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Tamil Nadu’s Rs 1,000 scheme for women marks larger trend toward Universal Basic Income

Tamil Nadu’s Rs 1,000 scheme for women marks larger trend toward Universal Basic Income

It is for the first time that a big state like Tamil Nadu, with a relatively large per capita income, has decided to expand the scope of basic income criteria The preference of women over men in direct cash transfer schemes is to ensure more accountability and efficiency of the money so transferred. Representational image: iStock Tamil Nadu on Monday took a major leap in implementing the concept of ‘Targeted Basic Income’ by announcing a ₹1,000 per month income support to ‘eligible’ women family heads in the state.

State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, popularly known as PTR, while presenting […]

Sacramento guaranteed income program opens applications for second round of participants

Sacramento guaranteed income program opens applications for second round of participants

John Berchielli, a participant in the first round of United Way’s guaranteed income program, gardens in his driveway in North Highlands, Calif., on Sept. 16, 2022. City of Sacramento residents can apply to receive unconditional $500 monthly payments from the second round of a local guaranteed income program.

Residents have until April 14 to apply and the United Way California Capital Region will start paying 80 eligible households in July.

The payments will last for one year and are designed to help families dealing with financial stress. To be eligible for the program, applicants must meet certain income thresholds, such as […]

Guaranteed Income Programs Are Necessary After the End of Federal Abortion Access

Guaranteed Income Programs Are Necessary After the End of Federal Abortion Access

This op-ed argues that if states can force people to have children, we must force states to financially provide for them.

In the months since the fall of Roe v. Wade , state-level abortion bans or restrictions have stripped millions of people of their right to elective abortion care in 18 states and counting . Additional bans and restrictions from anti-choice legislators threaten millions more.

Despite bans where they live, many people experiencing an unwanted pregnancy can still cross state lines for care or purchase abortion pills online . But research shows that these bans will prevent many low-income or […]

Universal Basic Income does not cause inflation

Universal Basic Income does not cause inflation

Universal basic income (UBI) is a policy that would give all citizens an unconditional, predictable income to cover their basic needs. There is widespread belief that any monetary intervention stimulates hyperinflation of the form found in 1920s Germany, 1990s Argentina and 2000s Zimbabwe. However, there is little evidence to support this view. UBI is no more or less inflationary than anything else that raises incomes – its impact would depend on whether the economy is at full employment, whether taxes are raised

The idea that a Universal Basic Income fuels inflation makes no economic sense.

We live in an age […]

Experts Are Worried That Robots Could Perform Some Religious Rituals Better Than Humans

Experts Are Worried That Robots Could Perform Some Religious Rituals Better Than Humans

In a strange turn of events, and not at all surprising now, robots and automation have found their way into Hinduism, causing alarm among religious experts and worshippers alike.

Anthropology expert Holly Waters, in her recent article for The Conversation , highlights the significant concerns surrounding the use of robots in religious contexts. One such example is the employment of robotic arms to perform the “aarti” ritual in India, which involves lighting a candle to worship Hindu deities.

Although some devotees find the aarti robots and other innovations like a life-size animatronic elephant used in a Kerala temple used to make […]

The robot revolution is here: local businesses gear up with new tech

The robot revolution is here: local businesses gear up with new tech

Augusto Rasino, the manager at Cafecito, serves customers from 1-C-2, “Juancito”, a robot that carries plates to and from customers at the Santa Fe restaurant. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) There’s a new employee at Cafecito, a Santa Fe restaurant and coffeehouse serving Argentinian, Armenian and Italian cuisines.

The busser moved to New Mexico about a month ago, and carries dishes with a song.

Except this worker isn’t human – it’s a robot.Dubbed 1-C-2, or “Juancito,” by Cafecito owner Andres Paglayan, a reference to Star Wars robot R2-D2, whose name sounds like “Arturito” in Spanish, the robot delivers plates to customers and busses […]

Robotics, AI, and the evolving nature of work

Robotics, AI, and the evolving nature of work

Shanti Maria Fonseca

“There will be fewer and fewer jobs that a robot cannot do better. I want to be clear. These are not things I wish will happen, these are thinks that will probably happen, and then we have to think about, what are we going to do about it? I think some kind of basic universal income is going to be necessary.” – Elon Musk Founder and CEO of Tesla and Space X

The danger of the past was that men became slaves. The danger of the future is that men may become slaves to robots. The job market […]

Bill Maher Says ‘I’m Not Trying To Be Mean’ As He Savages Andrew Yang’s 3rd Party Right To His Face

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Comic and pundit Bill Maher told entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang that he wasn’t “trying to be mean” as he asked a savage question about Yang’s third party.

On Friday night’s edition of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher , the host talked with guests Yang and Democratic Michigan Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin . As the trio discussed the recent banking collapses and their effect on the economy, Maher asked Yang to explain his “Forward Party” — and told him “I read your website and it’s a bunch of mush.”Maher and Slotkin […]

Don’t believe the hype: why ChatGPT is not the “holy grail” of AI research

Don't believe the hype: why ChatGPT is not the “holy grail” of AI research

Silicon Valley’s pre-eminent leaders love prematurely predicting that their products will completely upend the world as we know it. The latest case study comes from Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT AI chatbot that has gone viral for its convincing imitations of human writing. Two years ago, Altman wrote a manifesto, " Moore’s Law for Everything ," in which he forecast that artificial intelligence would make huge swaths of both white collar and blue collar jobs obsolete. As he wrote: In the next five years, computer programs that can think will read legal documents and […]

Bill Maher torches San Francisco’s ‘crazy’ reparations plan: ‘This is madness’

Bill Maher torches San Francisco’s ‘crazy’ reparations plan: ‘This is madness’

‘Real Time’ host Bill Maher blasted San Francisco’s $5 million reparations plan. “Real Time” host Bill Maher took a blowtorch towards San Francisco’s “crazy” reparations plan that would give Black residents millions of dollars .

During the panel discussion on Friday night with former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Maher asked if the reparation proposal is going “too far,” saying it’s “quite a lot” to give each Black resident $5 million.

“Even I didn’t go this far,” Yang quipped, alluding to his universal basic income policy he ran on in 2020.“I mean it seems like, you know, […]