Wed 15 May 2024 3 min of reading by Eddy S.

In a continuous effort to optimize and balance the Ethereum network, Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, recently proposed a new protocol improvement, known as EIP-7706. This proposal aims to introduce a new type of crypto transaction fee, specifically for transaction data, or calldata, which are essential for executing smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain.

EIP-7706 suggests adding a new type of crypto transaction that would provide distinct values for the maximum base fees (max_basefee) and priority fees (priority_fee) in the form of a vector. This vector would include values for execution gas, blob gas, and calldata gas, thus offering a more granular and potentially more efficient fee structure.

The proposal also seeks to modify the basefee adjustment to use the same mechanism for all three types of gas. This would simplify the basefee adjustment rules and ensure that the more robust mathematical properties of the new basefee adjustment algorithm of EIP-4844 cover all gas types.

This initiative could represent a significant advancement in the management of transaction costs on Ethereum, especially at a time when high gas fees are a major concern for crypto users and developers. By separating calldata fees from other gas types, EIP-7706 could offer greater flexibility and efficiency, allowing users to better manage their gas expenses and developers to design more cost-effective smart contracts.

The impact of this proposal, if adopted, could be considerable. It could not only reduce costs for end-users but also improve the overall scalability of the network by optimizing gas usage. This demonstrates the continuous commitment of the Ethereum community to innovate and enhance the user experience while maintaining the security and decentralization of the crypto network.

EIP-7706 by Vitalik Buterin is a bold step toward better resource management on Ethereum. It reflects the spirit of innovation that characterizes the Ethereum community and could mark a turning point in the way crypto transactions and smart contracts are handled on the blockchain.

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Le monde volue et l'adaptation est la meilleure arme pour survivre dans cet univers ondoyant. Community manager crypto la base, je m'intresse tout ce qui touche de prs ou de loin la blockchain et ses drivs. Dans l'optique de partager mon exprience et de faire connatre un domaine qui me passionne, rien de mieux que de rdiger des articles informatifs et dcontracts la fois.

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.

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Crypto: Vitalik redefines gas fees with Ethereum EIP-7706! - Cointribune EN

(Beyond Pesticides, May 1, 2024) According to a new analysis by Consumer Reports, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Summary has once again failed to accurately portray the safety of some of the most commonly sold fruits and vegetables in the United States. A review of seven years of PDP data show that 20% of the foods tested pose a high risk to the public and 12 specific commodities are so dangerous that children or pregnant people should not eat more than one serving per day, according to Consumer Reports analysis. Consumer Reports contend that U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) pesticide residue tolerances are too lenient. To better evaluate potential health risks associated with various foods, Consumer Reports applied stricter residue limits than the EPA tolerances (see here for CRs analytical methodology). Notably, USDA certified organic food products are not permitted to be produced with the pesticides identified by the report. Pesticide residues found in organic, with rare exception, are a function of the off-target chemical-intensive agriculture pollution through pesticide drift, water contamination, or background soil residues.

The Consumer Reports results fly in the face of the rosy outlook reported by the USDA in its 2022 PDP Annual Summary, which found that 99% of the fruits and vegetables the agency tested had residues below the established [EPA] tolerances. Agencies typically point to acceptable or legal residues as protective of health and the environment, despite potential adverse effects associated with inadequate assessment of health outcomes, such as endocrine disruption, vulnerable population groups, exposure to mixtures and synergistic interactions, and more.

Beyond Pesticides reported in February that EPAs methodology for calculating acceptable levels of pesticides in food has long been criticized as inadequate. Scientists at Consumer Reports note that EPAs calculations of tolerable levels of pesticides in food are at least 10 times higher than they should be to adequately ensure the health and safety of the public and the countrys ecosystems. According to Consumer Reports, EPA has never applied the tenfold safety factor to certain pesticides required as by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 to protect vulnerable populations. [Readers and the public can reference Beyond Pesticides database Eating with a Conscience, which identifies the multiple pesticides that can be used on individual crops and the resulting exposures not only to consumers, but to farmworkers, farmers, neighboring communities, and the environment.]

Michael Hansen, PhD, senior scientist at Consumer Reports, states, The way the EPA assesses pesticide risk doesnt reflect cutting-edge science and cant account for all the ways the chemicals might affect peoples health, especially given that people are often exposed to multiple pesticides at a time.

To ensure the most up-to-date information, the list of pesticides to which the tenfold safety factor is applied by Consumer Reports is based on the latest scientific findings in the Endocrine Disruption Exchange, a database maintained by TEDX, a nonprofit research institute that uses publicly available scientific research to identify chemicals with at least one study demonstrating endocrine-disrupting properties. The tenfold safety factor is also applied by Consumer Reports to the list of endocrine disruptors identified by the European Commission. Consumer Reports analysis not only applies the tenfold safety factor to appropriate chemicals, but it also calculates the relative risk of each food based on the average amount, frequency, and number of pesticide residues found on each food type, and the relative potential of the pesticide to negatively affect human health. Together, this information was used to develop a ranking system from Very Low Risk to Very High Risk.

Of the 59 fruits and vegetables included in the analysis, which includes data from 2016-2024, 22 foods are identified as Moderate Risk or higher, including seven that were Very High Risk. This is based on data analyzed from nearly 30,000 samples taken between 2016-2024. With this methodology, it is advisable that some people limit their food consumption to no more than one-half serving per day for many commonly eaten vegetables, such as bell peppers, blueberries, potatoes, and strawberries.

