fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
iExec Joins NVIDIA Inception Program
By: Eric Rodriguez
Tags: Computing, Ethereum, Blockchain, Tech, Press Release

Lyon, France — October 28, 2020: iExec joins the NVIDIA Inception program. The Inception program is designed to nurture startups revolutionizing industries with advancements in AI and data sciences.

iExec has developed a decentralized marketplace for computing resources, transforming cloud computing into a commodity. iExec offers a dynamic market network made up of multiple providers of cloud and edge resources. Individuals and enterprises can monetize and trade their applications, datasets and instances of computing power. The project recently released ‘iExec V5’, with GPU integration in their marketplace. On-demand access to GPU computing power allows users to accelerate workloads and enable new business applications. This is specifically required in fields such as AI or deep learning, that have extremely heavy computing requirements.

The NVIDIA Inception program provides iExec with access to the most advanced expertise and knowledge on GPU computing.

Learn more about how GPU computing resources can be accessed on-demand from a multitude of providers through the iExec Cloud Marketplace:

“We are excited to join the NVIDIA Inception program to connect with innovative companies in emerging sectors using AI and Edge Computing, and to share experience and knowledge with experts and innovators on NVIDIA technologies” — Eric Rodriguez, Solutions Engineer at iExec

NVIDIA’s Inception program is a virtual accelerator that helps startups during critical stages of product development, prototyping, and deployment. Every Inception member gets a custom set of ongoing benefits, from NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (DLI) credits, marketing support, and hardware technology discounts enabling early-stage startups with fundamental tools to help them grow.

About iExec:

iExec has developed the first decentralized marketplace for cloud computing resources. Blockchain is used to organize a market network where users can monetize their computing power, applications, and datasets. By providing on-demand access to cloud computing resources, iExec supports compute-intensive applications in fields such as AI, big data, healthcare, rendering, or FinTech. Other iExec collaborators include Alibaba Cloud, IBM, Genesis Cloud, EDF electrical utility company, Enterprise Ethereum Alliance and Ubisoft.

iExec Contact: Eric Rodriguez

Email: er@iex.ec
District Attorney Krasner Statement on Police Shooting of Civilian in West Philly
By: Philadelphia Dao
Tags: Criminal Justice, Philadelphia, Press Release

CONTACT:

Jane Roh, 215–686–8711, jane.roh@phila.gov

PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 26, 2020) — District Attorney Larry Krasner on Monday issued the following statement on the fatal police shooting of a civilian in West Philadelphia:

“The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office takes its obligation to try to be fair and to seek evenhanded justice seriously. The DAO Special Investigations Unit responded to today’s fatal shooting of a civilian by police shortly after it occurred, and has been on scene with other DAO personnel since that time investigating, as we do jointly with the PPD Officer-Involved Shooting Investigation Unit, in shootings and fatalities by other means involving police. We intend to go where the facts and law lead us and to do so carefully, without rushing to judgment and without bias of any kind.

“People who witnessed this incident or have information they believe to be relevant to this investigation are encouraged to contact the District Attorney’s Office Special Investigations Unit hotline: 215–686–9608.”

“In the hours and days following this shooting, we ask Philadelphians to come together to uphold people’s freedom to express themselves peacefully and to reject violence of any kind.”

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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million citizens of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually.
【Tepleton officially shows up at the Blockchain Expo North America 2019; CEO Jaden is attending the expo and will deliver a speech】
By: Tepleton Community
Tags: Press Release

【Tepleton officially shows up at the Blockchain Expo North America 2019; CEO Jaden is attending the expo and will deliver a speech】 Tepleton Community Follow Nov 14, 2019 · 2 min read

According to the official news, on November 13, 2019 local time, Tepleton officially shows up at the Blockchain Expo North America 2019, CEO Jaden attends the expo on behalf of the project. This is the third time that Tepleton has been invited by the world leading blockchain conferences after Crypto Invest Summit (CIS), and San Francisco Blockchain Week.

Blockchain Expo is a world leading blockchain conference, and has been held multiple times in different places of the world. The Blockchian Expo North America 2019 will be convened at the center of the Silicon Valley Santa Clara Convention Center, with the topic “Unlocking the Internet of Value”, and conference tracks mainly cover blockchain, IoT, cyber security, cloud, AI, big data; 12000 attendees will witness the most advanced technology and exchange brilliant ideas on the site; and the expo attracted hundreds of excellent enterprises.

