Reports say the federal government is considering antitrust probes of Google and Amazon. Big Tech could be a bogeyman for both sides in the 2020 election.
from Wired http://bit.ly/2Wc4FQD
via
Intro Video
Monday, June 3, 2019
What a Bay Area Dispute Says About the Future of Bike Share
Baidu Censors the Internet in China—So Do Microsoft and Apple
Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx shifts Jussie Smollett recusal reasons, releases files
Chicago’s top prosecutor again shifted her explanation for why she recused herself from an investigation into Jussie Smollett’s claim that he’d been the target of a hate crime, saying she stepped aside because of false rumors she was related to the “Empire” actor.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx offered the new public explanation in a statement issued along with the release of 2,000 pages of documents in the case, which also refer to the rumors arising as suspicions grew that Smollett, who is black and gay, staged the attack against himself.
Her statement and the documents, which included internal office communications, illustrate how Foxx and her office at times agonized over whether she should recuse herself at all and over how to explain the decision in March to drop all charges that accused Smollett of lying about the assault and making a false police report. Smollett claimed he was the victim of a racist, anti-gay attack in downtown Chicago in January.
Foxx said in her Friday statement: “False rumors circulated that I was related or somehow connected to the Smollett family, so I removed myself from all aspects of the investigation and prosecution … so as to avoid even the perception of a conflict.”
But previous explanations suggested that she recused herself in February because of communications with a Smollett family member as the investigation of the reported attack was ongoing.
Foxx communicated in early February with former first lady Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff Tina Tchen, who was representing Smollett’s family, and with a member of Smollett’s family about the investigation. She recused herself on Feb. 13, and her office cited the communications with the Smollett relative, whom Tchen had encouraged Foxx to call, as the reason for the decision.
The new documents portrayed her as torn about whether to recuse herself at all.
In texts with her chief of staff, Jennifer Ballard Croft, Foxx said she was unhappy about having to step away from the investigation — even calling the false rumors “racist.”
An ethics officer, she said, “told me I had to do it.” She continued: “There were rumors she claims that I was related to or closely connected to the Smolletts. I told her that wasn’t true. She said it was pervasive (in the Chicago Police Department) and that I should recuse. I thought it was dumb but acquiesced. It’s actually just racist.”
Previously released communications also show how Foxx inserted herself in the case even though she had publicly vowed to stay out of the decision-making.
Parts of the Friday releases, not attributed directly to Foxx but to her office, say the new materials being released “reveals that the State’s Attorney was advised to “recuse” herself … solely based upon rumors that she was related to Smollett — which she is not.”
It also suggests miscommunication, saying that attorneys within the office advised against using the word “recusal” in what Foxx was doing — because they saw no actual conflict of interest.
“Those communications were not escalated to the State’s Attorney herself,” she said.
Smollett faced 16 felony counts related to making a false report that he was assaulted by two men early on Jan. 29. Investigators said he made the false report because he was unhappy with his pay on “Empire” and believed such an incident would give his career a boost. Foxx’s office dropped the charges on March 26 without any admission of guilt by Smollett, prompting a hail of criticism, including from then Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
Foxx’s office released the hundreds of police reports, warrants, internal emails and texts — that media organization had requested for months — as offices closed for the weekend Friday evening. A judge had approved release of the files last week.
Among the documents were letters to Foxx from supporters of Smollett in February, urging her office to rethink the charges.
One letter was from New York attorney Brian Ponder, who wrote “#NotJustJussie” in the subject line.
He wrote in his letter, dated Feb. 21, 2019, that he understood the gravity of a false-report accusation, but added that, “We trust such charges are not only pursued due to social, political, or racial bias.” He said: “We trust your office will review, investigate, and charge all false reporters, and not just Jussie. America is watching.”
The recusal issue has continued to dog the state’s attorney’s office.
In late March — after questions were raised about the dropping of charges — Foxx and her aides sought to recast her role, with one statement saying Foxx “used the term ‘recuse'” in the “colloquial use of the term.” They said the correct description was that she had “informally separated herself from the decision-making” in the case.
As documents released earlier illustrated, Foxx nevertheless weighed in at critical points as her staff decided whether to proceed with the prosecution, which began when Smollett was charged on Feb. 20. Her input included a March 8 text to First Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Magats, who became the final decision-maker in the Smollett case after Foxx purportedly stepped away.
Foxx texted: “Sooo …… I’m recused, but when people accuse us of overcharging cases … 16 counts on a class 4 becomes exhibit A.”
Magats responded to his boss, saying: “Yes. I can see where that can be seen as excessive.”
In her direct Friday statement, Foxx called the Smollett case “unique.”
“Allegations of a vicious homophobic and racially motivated attack shook our city and the nation with understandable anger and fear,” she said. And she added: “I did not have a conflict of interest in this case; only a sincere desire to serve the community.”
But she also conceded that the matter, especially on the recusal issue, wasn’t handled as well as it could have been.
“I regret that my attempts to this end created confusion outside the office,” she said. She added later: “I am sorry that despite the best intentions, our efforts were less than what was required of the moment,” she said.
The post Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx shifts Jussie Smollett recusal reasons, releases files appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2Z6VjYd
via
Eric Wainaina: I’m better than any global pop star
How to Watch Apple's WWDC 2019 Keynote
WWDC 2019 Liveblog: All the Apple News as It Happens
Sudan's security forces attack long-running sit-in
Sunday, June 2, 2019
Sudan crisis: Security forces move against protesters
BP paid billions for suspicious Senegal gas deal
New York Health Department continues to debate over cannabis oil
The fight to legalize the cannabis oil CBD made its way to a jam-packed hearing before the Food and Drug Administration on Friday.
More than 400 applicants from around the country, ranging from law firms to retailers, all petitioned the F.D.A hoping for a shot at testifying. The agency was forced to resort to a lottery system, which grated 120 the opportunity to address the hearing in testimony between two to five minutes, according to The New York Times.
Read More: Lil Pump partners with cannabis company
Meanwhile in New York, city lawmakers are fighting the Health Department’s ban on CBD, saying the chemical compound should be treated no differently than weed in the legalization discussion.
“We see it as kind of ironic that we are going after CBD while doing a legalization push for marijuana,” Winthrop Roosevelt, spokesman for City Councilman Mark Levine, told The New York Post.
In Washington, D.C., the F.D.A. hearing comes at a time where two very vocal sides have offering opposing viewpoints on the benefits and dangers of weed, depending on who you ask. For its part, the F.D.A. has its own reservations about the cannabis industry but is under congressional pressure to open up the CBD market for the release of cannabis products. In fact, many of these products are already on the market – but it’s up to the F.D.A. to decide whether to continue to allow companies to sell the products or to pull them from shelves.
Read More: 5 Black cannabis activists ensuring the “green rush” is inclusive
Susan Cooper, of LilyHemp (Infused Herbal Goodness), told The Times: “I have been privileged, awed and at times brought to tears by the positive changes CBD has brought to my customers’ lives.”
