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EVEN CONGRESS DIDN'T KNOW: the 30 Year Secret

8/30/2019

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Do you believe that under the constant and intense scrutiny of the American press, the US government was able to keep a rather important secret for thirty years?

SETTING THE STAGE
Let’s travel to the beautiful Allegeny Mountains of West Virginia to a luxury resort near White Sulphur Springs: The Greenbrier Resort. The venue, situated on 11,000 acres, enjoys the accolades of being acclaimed as one of finest, most luxurious resorts in the world.

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 he Greenbrier Resort - Photo Source: www.atomicheritage.org/greenbrier                                Ariel - Photo Source:www.hippostcard.com/greenbrier-hotel                 

The area has been a popular destination for visitors since 1778, but the current facility was built in 1913 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The property now belongs to a local entrepreneur, Jim Justice, and is operated by a subsidiary of Justice’s company, the Greenbrier Hotel Corporation. Patrons of the resort include a long list of the rich and famous, the PGA tour, and twenty-six presidents. The last to stay there during a presidency was Dwight D. Eisenhower.

In 1957, the Greenbrier Hotel broke ground on a new West Virginia wing and massive conference facility to provide unparalleled meeting space for organizations such as the auto companies, the West Virginia Medical Association and others large corporations.

At least, that’s what everyone believed.

PROJECT GREEK ISLAND
Imagine building a 112,544 square foot facility 720 feet underground, under the very noses of the vacationing élite, with only a couple dozen of people knowing what is being built. Pretty tricky, but it was accomplished.

The Greenbrier Bunker, previously titled Project Greek Island, is a once-secret bomb shelter behind four giant reinforced steel doors (made by a company that built bank safes), intended to house the 535 members of the United States Congress plus staff -- a total of 1,000 people -- in the event of a nuclear attack.

No doubt the changing of the name from the original, not-so-original Project X to Project Caspar and, during the 1980s, to Project Greek Island, may have helped to confuse people who might have had questions.

A Relic Of The Cold War
You might say Greenbrier Bunker is a relic of the Cold War, the nearly five decades of political tension between the Soviet Union and the United States after World War II.

In the late 1950s,
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, faced with the Cuban revolution and the real possibility of nuclear war,  decided it would be essential to continue the operation of the US Congress in the advent of atomic warfare. It is said Eisenhower himself came up with the idea of the secret bomb shelter for Congress. The president had visited the Greenbrier Resort before. It was close enough to Washington D.C. to evacuate Congress, but far enough not to be destroyed by a direct hit on Washington DC or by fallout. And he was aware that the hotel was planning the addition of a large new wing for the hotel. He decided West Virginia was the ideal location. 
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The Architect of the Capitol negotiated an agreement with the owners to build the bomb shelter under the new wing. In exchange for permission -- and silence -- the government would pay for the new wing as well as the bunker itself. Because both would be built at the same time, the thinking went, the shelter wouldn’t attract much attention. Apparently, they were correct on a national scale, but the locals and construction workers had plenty of unanswered questions.

​
Public Press reported that President Eisenhower was holding a summit with the President of Mexico and Prime Minister of Canada, but he was really at the Greenbrier closing the deal for the bunker.
Photo source: https://vandaleer.com/the-bunker-at-the-greenbrier/

​
The cost at the time was about $14 million, probably well over $100 million today. Fortunately, both projects were completed in October, 1962. Later that month, during the Cuban missile crisis, the facility was put on alert and Congress came within 12 hours of being moved to the location. Other than that, the facility was never activated.

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                                 Photo credit: Flicker Commons                                                                Project Under Construction – Photo Credit: Flicker Commons
​                     
Photo source: allthatsinteresting.com/greenbrier                                               Photo source: www.todayifoundout.com/project-greek-island/


Only two members of Congress knew anything about the project and its purpose. The rest were in the dark, most likely for the best since they would not have been allowed to bring their families with them. Tip O'Neill, as speaker, was briefed on the project and said, “Jesus, you don't think I'm going to run away and leave my wife? That's the craziest thing I ever heard of.”
​

Home Away From Home
Basically, the shelter is a two story, underground box with 3 foot thick walls. The four entrance doors weigh in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 tons each and can be sealed air tight. Since the members of Congress didn’t even know the place existed, you can imagine how they might have felt entering the door in the photo below.
Photo Source: www.civildefensemuseum.com/
Photo Credit by: Lenox Carruth

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Once sealed, the facility was designed to have enough air for 72 hours before the ventilation system would bring in filtered air from outdoors.

One of the four entrances opens into the conference facility which is used by the hotel. Joint-use spaces include an exhibit hall, the meeting room designed for Congress to conduct business, and two smaller auditoriums. The hidden passage into the bunker is market “Danger: High Voltage Keep Out”.
​

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       Congressional Meeting Auditorium                                    Doors between Conference and Bunker                        Hallway beyond door leading to the bunker
Photo source: allthatsinteresting.com/greenbrier              Photo Source: https://frustratedpaulrevere.com         Photo Source: abcnews.go.com/top-secret-greenbrier


According to Atomic Heritage Organization, in case of an attack while Congress was housed at the facility, the whole conference center could be closed off. “Congressmen would have first been ushered to the decontamination room, where they would have stripped, showered, and put on uncontaminated clothes. The dormitories consist of 18 rooms, each built to house 60 people in metal bunk beds. There is also a kitchen and a 400-seat dining room, which was at one point decorated with fake windows featuring scenic views. The upper level contains storage space and offices for Congressional leaders.” Being built before computers and electronic information storage, the bunker contains a large amount of space for storing records, as well as a hospital clinic.
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                  Metal bunks in dormitories                                                        The Dining Room                                                  Dental office in medical clinic
 
    Photo source: //frustratedpaulrevere.com                          Photo Source: onebeardedgolfer.com                         Photo Source:
www.golfdigest.com/dental office

Of course, the facility was kept ready for emergency occupancy for thirty years. There were enough supplies and equipment to house the 1,000 people for 60 days. Over the years, a dozen plus retired military personnel with high security clearances were always stationed at the Greenbrier, where they posed as TV repairmen working for a shell company. About a fifth of their time, they actually did make TV repairs at the resort.
​

