text:
Camp GLOW tackles food security in The Gambia
By Overseas Programming and Training Support
"It is so difficult to provide for the family needs," says Kaddy Jammeh, one of the Gambian girls who attended Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) this year in The Gambia.
Like many of the female campers, she goes to her family's garden every day to water the many beds. With less rainfall every year and creeping desertification, food security is becoming more of a challenge in this small African country. It does not help that, traditionally, men and women do not work together in food production. Men work in the fields growing groundnuts and coos during the rainy season. Women work in the fields growing rice during the rainy season and in the garden year-round. There is no collaboration, and unfortunately, rather little dialogue between the sexes from the time they are children up through adulthood.
Camp GLOW students and a teacher showcase their work in the school garden.
Peace Corps Volunteers organizing Camp GLOW 2015 sought to change that. "Camp GLOW is all about teaching boys and girls to work together as equal partners. Where better to apply that than in the garden and food bowl," said one Volunteer. With that in mind, the Camp GLOW team brought together 23 boys and girls from six senior secondary schools for a week-long overnight camp. They educated participants on gender equality, healthy lifestyles, nutrition, gardening, and leadership, with the expectation that the participants would take this knowledge back to their communities.
The campers went above and beyond these expectations. In just one month, they taught over 1,350 students about gender roles and food security and trained over 300 students in new gardening techniques such as double digging and organic pesticides. All six schools have applied new techniques in both school and community gardens, and both boys and girls are working together in the gardens. One of the camp organizers put it best: "Both men and women need to join their hands together." Only then will The Gambia become food secure. These boys and girls have taken the first step.
Photo by Eloise Douglas
Story contributed by the Food Security Team in the Peace Corps Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support
Category: Africa, The Gambia, Agriculture, From the Field, Peace Corps Volunteer, Feed the Future, Let Girls Learn


The Church Street Marketplace District Commission consists of nine members, appointed by the Burlington City Council, who serve three year terms. The Commission is comprised of business owners, property owners and citizens who set policy for the Marketplace. It is also responsible for establishing common area fees charged to Marketplace property owners. The fees provide the majority of funding for the Marketplace operating budget.
The Church Street Marketplace Commission meets the third Wednesday of each month from 9am to 10:30am in the third floor conference room at 29 Church Street. Enter at 110 Cherry Street (under the big red awning, across from CCTA bus station). Take the glass elevator up to the 3rd floor. Take a right out of the elevator, conference room down the hall on your left.
Meetings are open to the public. To be added to the agenda, please e-mail Ron Redmond, Executive Director at rredmond@burlingtonvt.gov.


He is a rock solid chap with a big wind farm.
They're all mad down the country!!!!
Rocker wrote: He is a rock solid chap with a big wind farm.
Whoever it is, he's caught between a rock and a hard place.
Maybe its one of those appartments built under the new planning regulations.
I feel sorry for the bike!
Love the access hole with cloth to protect his? arm!
"I wonder what the girls will catch today?"
Last edited by Zirco on Sun Mar 20, 2016 11:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
that took me a while had to say it aloud...without the accent. Love the name on his jeans....is there an arrow pointing to it??
Ha Ha Ha! Phew! Got it...........much later......embarrassingly much later.
Dancer, kust found this this morning when I was looking for an Easter topic.
Don't think I like that breed of dog. Eyes are too intense for me. I feel they are waiting to pounce. Loads of people have them now.
I agree Rocker. I don't care much for them either. I think our climate is wrong for them .
So many people buy dogs without researching the breed and then fail to create the proper environment for the animal.


This is one for all the #Supermums #Supermoms in the group! I know the guilt of trying to build a business with children – it is real! and it is big! BUT the truth is this is our stuff and it only exists because we allow it. Why should you feel guilty because you are trying to create a better life for you and your family?
If you are working hard to build a real income in this business you will be on your phone, emailing, going off to classes and one on ones – your little ones, and not so little ones – will notice and they will miss you. And you know what that's ok. It builds independence, the strength of character and also a real-world understanding of what it takes to be successful in this world.
There are ways though that you can include your children and family in the process so they feel part of the process and excited by what you are doing.
Set a family reward for your different milestone achievements. For example, enrol 5 people this month family gets a special sunday night pizza and game night. Hit Silver – off to the movies you go. Diamond – family co-impact source trip to Nepal. Make a vision board for your goals.