But Michelle Peace, an assistant professor of forensic science at Virginia Commonwealth University, testified that there’s nothing positive about what she’s been seeing: “We have seen a rash of reports nationwide from people being poisoned from taking CBD products.”
The Cannabis plant family includes hemp and marijuana. Until recently, the federal government considered the plant family to be controlled dangerous substances. However, the 2018 farm bill decided that hemp and derivatives like CBD were not a threat and had some beneficial qualities and should thus be removed from the controlled substance list – granted the products had less than 0.3 percent THC.
Read More: Beyond The Smoke: Cannabis for health, not a high
The World Health Organization also ruled that CBD is safe and not addictive.
At Friday’s hearing, many academic researchers agreed that CBD does contain some health benefits but said more clinical trials should be conducted before rolling it out widespread.
The post New York Health Department continues to debate over cannabis oil appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2QI5WO3
via
Victim’s mom says Kim Kardashian is misinformed about Kevin Cooper
Kim Kardashian has helped to free some non-violent offenders, but she is now trying to help a convicted murderer who may be using her goodwill to trick her, according to the mom of one of his alleged victims.
Mary Ann Hughes told TMZ that she is sickened to see Kardashian working with death row inmate Kevin Cooper to try and prove his innocence. Hughes said evidence shows Cooper is guilty of killing her 11-year-old son, Christopher, in 1983.
“It makes me feel sick to my stomach and I pity her. For what she’s doing to us, there’s nothing to justify what she’s doing to us, the immense pain she is causing us,” Hughes told TMZ, adding that Kim “obviously has not read all of the actual evidence — she has bought into half-truths perpetrated by the defense. If she actually sat down and read the transcripts of all the trials and appeals, she would be sick to her stomach to be in the same room with him.”
Cooper was convicted of murdering his neighbors, Doug and Peggy Ryen, their daughter, Jessica, and Christopher, who was spending the night.
But Kardashian thinks he’s innocent. Since last year, she has been on a mission to help non-violent drug offenders to get released from prison – starting with Alice Marie Johnson last year.
This time, however, Hughes says Kardashian is being duped.
Yet still she persists. Kim visited with Cooper inside of San Quentin prison last Thursday and has lobbied California governor to order more DNA testing in his case. For his part, Cooper has always maintained his innocence and said he was framed.
Read More: Black attorney clarifies her project litigated release for 17 inmates, not Kim Kardashian West
Hughes said nonsense.
“He’s 100 percent guilty and the evidence shows it. If you want the whole truth, read the 94 page document on the website of the San Bernardino County D.A.,” Hughes told TMZ.
The post Victim’s mom says Kim Kardashian is misinformed about Kevin Cooper appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/3154s5a
via
‘When They See Us’ sparking calls for Linda Fairstein book boycott
Linda Fairstein may be suffering book sales soon.
The former Manhattan district attorney responsible with charging five innocent Black juveniles, dubbed the Central Park Five, with the rape of a female jogger is back in the spotlight with the release of the Netflix docuseries, When They See Us, which premiered on Friday. Taking to social media after viewing the docuseries, people slammed Fairstein for wrongfully arresting and imprisoning the five teens, whose charges were later thrown out, but not before they served years behind bars, according to Blasting News.
Read More: ‘When They See Us’ actor Jharrel Jerome reveals greatest inspiration for Central Park Five Netflix film
In addition to the botched Central Park rape investigation, Fairstein is best known as an author of the Alexandra Cooper books, where she covers her experiences as a New York prosecutor. That experience has some lambasting her for sending five innocent Black boys to prison for a crime they never committed.
The #CentralPark5 case has to haunt Linda Fairstein to this day. Special place is hell for that type of lying. Thanks @ava for telling this story. #whentheyseeus pic.twitter.com/ot69yAyN1o
— BallerAlert (@balleralert) May 31, 2019
“The #CentralPark5 case has to haunt Linda Fairstein to this day,” tweeted @balleralert. “Special place is hell for that type of lying. Thanks @ava for telling this story.” #whentheyseeus
Wait, so Linda Fairstein relentlessly went after these innocent kids, she helped silence a case against Harvey Weinstein, and she was part of the decision not to prosecute Dominique Strauss-Kahn …and @glamourmag awarded her Woman of the Year?#WhenTheySeeUs
— April (@AprilTara) May 31, 2019
Added @AprilTara: “Wait, so Linda Fairstein relentlessly went after these innocent kids, she helped silence a case against Harvey Weinstein, and she was part of the decision not to prosecute Dominique Strauss-Kahn … and @glamourmag awarded her Woman of the Year?” #WhenTheySeeUs
Read More: CNN segment explodes when Trump supporter defends president’s treatment of the Central Park Five
What makes matters even worse is that apparently Fairstein still stands behind her prosecution of the Central Park 5 and believes their convictions should not have been overturned. The City of New York ended up paying the men more than 40 million dollars for their wrongful convictions.
When They See Us, which was created, written and directed by Ava DuVernay, tells the true life story of the Central Park 5 and all that they endured. People are responding to the miniseries by pledging never to support Fairstein’s books again.
Boycott it is. Maybe then, she’ll see us.
The post ‘When They See Us’ sparking calls for Linda Fairstein book boycott appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://thegrio.com/2019/06/02/linda-fairstein-book-boycott/
via
Five people injured in stampede at Roots Picnic music festival
A rampant rumor that a concert goer in Philadelphia had a gun was enough to spark a stampede in which five people were injured at the Roots Picnic music festival.
The crowd broke into a stampede around 6:40 p.m. while 21 Savage was on the main stage at the Mann Center, according to Philly Voice. Police said what prompted the stampede was someone in the crowd said someone had a weapon, although officers didn’t find a gun.
Others said it wasn’t a gun, but rather a fist fight that caused the pandemonium. One source said that it could have been something as simple as someone throwing up and backing up into the crowd that prompted the stampede.
Luckily, four of the five injuries appear to be minor in nature, reported police. The fifth person broke a leg. All five people were treated at local hospitals.
Attendees took to social media to discuss the incident and to weigh in on the various rumors.
According to Billy Penn, one attendee said after a fight broke out near the stage, attendees started to push to get away from it. Penn also addressed another rumor about the stage allegedly collapsing, causing the chaos Saturday night.
Some were so shaken, they declined to go back into the Mann Center after the ruckus.
“The type of f*****g RUN we had to do at the roots picnic. I still have f*****g anxiety. The fact that we live in a society with active shooter situations at events caused so much hysteria. I really ran for my life. I will NEVER do another festival again,” one Twitter user stated.
The Roots Picnic music festival is always a popular one for music enthusiasts. This year marks the 12th year for the festival. Previously, the music festival was held at Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing, but that location officially closed this year.
Despite the hooplah, the concert was filled with amazing performances from the likes of Common, Lil Baby, H.E.R., DJ Aktive, Tank and The Bangas, Yasiin Bey, Pharoahe Monch, Davido and Jilly from Philly aka Jill Scott. The closing concert was from The Roots, proving why they have been winning in the game for so long.
