was not reached by September 20, the platform would have to close in the United States.
Trump claims TikTok could be used by China to track the locations of federal employees, build dossiers on people for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.
– Disputed dangers –
In late August, China's commerce ministry published new rules potentially making it more difficult for ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US entity by adding "civilian use" to a list of technologies that are restricted for export.
ByteDance had vowed to "strictly abide" by the new export rules.
"We believe Microsoft would only buy TikTok WITH its core algorithm which the Chinese government and ByteDance was not willing to budge," Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said in a note.
"Given the need now to get a green light from Beijing after its export rules were changed a few weeks ago, TikTok's days in the US likely are numbered with a shutdown now the next step," the analyst said.
Downloaded 175 million times in the United States, TikTok is used by as many as a billion people worldwide to make quirky, short videos on their cellphones. It has repeatedly denied sharing data with Beijing.
Microsoft said it would have "made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation."
A deal with Microsoft could also have included Walmart, which joined forces with the tech giant during negotiations.
Ives said that even with Microsoft out of the picture, "while Oracle is technically the remaining bidder, without willing to sell its core algorithm we see no TikTok sale on the horizon."
"Oracle could be a technology partner, but a sale/divestiture of the US operations for TikTok remains the focus."
TikTok meanwhile has filed a lawsuit challenging the US crackdown, contending that Trump's order was a misuse of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act because the platform is not "an unusual and extraordinary threat."
Controversially, Trump has demanded that the US government get a cut of any deal, which critics contend appears unconstitutional and akin to extortion.
The bidding for TikTok comes during a broader deterioration of relations between the world's top two economies in recent months, with both exchanging fierce recriminations over trade, human rights, and the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
Posted on September 14, 2020 September 14, 2020 Author Anthonia OrjiCategories Business, Info TechTags ByteDance, Microsoft, tech, TikTok, usLeave a comment on TikTok Rejects Microsoft Offer, Oracle Sole Remaining Bidder
UN Urges 'Moratorium' On Facial Recognition Tech Use In Protests
(FILES) In this file photo, The United Nations flag is seen during the Climate Action Summit 2019 at the United Nations General Assembly Hall on September 23, 2019, in New York City. Ludovic MARIN / AFP.
The UN human rights chief called Thursday for a "moratorium" on the use of facial recognition technology during peaceful protests, stressing that it could increase discrimination against people of African descent and other minorities.
Michelle Bachelet's appeal came as her office published a report about the impact of new technologies on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of assemblies, including peaceful protests.
"There should be a moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology in the context of peaceful protests, until states meet certain conditions including human rights due diligence before deploying it," Bachelet said in a statement.
The report was requested by the United Nations Human Rights Council two years ago, but it comes as demonstrations have erupted in a number of countries.
READ ALSO: EU Body Recommends Use Of Remdesivir To Treat COVID-19
"New technologies can be used to mobilise and organise peaceful protests, form networks and coalitions, and help people to be better informed about demonstrations and the reasons they are happening, thus driving social change," Bachelet said.
But, she stressed, "as we have seen, they can be — and are being — used to restrict and infringe on protesters' rights, to surveil and track them, and invade their privacy."
The UN report pointed out that technology-enabled surveillance had been a major factor in shrinking civic space in a range of countries, with some states using intrusive online surveillance and the hacking of social media accounts used by protest organisers and demonstrators themselves.
It voiced particular concern over facial recognition technology, "which allows for the automated identification, surveillance and tracking of protesters."
Facial recognition has numerous uses that could simplify people's lives, as seen with Apple using it to unlock smartphones.
But the technology has a dark side, with facial recognition integrated into China's massive public surveillance system and its social credit experiment, where even minor infractions of public norms can result in sanctions.
As protests about police violence and racism spread across the United States, pressure mounted on the tech firms behind the technology.
Microsoft and Amazon announced they would suspend sales of facial recognition software to police forces, while IBM said it would quit the business.
– 'Amplify discrimination' –
Thursday's report warned that the use of facial recognition technology had left many people feeling wary of demonstrating in public places or publicly expressing their views for fear they could be identified, with negative consequences.
