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biofunmy · 4 years
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Saudi Arabia Wants Your Next Vacation
AL-UYAYNAH, Saudi Arabia — In a makeshift camp under a starry sky, Ghazi Al-Anazi talked about his experience in the fledgling Saudi tourist business. A decade ago, barely in his 20s, he started taking British business associates of his brother to see the wind-carved hills of the Saudi desert.
Now 31, he has a small fleet of S.U.V.s, nearly a dozen employees and a self-taught ability to cater to the whims of visitors from many nations.
“I know what they want to do, and what I need to do about it,” he said, ladling out a dinner of barbecued chicken and Middle Eastern salads to a couple of dozen tourists from France, Ukraine, Malaysia and the United States.
Mr. Al-Anazi and his business, Ghazi Tours, take up to 900 visitors a month on treks like this one to a dry riverbed dotted with venerable acacia trees north of Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
But he’s confident those numbers are about to multiply, as Saudi Arabia begins to open itself up as a major tourist destination. The government recently began issuing tourist visas for the first time, a remarkable shift for a traditionally shuttered society.
And it goes far beyond that: Billions of dollars are being poured into vast tourism projects throughout the kingdom, from flashy resorts to new airports, in a bid to shift the economy away from its dependence on the petroleum industry and the government jobs it finances.
Visiting Saudi Arabia has long been a difficult proposition for everyone except Muslim pilgrims going on the hajj and business travelers. For decades, historic sites have been largely ignored, and hotels and travel services were scarce outside major cities.
Unemployment among Saudi nationals is stubbornly high, about 12 percent. But the government figures that the travel industry, which employs about 600,000 people, can be expanded to create up to a million more jobs, as the need for everything from drivers, chefs and guides to hotel managers and archaeologists expands.
The move toward tourism was devised by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s 34-year-old chief policymaker, whose Vision 2030 program seeks to diversify the economy, draw in more outside investment and expand the private sector.
The Saudis are hiring international real estate executives and introducing elaborate advertising campaigns to try to put themselves on the map. Already, there are signs the push is paying off: Saudi hotel room sales in the first nine months of 2019 increased 11.8 percent from the same period last year.
But a question hanging over the whole initiative, some travel experts say, is how many people will want to visit an ultraconservative kingdom that’s the subject of intense criticism over its treatment of dissenters and women, that restricts the use of alcohol and until recently barred unmarried couples from sharing rooms.
An effort to overcome those concerns by inviting social media influencers for expense-paid trips this year prompted a backlash by online commenters.
Saudi Arabia is promoting a different image: ultramodern resorts, ruins from ancient civilizations and romantic desert landscapes once crossed by Lawrence of Arabia. And tour guides won’t object if you want to take a selfie with a camel.
Referring the vast golden vistas, “I call it the new yellow oil,” said Amr Al Madani, the chief executive of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula, a region in the northwest part of the kingdom that is roughly the size of New Jersey.
Al-Ula includes the evocative ruins of an ancient city of carved rock tombs, called Mada’in Saleh. Like Petra, a popular tourist draw in southern Jordan, the city was built by the Nabataeans about 2,000 years ago.
The vast region has only 45,000 residents. There are some existing resorts, and France’s Accor chain recently agreed to manage one. Mr. Madani is planning an investment of up to $20 billion, from a mix of public and private sources, to finance airport expansion, hotels and other facilities to accommodate up to two million visitors drawn to archaeological sites as well as food and cultural attractions.
An even more ambitious scheme is under construction on Saudi Arabia’s western coast. The Red Sea project covers a remote area with 120 miles of coastline, more than 90 islands and extensive coral reefs that could one day be a diving and snorkeling paradise.
The Saudis want to put four dozen luxury hotels there, including 14 in a first phase, forecasting that these facilities will eventually contribute around $6 billion a year to the economy. Accor has agreed to participate, and the developers say they are in talks with other international hotel groups.
The Public Investment Fund, Prince Mohammed’s $320 billion vehicle for economic makeover, owns the Red Sea scheme and is providing some of the initial capital. Proceeds from the recent sale of a stake in the national oil company, Saudi Aramco, are likely to flow into the investment fund, and could finance other tourist projects.
Prince Mohammed chairs the Red Sea Development Company as well as the Al-Ula commission. John Pagano, Red Sea’s chief executive, said the prince knew the area “intimately” from excursions on his yacht.
On one occasion, the prince told the developers to think again about putting a resort on a certain island because the water surrounding it is not turquoise enough.
“We never made that mistake again, “ said Mr. Pagano, a former senior executive at London’s Canary Wharf development.
These projects are the size of small countries, and the prince is taking advantage of their scale and sparse populations to plan distinctive communities. The Red Sea development, for instance, will not be connected to the national electric grid and will rely completely on renewable energy like wind and solar, according to Mr. Pagano, who is a Canadian citizen.
Saudi Arabia’s conservative social mores will also be less in evidence, the developers say. The travel industry anticipates that alcoholic beverages, which are prohibited in Saudi Arabia, may eventually be sold in these new areas just as they are in Dubai, the Persian Gulf travel and business hub, whose mix of luxury and modernism appears to influence the prince’s thinking.
Mr. Pagano said he was not counting on the availability of alcohol. He did say that “what you typically see in the West” is likely to be permitted at Red Sea resorts. In other words, alcohol aside, travelers will be able to do as they please — for example, women will be able to sunbathe in bikinis.