This simple picture sits in a WA's fridge. Her little ones get so excited when they get to put another sparkly person into mummy's team!
3. Create precious moments for everyone in your family.
As parents, we always tend to feel like we're not giving enough, but kids know when you're there and present. You have to create those moments and it doesn't have to be 24/7.
4. Plan your hours out.
It can be really helpful to schedule your work time – precisely. For example, I carve out 2 hours to work in the mornings and then I get an hour to have breakfast and talk with my son. When I'm with him, I leave my phone in my office — I want to focus on him 100 percent. Then I schedule my night times: Mon/Wed/Fri 7:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. is work time for me. The extra bonus for doing this is then expectations are set. Your partner knows exactly when you will be working and when you are not so you can make the most of your time together.
5. Get your family involved where ever you can.
Can they help you fill sample bottles, stick labels on bottles, arrange your oils, help you pack your bag when you travel, organise your social media, write or draw messages for your class attendees or team.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can build a doTERRA business let me know by filling out my contact form and I will get back to you ASAP! To find out more about my journey with essential oils you can read that here.


A study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control recently confirmed the effectiveness of new technology in reducing the number of hospital surface bacteria by more than 99 percent at least eight weeks after initial application – essentially eliminating dangerous pathogens like Clostridium difficile (C. diff) from the hospital landscape.
Titled "Long-Term Efficacy of a Self-Disinfecting Coating in an Intensive Care Unit" and conducted by the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science at the University of Arizona in Tucson, the study focused on SurfaceWise™ by Allied BioScience, a long-lasting antimicrobial surface coating that provides continuous disinfecting action when applied to almost any surface. SurfaceWise is the first technology of its kind to be proven effective in this capacity. It is an invisible coating that binds to surfaces at a molecular level, forming a protective shield that creates a hostile microscopic environment for pathogens. This makes it difficult for infection-causing microbes to survive. As surfaces are touched, therefore recontaminated, the treated surface itself reacts to fight the threat.
For pthe urposes of this study, which was performed between May 10, 2013 and Sept. 30, 2013, the coating was applied to 95 sites in an ICU at a major Southern California hospital, and those test sites were followed during a 15-week period. In addition to SurfaceWise proving more than 99 percent effective eight weeks after application, overall bacteria levels - including that of C. diff., as well as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) - never returned to levels recorded before application, even at the 15-week mark. Before the application of SurfaceWise, antibiotic-resistant bacteria were found on one-quarter of the sites sampled. After application of SurfaceWise, no antibiotic-resistant bacteria were found on any of the sites for eight weeks.
"Cleaning and disinfecting can effectively remove pathogens from surfaces, but studies have shown that more than half the time, surfaces are not adequately cleaned through traditional methods. Plus, these surfaces can be recontaminated within minutes," says Charles P. Gerba, PhD, professor at the University of Arizona and member of ABS' scientific advisory board. "The study of SurfaceWise has found this technology to continuously keep health care environments free of harmful pathogens for up to three months after application."
In the study, cultures were collected from patient rooms, specifically bed rails, bed controls, tray tables and around wall sinks, in addition to nursing stations and lobby areas including countertops, phones, computer keyboards, chair armrests and end table surfaces. The surfaces were tested initially and throughout the study for bacterial presence at one-, two-, four-, eight- and 15-week checkpoints. For the duration of the study, hospital staff maintained routine cleaning protocols, including disinfection procedures with reusable cloths containing bleach and/or disposable quaternary ammonium wipes.
"Although SurfaceWise performed to our high expectations in previous lab settings, it was reassuring to see the amazing results Dr. Gerba and his team gathered from this real-world hospital environment," says Michael Ruley, CEO of ABS. "It's revolutionary, really. Never before has there been a long-lasting pathogen-fighting solution for breaking the chain of infection where the risk is highest."
ABS' technology is scientifically founded on an ongoing series of research programs in the areas of chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology and material sciences. This research, beginning in 2008, is supported by ABS on leading American university campuses. The collaboration of this interdisciplinary team of scientists has led to proven technologies, both in the laboratory and in real-world settings. ABS is looking to the future of surface-coating technologies, with other products currently in various phases of the research and development pipeline.


Join the AJSA community this Saturday for our fourth operation in Planetside 2!
