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Wednesday, September 4, 2019

MIT report examines how to make technology work for society

Automation is not likely to eliminate millions of jobs any time soon — but the U.S. still needs vastly improved policies if Americans are to build better careers and share prosperity as technological changes occur, according to a new MIT report about the workplace.

The report, which represents the initial findings of MIT’s Task Force on the Work of the Future, punctures some conventional wisdom and builds a nuanced picture of the evolution of technology and jobs, the subject of much fraught public discussion.

The likelihood of robots, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) wiping out huge sectors of the workforce in the near future is exaggerated, the task force concludes — but there is reason for concern about the impact of new technology on the labor market. In recent decades, technology has contributed to the polarization of employment, disproportionately helping high-skilled professionals while reducing opportunities for many other workers, and new technologies could exacerbate this trend.

Moreover, the report emphasizes, at a time of historic income inequality, a critical challenge is not necessarily a lack of jobs, but the low quality of many jobs and the resulting lack of viable careers for many people, particularly workers without college degrees. With this in mind, the work of the future can be shaped beneficially by new policies, renewed support for labor, and reformed institutions, not just new technologies. Broadly, the task force concludes, capitalism in the U.S. must address the interests of workers as well as shareholders.

“At MIT, we are inspired by the idea that technology can be a force for good. But if as a nation we want to make sure that today’s new technologies evolve in ways that help build a healthier, more equitable society, we need to move quickly to develop and implement strong, enlightened policy responses,” says MIT President L. Rafael Reif, who called for the creation of the Task Force on the Work of the Future in 2017.

“Fortunately, the harsh societal consequences that concern us all are not inevitable,” Reif adds. “Technologies embody the values of those who make them, and the policies we build around them can profoundly shape their impact. Whether the outcome is inclusive or exclusive, fair or laissez-faire, is therefore up to all of us. I am deeply grateful to the task force members for their latest findings and their ongoing efforts to pave an upward path.”

“There is a lot of alarmist rhetoric about how the robots are coming,” adds Elisabeth Beck Reynolds, executive director of the task force, as well as executive director of the MIT Industrial Performance Center. “MIT’s job is to cut through some of this hype and bring some perspective to this discussion.”

Reynolds also calls the task force’s interest in new policy directions “classically American in its willingness to consider innovation and experimentation.”

Anxiety and inequality

The core of the task force consists of a group of MIT scholars. Its research has drawn upon new data, expert knowledge of many technology sectors, and a close analysis of both technology-centered firms and economic data spanning the postwar era.

The report addresses several workplace complexities. Unemployment in the U.S. is low, yet workers have considerable anxiety, from multiple sources. One is technology: A 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 65 to 90 percent of respondents in industrialized countries think computers and robots will take over many jobs done by humans, while less than a third think better-paying jobs will result from these technologies.

Another concern for workers is income stagnation: Adjusted for inflation, 92 percent of Americans born in 1940 earned more money than their parents, but only about half of people born in 1980 can say that.

“The persistent growth in the quantity of jobs has not been matched by an equivalent growth in job quality,” the task force report states.

Applications of technology have fed inequality in recent decades. High-tech innovations have displaced “middle-skilled” workers who perform routine tasks, from office assistants to assembly-line workers, but these innovations have complemented the activities of many white-collar workers in medicine, science and engineering, finance, and other fields. Technology has also not displaced lower-skilled service workers, leading to a polarized workforce. Higher-skill and lower-skill jobs have grown, middle-skill jobs have shrunk, and increased earnings have been concentrated among white-collar workers.

“Technological advances did deliver productivity growth over the last four decades,” the report states. “But productivity growth did not translate into shared prosperity.”

Indeed, says David Autor, who is the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT, associate head of MIT’s Department of Economics, and a co-chair of the task force, “We think people are pessimistic because they’re on to something. Although there’s no shortage of jobs, the gains have been so unequally distributed that most people have not benefited much. If the next four decades of automation are going to look like the last four decades, people have reason to worry.”

Productive innovations versus “so-so technology”

A big question, then, is what the next decades of automation have in store. As the report explains, some technological innovations are broadly productive, while others are merely “so-so technologies” — a term coined by economists Daron Acemoglu of MIT and Pascual Restrepo of Boston University to describe technologies that replace workers without markedly improving services or increasing productivity.

For instance, electricity and light bulbs were broadly productive, allowing the expansion of other types of work. But automated technology allowing for self-check-out at pharmacies or supermarkets merely replaces workers without notably increasing efficiency for the customer or productivity.

“That’s a strong labor-displacing technology, but it has very modest productivity value,” Autor says of these automated systems. “That’s a ‘so-so technology.’ The digital era has had fabulous technologies for skill complementarity [for white-collar workers], but so-so technologies for everybody else. Not all innovations that raise productivity displace workers, and not all innovations that displace workers do much for productivity.”

Several forces have contributed to this skew, according to the report. “Computers and the internet enabled a digitalization of work that made highly educated workers more productive and made less-educated workers easier to replace with machinery,” the authors write.

Given the mixed record of the last four decades, does the advent of robotics and AI herald a brighter future, or a darker one? The task force suggests the answer depends on how humans shape that future. New and emerging technologies will raise aggregate economic output and boost wealth, and offer people the potential for higher living standards, better working conditions, greater economic security, and improved health and longevity. But whether society realizes this potential, the report notes, depends critically on the institutions that transform aggregate wealth into greater shared prosperity instead of rising inequality.

One thing the task force does not foresee is a future where human expertise, judgment, and creativity are less essential than they are today.  

“Recent history shows that key advances in workplace robotics — those that radically increase productivity — depend on breakthroughs in work design that often take years or even decades to achieve,” the report states.

As robots gain flexibility and situational adaptability, they will certainly take over a larger set of tasks in warehouses, hospitals, and retail stores — such as lifting, stocking, transporting, cleaning, as well as awkward physical tasks that require picking, harvesting, stooping, or crouching.

The task force members believe such advances in robotics will displace relatively low-paid human tasks and boost the productivity of workers, whose attention will be freed to focus on higher-value-added work. The pace at which these tasks are delegated to machines will be hastened by slowing growth, tight labor markets, and the rapid aging of workforces in most industrialized countries, including the U.S.

And while machine learning — image classification, real-time analytics, data forecasting, and more — has improved, it may just alter jobs, not eliminate them: Radiologists do much more than interpret X-rays, for instance. The task force also observes that developers of autonomous vehicles, another hot media topic, have been “ratcheting back” their timelines and ambitions over the last year.

“The recent reset of expectations on driverless cars is a leading indicator for other types of AI-enabled systems as well,” says David A. Mindell, co-chair of the task force, professor of aeronautics and astronautics, and the Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing at MIT. “These technologies hold great promise, but it takes time to understand the optimal combination of people and machines. And the timing of adoption is crucial for understanding the impact on workers.”

Policy proposals for the future

Still, if the worst-case scenario of a “job apocalypse” is unlikely, the continued deployment of so-so technologies could make the future of work worse for many people.

If people are worried that technologies could limit opportunity, social mobility, and shared prosperity, the report states, “Economic history confirms that this sentiment is neither ill-informed nor misguided. There is ample reason for concern about whether technological advances will improve or erode employment and earnings prospects for the bulk of the workforce.”

At the same time, the task force report finds reason for “tempered optimism,” asserting that better policies can significantly improve tomorrow’s work.

“Technology is a human product,” Mindell says. “We shape technological change through our choices of investments, incentives, cultural values, and political objectives.”

To this end, the task force focuses on a few key policy areas. One is renewed investment in postsecondary workforce education outside of the four-year college system — and not just in the STEM skills (science, technology, engineering, math) but reading, writing, and the “social skills” of teamwork and judgment.

Community colleges are the biggest training providers in the country, with 12 million for-credit and non-credit students, and are a natural location for bolstering workforce education. A wide range of new models for gaining educational credentials is also emerging, the task force notes. The report also emphasizes the value of multiple types of on-the-job training programs for workers.

However, the report cautions, investments in education may be necessary but not sufficient for workers: “Hoping that ‘if we skill them, jobs will come,’ is an inadequate foundation for constructing a more productive and economically secure labor market.”

More broadly, therefore, the report argues that the interests of capital and labor need to be rebalanced. The U.S., it notes, “is unique among market economies in venerating pure shareholder capitalism,” even though workers and communities are business stakeholders too.

“Within this paradigm [of pure shareholder capitalism], the personal, social, and public costs of layoffs and plant closings should not play a critical role in firm decision-making,” the report states.

The task force recommends greater recognition of workers as stakeholders in corporate decision making. Redressing the decades-long erosion of worker bargaining power will require new institutions that bend the arc of innovation toward making workers more productive rather than less necessary. The report holds that the adversarial system of collective bargaining, enshrined in U.S. labor law adopted during the Great Depression, is overdue for reform.

The U.S. tax code can be altered to help workers as well. Right now, it favors investments in capital rather than labor — for instance, capital depreciation can be written off, and R&D investment receives a tax credit, whereas investments in workers produce no such equivalent benefits. The task force recommends new tax policy that would also incentivize investments in human capital, through training programs, for instance.