Both the Red Sea and Al-Ula projects aspire to attract wealthy, ecology-minded tourists willing to pay a premium for a novel and relatively unspoiled destination. Some travel analysts say this approach may pay dividends.
“This planet is running out of places to go,” said Philip Wooller, Middle East director for the travel research firm STR.
Aman Resorts, a Swiss-based hotel group that caters to the wealthy and celebrities, is setting up three establishments in Al-Ula, with a plan to open in 2023. “There is a huge amount of culture to be discovered and explored, and that is exactly what our guests want to do,” said Anna Nash, a spokeswoman for the company.
Still, Mr. Wooller said, the Saudis are starting “at the very very beginning.” Although the kingdom accommodates about 15 million international visitors a year, the bulk of them for Muslim pilgrimages, tourism has largely been limited to side trips after business meetings. A huge training and hotel-building exercise is going to be required to meet the government’s goal of 100 million domestic and international visits by 2030, more than double the 41 million of 2018.
That’s a big leap in a kingdom that until recently has had little tourism. “If we had to live off tourists, we would be dead,” said Qamar Ahmed, who runs a combined antique store, art gallery and coffee shop called Desert Designs in Al-Khobar in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, while the crown prince has given a green light to some reforms, including allowing women to drive, some potential visitors may be alienated by the brutal killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 by Saudi agents, and other repressive measures like jailing critics of the government.
“Saudi Arabia won’t be an easy sell for a lot of tourists,” said Henry Harteveldt, a travel consultant at Atmosphere Research in San Francisco. While Saudi Arabia might appeal to travelers who consider themselves explorers, he said, the kingdom has a “big cloud hanging over” its reputation because of the Khashoggi killing and because women are not treated as fully equal to men.
Still, the Saudis are trying hard to buff up their image. Arriving in Riyadh for business meetings, Carl de Stefanis, a New York venture capitalist, and his son, Erik, visited a welcome kiosk at the airport and were surprised to be treated to a tour of the city, a tasty dinner, and gifts including white Saudi robes and checkered head cloths.
“Just about everyone we met cared earnestly that we were enjoying ourselves,” Mr. de Stefanis said.
And for Saudi tourism entrepreneurs, it seems like a new day. For instance, Madawi Bander Al Saud says her company, The Traveling Panther, is preparing customized tours of the kingdom for clients from Japan, Mexico and Italy.
“For years we have been showing them pictures,” she said. “Now they get to come.”
Alan Rappeport and Tasneem Alsultan contributed reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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apsbicepstraining · 6 years
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Bradley Wright-Phillips’ brand-new evidence; and Frank Lampard hems into relevance
Plus: the Rapids triumphing move dissolves hurriedly; Torontos better is back to his best; and Jason Kreiss triumphant return
A record-setting darknes started in atypical pattern for Bradley Wright-Phillips.
The Red Bulls striker expended most of the parallel in solitude, unable to get a clear touch in a dangerous situate, thanks in part to a choking Chicago Fire defense. But as has been the case since he joined the team in 2013, a bit of room was all he needed to show his form.
And on Sunday, it served to break records.
Wright-Phillips extra-time equalizer was his 63 rd as a Red Bull player, putting him past Juan Pablo Angel as the all-time dealership destination scoring leader.
Of course, I wont lie I like to break records, right holders of MLSs single-season goal scoring record said after the competitor. I try not to think about it, but when you say these kind of things, it obligates me proud.
A streaky striker by nature, Wright-Phillips has once again were beginning to warm up, scoring three goals in his last two pairs, break-dance the double digit goalscoring threshold for the third season in a row. But regardless of Sundays record, it is the nature of his latest point that has Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch excited.
Ive been defying him to see more gamblings belatedly in video games. They did a good job of being hard on him. Every team we play knows Bradley is important. They focus in on him and Sacha, and Brad still manages to find ways to get objectives, Marsch said.
As good as Brad is, we are trying to encourage him to have a cut-throat attitude, that even if he doesnt have a lot of contacts in the game, he exactly necessity one to make a difference.
On Sunday, thats all it took for the Red Bulls to salvage a time from near cataclysm in the unfriendly confines of Toyota Park. I set a lot of work into what I do, Wright-Phillips said. And when you can make an accomplishment like that, it makes me happy and proud.
Welcome back to Major League Soccer, Jason Kreis
The two-time MLS Cup win and former NYC FC boss rejoined the challenger after a short incantation away from video games. His honor? A 3-1 succes in Orlando against the New England Revolution.
In some modes, Kreis astounded with his approach to the equal. In others, “hes having” stayed the same. The trademark of a Kreis side the diamond midfield was shunned for the conventional 4-2-3-1 that Orlando has employed for most of the season. His decision to start Antonio Nocerino and Servando Carrasco over Darwin Ceren and Cristian Higuita was surprising, as was his choice to start Brek Shea on the bench. All starting decisions, he said, were based on word in training.
But most of his lineup decisions followed recent precedent. The back four remained intact. Molino, who has lined up across every midfield place during Orlandos recent gauntlet of fixture congestion, noticed a residence on the left. Kaka reverted centrally behind Larin, with Hadji Barry making his third consecutive start of its first year on the right.