Someone, somewhere, kept track of who was in and out of Congress and made bed assignments. That’s right. For thirty years every bed (all 1,080 of them) had an assigned occupant. Only the people who were supposed to be there, were going to get in.
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Storage of food supplies for 6 months                              Electrical Control Room                                                      Other Internal Workings
Photo source: www.npr.org/secret-bunker                       
Photo source: www.coldwarcomms.org/greenbrier            Photo source: www.coldwarcomms.org/greenbrier 


They rotated the magazines and books in the lounges to keep the reading material fresh, and they kept the pharmacy stocked with the prescription medications of all the members of the House and Senate. The facility had a six-month supply of food, periodically refreshed.”  I did learn the food wasn’t wasted. Food close to expiration dates was transported to military bases and used while still within code.
ttps://www.npr.org/2011/03/26/134379296/the-secret-bunker-Congress-never-used

No reference mentioned the cost of maintenance for thirty years. The price tag must have been a whopper and maybe a bigger secret than the existence of the facility.

WHO KNEW?
That question is probably unanswerable. I speculate it was more than a few dozen, but considering the size of the facility, the requirement to keep it ready to use for 30 years, and the relentlessness of the press, it was virtually unknown.

At different points in time, the number of Those-In-The-Know must have varied, but from the beginning there were always hints … things that didn’t seem quite right.
     ● Randy Wickline, who delivered concrete to the construction site, recalled “Nobody came out and said it was a bomb shelter, but…they weren’t building it to keep the rain off them. I mean a fool would have known.” After all, pouring 50,000 tons of concrete into an abyss is something workers notice.
     ● After installing 110 urinals in the exhibit hall of the new Convention Center, the contractor asked, Truman Wright, the manager of the Greenbrier resort from 1951-1974, “What in the hell are you going to exhibit?”
     ● Both Gerald Ford and Hubert Humphrey were frequent guests of the Greenbrier when they served in Congress. They were among the few people in the world who knew about the bunker.
    ● There was a mysterious crew of TV technicians who worked at the hotel but didn't work for the hotel but a company called Forsyth Associates.
     ● In 1980, when Ted Kleisner took over as general manager of the Greenbrier Resort. Within a week, he discovered hints of something being out of whack. 1) The resort was spending a fortune on “maintenance” of equipment that it didn’t own; 2) The hotel had ordered thousands of gallons of diesel fuel that it had no need for, and the fuel had disappeared without a trace; 3) Every payday, dozens of paychecks were being mailed out to people whose names did not appear on the employee roster.

His superiors were not concerned when he reported his findings … until he threatened to go to the police. That got action. After signing a pledge of secrecy, he was read into the program by a government official.
      ● The power room includes a “pathological waste incinerator” designed to cremate bodies.
     ● People questioned why the small community needed an airport with a 7,000-foot runway capable of handling a commercial jetliner.

Of course, the locals knew about the bunker, but believed mistakenly the facility was to house the President. They kept the secret and were proud to be playing their part in the Cold War.

WHO BLEW?
The bunker’s “cover” was blown in May of 1992 in a story written by Ted Gup and printed in the Washington Post which revealed its existence and location. Gup never revealed the name of the government official who tipped him off.

You can’t hide from the enemy if the enemy knows where you’re hiding. So the facility could no longer serve its purpose. The lease with the hotel was terminated in 1995, and the Greenbrier Resort took over the ownership.
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At the time, this story was considered by many as an act of treason. Gup is still characterized on Bunker Tours as the man who “compromised" the Cold War fallout shelter.
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Gup contended that by 1992, when the story was released, the facility was obsolete. At the time of its construction, it took hours for planes to reach the United States from Russia. There would have been hours of warning to escape Washington and get the members of Congress to the site before anything could happen. That was not the case in 1992. There might have been no more than fifteen minutes from missile launch to impact. Tip O’Neill is quoted as saying the evacuation plans were not well worked out.
Ted Gup - Photo Source: https://twitter.com/ted_gup

Gup felt the US was relying on a facility that could only fail in its purpose. He also countered arguments about its usefulness in relation to terrorism, pointing out that terrorists usually don’t give six hours notice either.

Whether or not the Greenbrier Bunker would have retained some usefulness to the government is a moot point. Instead, the bunker is now a tourist attraction where the public can take tours, while another part is used as a secure data storage facility. It is not longer the “secret” home of Congress.


WHAT’S NEW?
Doubtless, our government is off making other plans and building other types of facilities for such emergency situations.

The Washington Post, in 2010, revealed that 33 building complexes for top-secret intelligence work are under construction or have been built in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area since September 2001. An emergency home for Congress, perhaps?

The dynamics and technology of war have changed since the 1950s – in case you hadn’t noticed, LOL – and the need and strategy for top secret emergency housing and work facilities is quite different. I speculate that such facilities as would meet current needs, do exist. They are secret and that is possibly a necessity. I only hope the planners of these facilities have better foresight than yesteryear.

I did get a kick out of the title of Garrett M. Graff’s book  "Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself—While the Rest of Us Die." 

That attitude and policy persists in our government. I wish I’d thought of that title before Mr. Graff did.
□

Sources:

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/03/dustbin-of-history-project-greek-island/
https:/www.npr.org/2011/03/26/134379296/the-secret-bunker-Congress-never-used
https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/greenbrier-bunker
https://frustratedpaulrevere.com/?p=8744
https://maps.roadtrippers.com/trips/16910557
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Greek_Island
https://www.npr.org/2011/03/26/134379296/the-secret-bunker-Congress-never-used
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2016/03/dustbin-of-history-project-greek-island/
https://www.pgatour.com/news/2010/07/28/bunker-greenbrier.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/daily/july/25/brier1.htm
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/23/Congress-has-new-shelter-case-attack/\
https://wvtourism.com/today-show-greenbrier-resort-bunker/
https://www.cleveland.com/pdextra/2009/03/ted_gups_disclosure_of_the_gre.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greenbrier
https://allthatsinteresting.com/greenbrier-bunker
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/recalling-the-bunker-at-the-gr
https://vandaleer.com/the-bunker-at-the-greenbrier/
httpsonebeardedgolfer.com20151115why-is-it-so-difficult-to-print-your-ghin-handicap-cardgreenbrier-bunker
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/90423904988454559/?lp=true
https://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/inside-top-secret-greenbrier-bunker-43730832
http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/greenbriar/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3kAcJruEOs
https://www.history.com/news/inside-the-governments-top-secret-doomsday-hideouts
 Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself—While the Rest of Us Die.By Garrett M. Graff





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Marrying For Love

8/23/2019

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LOVE AND MARRIAGE GO TOGETHER LIKE A HORSE AND CARRIAGE
Even our popular songs perpetuate the ideal vision of a happy love-marriage, so it’s easy to forget, in today’s world, that marrying for love is a relatively new concept … and maybe not such a good one at that.

