text:
Home > Radio Show > Kevin Galalae on COVID-19 and the Global Depopulation Policy
Kevin Galalae on COVID-19 and the Global Depopulation Policy
January 13, 2021 Kevin Barrett
This interview with Romanian/Canadian author-researcher Kevin Galalae was recorded on video. But if I posted it on YouTube my channel would undoubtedly be nuked. That's because YouTube doesn't like some of my views—so their censors would seize on things Galalae says in this interview as an excuse to shut me down.
I don't agree with Galalea's seemingly bizarre statements minimizing/questioning the existence and danger of COVID-19 and suggesting that much if not all of the damage attributed to it has been caused by nerve agents. Experts and evidence I give credence to don't support such claims. But even if Kevin Galalea is wrong about some of his specific claims (and it would be surprising if he or anyone else got everything right) his larger argument about global depopulation policy is plausible and merits further investigation—as I wrote in a recent American Free Press article reproduced below.
Kevin Galalae is the author of Killing Us Softly: The Global Depopulation Policy and many other books.
COVID-19 and the Global Depopulation Policy
By Kevin Barrett, for American Free Press
What exactly is the "New World Order" (NWO)? Readers of this newspaper know that George H.W. Bush announced its advent on September 11, 1991—exactly ten years before the mother of all false flags. NWO researchers suspect that behind this nebulous yet ominous phrase lurks a plan for global governance by a handful of billionaire bankers and their hired guns.
In Confessions of an Economic Hit Man John Perkins famously exposed the NWO's main weapon: international usury. The banksters drown the world in exponentially-increasing debt that is designed to be unpayable. When the victims start to default, the banksters threaten them with economic and perhaps even military devastation. The victims are forced to hand over real resources—oil and gas, forests, farmlands, minerals, water, and future productivity—in return for "restructuring" payments of exponential interest on imaginary money that was created out of nothing, backed by nothing.
So what is the purpose of the New World Order? Obviously the NWO's architects intend to consolidate more and more power in their own hands. Is that power an end in itself? Of course. But the NWO's secretive accumulation of ever-increasing power since World War II may be driven in part by a perceived emergency: global overpopulation and resource depletion.
That is the thesis of Kevin Galalae, author of Killing Us Softly: The Global Depopulation Policy. According to Galalae, the globalists have murdered half a billion people, and prevented another two billion from being born, since World War II, in what would be the greatest genocide in history by many orders of magnitude.
Some of Galalae's claims are undisputed. For example, the Third World has obviously been hit heavily by depopulation measures. China's one-child policy has resulted in forced abortions, 30 million unwilling bachelors, and the confiscation of children by the Communist government. India forcibly sterilized much of its rural female population. Bill Gates, the Rockefeller Foundation, and their allies have not been shy about pushing abortion, birth control, family breakdown, and socio-sexual deviance on every nation on earth that would let them in.
But those programs, Galalae asserts, are just the tip of the iceberg. Here in the West, home of the religion of democracy and individual liberty, unwary populations have not only been propagandized, dumbed down, and deliberately drowned in degeneracy, they have also been poisoned. The author claims that the demographic collapse of the West is not just cultural, but is primary the result of "chemical sterilization" by such agents as fluoridation of water and salt, BPA poisoning from plastic and metal packaging, and the spraying of aluminum, barium, and strontium from airplanes. GMO crops and glyphosates, for their part, weaken the immune system and increase mortality.
He might have added electromagnetic pollution to the list. Arthur Firstenberg's The Invisible Rainbow: A History of Electricity and Life makes it clear that most of humanity is the guinea pig in a giant electrical experiment that will, in all likelihood, badly damage the human gene pool, progressively corrupting germline DNA in order to collapse the global population.
Galalae argues the NWO is waging biological warfare on many fronts. He claims HIV was developed to check the rapidly-increasing African population, while flu viruses have been researched, enhanced, and deployed to target North Asians and Westerners.
All of these programs have to be kept secret, since most people would not accept them. The depopulation war, Galalae says, is the main reason for the explosion of secrecy and the transformation of Western democracies into pseudo-democracies.
Galalae's book casts the COVID-19 crisis in a whole new light. He notes that "economies of nations with decreasing populations are in a downward economic spiral." Key problem: The bulge of aging baby boomers hitting retirement age. Conveniently, these expensive, unproductive "human assets" are being wiped out by the coronavirus. Was COVID-19 designed, in part, for precisely that purpose?
Advocates of the Great Reset say pandemic life should become the new normal. We should "build back better" by continuing to avoid driving, flying, going to restaurants and theaters, visiting our friends and family, and so on. Self-driving Amazon robot cars will deliver us all we need to stay alive while we permanently "shelter in place."
Meanwhile, Bill Gates tells us "this is only Pandemic 1, just wait till you see Pandemic 2," and suggests that vaccinations can be used to slow population growth. No wonder he is sometimes portrayed as a stock cartoon villain.
The tiny handful of people who know about the Global Depopulation Policy, and direct it, believe they are doing good—by treating humans like vermin who need to be hoodwinked, sterilized, and exterminated. They are corrupters of the Earth, but do not realize it.
We must rise up against them and demand the truth.
Radio Showcensorship, Coronavirus, depopulation, Kevin Galalae, new world order
Homer Van Meter: Lt. Col. Michael Aquino's Hit Squad Shot Me 5 Times —and Was Protected by Police/FBI Coverup
Trump Aims to Beat His Own Record with THIRD Impeachment: "It Would Be YUGE!"


When I arrived at the polling place, about 40 people were waiting in line. This compares to perhaps 10 or so at a similar time when I last voted for president in 2004. It was virtually impossible to find a parking space! The mood was very friendly. Concord is a small town, and lots of people know each other and said hi. People shared stories about their kids while waiting. A number of people independently joked that they had come early "to beat the crowds." It was cold -- I would say low 40's -- but very sunny, and, with most of the leaves on the trees, it was a day for voting out of a Norman Rockwell print.
The process went fast. There were a lot of voting machines. Even with 40 people in line, I was done within 10 minutes, faster than I expected. I even had time to walk to the commuter rail station rather than driving!
On the train, I set next to a fellow-reader of the salmon-colored British paper, The Financial Times. I showed him my copy, and made a comment about "the few, the proud, the Financial Times readers." He said he liked their editorials better than The Wall Street Journal. He then proudly took out of his briefcase his copy of this week's Economist (which I hadn't seen yet, because I've been out of the office), and said, "Look, they endorsed Obama."
I know this blog has a number of international readers, including some from China, so I want to say especially to them that it was a very nice experience to join with tens of millions of other Americans to vote.


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com.amazonaws.services.s3

Class AmazonS3URI

java.lang.Object

com.amazonaws.services.s3.AmazonS3URI

public class AmazonS3URI
extends java.lang.Object

A URI wrapper that can parse out information about an S3 URI.

Constructor Summary

Constructors

Constructor and Description

AmazonS3URI(java.lang.String str)

Creates a new AmazonS3URI by parsing the given string.

AmazonS3URI(java.net.URI uri)

Creates a new AmazonS3URI by wrapping the given URI.

Method Summary

Methods

Modifier and Type
Method and Description

java.lang.String
getBucket()

java.lang.String
getKey()

java.lang.String
getRegion()

java.net.URI
getURI()

boolean
isPathStyle()

java.lang.String
toString()

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

equals, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait

Constructor Detail

AmazonS3URI

public AmazonS3URI(java.lang.String str)

Creates a new AmazonS3URI by parsing the given string.