New England searched poised to participate spoiler, putting in an superb superhighway exertion through the opening 45 minutes. Kei Kamara “re opening the” scoring, waltzing his road past the Orlando defense and detecting the net simply 18 instants in.
But Orlando saw their formation in the second half. It took Larin less than a minute to score, hitting Bobby Shuttleworth at the far pole with a calm finish. Second half sub Shea communicated in a cross in the 63 rd, spotting Kevin Molino to redouble the make. Molino capped off the darknes with a brace.
But the nighttime belonged to Jason Kreis, who managed to reignite a sleepy Orlando side to their first win since June 26 th.
Obviously[ Im] very, very happy, Kreis said after the competition. I visualize the week of handiwork that the players and staff have put in was excellent. One of best available weeks Ive ever been involved with. To see that work terminate in a really strong execution realizes me extremely happy.
Frank Lampard hems into relevant for NYC FC
Frank Lampard is the worst Designated Player sign in Major League Soccer biography: that was the narrative six short a few weeks ago. And with good reason. After all, his sketchy stay with New York City FC has been tainted by false starts, contractual distraction, fitness issues and questionable hurt concerns.
But his action on Saturday against the Colorado Rapids introduced an exclaiming differentiate on one of the most remarkable comeback stories of the MLS season.
Since reverting from a calf trauma, Lampard has been on fire. Donning the chieftains armband in place of the suspended David Villa, the Chelsea great revived his past form, scoring the first hat-trick in NYC FC history en route to a 5-1 win over the Colorado Rapids.
This was no small feat for Lampard or NYC FC. The Rapid were undefeated in 15 competitors foreman into Saturdays encounter an enormous achievement within the frameworks of the parity-laden MLS. Their protection allowed a paltry 14 purposes through 20 pairs leader into the weekend, the best preserve in the conference. Eight of their first 20 parallels ended in shutouts. Likewise , no squad has been able to score three against the Rapids backline all season long with or without Tim Howard.
And no single musician has tallied more than two aims against them, either. Until Lampard broke the working party. The Englishman, who has been the top scorer in MLS since his revert as a starter on 18 June, opened the scoring in what was initially a drab affair.
Lightning immediately introduced a pause to the match, but NYC FC accompanied batch of electricity on the restart. A second wayward foul from Michael Azira applied the Rapids down a human in the 37 th time. With Colorado reeling, Tony Taylor redoubled the pas before the half, and Steven Mendoza constructed it three shortly after the second. But “its been” Lampard who induced an unforgettable curtain call. First he curled a shot past Howard and then completed his hat-trick with fines and penalties. He is now among the top-1 0 goalscorers in the league.
Not bad for a presumed has-been, right?
He showed true-blue leadership today, team-mate Jack Harrison said. He was a true-life skipper at Chelsea and he proved it today. He substantiated everyone incorrect is demonstrating that we do need him and hes a key part of our success.
An abrupt death to a good thing
The Colorado Rapids forgot ugly against NYC FC – and that is putting it mildly.
We shot ourselves in the foot, said Howard. Its a small tar, its easy to get around, easy to defend properly and we didnt do that as a group today. Once the red-faced placard happened, the game was finished.
Despite the result, the Rapids should still be proud of what they have accomplished this season. After all, they continue to second in the West with one of the stingiest defenses in the league.
Now makes thrown their achievements in situation. Compare the teams current success to their woes in 2015. They have already overshadowed their win total last year with 10 wins in 2016 compared to nine in 2015. Their defense is actually comparable this year: in 2015 they allowed exactly 22 points through 21 coincides as opposed to their current 19 permitted. Their offensive wasnt all that different either, with the 2016 Rapids tallying 24 aims, compared to the 19 through 21 tallied last-place season.
So whats certain differences? For starters, Colorado are tallying first and accommodating on to wins a determining factor for any contender. Last-place season, they managed to tally first in eight of their opening 21 competitors. That was key to their momentary success on the year( 4-1-3 ). This year, it has been the bedrock of all the teams success, with the Rapids running a solid 10 -0- 3 when find that first point. Only NYC FC have opened the tallying more frequently( 14 of 21 matches ).
The team have also learned how to use dwelling domain to their advantage, running undefeated at DSG Park (8 -0- 3 ). That wasnt the instance last-place season as Colorado disappeared 3-4-4 in the same time frame.
Jermaine Jones has certainly been a part of their success. The squad is undefeated when the midfielder starts( 4-0-3 ). But Pablo Mastroeni has been a key catalyst as well. Continuity and identity is already foreign terms for the Rapids under Mastroeni. Now, key offseason acquisitions have bolstered the fraternity, and Mastroeni has effectively molded his high press arrangement to his players persuasiveness, may be required for his young roster to victimize antagonists on turnovers in the attacking third.
The result has been unfettered success and no single loss can take that away from them.
Torontos best is back to his best
No team in Major League Soccer travel their fates on the back of a single musician quite like Toronto FC and their golden goose, Sebastian Giovinco.
On Sunday evening, the Italian striker acquired the maestro label from countryman Andrea Pirlo, orchestrating and executing on each of Torontos destinations in a 3-0 shutout of the Columbus Crew.
It took all of eight minutes for him to show his form. A long-range blare ricocheted off the back of team-mate Tsubasa Endoh, vanquishing Crew keeper Steve Clark for the early precede. Endoh was credited for the goal – but Giovinco established it happen.