"Moreover, facial recognition technology may also perpetuate and amplify discrimination, including against Afro-descendants and other minorities," the rights office warned.
Protesters have marched in a number of countries in 2019 and this year on issues including racial discrimination, as with the recent global protests over the killing of George Floyd by a US police officer who has since been charged with murder.
"As people gather worldwide to protest against racism, including by law enforcement officials, the right to peaceful assembly has never been more important," Bachelet said.
"Facial recognition should not be deployed in the context of peaceful protests without essential safeguards regarding transparency, data protection, and oversight in place."
Posted on June 25, 2020 June 25, 2020 Author Anthonia OrjiCategories Info Tech, World NewsTags Protests, tech, UNLeave a comment on UN Urges 'Moratorium' On Facial Recognition Tech Use In Protests
Pandemic Gives Dubai Chance To Put Tech To Test
Police officers monitor the streets and receive calls from citizens at the Command and Control Center of Dubai Police in the Gulf emirate, on February 24, 2020. – The novel coronavirus has given the Gulf emirate of Dubai an opportunity to showcase its technological and scientific clout as it seeks to shape its own model for approaching the pandemic. KARIM SAHIB / AFP.
From smart police helmets to research labs, the novel coronavirus has given Dubai an opportunity to test its technological and scientific clout as it shapes its approach to the pandemic.
A key part of the glitzy Gulf emirate's fight is its COVID-19 Command and Control Centre, set up to coordinate the efforts of Dubai's doctors, epidemiologists and other professionals.
It is hosted within the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in Dubai's Healthcare City, also home to state-of-the-art hospitals, labs and research centres.
"For several years, Dubai has endeavoured to put in place solid digital infrastructure, and this has contributed to the fight against the coronavirus", said Amer Sharif, who heads the multidisciplinary centre.
It was established at the start of the health crisis by Dubai Crown Prince and social media star Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.
In one room, young mask-wearing men and women sit at carefully separated desks crunching data on laptops and coordinating with workers on the ground.
The initiative includes a scientific team whose role is "to stay abreast of the latest advances in research and scientific evidence, both in the country and elsewhere in the world", team head Alawi Alsheikh-Ali told AFP.
– 'Data and science' –
The United Arab Emirates has carried out more than 1.6 million coronavirus tests, and has officially declared over 28,700 infections, including 244 deaths.
This high-tech approach, Sharif said, including "the complete digitisation of the health system", has prevented a greater spread of the virus and made the lockdown easier.
Tom Loney, associate professor of public health and epidemiology at MBRU, said the coronavirus was an opportunity for Dubai to put its capabilities to the test.
"It's the ability to react, to make quick decisions based on data and science" that sets Dubai apart, said Loney, who is also an adviser to authorities in the city-state.
According to him decisions were made by order of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, whose portrait is featured on the MBRU building.
Dubai is one of seven emirates in the UAE, a key Gulf state with big technological and scientific ambitions.
The emirate lacks the oil wealth of its neighbours, but has the most diversified economy in the Gulf, building a reputation as a financial, commercial and tourism hub.
The UAE sent an astronaut into space last year, and in July is set to launch the first Arab probe towards Mars, a project sponsored by the emir of Dubai.
– 'Own model' –
Many tech options were already at Dubai's fingertips when the pandemic struck, and the emirate was quick at putting its technology to a variety of uses during the virus crisis.
Police wear smart helmets that take the temperature of passers-by while laboratories make protective masks using 3D printers.
When a night-time curfew begins, Dubai residents — 90 percent of whom are expats — receive a reminder message on their mobile phone in Arabic, English or other languages.
The UAE has regularly announced research advances into the COVID-19 illness, developing several apps to help manage the pandemic.
One of them, Alhosn, which the government has encouraged residents to download, helps track people who are infected with the virus or who may have come in close contact with confirmed cases.
But the use of technology to fight the pandemic has raised concern across the world over government surveillance and privacy risks.
Tech experts and the media have highlighted this issue in the UAE, where some foreign websites and applications are already blocked.
But Sharif pushed back against scepticism.
"Dubai and the Emirates respect privacy, whether it is a question of patient records or smart applications", he said.