Additionally, the task force recommends restoring support for R&D to past levels and rebuilding U.S. leadership in the development of new AI-related technologies, “not merely to win but to lead innovation in directions that will benefit the nation: complementing workers, boosting productivity, and strengthening the economic foundation for shared prosperity.”

Ultimately the task force’s goal is to encourage investment in technologies that improve productivity, and to ensure that workers share in the prosperity that could result.

“There’s no question technological progress that raises productivity creates opportunity,” Autor says. “It expands the set of possibilities that you can realize. But it doesn’t guarantee that you will make good choices.”

Reynolds adds: “The question for firms going forward is: How are they going to improve their productivity in ways that can lead to greater quality and efficiency, and aren’t just about cutting costs and bringing in marginally better technology?”

Further research and analyses

In addition to Reynolds, Autor, and Mindell, the central group within MIT’s Task Force on the Work of the Future consists of 18 MIT professors representing all five Institute schools. Additionally, the project has a 22-person advisory board drawn from the ranks of industry leaders, former government officials, and academia; a 14-person research board of scholars; and eight graduate students. The task force also counsulted with business executives, labor leaders, and community college leaders, among others.

The task force follows other influential MIT projects such as the Commission on Industrial Productivity, an intensive multiyear study of U.S. industry in the 1980s. That effort resulted in the widely read book, “Made in America,” as well as the creation of MIT’s Industrial Performance Center.

The current task force taps into MIT’s depth of knowledge across a full range of technologies, as well as its strengths in the social sciences.

“MIT is engaged in developing frontier technology,” Reynolds says. “Not necessarily what will be introduced tomorrow, but five, 10, or 25 years from now. We do see what’s on the horizon, and our researchers want to bring realism and context to the public discourse.”

The current report is an interim finding from the task force; the group plans to conduct additional research over the next year, and then will issue a final version of the report.

“What we’re trying to do with this work,” Reynolds concludes, “is to provide a holistic perspective, which is not just about the labor market and not just about technology, but brings it all together, for a more rational and productive discussion in the public sphere.”



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Oprah Winfrey launching wellness arena tour in early 2020

Oprah Winfrey is taking her motivational spirit on the road early next year with an arena tour to promote a healthier lifestyle.

The former talk-show host and OWN television network chief announced Wednesday that the “Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus” tour will begin Jan. 4 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is working in conjunction with Weight Watchers Reimagined to offer a full-day of wellness conversations during the nine-city tour.

The tour will conclude in Denver on March 7. She will also make stops in Los Angeles; San Francisco; Atlanta; Dallas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Brooklyn, New York; and St. Paul, Minnesota.

It’s her first national tour in five years. She has been to Canada and Australia more recently.

Along with high-profile guests, Winfrey said she wants to empower audiences to tap into their potential. The names of her guests will be released at a later date.

“What I know for sure is we can all come together to support a stronger, healthier, more abundant life — focused on what makes us feel energized, connected and empowered,” Winfrey said in a statement. “As I travel the country, my hope for this experience is to motivate others to let 2020 be the year of transformation and triumph — beginning first and foremost with what makes us well. This is the year to move forward, let’s make it happen in 2020.”

Winfrey has held other successful speaking tours, including “Oprah’s The Life You Want Weekend” in 2014. “Oprah’s Life Class” was a show.

During her upcoming tour, Winfrey will talk about her wellness journey with attendees and help develop their 2020 action plan. She will also share the latest in wellness research and interactive workbook exercises.

Each tour stop will feature Winfrey in a one-on-one interview with a celebrity guest.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for (Weight Watchers) to do what we do best: bring communities of people together with a shared goal of health and wellness,” said Mindy Grossman, president and CEO of WW (Weight Watchers Reimagined).

Over $1 million from tour proceeds will benefit Weight Watchers Good, a philanthropic area of the organization to help bring fresh and healthy food to underserved communities.

The post Oprah Winfrey launching wellness arena tour in early 2020 appeared first on theGrio.



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Roku Smart Soundbar: Price, Specs, Release Date

The company’s new streaming audio-video twofer arrives with a wireless subwoofer that matches—in aesthetics and price.

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'Carnival Row' Brings a Richly Textured Fantasy World to Life

Amazon has already renewed the series for a second season.

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What Recession? Low Interest Rates Could Mean Tech-Fueled Growth

Opinion: As in the Industrial Revolution, tech is powering an economy that can produce more, at lower cost.

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The Red Lights Stopping Yellow School Buses from Going Green

Opinion: Pilot programs show that electric buses, pricey today, offer long-term savings and crucial learning opportunities.

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Serena Williams dominates at US Open, clinching 100th win

Serena Williams clinched the win Tuesday night, beating out Wang Qiang 6-1. 6-0 in the Quarterfinals and securing her 100th US Open match win.

Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka top Forbes list of highest paid female athletes

“I never thought I would get to 100 wins and still be here but I love what I do,” she said to reporters after her match at Flushing Meadows.

Williams beat Qiang, the highest ranked player in China, effortlessly, The NY Daily News reports.

On Saturday she slipped and fell and twisted her ankle while playing Petra Martic but was feeling better.

“Tape got a little loose, so I wanted to tighten it, make sure nothing happened” she said. “Other than that, it’s feeling much better.”

“It’s been a tough year but physically I’m feeling great and more than anything I’m just having fun when I come out here.”

What made Serena Williams stop playing in the middle of an important match?

Williams will face off against No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina next.

She said about her upcoming competitor: “She’s had a great year,” said Williams. “She made the semis at Wimbledon and I feel she wants to go one step further, so I feel I’ll have to come out and play really well.”

Williams seeks her 24th Grand Slam title.

We are rooting for the G.O.A.T to go all the way!

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Why the Feds Want to Block a Flight-Booking Software Deal

Airlines think Sabre, the industry leader in booking software, is stodgy. Now Sabre wants to acquire upstart rival Farelogix, which would leave carriers fewer choices.

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Light Phone II: Price, Specs, Release Date

The new version of the minimal handset from Light still makes phone calls, but it can now send text messages too.

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Bahamians begin rescues as Hurricane Dorian moves on toward US coast

Bahamians rescued victims of Hurricane Dorian with jet skis and a bulldozer as the U.S. Coast Guard, Britain’s Royal Navy and a handful of aid groups tried to get food and medicine to survivors and take the most desperate people to safety.

Airports were flooded and roads impassable after the most powerful storm to hit the Bahamas in recorded history parked over Abaco and Grand Bahama islands, pounding them with winds up to 185 mph (295 kph) and torrential rain before finally moving into open waters Tuesday on a course toward Florida.

People on the U.S. coast made final preparations for a storm with winds at a still-dangerous 105 mph (168 kph), making it a Category 2 storm.

At least seven deaths were reported in the Bahamas, with the full scope of the disaster still unknown.

The storm’s punishing winds and muddy brown floodwaters destroyed or severely damaged thousands of homes, crippled hospitals and trapped people in attics.

“It’s total devastation. It’s decimated. Apocalyptic,” said Lia Head-Rigby, who helps run a local hurricane relief group and flew over the Bahamas’ hard-hit Abaco Islands. “It’s not rebuilding something that was there; we have to start again.”

She said her representative on Abaco told her there were “a lot more dead,” though she had no numbers as bodies being gathered.

The Bahamas’ prime minister also expected more deaths and predicted that rebuilding would require “a massive, coordinated effort.”

“We are in the midst of one of the greatest national crises in our country’s history,” Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said at a news conference. “No effort or resources will be held back.”

Five Coast Guard helicopters ran near-hourly flights to the stricken Abaco, flying more than 20 injured people to the capital’s main hospital. British sailors were also rushing in aid. A few private aid groups also tried to reach the battered islands in the northern Bahamas.

“We don’t want people thinking we’ve forgotten them. … We know what your conditions are,” Tammy Mitchell of the Bahamas’ National Emergency Management Agency told ZNS Bahamas radio station.

With their heads bowed against heavy wind and rain, rescuers began evacuating people from the storm’s aftermath across Grand Bahama island late Tuesday, using jet skis, boats and even a huge bulldozer that cradled children and adults in its digger as it churned through deep waters and carried them to safety.

One rescuer gently scooped up an elderly man in his arms and walked toward a pickup truck waiting to evacuate him and others to higher ground.

Over 2 million people along the coast in Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina were warned to evacuate. While the threat of a direct hit on Florida had all but evaporated, Dorian was expected to pass dangerously close to Georgia and South Carolina — and perhaps strike North Carolina — on Thursday or Friday. The hurricane’s eye passed to the east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, early Wednesday.

Even if landfall does not occur, the system is likely to cause storm surge and severe flooding, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

“Don’t tough it out. Get out,” said U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency official Carlos Castillo.

In the Bahamas, Red Cross spokesman Matthew Cochrane said more than 13,000 houses, or about 45% of the homes on Grand Bahama and Abaco, were believed to be severely damaged or destroyed. U.N. officials said more than 60,000 people on the hard-hit islands will need food, and the Red Cross said some 62,000 will need clean drinking water.