Watermelon and green beans were identified as some of the highest risk foods. Watermelon carries a small but serious risk of contamination with oxamyl, a highly toxic insecticide. [See Beyond Pesticides Gateway on Pesticides here]. Similarly, while only four percent of domestically grown green beans from chemical-intensive agriculture tested positive for the insecticide acephate or one of its breakdown products, the levels found were up to 100 times higher than considered acceptable by Consumer Reports scientists. Perhaps more alarming is the fact that acephate has been illegal for use in green bean cultivation since 2011. (See here for Beyond Pesticides coverage.)

Consumer Reports analysis highlights the inadequacy of the PDP to adequately convey the potentially serious impacts of continuing to use toxic pesticides in the production of food. Beyond Pesticides has reported on the misleading nature of the PDP annual summary and how certain mainstream organizations, such as Blue Book Services/Produce, cover the annual update by reinforcing USDAs depiction of pesticide exposure in produce as safe.

USDAs PDP and EPAs risk assessment measures fail to account for vulnerable subpopulations, such as farmworkers, people with compromised health or preexisting health conditions, and children (see here and here). Beyond the residues of pesticides in and on food, exposure to pesticides used in crop production results in disproportionate risk and harm to farmworkers, their families (including children who are working as farmworkers), and fence line communities living near farms. [See here for coverage of a January 2024 report led by Nathan Donley, PhD, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity and Robert Bullard, PhD, executive director of the Robert D. Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University in Houston].

Similarly, the PDP Annual Report also fails to adequately promote the benefits of organically grown produce. Consumer Reports found that nearly all organically grown food tested had low or very low pesticide risk and only spinach and potatoes posed a moderate risk among domestically grown varieties. Beyond Pesticides notes, organic food products have been found to have zero contact with pesticides unless due to pesticide drift from other farming operations.

Consumer Reports first began reviewing PDP data and presenting its own analysis in 2020. Since then, it has recommended that the public eat an organic diet whenever possible and has advocated for change in how pesticides are used and regulated. Not only is the production of organic food better for human health and the environment than chemical-intensive production, but emerging science reveals also what organic advocates have been saying for a long timein addition to lacking the toxic residues of conventional foods, organic food is more nutritious.

A study published by The Organic Center reveals that organic food is higher in certain key areas, such as total antioxidant capacity, total polyphenols, and two key flavonoids, quercetin and kaempferol, all of which are nutritionally significant (read a summary in the Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog). Another study published in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry looked specifically at the total phenolic content of marionberries, strawberries, and corn, and found that organically grown products contained higher total phenolics. Phenolics are important for plant health (defense against insects and diseases), and human health for their potent antioxidant activity and wide range of pharmacologic properties including anticancer, antioxidant, and platelet aggregation inhibition activity. For more on the health benefits of organic agriculture, see here.

Organic agricultural practices, which reject the use of harmful pesticides, are capable of the benefits the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial is demonstrating. Not only does organic food remove the risk of ingesting toxic chemicals, it eliminates the risk posed to farmworkers and the environment. Such practices protect human and animal health, and support functional ecosystems and biodiversity. Widespread adoption of organic and certified organic regenerative agriculture can also lift human agro-activity out of its current chemical dead-end. The public has an important role to play in this transition: learn more about organic agriculture, advocate for it, and vote for organics by creating market demand for organic food.

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.

Sources:

Produce Without Pesticides, Consumer Reports, April 18, 2024 6 Fruits and Vegetables Loaded With Pesticides, Consumer Reports, April 18, 2024 Consumer Reports recently conducted its most comprehensive review of pesticides in 59 US fruits and vegetables, The Guardian, April 18, 2024 Healthy or high risk? New analysis warns of pesticide residues on some fruits and veggies, New Lede, April 18, 2024 Agricultural Justice, Beyond Pesticides website Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management, Beyond Pesticides website

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Pesticide Residues in Food Do Not Tell the Full Story on Hazards and the Importance of Organic - Beyond Pesticides

We live in a world where uncertainty and change abound, while rapid technological advancement ironically both expands and inhibits human connection. While several of these advancements have improved the state of the world to some degree, the negative consequences have humans facing an increasing lack of community, isolation from nature and one another, rootlessness, and disconnection from self. Mental health issues are at an all-time high, loneliness has been called a world epidemic, distraction reigns, and stress is an unwelcome frequent visitor for an increasingly disillusioned population.

In response to many of the challenges posed in modern society, which are often at odds with both human nature and the natural world (see: sitting stationary at ones desk working at a computer screen for 8 hours), a new generation is looking to ancient wisdom to provide an antidote. The past several years have seen a hopeful movement looking to indigenous practices to help solve some of the worlds biggest environmental and social problems. Described by research agency Wunderman Thompson as the Indigenous Innovation trend, this revival of ancient practices draws upon the ability of indigenous cultures to maintain balance with nature and instill a sense of community, purpose, rootedness, physical strength, and mental equilibrium to individuals.

Kinam a physical practice based on ancient prehispanic Toltec wisdom has recently gained popularity in Mexico, illuminating a path towards a more balanced and mindful existence. While Toltec mental and spiritual philosophy has previously been popularized through the teachings of authors like Don Miguel Ruiz, the physical practice of Kinam allows for a comprehensive, movement-based system that integrates bodily, emotional, and spiritual development. Kinam has drawn in individuals around the world seeking personal growth, mindfulness, physical embodiment, and deeper connection.

The Toltecs were an advanced Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico between the 10th and 12th centuries AD, before the Mayans and Aztecs. Predating Yoga, the practice of power postures now referred to as Kinam was based on psychophysical techniques created by the Toltec shamans of ancient Mexico.