Tepleton, a FinBlockchain solution based on the underlying cross-chain technology, is a blockchain value network that serves for the financial industry preferentially, which will empower the frontier financial sectors, such as fund, insurance, banking, and securities, and build the new finance ecology. The concept FinBlockchain was first proposed by the Tepleton team in a global scale, which is the abbreviation of finance and blockchain, and it is defined as an “open, credible, efficient, and decentralized new financial era.

Tepleton is invited to attend the Blockchain Expo North America 2019 as a Silicon Valley blockchain star project. Tepleton will share the latest progress of the project and also demonstrate the FinBlockchain blueprint to the world via the stage of this most influential Blockchain Expo.
An Important Note to Our Friends, Family, and Community Regarding COVID-19
By: Avery Brewing Co
Tags: Beer News, Press Release

Dear Avery Friends, Family, and Community,

Our first priority is the health and safety of our visitors, co-workers, and community. We have been carefully monitoring the recent developments with coronavirus (COVID-19) in Colorado. Out of an abundance of caution, we have agreed as a team that we will temporarily close our Tap Room and Restaurant beginning today, Friday, March 13 at 4:00pm.

*Update from Wednesday, June 17: At Avery, we continue to put the health and safety of our co-workers and community first. With current local and national recommendations in mind, our Tap Room and Restaurant will safely reopen for in-person dining on Wednesday, June 24. Please visit our reopening blog for more information.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause in your travel plans. We appreciate your understanding and willingness to work with us through this difficult time.

We’ll pay our Tap Room and Restaurant employees during this closure, and beer production will continue as usual while we’re closed to the public. We will continue to take the utmost care in all our cleaning and sanitization procedures.

We’ll keep you posted on updates as we have them. Thank you for being a part of our wonderful community, and we hope to see you for a beer once this has passed.

— The Avery Family
District Attorney Krasner Statement on Killing of Philadelphia SWAT Officer & Murder Investigations
By: Philadelphia Dao
Tags: Criminal Justice, Murder, Philadelphia, Press Release

CONTACT:

Jane Roh, District Attorney’s Office, 215–686–8711, Jane.Roh@phila.gov

PHILADELPHIA (March 13, 2020) — District Attorney Larry Krasner issued the following statement on the shooting murder of Philadelphia Police Corporal James O’Connor that occurred early Friday during the execution of a homicide arrest warrant for Hassan Elliott (DOB: 8/14/1998) of Philadelphia:

“The prosecutors and staff of the District Attorney’s Office and I join the city of Philadelphia in expressing our heartbreak over the murder of Police Corporal James O’Connor while on duty.

“Corporal O’Connor was killed while serving a fugitive arrest warrant for homicide our office approved as part of an ongoing murder investigation. The District Attorney’s Office was prepared to charge Hassan Elliott for a robbery and murder that occurred in March of 2019, at a location not far from the site of today’s tragedy.

“Following a months-long investigation, our colleagues in the Philadelphia Police Department were able to determine a probable location for Elliott. Corporal O’Connor and members of the SWAT team today put their safety and lives on the line in order to bring this dangerous individual into custody.

“Elliott is currently in custody. We expect to bring charges for the March 2019 murder and additional charges following today’s incident shortly.

“This tragedy underscores the interconnectedness of our partners in law enforcement within the criminal justice system. We collaborate and rely on one another to investigate crimes, identify suspects, bring them into custody, and prosecute them in the pursuit of justice. Our deep reliance and trust in one another does not often make headlines, but it is critical to the safety of all communities.

“Our prosecutors, particularly those involved in the investigation preceding today’s incident, join the members of the Philadelphia Police Department and the residents of Philadelphia in mourning Corporal O’Connor, and in extending our deep condolences to his loved ones. The investigation into today’s incident is ongoing, and we will release information on additional charges against Elliott and other individuals involved at the appropriate time.”

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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million citizens of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually.
SFIA Appoints Bill Patterson as New Chief Business Officer
By: Sports, Fitness Industry Association, Sfia
Tags: Sports, Industry News, Press Release, Fitness, Association

SFIA Appoints Bill Patterson as New Chief Business Officer

CONTACT:

Alli Schulman

aschulman@sfia.org

301.495.6321

SILVER SPRING, MD (Nov. 16, 2020) — The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Bill Patterson as SFIA’s Chief Business Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Patterson previously served as Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Strategic Accounts at OpSec Security.

“Bill Patterson provides a fresh and innovative approach to the future of SFIA as our organization evolves during this unprecedented period,” said SFIA President & CEO, Tom Cove. “Bill has the ideal skill set and experience to introduce new projects and programs, expand and deepen our service to SFIA member companies, and grow the sports and fitness industry.”

