Category Archives: Transhuman News

SALT LAKE CITY One of several hikers who formed a human chain across a river swollen with flash flood waters in the Utah desert said Thursday it was powerful watching people help each other through the dangerous situation.

Jhonatan Gonzalez said rainfall upstream transformed the calm water on a hot and sunny day at Utahs red-rock Zion National Park into a waist-high rushing river on Saturday morning.

Theres no way out you just have to go through, said Gonzalez, 40, of Maui, Hawaii.

He and a group of about 15 family members turned back when they saw the current become strong during a river hike known as The Narrows, but they soon reached an area where the water was higher.

Gonzalez and his brothers originally stood in the water together to help several younger family members ranging from 1 to 8 years old cross the river.

Strangers joined their line as they continued to help dozens of other hikers cross the river choked with logs and debris.

Gonzalez paused briefly to take a video of the effort with his cellphone.

It felt good. It was a chilling experience. It almost made me feel teary, just seeing how everyone was helping each other, he said.

Zion closed the area later that afternoon after a flash-flood warning. Ranger John Marciano says rangers work hard to warn people to watch weather reports and be careful of fast-moving water. Anyone caught in risky weather should get to high ground immediately, especially in the river where rocks can quickly become treacherously slippery.

Flash floods at Zion have proved fatal in the past, including a devastating 2015 flood in a deep, narrow canyon that killed seven people.

In Arizona, dozens of hikers have been rescued from floodwaters in recent weeks. Ten people died in mid-July when a sudden rainstorm thundered through a tranquil swimming area about 100 miles northeast of Phoenix.

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Hikers form human chain to cross river after flash-flood - New York Post

Gregory Okin is quick to point out that he does not hate dogs and cats. Although he shares his home withneither he is allergic, so his pets are fish he thinks it is fine if you do.But if you do, he would like you to consider what their meat-heavy kibble and canned foodare doing to the planet.

Okin, a geographer at UCLA, recently did that, and the numbers he crunched led to some astonishing conclusions. Americas180 million or so Rovers and Fluffies gulpdownabout25 percent of all the animal-derived calories consumed in the United States each year, according to Okins calculations. If these pets established a sovereign nation, it wouldrank fifth in global meat consumption.

Needless to say, producingthat meat which requires more land, water and energy and pollutes more than plant-based food creates alot of greenhouse gases: as many as 64 million tons annually, or about the equivalent ofdriving more than 12 million cars around for a year. That doesnt mean pet-keeping must be eschewed for the sake of the planet, but neither is it an unalloyed good, Okin wrote in a study published this week in PLOS One.

If you are worried about the environment, then in the same way you might consider what kind of car you buy this is something that might be on your radar, Okin said in an interview. But its not necessarily something you want to feel terrible about.

This research was a departure for Okin, who typically travels the globe to studydeserts things such aswind erosion, dust production and plant-soil interactions. But he said thebackyard chicken trend in Los Angeles got him thinking about how cool it is that pet chickens make protein, while dogs and cats eat protein. And he discovered that even as interest growsin the environmental impact ofour own meat consumption, therehas been almost no effort to quantify the part our most common pets play.

To do that, Okin turned todog and catpopulation estimates from the pet industry, average animal weights, and ingredient lists in popular pet foods. Thecountrysdogs and cats, he determined, consume about 19 percent as many calories as the human population, or about as much as 62 million American people. But because their diets are higher in protein, the pets total animal-derived calorie intake amounts to about 33 percent ofthat ofhumans.

Okins numbers are estimates, but they do a good job of giving us some numbers that we can talk about, said Cailin Heinze, a veterinary nutritionist at Tufts Universitys Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine who has written about the environmental impact of pet food. They bring up a really interesting discussion.