“What we are hearing lends credence to the fact that this has been a catastrophic storm and a catastrophic impact,” Cochrane said.

Lawson Bates, a staffer for Arkansas-based MedicCorps, flew over Abaco and said: “It looks completely flattened. There’s boats way inland that are flipped over. It’s total devastation.”
The Red Cross authorized $500,000 for the first wave of disaster relief, Cochrane said. U.N. humanitarian teams stood ready to go into the stricken areas to help assess damage and the country’s needs, U.N. spokesman StĂ©phane Dujarric said. The U.S. government also sent a disaster response team.

Abaco and Grand Bahama islands, with a combined population of about 70,000, are known for their marinas, golf courses and all-inclusive resorts. To the south, the Bahamas’ most populous island, New Providence, which includes the capital city of Nassau and has over a quarter-million people, had little damage.

The U.S. Coast Guard airlifted at least 21 people injured on Abaco. Choppy, coffee-colored floodwaters reached roofs and the tops of palm trees.

“We will confirm what the real situation is on the ground,” Health Minister Duane Sands said. “We are hoping and praying that the loss of life is limited.”

Sands said Dorian rendered the main hospital on Grand Bahama unusable, while the hospital at Marsh Harbor on Abaco was in need of food, water, medicine and surgical supplies. He said crews were trying to fly out five to seven kidney failure patients from Abaco who had not received dialysis since Friday.

The Grand Bahama airport was under 6 feet (2 meters) of water.

Early Wednesday, Dorian was centered about 90 miles (144 kilometers) east of Daytona Beach, Florida, and it was moving north northwest at 8 mph (12 kph). Hurricane-force winds extended up to 60 miles (95 kilometers) from its center, while tropical storm-force winds could be felt up to 175 miles (280 kilometers) from the core.

The U.S. coast from north of West Palm Beach, Florida, through Georgia was expected to get 3 to 6 inches of rain, with 9 inches in places, while the Carolinas could get 5 to 10 inches and 15 in spots, the National Hurricane Center said.

Forecasters also tracked Tropical Storm Fernand as it closed in on the northeast Mexican coast south of the U.S. border, predicting landfall Wednesday and up to 18 inches of rainfall that could unleash flash floods and mudslides Wednesday below the eastern “Sierra Madre” range.

NASA satellite imagery through Monday night showed some places in the Bahamas had gotten as much as 35 inches (89 centimeters) of rain, said private meteorologist Ryan Maue.

Parliament member Iram Lewis said he feared waters would keep rising and stranded people would lose contact with officials as their cellphone batteries died.
Dorian also left one person dead in its wake in Puerto Rico before slamming into the Bahamas on Sunday. It tied the record for the strongest Atlantic storm ever to hit land, matching the Labor Day hurricane that struck Florida’s Gulf Coast in 1935, before storms were given names.

Across the Southeast, interstate highways leading away from beaches in South Carolina and Georgia were turned into one-way evacuation routes. Several airports announced closings, and hundreds of flights were canceled. Walt Disney World in Orlando closed in the afternoon, and SeaWorld shut down.

Police in coastal Savannah, Georgia, announced an overnight curfew. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper ordered a mandatory evacuation of the dangerously exposed barrier islands along the state’s entire coast.

Having seen storms swamp his home on the Georgia coast in 2016 and 2017, Joey Spalding of Tybee Island decided to empty his house and stay at a friend’s apartment nearby rather than take any chances with Dorian.

He packed a U-Haul truck with tables, chairs, a chest of drawers, tools — virtually all of his furnishings except for his mattress and a large TV — and planned to park it on higher ground. He also planned to shroud his house in plastic wrap up to shoulder height and pile sandbags in front of the doors.

“In this case, I don’t have to come into a house full of junk,” he said. “I’m learning a little as I go.”

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Niche home-sharing sites roll out welcome mat for minorities

Every few months, social media lights up with a story or viral video about discrimination in home-sharing: A host kicks out a black guest or cancels a gay couple’s booking or doesn’t respond to a Muslim woman’s inquiry.

The dominant brands — Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO — work quickly to contain the damage. They may ban the host, find new housing for the guests and remind followers of their anti-bias policies.

But a handful of smaller competitors are trying to ease fears of discrimination by catering to specific minority groups, and this alternate approach has carved out a small but thriving piece of the home-sharing market. One executive calls the niche services “digital Green Books,” a reference to the guide that black motorists once used to find welcoming hotels and restaurants.

“There are different segments of people in the world, and we want different things,” said Hadi Shakuur, founder and CEO of Muzbnb, a home-sharing site for Muslims. He said the targeted services came about “because their values weren’t represented on the other sites.”

Misterb&b, which serves gay travelers, recently surpassed 300,000 hosts. Innclusive, which markets to people of color, says it has properties in 130 countries. Noirbnb, which caters to black travelers, has around 10,000 users. There are also home-sharing sites for Mormons, Christians and women.

Anyone is welcome to use the sites. Some hosts list on both niche sites and the bigger competitors. But the niche sites make clear that they are aiming at particular communities.
Stefan Grant started Noirbnb three years ago after neighbors called the police when he tried to check into a rental home in suburban Atlanta. Initially, he wanted the site to be a part of Airbnb specializing in black travel. Airbnb turned him down.

“We really are this market. We really do travel. We really are black,” Grant said. “If my culture has to be erased and hidden away, we all lose.”

Alternative sites say they have few problems with discrimination, but they do watch for it.
Misterb&b investigates listings that have a high number of rejections. In four years, it has kicked three users off the site for discrimination. Noirbnb has not needed to remove any users. Innclusive requires nearly all of its properties to be instantly bookable, which cuts down on hosts’ ability to discriminate.

Muzbnb, which has around 2,000 users, encourages hosts and guests to communicate before booking so all expectations are clear.

Jordan Prescott, a church musician from Baltimore and a gay man, had no problems when he booked an Airbnb for work in Cincinnati two years ago. But for a recent trip to Nice, France, he decided to use Misterb&b because he wanted a host who was knowledgeable about local gay nightlife. He said it takes some worry out of vacation planning.
“I’m really glad there’s the option,” he said.

But alternative sites don’t appeal to everyone. Elena Nikolova, who runs a blog called Muslim Travel Girl, said she likes the idea of Muzbnb and thinks it’s great for solo travelers who want a safe room in someone’s home. But she prefers Airbnb because it has so many more properties, and she’s usually renting a whole home for her family.

Nikolova said she has faced discrimination on Airbnb. She suspects one host turned her down because she wears a bright pink hijab in her profile photo. But she doesn’t think home-sharing sites should do away with photos.

“I would rather have someone’s photo to know who I am dealing with,” said Nikolova, who is based in the United Kingdom. Home-sharing companies “can have as many clauses as they want on their contracts, but that doesn’t stop what happens.”

With more than 14 million listings between them, the big home-sharing sites aren’t giving up. All three have software and staff dedicated to rooting out bias and responding to complaints.

In 2016, Airbnb instituted a nondiscrimination statement that all guests and hosts must sign. The company says it has barred more than 1 million people from the site because they refused to sign it.

Airbnb says 70% of its properties are now instantly bookable, up from 40% two years ago. And late last year, the company announced it would display a guest’s profile photo only after a property is booked. Hosts are required to post a photo.

Booking.com requires instant booking and uses artificial intelligence to detect bias in its property descriptions and reviews. VRBO, which is owned by Expedia Group, requires hosts and guests to review its inclusion statement. Neither site requires users to post photos.
All three sites say they have removed users for discriminating. But none will reveal specific numbers or say whether those numbers are rising or falling.

That lack of transparency is one reason people don’t trust home-sharing sites, said Michael Luca, a Harvard Business School professor who has studied racial discrimination at Airbnb.
“This market worked for decades to get rid of discrimination. Why let them bring it back into it?” he said. “Guests, hosts and policymakers have a right to know what’s going on on the platform.”

Some minorities have already closed the door on home-sharing.

Leslie Miley, an engineering executive in San Francisco who is black, used to rent out his Southern California vacation home on Airbnb. Guests would often show up and assume he was the gardener or property manager. He stopped using the site altogether in 2016, when he showed up to a rental home after dark and neighbors kept coming out to check on him. Now he only stays at hotels when he travels.

“It’s so difficult to characterize the feeling you have as an African American doing something like that, knowing in the back of your mind it can go south very, very quickly,” he said.

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South Africa to face Madagascar as Zambia cancel friendly

South Africa arrange to host Madagascar in a friendly after Zambia cancel a match due to security concerns.

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Who Is the Black Knight and Why Is He in the 'Eternals' Movie?

Also, turns out, it's pretty apt he's being played by 'Game of Thrones' alum Kit Harington.

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Forget Politics. For Now, Deepfakes Are for Bullies

The surging popularity of Chinese app Zao has reignited concern that deepfakes could influence an election. Researchers say that's not likely.

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Why Hurricane Dorian Defied Forecasts and Sank The Bahamas

The storm evolved swiftly and unpredictably. But it was other weather phenomena that caused Dorian to stall, devastating the island nation.