These techniques emerged based on the shamans unique perspective on the world, space, and time, centered on the belief that the world was not a set of objects in space-time as we understand it, but rather a perceptual effect. The shamans believed that to understand this reality in greater depth, it was necessary to balance four factors: body, mind, emotions and vital energy. The balance between these allows practitioners to gain access to the extraordinary capabilities to live in a higher state of consciousness. In response, the shamans created power postures and the arts of meditation, recapitulation, dreaming, and self-vigilance.

The renaissance of these practices is attributed to over 20 years of research by anthropologist Frank Diaz, and is the result of an amalgamation of Diazs archaeological study of thousands of Toltec sculptures, codices, and murals, indicating different postures, along with oral traditions gathered from indigenous communities who have passed down knowledge & variations of the practice. More recently, additional documentation of the Toltec practices was gathered from 16th and 17th-century archives found in Sevilla, Spain, gathered from Spanish conquistadors.

Despite the fascinating breadth of academic research, the Toltec teachings are ultimately understood best through practice. Recognizing the positive impact of applying these academic findings to physical practice, former principal dancer Alejandra Cobo and Pilates expert Ana Delia Benito, together with Frank Diaz, with the support of Fundacin Dond, established the Kinam Institute to bring this ancient knowledge to the world. The Kinam practice, based on Toltec balance and power postures, incorporates modern techniques of functional movement and dance, and uses psychophysical exercises to help practitioners find center, balance, and fluidity.

The positive impact of power postures on mental states has been widely researched and documented in recent years. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy suggests that adopting power poses can influence not only how others perceive us but also how we perceive ourselves. According to her research, assuming high-power poses for just a few minutes can lead to increased feelings of power and confidence, as well as changes in hormone levels associated with dominance and stress reduction.

Through the practice of postures, physical movements, manual exercises, meditation, sleep training, and breathing techniques inspired by pre-Hispanic sources, Kinam seeks to promote integral harmony and a deeper rootedness. Kinam emphasizes the importance of transitioning between postures, organizing practices into challenges, series, and sequences, and providing variations based on individual capabilities.

The physical Kinam practice begins by acknowledging the cardinal directions, a nod to the Toltecs deep reverence for the natural world. From there, practitioners move through a series of postures and exercises designed to cultivate a sense of centeredness, balance, and fluidity both physically and energetically.

Each posture represents a stage of life, explains co-founder Ana Delia Benito. This is represented through their symbolism and meaning. For example, Sprout Pose, with its depiction of a sprouting seed, symbolizes rebirth and enlightenment, which can be associated with growth and development in a persons life. The Root Posture, with its connection to the practitioners own experience and congruence, reflects the ability to incorporate achievements and learning into daily life. The Arrow Pose, with its symbolism of attention and perception, could represent a stage of focus and mental clarity. By exercising these postures, practitioners exercise their abilities to call upon these states in real life.

A key aspect of the Kinam practice is its incorporation of sleep and dreaming techniques. In Kinams symbolic framework, conscious dreaming, known as ensueo, plays a central role in training the practitioners nahual their capacity for empowered action represented as vital energy. By applying willpower and intention to the dream state, Kinam teaches practitioners to command their dreams, develop focus, and the ability to plant seeds of transformation from the realm of the subconscious.

Through these conscious/awakened dreaming practices, or ensoar as Kinam calls them, individuals can project their nahual, renew their vitality, and actively utilize the time spent sleeping, rather than passively accepting it. The texts emphasize that ensueo is not merely another dream, but a transformative state of consciousness that can lead to ecstatic experiences and a profound reconnection with the creative essence of existence. By mastering techniques like controlled dreaming, hand symbolism, and the management of emotional challenges, Kinam practitioners seek to unlock deeper layers of awareness and spiritual growth through the practice of conscious, intentional dreaming.

While the practice of Kinam offers a practical psychophysical way of interacting with the world and oneself, it also incorporates an exploration of energy work. With principles similar to chakra centers, Kinam implements practices to shift energy within the body, such as transforming or moving stagnant energy to revitalize and motivate. Furthermore, by engaging in static positions that compress certain glands to induce specific, focused perceptual states, Kinam allows practitioners to access states of consciousness outside of our normal purview. Through these techniques, we can expand other faculties of humanity, including perception of the often hidden or unseen aspects of reality says Benito.

Toltec is a way of being, says Ana Delia Benito. We can all be Toltec.

Whether youre seeking to deepen your own physical, emotional, and spiritual practice, or are a teacher looking to expand your offerings, Kinam presents an intriguing opportunity to reconnect with ancient Toltec wisdom in a modern context.

Kinam is for anyone interested in reconnecting with their physical body, vital energy, and internal wisdom, the Kinam Institute states, as well as teachers of practices such as Yoga, Chik kung, and functional training, who wish to complement their teaching.

While Kinam has enjoyed a spread throughout world cities from Mexico City to Los Angeles, in Mexico, classes are offered at Agoralucis in Polanco, Mexico City, as well as online through the studio. The Instituto Kinam also offers a six-module certification program, enabling you to become a Kinam practitioner and train others.

In a world that often feels disconnected and out of balance, the revival of Toltec practices like Kinam offers a powerful antidote. By reconnecting with ancient wisdom, Kinam provides a holistic path toward greater harmony, embodiment, spiritual growth, and awakened capabilities. As we navigate the challenges of modern life, the Toltec way of Kinam stands as a beacon, guiding us back to a more balanced and mindful existence.

