Robots Are Here

Company Aims to Produce Thousands of Humanoid Robots in 2021
Provided by learningEnglish.VOANews.com

A Hong Kong-based robotics company says it plans to mass produce thousands of humanoid robots in 2021.

For Your Information:  Hong Kong is controlled by the People's Republic of China...

Hanson Robotics says four different humanoid models will start leaving factories during the first half of the year. One of the four is a robot named Sophia, which has received worldwide attention in recent years for looking and speaking in a very human-like way.

The company’s founder and CEO, David Hanson, told Reuters the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for robots designed to assist and engage with humans. “The world of COVID-19 is going to need more and more automation to keep people safe.”

He noted that in the past, many of the company’s robots were built by hand. But now, Hanson Robotics is beginning to expand its manufacturing operations.

Hanson said there are currently 24 models of Sophia, which will be used as a basis for creating “many other kinds” of models. While not providing an exact number, Hanson said the company aims to sell “thousands” of robots by the end of 2021.

The company says it plans to market its humanoid robots as helpful assistants in the healthcare field. For example, they can be used to take temperature readings to identify possible sickness or perform physical exercises with older people.

Such “social robots” are powered by machine learning methods and artificial intelligence (AI). They use cameras and sensors to recognize human faces and activities. The robots are built with tools to help them develop their own form of social and emotional intelligence over time..

PANDEMIC Heats Up Earth

Earth heats up due to pandemic’s cleaner air, study finds
by: The Associated Press, Nexstar Media Wire, Darcie Loreno

Earth spiked a bit of a fever in 2020, partly because of cleaner air from the pandemic lockdown, a new study found.

For a short time, temperatures in some places in the eastern United States, Russia and China were as much as half to two-thirds of a degree (.3 to .37 degrees Celsius) warmer. That’s due to less soot and sulfate particles from car exhaust and burning coal, which normally cool the atmosphere temporarily by reflecting the sun’s heat, Tuesday’s study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters reported.

The study states:
“The COVID-19 pandemic changed emissions of gases and particulates. These gases and particulates affect climate. In general, human emissions of particles cool the planet by scattering away sunlight in the clear sky and by making clouds brighter to reflect sunlight away from the earth. This paper focuses on understanding how changes to emissions of particulates (aerosols) affect climate. We use estimates of emissions changes for 2020 in two climate models to simulate the impacts of the COVID-19 induced emission changes. We tightly constrain the models by forcing the winds to match observed winds for 2020. COVID-19 induced lockdowns led to reductions in aerosol and precursor emissions, chiefly soot or black carbon and sulfate (SO4). This is found to reduce the human caused aerosol cooling: creating a small net warming effect on the earth in spring 2020. Changes in cloud properties are smaller than observed changes during 2020. The impact of these changes on regional land surface temperature is small (maximum +0.3K). The impact of aerosol changes on global surface temperature is very small and lasts over several years. However, the aerosol changes are the largest contribution to COVID-19 affected emissions induced radiative forcing and temperature changes, larger than ozone, CO2 and contrail effects.”

Overall, the planet was about .05 degrees (.03 degrees Celsius) warmer for the year because the air had fewer cooling aerosols, which, unlike carbon dioxide, is pollution you can see, the study found.

“Cleaning up the air can actually warm the planet because that (soot and sulfate) pollution results in cooling” which climate scientists have long known, said study lead author Andrew Gettelman, an atmospheric scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. His calculations come from comparing 2020 weather to computer models that simulated a 2020 without the pollution reductions from pandemic lockdowns.

This temporary warming effect from fewer particles was stronger in 2020 than the effect of reduced heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, Gettelman said. That’s because carbon stays in the atmosphere for more than a century with long-term effects, while aerosols remain in the air about a week.  TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, Click Here...

Compassion

A Winter Collage

 

Living With Annual Raises

A 3–5% pay increase seems to be the current average. The size of a raise will vary greatly by one's experience with the company as well as the company's geographic location and industry sector. Sometimes raises will include non-cash benefits and perks that are not figured into the percentage increase surveyed.  SOURCE: investopedia.com

So...

based upon this data, let's do a little calculating...

We will start with a base salary of $50,000 and we will assume that this individual receives a 5% raise each year...

Year 1   $50,000

year 2    $52,500

Year 3    $55,125

Year 4    $57,881

Year 5    $60, 775

So...  after 5 years, your salary has increased a little over $10,000 and if you are at the level of only receiving a 3% raise, after 5 years, you increase will be a little over $5,000...