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German sides withdraw objections over Gambia's Jatta

The German Football Federation says that three clubs have withdrawn their objections over the eligibility of Hamburg's Gambian player Bakery Jatta.

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Stars boycott South Africa over xenophobic attacks

Nigerians Burna Boy and Tiwa Savage are outraged by violence targeting foreigners in South Africa.

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Wole Soyinka: Commonwealth should investigate UK over Brexit

The Nigerian Nobel Laureate calls on the Commonwealth to investigate the UK over parliament shutdown.

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Desiree Ellis: 'Poor finishing' cost SA women's in Olympic tie

South Africa women's coach Desiree Ellis bemoans the poor finishing that saw her side knocked out of Olympic qualifying.

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Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Students spearhead group to enhance the graduate experience

What do graduate students in engineering want?

This was the question before a new advisory group launched by the MIT School of Engineering in late 2017 — the school’s first comprised entirely of graduate students. This fall the group is rolling out its inaugural initiatives: a graduate-level leadership minor or certificate and a set of recommendations intended to improve advisor-advisee relations.

GradSAGE (short for Graduate Student Advisory Group for Engineering) was established by Anantha Chandrakasan just months after he became dean of the MIT School of Engineering.

“I thought it would be great to get student engagement as we shaped new initiatives, and to learn their perspectives on important issues and challenges they face,” says Chandrakasan. “In a sense, we are listening to our customers.”

The dean already counted department heads and other school stakeholders among his advisors. But Chandrakasan, the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, felt he was missing the voice of students.

“The beauty of this group is that the students came up with a list of topics and priorities for us to focus on,” Chandrakasan says. “This was an opportunity for them to tell me what was most important, and while I wasn’t surprised by their choices, I was surprised by how passionately they felt about these areas.”

Soft skills matter

The very first gathering of GradSAGE, on Dec. 5, 2017, was like “a brainstorming-schmooze session,” recalls Parker Vascik, a fifth-year graduate student in aeronautics and astronautics (AeroAstro). “But we quickly moved toward identifying specific topics where we felt we could make significant changes in the academic culture and environment.”

One topic that immediately seized the interest of the group involved expanded opportunities to learn and practice leadership abilities.

“Grad students come to MIT hoping to have an impact on the world, and they are probably in the top 1 percent in terms of technical skills,” says Lucio Milanese, a fourth-year graduate student in nuclear science and engineering. “But there are nontechnical skills, soft skills, that are essential to communicating ideas and managing people that are just as important in solving really important problems.”

GradSAGE research suggested MIT engineering graduate students could benefit from more structured opportunities to learn and practice soft skills.

“There is an ocean of knowledge to acquire around teamwork — giving and receiving feedback, conflict resolution, growth mindset, that the basic graduate school curriculum doesn’t address,” says Dhanushkodi Mariappan, a fourth-year graduate student in mechanical engineering. After working in industry and launching his own startup before grad school, Mariappan felt strongly about what was needed.

“A formal leadership program could propel MIT graduate students in their careers, whether they are interested in taking on jobs in industry or in academia, where in some sense they will be running labs or research groups that are like little companies.”

A readymade leadership curriculum

Potential solutions to the leadership education challenge lay close at hand. Mariappan pointed the group to the Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program (GEL), a center focused on helping undergraduates acquire leadership skills. Mariappan made particular note of a GEL course he had taken, 6.928 (Leading Creative Teams), taught by David Niño.

“The class was eye-opening,” says Mariappan, “We were introduced to frameworks that can be applied to solve problems in an incredible range of real-world situations.” It was a course with a blueprint for the kind of curriculum GradSAGE hoped to advance, so Mariappan recruited Niño to the effort.

“To achieve something great in engineering takes a team, but engineers often don’t know how to develop a vision, recruit a talented team, facilitate group decisions, negotiate, delegate, and lead everyone in the same direction,” says Niño, who now works closely with GradSAGE. “Our courses involve practice of these leadership skills, so students can continue to evolve after graduation, and apply these over a lifetime.”

As a result of this collaboration, a new option for satisfying a doctoral minor requirement draws on GEL’s classes, including new ones offered this fall that can serve as cornerstones for the minor: 6.S978 (Negotiation and Influence Skills for Technical Leaders) and 6.S976 (Engineering Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence). Students whose doctoral programs do not permit a minor can instead pursue the GEL Leadership Certificate, which will be launched in the spring of 2020. Leadership classes taken before then will be retroactively recognized and can count toward the certificate.

“We envision hundreds of graduate students pursuing some sort of leadership development experience —not just in the school of engineering but in the other MIT schools,” says Milanese. “In 10 to 15 years, we want employers to recognize a unique brand of MIT leadership and value MIT graduate students as nearly universally possessing outstanding leadership skills.” 

“A very special relationship”

The second major thrust of GradSAGE focused on an aspect of graduate life universally acknowledged as critical.

“Advisor-advisee relations arose in every single GradSAGE discussion as a root issue for nearly everything graduates experience, from mental health to taking on leadership opportunities,” says Vascik. “Graduate students have a very special relationship with one person who is boss, mentor, and a little bit of family, and this person guides your destiny while you’re here.”

“Most problems between advisors and students boil down to two issues: poor advisor-advisee fit and poor communication,” according to Jessica Boles, who is starting her third year as a graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS).

“Many students arrive at MIT thinking, ‘Here is a field I’d like to work in, here’s a prominent person in the field I’d like to work with,’” says Boles. “But there are lots of other things to consider: Who will directly mentor them, what’s the work environment like, what are the advisor’s expectations and policies?”

From informal surveys, Boles and her GradSAGE colleagues knew that an unclear understanding of an advisor’s standards and styles could lead to friction, disappointment, stress, lab-switching, and sometimes even departure from MIT.

Different professors have starkly different approaches to dealing with their graduate students, notes Vascik. “One might like to see students three times a week and micromanage research, while another wants to get together once per semester,” he says. “Factors such as these can dramatically shape a student’s experience in graduate school, and we believe these styles and expectations should be communicated to incoming and current students more effectively.”

Transparency and communication

Approaching the challenge like engineers, the GradSAGE students developed flow charts of specific advisor-advisee problems, interviewed faculty, reviewed literature, and derived a set of potential mitigations. They ran their proposals by the Office of Graduate Education, MIT Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart, MIT Vice Chancellor Ian Waitz, and then presented their recommendations to Chandrakasan. In a matter of months, the group had approval to pilot several initiatives.

Among these efforts: requesting advisors to post online brief statements about their philosophies and policies related to research advising (an effort now being explored within the AeroAstro and EECS departments); and centralizing and publicizing resources for graduate students who encounter difficulties with their advisors. In addition, Boles produced a video that details the kinds of questions admitted students should consider during the graduate school selection process, which she unveiled online to admitted EECS students just prior to MIT's visit weekend last spring. 

“It was well-received, especially among the populations of students we really hope to reach: international students, underrepresented minorities, and students without prior graduate school experience,” she says. “So many more students sought information on the roles advisors would play in their research and career, and on the work environments in potential research labs, including expectations around publications, work hours, and group interactions.” A new, enhanced video is in the works intended for all incoming engineering graduate students.

“Our goal is to increase transparency of advising style so we can ensure better advisor-advisee fits from the beginning,” says Boles. Down the line, adds Vascik, this work could translate to reduced stress among graduate students, fewer students switching labs, and more cohesive and productive labs. “Prospective students stand to benefit the most, because with online information, and their ability to ask smart questions, they will have a good sense before they arrive of what awaits them here.”

For both the advising and leadership GradSAGE ventures, this fall marks just the start of a longer process. Growing these programs will take both time and money, which Chandrakasan seems intent to provide. “What we have done so far is expose important issues, and now it’s a matter of actually converting them into actionable items, which we must do,” he says.



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'Super Pumped' Benefits From Hindsight in Its Complex Portrait of Uber

Mike Isaac's meticulously reported account of Uber's trajectory avoids the easy paths.

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Leslie Jones speaks on ‘SNL’ departure: “I will miss holding it down”

Last week, we learned that Leslie Jones would be leaving her post on Saturday Night Live but she has stayed pretty quiet on the issue ever since.

The comedienne addressed the news in a series of tweets on Tuesday morning.

“I know you will be as excited as I am when you see some of the amazing projects and adventures that I have coming up very soon!” she posted along with the hashtag #iamnotdeadjustgraduating.

“I cannot thank NBC, the producers, writers, and amazing crew enough for making ‘SNL’ my second home these last five years,” she continued.

Leslie Jones leaving ‘Saturday Night Live’ to pursue exciting new projects

“To the incredible cast members: I will miss working, creating and laughing with you,” she added. “I will miss holding it down with Kenan (Thompson) everyday, I will miss (Cecily Strong’s) impression of me making me laugh at myself often, I will miss (Kate McKinnon’s) loving hugs and talks when I needed. And of course Colin (Jost), you porcelain-skinned Ken doll. I will miss all my cast mates!! Especially being at the table reads with them!! Everyone needs to know Leslie Jones couldn’t have done any of the things I did without these people…One last thing – to the fans – you are the BEST!! Thank you for all the love and support through my ‘SNL’ years.”

