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Out in the World: Mixed record on LGBTQ rights across the world in 2021 – Bay Area Reporter, America’s highest circulation LGBT newspaper

Posted on December 30, 2021 by admin

The year started out on a hopeful note. The world was looking forward to getting past a dark period in America's leadership and the global COVID-19 pandemic. President Joe Biden's administration and the rollout of vaccines brought some optimism to LGBTQ people globally.

However, conservatives and progressives continued their fights over LGBTQ rights. There were victories but violence against LGBTQs in Afghanistan, Ghana, Hungary, Myanmar, Poland, and Uganda dominated the headlines.

Queer people were on the frontline protesting against Myanmar's military coup in February, with many dying when the military violently shot demonstrators on the streets. In August, LGBTQ Afghans were left behind Taliban and ISIS-K (an Islamic State-affiliated group active in central Asia) lines after the United States and its allies rapidly withdrew from the country.

LGBTQ refugees were constantly attacked at Kenya's infamous Kakuma Refugee Camp, leading to the death of Ugandan gay refugee activist Chriton "Trinidad" Atuhwera in April. In the fall, a groundbreaking report about LGBTQ life at the camp was published by the Organization for Refuge, Asylum, and Migration and Rainbow Railroad.

Violence in Iran continued as reports of executions and honor killings of LGBTQs surfaced from inside the country. Reuters reported the country's queer community expressed no hope under President Ebrahim Raisi's new regime.

Hungary and Poland continued to follow Russia's lead by ignoring European Union, German and French sanctions and legal pressures to abide by human rights standards as the countries continued to oppress LGBTQ citizens. Hungary pushed its anti-propaganda law banning queer books and films for minors while Poland considered a similar law. Russia caught and returned Chechen gay brothers Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isaev to the country to face persecution and a trial. The country also opened its trial against feminist and LGBTQ activist and artist Yulia Tsvetkova in April. Tsvetkova is charged with alleged pornography and violating the anti-gay propaganda law for distributing her drawings celebrating female bodies. Tsvetkova and the brothers launched hunger strikes protesting Russia.

The European Court of Human Rights ordered Russia to recognize same-sex relationships and transgender parents in two separate court rulings. Additionally, Germany charged five of Chechnya's top leaders with torture for their roles in state-sanctioned "gay purge" that was revealed in 2017.

Russia's response to Europe's pushback was to officially shut down LGBTQ organizations, labeling them as "foreign agents." Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the existence of transgender and gender-variant Russians and banned same-sex marriage at the end of 2021.

The Taliban used social media to hunt down LGBTQ Afghans. China wiped out LGBTQ and feminist activists' social media accounts and blocked internet access.

OutRight Action International, a global LGBTQ advocacy organization, highlighted the online silencing of queer voices in "No Access: LGBTIQ Website Censorship in Six Countries." The report was published in partnership with the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab and the Open Observatory of Network Interference in September.

Social media dating apps were targeted by hackers. Israel's popular gay dating app Atraf was allegedly hacked by Black Shadow, a group of Iran-linked hackers that claimed responsibility. Information from an estimated 1 million users was leaked.

Setting an example to social media companies to adhere to privacy laws and protect users, Norway's Data Protection Authority slapped Grindr with a $7.16 million fine for a major privacy breach. The gay dating app was caught sending personal data to hundreds of potential advertising partners without users' consent against European Union privacy rules, reported the Associated Press.

At the beginning of the year, the governments of Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Tunisia, and Uganda used less high-tech methods to attack the LGBTQ community.

Ghanian police raided the country's first and only LGBTQ center in its capital city, Accra, sending its leaders and queer community members into hiding. Police raided alleged queer parties and an LGBTQ activist training. Then eight members of parliament proposed a draconian anti-LGBTQ bill in July, which is making its way through Ghana's parliament.

Senegal followed suit, proposing to criminalize homosexuality earlier this month.

Uganda's Sexual Offenses bill further criminalized the East African country's hard-hit LGBTQ community. The community continued to rally against the bill, despite losing the battle.

Trans killings continueCountries' attacks on LGBTQ citizens were on the rise this year, fueling hate crimes against LGBTQ people. It was another record-breaking year with 375 recorded transgender killings globally.

Italy and South Korea failed to pass anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ citizens. Italy faced large protests on both sides of the issue criticizing the government. South Korean legislators were criticized for not passing a landmark anti-discrimination act introduced by Park Joo-min, a legislator of the Ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The law would have included protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Human rights activists raised alarms about the rise of anti-LGBTQ hate in Eastern Europe as a conservative wave spread across the region coinciding with a rise in anti-LGBTQ sentiments, such as in Latvia. Activists pointed out Latvia was experiencing a rise in nationalism and homophobia.

Governing bodies pushed back hard, implementing laws and issuing groundbreaking rulings on LGBTQ rights, especially transgender rights. The EU cited Romania for violating the European Convention on Human Rights for "a lack of proper legal framework for legal gender recognition."

ProgressMarriage equality and recognition of same-sex couples' relationships continued to march down aisles around the world. Same-sex families made major legal advancements. Bans against conversion therapy made big strides and decriminalization began to make moves. Transgender rights made some significant gains with some countries recognizing the need to simplify gender change laws.

Chile and Switzerland ushered in same-sex marriage as well as Mexico's Yucatan and Sonora states.

Taiwanese binational couples fought for marriage rights. Taiwanese-Macanese couple Ting Tse-yen and Leong Chin-fai won their legal battle and tied the knot in May. This month another binational couple, 34-year-old Taiwanese man Lu Yin-jen and his 42-year-old Japanese partner, Ariyoshi Eizaburo, continued to push for binational same-sex marriage rights in Taiwan, filing a lawsuit against the Taipei municipal government December 24.