HOWEVER...

when employers give raises, health insurance premiums also increase...

when employers give raises, the cost of living also increases...

Meanwhile, the cost of living — including food, housing, education and medical costs — increased by 2.3% over the past year alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.  SOURCE:  cnbc.com

What does this mean?

Well...

if your raise was 5%, after calculating the cost of living increases, then your raise was only 2.7% not 5%...

If your raise was 3%, after calculating the cost of living increases, then your raise was only .7% or less than 1%...

AND...

if and when our Federal government decides to increase the minimum wage, it will be offset by the cost of living index relative to each State...  for instance, the cost of living is higher in Northern States than it would be in Southern States.

Forcing Teachers Back to School

In several school districts in several States across the contiguous United States, we have parents suing school systems to force them to open up schools even though the teachers HAVE NOT BEEN vaccinated against COVID.

NOW...  while our children need an education and need to return to school, the fact that we are forcing teachers to teach in the classroom, given their fears about contracting the virus, is putting our teachers in an impossible position psychologically...  and, while there are some that will RISE to the occasion, there will also be many that will NOT GIVE 110% because of the fears...  these teachers will not be able to suppress their mental anxieties and simple TEACH...  and, this awkward situation will impact the student.

If we are going to put teachers in the classroom, then we should vaccinate them appropriately to protect them so that they will not be in mental turmoil.

For example, soldiers who are going through an ugly divorce, or have sick children at home, or have other negative issues at home like financial problems, will not be in a mental state-of-mind to give 110% on the battlefield when needed...  and, will make foolish mistakes because they are not focused.

Being in war is not the same thing as being in a classroom, but the mental concentration that is needed relative to their mental performance in their respective jobs IS SIMILAR.

The Drone

 

Our Impotent Government

FEDERAL LAW

The federal government regulates drugs through the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) (21 U.S.C. § 811), which does not recognize the difference between medical and recreational use of cannabis. These laws are generally applied only against persons who possess, cultivate, or distribute large quantities of cannabis.

Under federal law, cannabis is treated like every other controlled substance, such as cocaine and heroin. The federal government places every controlled substance in a schedule, in principle according to its relative potential for abuse and medicinal value. Under the CSA, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug, which means that the federal government views cannabis as highly addictive and having no medical value. Doctors may not "prescribe" cannabis for medical use under federal law, though they can "recommend" its use under the First Amendment.

Federal cannabis laws are very serious, and punishment for people found guilty is frequently very steep. Federal law still considers cannabis a dangerous illegal drug with no acceptable medicinal value. In several federal cases, judges have ruled that medical issues cannot be used as a defense, though defense attorneys should attempt to raise the issue whenever possible during trial. Federal law applies throughout Washington D.C. and the United States, not just on federal property.

The following States have LEGALIZED MARIJUANA

Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
District of Columbia (not yet a State)
Illinois
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Montano
New Jersey
Nevada
Oregon
South Dakota
Vermont
Washington

The following States have allowed Medical Use of Marijuana

Arkansas

Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Hawaii
Louisiana
Maryland
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Utah
West Virginia

Personal Financial Planning

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE CALCULATED YOUR NET WORTH?

HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW YOUR RETIREMENT AGE?

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE DETERMINED YOUR RETIREMENT INCOME AND NEEDS?

The average American has answered none of the above questions...

The average American has not thought about retirement...

The average American saves no money.

The average American has some sort of debt.

Retirement Questions:

1. What is your retirement age?
2. How much Social Security will you receive?
3. Do you have a 401K or other savings plan at work?
4. Do you have any investments?
5. Are you in good health and will you stay that way?
6. How many homes will you buy and sell?
7. How many vehicles will you buy and trade in?
8. How many children will you have?
9. Will you pay for their college education?
10. How many companies will you work at?
11. Will you relocate out-of-State?
12. How much Life insurance do you have?
13. How much car insurance?
14. How much home owner's insurance?
15. How much money do you save each year?
16. Is your debt increasing or decreasing?
17. Do you exercise and eat healthy?
18. How much alcohol do you drink?
19. Are you managing your stress?
20. Do you drive the speed limits?

I'm Joe Biden

 

Cooking Reveals

 

Banning Gas Powered Vehicles

Federal bill seeks to ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035
Breana Noble, The Detroit News

West Coast Democrats this week introduced federal legislation that would ban U.S. sales of new vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2035, despite electric vehicles accounting for less than 5% of sales last year.