The emirate was creating its "own model" of responding to the health crisis, Sharif added, though authorities were also looking at countries such as South Korea, seen as a positive policy response to the crisis.
"We must follow the developments… but also add to them," he said.
Posted on May 24, 2020 Author Anthonia OrjiCategories Coronavirus, Info Tech, World NewsTags coronavirus, COVID-19, Dubai, Pandemic, techLeave a comment on Pandemic Gives Dubai Chance To Put Tech To Test
'We Can Get It Done Here': Africa's Tech Scene Tackles COVID-19
Fidel Mukatia (R), an electrical engineering student from Kenyatta University, stands with a group of students who made a ventilator, at the university's facility (Chandaria Business Innovation Incubation Centre) in Nairobi on May 8, 2020, to mitigate the shortage experienced in the country and fight against COVID-19 coronavirus. SIMON MAINA / AFP.
Watching from afar as much of the world was brought to its knees by the coronavirus, African scientists, engineers and innovators have turned to homegrown solutions to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
By the time the virus hit Africa, where cases have risen relatively slowly, images of overwhelmed hospitals and stories of health workers strapped for protective gear had been streaming in for weeks.
Mehul Shah from Ultra Red Technologies, a 3D printing company in Nairobi, said he and his partner Neeval Shah quickly realised they could be "first responders" in producing locally-made equipment.
In only three days they put together a working design for 3D-printed face shields made up of a visor that clips onto a plastic sheet. They currently produce around 500 a day.
"It's very important that we can show Kenyans that we can do this here and we don't need to rely on importation. We have got the innovative know-how and the means to get this done here," he told AFP.
The team is also helping produce components that would allow ventilators to be used on more than one patient, as well as printing parts for locally-made ventilators.
While Kenya only has 912 cases and 50 deaths after a little over two months, "we are preparing for the worst-case scenario," Mehul said.
READ ALSO: Scientists In China Believe New Drug Can Stop Pandemic 'Without Vaccine'
He said it was "a first" to see manufacturers in Kenya and even worldwide collaborating so much.
"All the companies are looking at how they can use their resources to help out. All the competitors who would be fighting against each other are all coming together."
In Benin, the start-up Blolab — a digital fabrication laboratory – has also been printing 3D face shields.
– Contact-tracing apps –
Developers in Kenya's thriving tech scene are among several on the continent working on contact tracing apps.
FabLab, an innovation hub in western Kisumu has developed an application called Msafari (Safari means journey in Swahili) which can track passengers on public transport.
With it, passengers entering a minibus taxi — known as a matatu — can input a simple code on their phone along with the vehicle registration number.
"If one of those passengers tested positive we are now able to trace all the contacts who checked in on that particular vehicle, " said Tairus Ooyi, the lead app developer and data scientist at FabLab.
– Low-cost ventilators –
Another busy area of innovation has been the production of ventilators, which have been in short supply even in rich countries as COVID-19 patients needing oxygen have swamped hospitals.
Most African countries have only a handful of the machines and 10 have none at all, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Kenya, engineering students in collaboration with the medical department at the Kenyatta University, produced a low-cost ventilator at a tenth of the price of an imported machine — estimated at $10,000.
Doctor Gordon Ogweno, a medical professor at the university said Kenya had about 50 working ventilators for a population of more than 50 million.
"We are making machines with locally available material … pandemics can come and go but other conditions also require critical care," he said.
The ventilator is undergoing clinical trials.
In Ghana, the Academic City College in Accra and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi managed to produce a ventilator costing between $500 and $1,000 which takes only an hour to assemble.
A group of Rwandan biomedical scientists at the Integrated Polytechnic Regional College in Kigali have also been testing a locally made prototype ventilator.
Meanwhile in Somalia, which has limited capacity to respond to its growing caseload, 21-year-old Mohamed Adawe has invented an automated resuscitator.
While doctors normally need to pump oxygen via an Ambu bag valve mask by hand on patients struggling to breathe, Adawe's contraption — made up of a wooden box, pipes and an electric system — pushes oxygen from an air tank into a mask placed over the patient's mouth.