Just 16 a few minutes later, the Toronto offense inaugurated weaving their route through the Crew defense, finishing on a relinquish and depart between Jay Chapman and Giovinco. The former Juventus star took a curling kill on the outside of his foot to double Torontos advantage.
And he wasnt done there. Giovinco thrust Steve Clark into a diving save in the 55 th time. One instant eventually, a hazardous assaulting string assured Giovinco smack the same post not once, but twice, just missing on his possibility for a strengthen. Unable to find two seconds objective, the Italian striker reverted back to the role of distributor, this time connecting with Jozy Altidore for the end goal of the match.
His 12 th goal of the season introduces him merely one behind tournament lead David Villa. His two expedites on the night wreaking his season total to nine as well, tying him for second league wide. Those stats are all the more impressive when you weigh his nine-match scoreless shortage.
Weve said it before and we will say it again: the success of Toronto follows the success of Giovinco. Toronto are 5-1-2 when Giovinco scores. When he doesnt? An humiliating 3-6-4. Its recent, highly circulated nine-match tallying drought resulted in a paltry 2-3-4 evidence for the believed playoff hopefuls. With last weeks hat-trick and the coming week creation, the team have now strung together two prevails for the first time since April, putting them four degrees clear of the crimson line.
The Seattle Sounders can tell you the dangers of relying on a single outstanding representation to move the societies lucks. Two thirds of the channel into this season, and they are still trying to find a solution for the loss of Obafemi Martins.
Toronto may find themselves in a similar discern. But for now, Giovincos brilliance continues to mercy the Great White North and they will follow his contribute, for better or for worse.
The post Bradley Wright-Phillips’ brand-new evidence; and Frank Lampard hems into relevance appeared first on apsbicepstraining.com.
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rollinbrigittenv8 · 7 years
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Artificial Intelligence and Job Fears Lead to Calls for Universal Pay
In this April 2017 photo, GiveDirectly basic income recipient Irine Ogolla poses in front of her home with her son near Lake Victoria in Kenya. Hawaii is considering doling out universal basic income, where everyone gets a chunk of money with no strings attached. Ted Kenya / GiveDirectly via Associated Press
Skift Take: Alaska already distributes an oil dividend to residents regardless of their work status. Now tourism-heavy Hawaii wants to explore the idea of a guaranteed universal income. The current way of doing things won't be tomorrow's way of doing things so it doesn't hurt to explore creative ways of solving seeming-intractable problems.
— Dennis Schaal
Driverless trucks. Factory robots. Delivery drones. Virtual personal assistants.
As technological innovations increasingly edge into the workplace, many people fear that robots and machines are destined to take jobs that human beings have held for decades. For many affected workers, retraining might be out of reach —unavailable, unaffordable or inadequate.
What then?
Enter the idea of a universal basic income, the notion that everyone should be able to receive a stream of income to live on, regardless of their employment or economic status.
It isn’t an idea that seems likely to gain traction nationally in the current political environment. But in some politically liberal corners of the country, including Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay area, the idea of distributing a guaranteed income has begun to gain support.
Over the past two decades, automation has reduced the need for workers, especially in such blue-collar sectors as manufacturing, warehousing and mining. Many of the jobs that remain demand higher education or advanced technological skills. It helps explain why just 55 percent of Americans with no more than a high school diploma are employed, down from 60 percent just before the Great Recession.
Hawaii state lawmakers have voted to explore the idea of a universal basic income in light of research suggesting that a majority of waiter, cook and building cleaning jobs — vital to Hawaii’s tourism-dependent economy — will eventually be replaced by machines. A crucial question — who exactly would pay for the program? — has yet to be determined. But support for the idea has taken root.
“Our economy is changing far more rapidly than anybody’s expected,” said state Rep. Chris Lee, who introduced legislation to consider a guaranteed universal income.
Lee said he felt it’s important “to be sure that everybody will benefit from the technological revolution that we’re seeing to make sure no one’s left behind.”
Here are some questions and answers:
___
WHAT IS A UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME?
In a state or nation with universal basic income, every adult would receive a uniform fixed amount that would be deemed enough to meet basic needs. The idea gained some currency in the 1960s and 1970s, with proponents ranging from Martin Luther King Jr. to President Richard Nixon, who proposed a “negative income tax” similar to basic income. It failed to pass Congress.
Recently, some technology leaders have been breathing new life — and money — into the idea. Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and others have promoted the idea as a way to address the potential loss of many transportation, manufacturing, retail and customer service jobs to automation and artificial intelligence.
Even some economists who welcome technological change to make workplaces more efficient note that the pace of innovation in coming years is likely to accelerate. Community colleges and retraining centers could find it difficult to keep up. Supporters of a universal basic income say the money would cushion the economic pain for the affected workers.
___
WHERE WOULD THE MONEY COME FROM?
In the long run, that would likely be decided by political leaders. For now, philanthropic organizations founded by technology entrepreneurs have begun putting money into pilot programs to provide basic income. The Economic Security Project, co-led by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and others, committed $10 million over two years to basic income projects.
A trial program in Kenya, led by the U.S. group GiveDirectly, is funded mainly funded by Google; the Omidyar Network started by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar; and GoodVentures, co-led by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz.
Providing a basic income in expensive countries like the United States would, of course, be far costlier.
