#technology challenges for nonprofits

[vague-humanoid]

At the California Institute of the Arts, it all started with a videoconference between the registrar’s office and a nonprofit.

One of the nonprofit’s representatives had enabled an AI note-taking tool from Read AI. At the end of the meeting, it emailed a summary to all attendees, said Allan Chen, the institute’s chief technology officer. They could have a copy of the notes, if they wanted — they just needed to create their own account.

Next thing Chen knew, Read AI’s bot had popped up inabout a dozen of his meetings over a one-week span. It was in one-on-one check-ins. Project meetings. “Everything.”

The spread “was very aggressive,” recalled Chen, who also serves as vice president for institute technology. And it “took us by surprise.”

The scenariounderscores a growing challenge for colleges: Tech adoption and experimentation among students, faculty, and staff — especially as it pertains to AI — are outpacing institutions’ governance of these technologies and may even violate their data-privacy and security policies.

That has been the case with note-taking tools from companies including Read AI, Otter.ai, and Fireflies.ai.They can integrate with platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teamsto provide live transcriptions, meeting summaries, audio and video recordings, and other services.

Higher-ed interest in these products isn’t surprising.For those bogged down with virtual rendezvouses, a tool that can ingest long, winding conversations and spit outkey takeaways and action items is alluring. These services can also aid people with disabilities, including those who are deaf.

But the tools can quickly propagate unchecked across a university. They can auto-join any virtual meetings on a user’s calendar — even if that person is not in attendance. And that’s a concern, administrators say, if it means third-party productsthat an institution hasn’t reviewedmay be capturing and analyzing personal information, proprietary material, or confidential communications.

“What keeps me up at night is the ability for individual users to do things that are very powerful, but they don’t realize what they’re doing,” Chen said. “You may not realize you’re opening a can of worms.“

The Chronicle documented both individual and universitywide instances of this trend. At Tidewater Community College, in Virginia, Heather Brown, an instructional designer, unwittingly gave Otter.ai’s tool access to her calendar, and it joined a Faculty Senate meeting she didn’t end up attending. “One of our [associate vice presidents] reached out to inform me,” she wrote in a message. “I was mortified!”

[reasonsforhope]

"Claire Cao was only a senior in high school when she saw a vital need in her community — and filled it. 

In 2024, the teenager spent her time outside of school volunteering at Blanchet House, a Portland-based nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness through food donations, clothing drives, and mental health assistance programs. 

As she logged hours as a Blanchet House student ambassador, Cao soon realized how difficult it was for community members to keep track of shelter openings, rotating food service programs, and available mental health resources. 

“During one afternoon meal service, I met Dano, an unhoused man who shared his struggles with accessing basic services like food and shelter,” Cao said in a recent press release. 

“Left disconnected from essential services, Dano described his struggles of not knowing where to go or which shelters had available beds.”

Combining her love for technology, law, and public policy, Cao pulled available resources into a database and created the ShelterBridge app, which connects users to shelters and services in their area. 

“ShelterBridge wasn’t simply inspired by Dano — it was inspired by the realization that access to resources is a fundamental need that we, as a community, can do a better job of providing,” Cao emphasized. 

“I wanted to use my skills to build something that could bridge that gap, ensuring that no one falls through the cracks simply because they don’t know where to turn for help.”

In addition to linking users to services in their area, the app also has a rating system similar to Yelp. This system allows people to leave star ratings and reviews on shelters, food services, hotlines, and legal aid. 

The ratings not only help users differentiate between services in their area — but they also provide invaluable feedback to the nonprofits, organizations, and government programs that service them. 

“We've been asking for an app like this for a number of years now,” Scott Kerman, executive director of Blanchet House, told Portland news station KGW.

In mid-January, Cao won the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Oregon’s First District for her work with ShelterBridge — outcompeting 12,682 student submissions. 

Since the app first launched, Cao and her growing ShelterBridge team — which includes enterprising high schoolers and college students from across the nation — have expanded services to California, Philadelphia, Seattle, Los Angeles, and North Carolina. 

“Claire and the team she’s working with deserve all the credit in the world because they're doing something that frankly nobody else has really stepped up to do,” Kerman said. 

“To have the kind of technology that we use every day with hotels and other kinds of reservations [to] help people get into safe, supportive and dignified shelter would be a game changer for our community.”

Although the app started as a class project, Cao said ShelterBridge’s success has far surpassed her expectations. 

“I do hope to keep it up,” she told Oregon outlet KOIN 6 News, as she looked ahead to college and beyond. “I’ve made a lot of efforts to expand it to other cities as well — and it’s something I can mostly do from a computer or my laptop at home.”

-via GoodGoodGood, March 21, 2025

[midpenmedia]

Immerse yourself in the future of AI!

Delve into the fascinating world of artificial intelligence with a new episode of Future Talk! Prepare to be captivated by the incredible possibilities and potential applications of AI, while also confronting the ethical considerations and potential challenges it presents.

Go watch the full episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBN9JUOS7X4

Join us on a thought-provoking journey through the future of technology!

[sbrown82]

In a heartwarming story of community and education, a Mississippi teacher, Ms. Hooper, transformed an abandoned storefront in Yazoo City into a school called Abundance Academy, attracting students and offering an alternative to traditional schooling. Ms. Hooper, a former special education and social studies teacher, saw a need in her community and decided to create a microschool in an empty storefront. Abundance started with just six students, including her own children, and has since grown to accommodate about 50 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade, with a waiting list. Some students have come to Abundance to escape bullying, potential school shootings, anti-Black racism or feeling invisible in larger, traditional schools. The community-driven school is a space where students can "breathe," and Ms. Hooper aims to instill empathy, curiosity, and resilience. While the school operates in a converted storefront, Ms. Hooper dreams of a larger, permanent space and more resources to support the growing number of students. The Mississippi Delta, where Yazoo City is located, faces challenges with teacher shortages and scarce resources in public schools, while wealthier families often opt for private education. Ms. Hooper's approach is an example of innovative teaching and a response to the needs of families seeking alternatives to traditional schooling. Ms. Hooper hopes to achieve financial stability to finally pay herself and support the school's operations. Tuition is $300 a month and the school gets no public funds. But parents across the country are embracing alternatives to traditional classrooms, including microschools, empowered by technology and motivated by the pandemic.

Abundance Educational Institute (AEI) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. It provides a wide range of community services that extends beyond the norm and is dedicated to its community and the continual progression of students. They accept all donations.