What? 
Hold on. Let’s take a look at history.
Photo source: www.justwinecountry.com/

For most of the history of civilization marrying for love has not been the modus operandi. It is not that love didn’t exist, for surely it did. We have too many myths, legends, songs, and cultural traditions to confirm humans have felt love in all its various forms, including romantic love and sexual attraction, way way back in our evolution. But love was not the primary reason for marrying someone anywhere in the world before the late 1700s.


Although the Roman poet, Virgil (70 bce – 19 bce) wrote in his pastoral poem the Eclogues, “Amor vincit omnia, et nos cedamus amori. - Love conquers all things, so we too shall yield to love,” he also wrote about other things, including work, conquering all [although not in the same poem], and he never suggested it was the best reason for marriage.There have even been times and cultures where love was viewed as a disadvantage to a marriage.

Stephanie Coontz tells us in her 2005 book [Marriage, A History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage], that the ancient Greeks considered love a form of insanity. In India falling in love before marriage was considered disruptive and a danger to society. In China too much love between a husband and wife was treated as a threat to the extended family. She writes,
     “Only rarely in history has love been seen as the main reason for getting married. When someone did advocate
     such a strange belief, it was no laughing matter. Instead it was considered a serious threat to social order.” …
   
“Through most of human history, love was not at all the point of marriage. Marriage was about getting families
     together, which was why there were so many controls.”
 https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/489/the-radical-idea-of-marrying-for-love

Despite of Virgil’s profound insight into love, the ancient attitudes regarding marriage continued through the middle ages. Up until the late 1700s, the concept of marrying for love would have been received by most people in the world as outrageous as the idea of same-sex marriage was perceived in the 20th century.  Until that time, marriage was necessary for survival, reproduction, and social acceptance.

The radical idea of marriage for love sprang up and began to take hold in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in part because the Industrial Revolution allowed people to move away from farming – reducing the need for large families to work the land – and in part by the Enlightenment thinkers of the time, who challenged the monarchs and embraced the issues of human rights. The growth of capitalism led to growth in wealth and in the middle class, leading to more freedom of choice and the elevating the status of women [a little but certainly not to equality -- that, in my opinion, is yet to come].

The Enlightenment’s rhetoric about the “right to personal happiness” may have proved to be sophistry. In the 21st century marriage and love are often depicted, together or apart, as being a state other than personal happiness.

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Coontz quotes George Bernard Shaw’s portrayal of marriage as an institution that brings together two people “under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions. They are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part.”
https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/489/the-radical-idea-of-marrying-for-love

Good luck with that!                                     
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WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
In most cultures throughout history and throughout the world, marriages have been arranged, usually by parents but not always. In places where the arranged marriage tradition dates back to ancient times, the pact resulted in the merger of the two families.

Such a fusion carried with it broad ramifications relating to money and/or politics, which include power, influence, political authority, security, allies, social prestige, progeny, inheritance, and privilege. Choices were carefully
Cartoon by Glasbergen                                        calculated to advantage both families.
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Photo source:https://funnytimes.com/19980624
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Nonetheless, in most societies, including those with arranged marriages, the relationship with the greatest importance was that of the birth family. A person’s loyalty and emotional connection was owed to blood ties rather than to marriage. An individual could always find another spouse, but could never replace a member of the birth family. That belief alone made the choice of marriage partner for a son or daughter even more important.
​

Most of us are aware of the idea of marriage for other purposes than love in relation to the upper class elite, aristocracy, and nobility, but it was also true among the middle and lower classes as well. Every family tried to marry their daughters into a family with more money and more power, because that not only provided for the daughter but increased the value of, and often provided for, her birth family in a variety of different ways.

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MARRYING FOR MONEY
Nowadays, society tends to look down on the practice of marrying for money [which is equivalent to marrying for power], but that was one of the primary reasons for marriage until a few hundred years ago.

The Dowry
The dowry is the transfer of property or money from the bride’s family to the groom or to his family. Its purpose was to help the newly-wed couple establish a new household and also a form of protection for the bride against ill treatment by the husband or his family. Where this is the tradition, it is actually a conditional gift which should be restored to the wife and her family if the Cartoon by Mark Lynch - Photo source:                  husband abuses or divorces her. 
The husband can profit by it during the
The Daily Toon  www.humortimes.com/                         marriage, but the dowry would have to be returned in the case of mistreatment
                                                           
  or divorce. My research found conflicting opinions regarding who controlled the
                                                              money or property during the marriage.        
cartoon by: Chris Wildt Source: Pinterest▼ 

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This tradition most common in cultures that are strongly patrilineal and that expect women to reside with or near their husband's family.
                                     
“I can’t offer you a dowry, but I an get you on my health plan.”
The Dower
A dower means a wife’s rights to her husband’s real property or wealth after his death. Her inheritance.             

                                                                                                     
The Bride Price
The bride price [also called bride service or bride wealth] is a payment from the groom or his family to the bride’s parents. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the bride price was less an economic gesture but served to consolidate the friendship between the two families. Whatever property belonging to the bride at the time of marriage remained her property under her control. The tradition of dowry and the expectations varied from one society and century to another.
 
Cartoon by George Jartos
Source: Pinterest

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IF IT WEREN’T FOR MY SPOUSE, WE’D BE THE PERFECT COUPLE
Most people who aspire to marriage hope for the perfect match … hope to be the perfect couple. Soulmates.

American writer Richard Bach writes, “A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are."