Mr. Patterson spent the last 17 years at OpSec Security, playing an integral role in their marketing and sales management team. In addition to advancing the company’s digital presence and revenue streams, Mr. Patterson previously served as OpSec Security’s Vice President of Global Licensing, where he was responsible for the brand and royalty protection of OpSec’s licensing clients including MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, Learfield Licensing, NYC & Company, Hard Rock Café, and many others. His experience with the sports leagues and other major players in the sports arena, as well as relationships built throughout that time, has resulted in Mr. Patterson’s intrigue and interest in the sports and fitness industry.

“Leveraging his significant experience and many insights, Bill will help SFIA build stronger connections within the industry and form new relationships more broadly,” said SFIA Chairman Dan Arment. “We are confident in his ability to bring opportunities and ideas that strengthen the industry now and in the future.”

After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Virginia Tech, his 25-year career has spanned the industries of home improvement retail, direct marketing agencies and video gaming with responsibilities including advertising, marketing, direct-mail, communications, loyalty programs, brand management and sales management.

ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.

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Steyer Ad Challenges Biden and Buttigieg
Tags: Economy, New Hampshire, Tom Steyer, Press Release, Boston

Steyer Ad Challenges Biden and Buttigieg

Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer launched an ad campaign showcasing why Democrats must nominate an unconventional outsider who can beat Trump on the economy.

Tom believes it is important for Democrats to make a strong economic case to the voters, and choosing an establishment Democrat again won’t cut it. The ad asserts that Democrats cannot afford another establishment candidate or inexperienced newcomer when the stakes are so high for our country.

Steyer is uniquely suited to expose Trump as a fraud on the economy because of his successful business career and his progressive advocacy work and believes that as the Democratic nominee he can expose Trump’s fraudulent business practices — which have benefited big corporations at the expense of working families — as the same tactics he is using for the country’s economy. The ad will run in local markets in New Hampshire and Boston.

The ad asserts that Democrats cannot afford another establishment candidate or newcomer.

“He’s running on the economy. He’s running on the idea that Democrats can’t grow an economy, are a bunch of socialists, can’t afford to vote for,” Tom said in the ad. “My job is to take on Mr. Trump and kick his ass on the economy.”

The ad comes at a time when Tom’s message is visibly resonating in the early states. The most recent Morning Consult “early states tracker” puts Tom at 19% support (3rd place) when averaging who voters support in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. He is doing especially well in NV (tied for 3rd place with 12% according to Jan. 9 Fox News Poll) and in SC (18% and 7 points behind first-place Biden in the most recent Post and Courier poll).
What is The Meaning of Life?
Tags: Meaning, Life Lessons, Meaning Of Life, Motivation, Meaningful Work

Meaning is the associations that our minds draw.

Our brains invent it as a way to explain all the crazy crap that’s going on in the world around us.

This helps us to predict and control our lives.

Types of Life Meaning

Cause / Effect Meaning is primarily about the logical parts of our brain: you kick the ball, the ball moves. Better / Worse Meaning has to do with the nature of our values and relies mostly on the emotional parts of our brains: eating is better than dying.

Meaning Is Nature’s Motivation Tool

It’s how evolution made sure we got shit done.

When there’s a big meaning attached to something, we’re going to go to crazy lengths to make things right.

Meaning does not exist outside of ourselves

It is not some cosmic universal truth waiting to be discovered that will change our lives forever.

It requires action, and it is something that we must continually find and nurture.

2 ways to create meaning in your life

Solve problems: the more you work towards this problem, the more you feel about it.

Help others: Our well-being is deeply linked to the quality of our relationships, and the best way to build healthy relationships is by helping others.

Objectives are good tools for motivation building

But by themselves, they are arbitrary and empty.

Targets are dangerous because the meaning they give when you’re working towards them is the meaning that is taken away when you’re working towards them.
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be…
By: Keith Mcgivern
Tags: Meaning, Depression, Christianity, Death, Hope

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. - 1 Timothy 2:1-4

2020 continues to be one of the most difficult years on so many levels. Everything we hold near and dear has been challenged in ways we never would have imagined possible.

Even our very freedoms which are the foundation of our democracy are under attack. Many people in positions of power are abusing their office and threatening to take away our rights to pursue God in public arenas.

As followers of Jesus how should we approach these circumstances. We can choose to ignore these events and suffer the consequences or we can fight!

But we are not called to fight in the ways the world chooses to do so. So what's our best options to stand against such threats.

1.) Prayer!

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds- 2 Corinthians 10:4

Regardless if we recognize it God is still Lord of all. This fact will never change no matter how we try to change this narrative. Our first line of defense should be spent in prayer.