The proposal is hailed as a measure to reduce pollution and protect U.S. manufacturing. It runs counter to the Trump administration's work in rolling back Obama-era fuel economy standards that the overall industry hasn't met since 2015. Meanwhile, consumers are buying up trucks and SUVs with gas prices sitting closer to $2 than $4.

"If we don't make things in America, we won't have a middle class in America," Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, who introduced the bill with California Rep. Mike Levin, said in a statement. "By moving aggressively and boldly now, we can help save Americans from the dire health and economic impacts of the climate crisis, and make sure American workers are the ones building the next generation of cars for the world."

The proposal comes on the heels of California Gov. Gavin Newsom last month signing an order seeking to ban new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Likewise, a recent report from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection suggests all new vehicles will need to be electric or hydrogen-powered by 2035 to meet the state's climate goals.

The federal standard proposed by the legislation would require that in five years, 50% of new sales would be zero-emission vehicles — with that figure increasing by five percentage points each year until 2035.

COMMENT:  

Let's suppose that we do actually stop building and selling gas powered vehicles by  2035, we will still need to have oil production and refinement for the next 15 years...  and, that reduction will involve not just involve gasoline for automobiles but for all the byproducts of oil...   it will involve education, marketing, and changing industries related to the gasoline industry...  like airplanes, buses, trains, NASCAR, boats, yachts, cruise ships, etc.

And...  if we are doing this because of GLOBAL WARMING...  our contribution won't mean a damn thing unless the rest of the world follows our example....  and, even if they agree to follow our example, will they we able to END EVERYTHING related to gasoline by 1935?

Half Way There

 

Petroleum Byproducts

Democrats want to do away with OIL and by default, these products below would go away as well...

FROM BRITANNICA

This is a list of products produced from petroleum. Types of unrefined petroleum include asphalt, bitumen, crude oil, and natural gas. (See also fossil fuel; hydrocarbon; oil; petrochemical; petroleum production; petroleum refining; pitch lake; tar sand.)

Fuels

1. butane
2. diesel fuel
3. fuel oil
4. gasoline
5. kerosene
6. liquefied natural gas
7. liquefied petroleum gas
8. propane

Other Products

1. microcrystalline wax
2. napalm
3. naphtha
4. naphthalene
5. paraffin wax
6. petroleum jelly
7. petroleum wax
8. refined asphalt
9. refined bitumen

This article was most recently revised and updated by Richard Pallardy, Research Editor.

Although crude oil is a source of raw material (feedstock) for making plastics, it is not the major source of feedstock for plastics production in the United States. Plastics are produced from natural gas, feedstocks derived from natural gas processing, and feedstocks derived from crude oil refining.

College Degree = Success = Happiness

Many well educated and well experienced people belief beyond a shadow of a doubt that having a college degree in the KEY to having a successful career and happy life.  In fact, some believe that not just a BA/BS degree is required to achieve success and happiness but that one should seek out a Masters Degree as well.  HOWEVER, I would submit to you that MONEY and GREED are at the foundation of success and happiness not necessarily one's education.

In addition to one's education, one must be willing (more often than not) to violate their values, integrity, honor, and sometimes morals in order to achieve success and happiness...  Yet, it is true that education opens the door...  but, there is much more to it than that.

Successful people (not necessarily happy ones) put their FAMILIES SECOND behind their EMPLOYMENT and the company that employees them.  Successful people (not necessarily happy ones) are willing to work 60-80 hours a week, including nights and weekends...   and, in many cases are sent out-of-town on business trips at the drop of a hat.

Their family life is non-existent...  Their vacations are oftentimes spent conducting business as well...  and, many people enjoy combining business with pleasure but not all families with children are able to cope with this lifestyle.

My father's job for instance, took him away from the family for 9 months out of 12 and he allowed this to happen for about 10 years until he could find himself in a position where options were being presented to him.  Those options were being presented ONLY BECAUSE HE WAS SUCCESSFUL at accomplishing a variety of goals at which many others before him had failed.

SO...

there is a new criteria to add to education and experience and that is SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES...  If you don't there is no promotion and one could face termination of employment.

LIVING UNDER THESE CONDITIONS is not a good methodology by which one manages STRESS.

Additionally, many people are awarded PhD's and decide to teach for a living and even with that amount of education, teachers never become WEALTHY...  They are financially well off, but never WEALTHY...   and, if success and happiness is based upon WEALTH, then these people are never considered to be successful or happy.

I believe after working in a career for 45 years, I can say that the happiest I have ever been is when I had eliminated my stress...  and, once stress was eliminated, I also felt like I was finally successful in life.  Success and Happiness was NOT BASED UPON EDUCATION OR MONEY, but on living a life of contentment and wanting for nothing.