Leslie Jones lands Netflix standup special to kick off in D.C.; warns Trump not to come

The post Leslie Jones speaks on ‘SNL’ departure: “I will miss holding it down” appeared first on theGrio.



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Deadly Hurricane Dorian parks itself over the Bahamas

#FlyingWhileBlack: Black man forced out of first class seat for a dog

An American Airlines passenger has filed a lawsuit against the company for forcing him off a flight to make way for a dog.

Simone Biles speaks on brother’s triple homicide arrest

Dana Holcomb says he had to find another way home after being booted off of his flight so that a dog could fly first-class with its owner. Holcomb, flanked by his fraternity brothers and attorney says he had an allergic reaction to a support dog on a flight to Austin from Las Vegas, where he celebrated his birthday.

“Dana was taken off an airplane so a dog could fly first-class cabin,” said attorney, Reginald McKamie, Sr.

Holcomb said he was wiling to switch seats but no one wanted to do so, even after a flight attendant and the pilot got involved. Employees reportedly said Holcomb got combative when he was asked to move to the back of the plane, KWTX reports.

“At that point (workers) told him you’re going to go to the rear of the plane or get off the plane,” McKamie said.

“What American Airlines is doing is discrimination. They have repeatedly humiliated African-American citizens by throwing them off the plane, leaving them with no way home, no hotel, just throwing them off the plane,” McKamie added.

The airline responded in a statement saying they do make accommodations for dogs.

“American makes every effort to accommodate all passengers, including those traveling with and seated near service or support animals,” a statement read.

“We are proud to serve customers of all backgrounds and are committed to providing a positive, safe travel experience for everyone who flies with us.

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Federal regulations require American Airlines to transport service and support animals. American makes every effort to accommodate all passengers, including those traveling with and seated near service or support animals. In the case of an allergy, we work to re-seat a passenger further away from the service or support animal. If the customer is still not comfortable flying, we will re-book them on the next available flight to their destination.

If a lawsuit is filed, American will review it and respond in court when appropriate.”

“We are seeking punitive damages, contractual damages,” McKamie said.

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Debra Lee Shares How She Became a Woman of Power within the Entertainment Industry

Debra L. Lee, former chairman and CEO of BET Networks, is a trailblazer within the entertainment industry. Over the span of her three-and-a-half decades-long career, she has been able to innovate, lead, and remain a dominant force.

As people get to know her, Lee describes herself as a businesswoman, mother, daughter, and friend. “I also just think of myself as Debi who grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, who is concerned about my community and finding ways to give back,” says Lee.

In May 2018, Lee stepped down from her role at BET after 32 years of leadership.

“I’m sketching out the next phase of my life which looks like it will be filled with board work, not-for-profit work, and overlooking the foundation I started, Leading Women Defined,” says Lee.

As a philanthropist with strong business acumen, Lee serves on the board of directors for Marriott International, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and she was recently named to AT&T’s board of directors. Lee has also served on the board for Twitter and is a past chair of the Advertising Council and a trustee emeritus at Brown University.

RELATED: What It’s Really Like For Young Black Women On Boards

Lee is a natural leader, and she says that it all started the moment that she was elected class president on the first day of sixth grade. “That forced me into a leadership role. I think that says a lot about Greensboro and the type of black community they had there, and the way they supported and pushed each other. Going to an all-black school really had an impact on me.”

Nearly 40 years ago, Lee began her career as a lawyer after graduating from Harvard Law School and worked on a communications team as a lawyer for Steptoe & Johnson, a Washington D. C. based corporate law firm, who at the time had BET as a client.

After making the decision not to continue her work as a lawyer in Washington D.C. as President Ronald Regan was set to take office, BET asked her to spearhead the legal department for the network after working closely with her for six years as a client. Lee seized the opportunity and was named vice president and general counsel.

She didn’t have a master plan but she was ready

Some would consider her experience working for the firm and transitioning to BET Networks as fate, but Lee says that it was a matter of being prepared.

“I pretty much knew I didn’t want to be a lawyer forever. But I did want to have an impact,” says Lee. With the intention to influence the way that business was done at the company and her ability to learn, Lee climbed the corporate ladder in a timely manner with innovation as one of her main priorities as she led teams and collaborated with other executives.

Lee served throughout the company in many capacities and served as the president and COO of BET Networks for nearly 10 years and made it a point to learn as she led.

“I had seen the company in action and learned a lot about the areas that I was most unfamiliar about, like advertising and programming. I knew a lot about deal-making and legal issues, but I hadn’t worked very much in programming and advertising. But by the time I became COO, I was ready to do that,” says Lee.

As a result of her leadership, Lee was named chairman and CEO of the network shortly after BET was acquired by Viacom. “That was a different kind of leadership and responsibility to be able to represent BET at the senior staff meetings for Viacom and argue for resources and budget increases to get the kind of budget I needed to produce the quality programming that I knew our audience deserved,” Lee adds.

With excellence as a standard, she made sure that she and her team learned their industry intricately so that they would stay on the cutting edge.

Together everyone achieves more

“It was clear early on that for the team to be successful, we couldn’t get to a place and be satisfied with where we were. We had to keep innovating. Technology was changing every day. We didn’t want any other company to come in and take our audience because of new technology or a new platform.”

That mindset coupled with her ambition was the formula for successful and original programming such as Being Mary Jane and the New Edition Story, business ventures such as the launch of the Centric network, acquiring the hit show The Game from the CW Network, and creating quality content that resonated with its intergenerational and international audience.

In the spirit of true leadership, Lee believes in nurturing top talent and recognizes the importance of building strong teams. “I’ve been very fortunate to have a career that I was passionate about, not only the mission of the company, but also hiring, grooming, and mentoring young African American executives.”

With power comes responsibility

And as a woman of power, she is mindful of how she uses her voice and influence.

“I had to get comfortable with the fact that I was a powerful woman. Power is not necessarily something that I thought came with the position. But once I had it, I had to decide what I wanted to do with it, what I wanted my legacy to be, what issues I wanted to change, and how I wanted to use resources to help with those issues,” says Lee.

Debra Lee

Debra L. Lee, former Chairman & CEO of BET Networks (Image: Sharon Suh)

RELATED: BLACK ENTERPRISE’S Most Powerful Women in Business in 2017

Lee also makes room for other women at the table and has been able to build tables of her own as well as the community with Leading Women Defined, which has brought thousands of executive women together for the past 10 years including Michelle Obama and Sen. Kamala Harris.

When looking back on her career, Lee says that she wishes that she would have been more confident and found her voice earlier in her career. “I would tell my younger self, ‘Do not worry about being wrong. There’s no such thing as being wrong… Because it’s my life, my opinion, and my experiences. I [understand] that more and more every day. And that’s one of the exciting things about being on AT&T’s board and other boards that I’m on. I bring my experiences to that environment and I know I have something to add because I’ve had a lifetime of a career and experiences.”

For those who want to lead with intention, Lee offers this advice:

  1. Find your voice and speak up. Make it known you’re in the room. Don’t sit there quietly; speak out on issues that you care about.
  2. Build authentic relationships. It’s very important to have people to share concerns with and learn about the company.
  3. You don’t have to operate like a man in order to be a success. You do have to find your own management style and find ways to deal with issues when they arise.

 

Want more advice? Here are 17 career books written by black women to help you level up professionally.



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Campground worker who pulled gun on Black couple avoids jail time

The Mississippi granny with a gun who tried to scare off a Black couple from a campground while holding a gun, has been convicted of a misdemeanor.

Nate Parker apologizes for being ‘tone deaf’ about college assault scandal

On Tuesday, Ruby Nell Howell, 70, was found guilty in Oktibbeha County Justice Court of threatening exhibition of a weapon stemming from a May incident when she was caught on video confronting a Black couple and their dog at Kampgrounds of America.

Howell was facing up to three months in prison, but won’t do time. She only pays a paltry $250 fine and $182.50 in court fees, The Clarion-Ledger reports.

Typical.

Jessica and Franklin Richardson, the couple, almost lost their lives and luckily filmed the dangerous encounter with the racist woman and the clip soon went viral. With her gun drawn, Howell can be seen addressing the upset couple who told her multiple times she could have easily asked them to leave without whipping out her weapon.

“Today was a beautiful day so my husband, our 2-year-old dog, and myself, decided to Google a lake to visit and have a picnic,” Richardson wrote on Facebook. “Not five mins later a truck pulls up and a white lady screams at us, she then jumps out of her truck with a gun. And proceeded to point it at the three of us, simply because we didn’t make reservations.”

“This lady just pulled a gun because we out here and don’t have reservations,” Richardson says in the video earlier this year that she posted on Facebook.

Simone Biles speaks on brother’s triple homicide arrest

“The only thing you had to tell us was to leave, we would have left. You didn’t have to pull a gun.”

The couple even learned that they didn’t need a reservation to use the campgrounds.