This was the first year that the event was held at the Mann Center in Fairmount Park.
The post Five people injured in stampede at Roots Picnic music festival appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://thegrio.com/2019/06/02/stampede-roots-picnic/
via
New York City Airbnb host calls Black men ‘monkeys’ and ‘criminals’
Chef Meshach Cisero tasted a bitter dish of racism and disrespect while staying at an Airbnb house in New York City over the weekend.
On a Twitter post, Cisero shared that he and four of his friends experienced racism by the host, only identified as Kate, and were subsequently kicked out of her Upper East Side apartment at 2:30 a.m. Kate questioned the number of people in the house and said there was only supposed to be four people, before Cisero reminded her that her post said two beds and a couch and the fifth person would be sleeping on the sofa.
Read More: After rash of racist incidents, Airbnb partners with NAACP to help Black people cash in
— Meshach Cisero (@mcisero24) June 1, 2019
Here are a select few of the most outrageous comments from the video.
“It says no party. This is a f*****g party,” Kate responded. “Which monkey is going to stay on the couch?”
“Monkey? Your mom,” one of the men replied back. Kate is then seen walking down the steps.
“Record and repost this as much as possible. Me and my friends just encountered a racist Airbnb host,” the chef said later on a Twitter post. “We entered Airbnb this evening, all coming in from different parts of the country to have a good time in New York City and our Airbnb host treated us very disrespectfully. She complained unnecessarily about our noise. She racially profiled us calling us criminals. She used racial slurs such as monkeys to describe us. She complained and said she felt threatened by our presence there.”
So far, Twitter posts on the incident have garnered more than 1.6 million views.
Read More: Pharrell urges Virginia Beach citizens to become Airbnb hosts to support upcoming festival
Airbnb has issued a statement condemning the host’s racist language and states that she has been removed from their platform.
“The language used in this video is unacceptable and has no place in the Airbnb community,” spokesman Ben Breit told the Daily Mail. “We have a strict nondiscrimination policy, which we are enforcing to remove the host from our platform. We are supporting Mr. Cisero and his friends in getting them a new place to stay through our Open Doors policy. We’re thankful to them for bringing this to our attention so we could take action.”
Noirbnb, a site that promises to support Black people that travel with lodging and a variety of experiences, offered to help the chef find some place to stay.
Cisero is executive chef of The Cage Bird in Washington D.C.
The post New York City Airbnb host calls Black men ‘monkeys’ and ‘criminals’ appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://thegrio.com/2019/06/02/airbnb-black-men-monkeys/
via
New Orleans’ Leah Chase aka the ‘Queen of Creole Cuisine’ dead at 96
The legendary queen of New Orleans Creole cuisine has died.
Leah Chase, who introduced her beloved Creole dishes to tourists from around the world, became a Civil Rights icon for refusing to abide by segregation laws, allowing Black and white patrons to dine together inside of her restaurant, Dooky Chase named after her late husband, according to NBC News.
Read More: The mouth of the South: New Orleans with World Wide Nate
While in New Orleans, civil rights leaders such as Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ernest “Dutch” Morial, the city’s first Black mayor, would dine at Dooky Chase’s and plan strategic voter registration drives or other impactful ways to challenge segregation laws and bring about change. Chase, 96, was also known to sneak food to some of these same leaders while they were unjustly jailed.
In a statement, Chase’s family said their matriarch, an “unwavering advocate for civil liberties” and firm “believer in the Spirit of New Orleans” died surrounded by her close-knit family.
Read More: Baltimore mayor makes Office of Civil Rights independent to avoid police conflict of interest
“Her daily joy was not simply cooking, but preparing meals to bring people together,” the statement read, according to NBC. “One of her most prized contributions was advocating for the Civil Rights Movement through feeding those on the front lines of the struggle for human dignity.”
Leah married Dooky Chase in 1946, and helped turn his family restaurant from a casual sandwich like spot into the legendary fine dining restaurant for which it is now known. She simply wanted to offer the same posh service to Black patrons that white restaurant-goers experienced in the French Quarter – complete with fancy tablecloths, silverware and delectable food such as jambalaya and gumbo.
“I said well why we can’t have that for our people? Why we can’t have a nice space?” Leah Chase said in a 2015 interview with The Associated Press. “So I started trying to do different things.”
“I love people and I love serving people. It’s fun for me to serve people. Because sometimes people will come in and they’re tired. And just a little plate of food will make people happy,” she added.
Read More: New Orleans school dean killed during Memorial Day weekend violence
When Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans in 2005, it proved to be a devastating one for Dooky Chase’s. More than 5 feet of water flooded the restaurant and left mold in its wake.
Chase and her husband temporarily relocated to Birmingham but would later return to New Orleans, living out of a FEMA trailer situated next to their restaurant. From there, they rebuilt.
Dooky Chase preceded Leah in death in 2016.
The post New Orleans’ Leah Chase aka the ‘Queen of Creole Cuisine’ dead at 96 appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://thegrio.com/2019/06/02/leah-chase-dead-96/
via
Cricket World Cup: Bangladesh beat South Africa by 21 runs
African Champions League: Wydad president calls on Caf to investigate final
Trump's Response to Robert Mueller Tops This Week's Internet News Roundup
Hybrid Ferraris! Flying Cars! And More Car News This Week
At 90, E. O. Wilson Still Thrives on Being a Scientific Provocateur
Cinder Grill Review: Cooks Like a Champ, but Needs Refinement
Algeria elections planned for 4 July 'impossible', authorities say
Much @Stake: The Band of Hackers That Defined an Era
Best MacBooks for 2019: Which Model Should You Actually Buy?
Apple Just Patched a Modem Bug That's Been in Macs Since 1999
Salah goal helps Liverpool win Champions League
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Gadget Lab Podcast: An Interview With Firewire Surfboards CEO Mark Price
Apply Now For $1 Million in Minority Business Funding
MEDA, (Metropolitan Economic Development Association), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping minority businesses succeed, has opened up applications for its second year of the Million Dollar Challenge for Minority Entrepreneurs. The Million Dollar Challenge is awarding $1 million in funding to minority businesses from across the nation.
During its inaugural year, the Million Dollar Challenge resulted in nine minority businesses from four states receiving financial awards, totaling nearly $1.5 million.
“Meda’s Million Dollar Challenge brings so much to the table for entrepreneurs of color: highlighting their innovation and creativity, attracting more equity and capital investments, and accelerating business growth,” said Gary Cunningham, President and CEO of Meda. “The impact of uplifting minority entrepreneurs goes far beyond the bounds of the individual and is a proven strategy for creating jobs and boosting economic development. When we support minority entrepreneurs, we support all – and we are proud to bring the Million Dollar Challenge back for a second year to continue that impact on a national level.”