WANTING FOR NOTHING goes against the concept of GREED.  Our entire economic system is predicated upon GREED.  If and when Americans stop wanting more, life as we know it will become meaningless...  and yet, that is exactly what one needs to achieve in order to be successful and happy.  Many wealthy people do not considered themselves successful because there is more money to be earned...  and, while these wealthy people have all sorts of toys, the fact that they want/needs more is an indication that they are NOT HAPPY.

What's Happening To This Country of OURS???

 Chicago carjackings more than double in January, up 180% over last year; police say most offenders are teens

'We’re having 12-year-olds commit these acts now,' a police official said

Stephanie Pagones | Fox News  reporting

Chicago saw more than 180% more carjackings in January than during the same month in 2020 -- and police believe most of the offenses are being committed by young adults and teenagers, some of whom are currently out of school due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Carjackings rose about 135% last year to 1,415 and continue at a high pace this year, police statistics show. Chicago Police Department (CPD) recorded 218 carjackings in January 2021 -- a staggering spike from the 77 reported during the same time last year, authorities told Fox News late Monday.

The startling pattern has grown to be cause for concern among police brass, who on Jan. 21 announced the creation of a team dedicated to finding those people responsible.

Officials said CPD arrest data show carjackers are most often between the ages of 15 and 20, but arrest records show they are sometimes even younger.

"We’re having 12-year-olds commit these acts now," Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said, "and we gotta do something together as a city to stop these actions."

CPD's new carjacking team consists of 40 police officers and four sergeants assigned to work across CPD’s five detective bureaus, the department said. But the program extends beyond just manpower to include public programs and collaboration with community groups and local, state and federal partners.

"This idea of our officers confronting a 13- and 12-year-old with a gun and the most unthinkable tragedy happens is one of our concerns, but our primary concern, I want to make this clear, is for the victim," Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said. "And so these consequences, whether you’re young or old, have to be significant in order to discourage this behavior."

Deenihan said pandemic-driven changes, such as civil unrest and the lack of fully-functioning school and court systems have contributed to the surge. He noted the lack of fear on the part of the carjackers, pointing to one involving a 12-year-old that occurred on Jan. 15, when a woman was parking her car in a garage.  TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...

On Being White, continued

Haper's Bazaar writer Ella Alexander writes:

McIntosh (left) is 85 and is founder of The Seed Project, which helps teachers and community members to create a “gender-fair, multiculturally equitable, socioeconomically aware, and globally informed" curricula.

"In order to understand the way privilege works, you have to be able to see patterns and systems in social life, but you also have to care about individual experiences," said McIntosh in a 2014 interview with The New Yorker. "I think one’s own individual experience is sacred. Testifying to it is very important—but so is seeing that it is set within a framework outside of one’s personal experience that is much bigger, and has repetitive statistical patterns in it."

Here, we share 20 of McIntosh's examples of white privilege based on daily experiences that we often take for granted, in the hope it offers a better understanding of this complex subject. Let us learn from this moment and to be less oblivious to unearned racial advantages.

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.
2. If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.
3. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me.
4. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.
5. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.
6. When I am told about our national heritage or about “civilization,” I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.
7. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race.
8. If I want to, I can be pretty sure of finding a publisher for this piece on white privilege.
9. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods that fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser’s shop and find someone who can cut my hair.
10. Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability.
11. I can arrange to protect my children most of the time from people who might not like them.
12. I can swear, or dress in second-hand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty, or the illiteracy of my race.
13. I can speak in public to a powerful male group without putting my race on trial.
14. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.
15. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.
16. I can remain oblivious of the language and customs of persons of colour who constitute the world’s majority without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion.
17. I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider.
18. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to “the person in charge,” I will be facing a person of my race.
19. If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race.
20. I can easily buy posters, postcards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children’s magazines featuring people of my race.

Liberals versus Conservatives

We basically have only two political parties in the USA...   the Democrats (liberal) and the Republicans (Conservative). and while some elected officials do not affiliate themselves with either political party, they typically vote with the liberals.  The liberals also represent more of the people than do the conservative because of all the FREE SERVICES that the liberals provide at the expense of the TAX PAYER even though the WEALTHY sometimes pay more taxes, unless they have found a way to shelter their money in off shore bank accounts.

ON THE SURFACE, there is absolutely nothing wrong with giving people FREE SERVICES but as with everything there are OPPORTUNITY COSTS as well as UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, the latter only showing up 5-10 years later so association is not that immediate or influencing or even cared about.