Parameters:

str - the URI to parse.

AmazonS3URI

public AmazonS3URI(java.net.URI uri)

Creates a new AmazonS3URI by wrapping the given URI.

Parameters:

uri - the URI to wrap

Method Detail

getURI

public java.net.URI getURI()

Returns:

the S3 URI being parsed

isPathStyle

public boolean isPathStyle()

Returns:

true if the URI contains the bucket in the path, false if it
         contains the bucket in the authority

getBucket

public java.lang.String getBucket()

Returns:

the bucket name parsed from the URI (or null if no bucket
         specified)

getKey

public java.lang.String getKey()

Returns:

the key parsed from the URI (or null if no key specified)

getRegion

public java.lang.String getRegion()

Returns:

the region parsed from the URI (or null if no region specified)

toString

public java.lang.String toString()

Overrides:

toString in class java.lang.Object

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            Copyright © 2013 Amazon Web Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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See all in Policy and campaigning
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy launched in November 2011 and is committed to ensuring parliamentary knowledge and support for the latest research, policy and best practice in the field of literacy.
The group is chaired by Lucy Powell MP, with Stephen Twigg MP as the vice chair and Lord Knight, Lord Tope and Stephen Clarke MP acting as officers.
We carry out parliamentary commissions and projects to explore major policy issues.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy held its most recent meeting on Tuesday 4 December 2018. This event was the group's AGM and a roundtable discussion was held exploring how best to strengthen early language development and literacy in policy and practice. A policy paper on this issue will be produced in the new year.
Commissions, policy papers and projects
Language unlocks reading: supporting early language and reading for every child
A policy paper looking at the inter-relationship between early language and reading skills development, from the APPG on Literacy and the National Literacy Trust.
Commission on Fake News and the Teaching of Critical Literacy Skills in Schools
The report from the Commission on Fake News and the Teaching of Critical Literacy Skills in Schools revealed that just 2% of children and young people in the UK have the critical...
Literacy score - mapping literacy need across England
The literacy score is a measure of literacy vulnerability which we have developed with Experian. Together we have created constituency literacy rankings which measure literacy need...
Policy briefing on Education White Paper 2016
We held a high-level roundtable in Parliament in May 2016 to discuss the white paper and its implications for the education sector and literacy specifically.
Youth Literacy and Employability Commission
The Youth Literacy and Employability Commission was a joint venture between the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy and the National Literacy Trust to gather evidence and make...
Boys' Reading Commission
Research consistently shows boys' reading lags behind girls. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Literacy's Boys' Reading Commission was a joint venture with the National Literacy...
The School Library Commission
The School Library Commission was a joint initiative between The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and the National Literacy Trust which aimed to set a national agenda...
25 Mar 2021 National Literacy Trust Virtual Gala Night
09 Mar 2021 The Primary Conference 2021: Literacy by stealth
20 Mar 2021 Where's Wally? Weekender!
Our research underpins our programmes, campaigns and policy work to raise literacy attitudes, habits and skills across the UK.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


TOUR OF NUBILES RIGHT NOW!
Be sure to check out the choice girls because you will not find these pictures anywhere else on the net!!! We work hard to find girls who have just reached nubile status. Our mission is to bring you the finest nubile!


text:
import re

from tinycss2.nth import parse_nth
from webencodings import ascii_lower

from . import parser
from .parser import SelectorError

# http://dev.w3.org/csswg/selectors/#whitespace
split_whitespace = re.compile('[^ \t\r\n\f]+').findall

def compile_selector_list(input, namespaces=None):
    """Compile a (comma-separated) list of selectors.

    :param input:
        A string, or an iterable of tinycss2 component values such as
        the :attr:`~tinycss2.ast.QualifiedRule.predule` of a style rule.
    :param namespaces:
        A optional dictionary of all `namespace prefix declarations
        <http://www.w3.org/TR/selectors/#nsdecl>`_ in scope for this selector.
        Keys are namespace prefixes as strings, or ``None`` for the default
        namespace.
        Values are namespace URLs as strings.
        If omitted, assume that no prefix is declared.
    :returns:
        A list of opaque :class:`CompiledSelector` objects.

    """
    return [
        CompiledSelector(selector)
        for selector in parser.parse(input, namespaces)
    ]

class CompiledSelector(object):
    def __init__(self, parsed_selector):
        source = _compile_node(parsed_selector.parsed_tree)
        self.never_matches = source == '0'
        self.test = eval(
            'lambda el: ' + source,
            {'split_whitespace': split_whitespace, 'ascii_lower': ascii_lower},
            {},
        )
        self.specificity = parsed_selector.specificity
        self.pseudo_element = parsed_selector.pseudo_element
        self.id = None
        self.class_name = None
        self.local_name = None
        self.lower_local_name = None
        self.namespace = None
        self.requires_lang_attr = False

        node = parsed_selector.parsed_tree
        if isinstance(node, parser.CombinedSelector):
            node = node.right
        for simple_selector in node.simple_selectors:
            if isinstance(simple_selector, parser.IDSelector):
                self.id = simple_selector.ident
            elif isinstance(simple_selector, parser.ClassSelector):
                self.class_name = simple_selector.class_name
            elif isinstance(simple_selector, parser.LocalNameSelector):
                self.local_name = simple_selector.local_name
                self.lower_local_name = simple_selector.lower_local_name
            elif isinstance(simple_selector, parser.NamespaceSelector):
                self.namespace = simple_selector.namespace
            elif isinstance(simple_selector, parser.AttributeSelector) and \
                    simple_selector.name == "lang":
                self.requires_lang_attr = True

def _compile_node(selector):
    """Return a boolean expression, as a Python source string.

    When evaluated in a context where the `el` variable is an
    :class:`~cssselect2.tree.Element` object,
    tells whether the element is a subject of `selector`.

    """
    # To avoid precedence-related bugs, any sub-expression that is passed
    # around must be "atomic": add parentheses when the top-level would be
    # an operator. Bare literals and function calls are fine.

    # 1 and 0 are used for True and False to avoid global lookups.

    if isinstance(selector, parser.CombinedSelector):
        left_inside = _compile_node(selector.left)
        if left_inside == '0':
            return '0'  # 0 and x == 0
        elif left_inside == '1':
            # 1 and x == x, but the element matching 1 still needs to exist.
            if selector.combinator in (' ', '>'):
                left = 'el.parent is not None'
            elif selector.combinator in ('~', '+'):
                left = 'el.previous is not None'
            else:
                raise SelectorError('Unknown combinator', selector.combinator)
        # Rebind the `el` name inside a generator-expressions (in a new scope)
        # so that 'left_inside' applies to different elements.
        elif selector.combinator == ' ':
            left = 'any((%s) for el in el.iter_ancestors())' % left_inside
        elif selector.combinator == '>':
            left = ('next(el is not None and (%s) for el in [el.parent])'
                    % left_inside)
        elif selector.combinator == '+':
            left = ('next(el is not None and (%s) for el in [el.previous])'
                    % left_inside)
        elif selector.combinator == '~':
            left = ('any((%s) for el in el.iter_previous_siblings())'
                    % left_inside)
        else:
            raise SelectorError('Unknown combinator', selector.combinator)