When we choose to look to him for wisdom on how to handle our affairs we invite him to work in and through us in ways that are beyond our ability to reason.

Prayer works and that is why he has charged us to do so for those in authority over us even if we think they do not deserve it!

2.) Giving thanks

This is difficult because we can be distracted by our circumstances. We must remember that God is for us and not against us.

But there is a balancing act between Gods plans and our free will. Things are not always black and white when it comes to the results we expect to see from our efforts.

Giving thanks is an act of surrender on our part by showing God we trust him even if we can not see it at that moment.

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

We will face many challenges in life and our spiritual success hinders on our ability to use the tools he has provided. We have an opportunity to shine his light so that others might see his goodness and mercy for themselves and choose to walk this path of faith.
Two views towards the meaning of life
By: Silas Yeak
Tags: Existentialism, Meaning, Life Lessons, Perspective, Meaning Of Life

Two views towards the meaning of life

These past few years, studying at University of Portland, competing in Mixed Martial Arts, traveling and expanding my mindset has given me a lot to think about with regards to the big-picture meaning of life in comparison to my personal meaning for life. Silas Yeak Feb 7, 2020·3 min read

After thinking about it for several years, on a big-picture-view, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Universe is pretty much meaningless and indifferent. No matter how much I try to project meaning on it, it’s still too vast and infinite for me to make any substantial difference on an infinite system.

Numbers, science and evidence have never ever let me down; When it has, it just meant that we didn’t have enough evidence/information to know all the answers. This may sound like a nihilistic conclusion derived from skepticism and scientific evidence, but stick around to find out what I’ve come to realize on a personal-level.

To preface my current conclusion (dated 01/08/20), I will start off with what sparked all these existential questions in my mind. I had these suicidal friends who constantly asked me questions like “what’s the point in life Silas? I’m only sticking around for my parents honestly”, this triggered me to find out the answers for them so I could give them more reasons to stick around.

There is this Greek mythological story about Sisyphus, a king who was punished to roll a huge boulder up a hill and when it reached the top, it would roll back down and he would have to push it up again. This would repeat for eternity, so he might be rolling it right now!

This mundane and absurd existence must sound extremely boring and familiar. However, French Philosopher Albert Camus described Sisyphus as smiling even though he had no autonomy in his lifestyle. Pushing up the rock gave him meaning in life. This made me realize that people just simply have different priorities and meanings to life. For me, I could never live a life with no autonomy, creativity and passion. However, for Sisyphus moving up a rock every day was all he needed to be satisfied and happy.

The same thing happened when I played this “priorities game” and realize that certain people would value things like “autonomy, money and power” while others would value “inner peace, happiness and world peace”- People just have different priorities.

This subjective meaning attained through prioritizing personal top priorities towards life can give personal meaning. It is to appreciate whatever you prioritize on a personal level and disregard the bigger picture that is the “meaningless of life”. My favorite quote from my favorite TV show Rick and Morty when answering nihilism is “don’t think about it”, and it makes sense. Find satisfaction and happiness within what you can control — your personal, subjective meaning to life. Your life’s “value proposition”.
Contemplations on the meaning found in moments
By: Joshua Ledbetter
Tags: Philosophy, Motivation, Meaning

On its face, I can’t help but grant a high level of importance to any moment I am experiencing regardless of its contents. When I am in it, it can feel like the only thing that exists — the only thing that truly matters. If one decides to ponder on this, and then consider the moment after it has passed, its’ assigned meaning is easily shed.

Consider exercise. While I am running, the pain I may feel may seem to be the most important. As I experience these undesired sensations, my desire to stop and give in gets stronger. My end goal seems to drop in value exponentially. And then all of a sudden, I stop. My desire to breathe was more important than my desire to meet my goal. After I recover, shower, and begin to relax, I pose the question: how important was my desire to breathe? Imagine I had run until I fainted — I would eventually wake up, recover, and then find myself sitting in the same spot. How important was that pain? Was it more important than my goal?

During all moments, I grant all meaning and importance to the current one. When it ends, that meaning and importance is lost and replaced with where I now stand.

Consider another example: If I am standing in the shower, and I want to turn the water cold for health reasons, I may stop myself short, or get out of the cold water early because it is too much to take. However, 20 minutes after I am dry, it matters not whether the water was cold or a perfect temperature — I have already forgotten and become distracted by my phone. So it begs the question: how important was the experience of discomfort in cold water? If its’ importance is so fleeting, it seems to be absurd.

Although, some moments must carry more value, importance, and meaning than others, right? If we entertain this possibility, we could establish the value of a moment as a function of how much that moment will affect you or others, and for how long its’ effect will last.