Minority business owners often lack access to capital to start and grow their businesses. A 2017 study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that from 1990- 2016, minority entrepreneurs only represented approximately 20% of entrepreneurs funded by venture capital. Plus, according to a 2017 report by the Minority Business Development Agency, loan denial rates were three times higher for minority firms with gross receipts under $500,000 and about twice as high for minority firms with greater revenues.
Meda services include business consulting, financing solutions and corporate and government opportunities, such as contracts and funding opportunities. Since its inception in 1971, Meda has assisted over 20,500 minority entrepreneurs and helped start over 500 minority-owned, small businesses.
The “Shark Tank” style pitch competition includes a speed-pitching event, Meda’s Boot Camp for Successful Pitches, and a final live pitch and awards ceremony. All for-profit minority-owned businesses in the United States are encouraged to apply.
Applications opened on May 15, 2019 and close on June 13, 2019. Semifinals will take place in July and the Final pitch event will coincide with Twin Cities Startup Week in October.
To apply, click here.
from Black Enterprise http://bit.ly/2XmJpsH
via
Coffee art: Why Ennock Mlangeni swapped paint for the bean
Africa Cup of Nations: Mali goalkeeper Samassa clarifies absence from squad
Uganda bans alcohol sold in sachets
Bill Cosby drops defamation countersuit against 7 of his accusers
Bill Cosby has dropped his defamation countersuit against seven women who accused the comedian of sexual assault.
According to Fox News, court documents filed Friday reveal that the four-year defamation case is officially over. The former case was between Cosby and seven women in Massachusetts who accused the veteran actor of sexual assault.
READ MORE: Judge says Cosby accusers’ testimony points to ‘signature’ crime
In 2014, the accusers filed a federal lawsuit against the actor, alleging that Cosby defamed them publicly, while also accusing him of lying about their sexual abuse claims. In 2015, the former actor filed a countersuit against the women, claiming that they had slandered his name as the result of a nixed business opportunity.
It’s also been reported that Cosby’s insurer settled with the seven women last month for an undisclosed amount. According to FOX, a spokesperson for Cosby revealed he dropped the claims to “focus on other matters.” Previously it was stated that Cosby opposed to the idea of a settlement, and had plans to bring forth counter claims.
Back in March, Cosby’s official Twitter account wished wife Camille a happy 75th birthday:
“Happy 75th Birthday to my beautiful bride, Camille,” the tweet read. “Dear, you’re a wonderful mother, loving wife, but most importantly, you’re the strength of this family. Please celebrate your day!”
READ MORE: Cosby defiant, unremorseful in prison; says he is ‘political prisoner’
Prior to that in February, Cosby, who is said to be legally blind, had been moved to a general population unit, where he is now housed in single, two-story in Montgomery County. According to FOX, Other inmates are assigned to help him throughout the day, given his age and disability, state prison spokeswoman Amy Worden said.
As it stands, Cosby is currently serving a 3- to a 10-year prison sentence in Pennsylvania for the alleged drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.
The post Bill Cosby drops defamation countersuit against 7 of his accusers appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2W2vXc0
via
Family of woman who committed suicide after prison guards bet on her life awarded $860K
The family of Janika Edmond, the woman who died by suicide after prison guards placed a bet on her life, has been awarded $860,000.
In a statement to PEOPLE, David Steingold, an attorney for Edmond’s family, said, “The facility was well aware that [Edmond] not only had suicidal ideations but had acted on them before.” The attorney also detailed to the publication that Edmond “lived a rough life,” having been placed in foster care at an early age, as well as suffered from multiple suicide attempts.
READ MORE: Mentally ill woman who pushed NYC commuter in front of a train commits suicide while serving time
Steingold continued to say that on Nov. 2, 2015, Edmond told prison guard Diana Callahan that she wanted a “Bam Bam,” which is a suicide-prevention vest, but was refused one. At the time, the then 25-year-old Edmond was finishing a sentence at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan, for a probation violation. She died five months prior to her scheduled release date.
Steingold told PEOPLE that according to surveillance footage pulled from the facility, Edmond “Declared that she was going to attempt suicide, as soon as she did so, Diana Callahan turned around, pumps her fist three times in the air and, in a loud voice, says, ‘Somebody owes me lunch!’”
Steingold claims that prior to Edmond’s death, Callahan and fellow guard Kory Moore had placed a bet on whether or the inmate would kill herself.
According to a lawsuit from PEOPLE, after Callahan made the declaration of her victory, the guard left Edmond unattended in the shower and requested a sandwich from her colleague, Moore. When Callahan returned, she found Edmond unresponsive. The guard was gone for almost 20 minutes.
As per PEOPLE, Edmond was declared brain dead on Nov. 6, 2015, and pronounced dead days later at Joseph Mercy Hospital, the lawsuit states. Steingold claims that Edmond’s family was not immediately notified about the incident, and had only been permitted to see her at Mercy hospital on the day of her death.
Holly Kramer, a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Corrections, tells PEOPLE that Callahan was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Janika Edmond, and sentenced to six months in jail, along with two years of probation. Kramer also revealed that Callahan and Moore were fired “for their actions,” and that accomplice Moore was later reinstated after arbitration, however, he no longer works with the department.
Recently the U.S. District Court Judge Robert Cleland approved an $860,000 settlement in the family’s wrongful death suit against the department, Callahan, and others, a spokesperson told PEOPLE.
The post Family of woman who committed suicide after prison guards bet on her life awarded $860K appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2WDZxca
via
Nigeria's burgeoning VFX industry
Man charged with alleged racially motivated train station attack
In what is believed to be a racially motivated attack, Willie James Hayes has been accused of beating another man unconscious at the Wood Street Light Rail Transit station in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania.
According to Port Authority police officials, Hayes, 46, was arrested and taken into custody by Port Authority of Allegheny County police. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Haze, a Black male, has been charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and ethnic intimidation, according to a criminal complaint. The incident was reported to have occurred last Saturday night at the Wood Street T station.
This is Willie Hayes. He is behind bars tonight after police believe he threatened to kill a man because of his race, then allegedly threw him onto the tracks at the Wood Street T station. The full story at 6. pic.twitter.com/LJkhhu8zLm
— Amy Wadas (@AmyWadas) May 30, 2019
READ MORE: After Meek Mill calls out racist encounter, Las Vegas hotel denies his claims from viral video
KDKA also details that alleged surveillance video from the train station shows Hayes approaching a white victim, Charles Basarab, on the platform around 9 p.m. As detailed in the complaint, Hayes is then reported to have punched Basarab around three times before throwing the victim onto the tracks. Hayes then walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at the seemingly unconscious victim before leaving the station.
The criminal complaint further states that Basarab was aided by first responders, who pulled him off the tracks. The victim was reported to have suffered from several broken bones including several ribs, facial bones, and his arm, along with internal bleeding.
The Post-Gazette reports that two witnesses disclosed that Hayes told Basarab, “I (expletive) told you I was going to kill you,” because he was white.
According to the news outlet, Port Authority police revealed the victim was “conscious but very disoriented.” When interviewed by officers, Basarab said he wasn’t sure how he got onto the tracks, but later at the hospital, he told officials he recalled Hayes telling him the attack was “because he was white,” similar to the witness recounts.
