Trump Says He Fired National Security Advisor John Bolton
September 10th, 2019Via: CNBC:
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had fired national security advisor John Bolton, saying he had “disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions.”
“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning,” Trump said in a tweet.
Japan May Be Forced to Dump Radioactive Fukushima Water Into the Pacific
September 10th, 2019Via: U.S. News and World Report:
Radioactive water from Japan’s destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant may have to be dumped into the ocean, the country’s energy minister reportedly said Tuesday, igniting concern and anger from nuclear safety experts and Japan’s neighbors in the region.
The electric utility overseeing the crippled power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company, or Tepco, is running out of room to store the contaminated water, the minister, Yoshiaki Harada, said at a news conference. The water has built to a stockpile of more than 1 million metric tons, taken from cooling pipes being used to keep the plant’s fuel cores from melting.
McDonald’s Acquires AI Company to Help Automate the Drive-Thru
September 10th, 2019In other AI news, 120 Million Workers May Need to be Reskilled or Retrained in the Next Three Years.
Via: CNBC:
McDonald’s said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire a company that is trying to automate the drive-thru. It’s the fast-food giant’s third tech-focused deal this year.
Apprente, a Silicon Valley company founded in 2017, uses artificial intelligence to understand drive-thru orders, which could cut down on service times. McDonald’s said the technology also could be used someday in its self-order kiosks and mobile app.
The Chicago-based company said it evaluated Apprente’s technology in McDonald’s test restaurants.
Apprente’s employees will be the founding members of a group called McD Tech Labs, which will be housed within McDonald’s global technology team. The burger chain wants to grow its presence in Silicon Valley by hiring more tech experts, including engineers and data scientists.
IBM: 120 Million Workers May Need to be Reskilled or Retrained in the Next Three Years
September 9th, 2019Via: IBM:
In the next three years, as many as 120 million workers in the world’s 12 largest economies may need to be retrained or reskilled as a result of AI and intelligent automation, according to a new IBM (NYSE: IBM) Institute for Business Value (IBV) study. In addition, only 41 percent of CEOs surveyed say that they have the people, skills and resources required to execute their business strategies.
Saudi Arabia Wants to Enrich Uranium
September 9th, 2019Via: Reuters:
Saudi Arabia wants to enrich uranium for its nuclear power program, its energy minister said on Monday, potentially complicating talks with Washington on an atomic pact and the role of U.S. companies.
Uranium enrichment has been a sticking point with the United States, especially after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in 2018 that the Sunni Muslim kingdom would develop nuclear arms if regional rival Shi’ite Muslim Iran did.
The world’s top oil exporter says it wants to use nuclear power to diversify its energy mix, but enrichment also opens up the possibility of military uses of uranium.
Army Starts Testing Next Generation Squad Weapons In 27-Month Test
September 9th, 2019Via: ZeroHedge:
The U.S. Army is getting much closer to deploying the next generation weapon that could soon replace the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun sometime in the early 2020s.
On Aug. 29, the Army announced it selected three defense companies to deliver prototype weapons for the Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) program.
The new weapons must be lighter and able to penetrate the world’s most advanced body armor from at least 600 meters away, defense insiders say.
Baltimore: Police Found Van Containing 1,000 Gallons of Gasoline
September 9th, 2019Via: The Baltimore Sun:
Baltimore police discovered a van loaded with 1,000 gallons of gasoline Monday morning and are evacuating several office buildings from the Inner Harbor — where emergency officials are urging people to stay away, city council members confirmed.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting Baltimore police on the scene.
A police spokesperson said they received a call at 11:02 a.m. about a suspicious van and began evacuating 100 E. Pratt St., which houses T. Rowe Price and and global professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
America’s Aging Population Is Leading to a Doctor Shortage Crisis
September 8th, 2019Via: CNBC:
As America’s population ages and demand outpaces supply, a physician shortage is intensifying.
Projections from the Association of American Medical Colleges say the U.S. will see a shortage of 46,900 to 121,900 physicians by 2032 in primary and specialty care.
The aging of America’s population is slicing the health-care industry in multiple ways. Americans are living longer and seemingly healthier lives — and requiring more care later into life. What’s more, one-third of all doctors currently working will be older than 65 in the next decade, and retirements may squeeze supply.
‘The Neoliberal Takeover of the Human Body’
September 8th, 2019Via: MarketWatch:
Biometric mobile wallets — payment technologies using our faces, fingerprints or retinas — already exist. Notable technology companies including Apple and Amazon await a day when a critical mass of consumers is sufficiently comfortable walking into a store and paying for goods without a card or device, according to Sinnreich, author of “The Essential Guide to Intellectual Property.”
Removing the last physical barrier — smartphones, watches, smart glasses and credit cards — between our bodies and corporate America is the final frontier in mobile payments. “The deeper the tie between the human body and the financial networks, the fewer intimate spaces will be left unconnected to those networks,” Sinnreich said.
Mystery Surrounds Lost German Sea Data Station
September 7th, 2019Via: BBC:
A massive environmental monitoring station off Germany’s Baltic coast has disappeared from the seabed, baffling police and researchers.
The seabed “observatory”, worth about €300,000 (£270,000), weighed more than half a tonne. It could not have been dragged off by a storm, tide or large animal, German experts say.
Divers only found a torn power cable at the site, 22m (72ft) down and 1.8km (1.2 miles) offshore.
It is a prohibited area, north of Kiel.
No boats – not even local fishing boats – are allowed into the area, called Eckernförde Bay, about 70km (44 miles) south of the Danish border.
The missing observatory, installed in late 2016, stopped sending data on 21 August.
It consisted of a power unit, connected by cable to the coast, and an instrument unit, which together weighed 770kg (1,700 pounds).
The German instruments had been measuring seawater quality, including temperature and the levels of salt, oxygen, nutrients, chlorophyll and methane.