Indian couples continued to wait for a decision from the country's supreme court, but that didn't stop same-sex couples from saying "I do" throughout the year, legal or not.

Marriage cases in the Caribbean were stalled. Bermuda and Cayman Islands' same-sex marriage cases went to the Privy Court in the United Kingdom, but there was no ruling before the year was out. Jamacia's supreme court delayed gay activist Maurice Tomlinson's same-sex marriage and decriminalization cases against the island nation.

The Czech Republic's same-sex marriage bill moved one step forward after years of being stalled in parliament.

Montenegro legalized same-sex civil partnerships in July. At the same time, same-sex partners' love was denied in Bolivia and Thailand.

The United Nations spoke out against criminalizing same-sex unions in July, stating it was a violation of human rights. In September, a change in Cuba's family code opened the door to same-sex marriage in the country.

Rainbow familiesSame-sex families had major legal wins in Europe and the U.S., yet there were some setbacks in other countries.

In Europe, big wins allowed same-sex parents to confer their citizenship to their children. Courts in France and Israel granted the use of reproductive technologies for lesbian and gay couples to create their families using IVF and surrogacy, respectively.

A Croatian court ruling paved the way for same-sex couples to adopt children. Lesbian mothers in Germany flooded the courts demanding parental rights.

Yet, there were some setbacks in Europe and Africa. Separate court rulings in the Czech Republic closed all registered same-sex couples' adoptions both domestic and foreign. A Namibian court ruled against a gay couple in their fight to take their newborn daughters home.

Criminal casesConvictions were obtained in the 2016 killings of Bangladeshi gay activists Xulhaz Mannan, 35, and Mahbub Rabby Tonoy, 26. In September, six of eight men were sentenced to death for the murders.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Court ordered the government in Honduras to implement laws protecting LGBTQ people after the killing of transgender activist Vicky Hernandez, 26. The court also ordered the government to provide a scholarship fund for trans Hondurans.

Political strides and lossesThis year saw the U.S. reposition itself as an LGBTQ leader. Biden put LGBTQ rights at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy, though the administration has come up short in some areas, such as assistance in relocating LGBTQ Afghans.

Some members of Congress and LGBTQ rights activists were angered that the U.S. left so many queer Afghan refugees behind at the mercy of the Taliban after its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and no pledge or plan to get them out. In August, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was questioned by gay Congressmember Chris Pappas (D-New Hampshire) and 64 members of Congress in a letter about prioritizing the evacuation of LGBTQ Afghans. The letter followed a similar letter sent by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and 12 Democratic Senate colleagues questioning the State Department's protection of LGBTQ asylum seekers earlier in the month.

A coalition of LGBTQ organizations working on queer global rights submitted a 10-point action plan to evacuate and resettle LGBTQ Afghans to Biden.

Canada was the only country to publicly announce it would help evacuate and resettle LGBTQ Afghan refugees.

Queer activists criticized Biden, first for not appointing any openly LGBTQ ambassadors then for a lack of diversity among LGBTQ diplomats there were no women or people of color.

Biden appointed lesbian Jessica Stern, former OutRight Action International executive director, as the second U.S. special envoy to advance the human rights of LGBTQI persons. She began the post in September.

Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) reintroduced the Global Respect Act to Congress in July. According to a summary, the bill imposes visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons responsible for or complicit in violating the human rights of individuals due to actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics.

Despite criticism, LGBTQ activists began seeing symbolic and concrete changes by the end of the year. The White House and State Department's momentum putting LGBTQ rights at the forefront of foreign policy began to become visible. Biden put anti-LGBTQ nations on notice at the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September.

Before the year was out, Christopher John Lamora, a gay man and career Foreign Service officer, was nominated as ambassador to Cameroon, one of Africa's anti-LGBTQ hot spots. USAID appointed Jay Gilliam, a gay man, to lead the agency's efforts to promote LGBTQ rights around the world. Gilliam was formerly director of the Human Rights Campaign's global program.

Chile delivered the next biggest political win of the year electing progressive Congressmember Gabriel Boric as the South American country's new president December 19. Boric is an LGBTQ ally and will enter office as Chile's new same-sex marriage law comes into effect.

Greece appointed its first openly gay minister Nicholas Yatromanolakis as deputy minister for Issues of Contemporary Culture in January. In November, Honduras elected Vctor Grajeda, a gay man, to Congress, a first for the country.

Guatemala's Sandra Moran and Peru's Susel Paredes were ushered in as the countries' first out lesbian members of congress. Moran became Guatemala's second out member of congress after gay Congressman Aldo Davila, who is the country's first out politician.

Mexico saw a record number of LGBTQ candidates run for office. More than 100 queer candidates, among them more than 20 who identified as transgender, campaigned for political seats in the June elections. Mexico gained two openly transgender congress members: Maria Clemente Garcia and Salma Luvano.

Germany also elected two transgender women, Tessa Ganserer and Nyke Slawik, to parliament. Yulia Alishina became Russia's first elected president of the Altai Republic in Siberia in November.

Transgender employees gained rights in Argentina with employment protections and quotas, and Bangladesh announced providing incentives for companies that hire transgender employees.

Sadly, as 2021 wrapped up, the world lost a major LGBTQ advocate - Archbishop Desmond Tutu died December 26. Britain and Israel lost their first out lesbian members of parliament, Maureen Colquhoun and Marcia Freedman, respectively.

Several prominent lesbian and transgender activists also passed away, including Colombia's leading transgender rights activist Laura Weinstein, Russian feminist activist Tatiana Nikonova, and the United Kingdom's pioneering lesbian campaigner Mary Cunningham Simpson.