The pistol-packing granny’s punishment is merely a slap on the wrist, which is surely a slap in the face to the victims.

The post Campground worker who pulled gun on Black couple avoids jail time appeared first on theGrio.



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Planned Eric Schmidt Talk at AI Conference Draws Protest

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Prosecutors in R. Kelly case use marriage to Aaliyah to prove singer needs to remain behind bars

In a new court filing, prosecutors in the R. Kelly case are arguing that his marriage to a then 15-year-old Aaliyah is proof that the singer can’t be trusted around kids and has to continue to be contained behind bars.

R. Kelly refuses to share jail cell: ‘I have too much going on’

“Defendant even married a 15-year-old girl when he was 27 years old,” federal prosecutors said in newly filed court papers in the Eastern District of Illinois, The NY Daily News reports.

“The government produced in discovery to the defendant the official marriage application, marriage certificate, and annulment records for this marriage. Far from being a one-time mistake, defendant’s sexual abuse of minors was intentional and prolific,” they say.

Kelly is locked up at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Downtown Chicago, pending his trial.

The embattled singer faces 18 counts in federal indictments on various sex crimes in Chicago and Brooklyn. He faces 195 years for the Chicago case alone.

But as Kelly’s team fights for his release, the prosecution is gathering evidence to prove their case with the secret marriage Aaliyah marriage to say that Kelly needs to remain behind bars.

“The extent of defendant’s sexual abuse of minor girls is staggering,” prosecutors argue. “The indictment in this district alone alleges five minor victims, and as proffered at the detention hearing, defendant sexually abused those girls hundreds of times before they turned 18 years old.”

Simone Biles speaks on brother’s triple homicide arrest

Meanwhile, Kelly’s two girlfriendsJoycelyn Savage, 23, and Azriel Clary, 21, are reportedly trying to raise the funds to hire Tom Mesereau, the attorney who got Michael Jackson acquitted in his 2005 child molestation trial.

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Kelechi Nwakali: Nigerian thanks Arsenal despite no appearances

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Simone Biles speaks on brother’s triple homicide arrest

Soccer star wants authorities and social media companies to combat racism

Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku called on soccer authorities to do more to combat racism after being the latest target of racial abuse that continues to blight the Italian game.

Lukaku converted Inter’s winning penalty kick against Cagliari on Sunday and then glared at home fans behind the goal as they had been directing monkey chants at the former Manchester United player, who is black.

“Many players in the last month have suffered from racial abuse.. I did yesterday to,” Lukaku wrote on Instagram on Monday.

“Football is a game to be enjoyed by everyone and we shouldn’t accept any form of discrimination that will put our game in shame. I hope the football federations all over world react strongly on all cases of discrimination!!!”

Lukaku also called on social media companies to take action.

“Social media platforms (instagram, Twitter, facebook..) need to work better as well as with football clubs because everyday you see at least a racist comment under a post of a person of colour.. we’ve been saying it for years and still no action.. Ladies and gentlemen it’s 2019 instead of going forward we’re going backwards and i think as players we need unify and make a statement on this matter to keep this game clean and enjoyable for everyone.”

Former United teammate Paul Pogba was recently targeted on Twitter with racial abuse after missing a penalty. Everton forward Moise Kean was subject to racist abuse when he played against Cagliari for Juventus last season, as was Blaise Matuidi the year before.

The Italian league did not sanction Cagliari for either incident, nor did they do so when Sulley Muntari was abused by the same team’s fans in 2017. The Pescara midfielder was so infuriated after unsuccessfully trying to get the referee to halt the game that he walked off the field and was shown a second yellow card and given a one-match ban, which was later overturned.

In response to the Lukaku chants, Serie A announced a new initiative to be launched in October whereby one player from each team will join an anti-racism team as “a testimonial that will be the bearer of the values of respect and equality.”

Cagliari vowed to do everything it can to eradicate the problem but also strongly defended its fans’ reputation.

“The Club underlines — once again — its intention to identify, isolate and ban those ignorant individuals whose shameful actions and behaviors are completely against those values that Cagliari Calcio strongly promotes in all their initiatives. Every single day,” the Sardinian club said in a statement.

“Cagliari Calcio does not want to underplay what occurred last night … but firmly rejects the outrageous charge and silly stereotypes addressed to Cagliari supporters and the Sardinian people, which are absolutely unacceptable.”

Lega Serie A, the Italian topflight’s governing body, retweeted Cagliari’s tweet linking to its statement along with the words “On and off the pitch, one message: (hashtag)NOTORACISM,” but has otherwise remained silent and has not responded to emails asking for comment.

Cagliari joined Lukaku in asking authorities to do more.

“Full solidarity to Romelu Lukeku and even stronger commitment toward annihilating one of the worst plagues that affects football and our world in general,” it added in its statement.

“However, as we are aware that technology is not enough, we believe our commitment needs a real support by the rest of the football stakeholders: starting from all the true supporters, to all the stewards in the stands, from police and security agents, passing to media and as well through Lega Serie A and FIGC. Cagliari Calcio is asking you all a solid help to win a battle that involves everyone. No one excluded.”

Cagliari could be punished on Tuesday when the league’s judge hands down sanctions following the weekend matches. The Italian soccer federation president has called for swifter retribution to similar incidents.

“What happened last night at Cagliari is serious regardless of the number of those who were guilty of these ignorant racist chants,” Gabriele Gravina told Italian national news agency Ansa.

“I don’t want to enter into what is the jurisdiction of the sporting justice system, which will proceed in autonomy in respect to the regulations … we have to make the sanctions still more forceful and more rapidly applied in order to fight this unjustifiable act.”

Inter did not release a statement of its own but also retweeted Cagliari’s tweet, adding the words “BUU (hashtag)BrothersUniversallyUnited.”

BUU, an acronym for Brothers Universally United, was the initiative Inter started in January when it was forced to play two matches behind closed doors as part of its punishment for racist chanting against Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly in a Dec. 26 league match.

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Behind the Rise of China's Facial-Recognition Giants

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Swansea City: Keeping Andre Ayew and Borja 'a bonus' says chairman Trevor Birch

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Supermicro Bug Could Let "Virtual USBs" Take Over Corporate Servers

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Physix: Meet the Malawian rapper who wants political change

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Yannick Bolasie: Sporting Lisbon sign Everton winger on season-long loan

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Monday, September 2, 2019

Dozens arrested in South Africa as looting rocks Johannesburg

Police fire tear gas as shops, many reportedly foreign-owned, are targeted by looters in Johannesburg.

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Fetty Wap arrested in Las Vegas after punching valet at The Mirage

Fetty Wap has been released from a Las Vegas jail following his arrest for reportedly serving a vicious beat down on a valet at the Mirage Hotel and Casino on Sunday.

A staffer from the hotel made a citizen’s arrest after the 28-year-old rapper — whose real name is Willie Maxwell II — allegedly punched a valet three times following a heated argument.

READ MORE: Meek Mill pleads guilty to gun charge, won’t serve more time in prison

Fetty, best known for his 2014 hit “Trap Queen,” was held by the hotel employee until police arrived, and he was then taken into custody, TMZ reports. He was booked for three counts of misdemeanor battery, one charge for each of the punches he’s said to have landed. He was released several hours after his arrest but will have to soon appear in court.

This is the latest run-in with the law for the New Jersey native. In June, a woman he met on a music video shoot filed a police report alleging Fetty touched her inappropriately at a party in the Hollywood Hills, according to TMZ.

A video emerged in which a woman can be heard accusing Fetty of violating her, he then smacks the phone out of her hand. The conflict was over other women the rapper had invited to the Airbnb rental used to host the party.

The alleged victim subsequently filed a report but the hip-hop star has yet to be charged with a crime for the alleged assault as the Los Angeles Police Department are said to still be investigating the incident.

READ MORE: A$AP Rocky speaks on Swedish court conviction in assault case

Back in 2018, Fetty appeared in a Brooklyn Criminal Court to pay fines related to a drunk driving case, for which he was charged with drunk and reckless driving, felony reckless endangerment and speeding, according to the New York Daily News.

He justified his drunk driving journey back in November 2017, saying: “I would never put people in danger. It was 2 o’ clock in the morning. There wasn’t no cars behind us. You live in New York — you’d know that.”

The post Fetty Wap arrested in Las Vegas after punching valet at The Mirage appeared first on theGrio.



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Nate Parker apologizes for being ‘tone deaf’ about college assault scandal

Director Nate Parker is hoping he can move past the controversy of three years ago as he seeks to make a comeback following his controversial comments he made about the rape charge he faced as a college student.

Speaking Sunday at the Venice Film Festival, Parker admitted that his past remarks regarding the case were insensitive, noting he had been “tone deaf,” Variety reports.

“The last three years have been such a learning experience for me,” he said at a press conference for his new film, the police-brutality drama American Skin. “I feel like I have gained so much wisdom from people in my circle,” he added.