Psychologist and relationship expert Dr. Carmen Harra writes, “Your soulmate makes you feel entirely whole, healed and intact, like no piece is missing from the puzzle. A life partner, on the other hand, can be a great supporter and long-time companion, but is limited in his or her capacity to enrich your spirit. Most of us remain in life-partner relationships because we "settle," for a multitude of reasons."

Personally, I don’t believe the perfect couple exists or that there is only one person in the world who could be your soulmate. No relationship is perfect and a good marriage [or a perfect couple] is something that doesn’t “just happen.” Both parties have to work at it on an ongoing basis. I do accept the notion that in a love marriage, particularly with a soulmate, it may be easier to learn to live with, and love, the imperfections of your mate.

I agree with Barsha Nag Bhowmick, editor for Indiatimes.com, that “perfect couples” couples are really “imperfect couples” who have learned to enjoy their differences … regardless of whether it started out as a love marriage or an arranged marriage.
​
Cartoon by Glasbergen - Photo source:https://funnytimes.com/1998062

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SHOPPING ON THE INTERNET
Surveys show that the number one place that singles meet in America is online. How is that so different from an arranged marriage? In the 21st century, even in an arranged marriage, the parties in question have to agree and accept the arrangement [according to what I read and have been told]. So, as I see it, the major difference occurs in the first part of the process: i.e. the screening of
“I said I’m looking for a date who         potential mates and introducing the best matches.
is soft, sweet, and a little bit nutty.
T
hey matched me with a loaf of banana bread.”


Instead of trolling for a possible catch in bars or other singles venues, or the dreaded blind-date, and using the dating process as the screening, which can be tedious, disappointing, and sometimes even dangerous, both approaches let someone else narrow down the field for you. With that accomplished, it is then up to the couples to decide whether or not they are interested. In the case of arranged marriages, it is either the parents or a matchmaker doing the vetting. It can go as far as hiring a private detective to find out what the potential spouses have been up to, which is more intense than dating services matches.

The online companies use the information you give them to screen and match. In those questionnaires, most people don't list their traffic tickets, outstanding warrants or arrests, mountains of debt, having had 6 spouses already, etc. 

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Of the two, I definitely prefer the online route. Services don’t vet nearly as well as an eagle-eyed mother who wants the best for her son or daughter, but in these times of rapid change and more open communication, I trust people to know more about who they are and what they prefer than their parents do. Although parents often see things about their children that those individuals deny or are blind to, parents can be just as blind and have their own baggage, prejudices, experiences, and beliefs to deal with.

A spokesperson for "Relationships On Your Terms" says the main difference between matches made on this platform and in the real world is that “people are up front about their expectations."
                                                                       Cartoon by: unsigned - Photo Source:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/501095896031944042/?lp=true 

Surveys indicate that meeting online could be the reason for the increase in interracial partnerships and more connections with people considerably outside our usual social circles.www.technologyreview.com/online-dating-changing-society

That being said, other surveys show that more than a third of marriages start online. Couples meeting online statistically marry sooner (knowing each other for less time) and new research suggests that couples who meet online are also more likely to divorce.

Still, meeting online is the 21st century update to arranged marriages.


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NO MATTER HOW YOU MET, MARRIAGE IS A CRAP SHOOT!
The issue is one of honesty, and that is a major factor no matter how the couple meets.

“I just realized this is the position I use for shooting dice.”



​​Cartoon by Ray Delgado - Photo source: Pinterest
​

Sources:
https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/41374_1.pdf
https://www.professorshouse.com/arranged-marriage-facts/
https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/489/the-radical-idea-of-marrying-for-love
https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/relationship/story/indians-swear-by-arranged-marriages-155274-2013-03-04
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/21/world/arranged-marriage-christiane-amanpour-sex-love-around-world-delhi/index.html
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/the-history-of-marriage-why-marrying-for-love-is-a-newer-idea-than-the-printing-press/
https://humans.media/is-marrying-for-love-a-modern-concept
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/contemplating-divorce/201311/3-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-marry-love-alone
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/love-marriage-history_n_4774740
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/02/13/8-facts-about-love-and-marriage/
https://psychcentral.com/lib/5-reasons-not-to-marry-the-one-you-love/
https://www.cosmopolitanme.com/content/19014-marrying-wedding-love-advice
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/life-n-style/are-arranged-marriages-better-than-marrying-for-love/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-science-love/201208/arranged-vs-love-based-marriages-in-the-us-how-different-are-they
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/culture/features/11621/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_marriage
https://jamigold.com/2015/02/is-love-conquers-all-realistic/
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/02/13/8-facts-about-love-and-marriage/
https://hunterbaker.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/opening-arguments-love-doesnt-conquer-all/
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/culture/features/11621/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arranged_marriage_in_the_Indian_subcontinent
http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/spring07/Zuffoletti/theprocess.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soloish/wp/2016/02/15/is-online-dating-the-same-as-arranged-marriage-ravi-patel-thinks-so/
https://www.twoque.com/would-you-choose-love-or-money/
https://aminoapps.com/c/my-hero-academia/page/blog/the-perfect-couple-doesnt-exis/P655_NlCmukWQRelRYGgpJKjGW5NKWgLQ
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elements-of-a-soulmate_b_3595992
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/style/match-shaadi-league-farmersonly-dating-apps.html
“History: How Love Conquered Marriage” by Stephanie Coontz

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HOW TURKISH WOMEN DRESS: It’s All About The Right To Choose

8/9/2019

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In 2012, I had the opportunity to travel in Turkey. I love traveling in countries with cultures other than my own. I love the rich diversity, and I believe it is something we should be celebrating, not criticizing.

Turkey proved a wonderful adventure for many reasons. It’s a beautiful country, the people are friendly and polite, and I felt safe and comfortable. But for me, one of the most fascinating aspects of traveling there was learning about Islam. In particular, observing how the Turkish women dress. After I got back I wrote a blog on the subject.
​

Recent events inspired me to take a look at the old article, and I found some things had changed.

THE HAT LAW OF 1925

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According to statistic on the Internet, 99% of the people in Turkey are Muslim. Although Turkey was secularized at the official level under the first Turkish president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (in office 1923-1938), religion remains a strong force among the Turkish people.