To get into the mood and to announce that the AJSA is here, we will do something together as one large blob, before normal combat operations begin. For this operation, let's try a High Altitude Galaxy Drop with MAXes (what I'm calling a Hailstorm), our galaxies will fly to the height limit and drop their payload of AJSA MAXes over a hot spot. After we all die horribly, we can begin normal operations.
We will then break off to our platoon and squad assignments. If an Alert has started, we will play the objectives of the alert, otherwise, we will go to hot spots where we are needed (splitting continents if called for).
Once the Combat Phase winds down, we will have another exciting edition of the AJSA Racing League. This time we are going back to a classic with a twist, Partner's Flash Death Race. This means in order to win, you and your partner in the backseat have to survive the race together, and since it's a Death Race after crossing the midway point, Friendly Fire is allowed against your fellow racers! In the map I posted below, you can even see the proposed race route for our flashes, with special notes for the way-points. Congrats again to Op #3's Mosquito Race Champion Ysnar!
PS - Be sure to hang onto your crazy screenshots you take during the event!
Join the AJSA community on the Jedi Covenant Server and help the Empire obtain "UNLIMITED POWA!"
The AJSA voted and we listened, we are opening a small guild for the Empire on the server Jedi Covenant for Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) is a free-to-play MMORPG set 10,000 years before the events of the original trilogy, and follows off of the single-player RPG, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, also made by BioWare. While the free-to-play restrictions have been controversial, the game is free to play up to level 50, which lets you play out the entire original campaign for your character; some of the stories are very well written and expertly voice-acted. Getting "Preferred Access" only requires spending $5 or more in-game, which lifts some of the restricts, allowing you to create up to 6 active characters.
It will be played on the NA region.
and will continue on to the 18th and 19th at 3:00 PM Central time.
Max of 8 teams in this tournament.
These times are set so teams have time to compete durring those days and things don't get postponed into other days.
This will be a double elimination tournament, so fret not if your team loses one match because you still have one more chance to compete. two losses and you will be knocked out.
If possible i would like to speak to all teams or atleast every team captain on the 16th, the day before the tournament to set up times for the teams to compete.
So please message littlemowgli about this, I'll also will try to get in contact with each and every one one of you.
And the prizes, I'm sure thats why most of you guys will be competing for. 20 dollars in RP for every individual member of the team that wins it all, and 5 dollars each to every individual member of the team that almost won it all.
If you need to know how to use the tournament features we have a guide for that in the AJSA Tutorial Videos & Guides section in our forums.
Rally your fellow AJSA members, create your team, practice, and most important of all, have fun.
Here is a rough draft of our coming soon Tutorial Video on how to sign up a team! Wanted to put this here as it does the job perfectly until we get our next one out!
OIC Air Combat Command: OPEN - Responsible for Helping the CAG and DCAG set up events and day to day running of the Air Wing.
OIC 1st Armored Division: OPEN - Responsible for Helping the CAG and DCAG set up events and day to day running of Ground Forces.
Epic War Thunder Music Intermission Time!
Code of Conduct: Abide the AJSA Code of Conduct. Failure to follow the Code of Conduct can result in removal from the squadron. Serious infractions can and will be applied to a members standing with in the greater AJSA Community.
1. Be respectful to all your fellow Squadron mates, and other pilots at all times.
2. Do not Cheat, attempt to cheat or otherwise attempt to gain any unfair advantage over another player. Any person found of doing this will be reported to Gaijin and could suffer punitive action within the greater AJSA.
3. At all times AJSA Pilots and Tankers are required to conduct themselves in a mature manner during gameplay. If you find yourself raging, (we all have) take a step back, relax, and come back later.
Join the AJSA Community for our third Operation day/night in Planetside 2. More details inside!
Since it is the time of year for giving, let's give our NC and Vanu friends the gift of BULLETS!
Anyone new or regular is welcome to join the AJSA for our third operation in Planetside 2 and have fun.
New players will want to read this posting closely to ensure their participation in the operation gets started smoothly.
Terran Republic is the faction the AJSA plays as, and we are on the WATERSON server.
New members read the "READ HERE" PS2 forum post to see a list of Sergeants/Officers to send in-game messages to so you can get invited to the outfit.
To get into the mood and to announce that the AJSA is here, we will do something together as one large blob, before normal combat operations begin. In the spirit of the flying creatures this Operation is named for, we will be doing a massive MOSQUITO SWARM, (flying skills not necessary) where we will go together as group to a hot spot in need of air support. After we all die horribly, we can begin normal operations.