        right = _compile_node(selector.right)
        if right == '0':
            return '0'  # 0 and x == 0
        elif right == '1':
            return left  # 1 and x == x
        else:
            # Evaluate combinators right to left:
            return '(%s) and (%s)' % (right, left)

    elif isinstance(selector, parser.CompoundSelector):
        sub_expressions = [
            expr for expr in map(_compile_node, selector.simple_selectors)
            if expr != '1']
        if len(sub_expressions) == 1:
            test = sub_expressions[0]
        elif '0' in sub_expressions:
            test = '0'
        elif sub_expressions:
            test = ' and '.join('(%s)' % e for e in sub_expressions)
        else:
            test = '1'  # all([]) == True

        if isinstance(selector, parser.NegationSelector):
            if test == '0':
                return '1'
            elif test == '1':
                return '0'
            else:
                return 'not (%s)' % test
        else:
            return test

    elif isinstance(selector, parser.LocalNameSelector):
        return ('el.local_name == (%r if el.in_html_document else %r)'
                % (selector.lower_local_name, selector.local_name))

    elif isinstance(selector, parser.NamespaceSelector):
        return 'el.namespace_url == %r' % selector.namespace

    elif isinstance(selector, parser.ClassSelector):
        return '%r in el.classes' % selector.class_name

    elif isinstance(selector, parser.IDSelector):
        return 'el.id == %r' % selector.ident

    elif isinstance(selector, parser.AttributeSelector):
        if selector.namespace is not None:
            if selector.namespace:
                key = '(%r if el.in_html_document else %r)' % (
                    '{%s}%s' % (selector.namespace, selector.lower_name),
                    '{%s}%s' % (selector.namespace, selector.name),
                )
            else:
                key = ('(%r if el.in_html_document else %r)'
                       % (selector.lower_name, selector.name))
            value = selector.value
            if selector.operator is None:
                return '%s in el.etree_element.attrib' % key
            elif selector.operator == '=':
                return 'el.etree_element.get(%s) == %r' % (key, value)
            elif selector.operator == '~=':
                if len(value.split()) != 1 or value.strip() != value:
                    return '0'
                else:
                    return (
                        '%r in split_whitespace(el.etree_element.get(%s, ""))'
                        % (value, key))
            elif selector.operator == '|=':
                return ('next(v == %r or (v is not None and v.startswith(%r))'
                        '     for v in [el.etree_element.get(%s)])'
                        % (value, value + '-', key))
            elif selector.operator == '^=':
                if value:
                    return 'el.etree_element.get(%s, "").startswith(%r)' % (
                        key, value)
                else:
                    return '0'
            elif selector.operator == '$=':
                if value:
                    return 'el.etree_element.get(%s, "").endswith(%r)' % (
                        key, value)
                else:
                    return '0'
            elif selector.operator == '*=':
                if value:
                    return '%r in el.etree_element.get(%s, "")' % (value, key)
                else:
                    return '0'
            else:
                raise SelectorError(
                    'Unknown attribute operator', selector.operator)
        else:  # In any namespace
            raise NotImplementedError  # TODO

    elif isinstance(selector, parser.PseudoClassSelector):
        if selector.name == 'link':
            return ('%s and el.etree_element.get("href") is not None'
                    % html_tag_eq('a', 'area', 'link'))
        elif selector.name == 'enabled':
            return (
                '(%s and el.etree_element.get("disabled") is None'
                ' and not el.in_disabled_fieldset) or'
                '(%s and el.etree_element.get("disabled") is None) or '
                '(%s and el.etree_element.get("href") is not None)'
                % (
                    html_tag_eq('button', 'input', 'select', 'textarea',
                                'option'),
                    html_tag_eq('optgroup', 'menuitem', 'fieldset'),
                    html_tag_eq('a', 'area', 'link'),
                )
            )
        elif selector.name == 'disabled':
            return (
                '(%s and (el.etree_element.get("disabled") is not None'
                ' or el.in_disabled_fieldset)) or'
                '(%s and el.etree_element.get("disabled") is not None)' % (
                    html_tag_eq('button', 'input', 'select', 'textarea',
                                'option'),
                    html_tag_eq('optgroup', 'menuitem', 'fieldset'),
                )
            )
        elif selector.name == 'checked':
            return (
                '(%s and el.etree_element.get("checked") is not None and'
                ' ascii_lower(el.etree_element.get("type", "")) '
                ' in ("checkbox", "radio"))'
                'or (%s and el.etree_element.get("selected") is not None)'
                % (
                    html_tag_eq('input', 'menuitem'),
                    html_tag_eq('option'),
                )
            )
        elif selector.name in ('visited', 'hover', 'active', 'focus',
                               'target'):
            # Not applicable in a static context: never match.
            return '0'
        elif selector.name == 'root':
            return 'el.parent is None'
        elif selector.name == 'first-child':
            return 'el.index == 0'
        elif selector.name == 'last-child':
            return 'el.index + 1 == len(el.etree_siblings)'
        elif selector.name == 'first-of-type':
            return ('all(s.tag != el.etree_element.tag'
                    '    for s in el.etree_siblings[:el.index])')
        elif selector.name == 'last-of-type':
            return ('all(s.tag != el.etree_element.tag'
                    '    for s in el.etree_siblings[el.index + 1:])')
        elif selector.name == 'only-child':
            return 'len(el.etree_siblings) == 1'
        elif selector.name == 'only-of-type':
            return ('all(s.tag != el.etree_element.tag or i == el.index'
                    '    for i, s in enumerate(el.etree_siblings))')
        elif selector.name == 'empty':
            return 'not (el.etree_children or el.etree_element.text)'
        else:
            raise SelectorError('Unknown pseudo-class', selector.name)

    elif isinstance(selector, parser.FunctionalPseudoClassSelector):
        if selector.name == 'lang':
            tokens = [
                t for t in selector.arguments
                if t.type != 'whitespace'
            ]
            if len(tokens) == 1 and tokens[0].type == 'ident':
                lang = tokens[0].lower_value
            else:
                raise SelectorError('Invalid arguments for :lang()')

            return ('el.lang == %r or el.lang.startswith(%r)'
                    % (lang, lang + '-'))
        else:
            if selector.name == 'nth-child':
                count = 'el.index'
            elif selector.name == 'nth-last-child':
                count = '(len(el.etree_siblings) - el.index - 1)'
            elif selector.name == 'nth-of-type':
                count = ('sum(1 for s in el.etree_siblings[:el.index]'
                         '    if s.tag == el.etree_element.tag)')
            elif selector.name == 'nth-last-of-type':
                count = ('sum(1 for s in el.etree_siblings[el.index + 1:]'
                         '    if s.tag == el.etree_element.tag)')
            else:
                raise SelectorError('Unknown pseudo-class', selector.name)

            result = parse_nth(selector.arguments)
            if result is None:
                raise SelectorError(
                    'Invalid arguments for :%s()' % selector.name)
            a, b = result
            # x is the number of siblings before/after the element
            # Matches if a positive or zero integer n exists so that:
            # x = a*n + b-1
            # x = a*n + B
            B = b - 1
            if a == 0:
                # x = B
                return '%s == %i' % (count, B)
            else:
                # n = (x - B) / a
                return ('next(r == 0 and n >= 0'
                        '     for n, r in [divmod(%s - %i, %i)])'
                        % (count, B, a))

    else:
        raise TypeError(type(selector), selector)