Tom Yamachika, president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, a nonprofit dedicated to limited taxes and fairness, has estimated that if all Hawaii residents were given $10,000 annually, it would cost about $10 billion a year, which he says Hawaii can’t afford given its $20 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.
“Basic income is such a broad subject, it could encompass hundreds of different kinds of mechanisms to help families,” Lee said. “You don’t have to enact the entire thing in one massive program. You can take bits and pieces that make sense.”
Karl Widerquist, co-founder of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network, an informal group that promotes the idea of a basic income, suggests that Hawaii could collect a property tax from hotels, businesses and residents that could be redistributed to residents.
“If people in Alaska deserve an oil dividend, why don’t the people of Hawaii deserve a beach dividend?” he asked.
Other proponents suggest replacing part of the nation’s web of social support programs with a universal basic income.
Some, like Natalie Foster, co-chairwoman of the Economic Security Project, say they think that if universal income took off in the U.S., it would begin incrementally — perhaps by taxing carbon emissions and distributing the money as basic income, an idea explored in California and Washington D.C.
A study by the Roosevelt Institute, a left-leaning think tank, found that distributing a universal income by increasing the federal debt would expand the economy because of the stimulating effects of the additional cash.
___
WHERE DOES UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME EXIST NOW?
Not on a large scale in the United States. But the idea is being pursued in small trials overseas. The program that New York-based GiveDirectly has established in Kenya is distributing $22 a month to residents of a village for the next 12 years — roughly what residents need to buy essentials.
The group says one goal is to assess whether people will change their behavior if they know they will enjoy a guaranteed income for an extended time. GiveDirectly is distributing money to 100 people and plans to expand to 26,000 recipients once the group reaches its $30 million funding goal, said Paul Niehaus, a co-founder.
“We had someone say, ‘I used to work this job in Nairobi as a security guard because it was the only way I could pay for my kids’ education, but now that I have this basic income I can afford to move back and actually live with my family again,’ ” he said.
In Oakland, California, Y Combinator, a startup incubator, is giving about $1,500 a month to a handful of people selected randomly and will soon expand distribution to 100 recipients. It eventually plans to provide $1,000 monthly to 1,000 people and study how recipients spend their time and how their financial health and well-being are affected.
Finland is distributing money to 2,000 randomly selected people. It hopes to learn how it might adapt its social security system to a changing workplace, incentivize people to work and simplify the bureaucracy of benefits.
In India, which is also considering distributing a universal basic income, the transportation minister has said the country would ban driverless cars because they would imperil people’s jobs, according to The Times of India.
___
AND IN THE UNITED STATES?
Republican-leaning Alaska has long distributed revenue from oil extraction to its residents in payments ranging from about $1,000 to $2,000 annually.
A study commissioned by the Economic Security Project found that 72 percent of Alaskans saved the money for essentials, emergencies, debt payments, retirement or education. Just 1 percent said that receiving the oil dividend had made them likely to work less.
“People are very supportive of the dividend,” Foster said. “They don’t see it as a handout; they see it as their right as an Alaskan to receive the income from the oil royalties.”
In Hawaii, a group of politicians, economists, social services providers, business and union representatives will meet in the fall to begin gathering data. They’ll examine Hawaii’s economy and its exposure to disruption and automation and how those trends could affect social safety nets, Lee said. After that, they’ll explore whether it makes sense to offer full or partial universal income.
“It could very well mean that it would be significantly cheaper to look at other options rather than let our existing services be overwhelmed by a changing economy,” Lee said.
___
WHAT DO CRITICS SAY?
Aside from the cost, some detractors say they fear that distributing free money could diminish some people’s work ethic and productivity.
In Hawaii, with one of the nation’s worst homelessness rates, some worry that basic income would attract unemployed people to move to the island.
“A lot of poor people move here anyway, because they don’t freeze,” Yamachika said. “This won’t help.”
___
AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.
___
Stories in the AP’s Future of Work series are available here: http://ift.tt/2wchjFV
Copyright (2017) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
This article was written by Cathy Bussewitz from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
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touristguidebuzz · 7 years
Text
Artificial Intelligence and Job Fears Lead to Calls for Universal Pay
In this April 2017 photo, GiveDirectly basic income recipient Irine Ogolla poses in front of her home with her son near Lake Victoria in Kenya. Hawaii is considering doling out universal basic income, where everyone gets a chunk of money with no strings attached. Ted Kenya / GiveDirectly via Associated Press
Skift Take: Alaska already distributes an oil dividend to residents regardless of their work status. Now tourism-heavy Hawaii wants to explore the idea of a guaranteed universal income. The current way of doing things won't be tomorrow's way of doing things so it doesn't hurt to explore creative ways of solving seeming-intractable problems.
— Dennis Schaal
Driverless trucks. Factory robots. Delivery drones. Virtual personal assistants.
As technological innovations increasingly edge into the workplace, many people fear that robots and machines are destined to take jobs that human beings have held for decades. For many affected workers, retraining might be out of reach —unavailable, unaffordable or inadequate.
What then?
Enter the idea of a universal basic income, the notion that everyone should be able to receive a stream of income to live on, regardless of their employment or economic status.
It isn’t an idea that seems likely to gain traction nationally in the current political environment. But in some politically liberal corners of the country, including Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay area, the idea of distributing a guaranteed income has begun to gain support.