Got international LGBTQ news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at WhatsApp/Signal: 415-517-7239, or oitwnews@gmail.com

Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going in these tough times. To support local, independent, LGBTQ journalism, consider becoming a BAR member.

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Out in the World: Mixed record on LGBTQ rights across the world in 2021 - Bay Area Reporter, America's highest circulation LGBT newspaper

Longtime Senator Harry Reid, Key Voice in Gaming Legislation and Expansion, Dies at… – OnlineGambling.com

Posted on December 30, 2021 by admin

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid died Tuesday after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 82.

Reid began his political career in Nevada, starting in the state assembly before becoming Lieutenant Governor in 1971.

In 1977, he took on the role of Chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission. In that role and in that era he often battled organized crime, even once becoming the target of a car bomb. That would be the start of a career that frequently placed Reid at the center of debates over gaming policy, both in Nevada and on a national level.

In 1983, Reid entered Congress, joining the House of Representatives from Nevadas 1st district. In 1987, he would become a Senator representing Nevada, a position he would hold until his retirement in 2017. He was the leading Democrat in Congress from 2005 through the end of his career, serving as Senate Majority Leader for the Democratic majority between 2007-2015, and as Senate Minority Leader on both sides of that tenure while Republicans controlled the Senate.

Reid worked on a variety of issues that were important to him throughout his time in Congress, from environmental conservation to the defense of programs like Social Security. Throughout his long career, he also helped shape decades of gambling policy.

From his days as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission to tenure as Majority Leader, Senator Reids impact on Nevada and the gaming industry is unparalleled. He was the ultimate gaming champion, American Gaming Association President and CEO Bill Miller said in a statement. Im grateful for having known the Senator throughout my career in Washington, DC. Without a shadow of a doubt, Senator Reid was one of the sharpest, most effective political minds to ever enter the arena.

Reid wasnt always on the side of gaming expansion, particularly when it went against the interests of his home state. In 2015, he spoke out against the explosion of the daily fantasy sports industry, pushing for regulation of what he considered a new form of gambling.

Fantasy sports is the worst of the worst, Reid once told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. I know people have fun playing, good luck to them. But it should be controlled and there should be some enforcement.

Reid also opposed the expansion of online gambling, supporting bills that would limit states to offering online poker or even outright banning all internet betting. He also opposed the expansion of sports betting, something Nevada held a virtual monopoly on until the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018.

On balance, however, Reid supported the gaming industry, provided it conformed to regulation and government oversight. Beyond his efforts in the world of gambling, other prominent politicians remember Reid for his strength and effectiveness as a legislator, along with his assistance in building their own careers.

You were a great leader in the Senate, and early on you were more generous to me than I had any right to expect, former President Barack Obama wrote in a letter prior to Reids death. I wouldnt have been President had it not been for your encouragement and support, and I wouldnt have gotten most of what I got done without your skill and determination. Most of all, youve been a good friend.

Reid is survived by his wife, Landra, as well as five children and 19 grandchildren.

Talon Anvil, Task Force 9 and the terrible cost of the air offensive in Syria – NationofChange

Posted on December 30, 2021 by admin

On December 12th, the New York Times published a storyabout the U.S. drone war in Syriathat should have raised more eyebrows but barely registered with most of the American press. The piece by Dave Phillips, Eric Schmitt and Mark Mazzetti concerned a small unit controlled by Delta Force and 5thSpecial Forces members called Talon Anvil, which sounds more like a metal band created by way of a thesaurus than an operation that engaged in thousands of drone strikes across Syria from 2014 to 2019 at the height of the battle against the so-called Islamic State.

Why the story was important is that it revealed that many of Talon Anvils 1,000s of strikes killed civilians, so many that some of those operating the drones 24 hours a day in three 8 hour shifts refused orders to deploy them in heavily populated areas or against targets that didnt appear armed. Despite this, each year the group operated, the numbers of civilian casualties in Syria went up.

As reported by the Times, even officials with the CIA complained to the Special Operations Command about the strikes. Nonetheless, the bloody drone war was a bipartisan affair that occured over two U.S. presidential administrations.

As Larry Lewis, who was among those who wrote a Defense Department report on civilian casualties in 2018, told the reporters, in terms of the sheer numbers of civilians wounded and killed, It was much higher than I would have expected from a U.S. unit. The fact that it increased dramatically and steadily over a period of years shocked me.

How were Talon Anvil able to get around rules of engagement that might have protected the many civilians said to have been wounded and killed in the strikes? By claiming self-defense. As of 2018,80% of strikesin the chaotic Syrian conflict were characterized this way.

As two unnamed former task force members explained, the claim that almost every strike was carried out to protect U.S. or allied forces, even when they were far from the location where the bombs were dropped, allowed approvals at lightning speed.

The Delta Force and other special forces soldiers ordering the strikes were also accused by Air Force intelligence analysts tasked with reviewing the footage they produced of turning the drones cameras away from their targets before dropping their payloads so that there would be no evidence in the case of a failed strike that resulted in civilian casualties.

This story might not have been told at all if not for anearlier one, also in the Times, about three piloted strikes in a Syrian town called Baghuz on March 18th, 2019, where some of the last IS holdouts were said to be sheltering.

After a drone above the town relayed images of a crowd of people, mostly women and children, next to a river bank, a U.S. F-15 dropped a 500 pound bomb on the group. As those that survived the first bomb searched for cover or wandered in shock, a second and then a third bomb, each weighing 2,000 pounds were dropped, obliterating them. Although we will never know the exact number, at least 70 civilians died as a result.

As also reported byother outlets, confused air operations personnel at a large base in Qatar looked on in disbelief at what was happening in Baghuz, with one officer asking in the secure chat, Who dropped that?