def html_tag_eq(*local_names):
    if len(local_names) == 1:
        return (
            '((el.local_name == %r) if el.in_html_document else '
            '(el.etree_element.tag == %r))' % (
                local_names[0],
                '{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}' + local_names[0]))
    else:
        return (
            '((el.local_name in (%s)) if el.in_html_document else '
            '(el.etree_element.tag in (%s)))' % (
                ', '.join(repr(n) for n in local_names),
                ', '.join(repr('{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}' + n)
                          for n in local_names)))


text:
New evidence highlights growing urban water crisis
by Global Development Institute | Aug 13, 2019 | News, Research Findings | 0 comments
New research has found that in 15 major cities in the global south, almost half of all households lack access to piped utility water, affecting more than 50 million people. Access is lowest in the cities of sub-Saharan Africa, where only 22% of households receive piped water.
The research also found that of those households that did have access, the majority received intermittent service. In the city of Karachi in Pakistan, the city's population of 15 million people received an average piped water supply of only three days a week, for less than three hours.
These new findings add to data from the World Resources Institute's (WRI) Aqueduct tool, which recently found that by 2030, 45 cities with populations over 3 million could experience high water stress. The research, detailed in the Unaffordable and Undrinkable: Rethinking Urban Water Access in the Global South report shows that even in some places where water sources are available, water is not reaching many residents. Some cities, like Dar es Salaam, have relatively abundant supplies, yet daily access to clean, reliable and affordable water continues to be problematic for many residents.
"Decades of increasing the private sector's role in water provision has not adequately improved access, especially for the urban under-served," said Diana Mitlin, lead author, professor of global urbanism at The Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester. "Water is a human right and a social good, and cities need to prioritize it as such."
Analysis in the report showed that alternatives to piped water, like buying from private providers that truck water in from elsewhere, can cost up to 25% of monthly household income and is 52 times more expensive than public tap water.
Global indicators used for the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals have largely underestimated this urban water crisis because they do not take into account affordability, intermittency or quality of water. UNICEF and the World Health Organisation reported in 2015 that more than 90% of the world's population used improved drinking water sources. But "improved" encompasses such a wide variety of sources, such as public taps, boreholes or wells that it fails to reflect the reality for individuals and families in today's rapidly growing cities.
The question of whether water is affordable is not measured and while efforts have been made to increase water coverage, public authorities have paid little attention to affordability issues.
"Cities need to rethink how they view equitable access to water," said Victoria A. Beard, co-author, fellow at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, and professor of city and regional planning at Cornell University. "In many developing countries where urban residents lack access to safe, reliable and affordable water on a daily basis, these are the same countries that have made huge strides in guaranteeing universal access to primary education. Equitable access to water requires similar levels of political commitment. The solutions are not high tech. We know what needs to be done."
The World Health Organisation reports that investing in universal drinking water coverage in urban areas would cost $141 billion over five years. But total global economic losses from unsafe water and sanitation systems are estimated to be at least 10 times greater, at $260 billion per year during the same period.
Researchers have identified four specific actions that can improve water access in urban areas, detailed in the report. "Without changes, the number of people receiving intermittent or poor-quality water will increase in the years ahead, due to rapid urbanisation, increased water scarcity resulting from climate change, and a general underinvestment in water infrastructure," said Ani Dasgupta, global director of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. "This will have huge costs for people and the economy. Cities must take actions now to guarantee all urban residents' access to safe, reliable water in the future."
Download the research briefing.
Photo by Jouni Rajala on Unsplash


Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has slammed US President Donald Trump's "foolish" remarks against Iranian people, saying such a stance is a clear sign of Washington's hostility towards the entire nation.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a Thursday meeting with a large group of Iranian students ahead of the November 4 ceremonies marking National Day of Fight against Global Arrogance.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei addresses students during a meeting in Tehran, November 2, 2017.


Scapa distillery is less well known than it's fellow Orcadian Highland Park mainly because there really isn't much Scapa around. Of the Scapas we have tried, we loved the 14, we were impressed by the 16 and this new edition is really good too, particularly at the price point. It is a fruity dram that has body but is still easy drinking.
Nose: Lots of sweet summer fruit- raspberry, pear, peach, apricot, honey suckle and lychee. There is a light touch of white chocolate fondant and milk bottle sweets.
Palate: Big burst of fresh American oak, lemon, lime, honey and juicy notes. An easy drinking and very enjoyable dram.


This Saturday marks the 2012 regular season opener for seven of the eight football playing members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The University of La Verne will be the lone exception.
Due to its bye week falling on the first league date of competition, La Verne will wait an extra week to open its regular season when it plays host to Whitworth in the Grand Re-Opening of Ortmayer Stadium on September 15. The contest also marks the first-ever home night game in the history of Leopard football.
In fact, the Leopards will be the last of the Division III schools on the west of the Mississippi River to open their season. Only the 10 schools from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), who begin their respective seasons on September 22, have a later start date.
The Leopards, with a current roster of 121 players, have been gearing up since the first day of practice on August 20. After nearly three weeks of drills and scrimmages while battling triple-digit temperatures, the squad will continue to prep as the rest of the conference officially begin their regular seasons this weekend.
Whitworth, La Verne's opponent in the season opener, will have the luxury of already playing two games prior to the Leopards' debut. The Pirates earned a 28-13 road win over St. Scholastica (Minn.) last Saturday and face Whittier this weekend.
Second-year head coach Chris Krich says there are both pros and cons to the extra week of preparation.
"You go through camp so long, we are going through same routines without a game to play so we're simply tired of hitting each other," he said. "It'll also be Whitworth's third game and our first so they'll have game experience while we'll be trying to overcome the first-game anxiety that normally occurs."
Nevertheless, Krich noted the late start gives the Leos an advantage of having a healthy team hit the field for next weekend's game, while also citing the continuity of playing the remainder of the season without the worry of a bye.
Krich says the squad is looking forward to September 15 and making history as hosting La Verne's first-ever night football game in the renovated stadium. "To have a brand new field is great," he said. It's also nice to bring back two other sports on campus with men's and women's soccer which is a bonus for our athletic department."
Last season, La Verne posted four victories in Krich's first year to equal the win total of the previous four years of Leopard football.


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You want to show that you have the ability to create content that people want to read. The best way to do that is to create a following or a strong clientele. When you have people that want to read your work, you are showing that it is quality work. When you have a following, you have a group of people that want to read your work. If you have a strong client list, this is another way to show that you write papers that have value.
Make a collection of your best work to put in a portfolio that shows off your writing abilities. You should include a sample of many different types of works so that you can show off the variety of things that you can write.
You want to make sure that you are an excellent writer and that you are constantly perfecting your skills. You can take a course or get a degree to show that you have the expertise to be an excellent writer.
If you have a site of your own, it will be easier to become a writer on a prestige site. You can build one on the social media sites and keep it updated. Build your list of friends and followers. You want to have people to bring to the company. You can also create your own website.
Submit some examples of pieces that they could use on their site. It is one of the best ways to see if you can write for their site. It is a great way to show that you can accomplish the task.