104 South Main St (Mailing Address: Post Office Box 1224 Yazoo City, MS 39194)

Please visit www.abundanceeducational.com. You can also make a donation through the following methods:

Donation: Click Here

CASH APP: $AbundanceEdu

GoFundme: Click Here

[astrologydray]

♒️Aquarius Mc in the each of the degrees🐡

If you have an Aquarius Midheaven (MC), your career and public image are influenced by Aquarius’s themes of innovation, individuality, technology, and social progress. Aquarius MC individuals are often drawn to careers that allow them to think outside the box, break boundaries, and contribute to progressive change. They may thrive in fields related to technology, science, social reform, or any career that allows them to promote individuality and humanitarian ideals.

• 0° Aquarius (Aries Point) – A powerful public image driven by a desire for innovation and social change. Likely to gain recognition in fields such as technology, social reform, or humanitarian work.

• 1° Aquarius – A true visionary with a focus on breaking new ground. Likely to excel in fields such as science, engineering, or startups that promote cutting-edge ideas.

• 2° Aquarius – Highly intellectual and curious, drawn to research, technology, or fields that explore alternative ways of thinking.

• 3° Aquarius – A natural in technology, science, or social activism, focused on ideas that challenge conventional norms and promote individuality.

• 4° Aquarius – A progressive thinker who may work in nonprofits, technology, or social causes that aim to bring about change for the greater good.

• 5° Aquarius – Likely to thrive in creative innovation, public service, or roles that focus on social progress, human rights, or scientific exploration.

• 6° Aquarius – Drawn to collaborative projects, humanitarian work, or any career that involves technology or community engagement.

• 7° Aquarius – Focused on partnerships that support progressive ideas. Likely to work in global networking, scientific partnerships, or humanitarian efforts.

• 8° Aquarius – A deep interest in transforming society through technology, research, or innovation. Likely to succeed in scientific research, medical technology, or environmental movements.

• 9° Aquarius – Highly intellectual and likely to work in education, global development, or any field that involves disruptive ideas or new technologies.

• 10° Aquarius – A dynamic public figure with a focus on humanitarian efforts or technological innovation. Likely to succeed in leadership roles in social reform or technology-driven industries.

• 11° Aquarius – Strong focus on community-oriented roles or cutting-edge research. Likely to thrive in innovation, global outreach, or tech entrepreneurship.

• 12° Aquarius – A natural in scientific research, technology, or humanitarian work. Likely to be part of organizations that focus on progressive change and social justice.

• 13° Aquarius – A strong desire to push boundaries and create a new future. Likely to succeed in creative technology, space exploration, or global sustainability efforts.

• 14° Aquarius – Highly idealistic and drawn to fields that support social justice, global equity, or scientific exploration. Likely to work in activism, policy, or tech industries.

• 15° Aquarius – A revolutionary thinker who thrives in research, technology, or social change. Likely to succeed in entrepreneurship, technology startups, or scientific fields.

• 16° Aquarius – Focused on progressive ideas and revolutionary change. Likely to excel in nonprofit work, politics, or science.

• 17° Aquarius – An inventor or innovator, likely to thrive in technology, engineering, or industries focused on cutting-edge development and future trends.

• 18° Aquarius – Likely to succeed in public service or humanitarian roles that involve global outreach or the use of technology for societal advancement.

• 19° Aquarius – Highly focused on individuality and progressive ideals. Likely to work in startups, social reform, or scientific discovery.

• 20° Aquarius – An innovative leader focused on creating lasting change. Likely to thrive in technology, global development, or humanitarian efforts that involve collaboration.

• 21° Aquarius – Focused on community-building and global progress. Likely to work in NGOs, science, or social innovation.

• 22° Aquarius – Strong emphasis on collaboration and humanitarian efforts. Likely to succeed in technology-driven industries, space exploration, or international cooperation.

• 23° Aquarius – A deep desire to challenge norms and create a better future. Likely to work in social reform, technology, or innovation in industries that focus on the future.

• 24° Aquarius – Focused on global change and community-oriented work. Likely to excel in social activism, technology, or any field that promotes progressive development.

• 25° Aquarius – A forward-thinking individual, likely to thrive in technology, engineering, or global policy. Your career may involve collaboration on a global scale to promote social good.

• 26° Aquarius – A revolutionary figure with an emphasis on changing the world. Likely to find success in social justice, education, or technology.

• 27° Aquarius – Focused on innovative leadership and global development. Likely to work in nonprofit organizations, global businesses, or future-focused industries.

• 28° Aquarius – Likely to work in roles that involve high-level innovation, disruption, or social reform. Could excel in technology, research, or global policy.

• 29° Aquarius (Anaretic Degree) – A culmination of your progressive ideals, innovative spirit, and desire for global change. Likely to experience significant career developments that push boundaries and bring futuristic ideas to the forefront. This degree may bring fated opportunities to contribute to global causes or transformational industries.

[fatehbaz]

the app?

to get updates on the city's campaign against poor people??

“We’re again rushing to penalize people who are just trying to survive on the streets,” said [J.C.], an attorney with the Oregon Justice Resource Center. [...] “We don’t have the adequate infrastructure to house and protect people in a safe manner,” [J.C.] said. “And yet we are passing a law that could lead to excessive punishment when truly there aren’t enough options for people.” [...] Violators can be punished with a fine of up to $100, up to seven days in jail or both. “If you are really, really poor, $100 might as well be $100,000,” [S.K.] said. [...] The new policy is already in effect. The mayor said notifications will be sent out [via a new app] so everyone knows the rules as it is enforced.

Text by: Joyce Ogirri. "Advocates worry new camping ban 'rushing to penalize' homeless people". KOIN. 8 May 2024. At: koin.com/local/multnomah-county/advocates-worry-new-camping-ban-rushing-to-penalize-homeless-people/

---

The Portland City Council passed a new version of an outdoor camping ban Wednesday morning, capping off weeks of fiery debate, particularly between Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner [R.G.], about how aggressively the city can police encampments without running into the same kind of court challenge that halted the original ban last year. [...] [T]he council vote was unanimous [...]. The new ban passed as an emergency ordinance, allowing it to take effect immediately rather than after the usual 30 days. In a news release, Wheeler's office said enforcement will begin in the coming weeks [...]. "We do fear [...]," said [L.A.] with Sisters of the Road, a social justice nonprofit in Old Town. "We are hoping that we actually return to actual root causes solutions like lowering rents in Portland," said Armony. [...] Violators can be punished with a fine of up to $100, up to 7 days in jail, or both [...]. "When it comes to fining people in poverty, all that does is deepen their poverty," said [S.K.] [...] of Blanchet House, a nonprofit that helps care for people living on the streets. "A $100 fine to the people we serve might as well be a $100,000." [...] Wheeler said new technology is in the works to help organize efforts around the ordinance. "All of this is going to be tracked using an app that was developed by my team," [Mayor] Wheeler said on Wednesday. [...] The council enacted the original daytime camping ban in June of last year, [...] but homeless Portlanders challenged the ban in court and a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge placed an indefinite hold [...]. Wheeler introduced his new proposed version last month, which he said was designed to withstand a court challenge [...].