"I saw people having difficulties in breathing and many have died because they could not get a machine to help them provide vital oxygen," said Adawe, who is studying public health.
– Drones and robots –
Aside from locally-made items — African countries are also employing other technology to tackle the virus.
Rwanda last week began using four humanoid robots in coronavirus treatment centres to minimise human to human contact. They can screen temperatures and monitor the status of patients.
In Ghana, the US-based company Zipline which uses drones to ferry medicines, blood and vaccines to avoid poor roads, has begun to transport coronavirus tests.
"The government told us that their biggest challenge is that the virus has spread out of the cities, they have suspected cases popping up in the rural areas and the logistics from the rural areas to the cities are very difficult," said Zipline CEO in Ghana, Daniel Marfo.
Posted on May 19, 2020 May 19, 2020 Author Anthonia OrjiCategories Africa, CoronavirusTags Africa, coronavirus, COVID-19, Kenya, Pandemic, techLeave a comment on 'We Can Get It Done Here': Africa's Tech Scene Tackles COVID-19
Big Tech Acquisitions Over Past Decade To Face Fresh US Scrutiny
(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 4, 2019 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Joe Simon speaks during a press conference at the FTC headquarters in Washington, DC. AFP
A US regulatory agency said Tuesday it would look into acquisitions made by five Big Tech firms over the past decade — opening the door for potential antitrust reviews.
The bombshell announcement by the US Federal Trade Commission opens the door to possible investigations of deals made by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Google parent Alphabet since 2010.
The FTC said in a statement it ordered the five firms "to provide information about prior acquisitions not reported to the antitrust agencies" between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019.
The move comes amid growing scrutiny of tech platforms which have dominated key economic sectors, and calls by some activists and politicians to break up the Silicon Valley giants.
Antitrust experts have debated the legal and practical issues of attempting to "unwind" past acquisitions.
The FTC, one of the regulatory agencies that conduct antitrust reviews, said it would examine whether some of the deals "might have raised competitive concerns."
"This initiative will enable the Commission to take a closer look at acquisitions in this important sector, and also to evaluate whether the federal agencies are getting adequate notice of transactions that might harm competition," said FTC Chairman Joe Simons.
The US Justice Department has already said it is reviewing potential anticompetitive actions by major tech platforms, and attorneys general from the majority of US states have launched antitrust investigations of Google and Facebook.
The actions come against a growing "techlash" reflecting declining public trust in big online firms, and fines levied against Facebook and Google over privacy violations.
Posted on February 12, 2020 February 12, 2020 Author Ignatius IgweCategories Info TechTags (FTA), tech, usLeave a comment on Big Tech Acquisitions Over Past Decade To Face Fresh US Scrutiny
London Heads European Investment In Tech Sector
Investment in tech across Europe reached a record level in 2019, according to a study published on Wednesday, with London maintaining the number one spot despite Brexit uncertainties.
About a quarter of the $39.8 billion (£31 billion, 36 billion euros) that was pumped into fledgling firms was in the British capital.
The $9.7 billion London attracted in 2019 was more than twice the amount in Berlin ($4.5 billion) and nearly three times more than Paris ($3.3 billion).
The study, for London & Partners which promotes the city, said the top three cities were now competing for investment with places such as New York, Beijing and the San Francisco region.
Financial sector start-ups were seen as driving the growth in investment as well as those in artificial energy and clean energy.
British financial firms that have raised funds include online banks Monzo and Starling, as well as money transfer specialist WorldRemit.
London has now been in the top spot for venture capital investment in European tech firms for the last four years.
It was also the European city that has seen the biggest number of "high growth unicorn tech businesses" — new firms valued at more than $1 billion.
A total of 46 have been created in London since 1990, according to the study.
"Tech cities such as London, Paris and Berlin have helped to put Europe's tech sector on the map because they are home to world-class talent and are increasingly creating game-changing companies," said London & Partners chief executive Laura Citron.
The figures indicate that Britain is still an attractive destination for investors and entrepreneurs, despite the uncertainties of Brexit, which will finally take place this month.
France last year wanted to leapfrog Britain to become the European number one.
President Emmanuel Macron has promised more investment in financial institutions and to help grow tech sector businesses.