Monica Belot is a writer, researcher, strategist and adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she teaches in the Strategic Design & Management Program. Splitting her time between NYC and Mexico City, where she resides with her naughty silver labrador puppy Atlas, Monica writes about topics spanning everything from the human experience to travel and design research. Follow her varied scribbles on Medium at https://medium.com/@monicabelot.

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Kinam: The Toltec 'yoga' taking Mexico by storm - Mexico News Daily

Recently, I found myself in Atlanta, Georgia, for several days and I knew that a visit to Waffle House was in my future. Its not difficult to find one since theyre as plentiful as pizza places in New York City. As of February 2024, there were 1,986 Waffle Houses in the United States and 439 of them or 22% are in Georgia. Viral videos of late night food fight shenanigans and wiseacre waitresses add to the appeal. Theyre open 24-hours a day, 365 days a year and I wonder how anyone keeps track of the front door key since the place is literally never locked. The Federal Emergency Management Agency even coined the term Waffle House Index because the restaurant is known to stay open during even the worst of bad weather. If a Waffle House is closed because of a hurricane, batten down the hatches, because its serious.

I found a Waffle House within walking distance of where I was staying and made my way to breakfast. Its only my third visit to the iconic eatery and I looked forward to it. Walking in, the bright fluorescent glow of lights greeted me as did the manager who looked younger than the Birkenstocks in my closet back home. Sit anywhere you want, he said, his voice cracking with youth.

I seated myself at a booth and Ms. Carol approached me with a menu. Her name tag said she had been with Waffle House for four years, but shes been of this earth much, much longer. She called me "sweetie" and reminded me of every waitress who worked at Mels Diner on Alice all rolled into one. When I ordered a Coca-Cola instead of coffee, her eyes narrowed as if to understand what kind of person she was dealing with. She took my order of scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese grits, and a biscuit and returned shortly with a Coke that was in a glass big enough to take a bath in. Minutes later, I watched another customer come in and ask the boy-manager which section was Ms. Carols and she proceeded to sit at the counter directly across from my booth. She was greeted warmly by our waitress who said, The usual? I longed to be a regular of Ms. Carol.

My food arrived and I was only slightly disappointed to see that cheese grits at Waffle House is just a half slice of American cheese haphazardly tossed onto the top of the bowl of grits. What was I expecting, Parmesan and fontina? I stirred it in and ate my breakfast as I watched Ms. Carol interact with her customers. It was like dinner and a show.

Staring at me wont make me move any faster.

Ms. Carol

Another man came in and sat down at the counter and immediately began looking for a server. His head was spinning around so much he looked like the girl in The Exorcist. He locked eyes on Ms. Carol who was wiping down another section of the counter. His impatience was palpable. She slowly looked up at him and then said something that filled my own longtime server's heart with joy: Staring at me wont make me move any faster.

She had a half smile on her face that made me think she was being funny, but one eyebrow raised that made it clear she was serious. It was a delicate balance of both. The man realized his place and Ms. Carol finished what she was doing before going up to him. I dont know if he too was a regular, but it was clear that she was the one in charge. This was the Waffle House energy I wanted.

Some servers might have shriveled at that mans menacing gaze, but Ms. Carol understood that he needed her just as much as she needed him. Respect is a two-way street and she made sure he knew it.

It was now raining outside and when Ms. Carol cleared my plate I told her I was going to have to wait a bit until the rain slowed down since I had walked. Stay as long as you want, hon. You want another Coke? I declined the offer since I had already consumed more than enough. It soon stopped raining, I tipped 40% and went on my way. Those cheese grits really stuck with me, but not as much as Ms. Carol.

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Waffle House Waitresses Are the Life Coaches We All Need - Food & Wine

At what point will we declare that quantum technologies are no longer emerging, but have fully arrived? Whatever the breakthrough is that signals the tipping point, legal frameworks are not yet ready to handle the impacts of widespread quantum computing on people, societies and the rights they hold. Recent developments in the artificial intelligence (AI) policy space provide a useful roadmap for anticipating the evolution of policy approaches for regulating quantum technologies and the universe of risks they will bring with them.

Yet, as with AI, the risks are still under examined. Though we know that they will emanate from the ways in which quantum computing will amplify existing technologiessuch as AI and surveillance it is also clear they will stem from brand new capabilities, like breaking all current encryption or the application of quantum sensing (which will bring the ability to see through barriers, around corners, and potentially into the body or mind). This paper aims to shine a light on these risks, as well as the practical steps that can be taken today to address them.

The widespread release of generative AI models and applications in 2023 sent shockwaves through popular culture and signaled to world leaders and policymakers that the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) outstripped many of our existing risk management frameworks. It triggered an unprecedented wave of new efforts to plug the gaps, including The Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, The Voluntary Commitments from Leading Artificial Intelligence Companies, The Bletchley Declaration, The Hiroshima Process, and the UN Advisory Body on AI Interim Report on Governing AI for Humanity, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, and the EU AI Act, as well as the forthcoming Council of Europes Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.

Stakeholders point out that the fourth-quarter rush to better govern AI parallels the pace of efforts to govern social media and the digital economy. They continue to urge policymakers to act with greater speed to safeguard against AI risks, including stronger application of existing human rights frameworks to manage AI risks. The wait-and-see approach to regulation is only justifiable when the benefits of innovation are clear and the risks are low, ill-defined or under examined. However, quantum computing, particularly in conjunction with AI, has many foreseeable dangers. Hard won lessons from recent tech policy history show us how critical it is for policymakers to safeguard quantum technologies before they are more widely deployed and accessible.