text:
Japanese startup Interstellar Technologies makes successful space rocket launch
Interstellar Technologies
Takafumi Horie
Masaru Ikeda 2019.05.04
Momo F3
Image credit: Interstellar
Japanese space startup Intersteller Technologies announced earlier today that it has successfully launched a small rocket in Hokkaido this morning. The company is well known for having been co-founded and invested by Japanese renowned investor/entrepreneur Takafumi Horie a.k.a. Horiemon.
Named Momo after a Japanese alias for 100, the rocket literally succeeded to rise to an altitude of more than 100 kilometers (the startup's twitter says it was 113.4 kilometers). It is 10 meter long and 1 ton with an diameter of 50 centimeters, has been developed by the startup from scratch. Intersteller has just become the first private company in Japan to launch a rocket into the space.
The launch was initially planned in April but was postponed due to a minor leak of liquid oxygen fuel and strong winds. This follows their second launch last year which ended in a fiery crash just after the liftoff. The startup is planning to launch another rocket in 2023, hoping to carry small satellites for lower costs.
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Japan Embassy in Bangkok, CP Group help Japan startups digitalize Thai conglomerates
Open Innovation Columbus (OIC)
The Bridge 2019.04.02
This article was rearranged by our editorial from the original by Momoko Furukawa, Assistant to Executive/PR at TalentEx. TalentEX is a Bangkok-based startup offering a media outlet and an online platform for recruitment and human resources. All the photos in this article were taken by Tomohiro Ueno, Corporate Planning at TalentEx. See our past coverage to learn more about TalentEx. See the original story in Japanese. The Japanese Embassy in Thailand together with the CP Group (Charoen Pokphand Group), operating 7/11 convenience stores in Thailand and also owning local mobile telco giant True, held a Demo Day and matchmaking event called Rock Thailand in March, aiming to help Japanese startups and Thai conglomerates to work together. The event is part of the Open Innovation Columbus (OIC) initiative, which promotes strategic alliances between Japanese startups and Thai conglomerates. With regards to OIC-related events, this follows the DX Summit held by the Japanese Embassy in Thailand last October. The majority of Thai conglomerates do not reap the benefits of a digital economy. In Japan, large companies are moving to start digital transformation (DX) by collaborating with startups (it's so called 'open innovation'), while in Thailand, due to the nature of the verticals…
This article was rearranged by our editorial from the original by Momoko Furukawa, Assistant to Executive/PR at TalentEx. TalentEX is a Bangkok-based startup offering a media outlet and an online platform for recruitment and human resources.
All the photos in this article were taken by Tomohiro Ueno, Corporate Planning at TalentEx.
See our past coverage to learn more about TalentEx.
See the original story in Japanese.
The Japanese Embassy in Thailand together with the CP Group (Charoen Pokphand Group), operating 7/11 convenience stores in Thailand and also owning local mobile telco giant True, held a Demo Day and matchmaking event called Rock Thailand in March, aiming to help Japanese startups and Thai conglomerates to work together. The event is part of the Open Innovation Columbus (OIC) initiative, which promotes strategic alliances between Japanese startups and Thai conglomerates. With regards to OIC-related events, this follows the DX Summit held by the Japanese Embassy in Thailand last October.
The majority of Thai conglomerates do not reap the benefits of a digital economy. In Japan, large companies are moving to start digital transformation (DX) by collaborating with startups (it's so called 'open innovation'), while in Thailand, due to the nature of the verticals that local startups specialize in, DX through open innovation will likely still take time.
In response to this, OIC selected a team of 10 Japanese startups that lead verticals likely to be useful for DX (AI, robotics, IoT, logistics), and that are particularly interested in advancing into Southeast Asia, including Thailand, and invited them to Bangkok. This is an attempt at targeting cross-border open innovation and focuses on using the power of Japanese startups to foster DX for Thai conglomerates.
Representatives from the 10 Japanese startups pitched in front of top executives from major corporations such as CP Group's CEO Suphachai Chearavanont, the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT), major retailer TCC known for its beer brewing brand Chang, Kasikornbank, the Thai royal family-backded SCG (Siam Cement Group), and the big name in hospital management BDMS (Bangkok Dusit Medical Service). Individual consultations between representatives were also made with the goal of establishing cooperative relationships starting with a PoC (proof of concept).
A committee made up of 10 venture capitalists and media personnel from Japan who have deep knowledge of the startup scenes in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, selected the startups to participate in this first edition of the event.
The following is an introduction of the participating startups. They are introduced in the order that they pitched. The collaboration specifics were not disclosed except between the Thai conglomerates and startups, so we introduce only the comments from participating startups.
PKSHA Technology
Yugo Takino, VP of Product, PKSHA TEchnology
PKSHA Technology (TSE: 3993) develops algorithm solutions focused on natural language processing, image recognition, machine learning and deep learning technologies. The company also develops function-specific algorithm modules and provides services to use them as core functions/ sub-functions for various software/hardware. Founded by engineers and researchers who conduct algorithm research, approximately 70% of PKSHA's engineers who have completed doctoral programs make up their team along with a collection of qualified personnel with academic expertise. PKSHA said that their resources could be used to provide services adapted to each industry such as weather and equipment maintenance.
Naoki Tonogi, Managing Director, ABEJA Singapore
ABEJA provides all kinds of solutions for a variety of industries using its core technology, the AI platform "ABEJA Platform". The company uses deep learning to automatically extract feature values from accumulated big data without human intervention.
Naoki Tonogi, Managing Director of ABEJA Singapore, cited three of ABEJA's strengths.
ABEJA can provide services for all industrial fields.
The company has developed services internationally, and has already achieved results, especially in Southeast Asia.
In addition to providing solutions with AI, the company produces its own products.
Tonogi shared the following comments regarding the company's participation in Rock Thailand.
We were able to talk with major conglomerates including CP Group. Companies that we had already talked to said they'd like to work together, and we were able to propose approaches using AI tailored to each task such as smart factories, smart cities, smart stores to the others. Because of the back-up from the Japanese government, it seems possible to create a cooperative system for innovation with the conglomerates in Thailand, rather than receiving a simple project order from them.¥
It's been about two years since I came to Singapore and Thailand, but over the past year or so the interest of corporate management in AI has greatly increased, and we were able to put together a number of projects with them. Based on the idea central to our company 'implementing a fruitful world', we would like to implement a rich society in Thailand for all the people involved in AI.
See also our past articles of ABEJA.
LPixel
Yuki Shimahara, CEO & Founder, LPixel
Spun off from the University of Tokyo, LPixel has a strength in image analysis for life science. The company is developing software and optimizing AI technology for image analysis in life science such as medicine, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. They continue to research and develop medical image diagnosis support using AI in cooperation with the National Cancer Center Japan and a number of other medical institutions. They have expanded into Cambridge, US to provide global services.
Japanese medical diagnostic imaging startup LPixel raises $27 million
Skydisc
Yoshihiko Suenaga, Head of Overseas Strategy Division, Skydisc
Skydisc develops IoT sensor devices and services that allows users to analyze the data collected using AI. It has most often been introduced in the manufacturing industry, and contributes to creating smart factories by diagnosing abnormalities in machines, increasing yield rates, and improving the accuracy of inspections.
Japan's Skydisc raises $6.5M to bring one-stop AI and IoT solution to various industries
Skydisc lands $855K to enhance detachable sensor packages for agriculture et al.
Umitron
Masahiko Yamada, Co-founder and Managing Director, Umitron
Umitron is working on solutions for food and environmental issues by using technology for aquaculture. The company has offices in Singapore and Japan and it provides services using IoT, satellite remote sensing, and machine learning. Umitron Cell, a smart feeder recently announced by the company, allows users to feed cultured fish on schedule and monitor their appearance autonomously or remotely.