If I had run longer, the positive effect of staying in the moment with my pain would have given the moment more meaning. Because I fell short of all I could give, the value and meaning in the entire exercise were lost.

Maybe the meaning we seek can be injected into moments by staying longer in the ones that will have lasting effects, either for us or for others. The pain is only for the moment and is therefore meaningless. The effect of choosing to experience pain is what has value.

In this vein, you can choose a life of meaningless moments, where you cave to your base desires only doing what you feel. Or, you push through the pain, recognizing its value and meaning will only manifest on the other side.
Poison
By: Aditi Tiwari
Tags: Dark, Death And Dying, Poem

Poison

I took a sip of the poison

To see it's magic

But tragedy happened, and I was glued to the bed for several decades

I took a sip of the poison

To see if luck is by my side or a dead end

But tragedy happened and I was doomed to downfall

I took a sip of the poison

To discern how hard it is

But hear me out it slowly burned me internally neither I can say how much pain I was in nor I can say “hey, I feel nothing at all”

I took a sip of the poison

To see if It can clear my distorted vision of humanity but comedy happened and I learnt that we human are so inhuman to others and this why the world is dubious

I took a sip of the venom yearning

I'll be free from all hurry and fuss of living but its paradox as I took a sip I was dwelling into the darkness of something unknown

I took a sip of the poison to know the darkest enigmas of the world we surround, where the existence came into persistence, without knowing how?

I took a sip of the poison because you see I am tired of the body and mind I have because I was gifted with a sense of enlightenment but the society took it away

So I decided to end my life by drinking the elixir of mortality

So that I can write I took a sip of poison without knowing how painful it was

And here I’ll leave you with alone to pounder on whether life itself is a poison that we take daily or death is the elixir of something too real to understand
passing remarks for lasting impressions
By: Ayushi Kapoor
Tags: Sunset, Poetry, Environmentalism, Death And Dying, Transience

passing remarks for lasting impressions

we were made to believe

believe that it will soon be okay

for things come

but you have to let go to clear your way

because the clock is still working

although the the needles are rusted

you’re told to run with the wind

for the long absent calm of the breeze

is now becoming unsettling

you have to be moving

making, breaking, creating

don’t settle until you find your calling

don’t stop till others tell you that you’re deserving

weren’t you told

that nothing lasts

that fragility is a given

in this world made of shattered glass

and the irony of the hustle is what keeps us going

going through the delusional days

of half hearted greetings and pride ridden endeavours

the blink of an eye

the melting of a glacier

nothing is as easy as it sounds

and nothing is what’s left to be saved here

so you go on running till you catch up with the setting sun

because the heat is now made of harmful rays

and your breath is part of history

history of simpler days
In memory of a woman named Sophia this building reminds me of.
By: Lonee Hall
Tags: Pain, Death And Dying, Heartbreak, Travel

In memory of a woman named Sophia this building reminds me of. With your passing, you leave behind a legacy. We are all in shock, and as I write this, I feel like words some how do not reflect the moment, the anguish, the stunned realization that you are forever gone. You will not be forgotten, as this is my tribute to you, Sophia. For all that you have done, for all that you gave because you cared about people, your family and life. You will be terribly missed, but like that building, The Hagia Sophia, you too, will remain in all of us, giving us strength to face life without your smile, your tears, your love. Thank you for being a co-worker, a friend, and family.

I heard the news today

I couldn’t believe it

The pain of losing you

Struck me down

I feel numb to the words I read,

You no longer bound to the Earth

Your beauty unmatched by earthly things,

Except the building that still stands today

A legacy of beauty, of pride, of enduring strength unknown

You resembled the stars at dusk, the sun at noon and the love of hearts

Precious was your time, a gift that has been taken

Time knows no boundaries but the building, like your legacy

Will live on in our hearts and memories

Forever etched as the Hagia Sophia.
Saying goodbye and thank you to my father
By: Nicole Friedler Brisson
Tags: Gratitude, Final Goodbye, Peace Of Mind, Cancer, Death And Dying

As I try to fall asleep tonight, I realize that tomorrow brings our goodbye, though, again, it may not be THE goodbye. Luckily, I have spent three more days with my father than I thought I would (and had three more dinners, enough to watch my father enjoy his food and say “mmm” after almost every bite) and they were truly good ones. I realize my good fortune to have had this time with my dad who is still, through all of the illness and trauma, the same person I know. He is not a dying man, though he is, and he has taught me how to keep going…and going and going and going… Who knew that he was the Energizer Bunny?