Hayes was booked into the Allegheny County Jail Thursday and held on a $50,000. In 2005, he was convicted of felony aggravated assault in Mercer County and has a history of assault-related charges between 2005 and 2015.
The post Man charged with alleged racially motivated train station attack appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2IaStdP
via
Jonas Savimbi: Angola's former Angolan Unita leader reburied after 17 years
The Gambia extends contract of head coach Tom Saintfiet
Human remains discovered in bag may be that of Maleah Davis
Human remains, found on Friday, during the ongoing search for missing 4-year-old child, Maleah Davis may belong to her.
According to a Houston police, the remains of a small child were discovered in Arkansas near the scene where officials are searching for the missing girl, CNN reports.
“Do we believe that it’s possibly her? Yes.” Chief Troy Finner, the Houston police Executive Assistant, told reporters. “But can we confirm it right now? No,” he continued. “If it’s not Maleah, it’s somebody’s child,” Finner stated.
READ MORE: The Maleah Davis Case: 6 Things to know about the 4-year-old’s mysterious disappearance
The remains were discovered by a roadside landscaping crew, who found a suspicious and foul-smelling garbage bag near Hope, Arkansas. The town is approximately 30 miles from the border of Texas.
“It might be Maleah but we can’t be certain,” Houston Police Commander Michael Skillern stated.
The search for the young Davis kicked off over a month ago in Texas, but recently moved to Arkansas after the primary suspect, Derion Vence, allegedly told community activist Quanell X that he dumped the body there.
Quanell X told KTRK, “One thing he wanted to make clear to me was (that) what happened to Maleah was an accident, he says it was an accident. And he confessed to me where he dumped the body.”
“He said he pulled over in Arkansas, got out of the car, walked to the side of the road, and dumped the body off the road.”
READ MORE: Houston activist Quanell X says he’s no longer working with Maleah Davis’s mom
On Friday evening, the remains were flown to Texas on a private plane to undergo forensic testing to determine the identity, CNN reports.
Vence, 26, was once engaged to Maleah’s mother, Brittany Bowens, and has been charged with tampering with evidence in connection with the case. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in jail.
The post Human remains discovered in bag may be that of Maleah Davis appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2QCfEBt
via
Space Photos of the Week: How Stars Get 86’d
Security News This Week: A Teen Waltzed Into Mar-a-Lago
The YouTuber on a Mission to Save the Classic RPG
An Illicit Chemical Is Again Jeopardizing the Ozone Layer
15 Best Weekend Tech Deals: Laptops, TVs, Games, and More
Why Net Neutrality Advocates Remain Optimistic
What Amazon Might Want With Boost Mobile
Etienne Tshisekedi to be buried in DR Congo
African Champions League final abandoned after VAR row
The Shenanigans Behind a Stealthy Apple Keychain Attack
Sayyida Salme: The tragic life of Zanzibar's rebel princess
Friday, May 31, 2019
Cheap Phones, Folding Bikes, and Everything Else We Loved This Month
Everyone Needs a Good Pillow—Even Astronauts Bound for Mars
'Call of Duty' Is Back—and It's Grim as Heck
5 Mistakes MacKenzie Bezos and Other Mega-Donors Should Avoid
Trump’s Latest Attack on Federal Climate Science May Backfire
Generative Music Apps: Endel, Mubert, Hear
Migos’ Offset has charges in phone-slapping case dismissed
Police in suburban Atlanta have dropped a felony charge against the rapper Offset, who was accused of knocking a cellphone out of a fan’s hands.
Sandy Springs police Sgt. Sam Worsham told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday that “all parties involved were able to come to an agreement.” The property damage charge stemmed from an April incident at a Target, where 18-year-old Junior Gibbons said his $800 iPhone was destroyed after he tried to film the Migos member.
Gibbons said he wanted the rapper born Kiari Cephus to replace the phone. Attorney Drew Fielding said Cephus client was being exploited.
Cephus faces separate charges in a July 2018 traffic stop in Clayton County. Prosecutors there had asked a judge to revoke his bail following the Target incident, but that motion itself was revoked Wednesday.
The post Migos’ Offset has charges in phone-slapping case dismissed appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2EMKq5Y
via
Drake gets in his feelings and trash talks Draymond Green during Game one of NBA Finals
Superfan Drake was on the sidelines during the NBA Finals as the Toronto Raptors handled the Golden State Warriors and won Game one— and he couldn’t wait to troll a star player.
—Drake trades petty jabs with Gucci mane over Raptors Eastern Conference title win—
And Drake of course brought his antics with him. He wore a throwback jersey of former Raptors player Dell Curry, who is Steph Curry’s dad. He picked lint from Curry’s hair and he got into a heated exchange with Golden State’s Draymond Green, which was more of a show than a skirmish.
Drake reportedly said something to the effect of “You’re like trash,” to Green.
“You got a question about basketball?” Green said rebuking a reporter’s question about his confrontation with the In My Feelings rapper, The NY Post reports.
“It wasn’t really a scuffle because I didn’t hit him and he didn’t hit me or I didn’t push him or he didn’t push me. We talked. We barked a little bit, but I wouldn’t necessarily consider that a scuffle. Not personally what I would consider a scuffle.”
Drake & Draymond exchange words after Game 1… 👀#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/YLh8xC4klS
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 31, 2019
Drake’s had to have a talking to by the NBA brass for his clowning. During Game 4 of the Eastern conference finals he massaged Raptors coach Nick Nurse’s shoulders.
Apparently he’s doing too much.
“Certainly we don’t want fans, friend or foe contacting an NBA coach during a game,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. “I think those can lead to dangerous situations. You’re in the middle of coaching a game and you’re completely focused.”
—Family of Black inmate who died after being denied of water for SEVEN days gets $7MIL payout—
In the end, thing worked out in the Raptors favor after beating the Warriors 118-109. It was 25 years in the making for the Raptors, who gave their fans a long-awaited Game one celebration in their first NBA finals ever.
https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1134308619468455942
Drake’s very public love for the NBA Eastern Conference champions Toronto Raptors is as real as Spike Lee’s is for the New York Knicks but he better pipe down before he gets ousted.
The post Drake gets in his feelings and trash talks Draymond Green during Game one of NBA Finals appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2IdRDx7
via
Microsoft's BlueKeep Bug Isn't Getting Patched Fast Enough
Apple WWDC 2019: What to Expect From the Big Developer Show
New York Transit Edges Into a Future Without MetroCards
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and the Art of Worldbuilding
Is Your Wobbly, Illegible Touchscreen Signature Still You?