Text by: KGW Staff, Anthony Macuk. "Council passes revised Portland camping ban after weeks of debate". KGW8. 8 May 2024.

[straysparks]

Revolutionary Movements of Zaun: Founder's Syndrome

This is a tale of three revolutionary movements: Silco, Viktor, and the Firelights. Let's start with a quick summary of each.

Silco and the chembarons: Anarcho-capitalist, seeking to install the rule of law. Rules by oligarchy, capital, and force. Relies on fear more than respect or community.

Viktor and his commune: Communist, in the purest sense of the word. There is no state, no property, and no force. Peace is enforced through magic and religion, with Viktor at the helm. An idealistic utopia.

The Firelights: Anarcho-communist. A more realistic version of a moneyless, stateless society. Built on a culture that is strong, but not fanatical. Not afraid of using force when necessary or tactically desirable.

Note that I don't say Ekko when describing the Firelights, very intentionally. The Firelights can run with or without Ekko. This is one major area that sets them apart from the other two. When Silco dies, the whole world flips over. When Viktor perishes, his community is soon to follow. But when Ekko disappears? They honor his loss and carry on.

I want to think about the idea of Founder's Syndrome, and what that means for these movements. I first learned about Founder's Syndrome when reading about Growing Power, an organization in Milwaukee that was dedicated to filling in a nutritional needs gap with urban farming. You may have heard of "food deserts," places where there isn't an affordable grocery store for miles. That's the problem that Growing Power aimed to address. They were a pioneer in urban farming and nonprofit local food production, which is how I came to know of them. It would be a disservice to mention them without also mentioning their incredible impact on the local food movement.

Growing Power's approach to local food production reminds me quite a bit of Viktor's commune--or rather, Viktor's commune reminded me a lot of Growing Power: an emphasis on sustainable closed-loop systems, using technology to increase efficiency over traditional agriculture, and reclaiming the land and the soil from overindustrialization and pollution. Creative use of space is important in these types of settings, and Growing Power did it well.

But its resounding success had a limit. Will Allen, the founder of Growing Power, remained a central figure in the organization as it grew. The centralization of power is often a problem at scale, and Allen was just one man. Every major decision needed to be routed through him, which severely limited Growing Power's flexibility. When he chose to retire, the organization collapsed. While centralization of leadership wasn't the only factor leading to the end of Growing Power, it was the factor with the greatest and most insidious impact: inflexibility of leadership leads to ineffective decision-making, which leads to an inability to address other concerning factors before they become significant, organization-ending problems.

How might one prevent such a fate? Delegation, shared leadership, and a willingness to be challenged.

Consider the Firelights. We see only a few glimpses of this in the show, but Ekko has clearly delegated power to Scar even when they're both in Sanctuary together. They lead more as a duo, even as there is implied deference to Ekko. This delegation and shared leadership is so effective that Scar can lead the Firelights in Ekko's absence: once when Ekko is injured during the fight on the bridge, and for a much longer time when Ekko disappears into the Anomaly. In addition, Ekko trusted Scar so strongly that Scar is comfortable overriding Ekko's judgment, as seen in the attack on the airship during Progress Day--Ekko charges Jinx in a rage, and Scar swoops in and snatches him off the deck. So as founder of the Firelights, we see Ekko exhibit all three factors: delegation, shared leadership, and humility, all of which ensure that the Firelights as an organization will outlast him.

There are many, many reasons why the Firelights are a successful movement. They did many things right while Silco and Viktor made missteps. The avoidance of Founder's Syndrome is the most salient to me. It really is remarkable that Ekko's absence--assumed to be permanent--did not cause the Firelights to crumble, or apparently even waver. This is a lesson for all who are building organizations and movements: if you want your movement to last, you need to build it so that it can run without you. This means building shared leadership into your structure from the beginning, delegating early and often, and maintaining humility. Remember that you cannot have a community without collaboration, and this goes for your leadership team too.

There are other aspects of these movements I want to explore eventually, including the reliance on fear vs respect and community, the use of force (a major plot-driver), and building social cohesion through culture. For now, what's important is that the Firelights manage to be a positive example in contrast to the other movements in every dimension I've identified so far, and the Firelights' collaborative leadership style is possibly the most impressive of them all.

[mariacallous]

At the 2023 Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas, prominent AI tech companies partnered with algorithmic integrity and transparency groups to sic thousands of attendees on generative AI platforms and find weaknesses in these critical systems. This “red-teaming” exercise, which also had support from the US government, took a step in opening these increasingly influential yet opaque systems to scrutiny. Now, the ethical AI and algorithmic assessment nonprofit Humane Intelligence is taking this model one step further. On Wednesday, the group announced a call for participation with the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, inviting any US resident to participate in the qualifying round of a nationwide red-teaming effort to evaluate AI office productivity software.

The qualifier will take place online and is open to both developers and anyone in the general public as part of NIST's AI challenges, known as Assessing Risks and Impacts of AI, or ARIA. Participants who pass through the qualifying round will take part in an in-person red-teaming event at the end of October at the Conference on Applied Machine Learning in Information Security (CAMLIS) in Virginia. The goal is to expand capabilities for conducting rigorous testing of the security, resilience, and ethics of generative AI technologies.

“The average person utilizing one of these models doesn’t really have the ability to determine whether or not the model is fit for purpose,” says Theo Skeadas, chief of staff at Humane Intelligence. “So we want to democratize the ability to conduct evaluations and make sure everyone using these models can assess for themselves whether or not the model is meeting their needs.”

The final event at CAMLIS will split the participants into a red team trying to attack the AI systems and a blue team working on defense. Participants will use the AI 600-1 profile, part of NIST's AI risk management framework, as a rubric for measuring whether the red team is able to produce outcomes that violate the systems' expected behavior.

“NIST's ARIA is drawing on structured user feedback to understand real-world applications of AI models,” says Humane Intelligence founder Rumman Chowdhury, who is also a contractor in NIST's Office of Emerging Technologies and a member of the US Department of Homeland Security AI safety and security board. “The ARIA team is mostly experts on sociotechnical test and evaluation, and [is] using that background as a way of evolving the field toward rigorous scientific evaluation of generative AI.”

Chowdhury and Skeadas say the NIST partnership is just one of a series of AI red team collaborations that Humane Intelligence will announce in the coming weeks with US government agencies, international governments, and NGOs. The effort aims to make it much more common for the companies and organizations that develop what are now black-box algorithms to offer transparency and accountability through mechanisms like “bias bounty challenges,” where individuals can be rewarded for finding problems and inequities in AI models.

“The community should be broader than programmers,” Skeadas says. “Policymakers, journalists, civil society, and nontechnical people should all be involved in the process of testing and evaluating of these systems. And we need to make sure that less represented groups like individuals who speak minority languages or are from nonmajority cultures and perspectives are able to participate in this process.”