Even though an airforce lawyer flagged the incident as a possible war crime, the U.S. military tried to bury and then deny that it had happened at all. They even went so far as to have coalition forces bulldoze the blast site in a clear attempt to bury evidence of the crime.

The strike was ordered by the group that we now know also controlled Talon Anvil and ground operations in Syria called Task Force 9, a unit so secretive that those at the airbase in Qatar who first drew attention to the strike in Baghuz were unaware of its existence. Both groups are not officially recognized as ever existing by the American government.

The bizarre metric of success for Talon Anvil and Task Force 9 generally seemed to have been sheer numbers of bombs dropped rather than actual militants removed from the incredibly fraught battlefield. Not only the U.S. and its allies, especially Turkey, routinely massacred innocent people, but the Syrian government and its Russian ally showed callous disregard for the lives of civilians as well, especially in flattening East Aleppo, where they killedwell over 400 peoplein the densely populated urban area.

The man at the top of Task Force 9 and other secretive special forces, General Stephen Townsend, faced no repercussions for the alleged war crimes but was instead promoted. He now heads the countrys Africa Command, where special forces and drones are deployed but where there are even fewer influential voices who might put a spotlight on the kinds of crimes that may be occuring in countries like Somalia and Niger, where hostilities havent been officially declared.

Norman Solomanrecently wroteabout how crimes like the one that occured in Baghuz and many other towns and cities in Syria go unpunished but those who reveal these kinds of atrocities on the part of the United States and its allies like Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Norman Hale, a former analyst with the U.S. Air Force, recently sentenced to 45 months in prison for revealing the impacts of U.S. drone warfare, are victimized by the state for their whistle-blowing.

Its important to give mainstream outlets like the Times credit for using the resources at their disposal to make stories like that of Talon Anvil public, even when they are hidden behind paywalls and have to be searched out, but as several commentators including Soloman have noted, there is a tendency to portray the U.S. military and political leadership as meaning well and what amount to war crimes as simple mistakes. Such a position wouldnt be taken in regards to a competitor like China or Russia.

It should also be noted that in almost every case from the torture that took place at Abu Ghraib to Talon Anvils bombing of civilians, every atrocity is placed squarely on the shoulders of the militarys lower ranks when they are made public. This ignores the very rigid hierarchies in place where superiors either order or imply that more and more drone strikes, for example, need to take place in order to create the illusion of some kind of success.

Another fault with the NYTs story is it fails tocredit Hale for his whistle-blowingand doesnt appear to be using its influence to call attention to his imprisonment for revealing the truth of what was going on with the countrys drone war as early as 2015, revelations that were important to the Times stories.

Rather than passing the Build Back Better Act, which would have, among other things, provided pre-kindergarten child care to working people whose lives would be significantly improved by it, one deeply compromised Democratic senator stopped its passage. Arguments about out of control budgets didnt stop the same body from awarding the Pentagon$25 billion more than the president asked forfor their budget which was $768 billion after approval in the countrys Senate.

Subsidizing militarism in search of monsters overseas seems more and more like the American way. With the new focus on near peer competitors like Russia and China, the dangers are only growing.

FALL FUNDRAISER

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Talon Anvil, Task Force 9 and the terrible cost of the air offensive in Syria - NationofChange

Why Bitcoin, Cardano, and Polkadot Surged Higher Today – Motley Fool

Posted on December 30, 2021 by admin

What happened

Today, the cryptocurrency market is (finally) moving in the right direction for investors. As of 1:30 p.m. EST, Bitcoin(CRYPTO:BTC),Cardano(CRYPTO:ADA), andPolkadot(CRYPTO:DOT) all surged higher. Bitcoin was up by 3%, pacing the overall market. However, altcoins Cardano and Polkadot saw more substantial gains, rising 6.3% and 4.9%, respectively, over the past 24 hours.

Year-end risk-on sentiment has seeped into equity and cryptocurrency markets, with a Santa Claus rally leading many top tokens higher today. As the market leader, Bitcoin's price action tends to reflect broad investor sentiment perhaps more closely than other altcoins.

For ADA, founder Charles Hoskinson has recently highlighted some intriguing growth prospects for the Cardano network in 2022. An open-source project structure, end-to-end Microfinance project, and a range of other Cardano improvement proposals are on the table. These prospective growth projects appear to have investors excited.

Polkadot received a boost yesterday following some Twitter banter regarding the rust programming language, which happens to underpin Polkadot. Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey called Rust a "perfect" programming language, raising the profile of Polkadot and other cryptocurrencies using Rust.

Image source: Getty Images.

Recent trading days have been friendly to investors of all stripes. With that said, those with portfolios tilted more toward the higher end of the risk spectrum have really outperformed over the past week.

These top cryptocurrencies are among the most stable and well-known in the crypto world. However, the entire crypto market remains higher-risk, due in part to the difficulty many investors have in valuing the tokens that represent these networks.

Bitcoin's stability, Cardano's growth prospects, and Polkadot's developer-friendly attributes certainly point toward three tokens worth considering for those looking to add some crypto exposure. While more volatility is expected on the horizon, there's a reason why these three tokens are seeing upside today.

Cryptocurrency investing isn't for everyone. Many choose to trade crypto tokens or simply steer clear of these higher-volatility assets. Such a view certainly makes sense for those more risk-averse.