'I want people to ask me about HIV'
Morocco suspect admits killing Scandinavian hiker
Zamalek chose not to renew Christian Gross' contract
Ottis Gibson: South Africa coach 'happy to be talked of' as Trevor Bayliss replacement
Thursday, May 30, 2019
GM fungus rapidly kills 99% of malaria mosquitoes, study suggests
A behavioral economist explores poverty and development
On a sunny May day, Pierre-Luc Vautrey sits in 1369 Coffeehouse in Cambridge, talking enthusiastically about his work — five research projects to be exact. He speaks quickly, and the coffee gives him an extra boost. He has a lot of ground to cover, and at times he has to re-explain certain areas of his research. Luckily, he’s patient and wants to ensure that people understand his work.
Vautrey is a third-year doctoral student in MIT’s Department of Economics. While he spent his undergraduate years studying applied math and physics in his home country of France, he was always drawn to the humanities and social sciences.
“I still had this itch to go back to social science at some point. It just seemed like a really nice way to bridge science and quantitative approach with social science and humans in general. That’s how I got into economics,” he says.
As a behavioral economist, Vautrey aims to extend our understanding of economic decisions using psychology. This approach questions traditional assumptions, ever so slightly, in order to make outcomes more realistic regarding human behavior.
“Traditional economics has been modeling everything as rational. We assume that the agent learns like a statistician and makes rational decisions. And in the last 20 or 30 years, this model has shown its limits. It’s still very popular for many things, but for others we can do a lot better at explaining people’s behavior and why certain social systems work and some systems don’t work, by using psychology [to understand] how people actually think and make decisions,” he says.
The unifying theme throughout his current work is understanding how people form beliefs and expectations.
“You can use psychology to take a small departure, that’s the key, from rational behavior, which is having correct expectations and basing decisions on these expectations,” he says. “You still make decisions based on expectations, but you have incorrect beliefs for various psychological reasons. That’s kind of the key psychological, irrational approach that I’m interested in. What is the role of beliefs, how do we best measure them, and in various contexts can we explain why people have irrational beliefs? Can we predict incorrect beliefs of people based on context? Does it help us explain sometimes puzzling decisions?”
One of the projects Vautrey is working on, along with Professor Frank Schilbach from the Department of Economics, is how mental health affects beliefs and economic decision making. They began conducting research in India among people with depression in low-income communities with no access to mental health services. They want to evaluate whether depression affects a person’s self-confidence and, consequently, their ability to participate in their economy. They are working with Sangath, an NGO providing low-cost psychotherapy to the study’s participants, to measure the effects of psychotherapy on not only mental health, but also economic decisions. Vautrey began working on the project the fall of 2017, during its early brainstorming stages, and has visited India twice since the field work began.
“You have to go there to see how operations are going, see the actual participants, because it's really hard to get everything from calls. You have people implementing the project, but usually the people who have designed the questions or are initiating the idea are not full-time in the field because they are professors so they have to teach,” Vautrey explains.
Field visits are also important in order to see whether the research objective and the information gathered are consistent with each other.
“You have to design questions that are qualitative, that are verbal, but are going to generate numerical outcomes that you can analyze. It’s a back-and-forth between sociological-style research, when you talk to people and try to understand what they think, and how you go from there to build quantitative measures. You have to be on the field; you have to be face-to-face to understand whether your numeric outcome is consistent with what you want it to mean,” he says.
Traveling is important to executing research, and Vautrey enjoys that aspect of the job. He has loved traveling since his youth and has taken as many opportunities as he could to do so.
Beyond the project in India, Vautrey is working on a few other projects, two more in progress and two in their preliminary stages. In the former two, he is studying how people choose biased information sources and how people are influenced by news repetition. In another project with MIT economics doctoral student Charlie Rafkin, Vautrey is investigating unsafe driving patterns in developing countries and how drivers’ motivated reasoning about road safety leads to more risk taking that could be easily avoided by correcting drivers’ beliefs and overconfidence.
Vautrey’s newest endeavor is taking him to Colombia with Pedro Bessone Tepedino, another MIT economics doctoral student, for preliminary research for a new project centered around crime and teenage involvement in gangs.
While he enjoys doing all of his research, Vautrey finds that the work can make life a bit unstructured at times. He grounds himself by staying active with activities such as biking and rock climbing.
In the future, Vautrey hopes to work in academia. As a professor, he isn’t sure what specifically he wants to specialize in quite yet, but he says that it will likely have something to do with using psychology and economics to answer specific questions linked to poverty and development. He found a love for teaching through his work as a teaching assistant at MIT this past semester. It requires patience, but Vautrey finds the work rewarding.
“It’s a really nice feeling when you manage to get someone to understand something you said. When you have a class, it’s almost impossible to get everyone to understand everything you want,” he says, adding, “To me, if I get half of the class to understand something and to learn something they really value, I’m already happy.”
from MIT News http://bit.ly/2EEHR67
via
Erosion forcing Nigerian families to abandon their homes and farms
Entrepreneurs: There is One Benefit You Must Offer to Attract and Keep Top Employees
In multiple polls and reports, small businesses have cited finding, hiring, and keeping qualified workers among their biggest operating obstacles in recent years. To help divert that challenge, 19% of small businesses now are most likely to grant employees paid time off (PTO).
That perk leads the list of new benefits small businesses plan to offer for the first time in 2019, reveals a new survey from Clutch. Health benefits (15%) and retirement benefits (11%) are among other leading benefits smaller business plan to offer.
Small businesses should plan to expand their benefits offerings in 2019 given the competition from their rivals and the significant return on investment an effective benefits package provides, Clutch maintains. Providing the new benefits can help reduce employee turnover, the Washington, D.C.-based ratings and review firm reported.
All told, 56% of small businesses plan to offer new benefits to their employees in 2019. Clutch surveyed 529 small business owners or managers to learn about employee benefits plans for this year.
Around (11%) of small businesses are considering offering family leave, and 8% plan to introduce student loan repayment.
Benefits that will most effectively attract new job candidates and reduce turnover are perks small business should offer, Clutch says. Bethany Holliday, director of human resources for Cornerstone Insurance Group & Employer Solutions, explained in a news release that paying for benefits that retain employees is often less than the cost of recruiting and training new employees.
“The last thing you want [employees] to do is walk out the door,” she said. “It costs a whole lot less to keep people happy than it does to try and find new people.” Cornerstone Insurance Group & Employer Solutions is an employee benefit and business insurance firm.
Small businesses are more likely to lure and retain talent by designing their PTO policies with employees’ needs in mind. Holliday contends PTO is a perk that employees increasingly expect to earn immediately.
“We still have clients that are making employees wait an entire year before they’re eligible for any sort of PTO,” Holliday said. “I keep trying to transition [clients] out of that because that’s a very antiquated way of thinking.”
Companies with substandard or antiquated PTO policies will struggle to entice and retain top talent, Clutch reports. Some 45% of small businesses already offer employees PTO. However, Clutch claims not enough of small businesses are offering the perk.
So why are new benefits being provided? Thirty percent of small businesses offering new benefits are doing so to fulfill employee requests, while 27% are aiming to improve morale and keep workers. Just 13% of small businesses are issuing new benefits because they are required by law or as a direct result of union negotiations (9%).