READ MORE: Spike Lee champions Nate Parker’s new movie about police killing

A scandal surfaces

Back in 2016, Parker was gearing up to drop his hotly anticipated debut feature, the Nat Turner biopic The Birth of a Nation, but the release was overshadowed by a salacious Variety article which detailed the actor’s 17-year-old rape case for which he was acquitted. Making matters worse were Parker’s comments about the case and the alleged victim who committed suicide years after the incident, which many found callous.

“Three years ago I was pretty tone deaf to the realities of certain situations that were happening in the climate. And I’ve had a lot of time to think about that, and I’ve learned a lot from it,” Parker said during the presser in Venice. “And being tone deaf, there were a lot of people that were hurt in my response, in the way I approached things. I apologize to those people.”

Parker’s The Birth of a Nation was the talk of the town in 2016 and was acquired by Fox Searchlight in a record $17.5 million deal at Sundance, but when news resurfaced that Parker has been charged with raping a white women as a college student, the film tanked at the box office.

What Parker learned

“I’ve learned, I’m continuing to learn,” he said Sunday. “I’m 39 years old now. Hopefully I have a long way to go. The hope is that I can continue taking the wisdom from people who care enough…and help me to be introspective about where I am and what I’ve been through.”

American Skin deals with a cop shooting Parker’s character’s son and the father taking the law into his own hands with his own brand of street justice, Variety reports.

READ MORE: Nate Parker’s ‘American Skin’ producers believe he ‘deserves a second chance’

Parker plays a Marine veteran janitor who takes a police precinct hostage and holds a mock trial while the inmates serve as the jury. Sources likened the movie to “12 Angry Men,” the outlet reports.

The film held its premiere at the 76th Venice International Film Festival, which is scheduled to run August 28 to September 7.

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A comprehensive catalogue of human digestive tract bacteria

The human digestive tract is home to thousands of different strains of bacteria. Many of these are beneficial, while others contribute to health problems such as inflammatory bowel disease. Researchers from MIT and the Broad Institute have now isolated and preserved samples of nearly 8,000 of these strains, while also clarifying their genetic and metabolic context.

This data set (BIO-ML), which is available to other researchers who want to use it, should help to shed light on the dynamics of microbial populations in the human gut and may help scientists develop new treatments for a variety of diseases, says Eric Alm, director of MIT’s Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics and a professor of biological engineering and of civil and environmental engineering at MIT.

“There’s a lot of excitement in the microbiome field because there are associations between these bacteria and health and disease. But we’re lacking in being able to understand why that is, what’s the mechanism, and what are the functions of those bacteria that are causing them to associate with disease,” says Alm, who is the senior author of the study.

The researchers collected stool samples from about 90 people, for up to two years, allowing them to gain insight into how microbial populations change over time within individuals. This study focused on people living in the Boston area, but the research team is now gathering a larger diversity of samples from around the globe, in hopes of preserving microbial strains not found in people living in industrialized societies.

“More than ever before, modern techniques allow us to isolate previously uncultured human gut bacteria. Exploring this genetic and functional diversity is fascinating — everywhere we look, we discover new things. I’m convinced that enriching biobanks with a large diversity of strains from individuals living diverse lifestyles is essential for future advancements in human microbiome research,” says Mathilde Poyet, a senior postdoc at MIT and one of the lead authors of the study.

MIT research associate Mathieu Groussin and former postdoc Sean Gibbons are also lead authors of the study, which appears in the Sept. 2 issue of Nature Medicine. Ramnik Xavier, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and member of the Broad Institute, is a senior author of the study along with Alm.

Microbiome dynamics

Humans have trillions of bacterial cells in their digestive tracts, and while scientists believe that these populations change and evolve over time, there has been little opportunity to observe this. Through the OpenBiome organization, which collects stool samples for research and therapeutic purposes, Alm and his colleagues at MIT and the Broad Institute had access to fecal samples from about 90 people.

For most of their analysis, the researchers focused on microbes found in about a dozen individuals who had provided samples over an extended period, up to two years.

“That was a unique opportunity, and we thought that would be a great set of individuals to really try to dig down and characterize the microbial populations more thoroughly,” Alm says. “To date there hadn’t been a ton of longitudinal studies, and we wanted to make that a key focus of our study, so we could understand what the variation is day-to-day.”

The researchers were able to isolate a total of 7,758 strains from the six major phyla of bacteria that dominate the human GI tract. For 3,632 of these strains, the researchers sequenced their full genomes, and they also sequenced partial genomes of the remaining strains.

Analyzing how microbial populations changed over time within single hosts allowed the researchers to discover some novel interactions between strains. In one case, the researchers found three related strains of Bacteroides vulgatus coexisting within a host, all of which appeared to have diverged from one ancestor strain within the host. In another case, one strain of Turicibacter sanguinis completely replaced a related strain of the same species nearly overnight.

“This is the first time we’re getting a glimpse of these really different dynamics,” Alm says.

Population variation

The researchers also measured the quantities of many metabolites found in the stool samples. This analysis revealed that variations in amino acid levels were closely linked with changes in microbial populations over time within a single person. However, differences between the composition of microbial populations in different people were more closely associated with varying levels of bile acids, which help with digestion.

The researchers don’t know exactly what produces these differences in amino acid and bile acid levels, but say they could be influenced by diet — a connection that they hope to investigate in future studies. They have also made all of their data available online and are offering samples of the strains of bacteria they isolated, allowing other scientists to study the functions of these strains and their potential roles in human health.

“Comprehensive and high-resolution collections of bacterial isolates open the possibility to mechanistically investigate how our lifestyle shapes our gut microbiome, metabolism, and inflammation. We aim to provide such a resource to the research community worldwide, including to lower-income research institutions,” Groussin says.

The researchers have also begun a larger-scale project to collect microbiome samples from a greater diversity of populations around the world. They are especially focusing on underrepresented populations who live in nonindustrialized societies, as their diet and microbiomes are expected to be very different from those of people living in industrialized societies.

“It may be that as populations that have been living traditional lifestyles start to switch to a more industrialized lifestyle, they may lose a lot of that biodiversity. So one of the main things we want to do is conserve it, and then later we can go back and characterize it as well,” Alm says.

The research was funded by a Broad Next 10 grant from the Broad Institute.



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A Molecule Designed By AI Exhibits 'Druglike' Qualities

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Serena Williams defeats Petra Martic during U.S. Open despite ankle injury

Serena Williams became a 16-time U.S. Open quarterfinalist on Sunday, but her latest history-making career move didn’t come without a price.

The six-time tournament champion suffered an injury to her right ankle during the fifth game of the second set of her 6-3, 6-4 victory over Petra Martic at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on Sunday. But Williams was not about to let yet another injury dim her light as she went on to earn her 99th U.S. Open victory, CNN reported.

READ MORE: Serena Williams shows no mercy against Maria Sharapova winning US Open game one

Overcoming multiple injuries

Williams has braved through a series of injuries this past year. She rolled her left ankle during a quarter-final loss at the Australian Open in January. She then fell ill in Indian Wells in March, — followed by a knee injury and back spasms in Toronto last month that forced her to retire in the final against Bianca Andreescu. During an emotional moment for Williams, Andreescu walked over to her and knelt down and held her hands to comfort Williams as she wept.

With this latest injury, Williams said it’s too early to determine just how serious it is, according to Reuters.

“I usually know if it’s horrible early on. I mean, I had a really bad ankle sprain in January. I was like, instantly, ‘No, this can’t happen. I’m finally healthy,’” Williams said after the win over Martic.

“But I’ll see tomorrow. So far I’m good. I have been managing it. We’ll see tomorrow,” she added.

READ MORE: Serena Williams breaks down and leaves match after suffering from back spasms

Williams coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, later told reporters that she was not experiencing too much discomfort.

“It doesn’t seem — there is the video, but what is more important is how she feels and how the ankle looks. The ankle looks okay,” he said. “She doesn’t feel much pain. She feels, but it’s acceptable. And we will know tomorrow when it’s going to be cold.”

Doting on her daughter

Williams’ recent ankle injury occurred as the tennis superstar celebrated her daughter’ Alexis’ second birthday. Two year ago to the day, she was recovering from an emergency caesarean section followed by blood clots and several complications that curbed her from tennis tournaments for six months.

Earlier on Sunday, Williams posted a photo on Instagram from after the birth to her daughter writing, “The last 2 years have been my greatest accomplishment.”

READ MORE: In essay, Serena Williams says she sought therapy after 2018 US Open loss

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Falcao arrival sees Mbaye Diagne sent on loan by Galatasaray

The arrival of Colombia's Radamel Falcao sees Turkish club Galatasaray send Senegal's Mbaye Niang on loan to Club Brugge.

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Seydou Doumbia: Ivorian returns to Switzerland with Sion

Ivory Coast striker Seydou Doumbia joins his tenth overseas club as he returns to the Swiss Super League with FC Sion.

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Breville Super Q Blender Review: A Powerful Addition to Your Kitchen

With 1,800 watts of liquefying power, it makes an excellent addition to your kitchen—if you're a blender person.

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The Rock That Vibrates in Time With Earth, Wind, and Waves

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R. Kelly girlfriends seek new love pad as Trump Tower condo lease ends

R. Kelly’s two girlfriends, Joycelyn Savage, 23, and Azriel Clary, 21, are reportedly looking for a new place to call home now that the lease is ending on the singer’s Trump Tower condo.