Among other sweeping reforms, the founding father Ataturk made sure there was a separation of church and state. He adopted regulations for a dress code to keep religious symbolism out of civil service. The code was primarily for men, probably because there were not many women who worked in civil service, and a more western style became the norm. The Hat Law of 1925 banished the fez and imposed lengthy sentences of imprisonment at hard labor for those who continued to wear it. Women, however, were granted the freedom to decide whether or not they wanted to cover their heads.

     “It was more or less assumed that they [women] would eventually give up the headscarf as the new, secular Turkish identity took hold. Many did … By the 1970s, discouraging headscarves had taken on the force of law. The headscarf was banned in government offices, hospitals, universities, and schools. By the 1980s, these lengths of cloth had taken on hot political connotations.” news.nationalgeographic.com/2013 by Roff Smith, National Geographic, October 12, 2013

In 2013 this law was rescinded, with mixed reaction among the Turkish. Veiling is optional and women can make the choice to wear Islamic dress because modern fashion allows women to express their Muslin identity and Islamic beliefs in fashionable form.

According to Elizabeth Bucar [www.theatlantic.com/uslim-women-fashion] Muslim women, “spend an extraordinary amount of time trying to counter the stereotype that modest dress is ugly by using the skills of beauty work. Beauty work thus helps to remove the stigma from modest dress by making this style of clothing more attractive to other Muslim women.”

As far as I can see, Muslim fashion in general, not just head coverings, has taken on the aspect of making a political statement which is about having a choice. Many Muslim women seek new ways to express themselves while remaining true to their religious and cultural values.

Also, what constitutes “modest” depends on the society. Not all Muslims are Arab, and there are differences in what is considered “modest” dressing in India, Indonesia, Africa, and other locations where Muslims live. Finally, in countries like Jordan, all Christians living there have, for hundreds of years, dressed in tribal clothing just like their neighbors, and many still do.
​
Bottom line: Muslin Fashion does not have to be dull, boring, shapeless, and dark.

​                  
Photo source: atdaa.com/turkish-women-s-love-fashion   ▼                  ▼Photo source: https://www.mindu.gq/en/info/32807549120

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ISLAMIC DRESS
Without getting into a discussion of something about which I know very little, I will quote from the following article on Discoverislam.com/ regarding why Muslim women dress the way they do.
     "Muslim women dress in a way that is modest and dignified. The purpose of clothing is not only to protect oneself from the physical elements, but also to protect from immorality and pride. The Islamic concept of dress applies to both women and men. It sets expectations of moral and respectful interactions between the genders. As a result, both men and women are liberated from their baser instincts and can focus on higher pursuits.”
http://fashionlinks4us.blogspot.com/2010/08/islamic-dresses-4-women.html

BASIC DRESS STYLES: Not Your Grandmother’s Kind of Style
Another site  identified the various kinds of garments Muslim women wear. This article states that “This dress code applies to women and adolescent girls, but not to children.”

Abaya: It is a flowing outer garment worn over all other clothing.  The traditional Abaya is black and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head or a long caftan.  It covers the whole body except the face, feet and hands. Today they are more stylish than a large square of black fabric.


        Basic Style                ▼ PhotoSource: www.owame.com/arab-vestidos-2019 ▼                       PhotoSource:www.owame.com/arab-vestidos-2019 ▼ 
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▲Blazers and suits, popular corporate dress
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PhotoSource:www.outfittrends.com/turkish-tutorial/



◄PhotoSource:https://www.shiddat.com/blue-colored-turkish-abaya
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▲PhotoSource: www.shoppinghungama.com/2019​      ▲PhotoSource: www.turkishfashion.net/nihan-textile
​

​Jilbab: This is a garment that may be worn like a dress, usually with trousers or long skirt underneath. It also covers the body except the hands, face and head. The neck and head are then covered by a scarf.
​
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Basic Style               My Photo on the street▼        PhotoSource: https://www.neva-style.com/▼              PhotoSource:▼ www.turkishfashion.net/nihan ▼  
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                                                                             ▲Photo Source: aohuijie.en.made-in-china.com/Islamic-Coat

Salwar Kameez: A garment originating from the Indian subcontinent, which translates as “trouser suit” and is comprised of a long skirt, trousers, and dupatta. These garments are usually very colorful and bright, and are sometimes embroidered. In looking through the on-line shopping for Turkish Salwar Kameez, much of this style seemed to be wedding and party wear. I didn’t observe any on the streets in 2012 or in photos taken later by others. There were a lot of women in pants however.   
 Basic style                   
PhotoSource:▼www.indiamart.com                                                                  Source of 3 Photos: http://www.indiamart.com/salwar
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                                                                                            ▲ PhotoSource:eastessence.com/salwar-kameez
BASIC HEAD COVERINGS
The photo depicts the basic type of head coverings worn by Muslim women. Don’t forget, every country and culture has their own styles and standards.

Photo source:www.spiegel.de/international/germanydebatesban
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Dupatta: The Dupatta is a long rectangular scarf usually worn over the shoulders in front of the neck or covering the woman’s head.

Hijab: This is a head covering worn by many women of faith in Islam. They come in all colors and have wonderful prints. 
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​This is what I observed in Istanbul and Izmir, the only cities I visited in 2012. At that time, I would guess fifty percent of the women dressed in western styles and without covering their heads. Our tour guides, who were Muslin, dressed like any other tour guides I’ve had in other parts of the world.  The other half of the women wore more traditional Muslin clothing, and about fifty percent of those dressed in western-looking clothing with a hijab. From the photographs I've seen, I would guess things haven't changed much.

Although some wear black or white scarves, most of them were colorful and beautiful, usually made of silk, and are worn over and pinned to a coordinating skull cap to keep them in place.


Many of the young women were very stylishly dressed, although blue jeans abounded among the younger women.
The Jilbab seemed very popular. Women wore them over pants or long skirts, usually in tan, dark blue or black, and, of course, with a head covering. Some are very high fashion, But I didn’t see many of those.
A smaller number were seen in black Abayas (generally older women), and I only saw one woman in a full Burga with her eyes totally covered.  She was dressed in black, not a pretty colored Burga in the photo above.