“We kind of shifted from paying a lot to now offering a lot of benefits,” said Christopher Willatt, founder and owner of AlpineMaids, a home cleaning service, stated in a news release. “HR is really geared toward convincing our employees that this is a great job and doing everything to retain them.”
Interestingly, Clutch found that 30% of small businesses don’t have formalized HR resources, such as an in-house HR staff, outsourced HR functions, or a contract with an HR consultant.
Of firms without dedicated HR resources, only 10% offer benefits to their employees. In contrast, 64% of companies with HR resources offer benefits to their employees.
The bottom line is it’s critical that small businesses are ready to meet employee benefits requests to attract and retain a talented workforce, Clutch says.
Check out Clutch’s full report.
from Black Enterprise http://bit.ly/2MfPeqF
via
WATCH: Nia Long and Corinne Foxx star in ’47 Meters Down: Uncaged’ trailer
Entertainment Studios just dropped the trailer for 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. The highly-anticipated sequel to the terrifying 47 Meters Down (2017) stars Nia Long as well as a few familiar faces like John Corbett (Aiden from Sex and the City), among others.
This time around, there will be no Mandy Moore or Nicholas Cage, who starred in the original, but there will certainly be blood and another beautiful Black face– Jamie Foxx’s daughter, Corinne Foxx.
Nia Long says men have gotten rich off of her hard work ‘I was being paid peanuts’
Set in Brazil, the sequel follows the story of four teen girls diving in a ruined underwater city, who quickly find themselves in a watery hell as their fun outing turns into heart-stopping fear when they learn they are not alone in the submerged caves. As they swim deeper into the claustrophobic labyrinth of caves they enter the territory of the deadliest shark species in the ocean.
“We are so pleased by the huge success of 47 Meters Down; it totally exceeded all expectations,” said James Harris of The Fyzz Facility. “[The film] will take the claustrophobia of cave diving and the thrill of shark encounters and move everything to the next level.”
Added Altitude’s Mike Runagall: “47 Meters Down has captured the imagination of audiences worldwide, and we’re thrilled to be reteaming with the filmmakers and our friends at The Fyzz for the sequel, which will ratchet up the thrills and spills to a whole new level.”
We can’t wait to see Corinne Foxx take on a shark in this thriller, and the all-grown-up beauty continues to make her famous father proud.
Jamie Foxx’s daughter gushes over his relationship with Katie Holmes
The 25-year-old recently dished to PEOPLE Magazine about Jamie’s relationship with Katie Holmes which has been under wraps for years.
“They are so great and Katie is always so chic. They were wonderful,” Corinne told the magazine when she was asked about the couples’ Met Gala attire. “[It was] my dad’s first Met Gala,” she explained, adding that she felt “cool” because she got to experience the Gala even before her famous dad.
The original 47 Meters Down was a bona fide blockbuster and grossed over $58 million worldwide.
“The sequel 47 Meters Down: Uncaged is well positioned to be a big summer event movie,” said Byron Allen, founder and chairman/CEO of Entertainment Studios, in a statement.
Check out the official trailer:
The post WATCH: Nia Long and Corinne Foxx star in ’47 Meters Down: Uncaged’ trailer appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2I7DJMX
via
See how Titan Generator is making the future bigger, brighter for Black entrepreneurs
AUSTIN, TX- When Jennifer Drew tells people she is an owns her own business, the response isn’t always as supportive as you might think.
“It’s not typical that I’m taken seriously at first,” says Drew, whose startup company Tiny Heights, helps people become homeowners by selling them affordable homes that are under 1,000 square feet.
“I think being surrounded by other people who do look like me is an opportunity to kind of have some weight, and see how other people are dealing with that in their own community as well.”
READ MORE: Octavia Spencer takes the lead in horror film in ‘Ma’
Drew’s experience of having more up-hill battles as a Black entrepreneur isn’t just in her head. Research shows that Black business owners face unique challenges in everything from getting bank loans to having less access to venture capital and angel investing.
That’s why Drew’s search for the support led her this spring to a group of entrepreneurs of color who can all understand what she’s gone through. = Titan Generator in Austin, TX is an accelerator (or micro-accelerator) program that is bringing start-up companies together for a short period of time to focus on rapidly improving their business models and planning for their long-term success.
READ MORE: WATCH: HBCU grad wants to reopen healthy food store in Nipsey Hussle’s neighborhood
Titan Generator, is the brainchild of Raymar Hampshire, Jessica Lynch and Max Skolnik, all former colleagues at the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.
Hampshire, a former wealth advisor, saw a number of examples of Black talent in the business world who needed help in the early stages while they faced a good number of unfair economic hardships.
“We look at historical moments like Black Wall Street in Tulsa, the Tulsa Race massacre and the riots and see that’s how it was snuffed out,” Hampshire tells theGrio. “There’s always been talent. It’s just been access to opportunities.“
READ MORE: Meet The Black Woman Cannabis Owner Building A ‘High’ End Weed Lounge
What makes Titan Generator different from most accelerators is that it purposefully pairs entrepreneurs of color (the program isn’t exclusive to Black entrepreneurs, but includes Native American and LatinX startup founders too) with social movement activists, such as March for Our Lives and Austin Justice Coalition.
Rather than just getting rich, these entrepreneurs want to address social issues like gun violence and immigration, while they cultivate their businesses.
The inaugural Titan Generator program took place during the same weekend as South By Southwest at the Google Austin headquarters, incorporating hackathon sessions (intense problem-solving), “fist-bump” networking, and discussion.
While Silicon Valley may be known for having “tech-bro” social networks that are hard to break into, at Titan Generator Black entrepreneurs are told to come as they are.
“Entrepreneurs of color… have to navigate this labyrinth, this maze to get to the table right to get to resources,” says Hampshire.
READ MORE: What Hip-Hop can teach you about business
At the end of this year’s inaugural Titan Generator program, 20 entrepreneurs in attendance received special financial awards to further their businesses dreams.
“It’s not enough to just pay the lip service and say ‘we support diverse entrepreneurs’,” says Hampshire. “But how are you creating the space?”
Watch theGrio’s full video going behind the scenes of the inaugural Titan Generator above.
The post See how Titan Generator is making the future bigger, brighter for Black entrepreneurs appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2Mm0m5w
via
Empowering African farmers with data
With a couple billion more people estimated to join the global population in the next few decades, world food production could use an upgrade. Africa has a key role to play: Agriculture is Africa’s biggest industry, but much of Africa’s agricultural land is currently underutilized. Crop yields could be increased with more efficient farming techniques and new equipment — but that would require investment capital, which is often an obstacle for farmers.
A new research collaboration at the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) aims to address this challenge with data. The group plans to use data from technologically advanced farms to better predict the value of intervention in underperforming farms. Ultimately, the goal is to create a platform for sharing data and risk among invested parties, from farmers and lenders to insurers and equipment manufacturers.