[nyxtickled]

I kind of can't get over you studying freakin' *robotics engineering.* Now I'm picturing you as the cool engineer on some sci-fi show. Whaddaya think? Star Trek? Something with giant robots? Maybe something grittier and more cyberpunk?

Maybe this is making too light of what you're working so hard for. Follow-up and/or substitute question: what's one of your dream projects or goals? What kind of robot(s) does Nyx most want to create, or work on?

🥹🤭 awww jeez don’t make me all fricken bashful on main i’m supposed to be tough !!!! CYBERPUNK PLEASE AAAAH

ok ok but to answer seriously, so far in my academic career i’ve worked on autonomous cars (1/10 scale autonomous racecars built essentially from scratch, a full size autonomous EV gokart, and i’ve even been fortunate enough to work on a fully autonomous indy 500 car…essentially the most advanced autonomous vehicle in the world. shit was one of the most mind blowing things i’ve ever been a part of), i’ve worked on some cool solar stuff (solar water heater for an orphanage in Tijuana, solar carport concept design for a nonprofit who wants to propose the idea of charging EV cars while they’re parked outside at work all day and distributing leftover power to the building), and my personal favorite was this project i did for a class i took where i designed an autonomous campus rideshare prototype on one of the 1/10 scale cars that was able to use facial recognition to identify the student who requested the ride and would essentially drive itself to the drop off location!

the last one was the most fun for me bc it was the first time i really got into the programming side of robotics. the car would have a starting location where it waited for ride requests, then when you submitted one it would drive itself to the location using LiDAR for collision avoidance and GPS path training. but the real doozy was the pickup stage bc i had to develop the facial recognition code to be able to scan the student’s face upon arrival with computer vision in live time with a camera that was attached to the car, and then match it to a photo of the student that was stored in a database, and then try to match the name of that student to the name of the student who requested the ride! if it matched, the screen would be like “rider verified! hop in!” and proceed to the next stage of driving itself to the drop off point. if it didn’t, the screen would read “sorry, we couldn’t verify your identity with the ride request” and drive itself back to the parking spot where it would wait for the next ride request! and the database of faces would basically come from your student ID picture, cuz the rideshare service would be around campus for students only!

god it was so fucking challenging but i had so much fun with it. so uhhhh to avoid writing 18 more paragraphs about all the cool robotics shit that i’m obsessed with, i would say my dream project is definitely something that combines machine learning software, robotics operating systems programming, and mechanical design all in one. something that could take the technological advancements that we have made and turn it into something useful for everyone. fuck i’m such a nerd i’m sorry i did NOT mean to go on like this ahahahahaha

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Dion J. Pierre

The settlement of a federal discrimination suit filed by Jewish students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has severed their obligation to pay dues to the school’s Graduate Student Union (GSU), a major victory precipitated by the union’s endorsement of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Represented by the National Right to Work Foundation (NRTW), a nonprofit founded in 1968 which aims to abolish mandatory union membership, the students filed their complaint against GSU in March, arguing that its embrace of anti-Zionism discriminated against them as Jews as well as their religious belief that the Jewish people were always destined to return to their homeland.

The students had attempted to resist financially supporting GSU’s anti-Zionism, refusing to pay dues, but union bosses attempted to coerce their compliance, telling them that “no principles, teachings, or tenets of Judaism prohibit membership in or the payment of dues or fees to a labor union.”

With the settlement, they are released from an obligation which they said violated their core beliefs and freedom of association.

“The foundation-backed MIT graduate students who fought these legal battles have earned well deserved victories,” the organization’s president, Mark Mix, said on Wednesday. “Forcing GSU union officials to abandon their blatantly discriminatory dues practices is only the tip of the iceberg: because Massachusetts lacks Right to Work protections, GSU still has the power to force the vast majority of MIT graduate students to subsidize some portion of their activities.”

Mix added that NRTW intends to challenge compulsory union membership in unions pursuing controversial political aims at other universities, including the University of Chicago and John Hopkins University.

“Foundation attorneys are continuing to provide legal aid for all those who challenge the imposition of radical union agendas at the University of Chicago, Dartmouth, and John Hopkins, and they are doing so for adherents of both Judaism and Christianity,�� he continued. “But this ordeal at MIT should remind lawmakers that all Americans should have a right to protect their money from going to union bosses they don’t support, whether those objections are based on religion, politics, or any other reason.”

NRTW is currently litigating another similar case brought by six City University of New York (CUNY) professors who sued to dissolve their membership in the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) public sector union after it passed an anti-Israel resolution during the country’s May 2021 war with Hamas. The measure declared solidarity with Palestinians and accused the Jewish state of ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and crimes against humanity.

[just-like-her-father]

(Listen to the music to enhance the reading experience.)

Eight years ago, Florence greeted Charlotte Stark not with fanfare, but with quiet curiosity. A name whispered along marble corridors of old Italian banking halls, in the leather-scented salons of private innovation clubs, and in university courtyards where theory wrestled with practice. Back then, she was an outsider. Today, she is Florence’s beating heart of intellect, innovation, and influence — a sovereign force whose dominion spans the realm of economic reformation, cognitive technology, and futurist philosophy.

The transformation was not gradual; it was exponential.

She arrived in 2017 — twenty-four, enigmatic, American-born but philosophically borderless. Charlotte Stark, then a polymath fresh off a controversial exit from a U.S. think tank, stepped into Florence with a singular mission: to redefine how cities think, build, and thrive.

In her first public appearance, held in the minimalist atrium of the Istituto per le Scienze Cognitive Avanzate, Charlotte addressed an audience of jaded economists and optimistic engineers. They expected tech jargon and futurist fluff. What they got was clarity wrapped in elegance:

“Economics is not the study of money,” she said, eyes calm, voice measured. “It is the study of vision. Currency is just the applause.”

That quote would go on to become the opening line of The Stark Doctrine, a widely circulated economic paper that challenged the traditional GDP framework and introduced the Vision-Impact Gradient — a new metric for evaluating a nation’s worth by its ability to manifest intent into scalable change.

In less than two years, Stark Novae, her self-founded think-and-do tank, had revitalized a decaying Florentine industrial park and turned it into a cybernetic incubator zone. Her work fused predictive AI, sustainable energy models, and economic behavioral theory. What struck most was not just what she built — but how.

She implemented Italy’s first decentralized AI-governed green grid in a consortium of Tuscan towns. Energy costs dropped. Community trust surged. Stark Novae was suddenly not just admired, it was followed.

In a 2020 interview at TechFlorence, she stunned the room by asking:

“Why are we still romanticizing fossil energy in a city that gave us the Renaissance? If Leonardo da Vinci were alive today, he’d be programming synthetic photosynthesis, not painting ceilings.”