That said, the historical returns of these three top tokens certainly speak to the recognition of the tremendous value underpinning these networks. Recent catalysts supporting the short-term rise in these tokens are worth keeping an eye on for those looking to build a longer-term crypto portfolio.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

Shopify, Amazon Retail Rivalry Heats Up With Covid-Sparked Online Shopping Boom – Bloomberg

Posted on December 30, 2021 by admin

Last February e-commerce company Shopify Inc. replaced the Ottawa, Canada dateline that began its press releases and earnings reports with a strange new one: Internet, Everywhere. The geographical shift came at the insistence of Shopifys founder and chief executive officer, Tobi Ltke, who tends to view such matters through the prism of cold, hard logic. In May 2020, only a few months into the pandemic, hed made the early, seemingly rash decision to terminate the leases on Shopifys offices in Ottawa and six other cities, declaring that his entire 7,000-person workforce would remain virtualforever. Shopify, he concluded, was now omnipresent, located with its employees and customers in the digital ether. His senior execs were perplexed at the strange phrasing, but they knew better than to argue.

The dateline thing may be a bit pompous and a little too cute, but after an almost two-year run thats turned the quiet enterprise-tech company into a global e-commerce power, Ltke has earned some creative license. Since he started Shopify 15 years ago, the company has sold software that allows about 2 million merchants worldwide to run websitesfree from the complicated embrace of Shopifys chief rival, Amazon.com Inc. For $30 to $2,000 a month, Shopify offers sellers more than a dozen services to run an online store, from the actual e-commerce website to inventory management to payment processing.

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Shopify, Amazon Retail Rivalry Heats Up With Covid-Sparked Online Shopping Boom - Bloomberg

[Tech50] From edtech to AI-as-a-Service: How CellStrat plans to unleash the power of its developers community – YourStory

Posted on December 30, 2021 by admin

The transition from simply delivering a product to building a community has the potential to unlock extraordinary competitive advantages, a superior business model and endless business propositions.

When Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert Vivek and Vishal Singhal started out with a simple learning platform for AI enthusiasts, they had envisioned the potential of what they was buildinga strong community of trained AI developers and the ensuing business opportunities to be built on top of it.

In the course of educating and training AI developers through his platform CellStrat, the founders had discovered that his alumni (the ones they trained) did not have an easy-to-access AI development environment on which they can learn, develop and deploy AI efficiently. They realised they had to spend substantial sums in hiring tech talent. Even then, they found it hard to develop AI solutions and launch them due to complex algorithms and deployment architectures.

There was a definite gap and potential business opportunity for CellStrat to leg up and go beyond training and learning.

Moreover, it seemed only natural for the startup, which had built a community of over 300 AI scientists and a global AI community of more than 15,000 professionals on its platform, to launch a packaged cloud platform to ease the entire process for both the parties.

This marks the beginning of the whole ideology of CellStrat, which is among YourStory's Tech50 list of most promising early stage startups, and what it offers today, at the back of its AI developers community.

Simply put, CellStrat, registered under parent company Etruevalue, is serving two segments with its single platformedtech and enterprise. It offers training courses and bootcamps for both beginners and experienced AI professionals, and then equips them with developer tools and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to enable them to develop AI products for enterprises.

Companies, especially startups and SMBs, can utilise the ready-made APIs offered by the platform and collaborate with developers for easy deployment of AI in their systems, mitigating the need of hiring large tech teams for the same.

The duo had previously co-founded Locville Online, a home and lifestyle ecommerce venture, and Healthiply, a healthtech startup focused on early detection of medical issues.

The entrepreneurial bug had caught Vivek, an Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and Georgia State University alumnus, during his startup stint at Healthiply, where he was looking at AI as a differentiator for predictive healthcare.

He further explains, Even for an enterprise, deploying AI can become extremely challenging as they have to hire an entire team of developers, architects and cloud experts. We realised the gap and decided to pick up the first problem with our edtech offering.

Soon after starting up, Vivek was joined by his brother Vishal as a Co-founder.Vishal had previously worked across tech firms and startups and is also author of book titled 'How should we use Artificial Intelligence?'

CellStrats key clients are AI developers, learners, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMBs) and startups.

It offers various AI project packs for beginners and professionals to choose from. These packs contain ready-made AI projects preloaded in an online coding environment, that will help learners get hands-on experience and practice. Learners can get started with Python, Machine Learning (ML) algorithms in Python, Deep Learning (DL), Natural Language Processing (NLP),Reinforcement Learning (RL), Generative Modelling (GANs), Graph Neural Networks and so on, and then operationalise these projects as Artificial Intelligence-as-a-Service (AIaaS) on the cloud.

It has tied up with over 25 universities/colleges to offer these training courses and conducts bootcamps for rapid user adoption by students, including IITs and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). According to the startup, approximately 5,000 developers were using the platform within six months of launch in 2021, witnessing 50 percent month over month growth rate in users.

For the enterprises, CellStrat provides the deployment capability by offering ready-made APIs for easy AI inference on mobile or web apps. This helps companies launch AI in a simpler and a low cost mechanism.

The platform allows multiple developers on the platform to come together and work on a particular project for an enterprise. It has 120+ bundled AI projects bundled on its platform and many more in the pipeline.

The startup, which is now registered in Delaware, US, has raised $1,40,000 so far from five angel investors. It doesnt charge any fee for the courses offered for now and aims to monetise the platform with enterprise licenses in future. It plans to launch a full-fledged AI-as-a-Service marketplace by January 2022.

According to CellStrat, its annual revenue ranges between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 1 crore and is valued at $7 million with an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $0.06 million.

With increased adoption of tech in business, CellStrat is looking to drive platform adoption with 1,00,000 developers, onboard 50 SMB/ enterprise clients, and improve global market penetration by the coming year.

The startup believes its USP (unique selling point) lies in its large community of developers which will allow it to monetise on several business angles besides edtech. We are building a horizontal developers ecosystem like GitHub or Postman and are looking into building a strong AI marketplace in future. Our initial captive audience is the four million engineering students in India and our long term audience is the 40 million global developers, says Vivek. GitHub provides an open-source platform to developers and programmers to collaboratively work on code while Postman offers an complete API development environment for developers.