The biggest problem with FREE SERVICES is the DEBT that is created and like all debt it will eventually have to be paid off.  Future Generations will pay off our debt and if you care about the future, those unintended consequences will serious impact our children's children as well as their children...  but, we will be DEAD and will not experience these consequences.

The other issue facing the liberals is the fact that they believe in a SMALL MILITARY and in so doing can redirect money from DEFENSE into other SOCIAL PROGRAMS and while this might has been a good thing to do 20-30 years ago, it is not the best use of resources today...   especially with the growth of CHINA, INDIA, the Middle East, RUSSIA, and North Korea who sole purpose in life is now to CRUSH the USA both MILITARILY and ECONOMICALLY.

Ever since WWII, the USA has been trying to FORCE DEMOCRACY down the throats of the rest of the world because pour AMERICAN POLITICAL LEADERS since 1950 have believed that DEMOCRACY is the only form of government under which one should live...   consequently, the USA is RIGHT and the rest of the world is WRONG.

Ironically, THAT PISSED OFF THE REST OF THE WORLD...  and, these countries have decided collectively that they should put the USA in its place...  which is why the rest of the world HATES the USA even though they are will to take OUR MONEY, OUR AID, and OUR MILITARY SUPPORT if needed.

The Conservatives are willing to protect the USA with FORCE whereas the Liberals want to make PEACE with the rest of the world, allowing them to grow and build their defenses believing that they SOMEDAY they will attack the USA...  and quite possible WIN.

If we ever reach a point in the USA where only one political party controls, we will certainly LOSE OUR FUTURE.

On Being White, continued

Oct 29, 2020

The U.S. election will be over soon but this year has surfaced deep human challenges that remain our callings — and possibilities for growth — for the foreseeable future. So this week and next, we’re taking the long view — first with journalist John Biewen, on the stories of our families and hometowns, what it means to be human, and what it means to be white. This conversation between Krista and John starts simply — tracing the racial story of our time through the story of a single life. It’s an exercise each of us can do. And it is a step toward a more whole and humane world, starting with ourselves.

John Biewen is audio program director at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies and host of the audio documentary podcast, Scene on Radio. In that series, John has explored whiteness, masculinity, and democracy. During a 30-year career, he has told stories from 40 American states and from Europe, Japan, and India.

Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.

On Being White

IN 0.63 SECONDS, I RECEIVED 4,480,000,000 RESULTS ON GOOGLE AFTER TYPING IN "On Being White."

Most of the results through which I quickly browsed were all directed against the WHITE MAN because ALL WHITE PEOPLE were born into a white world of PRIVILEGE...  or, so it is assumed.

I had WHITE PARENTS who were educated and who raised me to treat all people equally as long as their behavior suggested it...  and, that is exactly how I lived my life.

My father accepted a DIPLOMATIC post overseas at an American Embassy and to tell you the truth, I have no idea if his bosses even considered a black man for the job...  but, if there were no black men available, then it would have been difficult to hire a black man for the job.

Going to high school in Cairo, Egypt, I experienced NO RACISM or PREDJUDICE at all among the students with whom I attended this school...  and yes, there were many people of color attending that school.

When I attended college in NC in 1966, that was the first time that I experienced racism and witnessed white people treating black people differently...  including professors.  However, once I enlisted into the US Navy, there was no racism expressed at all and I remember that my Communications Officer was a black man and I showed him the same respect that I showed all officers in the military.

After college, I had several jobs and I have no idea nor did I ask the person doing the hiring if I was competing with any black people.  However, when I was Dean of a proprietary school, I hired both black and white instructors as long as they had the appropriate credentials and/or qualifications...  and, in my experience, I was never put in a position where there was a white and a black equally qualified and I had to chose one over the other.

Whenever I was promoted inside the ranks of education from instructor to Assistant Dean and then to Dean, there WAS NEVER ANY COMPETITION for the position from either other whites or any blacks that were employed.

NOW...

I am being confronted with WHITE PRIVILEGE and how the WHITE MAN/WOMAN has always had the advantage over BLACKS...

I just don't see it...  making it difficult for me to believe it exists...  and yet, logically, I know it exists...  but, NOT ALL WHITE PEOPLE have had a life of privilege...  and, it is that distinction that pisses me off the most about blacks thinking I have had it easy simply because I am WHITE.

I had NO CHOICE in my BIRTH...

and I damn sure had no choice in my birth parents...

NO ONE DOES...  unless they have a direct line to GOD...  and believe that they can influence HIM.