Masahiro Yamada, Co-founder and Managing Director of Umitron, shared shared the following impressions regarding participation in Rock Thailand.
I've participated in many matching events, but I've never been to an event that left me so satisfied. Top class executives from the country's top conglomerates gathered together, the interviews were set up, and I was able to meet the people I wanted to meet, so it was really great.
I was able to talk with nearly all the conglomerates (that participated), and my first order of business is to begin discussions regarding their on-site issues. As far as business partners in Thailand, I expect there is a good chance for collaboration.
Aquatech startup Umitron secures $8.4M to help improve and sustain fisheries industry
Retsu Kitagawa, CEO, SmartDrive
Telematic startup SmartDrive provides services to collect travel data from cars and other mobility devices and then visualize and analyze it. Their services include SmartDrive Fleet (real-time vehicle management for corporations), SmartDrive Cars (flat-rate connected cars for personal use), SmartDrive Families (monitoring of the elderly), and Public Service (mapping of dangerous areas and traffic sharing). The company has also focused on developing sensors, including drive recorders, and creating its own route for data acquisition.
Japan's SmartDrive, car telematics startup, nabs $9M series B to ramp up big data analysis
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Ryosuke Shimohara, VP of B2B Business, Smart Shopping
Smart Shopping is a price comparison site for daily goods and food and serves over 400,000 users. In October of last year, the company launched a new product called SmartMat, an IoT device equipped with weight sensors that enables automatic recurring orders and inventory replenishment for consumables. It is primarily desgined for corporations tand automates the task of always keeping the necessary amount of items that may be easy to forget to order. With Smart Shopping, the pre-consumption weight of the product is stored in the company's product database and based on regular weight checks asks the user to authorize purchases when the remaining weight is low.
Ryosuke Shimohara, VP of B2B Business, Smart Shopping, shared the following comments about participating in Rock Thailand.
For WHA, a big name in Thai industrial parks and rental warehouses, we were able to propose added value for logistics facilities, solutions for their factory customers, and supply chain optimization using Smartmats. For the CP Group, Singha (beer brand), and Siam Makro (Thailand's answer to Costco), we were able to propose the introduction of an automatic recurring ordering solution for retail stores using SmartMats. We hope this will lead to the acquisition of large customers when developing business in Thailand, and lead to partnerships in Southeast Asia, including Thailand.
Takatsugu Kobayashi, Chief Data Officer and Head of Global Innovation, Ground
Ground provides logistics solutions with "Intelligent Logistics" as its company slogan. Starting with picking operations in warehouses, the company has built a platform combining robots and AI software to optimize logistics.
Problems that companies often encounter include too many options for consumers, consumers becoming easily bored, and the inability to detect consumer behavior in advance (such as cancellations). Ground uses machine learning based on a customer database that can identify consumers' behavior. Then, based on demand forecasts, it predicts the number of products to be made and the number of sales, and aims to improve the efficiency of all logistics operations.
Takatsugu Kobayashi, Chief Data Officer and Head of Global Innovation, Ground shared his impressions of participating in Rock Thailand.
We talked with several conglomerates, but we are especially considering whether we can provide solutions to the CP Group, Kasikornbank, and WHA. We believe that we can accelerate the development of our company's AI logistics software 'DyAS' and aim for early market-in to Thailand.
For startups that offer both hardware and software like ours, both the speed and scale axes are required–more so than regular startups. In terms of business expansion, if you don't take the three big steps PoV (Proof of Value) > PoC (Proof of Concept) > PoB (Proof of Business), it is very difficult. In that sense, business development in mature markets tends to be expensive for explanation and introduction costs, and startups with weak capital capabilities are likely to struggle.
However, after talking with the representatives from the conglomerates, such concerns have been lowered. I felt like in the current age we cannot compete overseas (especially with Amazon and Alibaba) if we don't market-in early (in Thailand) and support reverse innovation in Japan.
Souco
Kunehito Nakahara, Founder and CEO, Souco
Souco is a logistics sharing platform that has built an online database of warehouses and matches companies that want to lend warehouses with those that would like to rent them. The company simplified the procedures necessary to complete before using the space and made it easy to begin using warehouses with a "small lot" for a "short period" in 3 days minimum from the application date. Since the service launch, user growth has been steady and registered users have reached more than 300 companies.
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Hacobu
Masaru Sakata, COO, Hacobu
Hacobu offers a shared logistics platform called Movo. Thanks to the cloud and hardware such as the IoT devices managing moving vehicles, the company solves problems like vehicle dispatch (as an integrated logistics management solution, solves the problem of the difficulty of finding trucks to dispatch), operation management (solves the problem of not knowing location information of the trucks), and berth management (solves the problem of using trucks efficiently because of waiting time).
From left: Polapatr Suvarnazorn (SVP, Thai Beverage), Takatsugu Kobayashi (Ground Chief Data Officer and Head of Global Innovation, Ground), Naoki Tonogi (Managing Director, Abeja Singapore)
Following their pitches, there was a networking opportunity where talks about collaborations between Thai conglomerates and Japanese startups were lively. Thai executives also had positive comments to share about joining Rock Thailand.
Pichairat Jiranunrat, Director of Robotics AI & Intelligent Solution at PTT, says:
Thailand has long established good relationships with Japan and Japanese companies, and I think of Japan as a "good friend". Based on this trust, perhaps we can create something even more new?
I felt that it's important to incorporate technology (like that introduced today) into our company.
Yojiro Koshi (center), CEO of TalentEX, also also participated in the networking party.
Translated by Amanda Imasaka
Edited by Masaru Ikeda
Japan's Thai Embassy holds 2nd batch helping startups connect with local conglomerates
Insurance giant Sompo buys 21.9% stake in Google-backed deep learning startup Abeja
Japan's BlueGoats Capital looks to join series B rounds for global startups in unique way
BlueGoats Capital
See the original story in Japanese. Kazuhiro Aoyagi, the founder and CEO of Ignition Point, announced the establishment of a startup fund called BlueGoats Capital today. The fund size is set to be 300 to 500 million yen (about $2.7 million to $4.5 million). It will offers 1 to 50 million yen (about $8,900 to $450,000) per investment in Japanese startups in their pre-seed or seed round. Additionally, it will also introduce Japanese large funds to foreign startups seeking series B funding and join the round as a minority investor. The firm targets so-called 'XTech (cross-tech) Field', which applies new technologies into conventional real businesses. Obviously named after the founder's name – Aoyagi consisting of Ao (blue) and Yagi (goats), the fund was also influenced by the English words of 'Greatest of All Time'. He had been giving advice to entrepreneurs about incorporation or scaling-up of their business. In these processes, he has sometimes invested as an angel investor in some of them out of those like Synapse, the developer of the platform driving potential customers to online travel agencies. But he finally decided to expand his investment activity by forming the fund. Ignition Point had found various kinds of…
Kazuhiro Aoyagi, Founder of BlueGoats Capital
Kazuhiro Aoyagi, the founder and CEO of Ignition Point, announced the establishment of a startup fund called BlueGoats Capital today. The fund size is set to be 300 to 500 million yen (about $2.7 million to $4.5 million). It will offers 1 to 50 million yen (about $8,900 to $450,000) per investment in Japanese startups in their pre-seed or seed round. Additionally, it will also introduce Japanese large funds to foreign startups seeking series B funding and join the round as a minority investor. The firm targets so-called 'XTech (cross-tech) Field', which applies new technologies into conventional real businesses.