Florence, a city that once resisted outsiders’ dominance, embraced her. Even the most traditional Italian institutions — the Accademia delle Scienze, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Vatican’s AI-Ethics Council — sought her counsel.

As the world began turning to Florence for innovation models, Charlotte became the epicenter. She didn’t chase markets; markets began to orbit her.

Her public lectures drew thousands — but it was her closed-door midnight salons that rewrote policy. In the candlelit backrooms of converted convents, she’d gather philosophers, bioengineers, quantum coders, and chefs. Conversations ranged from post-human cognition to the future of bread.

A local journalist once called her “the high priestess of synthesis — she speaks like she’s explaining the future to the past.”

In 2023, she co-authored The Cognitive City, a blueprint for cities run on adaptive neural logic. That document, now translated into 18 languages, became required reading in design schools and U.N. developmental summits.

She was no longer just a thinker. She was a shaper.

Her empire expanded: A NeuroDynamics Lab outside Siena. A Civic Ethics Simulator used by mayors across Europe. A Reality Layer Protocol — a semi-augmented environment designed to re-train human attention spans — quietly beta-tested in schools under her nonprofit, Synapse Florence.

And she never lost the flair.

Riding through Oltrarno, in tailored trousers and fingerless gloves, she became as much a part of Florence’s daily myth as Brunelleschi’s dome. She quoted Foucault at wine tastings, debated political economy in vintage cafés, and had standing Tuesday breakfasts with local grandmothers who adored her fluent Italian and her deep love for saffron risotto.

The world watched as Charlotte took the stage at the Telekinesis - Intellect Union Conference 2025, held poetically at Galileo’s restored observatory.

Dressed in stark ivory and soft steel blue, she walked to the podium with the solemn grace of someone about to shift a paradigm.

“Telekinesis is not a fantasy,” she opened. “It’s the final frontier of cognitive bandwidth. The mind, if given the right conditions and interface, is the most efficient processor known to man. The question is not how — but why haven’t we yet?”

She then unveiled NeuroBridge v1.4, a functioning prototype of a brain-interface conduit that allowed short-distance object manipulation through trained intent pathways. The crowd — a constellation of Nobel Laureates, policy giants, and disbelieving scientists — stood breathless as she demonstrated lifting a titanium sphere, three inches above the platform, without touching it.

The interface, according to her, was still in infancy. But the implications were seismic: intent-based interaction, neural-syntactic reprogramming, and even post-verbal cognition.

She didn’t seek applause. She simply nodded and said:

“Human potential is not capped by biology. It is capped by permission.”

Florence erupted.

Within days, investment surged. NeuroBridge became a joint project with Italian state labs, and Charlotte launched the Stark Initiative for Cognitive Sovereignty — aiming to give marginalized communities access to emerging brain-tech tools.

Today, Florence refers to her simply as La Signora della Mente — The Lady of the Mind. Her face is painted on murals next to da Vinci. Her quotes are engraved on bridges. Teenagers cite her like she’s Socrates with better hair.

She chairs four international panels. Advises two European presidents. Sleeps four hours. Meditates in hidden monasteries. Dines with artisans. Still walks into every room like she owns the blueprints of the universe.

And what of her next move?

A recent cryptic post from her official channel read:

“The future is not being invented. It’s being remembered. Like something we lost in a past life and are finally learning to rebuild.”

In Florence, Charlotte Stark is no longer a guest.

She is the standard.

[reasonsforhope]

"Seventh graders at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Rockford, Illinois are learning about STEM — but they’re also learning about real-world challenges.

The students have taken on a new project: assembling “solar suitcases” to help bring electricity to schools in Uganda’s Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement, which is home to 270,000 South Sudanese refugees.

It’s an initiative led by We Share Solar, a nonprofit that provides science and technology learning projects for students that then go on to benefit other students in low-income areas of the world. 

The project introduces middle schoolers to fundamental electrical concepts, like positive and negative charges, voltage, amps, and wiring, ultimately producing a 12-volt DC solar power system that will be distributed among the refugee community.

“We’ve learned many things like positives and negatives, amps, volts, all that stuff, and how to wire stuff together,” Pratham Mehta, one of the Thurgood Marshall students, told WIFR News. 

“We’re taking all this stuff for granted, and other countries don’t have all this stuff, like electricity.”

The suitcases will bring electricity to 40 schools in the refugee settlement, which provide education to over 12,000 students. They are designed to be easily transported (thus the suitcase design), which makes them ideal for off-grid locations, like a refugee camp.

The panels in the suitcase collect sunlight and harness the energy in a built-in battery. It can then provide power to up to five light bulbs for 50 to 60 hours a week. Depending on the capacity of the system, it can also help power small electronics like phones or radios.

For people in the Bidi Bidi settlement — one of the largest refugee settlements in the world — this kind of power can make an enormous impact.

In fact, We Share Solar has deployed over 1,000 suitcases to “energy-scarce locations” across the world, with more than 500,000 students and teachers benefitting from the power they provide.

“The We Share Solar education program serves youth twice,” Hal Aronson, co-founder of the organization, said, “first as an educational experience for American youth and second as a renewable power and lighting system for youth in parts of the world that lack electricity.”

Along with connecting students to learning opportunities, the organization ensures each device is tested by a professional to ensure it is built to withstand energy demands. Then, the suitcases are installed by trained partners in destination countries, and students and teachers alike learn about the new clean energy technologies they have implemented.

At the start of the 2024 school year, the We Share Solar program was implemented in 13 Illinois schools, training educators in the curriculum and setting up the project across the state.

“This is just the beginning,” a Facebook post from We Share Solar states. “These passionate teachers will now guide their students in building solar cases, providing a hands-on STEM experience with real-world impact.”

-via GoodGoodGood, January 16, 2025

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Hannah Ray Lambert

Published: Sep 10, 2024

For the second year in a row, Harvard University's "abysmal" free speech climate earned it the lowest ranking among 251 colleges and universities scored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

“This year, however, Harvard has company. Columbia University ranks 250, also with an overall score of 0.00,” reads the report released Thursday.

New York University, University of Pennsylvania and Barnard College rounded out the bottom-five colleges, according to the report.

FIRE, a pro-First Amendment nonprofit, worked with College Pulse to survey tens of thousands of students about the free speech environments on their college campuses for its annual College Free Speech Rankings.

“We’re trying to provide an indication of where students can get the best experience in college in terms of being exposed to a diverse set of views,” FIRE’s chief research adviser Sean Stevens told Fox News Digital.

A Barnard spokesperson told Fox News Digital the college is “committed to protecting academic freedom and freedom of expression, and to fostering environments where students, faculty, and staff can engage in open and respectful dialogue.”