Gunnar Gaming Glasses Giveaway - AJS Caption Contest!
Gunnar has sent us a number of different pairs of their unique gaming glasses to commemorate our successful launch! We'd like to thank them their generosity very much and offer these free pairs of glasses to our members in a giveaway contest! Check out the different pairs you can win below!
We'd like to run some kinda contest for interested members that requires some effort or skill rather than just picking random winners from a pool so we've decided on a quick fun and easy Caption Contest! If you have future ideas for contests let me know, short stories, fan art, T-shirt design contest etc.
The Contest will end Sunday, December 8th at 11:59pm! Winners will be selected and announced by us on Monday, December 9th!
Contest Rules: You must be a registered person within the AJSA of at least a Recruit level with no warnings currently issued to your account!
Here! Follow him for more updates on Gunnar News!


text:
R.I. lawmakers file financial disclosure reports
By Philip Marcelo, KATHERINE GREGG and RANDAL EDGAR | | Journal State House Bureau
PROVIDENCE �� House Speaker Gordon D. Fox collected an undisclosed amount of income in 2010 through work with the city�s economic development agency.
PROVIDENCE -- House Speaker Gordon D. Fox collected an
undisclosed amount of income in 2010 through work with the city's
economic development agency.
He also was a member of a limited liability company that
operates Imagine Hair, a salon at 155 Chestnut St., in
Providence.
The disclosures were among those the Providence Democrat made in
the financial statements that many state and local politicians are
required to file with the state Ethics Commission. The deadline for
submitting the reports for 2010 was Friday.
Fox's report showed income from his Providence-based law
practice, the state General Assembly, Johnson & Wales
University (where he was an adjunct professor), and the Providence
Economic Development Partnership (PEDP).
Fox, an East Side resident, serves as a "closing attorney" for
the PEDP on some commercial loans.
He said Friday that he is not paid directly by the agency, but
by the company seeking a loan. Fox said he listed the relationship
"out of an abundance of caution" because the partnership is a
municipal agency.
It is unclear how much he earned from the arrangement, however,
since lawmakers, unlike statewide officeholders, are not required
to provide more detailed information about their sources of
"I am paid out of borrower's proceeds," Fox said through a
spokesman. "But the check is issued to [the] borrower and me on a
city check if the borrower chooses to have the legal fee deducted
from the loan proceeds. Some borrowers pay the fee directly and
then there is no check from the city."
Among the highlights from the other ethics filings:
Governor Chafee reported $61,000 to $135,000 in income from
consultant work with the Foundation for Effective Governance in
Ukraine, his 2009 state income tax refund, and rental income from
Ledge, a Rhode Island-based limited liability company. He listed a
house in Warwick, a farm in Exeter, a house on Providence's East
Side, and properties in Maine and New Hampshire. His wife,
Stephanie D. Chafee, is a beneficiary of a blind trust with
investments in A.H. Belo Corp. (owner of The Providence Journal),
AT&T, Bank of America, Dell, Exxon Mobil, General Electric and
many other major companies.
State General Treasurer Gina Raimondo made between $200,000 and
$500,000 in salary for her "investment management services" in
2010. Raimondo's ethics filings list her roles as partner in Point
Judith Capital, director of the New England Venture Capital
Association, director of NABsys Inc. in Providence, Novare Surgical
Systems in Cupertino, Calif., and Spirus Medical in Stoughton,
Mass. Her husband, Andrew Moffit, worked at McKinsey & Company,
a management consulting firm, and chaired the Providence Water
Supply Board. A spokeswoman for Raimondo said the new treasurer is
no longer a director at any of the companies listed and her husband
has since resigned from the Water Supply Board.
Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts' financial filing once
again reflects the substantial income - $50,001-to-$100,000 - that
she receives as a director of her family's Herndon, Va.-based real
estate management company, Union Land & Management Co.
State Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin earned $71,000 to
$160,000 last year from a city pension as a retired Pawtucket
police captain; a salary as an attorney with the law office of
Michael F. Horan; his compensation as a state representative from
Pawtucket; and for working as an adjunct professor at Providence
College. His wife, Kristine M. Kilmartin, reported a state salary
of $100,001 to $200,000 as state director of legislative data. The
Kilmartins own two properties in Pawtucket and one in
Narragansett.
Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis listed an income of $50,001
to $100,000 from the state. He also listed his role on the board of
directors for the Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation, a
nonprofit organization in Needham, Mass. (Mollis does not draw an
income from that position.)
Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, listed her
income sources as her position in the state Senate, legal work she
has done as a self-employed lawyer and her teaching position at
Roger Williams University, where she is an adjunct law professor.
She also lists herself as having a financial interest in 97 John
Clarke Road LLC, of Middletown.
pmarcelo@projo.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Subplots abound in Heat-Lakers X-mas matchup
Sports Sports |
TIM REYNOLDSthe associated press
AP File Photo Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal will go at each other again this Christmas when the Lakers travel to Miami on for today's game.
ALL |
MIAMI – There are two games on the NBA's Christmas lineup. One's a rematch of Detroit and San Antonio, league finalists a season ago who have the two best records this year.The other, in Shaquille O'Neal's estimation, is the game worth watching."Bigger people. Bigger story behind it," O'Neal said. "It's going to be a big game."After O'Neal opens his Christmas presents Sunday, his past meets his present when his Miami Heat host the Los Angeles Lakers, marking the third time he and Kobe Bryant will face off since their Hollywood split nearly 18 months ago.There are story lines beyond Shaq vs. Kobe, but that's still a compelling one."We had a great run. Three rings," Bryant said. "I think people should leave it the hell alone and move on. … I understand it's interesting, but we also have an interesting game. The game itself tomorrow is interesting."
So are the subplots.Phil Jackson, whom O'Neal once called "the only coach I'll ever play for," is back with the Lakers and will face the center who teamed with Bryant to deliver three Tinseltown titles. Pat Riley is coaching Miami again, 17 years after winning his fourth title in L.A. – which tried wooing him back when Jackson left in 2004.There's a marquee guard matchup with Bryant against Miami's Dwyane Wade, Riley and Jackson renewing one of the NBA's best coaching rivalries from the 1990s, the Heat's Gary Payton against his old team, the Lakers' Lamar Odom against his old team … oh, enough already, Bryant says."How about us versus them?" Bryant said.Bah, humbug.O'Neal and Bryant still don't seem to like each other, no surprise considering how their eight years with the Lakers ended in tumultuous fashion. Jackson says his former star duo will reconcile – someday."I'm sure he's going to juice up, as far as playing against Kobe," Jackson said of O'Neal.Countered Shaq: "All my juices have been let out."
Another interesting note is the records. This Miami team was built to contend for a title; it's 15-12. The Lakers were supposed to be in a rebuilding mode; they're 15-11."We feel fortunate that we're in a position where we're looking down on the Miami Heat," Jackson said. "Half-a-game lead. In a way, I'm surprised. And yet, we've got nothing to crow about."Verbal salvos were fired between O'Neal and Lakers owner Jerry Buss in recent days, with Buss again mocking the 12-time All-Star's weight and O'Neal saying the man who once signed his fat paychecks is acting like "an old girlfriend" who misses him.Just another game, indeed."It's a big game, a Christmas game, the marquee game, Shaq and Kobe and Phil and all that stuff," said Riley, who's 4-2 since Stan Van Gundy resigned as Heat coach. "It's got a great sidebar to it."Miami won last year's Christmas matchup in Los Angeles, 104-102 in overtime when Bryant's 3-pointer missed at the buzzer. Miami finished the season sweep at home on St. Patrick's Day, 102-89.The Lakers have won nine of their last 11 games – with Bryant averaging 31.7 points in that stretch, including a career-best 62 against Dallas on Tuesday. Big scorers have given Miami big trouble lately.The Heat have allowed opposing players seven 30-point performances, five in the past 10 games, including Vince Carter's 51 points Friday in the Nets' 95-88 win.
"If we're in a situation where I need to put points on the board, then I'll do it," Bryant said. "I really do it on a needed basis. I don't do it just to do it. I don't try to go into a game saying, 'this is what I'm going to do.' We've had a couple games where my teammates were struggling shooting the ball. Then I take it over."In an on-court sense, there isn't any Shaq-Kobe matchup, since they never guard one another. The key matchup is probably the one pitting Bryant and Wade, who enjoyed sweeping the series last year."It has never been Shaq and Kobe," Wade said. "The only thing would happen is Kobe would come driving, Shaq would foul him, the only time they would cross paths. So, it's going to be an interesting matchup. … It's going to be a great matchup."A truer rivalry maybe was born in the last Heat-Lakers matchup, when Wade said Bryant told him at halftime to "stop crying" about uncalled fouls. Wade took over late, finishing with 27 in Miami's victory."It ain't about Kobe and Dwyane, it's about the Lakers and the Miami Heat," Payton said. "We're trying to get wins. We're not trying to see if Kobe gets 80 or Dwyane gets 80."So, as both sides stick to the 'it's-not-a-big-deal' script, there's proof the big game may turn into a bigger event. In online auctions, some tickets have sold for at least $1,050 apiece, far exceeding the asking price for good Heat playoff seats last spring."Hopefully it's the highest-watched game in NBA history," O'Neal said. "So when I get old, I can tell my kids I played in the game where 700 million people watched."