Okin warns that thesituation isnt likely to improveany time soon. Pet ownership is on the rise in developing countries such asChina, which means the demand for meaty pet food is, too. And in the United States, the growing idea of pets as furry childrenhas led to an expandingmarket of expensive, gourmet foods that sound like Blue Apron meals. That means not just kale and sweet potato in the ingredient list, but grain-free and human-grade concoctions that emphasizetheiruse of high-quality meat rather than the leftoverbyproducts that have traditionally made up much of our pets food.

The trend is that people will be looking for more good cuts of meat for their animals and more high-protein foods for their animals, Okin said.

What to do about this? Thats the hard part.Heinze said one place to start is by passing on the high-protein or human-grade foods. Dogs and cats do need protein and cats, which are obligate carnivores, really do need meat, she said. But the idea that they should dine onthe equivalent of prime rib and lots of it comes from what she calls the pet food fake news machine. Theres no need to be turned off by some plant-based proteins in a foods ingredients, she said, and dog owners in particular can look for foods with lower percentages of protein.

Human-grade, Heinze said, doesnt even have a regulatory definition, but it does suggest that a product might be using protein that humans wouldeat. Meat byproducts all the organs and other animal parts that dont end up at the supermarket are perfectly fine, she said.

Dogs and cats happily eat organ meat, Heinze said. Americans do not.

Okin has some thoughts about that. Theargument that pet foods use of byproducts is an efficiency in meat production is based on the premise thatoffal and organs are gross, he says. (Look no further than the collective gag over a finely textured beef product known as pink slime.) But if wewould reconsider that, his study found, about one-quarter of all the animal-derived calories in pet foodwould be sufficient for all the people of Colorado.

Ive traveled around the world and Im cognizant that what is considered human edible is culture-specific, he said. Maybe we need to have a conversation about what we will eat.

In the meantime, Okin suggests that people thinking about getting a dog might consider a smaller one a terrier rather than a Great Dane, say. Or, if you think a hamster might fulfill your pet desires, go that route.

Heinze, for her part, sometimesoffers the same counsel to vegetarian or vegan clients who want their pets to go meat-free. Theyare typically motivated by animal welfare concerns, not environmental ones, she said, but such diets are not always best for dogs, and they never are for cats.

There have been a few times in my career where Ive honestly said to my clients, We need to find a new home for your pet,' she said, and you need to get a rabbit or a guinea pig or something like that.

Read more:

Dire wolves were real. Now someone is trying to resurrect them.

Goodbye my brother: A Marines loving sendoff for the cancer-stricken dog who saved him

Watch what happens when kittens come to yoga. (So much more than downward dog.)

Long before they conquered the Internet, cats took over the world

See the rest here:
The hidden environmental costs of dog and cat food - Washington Post

Through a heart wrenching social media post describing the miscarriage of twins, a mother is hoping to shed a new light on the sanctity of human life.

Felicia Cash took to Facebook on Monday to share that she had recently lost not one but two babies after 14 weeks of pregnancy. As though the news wasnt painful enough, Cash made the brave decision to post photos of one of her stillborn children to demonstrate thateven at just three and half months gestationa child is more than a cluster of cells and lump of tissue.

WATCH: Parents Surprise Kids With Newly Adopted Baby Sister Their Reactions are Priceless

For 13 years, Felicia Cash and he husband had struggled to start a family of their own. They finally made the decision to foster three sisters, and they adopted the girls two years later. Soon after, they received the remarkable news that they were expecting their first child.

[T]he morning after we signed their adoption papers in court, we found out that we were expecting, Cash told Live Action News. Eight months later, our oldest son was born. A few years after that, we were blessed with another.

Cash and her husband were elated when they discovered they were pregnant with twins this past spring, but things quickly took a turn for the worse. She started experiencing complications about six weeks into her term and was forced to go to the hospital with bleeding.

They did an ultrasound and told us that we had lost one of two, but that the second baby looked healthy and strong, she said. We had other scares when bleeding started again and again, but were told it was just due to the first loss and a hematoma beneath the placenta.