The two women had been living with the embattled artist since he took up residency at the Chicago condo until his arrest in July.

“They are looking to be moved,” Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg tells the Chicago Sun-Times. “They are not being evicted. I believe their [condo] lease is paid up for August and perhaps September. The landlord has been great.”

Greenberg also noted that his client “would live wherever his two girlfriends plan to relocate, and they are looking for a place in Chicago.”

Kelly, 52, Clary, and Savave “plan to live together,” Greenberg adds.

According to TMZ, the two women have been trying to raise the funds to hire Tom Mesereau, the attorney who got Michael Jackson acquitted in his 2005 child molestation trial. Unnamed sources tell the website that they are planning projects, including a book deal, that would fund the hefty cost of hiring the lawyer.

Meanwhile, the singer is currently petitioning a federal judge to be moved from solitary confinement and placed in general population.

READ MORE: R. Kelly’s attorney requests to move singer from solitary to general population

Legal reps for the R&B superstar filed documentation with the courts last week in hopes of having him transferred to the general area. The filing states that solitary confinement is a punishment for inmates already convicted, not for those who are awaiting trial.

Kelly is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Downtown Chicago. Greenberg states he has no human interaction, does not see sunlight, cannot have access to the media or recreational activities and has all his face-to-face visits recorded. Even worse, he can only shower three days a week and has use of the phone once a month.

Greenberg has told the court that his client is being punished because of his “celebrity status” and due to the nature of his alleged crimes, TMZ reports. He intends to ask a judge to reconsider Kelly’s bond and request his release at a status hearing next week.

Kelly is also expected to be moved into the general population next week.

The R&B hitmaker faces 18 counts in federal indictments on various sex crimes in Chicago and Brooklyn. He faces 195 years for the Chicago case alone.

READ MORE: R. Kelly defense in sex abuse charges emerges, including saying accusers are lying

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Kevin Hart may need back surgery following crash of his vintage muscle car

London Is Changing Its Skyscraper Designs—to Favor Cyclists

Wind tunnels and downdrafts can make life difficult for cyclists and pedestrians. London's new design rules aim to reduce headwinds.

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Dorian slams Bahamas with record-setting force, eyes Florida

McLEAN’S TOWN CAY, Bahamas (AP) — In a slow, relentless advance, a catastrophic Hurricane Dorian kept pounding at the northern Bahamas early Monday, as one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded left wrecked homes, shredded roofs, tumbled cars and toppled power poles in its wake.

The storm’s top sustained winds decreased slightly to 165 mph (270 kph) as its westward movement slowed, crawling along Grand Bahama island Monday morning at 1 mph (2 kph) in what forecasters said would be a daylong assault. Earlier, Dorian churned over Abaco island with battering winds and surf during Sunday.

Information began emerging from the affected islands, with Bahamas Power and Light saying there is a total blackout in New Providence, the archipelago’s most populous island.

“The reports out of Abaco (island) as everyone knows,” company spokesman Quincy Parker told ZNS Bahamas radio station, “were not good.”

Most people went to shelters as the Category 5 storm approached, with tourist hotels shutting down and residents boarded up their homes. But many people were expected to be left homeless.

“It’s devastating,” Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, said Sunday afternoon. “There has been huge damage to property and infrastructure. Luckily, no loss of life reported.”

On Sunday, Dorian’s maximum sustained winds reached 185 mph (297 kph), with gusts up to 220 mph (354 kph), tying the record for the most powerful Atlantic hurricane to ever make landfall. That equaled the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, before storms were named. The only recorded storm that was more powerful was Hurricane Allen in 1980, with 190 mph (305 kph) winds, though it did not make landfall at that strength.

Forecasters said Dorian was most likely to begin pulling away from the Bahamas early Tuesday and curving to the northeast parallel to the U.S. Southeast seaboard. Still, the potent storm was expected to stay close to shore and hammer the coast with dangerous winds and heavy surf, while authorities cautioned that it could still make landfall.

According to a Monday morning advisory from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, the storm was virtually parked over Grand Bahama island, which was in for a “prolonged period of catastrophic winds and storm surge” though the night. It also said Florida’s east-central coast may see a brief tornado sometime between Monday afternoon and Monday night.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an order Sunday for the mandatory evacuation of his state’s entire coast. The order, which covers about 830,000 people, was to take effect at noon Monday, at which point state troopers were to make all lanes on major coastal highways one-way heading inland.

“We can’t make everybody happy, but we believe we can keep everyone alive,” McMaster said.

A few hours later, Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, ordered mandatory evacuations for that state’s Atlantic coast, also starting at midday Monday.

Authorities in Florida ordered mandatory evacuations in some vulnerable coastal areas. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned his state that it could see heavy rain, winds and floods later in the week.

Dorian first came ashore Sunday at Elbow Cay in Abaco island at 12:40 p.m., then made a second landfall near Marsh Harbour at 2 p.m.

“Catastrophic conditions” were reported in Abaco, with a storm surge of 18 to 23 feet (5.5-7 meters).

Video that Jibrilu and government spokesman Kevin Harris said was sent by Abaco residents showed homes missing parts of roofs, electric lines on the ground and smashed and overturned cars. One showed floodwaters rushing through the streets of an unidentified town at nearly the height of a car roof.

In some parts of Abaco, “you cannot tell the difference as to the beginning of the street versus where the ocean begins,” Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said. According to the Nassau Guardian, he called it “probably the most sad and worst day of my life to address the Bahamian people.”

Bahamas radio station ZNS Bahamas reported that a mother and child on Grand Bahama had called to say they were sheltering in a closet and seeking help from police.

Silbert Mills, owner of the Bahamas Christian Network, said trees and power lines were torn down in Abaco.

“The winds are howling like we’ve never, ever experienced before,” said Mills, who was riding out the hurricane with his family in the concrete home he built 41 years ago on central Abaco.

Jack Pittard, a 76-year-old American who has visited the Bahamas for 40 years, also decided to stay put on Abaco for Dorian, which he said was his first hurricane. A short video from Pittard about 2:30 p.m. Sunday showed the wind shaking his home and ripping off the siding.

The Bahamas archipelago is no stranger to hurricanes. Homes are required to have metal reinforcements for roof beams to withstand winds into the upper limits of a Category 4 hurricane, and compliance is generally tight for those who can afford it. Risks are higher in poorer neighborhoods, with wooden homes in low-lying areas.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Dorian is forecast to be 40 to 50 miles (64 to 80 kilometers) off Florida, with hurricane-force wind speeds extending about 35 miles (56 kilometers) to the west.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for Florida’s East Coast from Deerfield Beach north to the Georgia state line. The same area was put under a storm surge watch. Lake Okeechobee was under a tropical storm watch.

Mandatory evacuation orders for low-lying and flood-prone areas and mobile homes were in effect starting either Sunday or Monday from Palm Beach County north to at least the Daytona Beach area, and some counties to the north issued voluntary evacuation notices. Weekend traffic was light in Florida despite those orders, unlike during the chaotic run-up to Hurricane Irma in 2017 when the unusually broad storm menaced the entire state.

Ken Graham, director of the hurricane center, urged people not to bet on safety just because the forecast track had the storm a bit offshore. With every new forecast, “we keep nudging (Dorian’s track) a little bit to the left” — that is, is closer to the Florida coast, Graham said.

President Donald Trump already declared a state of emergency and was briefed about what he called a “monstrous” storm.

“We don’t know where it’s going to hit but we have an idea, probably a little bit different than the original course,” Trump said. “But it can change its course again and it can go back more toward Florida.”

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Comedian Kevin Hart injured in Southern California car crash

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor-comedian Kevin Hart has been injured in the crash of a vintage muscle car in the hills above Malibu.

A California Highway Patrol collision report says the 40-year-old Hart was a passenger in a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that went off Mulholland Highway and rolled down an embankment around 12:45 a.m. Sunday.

READ MORE: Kevin Hart reveals he still has ‘anxiety’ about money… despite being worth $214M

The report says Hart and the driver, 28-year-old Jared Black, both suffered “major back injuries” and were taken to hospitals.

Another passenger, 31-year-old Rebecca Broxterman, only complained of pain.

The CHP report says the car immediately went out of control as it turned from a canyon road onto the highway.

The report says the driver was not under the influence of alcohol.

A representative for Hart didn’t immediately reply to messages.

The crash was first reported by TMZ.

READ MORE: Kevin Hart posts video of himself jabbing a punching bag instead of watching the Oscars

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5 Best Gaming Laptops For Every Kind of Player (2019)

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A Happy Birthday Video from Caitlyn Jenner? $2,500, Please

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xkcd's Randall Munroe on How to Mail a Package (From Space)

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Today’s Cartoon: 12-Step Verification

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Jan Mak returns for short-term deal with Seychelles

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Kenyan innovator converting trash into electric wheelchairs

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Match of the Day 2: Ian Wright & Jermaine Jenas discuss Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah incident

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