Over the past two decades, automation has reduced the need for workers, especially in such blue-collar sectors as manufacturing, warehousing and mining. Many of the jobs that remain demand higher education or advanced technological skills. It helps explain why just 55 percent of Americans with no more than a high school diploma are employed, down from 60 percent just before the Great Recession.
Hawaii state lawmakers have voted to explore the idea of a universal basic income in light of research suggesting that a majority of waiter, cook and building cleaning jobs — vital to Hawaii’s tourism-dependent economy — will eventually be replaced by machines. A crucial question — who exactly would pay for the program? — has yet to be determined. But support for the idea has taken root.
“Our economy is changing far more rapidly than anybody’s expected,” said state Rep. Chris Lee, who introduced legislation to consider a guaranteed universal income.
Lee said he felt it’s important “to be sure that everybody will benefit from the technological revolution that we’re seeing to make sure no one’s left behind.”
Here are some questions and answers:
___
WHAT IS A UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME?
In a state or nation with universal basic income, every adult would receive a uniform fixed amount that would be deemed enough to meet basic needs. The idea gained some currency in the 1960s and 1970s, with proponents ranging from Martin Luther King Jr. to President Richard Nixon, who proposed a “negative income tax” similar to basic income. It failed to pass Congress.
Recently, some technology leaders have been breathing new life — and money — into the idea. Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and others have promoted the idea as a way to address the potential loss of many transportation, manufacturing, retail and customer service jobs to automation and artificial intelligence.
Even some economists who welcome technological change to make workplaces more efficient note that the pace of innovation in coming years is likely to accelerate. Community colleges and retraining centers could find it difficult to keep up. Supporters of a universal basic income say the money would cushion the economic pain for the affected workers.
___
WHERE WOULD THE MONEY COME FROM?
In the long run, that would likely be decided by political leaders. For now, philanthropic organizations founded by technology entrepreneurs have begun putting money into pilot programs to provide basic income. The Economic Security Project, co-led by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and others, committed $10 million over two years to basic income projects.
A trial program in Kenya, led by the U.S. group GiveDirectly, is funded mainly funded by Google; the Omidyar Network started by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar; and GoodVentures, co-led by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz.
Providing a basic income in expensive countries like the United States would, of course, be far costlier.
Tom Yamachika, president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, a nonprofit dedicated to limited taxes and fairness, has estimated that if all Hawaii residents were given $10,000 annually, it would cost about $10 billion a year, which he says Hawaii can’t afford given its $20 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.
“Basic income is such a broad subject, it could encompass hundreds of different kinds of mechanisms to help families,” Lee said. “You don’t have to enact the entire thing in one massive program. You can take bits and pieces that make sense.”
Karl Widerquist, co-founder of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network, an informal group that promotes the idea of a basic income, suggests that Hawaii could collect a property tax from hotels, businesses and residents that could be redistributed to residents.
“If people in Alaska deserve an oil dividend, why don’t the people of Hawaii deserve a beach dividend?” he asked.
Other proponents suggest replacing part of the nation’s web of social support programs with a universal basic income.
Some, like Natalie Foster, co-chairwoman of the Economic Security Project, say they think that if universal income took off in the U.S., it would begin incrementally — perhaps by taxing carbon emissions and distributing the money as basic income, an idea explored in California and Washington D.C.
A study by the Roosevelt Institute, a left-leaning think tank, found that distributing a universal income by increasing the federal debt would expand the economy because of the stimulating effects of the additional cash.
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WHERE DOES UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME EXIST NOW?
Not on a large scale in the United States. But the idea is being pursued in small trials overseas. The program that New York-based GiveDirectly has established in Kenya is distributing $22 a month to residents of a village for the next 12 years — roughly what residents need to buy essentials.
The group says one goal is to assess whether people will change their behavior if they know they will enjoy a guaranteed income for an extended time. GiveDirectly is distributing money to 100 people and plans to expand to 26,000 recipients once the group reaches its $30 million funding goal, said Paul Niehaus, a co-founder.
“We had someone say, ‘I used to work this job in Nairobi as a security guard because it was the only way I could pay for my kids’ education, but now that I have this basic income I can afford to move back and actually live with my family again,’ ” he said.
In Oakland, California, Y Combinator, a startup incubator, is giving about $1,500 a month to a handful of people selected randomly and will soon expand distribution to 100 recipients. It eventually plans to provide $1,000 monthly to 1,000 people and study how recipients spend their time and how their financial health and well-being are affected.
Finland is distributing money to 2,000 randomly selected people. It hopes to learn how it might adapt its social security system to a changing workplace, incentivize people to work and simplify the bureaucracy of benefits.
In India, which is also considering distributing a universal basic income, the transportation minister has said the country would ban driverless cars because they would imperil people’s jobs, according to The Times of India.
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AND IN THE UNITED STATES?
Republican-leaning Alaska has long distributed revenue from oil extraction to its residents in payments ranging from about $1,000 to $2,000 annually.
A study commissioned by the Economic Security Project found that 72 percent of Alaskans saved the money for essentials, emergencies, debt payments, retirement or education. Just 1 percent said that receiving the oil dividend had made them likely to work less.
“People are very supportive of the dividend,” Foster said. “They don’t see it as a handout; they see it as their right as an Alaskan to receive the income from the oil royalties.”