Dad, I am so glad you helped to create me and bring me into this world. Thank you for everything you have ever done for me, everything that you have ever taught me, for the amazing luxuries you have made available to me (including going to college without having to take a loan), for being there for me and with me through my entire “career” since I was born. Nobody’s perfect, and shit has happened, and things between us were not always easy nor pleasant, but as I told you today, I am proud of the person I am and have you to thank for much of that. I know you might be pissed to find out that I’ve been posting on Facebook about my feelings regarding your illness, as you are such a private person, but I think it would be okay with you if you understood that it has helped me process our final goodbye.

To all those of you who have taken this journey before me, I thank you with all my heart for guiding me, for telling me to get my ass down to see my dad when I was afraid to, to take photos or laugh with him or call him whenever I felt like it, to hold his hand or kiss his cheek, to leave nothing unsaid and to love him with everything I have. Sharing my travels through this life-changing experience “out loud” has been so helpful to me, so thanks, my dear friends, for being there with me. As dad said to his friend today, “I’m back from the dead.” We truly thought that he was coming home from the hospital on Tuesday to die (he even said that when he called on Sunday saying he “didn’t think it would be long.”) Who knew he was coming home to start his seventh life?

And so I wish for you, Dad, to be alive for months and months, but not to suffer when the time comes. At least now I know you know how very much I love you. So we’re good. See you in the morning.

I woke up today and have a few more things to express:

Dad, you are TRULY incredible. I’ve been here all day and it’s like you are the same guy I know and love, only you’re in a hospital bed in your office instead of sitting on the couch! I love that you’re emailing on your iPhone right now and that we’ve had some good laughs and the beginnings of some nice talks and you ate lunch and asked for more. Yes, that’s right — this is a time for joy in having this opportunity, not tears (although I’ve let a few of those go in front of you, which, remarkably you said was okay). This thing called death and dying is quite a journey…
Death, Though Inevitable, Yet Certainly is Not Painless
By: Gairika Mitra
Tags: Writing, Blogging, Death, Writer, Death And Dying

No matter how many times do our holy scriptures and self-help books guide us to follow the ambits of accepting things as they are, and master the art of staying unattached, yet a closer look, coupled with an iota of honesty would reveal how far fetched it actually is.

Had it not been the case, then social media feeds and news columns/editorials wouldn’t be filled up writeups over the deceased. Whether Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Sushant, Ram Bilas Paswan or Soumitra Chatterjee, not one stone-hearted person could opine with a straight face that their demise didn’t feel personal.

And, why wouldn’t it? We are humans, mortals, where most of us even claim to have a heart. In one of his literary works, Rabindranath Tagore did mention that “Marana re, tuhu mamo shyam saman”. The literal translation of which would mean, Oh dear death, to me, you are my Lord Krishna.”

Various scholars hold the thought that when death visits a person, he must have a profound personality and mental makeup; so much so that that when he could see death visiting him, and while he’d be counting his last breaths, he must be prepared to welcome him with a hug, and thus transcend in his journey towards the other world.

But where does it leave people like us? The mortals? The ones that claim to be their closest peers? We continue questioning the ever-changing, the all-happening universal phenomenon. “Why” seems to dominate most of our questions…

But, do the deceased that have already transcended towards their spiritual voyage have the immaculate strength to gauge and fathom our agony? Perhaps yes. Perhaps not. No matter what their state of mind is, they have already left this humble abode of theirs and set off towards the unexplored and unknown. Or should I paraphrase and say that that abode is actually their permanent home, and this was just a vacaying spot? Much like Shakespeare had mentioned, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players?”

Again, perhaps yes. Perhaps not. Even though this is a phenomenon of the universe, but the feeble, weak-hearted mind, doesn’t budge from its archaic beliefs of attachment. Maybe, it’d require some more time.

As of now, death, every death for that matter evokes a sad feeling, pinches like a huge thorn, and leaves behind an ever grasping air of melancholy. The concept of life and death are inevitable, but certainly not painless.
DEATH
By: A Bdufattāh Sheu
Tags: Death And Dying

DEATH

Sitting down on my chair after doing some reading waiting for sleep to come around 01:15.

Then it came to my mind, what if you die today

Would everything you are doing really matter

Then I realized, I have failed

I have failed myself and others

I have failed because I haven’t been living my life like I wasn’t going to see the next.

I have failed because I always want to put people before me

I have failed because I have always been cautious about what people think of me.