Sharing data, sharing risk
Many African farmers lack the capital to invest in yield-increasing upgrades like new irrigation systems, new machinery, new fertilizers, and technology for sensing and tracking crop growth. The most common path to capital is bank loans, with land as collateral. This is an unattractive proposition for farmers, who already bear the many risks of production, including bad weather, changing market prices, or even the shocks of geopolitical events.
Lenders, on the other hand, have an incomplete assessment of their risk, especially with potential borrowers who have no credit history. Lenders also lack data and tools to predict their return on investment.
“Building a platform for risk-sharing is key to upgrading farming practices,” says Munther Dahleh, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT and director of IDSS. In order to create such a platform, Dahleh and the IDSS team aim to better predict the value of employing advanced farming practices on the production of individual farms. This prediction needs to be accurate enough to incentivize investment from economic stakeholders and the farmers themselves, who are in competition with each other and may be reluctant to share information.
The IDSS approach proposes a data-sharing platform that incentivizes all parties to participate: Technologically advanced farms are rewarded for their valuable data, bankers benefit from data that support their credit risk models, farmers get better loan terms and recommendations that increase their profits and production, and technology companies get recommendations on how to best support the needs of their farmer customers. “Such a platform has to have the correct incentives to engage everyone to participate, have sufficient protection from players with market power, and ultimately provide valuable data for farmers and creditors alike,” says Dahleh.
The absence of data from underperforming farms presents a challenge to extrapolating the value of intervention and assessing the uncertainty in such predictions. With sparse available data, researchers are looking to conduct experiments in strategically selected farms to provide valuable new data for the rest. Researchers will use advanced machine learning, including active learning methodology, to try to achieve both a quantification of the predicted value of intervention and a quantification of the uncertainty of that prediction to a degree of confidence. Once more data is available, IDSS researchers intend to refine their calculations and develop new techniques for extrapolating the value of intervention in less-advanced farms.
Engaging stakeholders
One likely intervention for many African farmers involves using different fertilizers. Many farmers aren’t currently using fertilizers targeted to specific soil or various stages of farming — so fertilizer producers are another vested interest in this agriculture economy.
To help these farmers get access to better loan terms, Moroccan phosphate company OCP is funding a collaboration between IDSS researchers and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Morocco. This research collaboration with OCP, a leading global company in the phosphate fertilizer industry, includes building the data- and risk-sharing platform as well as other foundational research in agriculture. The collaboration has the potential to engage other stakeholders working or investing in African agriculture.
“This collaboration will help accelerate our efforts to develop pertinent solutions for African agriculture using high-level agri-tech tools,” says Fassil Kebede, professor of soil science and head of the Center for Soil and Fertilizer Research in Africa. “This will offer farmers possibilities for better production and growth, which is part of our mission to contribute to Africa’s food-security objectives.”
“African farmers are at the heart of the OCP Group’s mission and strategy, while data analytics and predictive tools are today essential for agriculture development in Africa,” adds Mostafa Terrab, OCP Group chair and CEO. “This collaboration with IDSS will help us bring together new technology and analytical methods from one side, and our expertise with African farmers and their challenges from the other side. It will reinforce our capabilities to offer adapted solutions to African farmers, especially small holders, to enable them to make more precise and timely decisions.”
Ultimately, IDSS aims to bring wins across an entire economic ecosystem, from insurers to lenders to equipment and fertilizer companies. But most importantly, boosting this ecosystem could help lift many farmers out of poverty — and bring about a much-needed increase in the world’s aggregate food production.
Says Dahleh: “To accomplish this mission, this project will demonstrate the power of data coupled with advanced tools from predictive analytics, machine learning, reinforcement learning, and data sharing markets.”
from MIT News http://bit.ly/2I7NTwV
via
BREAKING: R. Kelly now charged with 11 brand NEW counts of sexual abuse
If his mind was telling him no, he probably should have listened. R&B superstar, R. Kelly is now facing a slew of new charges. According to CBS Chicago, the singer has been charged with 11 new counts of sexual abuse on Thursday and will now have to appear in court in Chicago on June 6.
According to court records, these additional charges include aggravated criminal sex assault, criminal sex assault and aggravated criminal sex abuse of a victim between the ages of 13 and 16.
For those who don’t recall, Kelly has already been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse earlier this year after four women came forward to accuse Kelly of these charges. Three of the four women say these alleged crimes occurred when they were still underage.
The story is still developing. Please check back for further details.
The post BREAKING: R. Kelly now charged with 11 brand NEW counts of sexual abuse appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2XgVFLk
via
‘God gave me a layup and I blew it’: Lamar Odom reveals ruining romance with Taraji P. Henson
This week former NBA star Lamar Odom revealed that his cheating ways are what ruined a secret relationship he had with actress Taraji P. Henson more than 10 years ago.
According to The Daily Mail, in his new memoir, Darkness to Light, Odom tells fans about the beautiful relationship he had with the 48-year-old Empire star prior to his ill fated marriage to Khloe Kardashian.
Odom, 39 says his chemistry with Henson was strong and immediate, and so they “ended up exchanging numbers” on their first meeting.
READ MORE: Lamar Odom confesses he slept with over 2,000 women ‘I am a sex addict’
“She was just such a wise woman that she could see through whatever smooth act I was trying to put on. She refused to be just another conquest, and truthfully, I didn’t want her to be,” he writes.
The New York native, who spent 15 years in the NBA, mostly playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, winning two championships with them, has a long history of interracial relationships, and admits, “I don’t think I ever connected with another Black woman as deeply as I did Taraji.”
Once they started dated he claims they, “quickly fell in love,” and even got serious to the point of meeting each other’s friends and family.
READ MORE: Lamar Odom hates that Khloé Kardashian is going through pain and wants to reach out to her
“I lost my angel.”
Lamar Odom details the ups and down of his relationship with ex-wife Khloe Kardashian, and says their split was his biggest regret. “It was asinine. It was like losing your mother again.” https://t.co/fyV58nQ3mB pic.twitter.com/6WRv68HwBg
— The View (@TheView) May 29, 2019
“She introduced me to her fourteen-year-old son, Marcel, and was at my house nearly every day,” he continues. “Sometimes she’d bring some of her Hollywood friends, like actress Sanaa Lathan who starred in Love And Basketball.”
But even then Odom was exhibiting the self sabotaging behaviors that would continue to plague him for another decade, and he ended up ruining the connection with infidelity, noting, “I felt guilty, but I was craving immediate sex.”
The bittersweet anecdote ends on a remorseful note with him reflecting in hindsight, “Things were amazing, but of course, God gave me a layup and I blew it.”
Following that relationship Odom married reality star Khloe Kardashian in 2009. Kardashian filed for separation in December of 2013 and by December of 2016 their divorce was finalized.
READ MORE: Walking Miracle: Lamar Odom had 12 strokes and 6 heart attacks during his 2015 coma
The post ‘God gave me a layup and I blew it’: Lamar Odom reveals ruining romance with Taraji P. Henson appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://on.thegrio.com/2W587MB
via
Etienne Tshisekedi's body returned to DR Congo from Belgium
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)