Nearly all the women carried black purses and had wonderful leather shoes. But you would also see sports shoes and sandals.
□
Sources:

https://turkeytravelplanner.com/details/WomenTravelers/women_wear.html
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131011-hijab-ban-turkey-islamic-headscarf-ataturk/
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/02/muslim-women-fashion-political-influence/550256/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2018/08/17/what-westerners-get-wrong-about-the-hijab/?utm_term=.ee54428178df
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-23/why-do-muslim-women-wear-a-burka-niqab-or-hijab/5761510
https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/wait-i-thought-was-muslim-thing
https://www.middleeasteye.net/features/fashion-revolution-middle-east’
http://boingboing.net/2012/05/11/modernizing-modesty-the-hijab.html
http://www.hijabstyle.co.uk/
photos
https://www.slideshare.net/modestpath/fall-winter-2019-latest-abaya-jilbab-collection-by-modestpath
https://www.owame.com/products/arab-vestidos-2019-long-uae-abaya-dubai-kaftan-kimono-linen-maxi-muslim-shawl-bodycon-hijab-dress-women-turkish-islamic-clothing
https://www.owame.com/products/arab-vestidos-2019-long-uae-abaya-dubai-kaftan-kimono-linen-maxi-muslim-shawl-bodycon-hijab-dress-women-turkish-islamic-clothing
http://www.turkishfashion.net/nihan-textile-Collection-Spring-Summer-2017/11170
http://www.turkishfashion.net/nihan-textile-Collection-Spring-Summer-2016/10802
https://aohuijie.en.made-in-china.com/product/mCxQjwsOwoVN/China-Exclusive-Design-Ethnic-Embroidery-Style-Blue-Color-Long-Dress-Muslim-Abaya-Elegant-Islamic-Coat.html
https://atdaa.com/turkish-women-s-love-for-fashion-how-to-dress-in-istanbul
http://www.indiamart.com/turkish-salwar-kameez
: https://www.mindu.gq/en/info/32807549120
https://eastessence.com/products/white-hajj-umrah-shalwar-kameez-1?variant=22523712995376 ▲
https://www.outfittrends.com/14-latest-turkish-hijab-styles-simple-turkish-hijab-tutorial/


 
 
 



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ARE YOU READY FOR THE “SINGULARITY”?

8/2/2019

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WHAT IS THE SINGULARITY?
Nobody really knows, but we [human beings] need to be thinking about what our universal, biological, and technological history of accelerating change could mean for the future and larger purpose of humanity.

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If you’re a science fiction or fantasy writer and/or reader, you’re no doubt familiar with the general idea of The Singularity, a future world where machines are as intelligent or more intelligent than humans, with various outcomes. If not, Wikipedia defines The Singularity as: “A hypothetical future point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unfathomable changes to human civilization.”

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Don’t hold your breath. You don’t need to worry about it personally. It won’t happen until many or all of you reading this are long gone. But it will happen.

Since it’s not only a theory, but a highly controversial one, there are numerous definitions put forth by extremely brilliant people who study the phenomenal rate of technological change in the world and think about the future it could mean for the world. But let’s start simple.

● Singular
We all know what plain old singular means: One.


● Singularity
The word Singularity comes from a mathematical term [which I won’t get into] and is defined in the dictionary as:
“Something that is singular such as a separate unit or something unusual or distinctive.” If there is just one of something, it is unique and the word can apply to anything: looks, behavior, state of being, whatever.

● The Singularity
Unless you’re deep into heavy-duty mathematics or physics, The Singularity actually means The Technological Singularity, which is essentially a theory about the accelerating rate of technological growth … but one that will affect everyone in
the world.

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WHAT THE EXTREMELY BRILLIANT PEOPLE SAY
The Singularity isn’t a new concept, although this name is. It is a phenomenon noted by many of the extremely brilliant people and a few not so brilliant.

● R. Thorton, editor of the Primitive Expounder laid the groundwork for the theory in 1847 [170 years ago] when writing about the recently-invented four function mechanical calculator.
​     “Such machines when brought to greater perfection, may think of a plan to remedy all their own
      defects and then grind out ideas beyond the ken of mortal mind!”


● Samuel Butler (1835-1902), English poet, satirist, and author, wrote the following at about the same point mid-19th century:
​   
“There is no security against the ultimate development of mechanical consciousness, in the fact of machines
    possessing little consciousness now. Reflect upon the extraordinary advance which machines have made during
    the last few hundred years, and note how slowly the animal and vegetable kingdoms are advancing.”


● John von Neumann (1903 – 1957), Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and computer scientist, was the first to put the idea forward, although he didn’t refer to The Singularity.
    The point at which the accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, gives the
​    appearance of approaching some essential point in the history of the race beyond which human affairs, as we know
    them, could not continue
"


● I.J. Good (1916 – 2009), British mathematician and cryptologist, calls the hypothesis the Intelligence Explosion and predicts a point in time where a computer or machine or something else made by man
     “...running software-based artificial general intelligence enters a "runaway reaction" of self-improvement cycles,
     with each new and more intelligent generation appearing more and more rapidly, causing an intelligence explosion
     and resulting in a powerful superintelligence that would, qualitatively, far surpass all human intelligence.”


● Alan Turing (1912 – 1954), English mathematician, computer scientist philosopher and theoretical biologist, wrote  that machines will eventually surpass human intelligence:
     “Once the machine thinking method has started, it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers. At some stage
     therefore we should have to expect the machines to take control…”


● Vernor Steffen Vinge (1944 - present), American science fiction author and retired professor of mathematics and computer science at San Diego State University) popularized the theory in his 1993 essay The Coming Technological Singularity, in which he wrote:
     “[The singularity] would signal the end of the human era, as the new superintelligence would continue to upgrade
     itself and would advance technologically at an incomprehensible rate.”


​● Ray Kurzweil (1948 – present), computer scientist and inventor, is possibly the best known proponent of the singularity. He brought the theory into mainstream thinking with a slightly different twist.
     “A future period during which the pace of technological change will be so rapid, its impact so deep, that human life
     will be irreversibly transformed. Although neither utopian nor dystopian, this epoch will transform the concepts that
     we rely on to give meaning to our lives, from our business models to the cycle of human life, including death itself.”