Obviously named after the founder's name – Aoyagi consisting of Ao (blue) and Yagi (goats), the fund was also influenced by the English words of 'Greatest of All Time'. He had been giving advice to entrepreneurs about incorporation or scaling-up of their business. In these processes, he has sometimes invested as an angel investor in some of them out of those like Synapse, the developer of the platform driving potential customers to online travel agencies. But he finally decided to expand his investment activity by forming the fund.
Ignition Point had found various kinds of business in a short period; the Secual smart security startup, the LEARNie online English conversation lesson for kids, the Pontely free DNA test for pet shop dogs, and the DANX on-demand eating and drinking service using food trucks. BlueGoats has no capital relationship with Ignition Point, but Aoyagi's deep insight and experience about startups and business management will be surely shared with the firm's portfolio companies.
BlueGoats Capital says that it may make Ignition Point's office space Spark 2045 or the Point Edge creative studio in Shibuya available to the new fund's portfolio companies.
Translated by Taijiro Takeda
DANX wants to roll out 'pop-up' and on-demand diners across Japan using food trucks
Japan's Pontely gives free DNA test for pet shop dogs, prevents future abandons, culls
Japan's Anri launches $56M third fund
One Visa now can help immigrant workers in Japan get credit cards, official certificates
One Visa
See the original story in Japanese. One Visa (formerly Residence), the Japanese startup that helps companies streamline visa management for their foreign employees, announced in a press conference held in Tokyo that it has partnered with Credit Saison (TSE:8253) and Fuji Xerox System Service. Credit Saison will issue credit cards for foreigners while Fuji Xerox System Service will work with government offices to offer pre-filled application forms for official documents. In the past, it was difficult for credit companies to obtain the latest information on the addresses and status of work of foreign national users, so there were problems in issuing credit cards to them. Through the collaboration with Credit Saison and by linking the visa information of One Visa users, companies using One Visa can detect when the foreign national user joins or leaves a company in real time as well as the latest information regarding visa renewals, the result being a smoother process for issuing a credit card. Additionally, with the support of Fuji Xerox System Service, One Visa will allow their users to get a pre-filled application for an official certificate by linking with the information from their visa application documents. The format of documents differs depending…
Albert Okamura explains how One Visa can help immigrant workers.
Image credit: Masaru Ikeda
One Visa (formerly Residence), the Japanese startup that helps companies streamline visa management for their foreign employees, announced in a press conference held in Tokyo that it has partnered with Credit Saison (TSE:8253) and Fuji Xerox System Service. Credit Saison will issue credit cards for foreigners while Fuji Xerox System Service will work with government offices to offer pre-filled application forms for official documents.
In the past, it was difficult for credit companies to obtain the latest information on the addresses and status of work of foreign national users, so there were problems in issuing credit cards to them. Through the collaboration with Credit Saison and by linking the visa information of One Visa users, companies using One Visa can detect when the foreign national user joins or leaves a company in real time as well as the latest information regarding visa renewals, the result being a smoother process for issuing a credit card.
Additionally, with the support of Fuji Xerox System Service, One Visa will allow their users to get a pre-filled application for an official certificate by linking with the information from their visa application documents. The format of documents differs depending on each local authority, but Fuji Xerox System Service is currently in the process of standardizing the format for the 23 wards in Tokyo and in Yokohama City where the population of foreign nationals is particularly large.
The new building at the One Visa Education Center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
In preparation for the revision of the immigration control laws that will go into effect on April 1st and created the new "special skills" visa requiring Japanese language ability, the company created a Japanese learning environment called the One Visa Education Center. The first center was established in September of last year in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and it is promoting a Japanese language learning business for overseas personnel in cooperation with Kansai University's Ikeda Laboratory.
In partnership with Seven Bank in December of last year, the company established a system that makes it possible for foreign employees to obtain a bank account almost immediately upon arrival in Japan by linking it with their visa information. Previously this has taken upwards of six months post arrival. (This system will launch on April 1st with the introduction of the new residence status, but it will take some more time until the first user comes in.)
One Visa was initially launched as a service helping companies streamline visa acquisition and management for their immigrant employees. With the expansion of its service lineup to include education (One Visa Education), employment referral (One Visa Work), One Visa (visa acquisition and management), and One Visa Connect (living support), it will become possible to provide extensive support for foreign workers, from working to living or other every aspect of their whole lives.
One Visa Co-founder and CEO Alberto Okamura
Okamura himself has worked for the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Shinagawa, Tokyo and had a hand in issuing visas for some 30,000 foreigners. More than 400 companies have introduced it since the beta launch in June 2017. The company graduated from the 4th batch of Recruit's Tech Lab Paak accelerator, and came in 4th place at IVS 2017 Spring Kobe's LaunchPad. In June of 2017 it raised 36 million yen (about $324,000 US) from Primal Capital and Skyland Ventures in a seed round.
Translated by Amanda Imaksaka
One Visa, helping Japanese firms manage visas for foreign employees, raises $4.2M
Japan's One Visa helps companies better manage visa applications of foreign workers
From 10th Infinity Venture Summit in Kobe: Here's 14 teams at Launchpad pitch finals
Japan startup unveils manned hoverbike, expecting it to fly above public roads [video]
A.L.I. Technologies
DroneFund
SCORE 2,351 Masaru Ikeda 2019.03.25
See the original story in Japanese. Tokyo-based A.L.I. Technologies (formerly known as Aerial Lab Industries) gave the press a demonstration of the prototype of its hoverbike named Speeder today. This was the first tine to show the hoverbike capable of flying with a person while the company showcased a mock-up of it at press conference announcing the establishment of Drone Fund's No.2 fund last year. Since the company thinks that it requires some time to realize a manned drone due to undeveloped legal system, it first aims the practical application of a hoverbike that can run on public roads floating in the air. They are currently in negotiation with tjhe Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the National Police Agency about the possible permission to ride a hoverbike with both a medium-sized motorcycle license and a drone license. The company also expects to ask purchasers of Speeder to get a lecture or training in advance at an authorized drone school for the consideration of safety. In the demonstration, they showed the hoverbike's various functions working properly: altitude control by ultrasonic sensor, auto-attitude control by IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), buoyancy control by duct effect / ground effect as…
Tokyo-based A.L.I. Technologies (formerly known as Aerial Lab Industries) gave the press a demonstration of the prototype of its hoverbike named Speeder today. This was the first tine to show the hoverbike capable of flying with a person while the company showcased a mock-up of it at press conference announcing the establishment of Drone Fund's No.2 fund last year.
Since the company thinks that it requires some time to realize a manned drone due to undeveloped legal system, it first aims the practical application of a hoverbike that can run on public roads floating in the air. They are currently in negotiation with tjhe Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the National Police Agency about the possible permission to ride a hoverbike with both a medium-sized motorcycle license and a drone license. The company also expects to ask purchasers of Speeder to get a lecture or training in advance at an authorized drone school for the consideration of safety.
Speeder, A.L.I.Technologies' hoverbike under development
In the demonstration, they showed the hoverbike's various functions working properly: altitude control by ultrasonic sensor, auto-attitude control by IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), buoyancy control by duct effect / ground effect as well as braking system. This prototype mounts a generic but customized engine but the detailed specification including how much power output it has was not disclosed.