The risks that over-regulation can stifle innovation and cause technological leaders among nations, like the US, to be less competitive in a complicated geopolitical environment are real, and policy recommendations must balance these considerations. Considering quantum regulation now provides an opportunity to develop forward-looking, intentional policy frameworks that better balance the need for innovation with the need to safeguard human rights. Now is the time to begin these conversations before yet another Pandora opens a box of societal ills.

IBM, the United States foremost quantum developer, estimates that by 2030 the full power of quantum computing will be unlocked. If the companys estimates are accurate, there could be as little as six years to build the international consensus needed to establish guardrails for responsible and rights-respecting quantum computing, including updated standards for cryptography. If the past is precedent, it will take time for the global community to coalesce around approaches for integrating key human rights principles into innovation-friendly risk management frameworks for quantum, and it will take even longer for new and updated standards to be implemented. For example, in 2022 the Biden Administrations National Security Memorandum 10 on Promoting United States Leadership in Quantum Computing While Mitigating Risks to Vulnerable Cryptographic Systems, establishes 2035 as the date by which US Government entities should achieve a timely and equitable transition to quantum resistant cryptography to mitigate as much risk as possible. The time to start building consensus is now. What risks should policymakers and companies prioritize and what can be done to manage them?

To underscore the urgency of preventative policy action, we present three concrete examples of the potential dangers posed by quantum computing if we fail to take precautionary steps now. These three risks are among the most nearterm issues the world will confront as quantum technologies are deployed for everyday use: encryption breaking quantum computing, the pairing of quantum technologies with artificial intelligence for digital repression, and the application of quantum technologies to make thoughts legible to external observers (also known as mind reading).

First, a quick overview of what quantum technologies mean at this moment in time. In their groundbreaking 2021 book Law and Policy for the Quantum Age, Chris Jay Hoofnagle and Simson L. Garfinkel outline three areas in which quantum information science (QIS) will have the biggest nearterm impacts on nation states, decisionmakers (including investors), and individuals lives. Those areas are: quantum sensing, quantum computing, and quantum communications, which are defined below. The authors highlight that the nexus of these QIS sectors present a number of potential civil and political rights implications that existing policy frameworks do not yet address. Fundamental human rights standards can and will eventually be applied to prevent and address the application of QIS technologies in harmful ways. However, the slow, halting application of such standards in the social media and AI spaces, often in the wake of avoidable tragedies, teaches us that additional international consensus is required to better define and guide how human rights shape technology governance. The absence of fit-for-purpose frameworks enables bad or negligent actors to take advantage of the gray space to societys collective detriment.

For many readers, QIS technologies are likely not yet well known. Here are some basics:

While we are focused on the potential human rights risks that could result from more generally accessible quantum technologies, human-rights based risk frameworks can and should be developed to consider the broader range of risks relating to the application of QIS technologies across the tech stack and across all sectors of society, industry and national defense. This article outlines some of the most troubling risks, largely outside of the national security context, and suggests potential policy approaches that policymakers can prioritize in the coming decade.

In this age of hyper-connectivity, the sanctity of personal information underpins not only individual privacy but also the pillars of national security and global diplomacy. This sanctity is often secured by RSA encryption. In basic terms, RSA encryption involves two keys: a public key, which can be shared with everyone, and a private key, which is kept secret. When a message is sent, it is encrypted using the recipient's public key. This encrypted message can only be decrypted with the corresponding private key. The security of RSA stems from the fact that, while it's relatively easy to multiply two large prime numbers together to create a product, it's extremely difficult to do the reversethat is, to start with the product and find the original prime numbers. This one-way function is what makes RSA encryption among our most robust data privacy protections. The greatest supercomputers on the planet today would take millions of years to break this code. A seemingly invincible algorithm will meet its match, though, in the coming age of quantum computing.

Quantum computers are uniquely advantaged in solving this problem due to their fundamentally different approach to processing information. Qubits within a quantum computer exist in multiple states at once, in stark contrast to the binary nature of traditional bits. Quantum programs such as Shors Factoring Algorithm take advantage of this property in order to test an array of potential factors in the public key all at once. This fundamental distinction and other qualities allow these devices to determine the correct factors much faster than traditional computers. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could cut the time needed to decode RSA encryption from eons to minutes.

Some experts hold that RSAs demise is a distant problem, given the current capabilities of quantum computers. While we are still jumping the technological hurdle of scaling quantum devices, and although Shors algorithm is computationally taxing, recent research such as that by NYU researcher Oded Regev may bring about quantum code-breaking much sooner than we once thought. Given the rapidly changing quantum landscape, with new research constantly being published, the uncertain timeline for these algorithms is all the more reason to be prepared.

The threats that this development poses to our data infrastructure are glaringly obvious. In addition to threatening the security of government secrets and citizens private information, an RSA breach could have significant human rights implications. Consider the nature of end to end encryption over messaging services that use RSA encryption such as Skype, Apple iMessage and Telegram. These tools provide human rights defenders and activists with a means of communication that is less vulnerable to unwarranted surveillance practices, enabling them to avoid arrest or detention for exercising protected civil and political rights. As quantum computers extend encryption breaking capabilities to repressive regimes, human rights defenders will become easy targets for government surveillance and repression. Repressive regimes may already be collecting currently uncrackable message contents in hopes they may be readable down the road using a Harvest Now, Decrypt Later methodology, a scenario that has already prompted some tech firms to act.