Barnard has adopted the Chicago Principles, a free speech policy previously endorsed by FIRE, and this school year a faculty committee will develop “a Barnard-specific framework,” the spokesperson continued.

Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

The universities that ranked poorly all experienced incidents in which speech was censored, suppressed or shouted down, Stevens said.

Since FIRE started ranking schools in 2020, the bottom-five colleges and universities have been “consistently bad performers,” he added.

“They rarely stand up for speech,” Stevens said.

“When a controversy arises, the speech typically gets punished. A speaker gets disinvited. A faculty member gets sanctioned in some way, or a student or student organization does.”

The poor performers share another notable trait, according to FIRE’s analysis.

“Most of the students are very upset with how the administration has responded to protests over the past year,” Stevens said.

Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the war that followed “sent shockwaves through American college and university campuses,” according to the FIRE report. Protesters occupied the South Lawn at Columbia for about two weeks in April before police broke up the encampment.

After the start of the encampments, researchers noticed a large increase in the percentage of Columbia students who said they self-censor in classroom discussions or in conversations with professors or other students.

At the other end of the free speech spectrum, the University of Virginia earned the top ranking. Michigan Technological University, Florida State University, Eastern Kentucky University and Georgia Institute of Technology rounded out the top five.

The full rankings can be viewed here.

Stevens noted that the schools that performed well tended to have fewer controversies overall and, when controversies did arise, administrators typically defended speech rights.

He said he hopes parents and prospective students use FIRE’s ranking tool to make better-informed choices. The tool also provides a look at the liberal-conservative ratio on campuses, and a deeper look at student attitudes toward free expression.

“Experiencing open inquiry and that process, having to grapple and have their views challenged” sets students up to be better “adult citizens in our country, once they graduate,” Stevens said.

FIRE and College Pulse surveyed students at 257 schools in total, but excluded six from the main rankings and gave them “warning” ratings.

The private colleges, which include Pepperdine University, Hillsdale College, and Brigham Young University, all “have policies that clearly and consistently state” that they prioritize “other values over a commitment to freedom of speech,” according to the FIRE report.

--

Executive Summary

For the fifth year in a row, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a nonprofit organization committed to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought, and College Pulse surveyed college undergraduates about their perceptions and experiences regarding free speech on their campuses.

This year’s survey includes 58,807 student respondents from 257 colleges and universities. Students who were enrolled in four-year degree programs were surveyed via the College Pulse mobile app and web portal from January 25 through June 17, 2024. 

The College Free Speech Rankings are available online and are presented in an interactive dashboard (rankings.thefire.org) that allows for easy comparison between institutions. 

Key findings:

The University of Virginia is this year’s top ranked school for free speech. Michigan Technological University, Florida State University, Eastern Kentucky University, and Georgia Tech round out the top five.

Harvard University is this year’s bottom ranked school for free speech for the second year in a row. Joining it in the bottom three are Columbia University and New York University. All three of these schools have an “Abysmal” speech climate. The University of Pennsylvania and Barnard College round out the bottom five and each has a “Very Poor” speech climate.

All of the bottom five schools experienced a number of controversies involving the suppression of free expression. They also received significantly lower scores than the top five schools on “Administrative Support,” “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” and “Tolerance Difference,” which measures the strength of students’ favoritism when it comes to allowing liberal or conservative speakers on campus.

Since 2020, UVA, Michigan Tech, FSU, North Carolina State University, Oregon State University, Mississippi State University, Auburn University, George Mason University, Kansas State University, the University of Mississippi, the University of Chicago, and Claremont McKenna College have all consistently performed well in FIRE’s College Free Speech Rankings.

A majority of students (55%) said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is difficult to “have an open and honest conversation about on campus,” a record high for a topic on this question in the five years we have asked it. At least 75% of students on 17 of the campuses surveyed responded this way to this question.

The percentages of students who said shouting down a speaker, blocking other students from entering an event, and using violence to stop a campus speech is at least “rarely” acceptable all increased since last year. 

A majority of students said that six of eight hypothetical controversial campus speakers should “probably” or “definitely” not be allowed on campus.

Student concerns about self-censorship have declined. This year, 17% of students said they feel like they cannot express their opinion on a subject at least a couple of times a week because of how students, a professor, or the administration would respond. Last year, this percentage was 20%, and in 2022 it was 22%.

[dark-rx]

US employers cut more jobs last month than any February since 2009

The Trump administration’s massive federal cuts and swelling feelings of economic uncertainty helped fuel a recession-level spike in layoff plans last month, new data showed Thursday.

US-based employers last month announced plans to slash 172,017 jobs, a 103% increase from a year ago and the highest February total since 2009, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas’s latest monthly job cuts report released Thursday.

It’s the 12th highest monthly total in the 32 years Challenger has been tracking job cuts. The 11 others (four came during the Covid-19 pandemic) all occurred when the US was in a recession, Challenger data shows.

The largest share of job cut announcements came in the government sector, where the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency has axed jobs, slashed federal spending and scrapped contracts.

By Challenger’s count, there were 62,242 announced cuts across 17 federal agencies. That’s a 41,311% increase from the 151 cuts announced through February 2024, Challenger noted.

The DOGE effect was not limited to the public sector: Downstream impacts, such as the loss of funding for private nonprofits, led to another 894 cuts, according to the report.

Outside of the government, the next largest cuts were in retail (38,956), technology (14,554) and consumer products (10,625).

Thursday’s report is “something to be concerned about,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY Parthenon, noting that the government cuts accounted for one-third of the overall announced layoffs.

“That in itself is something that is concerning and does portend a shift in the way employers are approaching this labor market,” he said.

As far as the reasons behind the planned cuts (which could come to fruition in the coming weeks and months), DOGE actions led the way (63,583), followed by bankruptcy (35,172), market/economic conditions (28,098) and restructuring (16,828).

“With the impact of the Department of Government Efficiency actions, as well as canceled government contracts, fear of trade wars, and bankruptcies, job cuts soared in February,” Andrew Challenger, senior vice president at Challenger, Gray & Christmas outplacement and executive coaching firm, said in a statement.

Thursday’s report did include a silver lining: Companies’ hiring plans surged in February to 34,580, marking the highest number for February since 2022.

Hints of warning signals

Thursday’s Challenger report provided the first substantial economic data point on the federal workforce cuts and their potential ripple effects. Economists also are closely watching the weekly unemployment claims filings as a gauge of labor market health.

The latest jobless claims data shows that layoff activity remains muted and in line with what was seen pre-pandemic and below historical averages. The number of initial claims dropped last week by 21,000 to 221,000, according to a separate report released Thursday by the Labor Department.

That report did show an increase in the number of federal workers who filed for unemployment (that particular data lags by a week). The number of federal workers who filed initial claims under the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees program totaled 1,634 for the week ended February 22, that’s up 1,020 filings from the week before.