Besides edtech firms and big cloud providers, the startup faces competition from global AI Labs such as Hugging Face and Open AI, which have offer similar solutions, besides Chennai-based NimbleBox.ai.

A report by Analytics India pegs the size of the AI market in India at $6 billion, and with massive cloud adoption and AI proliferation, it is on an upward trajectory. At such a juncture, CellStrat is expected to be among the companies that will Build in India for the world in a category likely to attract more investment.

Watercrest Naples Assisted Living and Memory Care Offers Innovative Design and Programming for Seniors Living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia -…

Posted on December 30, 2021 by admin

Market Plaza, a highlight and central gathering space for residents and guests alike, is artfully curated to ignite the human spirit by identifying personal connections to specific sights, sounds, tastes, and smells. The active "outdoor" streetscape is complete with trees, fresh flowers, and innovative visual cueing, all surrounded by the calming sounds of nature. Residents delight in the comfort of familiar activities such as stopping by the Post Office and Newsstand, browsing the Art Gallery, sampling fresh pastries at the Bakery, or visiting the Salon and Barber Shop for special pampering.

While residents benefit from the sensory stimulation and engagement of Market Plaza, the signature culinary offerings provide additional opportunities to focus on personal wellness. Watercrest's total nutrition lifestyle offers chef-curated meals based on clinical research showing the MIND, DASH, and Mediterranean Diets can lower risk of dementia and slow cognitive decline associated with aging. Residents enjoy the old-world artisan flare of flatbreads cooked on an open flame oven, the traditional comforts of Sunday Brunch, and the private label Watercrest wines at the wine bistro. As part of Watercrest's Platinum Service, quality living is not compromised when taking residence in senior living.

At Watercrest Naples, residents daily activities are thoughtfully planned through the Live Exhilarated program, a program created specifically for Watercrest Senior Living by a nationally recognized award-winning dementia and memory care specialist. The Live Exhilarated program inspires individual resident's passions and interests which align with the seven facets of wholeness: Get Active, Be Curious, Get Connected, Be Uplifted, Get Creative, Be Social, Be Adventurous.

"Watercrest is committed to enriching the lives of seniors by providing world-class care, multi-sensory programming, extraordinary culinary experiences, and unparalleled associate training honoring seniors and their families," says Marc Vorkapich, Principal and CEO of Watercrest Senior Living Group. "Watercrest Naples offers seniors every opportunity to live their best at every stage of life."

Watercrest Naplesis a 128-unit luxury senior living community developed by Watercrest Senior Living Group and United Properties. The community boasts a stunning promenade, fireplace, signature water wall, multiple dining options, pool, salon and spa, grand balconies, and Florida-style outdoor living spaces. Ideally located at 9015 Bellaire Bay Drive, Watercrest Naples is just minutes from sandy white beaches, and casually elegant shopping, dining and cultural venues. For community information, contact Dawn Osterweil, Executive Director at 239-734-5639.

About Watercrest Senior Living GroupWatercrest Senior Living Groupwas founded to honor our mothers and fathers, aspiring to become a beacon for quality in senior living by surpassing standards of care, service and associate training. Watercrest senior living communities are recognized for their luxury aesthetic, exceptional amenities, world-class care, and innovative memory care programming offering unparalleled service to seniors living with Alzheimer's and dementia. A certified Great Place to Work, Watercrest specializes in the development and operations of assisted living and memory care communities and the growth of servant leaders. For information, visit http://www.watercrestseniorliving.com.

SOURCE Watercrest Senior Living Group

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Watercrest Naples Assisted Living and Memory Care Offers Innovative Design and Programming for Seniors Living with Alzheimer's and Dementia -...

A New Education Center in Montrose Aims to Make Outdoor Recreation More Inclusive – 5280 | The Denver Magazine

Posted on December 30, 2021 by admin

The Outer Range campus. Photo by John SteeleAdventure

The Outer Range campus, which will be run by the Montrose County School District, is one of many new efforts across the country pairing outdoor opportunities with public education.

Aaron Wilcox can see the positive influence that being a member of the Montrose High School climbing team has had on his eldest daughter. Not only has the experience helped her find positive role models and a sense of community, but its also given her a passion for the outdoors.

Despite the Montrose County School Districts (MCSD) proximity to the Western Slopes vast and diverse terrain, Wilcox, a Spanish teacher at Olathe High School and a father of three Hispanic daughters, knows firsthand that not all kids in the area have that same access to recreation opportunities. Nearly 40 percent of the school districts students are Hispanic, and he says those kids often have a hard time even finding people who look like them in the outdoor space.

A new outdoor education center, which was developed by MCSD and opened earlier this month, aims to change that. The ADA-accessible campus, known as Outer Range, includes three teepees, two yurts, and a two-classroom building, dubbed the Lodge. It sits on a 10-acre parcel that is next to the Uncompahgre River and is speckled with Siberian elms and wavering cattails. A huge component of our mission is to offer this program ubiquitously to all students and families. This is not an elitist or specific programming for a specific population, says Jessica Beller, the executive director of academic services at MCSD. We want kids to know how to safely interact with the land, move within their limits, and seek education pathways, so they feel comfortable accessing the outdoors.

In order to do that, Outer Range will put on a variety of after-school, weekend, and summer programs that cover topics ranging from geocaching and water studies to backpacking and ice climbing. Next fall, the Outer Range Alpine Start forest preschool, which is currently being built on the campus, will also debut. (The area is considered a child care desert.) The National Wildlife Federations Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) program is currently assisting with the licensing process and program development. Older studentsup to seniors in high school, including any home-schooled kids in the areawill even be able to register for experiential, expedition-style elective classes at the Outer Range campus in the coming months.