Adopting post-quantum cryptography will be logistically challenging and resource intensive, but it is an issue we must address urgently. The path is clear: establish a more forward-looking quantum policy agenda that mandates the overhaul of our encryption standards and software to elevate the use of algorithms that are safe against classical and quantum computation. The United States has already taken decisive action in this area. In 2022 the Biden Administrations National Security Memorandum 10 on Promoting United States Leadership in Quantum Computing While Mitigating Risks to Vulnerable Cryptographic Systems established 2035 as the date by which US Government entities should achieve a timely and equitable transition to quantum resistant cryptography to mitigate as much risk as possible. To support implementation of NSM-10, the US is developing standards for post-quantum encryption methods through The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which has already selected four quantum-proof encryption algorithms.

The development and integration of these standards into software and hardware requires concerted efforts from manufacturers and developers, including rigorous security and interoperability testing. Moreover, the update of critical infrastructure and services must be prioritized to uphold security and trust. Regulatory adjustments by governments to foster or enforce the adoption of these new encryption standards are essential, alongside public education initiatives to highlight the importance of embracing these updates for enhanced security. Continuous research and adaptation are imperative to counteract evolving cyber threats and technological innovations, effectively future-proofing encryption methods. The degree to which new standards are implemented depends upon the availability of sufficient resources to convert encryption systems. Those resources will only be made available if government and private sector stakeholders are sufficiently aware of impending risks and motivated to prioritize often scarce resources.

Academics, policymakers and civil society groups have raised alarm bells in recent years to draw attention to the risks posed by the misuse of technology, including artificial intelligence, to repress political opposition, surveil activists and control populations. As authoritarian (and some democratic) regimes increasingly harness technology to repress the public and retain or expand power, threats to fundamental civil and political rights are growing. While policymakers currently have their hands full developing human rights frameworks and safeguarding tools to better identify and manage the risks of artificial intelligence, advances in QIS will not wait. As human rights and technology scholar Vivek Krishnamurthy warns us, Quantum technologies may not yet be at the level of development where their potential impacts can be examined in detail. Even so, now is the time for the [quantum science and technology] and human rights communities to begin a dialogue to prepare for the deployment and commercialization of these technologies in a rights-respecting manner.

While many unknowns remain, there are a number of risks that are more foreseeable, as described below. Is there a way to shape evolving AI risk management frameworks to account for the additional impacts of AI combined with quantum technologies? For example, guardrails that mitigate the risks of AI-powered data fusion and social scoring would go a long way to mitigating the compounded impacts when AI is combined with quantum technologies. In addition to building upon the policy roadmap provided by AI governance frameworks in the future, is it possible to embed additional, quantum-facing risk management measures now?

AI is already being used by autocratic governments to better track political opposition and activists, and to coerce support for autocratic regimes through denial of needed government services. As noted in the 2020 Senate Foreign Relations Committee report on the use of surveillance and big data analytics in the Peoples Republic of China, artificial intelligence, facial recognition technologies, biometrics, surveillance cameras, and big data analytics [are being used] to profile and categorize individuals quickly, track movements, predict activities, and preemptively take action against those considered a threat in both the real world and online. Through big data analytics, algorithms conglomerate personal data and surveillance data surrounding ones behavior, activities, and social interactions in order to track or even score individuals. This process requires the analysis of a huge amount of data, which is challenging for classical computers on a massive scale, but ideal for quantum systems. Quantum computers ability to handle vast amounts of data at high speeds will enable disturbingly sophisticated and invasive analysis of personal behaviors and social interactions. This increased computational power allows for the real-time monitoring and scoring of individuals on a more granular level, super-sizing tactics for authoritarian control and surveillance.

As alluded to above, real-time remote biometric surveillance equipment creates the capacity to track individuals. Digital identification and centralized databases for this information create the potential for governments and for-profit enterprises to misuse such systems to monitor individuals through the use of big data analytics. Artificial intelligence can make sense of this data in order to create profiles of citizens which aim to distinguish one person from another based on collected biometric information. The Carnegie Council estimates that over 100 US cities are currently using data fusion technologies to track individuals through doorbell cameras, license plate readers, digital utility meters, street cameras, and GPS technologies, in a way that can create extensive individual profiles. Data fusion is defined as bringing data points together to create a swarm of information that can reveal a great deal about a traceable individual. The Carnegie Councils Data Fusion Mapping Tool provides an overview of the impacts of data fusion on the exercise of civil liberties in the US and highlights the risks of allowing data fusion to be used in jurisdictions without adequate due process or other risk mitigation measures.

AI-powered data fusion is not yet universally used. Now is the time to consider the implications of a super-sized universal data fusion capacity powered by quantum computing technology. Quantum-powered data fusion could make it impossible for an individual to evade tracking due to the power to process massive amounts of data pulled from unlimited public or private sector sources. Quantum computers will further expand the ability of surveillance systems to recognize your gait across millions of hours of surveillance footage, single out your voice from an audio recording of a crowded room, or identify you from the cadence of your keystrokes, without needing to read the text you send. Whether moving through city streets, participating in protest, or simply enjoying the supposed solitude of open spaces, the shadow of surveillance looms large, with quantum-enhanced systems capable of sifting through the haystack of data to pinpoint the needle of an individual identity with astonishing precision. In short, the birth of quantum computing may signal the death of anonymity.

Due to their ability to analyze huge data sets and recognize patterns or deviations from those patterns, quantum computers detect anomalies far more effectively than do classical computers. When fed surveillance data regarding the behavior of an individual, a future quantum computer would have the power to determine if that behavior deviates from their usual conduct, and ascertain what future actions will likely stem from this abnormality. Human rights concerns arise if and when this technology is applied for the purpose of predictive policing. Detaining or questioning individuals based on predicted future actions blurs the line between potential and actual wrongdoing. If left unchecked, this predictive technology could be used to further erode the line between intent to potentially commit a crime and the criminal act itself.