Unfortunately, the doctors were wrong about the second child. Late last month, Cash woke up to more bleeding, which was followed by pain. She knew she had to go to the hospital, but before her husband could get home from work, her water broke, and she delivered her son, Japeth Peace Cash, in her home.

Holding her tiny baby, who was all of 14 weeks and six days old, Cash was taken with how developed the young boy was. It was then that she decided to document her tragic experience on Facebook.

Our beautiful Japeth Peace, miscarried July 24th at 14 weeks 6 days. He is perfectly and wonderfully formed, right down to his amazing tiny toes and fingers, the post began. Even his fingernails are formed and visible. Tiny veins that carried his own blood to his precious body can be seen through his delicate skin, even his wonderfully formed muscles are visible.

Cash went on to explain that her post was meant to show people a real, tangible example of what a human being looks like in the earliest stages of life. It is abundantly clear from her photos that, even at less than half gestation, a baby is far more than a blob of unformed flesh.

At less than half gestation he is very obviously human, not a cluster of cells, not a lump of tissue, not a blob of unformed flesh. He is a beautiful child, formed by God, and now gone to be with Him.

I am posting this in hopes of offering information to those who may not know how completely a child of only 14 weeks gestation is formed. And therefore not something to be taken lightly.

His tiny heart was beating within 16 days of conception, pumping his own blood. That is usually before anyone knows that they are pregnant. There seems to be a misconception that unless you can hear or see it, it isnt happening, but that tiny heart is beating, even if it is too small to hear or see.

As someone who has a beautiful blended family of adopted and biological children, Cash also pleaded with women contemplating abortion to consider alternatives.

As a final plea, if you are considering abortion, please take time to find the truth and reconsider. This is not an effort to shame, belittle, or condemn anyone in any way. It is the plea of a woman who just lost her child for you to at least consider other options.

There are people who are willing to help. I am willing to help. If you feel you have no one and no place to go, please reach out. Whether you keep your precious baby or choose the gift of adoption, you do have options.

Many will say that the foster homes are overflowing already or that no child should be unwanted. But that does not mean that your child should be discarded. As an adoptive mother, I want to encourage you that there are hundreds, thousands of families who would love a child that did not come from their own bodies, and there are thousands of families who do. Reach out. There is hope.

If you have made up your mind to choose abortion, no one can stop you. If you have already chosen abortion, I do not condemn you. And there are many who are willing to counsel you through your loss and grief. Again, reach out. There is hope.

To those who have experienced a similar loss, my heart goes out to you, she concluded. Your love for your lost ones is not in vain. God is good, even still.

In speaking with Live Action News, Cash said she has heard from countless women in the days following her post. Some are remorseful for their decision to abort babies at around the same age as Japeth, while others have suffered miscarriages of their own. Ultimately, she believes God had a plan for her son.

As miserable as this event has been, and as heart rending and tearful, Cash said, I still thank God that I have been able to share Japeths precious life.

(H/T: Live Action News)

Go here to read the rest:
'Obviously Human': Mother Posts Heart-Wrenching Photos of Baby She Lost at 14 Weeks - CBN News

Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms. Mathematics is about understanding. William Paul Thurston

According to the World Economic Forum, the age of AI and smart machines will create three types of jobs in the future of work: 1. those that will disappear (replaced by automation and machines), 2. those that are in collaboration with machines and algorithms, and 3. those jobs that are completely new or remain largely untouched. The new jobs created by AI will require a combination of technology and liberal arts skills in order to optimize business outcomes. According to IDC research, AI powered CRM will create $1.1 trillion dollars of incremental revenue and more than 2 million net new jobs.

To learn more about the future of work and the impact of artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science business strategies, Ray Wang and I invited one of the foremost authorities and expert on application of machine intelligence, organizational leadership and strategy to our weekly show DisrupTV.