If I live my life today like I am not going to see tomorrow

I would have loved it to the fullest

I would care less about what people think of me

I would have put me first

After all, if I die it will just be me and me alone

If I live my life today like I am not going to see tomorrow

I know one day I will absolutely be right

I wouldn’t be afraid to take a risk

I wouldn’t be afraid of failing because it wouldn’t matter that I fail when I die

I wouldn’t be afraid to love and be loved

Death is inevitable

It’s a door everyone must past through

And yet people don’t want to be reminded of it

It is the termination of this life and the beginning of another more of like a transition to the next.

Even those that wish to go to heaven don’t want to die

The young don’t want to die, the old don’t want to die, even people that claim they want to end everything because it isn’t working the way they want don’t want to die at their point of death

We all don’t want to die yet we are exiting this world.

Many are gone and forgotten

Once you pass through the door there is no looking back

You become history

You become memory

You no longer have a business with this world.

Death is no respecter of wealth, status, age, gender, and spirituality.

It strips people of their loved ones

It turns honey to bitter in space of a second.

Death brings nothing but pain,

Pain to the person and pain to the loved once

But still, death comes with the realization

At that point, you realize you haven’t been living the life you wanted

You realize this world and everything in it is a mirage and a facade

You realize it isn’t worth it

You realize you are nothing but a stranger

So why are you still delaying things you am supposed to do

You are living a borrowed life and so am I

If I die today, I really don’t know what I will be remembered for

Death is at the door.

Sleep and death are almost the same

The only difference is after your sleep you come back, but, for death

You aren’t coming back.

Harriet Beecher Stowe said;

“The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone”.

Remember we all came from GOD and to him our final return.
Observing Death with my Dad
By: Edna Hirsbrunner
Tags: Design Methods, Design Process, Interaction Design, Death And Dying, Thesis

This is a brief obeservation of what happens after someone in one’s close milleiu dies one has to take care of. If a person dies several things must be done by the bereaved. As an ideal case the deceased has left written notes and instructions or talked with their relatives about what they want in case of their own death. How their legacies should be handled, how they want to be buried, how their funeral should look like and so on. In Switzerland several different steps must be done also legally in case of bereavement.

This is a ten steps to-do list from the Beobachter:

Get the death certificate Inform the close milieu of the dead person Determine wishes of the deceased Notify the registry office Protect estate of dead person Obituary and funeral cards Organize the funeral Clarifying inheritance matters Writing thank-you notes Settle estate and order gravestone

This sounds like a lot and it probably is. So, the better the deceased was prepared for their own death the easier and the more comfortable and bearable it is for the loved ones that have to deal with all the consequences and formalities besides the grief. In my experience only old people or those with a sever disease are thinking about their own death and what it really means with all its logistical and emotional components.
Richard Ouellette, local labor leader, dies
By: Maury Thompson
Tags: Richard Nixon, Labor, Glens Falls

The late John P. Burke, a long-time national labor leader from Fort Edward, no doubt, would have been honored at the solidarity of unionized construction workers building the apartment complex in Queensbury that bore his name.

Work on the John P. Burke Apartments in Queensbury and the Herman T. Stichman senior citizen hi-rise in Glens Falls was halted temporarily in 1971 due to a construction worker’s strike in Warren, Essex and Clinton counties, The Post-Star reported on April 8, 1971.

The strike involved President Nixon’s new wage guidelines.

Richard L. Ouellette, business manager for the Glens Falls branch of Local 186 of the Laborer’s International of North America, was spokesman for the unions on strike.

Ouellette, a local leader for 30 years, died Nov. 18, 2019, at age 84, according to an obituary published Thursday in The Post-Star.

Ouellette came to the area to work on construction of the Adirondack Northway and became a labor leader, according to the obituary.

In the 1970s, Ouelette was treasurer of the Glens Falls Labor Council.
Politics, it means your life! Really?
By: Dan Montgomery
Tags: Fair Tax, Labor, Voting, Unions

How many times have you heard a colleague say, “I hate politics!”? I’m sure you’ve had the experience when you’re talking to a friend about why they should vote for our endorsed candidate, or for the local referendum, when they blurt out, “Oh, I don’t know — they’re all so crooked!” These responses, and similar ones, can be a real challenge to us as we try to change our workplaces, our communities, and indeed our world, for the better.