Lawmakers are working to enact safeguards needed to address risks that can result from the application of artificial intelligence for certain uses and in certain contexts. For example, the EU AI Act will prohibit social scoring, certain applications of predictive policing, and remote biometric identification for law enforcement purposes in public settings. There is not yet global consensus supporting prohibition of these uses of AI, and there are clear concerns that such prohibitions will stifle innovation or constrain law enforcement. The fact remains that international consensus for innovation-friendly AI safeguards are urgently needed before the riskiest use cases outlined above become commonly accepted practice. Such guidelines, many of which are under development by the United Nations, OECD (in multiple papers), and other international bodies, will provide an invaluable roadmap for launching similar efforts to constrain the misuse of quantum-based technologies for digital repression.

Beyond the policy realm, are companies taking up the challenge to design, develop and deploy QIS in ways that protects us from extreme misuse cases? If QIS is deployed in tandem with data-driven AI technologies, then the biases and inaccuracies that can emerge from AI applications would be substantially scaled beyond what we see today. How will existing algorithmic bias audits or similar safeguards be tweaked to consider the potential impacts of the quantum age? What role can regulation play in prompting companies to take such steps without stifling innovation or hampering law enforcement? How can we advance such efforts now, before pandora opens the box? And perhaps most urgently, can we apply a quantum lens to the development of AI governance frameworks today that may help us mitigate tomorrows risks?

We are already living in a time when machines are capable of translating your brain activity, as seen through an MRI, into words. Your very thoughts are now legible. Surveillance cameras are similarly trained to register your emotionsthis is a form of emotional AI, which companies are already using to improve targeted sales. Do you have the right not to have your mind or emotions read? This is a question we will need to resolve before quantum computing amplifies the capabilities of mentally intrusive technologies.

Quantum computers are likely to further amplify the power that classical computers already have to identify patterns and correlations in MRI brain scan images that classical computers cannot. Consider again the question of arrests made possible by quantum computing. Is a quantum powered lie detector testone using an MRI machine and a sufficiently powerful quantum AI algorithm, instead of a heart rate monitoradmissible in court? To take it a step further, is intent to commit a crime, if recognized through the power of a quantum mind-reader, grounds for legal intervention? And what guardrails would be required to ensure that the data sets upon which such algorithms are based are free from bias and inaccuracy? While these applications of quantum computing are more speculative than the inferences made above, they are potentially more urgent given the degree of possible harm and the absence of targeted human-rights frameworks or safeguards.

Critical questions about the limits of brain legibility do not appear to be at the forefront of most AI policy conversations, which leads one to conclude they will be similarly sidelined in future engagements on the intersection of human rights and quantum computing. Policies that establish human rights-based neurological safeguards are still underdeveloped. Now is the time to better define them. While we are far from an international consensus, one initial effort to define neurorights identified five categories that could be helpful in considering the impact of quantum-powered brain legibility. Those rights are: the right to mental privacy so that our brain data cannot be used without our consent; the right to free will, so we can make decisions without neuro technological influence, the right to personal identity so that technology cannot change our sense of self, the right to protection from discrimination based on brain data, and not least, the right to equal access to neural augmentation. International policy conversations outlining the application of human rights in this context are urgently needed and long overdue. It is unclear whether the neurorights discussion will attract global attention. Fortunately, policymakers have a wealth of existing human rights to consider in connection with emerging quantum mind-reading risks, including the right to bodily integrity that protects autonomy over ones body.

It is too early to identify the full range of potential impacts that QIS technologies may have on individuals and societies. However, experience establishing safeguards in connection with the internet, social media and artificial intelligence shows how difficult it can be to erect risk management efforts after economic models are entrenched or unregulated behaviors coalesce into accepted practice, regardless of their impacts. Now is the time to raise awareness of the foreseeable risks and increase research on risks that are less well understood. Increased advocacy by stakeholders from civil society, consumer protection organizations and academic institutions will help to justify allocation of the resources needed to achieve the recommendations outlined above. Financial commitments by public and private sector entities will be necessary to support a transition to quantum-ready encryption by 2035. Resources will also be needed to support policy analysts in considering if and how quantum considerations can be accommodated in todays AI risk management frameworks. And perhaps most importantly, QIS developers must allocate sufficient resources to understand the impacts that brand new capabilitieslike quantum sensingwill have on individuals and society as a whole.

The quantum computing community has a great deal to learn from recent efforts to apply the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights to generative AI models and applications. Such efforts provide a roadmap for better weaving human rights-based enterprise risk management approaches to govern QIS for governments and businesses alike. QIS stakeholders are fortunate to have an opportunity to build upon the evolving international consensus being hammered out now for AI.

The risk quantum computing poses to RSA encryption is already well understood, and NIST has established important guidelines for bringing encryption standards into the quantum age. However, as noted above, this shift will require significant policy support and even public funding to ensure that the pace of transition matches evolving quantum capabilities.