     “It's a merger between human intelligence and machine intelligence that is going to create something bigger than
     itself. It's the cutting edge of evolution on our planet. One can make a strong case that it's actually the cutting edge
     of the evolution of intelligence in general, because there's no indication that it's occurred anywhere else.”


Kurzweil is more than a futurist who sits around and thinks. He is a computer scientist and inventor who has been on the forefront of pushing technology into the artificial intelligence era. Among his many accomplishments, he developed the technology behind the first flatbed scanner, he is a leading expert in speech recognition, and was the inventor of the first print-to-speech synthesizer. When his “speech-to-reading machine for the blind” was launched in 1976, it was credited by scientists as being the first device to successfully use artificial intelligence. He has many other credits in the fields of music and medicine … and a thirty-year track record in accurate predictions regarding technology.


● Stephen Hawking (1942 - 2018), recognized as one of the most brilliant minds of the century, was a British theoretical physicist whose theory of exploding black holes drew upon both relativity theory and quantum mechanics. His groundbreaking work in physics and cosmology and his books helped to make science accessible to everyone.
     “It's clearly possible for a something to acquire higher intelligence than its ancestors: we evolved to be smarter than
     our ape-like ancestors, and Einstein was smarter than his parents.
”


Hawking, among other top scientists, spoke out in 2014 about the possible dangers of artificial intelligence (including AGI), which he reiterated at a technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2017. Speaking on the topic of Artificial General Intelligence, he stated:
     "Success in creating AI (AGI) would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last,
     unless we learn how to avoid the risks."
He warned about a time in the future which this technology would be
     "Outsmarting financial markets, out-inventing human researchers, out-manipulating human leaders, and developing
     weapons we  cannot even understand. We cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by AI, or ignored by it and
     sidelined, or conceivably destroyed by it."


● Kevin Kelly (1952 – present), Editor, publisher, writer, conservationist and co-founder of Wired Magazine, defines the singularity as:
     “The Singularity is the point at which “all the change in the last million years will be superseded by the change
     in the next five minutes.”


● John Smart (1960 - to present), technology foresight consultant, scholar, educator, and systems theorist in global processes of evolution, writes that in 20 to 140 years, depending on which expert you agree with:
     "The ever-increasing rate of technological change in our local environment is expected to undergo a permanent
     and irreversible developmental
phase change
, or technological “singularity,” becoming either: 1) fully autonomous
     in its self-development, 2) human-surpassing in its mental complexity, or 3) effectively i
nstantaneous in
     self-improvement (from our perspective).


● Sean Arnott
“The technological singularity is when our creations surpass us in our understanding of them vs their understanding of us, rendering us obsolete in the process.”

● James Martin (1933 – 2013), world-renowned futurist, computer scientist, author, lecturer and, among many other things, the largest donor in the history of Oxford University – the Oxford Martin School, defines the singularity as follows:
     "The Singularity is a break in human evolution that will be caused by the staggering speed of
     technological evolution.”

                                                                                      Photo Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_population_growth_(lin-log_scale).png
                                                                                      Graph Credit: Waldir [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

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EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
Most of us today realize that life is constantly changing due to the development of new technology … even the millennials, although they not only expect change, they demand it. It’s not cool to have last year’s Smart phone.
​

Unfortunately, many people, even very smart ones, don’t understand the pace … that change is not just happening but accelerating. I learned very quickly when I retired that being out of the profession of urban planning for four or five years  rendered my thirty-five years of experience almost useless.                     WORLD POPULATION GROWTH
​
 
As Ray Kurzweil writes, “The last 20 years are not a good guide to the next 20 years. We're doubling the paradigm shift rate, the rate of progress, every decade. This will actually match the amount of progress we made in the whole 20th century, because we've been accelerating up to this point.

The 20th century was like 25 years of change at today's rate of change. In the next 25 years we'll make four times the progress you saw in the 20th century. And we'll make 20,000 years of progress in the 21st century, which is almost a thousand times more technical change than we saw in the 20th century.”

https://www.edge.org/conversation/ray_kurzweil-the-singularity

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TECHNOLOGICAL GROWTH
​
Graph Credit: Bank of America, Merrill Lunch Global Investment Strategy, University of Chicago
Photo Source: https://hackernoon.com/are-you-ready-for-an-artificially-intelligent-future-b9df618d53b4
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ARTIFICIAL GENERAL INTELLIGENCE (AGI)
The one thing that all of this requires is the development of Artificial General Intelligence. So far, the accelerating rate of technological advances has been limited by the human brain, which hasn’t changed much in recent millennia. However, human ability to imagine and reflect on different scenarios, human obsession with linking minds, and the ever-increasing power of computers portend a future with Artificial General Intelligence and machines that are more intelligent than human beings.

In other words, intelligent machines which have the capacity to understand and learn any intellectual task a human can. Some might refer to it as a machine capable of experiencing consciousness. Today we have what is called applied or weak Artificial Intelligence: machines which can do one or two highly contained tasks much faster and more accurately than humans, but is not able to perform the full range of cognitive abilities.

Don’t relax yet. According to Wikipedia, there are at least forty organizations actively researching in AGI. China has recently announced its intent to become the AI/AGI leader in the world. Some of the applications already using AI in China are scary enough without AGI.

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LET’S RE-EXAMINE TODAY FOR HINTS OF TOMORROW ​
Whichever turns out to be the case – superintelligent machines, superintelligent humans, or a combination of machine and human superintelligence – something will happen to human society as a result of rapid technological growth.

Some of those changes are already occurring, and many of us don’t even realize the vast impact of those changes have made and will continue to make, on human affairs.

"The point at which the accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, gives the appearance of approaching some essential point in the history of the race beyond which human affairs, as we know them, could not continue." Think about this definition as you read the following. Have human affairs continued in their previous modes or are they irrevocably changed?