In Hawaii, a group of politicians, economists, social services providers, business and union representatives will meet in the fall to begin gathering data. They’ll examine Hawaii’s economy and its exposure to disruption and automation and how those trends could affect social safety nets, Lee said. After that, they’ll explore whether it makes sense to offer full or partial universal income.
“It could very well mean that it would be significantly cheaper to look at other options rather than let our existing services be overwhelmed by a changing economy,” Lee said.
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WHAT DO CRITICS SAY?
Aside from the cost, some detractors say they fear that distributing free money could diminish some people’s work ethic and productivity.
In Hawaii, with one of the nation’s worst homelessness rates, some worry that basic income would attract unemployed people to move to the island.
“A lot of poor people move here anyway, because they don’t freeze,” Yamachika said. “This won’t help.”
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AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.
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Stories in the AP’s Future of Work series are available here: http://bit.ly/2gErfSG
Copyright (2017) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
This article was written by Cathy Bussewitz from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
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apsbicepstraining · 6 years
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Bradley Wright-Phillips’ brand-new evidence; and Frank Lampard hems into relevance
Plus: the Rapids triumphing move dissolves hurriedly; Torontos better is back to his best; and Jason Kreiss triumphant return
A record-setting darknes started in atypical pattern for Bradley Wright-Phillips.
The Red Bulls striker expended most of the parallel in solitude, unable to get a clear touch in a dangerous situate, thanks in part to a choking Chicago Fire defense. But as has been the case since he joined the team in 2013, a bit of room was all he needed to show his form.
And on Sunday, it served to break records.
Wright-Phillips extra-time equalizer was his 63 rd as a Red Bull player, putting him past Juan Pablo Angel as the all-time dealership destination scoring leader.
Of course, I wont lie I like to break records, right holders of MLSs single-season goal scoring record said after the competitor. I try not to think about it, but when you say these kind of things, it obligates me proud.
A streaky striker by nature, Wright-Phillips has once again were beginning to warm up, scoring three goals in his last two pairs, break-dance the double digit goalscoring threshold for the third season in a row. But regardless of Sundays record, it is the nature of his latest point that has Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch excited.
Ive been defying him to see more gamblings belatedly in video games. They did a good job of being hard on him. Every team we play knows Bradley is important. They focus in on him and Sacha, and Brad still manages to find ways to get objectives, Marsch said.
As good as Brad is, we are trying to encourage him to have a cut-throat attitude, that even if he doesnt have a lot of contacts in the game, he exactly necessity one to make a difference.
On Sunday, thats all it took for the Red Bulls to salvage a time from near cataclysm in the unfriendly confines of Toyota Park. I set a lot of work into what I do, Wright-Phillips said. And when you can make an accomplishment like that, it makes me happy and proud.
Welcome back to Major League Soccer, Jason Kreis
The two-time MLS Cup win and former NYC FC boss rejoined the challenger after a short incantation away from video games. His honor? A 3-1 succes in Orlando against the New England Revolution.
In some modes, Kreis astounded with his approach to the equal. In others, “hes having” stayed the same. The trademark of a Kreis side the diamond midfield was shunned for the conventional 4-2-3-1 that Orlando has employed for most of the season. His decision to start Antonio Nocerino and Servando Carrasco over Darwin Ceren and Cristian Higuita was surprising, as was his choice to start Brek Shea on the bench. All starting decisions, he said, were based on word in training.
But most of his lineup decisions followed recent precedent. The back four remained intact. Molino, who has lined up across every midfield place during Orlandos recent gauntlet of fixture congestion, noticed a residence on the left. Kaka reverted centrally behind Larin, with Hadji Barry making his third consecutive start of its first year on the right.
New England searched poised to participate spoiler, putting in an superb superhighway exertion through the opening 45 minutes. Kei Kamara “re opening the” scoring, waltzing his road past the Orlando defense and detecting the net simply 18 instants in.
But Orlando saw their formation in the second half. It took Larin less than a minute to score, hitting Bobby Shuttleworth at the far pole with a calm finish. Second half sub Shea communicated in a cross in the 63 rd, spotting Kevin Molino to redouble the make. Molino capped off the darknes with a brace.
But the nighttime belonged to Jason Kreis, who managed to reignite a sleepy Orlando side to their first win since June 26 th.
Obviously[ Im] very, very happy, Kreis said after the competition. I visualize the week of handiwork that the players and staff have put in was excellent. One of best available weeks Ive ever been involved with. To see that work terminate in a really strong execution realizes me extremely happy.
Frank Lampard hems into relevant for NYC FC
Frank Lampard is the worst Designated Player sign in Major League Soccer biography: that was the narrative six short a few weeks ago. And with good reason. After all, his sketchy stay with New York City FC has been tainted by false starts, contractual distraction, fitness issues and questionable hurt concerns.
But his action on Saturday against the Colorado Rapids introduced an exclaiming differentiate on one of the most remarkable comeback stories of the MLS season.
Since reverting from a calf trauma, Lampard has been on fire. Donning the chieftains armband in place of the suspended David Villa, the Chelsea great revived his past form, scoring the first hat-trick in NYC FC history en route to a 5-1 win over the Colorado Rapids.