Posted on January 15, 2020 January 15, 2020 Author Ignatius IgweCategories Info TechTags Europe, London, techLeave a comment on London Heads European Investment In Tech Sector
50 Years After Internet Conception, Dark Side Stirs Fear
On October 29, 1969, professor Leonard Kleinrock and a team at the University of California at Los Angeles got a computer to "talk" to a machine in what is now known as Silicon Valley.
The event gave birth to a network that later became known as the internet — hailed at first as a boon to equality and enlightenment, but with a dark side that has emerged as well.
As UCLA marks the anniversary, Kleinrock is opening a new lab devoted to all things related to the internet — particularly mitigating some of its unintended consequences on the internet which is now used by some four billion people worldwide.
"To some point it democratizes everyone," Kleinrock told AFP.
"But it is also a perfect formula for the dark side, as we have learned."
So much is shouted online that moderate voices are drowned out and extreme viewpoints are amplified, spewing hate, misinformation and abuse, he contended.
"As engineers, we were not thinking in terms of nasty behavior," said Kleinrock, 85.
"I totally missed the social networking side. I was thinking about people talking to computers or computers talking to computers, not people talking to people."
The new Connection Lab will welcome research on topics including machine learning, social networking, blockchain and the internet of things, with an eye toward thwarting online evils.
Kleinrock expressed particular interest in using blockchain technology to attach reputations to people or things online to provide a gauge of who or what to trust.
For example, someone reading an online restaurant review would be able to see how reliable that author's posts have been.
"It is a network of reputation that is constantly up to date," Kleinrock said.
"The challenge is how to do that in an ethical and responsible fashion; anonymity is a two-edged sword, of course."
Businesses Being Bad
He blamed many of the internet's ills on businesses hawking things that are outdated or unneeded, violating privacy to increase profit.
Instead of clever lone hackers that vexed the internet in its early days, bad actors now include nation states, organized crime and powerful corporations "doing big, bad things," Kleinrock lamented.
"We were not the social scientists that we should have been," Kleinrock said of the internet's early days.
He regretted a lack of foresight to build into the very foundation of the internet tools for better authenticating users and data files.
"It wouldn't have avoided the dark side, but it would have ameliorated it," he said.
He remained optimistic about the internet's woes being solved with encryption, blockchain or other innovations.
"I do still worry. I think everyone is feeling the impact of this very dark side of the internet that has bubbled up," Kleinrock said.
"I still feel that the benefits are far more significant; I wouldn't turn off the internet if I could."
What Kind of Beast?
In the early days, US telecom colossus AT&T ran the lines connecting the computers for ARPANET, a project backed with money from a research arm of the US military.
A key to getting computers to exchange data was breaking digitized information into packets fired between machines with no wasting of time, according to Kleinrock.
A grad student began typing "LOG" to log into the distant computer, which crashed after getting the "O."
"So, the first message was 'Lo' as in 'Lo and behold,'" Kleinrock recounted. "We couldn't have a better, more succinct first message."
Kleinrock's team logged in on the second try, sending digital data packets between computers on the ARPANET, so named because funding came from the US Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) established in 1958.
Credit for creating the internet is a topic of debate, since there are a series of key moments in its evolution including arrival of protocols for how data is routed, and creation of the World Wide Web system of online pages.
The name "internet" is a shortening of the "internetworking" allowed when one computer network could collaborate with another, according to Marc Weber, curatorial director at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley.
"The billion dollar question is, what kind of beast has the internet become?" Weber asked.
"It has become the default main way for humans to communicate, and that is not small."
While marking its 50th anniversary, the internet as we know it is a "rowdy teenager" in the eyes of Internet Society chief technology officer Olaf Kolkman.
"The internet has done more good than harm," Kolkman said.
"The biggest challenge we have in front of us is that while we cope with big problems enabled by global connectivity that we don't throw the baby out with the bathwater."
Posted on October 29, 2019 October 29, 2019 Author Rejoice EwodageCategories LifestyleTags IT, Leonard Kleinrock, techLeave a comment on 50 Years After Internet Conception, Dark Side Stirs Fear
Google Streaming Game Service, Stadia To Be Launched November 19
Photo: LOIC VENANCE / AFP
Google on Tuesday said it will launch its Stadia streaming game service on November 19, hoping to launch console-quality play into the cloud.