The Outer Range curriculum is based on a risk continuum that encourages kids to comfortably ease into new activities and environments. When we start anything new in life and in the outdoors, we take on new levels of risk. If we can show students how to take that first step and risk, they can comfortably move into the next step and trust that they can go further, Beller says. This months inaugural after-school program is a prime example. Elementary school students will start by getting comfortable with snowshoe equipment on mulch pathways around the campus, before working up to a day trip to a nearby trail.

The program also tries to avoid prescriptive outdoor experiences. It gives kids the chance to do the outdoors the way they want and define their own success. says Wilcox, who was involved with planning for the campus. We do not want Hispanic people to change their culture and do hobbies they dont want to do. We dont want to force a marketing scheme. That means considering social and cultural factors that often determine the Latinx communitys desire to engage with public lands, including being able to have communal outings with large groups of family and friends, as well as the ability to speak Spanish.

Colorado isnt the only state pairing the positives of outdoor opportunities and public education. Five Town Community School District in Rockport, Maine, and Falmouth Public Schools in Massachusetts have launched similar programs. Since 2016, the number of available forest programs has doubled to nearly 600 nationwide, according to Natural Start Alliance. COVID-19 opened our eyes, says Beller. When people are landlocked, they find ways to entertain themselves outside. When they dont know how to treat the land, it can be a nightmare. We want kids to be good stewards to protect the land for generations to come.

Wilcox knows that, at the very least, more kids will be supported in their pursuit of outdoor endeavors the way his daughter was with the climbing team. Im excited, he says, for the program to open up that pathway to mentorship, a sense of community, and a connection for kids of all backgrounds and ages.

(Read more: Inside Worldmind, Denvers First K-5 Outdoor Classroom)

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A New Education Center in Montrose Aims to Make Outdoor Recreation More Inclusive - 5280 | The Denver Magazine

Hot Pod 2022 predictions: The next year in podcasting – The Verge

Posted on December 30, 2021 by admin

Hello, hello. I hope you all had a nice holiday and are ready for another one. Last week we looked back on 2021, and this week, were looking forward to 2022. We have a couple quick news hits from last week to get through first, but then Aria and I will offer our predictions for the year to come. Off we go.

Project Brazen and Audiation ordered to release audio recorded for Fat Leonard

In a troubling precedent for journalism, a judge in San Diego ruled the podcast companies behind Fat Leonard, Project Brazen and Audiation, must share all recorded audio from their lead character, Leonard Glenn Francis even audio that wasnt included in the shows final cut. The San Diego Union-Tribune has all the details, but essentially, the podcast tells the story of fraud and bribery within the US Navy. Six naval officers are currently accused of criminal bribery and are heading to trial in February. One of the officers legal team subpoenaed for the audio recordings, which they say might hold critical information for the defense, given that Francis is a key witness.

Per the paper, the judge said the naval officers Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights to due process and confrontation are paramount and overshadow the podcast producers First Amendment rights to protect their sources and unpublished materials. Instead of quietly submitting the audio to the lawyers, the companies instead released all 20 hours worth publicly on Dropbox.

We disagree with this ruling and believe it sets a bad precedent for media freedom in the US, tweeted Project Brazen co-founder Tom Wright. We here at Hot Pod agree.

Twitter Spaces reaches 2 million users

Last week, The New York Times published a story about the ongoing war between Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces. Both are competing for show hosts and users, who have switched between the two platforms. The story also includes a couple number nuggets that are worth calling out: Spaces reached 2 million users in recent months, while Clubhouse says the app was downloaded 1.8 million times in November alone. The two apps are fighting and growing: thats how were ending the year, and Im sure its how well continue to talk about the apps in 2022.

Automattics CEO wants to keep podcasting open

Protocol published a great profile last week of Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic, the company behind WordPress and Tumblr, as well as the acquirer of Pocket Casts. The story mostly focuses on Mullenwegs personal journey to this point and the ethos that drives him. For us, that also means the chance to piece together his vision for podcastings future, too, and how Pocket Casts fits into it.

There is one thing that binds the many products under the Automattic umbrella together: a bet on and belief in the open web and open-source software, writes David Pierce. Most people will tell you it feels like the future of tech hangs in the balance. But the way Mullenweg sees it, open is still going to win. Its not a matter of if, only when. And all hes trying to do is help make it happen a little faster.

A win for all the folks rallying against the closed platforms.

What happened to Dan Bonginos threat to quit his radio show over a vaccine mandate?

We wrote here about podcaster and radio host Dan Bongino threatening to quit his show over Cumulus Medias vaccine mandate. That was months ago, however, and Bongino is still on the air. What happened? The Washington Post pointed at the obvious thing the lack of Bongino actually doing anything and provided an update. People in the story call the whole thing a stunt while Bongino says hes in an ongoing fight with the company and hasnt quit because he needs to protect his staffs jobs. Whos surprised? (If you want even more Bongino content, The New Yorker published a profile of him yesterday.)

And now

Welcome to the prediction party

Lets get to the predictions. Both Aria and I wrote up what we expect to see and cover next year. Were ready to be held accountable for these guesses, and I know we can count on you all to do so!

