Headline, September 25 2020/ ''' '' LEST WE LAUD '' ''' : TECHNOLOGY

''' '' LEST WE LAUD '' ''' :

 TECHNOLOGY

 

EDUCATION AT ITS VERY BEST...

TECHNOLOGY IS A COMPLEX AND DISRUPTIVE FORCE : Blindly pushing technology will not result in better education outcomes. 

In the Developing World, all governments need to prioritize school enrolment, lead a sea change in our beliefs and implement effective policies.  

''One way to do that is to start finding innovative ways to ensure the provision of reliable and affordable Internet as well as laptop-tablet for school age students/children.''

EXPERTS AGREE THAT technological is the predominant factor underlying social and economic change. Economists point out that 80 percent of income difference between rich and poor countries is attributable to technology.

TECHNOLOGY CAN NEVER BE A SUBSTITUTE for priorities, leadership and effective policies. One should never pin too much hope on technology as it is a complex phenomenon with some nations failing to improve their socioeconomic indicators despite allocating massive funds for technological innovation.

Many have questioned the transformative powers of technology. Even when the Industrial Revolution was truly underway, leading economists like Thomas Malthus and David Ricardo did not believe that technology could improve the human condition.

Recently, Robert Gordon has warned against putting too much hope in technology. In THE RISE AND FALL OF AMERICAN GROWTH, he concludes that economic growth cannot go on forever as the rate of technological innovation has been declining since 1970.

Also, the introduction of new technology is often a disruptive - and violent - process, In THE TECHNOLOGY TRAP Carl Benedict Frey rightly points out that many technologies result in job losses, or are ''labour-replacing'' .

Such labour-replacing technologies give rise to violent countervailing forces spearheaded by those who lose their livelihoods. 

For instance, where the Industrial Revolution has now become anonymous with the introduction of new technologies in economic production, the publication of the Communist Manifesto was also a product of that era.

At times, the opposition to new technologies became as violent that it took 12,000 British soldiers to quell the Luddite uprisings of 1811-1816. Lest we forget, some years ago, Pakistani taxi drivers staged violent protests against app-based can services citing jobs and income losses.

Educational institutions in the Developing World have been highlighted as the ideal destination for technological interventions by the champions of technology who argue that it can provide efficient solutions to problems such as shortage of teachers and schools.

The governments would not  need to build any new schools as students would be able to access the best teachers online while 'attending school' from home.

Most importantly perhaps technology can take education to the doorstep of millions and millions of students/children the world over, who are not in school. [In Pakistan alone it is 23 million]. It is easier said than done.

In The Child and State in India, Myron Weinerr systematically showed that leading nations - England, Austria and the US and Japan - prioritized educating children and implemented effective policies to fight and get out of poverty, when per capita income was low, and poverty was truly widespread, and parents would have employed their children had they been permitted to do so.

Weiner understood the beliefs of Indian elites, who thought it was fine to employ poor children, as the key reason behind millions of children not attending school.

The Honor and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on Technology, Policy, Students, History and the World, continues. The World Students Society thanks author, Aqdas Afzal.

With Most Loving, Caring and Respectful dedication to all the Little Angels in the world, and then Leaders, Grandparents, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers. See Ya all  prepare and register for Great Global Elections on The World Students Society : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter - !E-WOW!  -The Ecosystem 2011 :

''' Tech - Time '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless

AIRBUS : AVOIDS COMPULSORY LAYOFFS

 

PARIS : CEO insists planemaker will do its best to cut costs without resorting to redundancies.

European planemaker Airbus will do its best to cut costs without resorting to compulsory redundancies, but it cannot guarantee they won't happen, CEO Gillaume Faury told French radio station RTL on Tuesday.

With air travel at a fraction of its normal level due to restrictions and travellers fears related to the Covid-19 pandemic, airlines have slowed deliveries of new aircraft.

Airbus has said it needs to shed 15,000 posts worldwide. The crisis is existential. Our life as a business is potentially at risk if we don't take the right measures. We are taking them,'' Faury said.

''The situation is so serious and we are faced with so much uncertainty that I think no one can guarantee there won't be compulsory redundancies if we're to adapt to the situation, especially if it evolves further.''