A.L.I. Technologies starts taking orders for Limited Edition of Speeder Standard Model (only 100 will be sold) in early May while the finished product will be delivered in the first half of 2021. The expected price is $80,000 to $120,000. No down payment of deposit is needed but the firm plans to conduct pre-purchase examination for purchasers including license possession status in order to prevent the abuse of the product.
A.L.I. Technologies also plans to produce Speeder Sports Model targeting high-end users (the expected price is $300,000 to $500,000), although the production volume is still to be fixed. As for the mass production type of Speeder following Limited Edition, it will work using electric motors without gasoline engine and propeller but the company has not disclosed about how they will make it float in the air. In the demonstration event, Shuhei Komatsu (Chirman, A.L.I. Technologies), Kotaro Chiba (General Partner, Drone Fund / Managing Director & Investor, A.L.I. Technologies ) and Soichiro Imaeda (member of the House of Representatives, Diet Members Caucus supporting Drone Business) celebrated the hoverbike has stepped into the new development phase.
L to R: Kotaro Chiba (General Partner, Drone Fund / Managing Director, A.L.I. Technologies), Soichiro Imaeda (Member of the House of Representatives, Japan / Executive Director, Diet Members Caucus supporting Drone Business), Shuhei Komatsu (Chairman, A.L.I. Technologies) and Daisuke Kataoka (CEO, A.L.I. Technologies)
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Japanese 'robotics legend' joins telexistence startup Gitai as COO to create space robots
Gitai
Yuto Nakanishi
See the original story in Japanese. Japanese telexistence robotics startup Gitai (formerly MacroSpace) announced today that it has appointed humanoid scientist/engineer and former Founder/CEO of Schaft Yuto Nakanishi as COO. Schaft was founded back in 2012 and subsequently secured funding from TomyK and Tsuneishi Partners. It won the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robotics Challenge trials in 2013, and was later acquired by Google (name at the time of acquisition). Since then, Schaft had been developing robots at a new technology development company called X (formerly Google X) operating under Google's stock holding company Alphabet, but the Schaft project shut down in November of last year. Gitai was initially focused on the telexistence technology which connects an operator and a robot in two different locations. Since its participation in the 9th batch of the Tech Lab Paak accelerator in 2017, it appears the company has been trying to shift the business to the space sector. The cost of operating the International Space Station (ISS) tops several trillion yen or more worldwide, with Japan supplying several hundred billion yen or more of the cumulative total. Around half of the cost comes from training astronauts, their travel between the Earth…
The Gitai Team – Back row, third person from the right: CEO Sho Nakanose ; front row, middle: COO Yuto Nakanishi
Image credit: Gitai
Japanese telexistence robotics startup Gitai (formerly MacroSpace) announced today that it has appointed humanoid scientist/engineer and former Founder/CEO of Schaft Yuto Nakanishi as COO.
Schaft was founded back in 2012 and subsequently secured funding from TomyK and Tsuneishi Partners. It won the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robotics Challenge trials in 2013, and was later acquired by Google (name at the time of acquisition). Since then, Schaft had been developing robots at a new technology development company called X (formerly Google X) operating under Google's stock holding company Alphabet, but the Schaft project shut down in November of last year.
Gitai was initially focused on the telexistence technology which connects an operator and a robot in two different locations. Since its participation in the 9th batch of the Tech Lab Paak accelerator in 2017, it appears the company has been trying to shift the business to the space sector.
The cost of operating the International Space Station (ISS) tops several trillion yen or more worldwide, with Japan supplying several hundred billion yen or more of the cumulative total. Around half of the cost comes from training astronauts, their travel between the Earth and the ISS, and transporting the necessary items to maintain life on the ISS.
As astronauts are human, the amount of time spent performing tasks and the range of such activities are limited, and since we cannot ignore the effects of weightlessness and space radiation, astronauts who reach a certain period of time on their mission must return to Earth. Additionally, a variety of tests are conducted on the ISS; however, there are limits to carrying out these experiments in each field and all alone as each astronaut specializes in different fields.
If robots can be sent to the ISS and remotely controlled from Earth, it is possible to reduce the number of astronauts sent. If the ISS robot operators work in shifts, experts in all fields are able to carry out their experiments remotely, all day, every day. If robots can replace some of the extremely costful industries being employed, perhaps there is room to turn this into a business. It seems Sho Nakanose, Founder & CEO of Gitai, thought so.
With the Trump administration in the US announcing a policy shift in the operation of the ISS to the private sector (from NASA to space startups), the US has seen a remarkable increase in the momentum of space startups. Following the US movement to contribute 80% of the ISS operating costs, Japan is also looking for ways to cooperate with space startups through JAXA, one example being the ISS experimental module "Kibou".
Nakanose says,
For example, let's say that the ISS mission, which had cost 40 billion yen so far, has to be able to operate on 4 billion yen. In this case, even if a robot is a bit expensive, we can look at it as a cost reduction tool for the entire mission, so the robot's cost would be acceptable. […]
It may still take awhile for robots to operate autonomously, but if we can provide telexistence with detailed, high-definition but low-latency video and operability, it should be valuable enough.
Whether it is robots for businesses, or robots for consumers, an overwhelming reduction in cost is needed to bring it to the level of mass production that could cope with the widespread use of robots. As a matter of fact, this is probably the reason behind X's abandoning Schaft's operations. In contrast, a robot using telexistence for space missions would be able to make enough money for startups to continue doing business for as long as there is a demand.
6th prototype robot
Nakanishi added,
The main focus for Google's development of Schaft was to turn it into a business. Because we focused on how to do business with a bipedal robot, in order to do that we focused on the themes of low cost, low power consumption, and full autonomy. […]
Lower cost means that the profit rate for each robot is also lower, which makes mass production necessary, but it is still going to take time for a fully autonomous robot to reach the market. Google allowed me to do it for five years, and I feel like I took it as far as I could, but after reaching this conclusion I decided to move on.
Contrary to Nakanishi's previous dealings in the world of cost consciousness, in the space robot market companies can make a profit by selling just one. Furthermore, since there is no requirement to be fully automatic from the beginning, Nakanishi judged Gitai as the place where he can make the most use of his knowledge as a humanoid engineer. According to him, the hardware and software for fully autonomous robots are still unable to keep up with the the abilities of humans and the speed of human movement.
Nakanishi continued,
As a robot researcher, if someone else is able to do this, I feel like I don't want to admit it (laughs). But, if there is a place where you can accomplish what you want and get paid to do it, well, that's the best. (If it's not completely autonomous) Many people may place blame on it but you'd better ignore them (laughs). I want to produce a robot that can actually be used.
Nakanishi has been developing a robot that mimics the motions of the lower half of the human body at Schaft. But now he will work to produce a robot that produces movements as similar as possible to those of the upper human body at Gitai. The day when the technologies developed by the same humanoid scientist at different startups go on to be acquired by Google, uniting the upper and lower bodies in real life, may not be just a dream.
Gitai has enrolled several engineers from the Univesity of Tokyo's Graduate School of Information Engineering, Nakanishi's alma mater, such as CTO Toyotaka Kozuki (former mechanical engineer at Japanese personal mobility startup Whill) along with VP of Software Development Ryohei Ueda (formerly software engineer at Schaft). Gitai has transformed almost imperceptibly into an assembly point for some of the world's top robotics authorities.
Gitai raised 15 million yen (about $134K US) from Skyland Ventures in a seed round in September 2016, and then raised $1.25 million US from ANRI and 500 Startups Japan (at that time) in a seed round in December 2017.
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