This was no small feat for Lampard or NYC FC. The Rapid were undefeated in 15 competitors foreman into Saturdays encounter an enormous achievement within the frameworks of the parity-laden MLS. Their protection allowed a paltry 14 purposes through 20 pairs leader into the weekend, the best preserve in the conference. Eight of their first 20 parallels ended in shutouts. Likewise , no squad has been able to score three against the Rapids backline all season long with or without Tim Howard.
And no single musician has tallied more than two aims against them, either. Until Lampard broke the working party. The Englishman, who has been the top scorer in MLS since his revert as a starter on 18 June, opened the scoring in what was initially a drab affair.
Lightning immediately introduced a pause to the match, but NYC FC accompanied batch of electricity on the restart. A second wayward foul from Michael Azira applied the Rapids down a human in the 37 th time. With Colorado reeling, Tony Taylor redoubled the pas before the half, and Steven Mendoza constructed it three shortly after the second. But “its been” Lampard who induced an unforgettable curtain call. First he curled a shot past Howard and then completed his hat-trick with fines and penalties. He is now among the top-1 0 goalscorers in the league.
Not bad for a presumed has-been, right?
He showed true-blue leadership today, team-mate Jack Harrison said. He was a true-life skipper at Chelsea and he proved it today. He substantiated everyone incorrect is demonstrating that we do need him and hes a key part of our success.
An abrupt death to a good thing
The Colorado Rapids forgot ugly against NYC FC – and that is putting it mildly.
We shot ourselves in the foot, said Howard. Its a small tar, its easy to get around, easy to defend properly and we didnt do that as a group today. Once the red-faced placard happened, the game was finished.
Despite the result, the Rapids should still be proud of what they have accomplished this season. After all, they continue to second in the West with one of the stingiest defenses in the league.
Now makes thrown their achievements in situation. Compare the teams current success to their woes in 2015. They have already overshadowed their win total last year with 10 wins in 2016 compared to nine in 2015. Their defense is actually comparable this year: in 2015 they allowed exactly 22 points through 21 coincides as opposed to their current 19 permitted. Their offensive wasnt all that different either, with the 2016 Rapids tallying 24 aims, compared to the 19 through 21 tallied last-place season.
So whats certain differences? For starters, Colorado are tallying first and accommodating on to wins a determining factor for any contender. Last-place season, they managed to tally first in eight of their opening 21 competitors. That was key to their momentary success on the year( 4-1-3 ). This year, it has been the bedrock of all the teams success, with the Rapids running a solid 10 -0- 3 when find that first point. Only NYC FC have opened the tallying more frequently( 14 of 21 matches ).
The team have also learned how to use dwelling domain to their advantage, running undefeated at DSG Park (8 -0- 3 ). That wasnt the instance last-place season as Colorado disappeared 3-4-4 in the same time frame.
Jermaine Jones has certainly been a part of their success. The squad is undefeated when the midfielder starts( 4-0-3 ). But Pablo Mastroeni has been a key catalyst as well. Continuity and identity is already foreign terms for the Rapids under Mastroeni. Now, key offseason acquisitions have bolstered the fraternity, and Mastroeni has effectively molded his high press arrangement to his players persuasiveness, may be required for his young roster to victimize antagonists on turnovers in the attacking third.
The result has been unfettered success and no single loss can take that away from them.
Torontos best is back to his best
No team in Major League Soccer travel their fates on the back of a single musician quite like Toronto FC and their golden goose, Sebastian Giovinco.
On Sunday evening, the Italian striker acquired the maestro label from countryman Andrea Pirlo, orchestrating and executing on each of Torontos destinations in a 3-0 shutout of the Columbus Crew.
It took all of eight minutes for him to show his form. A long-range blare ricocheted off the back of team-mate Tsubasa Endoh, vanquishing Crew keeper Steve Clark for the early precede. Endoh was credited for the goal – but Giovinco established it happen.
Just 16 a few minutes later, the Toronto offense inaugurated weaving their route through the Crew defense, finishing on a relinquish and depart between Jay Chapman and Giovinco. The former Juventus star took a curling kill on the outside of his foot to double Torontos advantage.
And he wasnt done there. Giovinco thrust Steve Clark into a diving save in the 55 th time. One instant eventually, a hazardous assaulting string assured Giovinco smack the same post not once, but twice, just missing on his possibility for a strengthen. Unable to find two seconds objective, the Italian striker reverted back to the role of distributor, this time connecting with Jozy Altidore for the end goal of the match.
His 12 th goal of the season introduces him merely one behind tournament lead David Villa. His two expedites on the night wreaking his season total to nine as well, tying him for second league wide. Those stats are all the more impressive when you weigh his nine-match scoreless shortage.
Weve said it before and we will say it again: the success of Toronto follows the success of Giovinco. Toronto are 5-1-2 when Giovinco scores. When he doesnt? An humiliating 3-6-4. Its recent, highly circulated nine-match tallying drought resulted in a paltry 2-3-4 evidence for the believed playoff hopefuls. With last weeks hat-trick and the coming week creation, the team have now strung together two prevails for the first time since April, putting them four degrees clear of the crimson line.
The Seattle Sounders can tell you the dangers of relying on a single outstanding representation to move the societies lucks. Two thirds of the channel into this season, and they are still trying to find a solution for the loss of Obafemi Martins.
Toronto may find themselves in a similar discern. But for now, Giovincos brilliance continues to mercy the Great White North and they will follow his contribute, for better or for worse.
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