Sustainably harvested aspen wood used to create this year's X Games medals
Summit Tiger Nordic skiers starts season off strong, boys place 1st, girls 2nd at Mount Massive Golf Course
Summit girls basketball wins two straight as they win in another nail biter against Battle Mountain
Colorado Avalanche Information Center stresses planning, education in report on fatal slide


Meyer Pumping has been full steam ahead in these first few weeks of 2018. The year began with a 5am multi-hour safety meeting where all employees gathered for a review of our safety manual and procedures in addition to a in-depth discussion about making the workplace safer from the shop, to the road, to on the job. Following up on our commitment to safety, new employees were given an introduction to our online OHSA 10 Hour course, which solidifies our guarantee to our customers that they'll get the safest and most well-trained operators in Chicagoland and Central/South East Wisconsin.
We also added some new equipment to meet the demand of our customers, including a new Schwing placing boom and mast which is already staying busy on it's new home for the next few months, nestled in the Chicago skyline along with one of our Schwing 8800 high-pressure trailer pumps. Stay tuned for new pictures in our gallery, but in the meantime, you can see our fleet in our Equipment Page including spec sheets that can help you decide which piece is right for your job.
Two Meyer Pumping Conveyors work on a Pad alongside out 58m boom pump.
Ready to get your pump or conveyor scheduled? Krista is ready for your call at dispatch.
Need us to check out your site before getting the best placing in the area? Lou will be there before you know it.
Looking for a consult before your big Illinois project begins? Jay is your man. No need to worry though, Todd is your go-to guy for all things big and small in Wisconsin!
Most, if not all of us, couldn't wait for the new year to begin, and we're looking forward to a bright and busy 2018 as its already shaping up to be! Whatever your needs may be, lets chat and see how Meyer Pumping can help you have a successful 2018!


text:
The Impact of strong AIs
Strong and Weak AIs
What would change with strong AIs?
A possible solution to those social problems
Related books, movies and talks
An artificial intelligence (AI) is a computer program which acts - according to its developers - intelligent. That could be anything. Typical examples are route finding algorithms, chess programs, ego shooter computer opponents and classifiers. The last category of AIs (classifiers) is huge and includes programs which try to find out what you were writing (see my bachelor's thesis), try to figure out who is on an image (face recognition) or what was spoken (automatic speech recognition).
Science fiction literature distinguishes two kinds of AIs: Weak AIs and strong AIs.
Currently, we only know weak AIs. They can do incredible things (see A.I. in Computer Games and Awesome Robots), but that is nothing compared to a stong AI. Strong AIs are capable of adapting to completely new tasks. They can do creative work. In other words, they can do any task any human could do. They can do research and compose the most beautiful art. As they are machines which will be build by somebody (hence the term 'artificial'), they are better understood than our biological brains. Strong AIs will be able to understand how they work themselfes and very likely be able to improve themselfes.
This is the point where a technological singularity happens. The machines start developing faster than any human can comprehend how they improve. At some point they will even develop faster than humankind together can understand.
Now that you know the context, I would like to share an answer to the following question I've recently seen:
What happens when machines take all of our jobs including creative/research/artistic ones?
Something like that would not happen instantly. It is a gradual process. Many answers say something like nothing would be scarce. Well, I think that is wrong for two reasons:
Scarcity of resources: Oil, gold and diamonds are expensive. But they are not (only) expensive because it takes a high amount of work to get them, but also because the number of diamonds on earth is limited. More or cheaper "work hours" like much better AIs combined with much better robots would not solve that problem. Oh, and please don't forget energy!