Facebook will start hosting and monetizing podcasts

Facebook got into podcasts this past year by allowing hosts to distribute their RSS feeds on Pages, and next year, I believe the company will start hosting and monetizing shows no RSS feed required. Of course, saying this will happen in 2022 requires Facebook prioritizing and building the functionality, and its unclear how invested it is in actually doing it. But I do believe hosting and monetization is Facebooks ultimate goal in the space, so I anticipate seeing it happen at some point. -AC

More headline-making podcast appearances

While podcasts are increasingly a stop on celebrities press circuits, they remain the intimate medium theyve always been: guards are lowered and conversations get real. Given this intersection, were likely to hear more and more high-profile people saying some pretty jarring things on tape. As a reminder, the next host of Jeopardy! was ultimately fired from his role because of horrendous things hed said on a podcast years before, ostensibly emboldened by the casual setting. Just months after he was let go, another person whod once had the stamp of approval from the educational TV show football player Aaron Rodgers traded his squeaky-clean public persona for praise of ivermectin, all over the course of 45 minutes on the podcast The Pat McAfee Show 2.0. Were in for quite a ride as even more people try out the medium. -AB

There will be fewer exclusive show deals and more windowing

Spotify popularized the idea of shows going exclusive to one platform, but looking ahead, I foresee this trend fading out. If ad revenue is the primary goal for most of the big platforms, minimizing shows audiences by housing them in one place doesnt make much sense. Instead, I expect to see more deals like the one between Amazon Music and SmartLess with one week of exclusivity, or Amazon Music and 9/12, which offered the entire, bingeable show on the app with only one episode per week released elsewhere. Now, a two-for-one prediction: I also expect more Spotify-exclusive deals will not re-sign. The big paycheck is nice, but it likely comes at the expense of reach and influence. -AC

Salaries become standardized (through solidarity)

When hiring for one-off audio positions, people continue to reference the rates and best practices made publicly available by the organization AIR, and I have a feeling folks will soon realize they want (read: need) standards for staff positions, too especially as more of those positions are created. There arent many places to turn to for that information, though. I predict current salaried workers will soon act on that, and that at least part of it will be bold, public, and online, even if demystifying money by just talking about it has mostly been the domain of freelancers. -AB

Every Tuesday receive analysis, insights, and commentary on the growing audio industry.

A more built-out Spotify Wrapped for podcasts

Still only two slides dedicated to podcasts? Ive gotta say, I expected more from a company that spent this whole year trying to prove it did more than music. -AB

Podcasts become a way to sell products, especially by influencers

You can already argue that podcasts are an important sales channel because of promo codes and direct response advertisers, but I imagine we might see affiliate revenue play a bigger role in 2022. Influencers could still launch shows with the primary intention of using them as a way to connect with fans, but increasingly, they may just want to sell more stuff. It could be their own product line or an affiliate partnership with a larger company. I suspect this is why Amazon is taking an interest in the space podcasts move product, and Amazon has a lot of product to move. Plus, it runs a huge affiliate revenue business. -AC

More pro gamers launch podcasts and reach huge numbers

We talk a lot about Hollywood stars entering podcasting, but next year, I anticipate writing more about pro gamers hosting shows. Were already seeing hints of this. QCODEs Wood Elf Media produces Distractible from streamer Mark Fischbach (aka Markiplier), which apparently topped Joe Rogan on Spotifys own charts. Gamers come with a built-in audience and, more so than influencers, are used to talking and having things to say, priming them for podcast fame. -AC

Luminary gets bought or shuts down

I had to make some kind of Luminary prediction, and Im guessing the company either gets bought or shuts down. Thats it. Maybe itll thrive on its own, but its now entering its third year of existence, and something has to happen. -AC

Live social audio goes on-demand and becomes a hot zone for moderation discussions

If 2021 was the year every platform built or invested in live audio, I believe 2022 will be the year they instead focus on on-demand content. Both Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces, as well as Spotifys forgotten Greenroom, allow conversations to be recorded, and these replays will become essential to growing and maintaining the user bases. At the same time, I predict live audios reputation will tarnish as conversations run amok with misinformation, racism, threats of violence, and whatever else the internet is good at drumming up. -AC

Thanks for sticking with us this year. Pop some bottles and manifest those dreams for 2022. Well be back Thursday for our insiders with a special Aria edition, and for the rest of yall, were here Tuesday with our usually scheduled programming.

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Hot Pod 2022 predictions: The next year in podcasting - The Verge

How AI and machine learning can help improve therapy for humans – Boing Boing

Posted on December 30, 2021 by admin

When I first saw a headline in the Technology Review about therapists using AI to improve treatment, my initial instinct was to cringe. With the rise of remote therapy apps, I can absolutely envision a world where some intrepid entrepreneur decides to "disrupt" the cognitive behavioral therapy industry by automating the process with help from algorithms that will inevitably be exposed as racist and sexist and who knows what else.

But the story that Charlotte Jee and Will Douglas Heaven actually tell in the Review is much more nuanced and interesting. It focuses on words, and how machine learning might help us to identify those elusive words we're always looking for. A large part of psychological healing involves finding the right words to identify and describe your scenario and experience; some of the greatest epiphanies and breakthroughs come when you finally find the right words for something you've been struggling with. And that's what these therapists are proposing: using AI to help people find those words.

What's crucial is delivering the right words at the right time. Blackwell and his colleagues at Ieso are pioneering a new approach to mental-health care in which the language used in therapy sessions is analyzed by an AI. The idea is to usenatural-language processing(NLP) to identify which parts of a conversation between therapist and clientwhich types of utterance and exchangeseem to be most effective at treating different disorders.

The aim is to give therapists better insight into what they do, helping experienced therapists maintain a high standard of care and helping trainees improve. Amid a global shortfall in care, an automated form of quality control could be essential in helping clinics meet demand.

Ultimately, the approach may reveal exactly how psychotherapy works in the first place, something that clinicians and researchers are still largely in the dark about. A new understanding of therapy's active ingredients could open the door to personalized mental-health care, allowing doctors to tailor psychiatric treatments to particular clients much as they do when prescribing drugs.

There's a lot more, of course. But that's an approach to AI treatment I can get behind.

The therapists using AI to make therapy better [Charlotte Jee and Will Douglas Heaven / MIT Technology Review]

Image: Public Domain via PxHere

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How AI and machine learning can help improve therapy for humans - Boing Boing

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