● Industry Utilizes Artificial Intelligence In Machines For Manufacturing
In 1961,“Unimate", an industrial robot invented by George Devol in the 1950s, became the first to work on a General Motors assembly line in New Jersey. Its responsibilities included transporting die castings from the assembly line and welding the parts on to cars – a task deemed dangerous for humans.”

https://learn.g2.com/history-of-artificial-intelligence

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                    Unimate on the Tonight Show                               Son of Unimate building automobiles  
                                                    Source of Photos: https://www.robotics.org/joseph-engelberger/unimate.cfm

Since then, the use of machines in production of goods has increased at a rapid rate. This revolution in manufacturing has had severe impacts on jobs. Although there has been job growth, new jobs created are in different and more technical fields.

● The Internet Connects Everyone In The World
​
The history of the internet is long, not in time but in complexity. A lot happened leading up to the first communication with the Interface Message Processor [computer] going live in 1969. The use of the web grew slowly in the academic and research arenas until April 30, 1993, when the European Organization for Nuclear Research [CERN] put the web into the public domain. https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/web/a20104417/www-public-domain/

                                              ▼Photo Source: pursuitist.com/older-people-internet                Photo Source: www.youthkiawaaz.com/rural-india ▼
▲Photo Source: www.cnn.com/2019/africa                                                                  ▲Photo Source: avondhupress.ie/Ireland 

● The first cell phone went on sale 35 years ago [1984] for $4,000
No one took it seriously. It was a toy or novelty for rich people. https://mashable.com/2014/03/13/first-cellphone-on-sale/
​
The Smart devices that didn’t exist or were hugely expensive twenty to thirty years ago have become essential to our life style. We can’t seem to survive without them. Out of the world’s estimated 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones. Only 4.5 billion have access to working toilets.
  
​    
                                           
▼Photo source: newsfeed.time.com/cellphone vs toliets
 ▲Photo source: https://findersfree.com/tech-internet/cell-phones-marketed-public       ​▲Photo source:www.phillymag.com/cellphones

● Today’s Hand Held Smart Phones Have More Computing Power Than ENIAC, The Computer That Sent Man To The Moon And Which Filled An 1,800 Sq. Ft. Room
                                             ▼ENIAC Computer that landed Apollo 11 - Photo Credit: US Army
                                              Photo source: www.thevintagenews.com/computer-ENIAC
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​● People Around The World Already Allow Electronic Devices To Run Their Households.
These devices turn on and off lights and appliances, provide monitoring away from home, remind us of things to do and close garage doors, Some refrigerators do our grocery lists. Those devices are capable of learning to adapt to voices and accents, to determine the things we like and dislike, etc.  None of these devices involve Artificial General Intelligence. Not yet, anyway. But consider what is happening in China.

By the way, Alexa can record what you are saying and has mistakenly misinterpreted conversation as commands. 
           Amazon Echo                   Image Credit: City of West Hollywood        Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator
​                                                        
Photo source: beverlypress.com/west-hollywood 

● China Is Positioning Itself To Be The World Leader In Artificial Intelligence And Artificial General Intelligence
“China is reversing the commonly held vision of technology as a great democratizer, bringing people more freedom and connecting them to the world. In China, it has brought control.” One of their current efforts is with face-recognition technology. Paul Mozur: 07-08-2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/08/business/china-surveillance-technology.html                          
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In some cities, Chinese Police are using face-recognition eye glasses to identify perpetrators of traffic violations and posting their pictures publicly. Fortunately, the glasses limited capability and only work well if the target doesn’t move for a few seconds. But, no doubt, Chinese scientists will figure out how to fix that, and China wants to be the world leader in Artificial General Intelligence.

Chinese Police wearing Face-recognition glasses/ Smart Powered AI glasses
Photo credit: Reuters - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/08/business/china-surveillance-technology.html


● Paintings By Robot Artist Ai-Di Brought In Over $1 Million At Her First Art Show
Ai-Di [named after the mathematician and computer pioneer Ada Lovelace] is the first realistic Artificial Intelligence humanoid robot artist. Created by British inventor and gallery owner Adian Meller, in collaboration with robotics company Engineered Arts, Ai-Da can draw from sight thanks to cameras in her eyeballs and AI algorithms created by scientists at the University of Oxford that help produce co-ordinates for her arm to create art. She uses a pencil or pen for sketches, but the plan is for Ai-Da to paint and create pottery.​                                                                 

Image Credits: Nicky Johnston          ONE OF HER PAINTINGS  ▲                               Photo source: www.asiaone.com/china-robot-news-anchor   ▲
Sources of Photos: news.artnet.com/robot-artist-ai-da    ​
         
​Another AI Humanoid Robot named Xin Xiaomeng served a TV anchorwoman on China’s Xinhua state news agency in March 2019, delivering a one minute news story with a presentation that mimicked human facial expressions and mannerisms. https://www.asiaone.com/china/chinas-xinhua-presents-news-using-robot-news-anchor 

● Medical Miracles Include Merging Machines with Man
Sounds incredible, doesn’t it. I envision draining one’s mind and consciousness into a mechanical brain or robot, sort of like siphoning gasoline out of a car. Maybe that’s what certain proponents of the singularity mean, but for now human and mechanical merging is a little less science-fiction-like.
    Artificial Limbs ▲                                   Artificial Cornea implant for eye▲          Knee replacement hardware▲  PhotoSour:en.wikipedia.org/Intraocular_lens ▲
Photo Source: Wikipedia          Photo source: www.hopkinsmedicine.org/cornea    Photo Source: orthoinfo.aaos.org/knee-replacement  
Picture
Still, it's amazing when you think about how many artificial parts can be implanted in human being. In the sense of replacing human parts with artificial ones, we’ve been merging artificial parts into humans for a while. The next big step is mind-controlled artificial limbs, which is the experiment om the photo to the left.

It may take a long time, but medicine is moving in the predicted direction.


Learning to mind-control an artificial hand
Photo source: uchicagomedicine.orgneurosciencesbrain-controlledlimbs


CONCLUSION
If or when this superintelligence comes into being, through enhancement of human intelligence or through artificial general intelligence, the event will change, for better or worse, the world we live in and life as we know it today. I also believe that although significant changings will be happening faster than ever, most human beings won't even be aware of it at the time.

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    Author R. Ann Siracusa

    Novelist, retired architect and urban planner, world traveler, quilter, owl collector, devoted wife-mother-grandmother, great-grandmother, and, according to some, wild-assed liberal.

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