Angela Zutavern is Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton and Board of Directors ICE Foundation. Zutavern has pioneered the application of machine intelligence to organizational leadership and strategy. She is an inventor of the machine intelligence and data science strategies that are now helping business and government organizations make better decisions and gain competitive advantages. Zutavern led Booz Allens most advanced data science research and development efforts, including the areas of deep learning and quantum machine learning. She has worked with clients in every major U.S. government cabinet-level department as well as in sub-level agencies. In addition, Angela advised manyFortune500 companies and led teams across every major industry.

A frequent industry, academic, and media speaker on the power of data science, Angela convenes the Chief Data Officer (CDO) Council for the U.S. federal government community. In addition, she is actively involved in strengthening diversity and inclusion, especially in technology, and is an enthusiastic champion of women in data science. Angela also serves on the board of directors of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports ICE employees in their homeland security and public safety missions.

Zutavern co-authored the 2017 book The Mathematical Corporation, which explores how organizations and their leaders can beat the competition by coupling human ingenuity with the mathematical power of machine intelligence. Zutavern shows business leaders how to compete in this new era: by combining the mathematical smarts of machines with the intellect of visionary leaders.

Salesforce

Multiplying our potential capabilities by showing us how to merge human intelligence and machine intelligence, The Mathematical Corporation reveals how leaders can score strategic triumphs and fulfill missions that once seemed out-of-reach or even impossible to attain, said Zutavern. Here are some use cases from the book:

Several companies were referenced as mathematical corporations, including Tesla. Teslas vehicles include software that aids customers limited self-driving. Another set of software, with no effect on the car, records all driver behavior so Tesla can accumulate the data to build future full-service self-driving capability. Whereas it took Google six years to gather a million miles of actual self-driving car data, Teslas 70,000 cars produce a million miles of driver data every ten hours. Who will succeed first in using the data for the next breakthrough?

Here are 7 top takeaways from THE MATHEMATICAL CORPORATION - According to the authors: If the past was about analytics and big data, the future is about the big mind of the mathematical corporation. Big mind comes from combining the mathematical smarts of machines with your own imaginative human intellect. It requires the following shifts in thinking:

Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Zutavern:

Digital savvy businesses leaders are pioneering the use of machine intelligence within their organizations - the combination of machine and human talent will unleash a whole new set of capabilities for products, services and most importantly business model innovation.

AI is another seat at the boardroom table - a mathematical corporation will use data and the predictive power of data to better understand future trends and adapt accordingly. The combination of machine and human intelligence will accelerate concept to commercialization of capabilities.

In every industry, businesses leaders can leverage the power of data sciences to bolster business strategy - Zutavern references Tesla versus Google and the use of same technology, but different strategies, where Tesla is leaning into capturing far more user data from their autonomous cars to improve the user experience and innovation velocity.

In the AI economy, diversity of backgrounds is key to success - The liberal arts graduates have a great opportunity to impact product design and innovation strategies. Zutavern references innovation competitions and hackathons that benefit from groups from diverse backgrounds. An example of developing algorithms for detecting lung cancer was used to demonstrate the benefits of diversity of experience. The first step is figuring out what you dont know and then inviting domain experts to collaborate as a team.

Video and image recognition will be a significant growth areas - There are many consumer, retail, government and safety applications that will require further advancements and application of AI-powered video and image recognition solutions. The power of deep learning and machine learning advancements in these areas will surely create new business model innovation opportunities.

Ethics and privacy must the first thing business leaders think about - The opt-out model is not sufficient framework for businesses to grow market share and gain stakeholder trust. Zutavern advises law makers, business leaders and entrepreneurs to lead the effort with respect to defining ethical and privacy issues as a community.

To become a mathematical corporation you must begin thinking differently and then acting differently. You must be inclusive, collaborative and open-minded to diversity of talent and expertise. Leaders must graduate from gut instincts and mental models and begin embracing advanced analytics and artificial intelligence. Please watch our video conversation with Angela Zutavern (Twitter: @AngelaZutavern) to learn more about how to become a mathematical corporation.

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AI-Powered Companies Combine Machine Intelligence And Human Ingenuity - HuffPost