And based on data released earlier this week, the job market appears to be taking a turn for the worse. Payroll giant ADP’s latest employment report showed that hiring activity in the US private sector slumped in February.

Private-sector employment increased by an estimated 77,000 jobs in February, according to ADP. That’s a dramatic drop-off from the strong job growth of 186,000 seen in January and barely half the 142,500 net gain that economists had expected, according to FactSet estimates.

Service-based industries tied heavily to consumer activity saw some of the biggest employment declines, ADP noted.

“I know there’s been a lot of attention to tariffs, new policies being enacted even this week, but we can’t lose sight also of the biggest driver of the economy, which is consumers,” Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, said during a call with reporters Wednesday, when the report was released.

Consumer spending fell in January for the first time in nearly two years and saw the biggest monthly drop-off since February 2021, according to Commerce Department data released last week.

The spending dip comes with some caution and important context: Shoppers typically take a breather after holiday spending sprees, and January had some major weather and wildfires. Economists say that one month does not make a trend.

“So long as the consumer stays resilient, I think the economy is in good shape,” Richardson said.

ADP’s report doesn’t always correlate to (and, in some instances, has varied wildly from) the monthly jobs report put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (the gold standard metric); still, the ADP data is looked to as a gauge of how the labor market is trending.

What’s expected in Friday’s jobs report

The BLS is set to release the February jobs report at 8:30 a.m. ET Friday; and, by and large, economists expect it will show another month of solid job gains.

Consensus estimates are for a net gain of 160,000 jobs and for the unemployment rate to stay at 4% (near historically low levels). If the forecasts hold, February’s tally would outpace January’s lower-than-expected 143,000-job gain — a total that economists say was potentially influenced by seasonal factors, frigid weather and the Los Angeles wildfires.

The DOGE-driven employment cuts, however, aren’t likely to make a big splash in February’s jobs report.

That’s partly because of timing: The bulk of the layoffs didn’t occur until after the survey period (which is the week of the 12th). And those that did might not show up anyway: They’re counted as employed if they received pay for any part of the pay period that includes the 12th day of the month.

Also, some federal workers are serving out a paid notice period where they essentially quit but won’t be unemployed weeks or even months from now.

It’s more likely, economists have told CNN, that federal cuts will be more visible in the March and April jobs reports.

The February data could show some weakness in the federal sector. However, since those jobs account for a tiny percentage of overall employment, it shouldn’t move the monthly total in a substantive way, Claudia Sham, chief economist at New Century Advisors, told CNN.

“In some ways, [the February jobs report] could be a snapshot of where the labor market was before things started really moving,” said Sahm, who developed a widely followed recession indicator. “And we won’t see anything really in response to the tariffs or other policies.”

However, the lead up to Friday’s jobs report will include another blind spot. Because of a calendar-related quirk, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for January won’t be released until next week. Typically, JOLTS is released three days before the jobs report.

Battening down the hatches

In the years following the economy-upheaving pandemic, job growth has slowed, but it has not collapsed. The gains have remained solid enough to fuel consumer spending and put the economy on track for a “soft landing” of reining in inflation without triggering a recession.

“We have been in an environment where the labor market has its flaws but has been in a really good place,” Sahm said. “There’s a certain degree of resilience, given we have a low unemployment rate, low claims and job growth has been, on average, a really respectable pace.”

“But all eyes are on if we’re going to hang on to that,” she added.

Heading into February, the US labor market was still chugging right along at more of a pre-pandemic tick and continuing a historic period of expansion.

Some cracks, however, started to emerge during the past year: The churn that’s needed for a healthy labor market slowed significantly. Businesses weren’t hiring as much, folks weren’t as eager to quit and those without jobs were staying on the sidelines for longer.

Economists chalked this up to election-year uncertainty, over-hiring in sectors such as leisure and hospitality and health care, the cumulative effect of fast-rising prices and the sheer weight of interest rates being at a 23-year high.

Still, businesses and economists alike flagged that there was pent-up momentum waiting to be released — once the election passed and interest rates started to ease.

Once the election was decided, consumer and business sentiment shot higher, and hiring activity was on the rise, according to an array of surveys and economic data.

The “Trump bump,” however, has given way to rising levels of economic uncertainty from businesses and consumers who are reporting jitteriness about the effect of sweeping policy actions such as broad-based tariffs, the direct and ripple effects from slashing federal jobs and funding and mass deportations.

While it’s too soon to tell what the economic impacts will be from these moves, the unknowns can deter businesses’ plans for expansion, said Martha Gimbel, economist and executive director and co-founder of the Budget Lab at Yale University.

“At a time where there is such uncertainty about government spending, where there is such uncertainty about tariffs, why would you make investments in your future workforce when you don’t know what the economic situation is going to be and you don’t know what your needs are going to be?” Gimbel said. “You’re starting to see more and more people seem to be moving toward a batten-down-the-hatches mentality.”

[natalioamadofakhre]

Natalio Amado Fakhre: The Heart Behind Local and Global Humanitarian Efforts

In a world driven by fast-paced change and technological advancement, few individuals dedicate their lives to serving others with quiet determination and unwavering compassion. Natalio Amado Fakhre, a social worker and NGO volunteer from Buenos Aires, Argentina, stands as a remarkable example of someone whose mission is deeply rooted in humanity, not headlines. His work in youth empowerment, rural development, and community support has created meaningful change in both local neighborhoods and international communities.

This article explores his journey, the values that guide his work, and the impact he continues to make through consistent, hands-on humanitarian efforts.

A Passion Born in Buenos Aires

Natalio Amado Fakhre grew up in Argentina, a country known for its vibrant culture but also challenged by social and economic inequalities. Early in life, he was drawn to volunteer activities in his local community, working closely with families living in underserved areas of Buenos Aires. From organizing neighborhood clean-ups to helping children with schoolwork, these small acts sparked a lifelong dedication to social service.

Unlike others who may pursue brief engagements, Fakhre chose to study social work and fully commit to community development as a career path. His dedication has only grown over the years, evolving from local volunteerism to extensive collaboration with international NGOs focused on long-term solutions for vulnerable populations.

Youth Empowerment: The Foundation of a Brighter Future

A central pillar of Natalio’s humanitarian efforts is supporting young people. He believes that investing in youth is one of the most effective ways to create sustainable social progress. Through his work with nonprofit organizations, he has implemented and supported programs that offer education, life skills training, and safe spaces for children and teenagers.

His projects focus on:

After-school programs for underprivileged youth

Literacy and numeracy workshops for primary school students

Life coaching and mentorship for adolescents

Girls’ education advocacy in rural and conservative communities

These initiatives are tailored to the unique needs of each region, ensuring that cultural values are respected while promoting equal opportunities for all.