The announcement came at a Google event in New York where the tech giant was unveiling an array of new hardware products.
Stadia allows video gameplay on any internet-connected device, eliminating the need for games consoles.
It will be priced at $9.99 per month and compete against Apple Arcade, which is being offered at half that price.
Streaming real-time gameplay from the cloud promised to shake up a mushrooming market worth an estimated $135 billion globally last year, according to analysts — with mobile platforms accounting for about half.
Posted on October 15, 2019 October 18, 2019 Author Rejoice EwodageCategories Info TechTags Gaming, Google, IT, tech, usLeave a comment on Google Streaming Game Service, Stadia To Be Launched November 19
Facebook Suspends 'Tens Of Thousands' Of Apps In Privacy Review
Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP
Facebook said Friday it suspended "tens of thousands" of apps on its platform as a result of its review on privacy practices launched following the scandal involving Cambridge Analytica.
The review was launched in 2018 after revelations that the political consultancy hijacked personal data on millions of Facebook users and included attorneys, external investigators, data scientists, engineers, policy specialists and others, according to a Facebook statement.
The suspensions are "not necessarily an indication that these apps were posing a threat to people," said a statement from vice president of partnerships Ime Archibong, adding that some "did not respond to our request for information."
Posted on September 20, 2019 Author Rejoice EwodageCategories Info TechTags Facebook, Privacy, techLeave a comment on Facebook Suspends 'Tens Of Thousands' Of Apps In Privacy Review


1. Having made no legal will: an intestate parent.
2. Not disposed of by a legal will: intestate lands.
1. not having made a will: to die intestate.
2. not disposed of by will: Her property remains intestate.
3. a person who dies intestate.
Adj. 1. intestate - having made no legally valid will before death or not disposed of by a legal will; "he died intestate"; "intestate property"
Ralph, having died intestate, and having no relations but those with whom he had lived in such enmity, they would have become in legal course his heirs.
Vanstone to have died intestate, the law takes due care of the interests of his widow and his children -- "
The law, if he has died intestate, gives a third of his property to his widow, and divides the rest equally among his children.
It so happened that just at the time when we quarrelled our father died intestate.
For example, then," continued Holgrave: "a dead man, if he happens to have made a will, disposes of wealth no longer his own; or, if he die intestate, it is distributed in accordance with the notions of men much longer dead than he.
Soon the careless nobleman forgot all about his former mistress and the child she had borne him; then, as we know, he died intestate.
If there is no will, the law of intestate succession applies and the husband does inherit.
CAROL JONES: It gives you peace of mind knowing that your estate will be distributed the way you wish, in contrast to the possible distress suffered by your family should you die intestate.
ON THE GRAPEVINE: We asked at Swayne Johnson: How important is it to make a will?


I love to eat. Hence I love to cook. And, hence I love to feed.
Here you will find my experiments with the 1000 odd recipes I have been collecting since I was a kid (teenagers were still considered as kids in my time) and sometimes a few sprinklings of restaurant reviews. But before that, I need to work on my non existent food photography skills.


Bring more life to your cell phone by making a charging phone stand with an old tree stump.
Begin your project by measuring the width and depth of your phone. Then, take these dimensions and transfer them over to the wooden base, drawing a rectangle around the wood to guide you when cutting.
Next, use your Dremel rotary tool, plunge router attachment and accessory to remove the wood in layers, following the rectangle you traced onto the wood. If you use the plunge router 3 or 4 times smoothly, you should not need to sand the wood down. However, if it does need to be smoothed, simply take a small piece of sand paper and rub the rough area down. Safety Tip: Wear safety glasses.
Then, remove the Dremel rotary tool from the router attachment and add the detailer's grip attachment, if using. Using a drill bit that is the same diameter as the thickness of your charging connector, drill two holes next to one another to form a slot.