Distribution: I think we produce enough food so that nobody on earth would have to starve. We certainly have enough clean water for everybody. Why do so many people still starve and don't have access to clean water? Because the distribution is not equal. Europe and the US make use of much more resources per person than Africa does. The richest 1% of the US make use of MUCH more resources than the bottom 30% (I guess the numbers are more extreme). Who do you think would own the robots that take the jobs? Who would profit from this much cheaper work hours? I think AIs that would in principle be able to solve any problem a human could solve (e.g. creating art and conducting research) would cause serious social problems if we don't adapt to the new situation. Such AIs would have the potential for a much worse world than we currently live in.
However, with the right politics, it could vastly improve our world. Having the insight how such AIs work, we could make them decide ultimatively unbiased for a greater good. They could be used to arbitrate a dispute as a neutral, intelligent instance. They could accelerate research. They could help us to understand ourselves.
What is the effect of technological singularity in job market?
In a ideal world, everybody would only do the job he or she wants to do. We would eventually work less, but I think we would still work. Humans are resources and as such they will always be valuable in any economy.
Another, darker, scenario is that AIs would gradually remove whole industries, starting with simple ones. Taxi and truck drivers are not necessary. They could step-by-step be replaced by AIs. However, no new jobs would be created for those people. They would have to get aid by the government. But as they would get less money, the economy would focus on the people who have money. That would be the people who own the AIs. At some point people would realize that they will never be able to get a new job. Even worse, their children will never be able to get a job. Extreme poverty would rise as the state gets less taxes (as less goods are consumed, because people have less money). The AIs would predict how every single person would most likely act. How could they do so? Well, you have a smartphone. Your conversations on WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, ... get tracked and automatically analyzed. You can be predicted to a certain degree. You can be influenced by personalized advertising. A really clever AI will make itself able to act in any possible scenario, replicate itself and make itself less dependent. In this dark scenario people would eventually start at some point to try to get more money from the people controlling the AIs, but how do you force them to do so? The police might also be replaced by AIs.
My guess is that the reality would be somewhere in between. A couple of super-rich people and the rest giving them massages.
I've just described that AIs might cause serious social problems. However, I think we can solve those problems by making sure that income inequality cannot get too high. This means there should be very high and effective inheritance tax as well as a taxation system that prevents people from getting too rich / people too poor. The most extrem action to prevent too poor people is an unconditional income, the most extrem action to prevent people getting too rich is an upper limit on what somebody could have.
I think an unconditional income would be a good thing, but its hard to tell how high that should be.
The easiest way to prevent people from getting too rich is adding a tax system that adjusts to income:
Your first 0 - 2000 Euro / month don't get taxed at all
Your next 2001 - 3000 Euro / month get taxed with 0% + (100%/2) = 50%
Your next 3001 - 4000 Euro / month get taxed with 50% + (50%/2) = 75%
Your next 4001 - 5000 Euro / month get taxed with 75% + (25%/2) = 87.5%
You can (and should - I think my numbers are not well-chosen!) argue about the exact numbers, but I guess you get what I mean. The tax should never be 100%, thus leaving the possibility to get more money. But the difficulty to do so should increase. This effectively prevents that some people get too rich and hence resulting in a very instable system.
It would be important to do so before anybody develops a strong AI.
Books (all fiction)
"Zero" by Marc Elsberg: People get controlled by life improvement apps in a very indirect way.
Out-Series by Andreas Eschbach: A device was developed, that lets people connect their brains. A new form of conciousness develops from that.
Brave new world by Aldous Huxley: People get distracted from issues by consuming many goods.
Movies (all fiction)
Transcendence: The mind of one person gets transformed in a computer.
I, Robot: An AI gets developed and very powerful humanoid robots get controlled by it.
The rise of the new global super-rich: Technology is advancing in leaps and bounds — and so is economic inequality, says writer Chrystia Freeland. In an impassioned talk, she charts the rise of a new class of plutocrats (those who are extremely powerful because they are extremely wealthy), and suggests that globalization and new technology are actually fueling, rather than closing, the global income gap. Freeland lays out three problems with plutocracy … and one glimmer of hope.
And a coulple of talks by people who are not active within AI / ML research themselves:
Nick Bostrom: "Superintelligence" - Strong AI is inevitable; we should set the initial conditions up the right way
Sam Harris and Joe Rogan talking about artificial intelligence
Max Tegmark and Nick Bostrom speak to the UN about the threat of AI
9 crazy things that could happen after the singularity, when robots become smarter than humans