''On the other hand, what I say clearly is that we have a lot of work to do, we will do everything we can to avoid arriving  at that point,'' he told the radio station.

''There are lots of measures we can take between voluntary redundancies and compulsory redundancies.''

In a letter sent to the staff this month, Faury warned them that the planemaker may have to carry out compulsory layoffs after air travel failed to recover from the pandemic as quickly as anticipated. [Reuters]

RUSSIA'S : NUCLEAR-POWERED GIANT ICEBREAKER

 

MAIDEN VOYAGE For 'Arktika' which is more than 570  feet long, as tall as a 15-storey building.

St. Petersburg : Russia's new flagship nuclear-powered icebreaker, said to be the world's largest and most powerful, left a shipyard on Tuesday headed for the Arctic.

The massive ship is the physical representation of President Vladmir Putin's ambition to increase Russia's presence in the remote region. 

The ''Arktika'' [Arctic] ice breaker finally sailed from St. Petersburg - after a three year delay caused by the supply chain and technical hurdles - and headed for the northern port of Murmansk, where it will be stationed.

The two week journey will be the vessel's first test in icy conditions, and make it the first in a series of planned additions in Russia's fleet of icebreakers.

The Arktika is more than 570 feet long, as tall as 15-storey building and designed to smash through a layer of ice 9 feet deep. While Russia is the only nation to have nuclear powered civilian ships right now, China is catching up, developing an icebreaker of very similar proportions - with similar ambitions to open up the Arctic.

Russia's state-owned company  Rosatomflot, which operates Russia's civilian nuclear-powered icebreakers, declared Arktika the world's largest and most powerful icebreaker.

The ship is crucial to Moscow's efforts to develop a clear path for freight traffic along the Northern Sea Route, which runs from Murmansk to the Bering Strait near Alaska. Russia hopes the route can become a regular commercial transport link between Asia and Europe.

Last year, Putin said the country's Arctic fleet would operate at least 13 heavy-duty icebreakers, most of them powered by nuclear reactors. Boosting Russia's presence and commercial potential in the resource-rich Arctic region has been a priority of Kremlin policy during Putin's rule.

In recent years Russia has actively pushed for dominance in the Arctic, where its main rivals are Canada, the U.S., Norway and China.

''This wonderful ship, this vessel, in the nearest future will every day corroborate our sovereignty in the northern territories of the Arctic Ocean,'' St. Petersburg governor Georgy Poltavchenko said at Tuesday's launch ceremony. [AFP]

ITALIAN OPEN : SERB STAR WINS

 

Quick turnaround helped me, said Djokovic. The Serb Star wins Italian Open after being disqualified from US Open. 

ROME : Italian Open champion Novak Djokovic said getting back on court for a tournament so quickly after being disqualified at the US Open for striking a line judge with a ball helped him move on from the incident.

The world number one came in for heavy criticism at Flushing Meadows earlier this month and the Serb said he spent several days processing what had happened.

He returned to tournament play in Rome last week and captured his 36th ATP Masters crown in Monday's final by beating Argentine Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3.

''I did experience mentally some ups and downs in the first four-five days after that happened,'' Djokovic told reporters.

''Obviously I was in shock... but I moved on, I've never had an issue in my life to move on regardless of how difficult it is.

''Obviously having a tournament a week after helped a lot because I really wanted to get on the court and get whatever trace trace of that out of the way.''

Djokovic, who has won 31 of his 32 matches this year, said he would have to raise his game further to challenge for the title at the French Open, which begins on Sunday.

''I don't think I played my best tennis to be honest, I didn't want to sound arrogant here. I am very satisfied and pleased to win a title. I know I still have a couple of gears,'' he added.

''Hopefully, I'll be able to raise that level for the French Open because that's going to be necessary if I want to go deep in the tournament.''

Defending Roland Garros champion Rafa Nadal was stunned by Schwartzman in the Rome quarter-finals, but Djokovic expected the Spaniard to be firing on all cylinders in Paris.

''He's the player who has the highest chance of being in the final... if it's Roland Garros it's Rafa you bet on,'' he said. [Reuters]