Next, flip the wooden base over, and thread the charging connector from the bottom, up through the base so it is sticking out of the top. The wood will be nearly the same size of the charger, keeping the charger in place. Secure the feet of the base per its instructions, adding support and keeping the charging station from slipping.


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The future of educational research in Wales
Education in Wales is currently experiencing an unprecedented level of reform. The articles in this special issue of the BERA Blog are written by teachers and researchers in Wales who have been involved in various aspects of this current era of reform.
Given the current combination of political support from the Welsh government, financial and organisational support delivered through school consortia, and the enthusiasm and expertise of individuals in institutions, perhaps Wales faces not only a successful future with regard to teaching and learning in schools, but also the emergence of a new generation of developing educational researchers in schools, colleges and universities as well.
Through adversity comes strength: Educational policy reform and developing research capacity in Wales
Kevin SmithThe future of educational research in Wales
Introducing a special issue of the BERA Blog on education in Wales, to mark the conference, 'The future of educational research in Wales', held in Cardiff on 14 November 2018. Education...
How can cognitive load theory be applied to the teaching of history?
James WiseThe future of educational research in Wales
As a follower of a variety of educational blogs and their Twitter accounts, I became aware of a large number of people talking about the development of cognitive load theory and the impact it...
Hopes and fears: The development of a new curriculum in Wales
Nigel NewtonThe future of educational research in Wales
Since 2015, 'pioneer' schools across Wales have been contributing to the development of a new national curriculum based on Professor Graham Donaldson's (2015) report, Successful Futures. As...
Action research in the classroom: Applying spacing and retrieval practice
Damian Benney The future of educational research in Wales
I have been a classroom teacher for nearly two decades, but have only recently undertaken action research. In this post I describe my experiences with spacing (Bjork & Bjork, 2014; Cepeda et al,...
Drawing a line in the sand: Reflective practice using 'sandboxing' with HE students
Claire Pescott and Eleri JohnThe future of educational research in Wales
The ability to reflect in and on practice (Schön, 1983; 1991) is an integral professional skill within the field of education. This metacognitive process develops effective practitioners and...
Content in this series
Nigel Newton
Damian Benney
Claire Pescott
Eleri John
Reports27 Mar 2019
Past event14 Nov 2018
Do private schools make a difference to mental health?


text:
Putin: Russia ready to work with any new UK prime minister
Moscow also hopes that London will listen to the wishes of its own people about interaction with Russia, the president added
© Alexey Nikolsky/Press Service of the President of the Russian Federation/TASS
MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/. Russia intends to work with any new UK prime minister who will also be ready to cooperate, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with anchorman of the program "Vesti v Subbotu" ("News on Saturday") Sergei Brilyov on Rossiya 1 TV Channel.
Moscow also hopes that London will listen to the wishes of its own people about interaction with Russia, Putin said.
"We will treat this [the results of the election of the UK prime minister] with respect and we will work with all who want to work with us," the Russian leader said.
"When I met with business people, the British business wants to work and expand its presence on the Russian market," Putin noted.
"I hope that the country's [the UK] political leadership will respond correspondingly, understanding and being aware of this," he added.
Putin declined to speak in favor of any of the candidates for the post of the UK prime minister. "The candidate who will be elected by the party will be the prime minister. We will work with any person," Putin said.
The Russian president said he was bewildered over the UK system of electing the head of the Cabinet of Ministers.
"They seem to poke a finger at us all the time over the democratic processes in Russia, the electoral law and so on and so forth. But let's look at the method of bringing actually the country's top person, the top person of the executive branch to the supreme power in Great Britain… Is this done through general elections? No. This is done with the help of the party's gathering. This is, of course, strange for me, honestly speaking. But such is the British system," the Russian president said.
On May 24, UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation from the post of the Conservative Party leader and subsequently from the post of the head of the Cabinet of Ministers after the election of the party's new leader as she had failed to implement the country's exit from the European Union. The elections of the Conservative Party's new leader will be held in late July and before that May will remain the country's prime minister. The former UK Foreign Secretary, 55-year-old Boris Johnson, and his successor to this post, the current head of the Foreign Office, 52-year-old Jeremy Hunt, are the candidates for her post.
Foreign policyVladimir PutinUnited Kingdom