Ken Garen, CPA, Co-Founder and President, UBCC

Big Tech, Monopoly, & The Pretense of Capitalism by Tyler Durden Sat, 08/22/2020 - 13:20 Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog, All those who believe the 'privatized totalitarianism' of Big Tech 'platform plantations' are 'capitalism' have been brainwashed into servitude by Big Tech's pretense of capitalism. What do you call an economy of monopolies without competition or any regulatory restraints? An economy of monopolies that control both the buying and selling in the markets they control? Monopolies with the power to commit legalized fraud and the profits to buy political influence? Monopolies whose black box algorithms are all-powerful but completely opaque to public scrutiny? Call it whatever you want, but it certainly isn't Capitalism, which requires competition and market transparency to price capital, labor, risk, credit, goods, services, etc. Black Box Monopoly is the death of Capitalism as it eliminates competition and market...

Scientists grow the first functioning mini human heart model by Kim Ward,  Michigan State University August 21, 2020 Michigan State University researchers have created for the first time a miniature human heart model in the laboratory, complete with all primary heart cell types and a functioning structure of chambers and vascular tissue. In the United States,  heart disease  is the No. 1 cause of death. "These minihearts constitute incredibly powerful models in which to study all kinds of cardiac disorders with a degree of precision unseen before," said Aitor Aguirre, the study's senior author and assistant professor of biomedical engineering at MSU's Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering. This study, "Generation of Heart Organoids Modeling Early Human Cardiac Development Under Defined Conditions," appears on the bioRxiv preprint server. The human  heart  organoids, or hHOs for short, were created by way of a novel stem cell ...

AI Slays Top F-16 Pilot In DARPA Dogfight Simulation "It's a giant leap," said DARPA's Justin (call sign "Glock") Mock. By    THERESA HITCHENS on August 20, 2020 at 6:03 PM Heron Systems’ AI pilot scores the final kill against AF F-16 instructor “Banger” in AlphaDogfight Trials WASHINGTON: In a 5 to 0 sweep, an AI ‘pilot’ developed by Heron Systems beat one of the Air Force’s top F-16 fighter pilots in DARPA’s simulated aerial dogfight contest today. “It’s a giant leap,” said DARPA’s Justin (call sign “Glock”) Mock, who served as a commentator on the trials. AI still has a long way to go before the Air Force pilots would be ready to hand over the stick to an artificial intelligence during combat, DARPA officials said during  today’s live broadcast  of the  AlphaDogfight trials.  But the three-day trials show that AI systems can credibly maneuver an aircraft in a simple, one-on-one combat scenario and shoot its forward guns in a classic, WWII...

Hangover Cure Successfully Tested on Drunk Subjects in Finland Kati Pohjanpalo Bookmark August 19 2020, 5:43 PM August 20 2020, 10:36 AM (Bloomberg) -- A group of Finnish researchers believe they’ve discovered what people have spent centuries searching for: a cure for hangovers. A dose of 1,200 milligrams of amino acid L-cysteine was found to reduce alcohol-related nausea and headache, while a dose of 600 milligrams helped alleviate stress and anxiety, according to a study published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism by researchers at the University of Helsinki and the University of Eastern Finland. The randomized, double-blind study had 19 healthy male volunteers consuming alcohol doses of 1.5 grams per kilogram over three hours in a controlled setting. The subjects were then asked to swallow placebo or L-cysteine tablets containing vitamin supplements. Researchers say that as well as reducing or even eliminating hangovers entirely, L-cysteine also helps “reduce the n...

China’s National-Security Law Reaches Into Harvard, Princeton Classrooms Professors at elite U.S. universities turn to code names, warning labels to protect students Part of the challenge is the growing list of subjects Beijing considers off-limits, said Kerry Ratigan, an assistant professor of political science at Amherst College. By Lucy Craymer Aug. 19, 2020 5:30 am ET The effect of the new national-security law that China imposed on Hong Kong is extending far beyond the territory to American college campuses. Classes at some elite universities will carry a warning label this fall: This course may cover material considered politically sensitive by China. And schools are weighing measures to try to shield students and faculty from prosecution by Chinese authorities. At Princeton University, students in a Chinese politics class will use codes instead of names on their work to protect their identities. At Amherst College a professor is considering anonymous online cha...

Germany Launches Universal Basic Income Experiment by Tyler Durden Thu, 08/20/2020 - 04:15 Germany is about to try their hand at a universal basic income (UBI), after 1,500 people signed up for a three-year study to observe the effects on the economy and the wellbeing of the recipients, according to Business Insider . Of those who signed up, 120 individuals will receive the equivalent of US$1,430 per month for three years - just above Germany's poverty line. Their lives will be compared to the remaining 1,380 people who will not receive the payments. The participants will be asked to complete questionnaires about their lives - including their emotional state and their work status, to see if UBI has had a meaningful impact. Of course, as we and others have noted over and over and over , UBI experiments typically end in disaster. That said, it really helps if you've got a giant printing press and happen to be the world's reserve currency during a pandemic (and for how lon...

Lyft, Uber Soar After California Court Grants 11th Hour Delay In Converting Drivers To Employees by Tyler Durden Thu, 08/20/2020 - 12:29 Update: with Lyft set to suspend ridesharing operations in California at midnight tonight, a reprieve of sorts appeared in the 11th hour, when moments ago a California Court granted Uber and Lyft a delay on the order converting drivers to employees, which means that Uber and Lyft can continue operating as is while they appeal the judge's order. It is unclear how long of a delay will continue, although the appeals process could take more than a year.. The decision is a big reprieve for the ride-hailing companies, whose leaders said they might need to temporarily shut down in their home state if forced on short notice to provide drivers with costly benefits including health insurance and overtime. As BLoomberg notes, "the delay buys time for the companies as they campaign for a ballot measure set for a statewide vote in November that would fre...