In my local, we used to hand out a brochure to new members about our COPE program. It had the subtle title in big, bold letters, “Politics, It Means Your Life.” Yeah, just your life. But the handout actually did a nice job of listing some of the areas we take for granted that are heavily influenced or completely determined by some form of politics. Here are just a few:

· State revenue provided to your district, college, university or public agency, and limitations on revenue those entities can raise

· Your rights to collectively bargain and to have evaluation or job protections, including union representation and dismissal procedures

· Class sizes, textbooks used, and quality of education received

· Interest rates you pay

· City, county, state, federal and property taxes you pay

· Unemployment and Social Security benefits

· Our pensions, the amount of them and the age you can get them

· Cost of energy for your home and fuel for cars

· The quality of the air you breathe

· Whether you and your family have health care and its cost

· The nutritional value and safety of the food you eat

· The effectiveness and safety of the medicines you take

· Whether you have parks and libraries

· The police and fire protection you have

· The quality and safety of your streets

The list goes on, of course. In fact, we seldom pause to take stock of how deeply politics affects every inch of our and our loved ones’ lives, and our daily experience in the world.

When we do think about this reality, I think it’s easier to motivate ourselves and others to be more involved. And it doesn’t mean you have to become the world’s leading climate activist, or your union’s top political officer (although those would be great!). It means we owe it to ourselves and others to spend a little time becoming more educated about the issues and candidates.

And as we move ahead in this critical year, stay tuned.

In Illinois, we must pass the Fair Tax for our state to thrive — too much of what we want and depend on hangs in the balance. And there are important local and state elections. Oh, and it’s a presidential year — what many believe to be the most important presidential election in our lifetimes. Is there a better time to volunteer to work a phone bank one evening, or walk for a candidate or the Fair Tax in a neighborhood canvas on one crisp fall morning?

After all, “it means your life.”
Life’s Labors
By: Life S Labors
Tags: Life, Advice, Employment, Labor, Blog

As we grow up, we look to our teachers, parents, and even older siblings for instruction and education on new topics with which we are unfamiliar. We learn how to do math, how to read and write, how to reason. Beyond that, we learn many things on our own through trial and error. As we become adults and enter into the workforce, however, there are many things that we’re either expected to know or benefit greatly from knowing. Many of these things are not taught to us at any point prior in our lives, and oftentimes, not knowing them can lead to incredible stress.

Have you ever heard about how important “mentors” are? The reason for this is that they can help guide us around the many pitfalls of our working lives. But many people don’t have the luxury of having a mentor to look out for them. That’s where Life’s Labors comes in.

What questions should we ask prior to accepting a job? How much should we allocate to a 401(k) plan? What’s an appropriate percentage of income to spend on living accommodations or a mortgage? How should we budget? When are employers taking advantage of us and / or violating labor and tax laws?

Stay tuned as we address these topics (and many, many more). Feel free to comment and engage with us if you have any questions or any suggestions for topics you’d like our opinions on.
Amazon Joyeur: VR Headsets You Can Wear As You Work
By: Dc Inspo
Tags: Amazon, Entertainment, Science Fiction, Satire, Labor

As the demands on the Amazon workforce have grown over the months, the company has pushed the hours and efficiency of its employees to new heights. As always, Amazon is looking to technology to break the limits of what a workforce and a corporation can do.

Neural Link Solution

Researchers at Amazon discovered that most of what the company needs from its many laborers is robotic motion with a minimal amount of computation by the laborer’s human mind. While attaching a tablet to the laborer that told them where to be and what to do at every moment felt oppressive and got decent results, they started to wonder if they could simply steer the laborers like a robot. With advances in self-driving, object recognition, and neural-link technology, Amazon was able to pioneer a headset that would interface directly with the motor cortex of the brain. This headset has an array of sixteen small cameras that take in information about the laborer’s position and body, as well as the objects around the laborer. By using sophisticated AI and the Amazon databases, Amazon computers can steer the human laborer with more efficiency than the laborer could themself.

Entertainment for the Worker

This breakthrough led to a curious problem with an even curiouser solution: Now that Amazon computers were doing the last of the thinking for the laborers, the humans wearing the headsets were left with long hours of nothing to do. The first surviving pilots of the headsets reported that the experience of being piloted by the headsets was one of being “dulled” like the feeling of just having driven a long distance or watched a lot of television. This gave the researchers a great idea: They added a VR set to the headset, fully enclosing the human laborer’s eyes. Via the neural-link in the headset, the laborer can switch between streaming feeds, watching immersive experiences from thousands of cameras and VR videos.

Naturally, the next step was to allow workers to see the VR feeds recorded by other Amazon workers. It was sort of like “How It’s Made” but in real-time. Eventually, the researchers and managers started to see that workers spent a significant amount of time watching their own feeds, watching their own autonomous bodies performing their tasks efficiently. One worker reported, “It’s actually pretty soothing if you imagine it’s happening to someone else.”

The full headset complete with sixteen cameras, immersive VR screen, and Amazon connectivity is available this Christmas as the Amazon Joyeur, and comes with a free month of Amazon Prime.