Fakhre’s influence goes beyond just education — he fosters confidence, leadership, and hope in young people who often grow up feeling invisible.

Rural Development with Global Impact

While many humanitarian professionals focus on urban poverty, Natalio Amado Fakhre recognized the deep-rooted challenges in rural areas early on. In remote communities across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, he has contributed to sustainable development programs that address systemic issues like lack of access to healthcare, clean water, and economic opportunity.

His rural development initiatives include:

Community farming and permaculture education

Water purification systems and sanitation workshops

Small business microgrants for local entrepreneurs

Renewable energy training for off-grid villages

What sets these projects apart is their community-first model. Fakhre does not bring in outside solutions and impose them. Instead, he works with local leaders and residents, ensuring that each solution is relevant, scalable, and maintained long after the project ends.

Continued Impact in Buenos Aires

Despite his international commitments, Natalio never lost sight of his roots. He continues to serve in Buenos Aires, actively contributing to projects focused on:

Homelessness support programs

Urban youth rehabilitation and vocational training

Digital literacy courses for low-income adults

Health awareness workshops in underserved neighborhoods

He collaborates with local nonprofits, schools, and municipal agencies to create lasting change in the city that shaped him. His local work is a reminder that while global outreach is crucial, change begins at home.

Cultural Exchange and Community-Centered Solutions

Another defining feature of Fakhre’s approach is his emphasis on collaboration and cultural sensitivity. He believes that humanitarian efforts must be inclusive and respectful of the people they aim to support. His partnerships often involve:

Cross-border volunteer exchanges

Workshops that blend traditional knowledge with modern tools

Bilingual education programs

Culturally relevant healthcare and wellness education

This focus on cultural connection ensures that solutions are welcomed, not resisted, by communities. It also encourages volunteers from different countries to learn from one another, promoting global empathy and solidarity.

Challenges Faced Along the Way

Like any long-term humanitarian, Natalio has faced obstacles. From funding limitations and political instability to language barriers and cultural misconceptions, the road has not always been easy. However, his ability to adapt and listen — truly listen — to community needs has been key to overcoming these hurdles.

Rather than offering short-term fixes, Fakhre is known for taking the time to build trust, assess real needs, and implement practical solutions.

Recognition and Legacy

Although he avoids the spotlight, Natalio Amado Fakhre’s work has not gone unnoticed. He has been invited to participate in various humanitarian summits, community development panels, and youth advocacy forums. These platforms allow him to share field experiences and inspire a new generation of volunteers and social workers.

His legacy is not defined by awards but by the children who stay in school, the families who start businesses, and the communities that now have access to clean water and safe housing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Who is Natalio Amado Fakhre?

He is a social worker and NGO volunteer from Buenos Aires, Argentina, known for his dedication to humanitarian work in youth development and rural empowerment.

2. What type of humanitarian work does he do?

His work spans education programs, rural development, digital literacy, and support for underserved communities both in Argentina and internationally.

3. Which organizations has he worked with?

He has collaborated with various local and global NGOs, focusing on grassroots impact, though specific names vary by region and project.

4. What makes his approach unique?

His focus on cultural inclusion, long-term sustainability, and deep collaboration with local communities sets his work apart.

5. Can I support or volunteer for similar causes?

Yes. Many NGOs offer volunteering opportunities. Look for those aligned with education, rural development, or youth empowerment in your area or online platforms.

Conclusion

Natalio Amado Fakhre is more than a volunteer — he is a symbol of enduring compassion and practical impact. From empowering young minds in Argentina to supporting sustainable projects in rural communities worldwide, his life’s work is a quiet but powerful reminder that real change comes from committed action and deep empathy.

If more people followed his example, the world would be a better, more connected place — one community at a time.

[aeide-thea]

06-07-23 Why Patagonia helped Samsung redesign the washing machine

Samsung is releasing a wash cycle and a new filter, which will dramatically shrink microfiber pollution.

Eight years ago, Patagonia started to study a little-known environmental problem: With every load of laundry, thousands (even millions) of microfibers, each less than 5 millimeters long, wash down the drain. Some are filtered out at water treatment plants, but others end up in the ocean, where fibers from synthetic fabric make up a surprisingly large amount of plastic pollution—35%, by one estimate. Fragments of your favorite sweatshirt might now be floating in the Arctic Ocean. In a collaboration that began two years ago, the company helped inspire Samsung to tackle the problem by rethinking its washing machines. Today, Samsung unveiled its solution: A new filter that can be added to existing washers and used along with a “Less Microfiber” cycle that Samsung also designed. The combination makes it possible to shrink microfiber pollution by as much as 98%.

[…] Patagonia’s team connected Samsung with Ocean Wise, a nonprofit that tests fiber shedding among its mission to protect and restore our oceans. Samsung shipped some of its machines to Ocean Wise’s lab in Vancouver, where researchers started to study how various parameters change the results. Cold water and less agitation helped—but both of those things can also make it harder to get clothing clean. “There are maybe two ways of increasing the performance of your washing machine,” says Moohyung Lee, executive vice president and head of R&D at Samsung, through an interpreter. “Number one is to use heated water. That will obviously increase your energy consumption, which is a problem. The second way to increase the performance of your washing machine is to basically create stronger friction between your clothes . . . and this friction and abrasion of the fibers is what results in the output of microplastics.” Samsung had already developed a technology called “EcoBubble” to improve the performance of cold-water cycles to help save energy, and it tweaked the technology to specifically tackle microfiber pollution. “It helps the detergent dissolve more easily in water so that it foams better, which means that you don’t need to heat up your water as much, and you don’t need as much mechanical friction, but you still have a high level of performance,” Lee says. The new “Less Microfiber” cycle, which anyone with a Samsung washer can download as an update for their machine, can reduce microfiber pollution by as much as 54%. To tackle the remainder, the company designed a filter that can be added to existing washers at the drain pipe, with pores tiny enough to capture fibers. They had to balance two conflicting needs: They wanted to make it as simple as possible to use, so consumers didn’t have to continually empty the filter, but it was also critical that the filter wouldn’t get clogged, potentially making water back up and the machine stop working. The final design compresses the microfibers, so it only has to be emptied once a month, and sends an alert via an app when it needs to be changed. Eventually, in theory, the fibers that are collected could potentially be recycled into new material rather than put in the trash. (Fittingly, the filter itself is also made from recycled plastic.) When OceanWise tested the cycle and filter together, they confirmed that it nearly eliminated microfiber pollution. Now, Samsung’s challenge is to get consumers to use it. The filter, which is designed to be easily installed on existing machines, is launching now in Korea and will launch in the U.S. and Europe later this year. The cost will vary by market, but will be around $150 in the U.S. The cycle, which began to roll out last year, can be automatically installed on WiFi-connected machines.