While world leaders and policymakers have their hands full addressing the most urgent AI-related risks, parallel questions in the QIS space will become increasingly urgent as we near 2030. Bandwidth among policymakers in the technology space is more limited than ever, and one can argue that regulating quantum risks should take a backseat when compared with the urgency of present day impacts of AI. While the risks may be years awaythey will also be significant. This moment offers an important opportunity for the legions of organizations, think tanks and academics who moved quickly to respond to evolving risks of generative AI to now turn their attention to the QIS horizon. This is the time to prepare the same level of thoroughly researched, insightful and practical recommendations for innovation-friendly QIS risk management that will enable policymakers and companies to take action beforeglobal society becomes a real-time testbed for identifying QIS impacts.

This article represents the opinions of the authors and in no way reflects the position of the United States Government or USAID. Thanks go to Stanley Byers, Chris Doten and Paul Nelson for their contributions to this article.

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Are We Ready for the Quantum Age? Preparing for the Risks of Quantum Technologies with Rights-Respecting Policy ... - Tech Policy Press

Clearwater Brings Best-In-Class Solution to Stable Value Fund Holders

BOISE, Idaho, February 29, 2024Clearwater Analytics(NYSE: CWAN), a leading provider of SaaS-based investment management, accounting, reporting, and analytics solutions, today announced its Clearwater for Stable Value solution has been selected by T. Rowe Price to support the global investment management firms growing stable value fund business.

Clearwater for Stable Value will provide T. Rowe Price with a comprehensive technology solution designed specifically for stable value investment operations. The solution is purpose-built to address the complex needs of stable value funds, including the creation of custom trade tickets for investment contract issuers and other third-parties which will enable T. Rowe Price to enhance their stable value technology with a single SaaS solution that offers their front-office and back-office teams access to the same reconciled investment data each day.

Clearwater for Stable Value is the technology that will allow us to advance our stable value fund operations and support our continued business growth, said Antonio Tony Luna, Head of Stable Asset Management at T. Rowe Price. Clearwater has an innovative solution for the stable value industry that we believe will provide accurate, timely data. We are excited to further our partnership with Clearwater.

With Clearwater for Stable Value, T. Rowe Price will benefit from an enhanced view of market and contract value, accounting, external manager data, crediting rate calculations, and streamlined contract issuer trade documents.

We are delighted to extend our partnership with T. Rowe Price through Clearwater for Stable Value, said Scott Erickson, Chief Revenue Officer at Clearwater Analytics. As an industry leader, T. Rowe Price was looking for a trusted technology partner that could address the unique requirements of stable value investment operations. Clearwateris dedicated to transforming investing for our clients, and were confident Clearwater for Stable Value sets a high standard for effective stable value fund operations.

To learn more about Clearwater Analytics,speak to an experttoday.

About Clearwater Analytics

Clearwater Analytics (NYSE: CWAN), a global, industry-leading SaaS solution, automates the entire investment lifecycle. With a single instance, multi-tenant architecture, Clearwater offers award-winning investment portfolio planning, performance reporting, data aggregation, reconciliation, accounting, compliance, risk, and order management. Each day, leading insurers, asset managers, corporations, and governments use Clearwaters trusted data to drive efficient, scalable investing on more than $7.3 trillion in assets spanning traditional and alternative asset types.Additional information about Clearwater can be found atclearwateranalytics.com.

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Clearwater Analytics Selected by T. Rowe Price to Power Stable Value Investment Operations - Traders Magazine

People with chronic lower back pain who start practicing yoga may see their symptoms improve, even if they mostly practice from the comfort of home.

In a small study, researchers offered 10 women with chronic lower back pain a series of eight yoga classes over four weeks. While the first session was in person, the rest were all offered online.

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Scientists also measured muscle activity in the spine which is often reduced or absent in people with chronic back pain and found this increased significantly by the end of the study.

Taken together, these findings suggest that yoga may help improve muscle function and reduce pain perception in people with low back pain. It was interesting to show the role that yoga might play in the management of chronic back pain, study coauthor Alessandro de Sire, MD, of the Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro in Italy, said in astatement.

Because all of the people with back pain in the study did the same yoga routines, its hard to say whether this type of exercise might be more or less effective for relieving symptoms than other types of interventions.

Another drawback of the study is that participants were ages 40 and younger and excluded if they had any medical issues known to cause back pain. This makes it hard to say whether or not yoga might have similar benefits for older adults or for individuals with conditions like stenosis or arthritis that can cause back pain.

However, there are many benefits of practicing yoga and focusing on breathing during poses, saysLauren Elson, MD, an instructor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and director of dance medicine at Spaulding Rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham.

Many of the controlled breathing techniques and yoga helped to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, says Dr. Elson, who wasnt involved in the new study. Besides causing muscle relaxation, this causes a relaxation response in the body.

This can reduce pain levels, decrease anxiety, and improve overall feelings of well-being, Elson adds. Depending on the yoga pose, the core may be strengthened or the muscles may be activated or stretched, which can help improve flexibility and mobility.

People with back pain who experience discomfort with certain movements may need to avoid yoga poses that force them to move in these ways, Elson notes. For example, some people may need to avoid poses that require bending forward or sitting on the floor if this exacerbates back pain. But many people with back pain should still be able to practice yoga as long as they steer clear of poses that trigger their pain.

If you can breathe, you can do yoga, Elson says. That being said, if someone has a preexisting condition, they would likely benefit from guidance from a physical therapist who is well-versed in the different types of yoga, or a yoga teacher who understands their specific diagnosis.

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Practicing Yoga at Home Could Cut Lower Back Pain in Half - Everyday Health

The first Bitcoin exchange-traded funds could launch as soon as next week, but the fee wars between the likes of Fidelity Investments and Invesco have already begun.

Those companies for the first time are detailing in federal filings their planned fees for some of the most anticipated funds in history. The filings show that while the launch of ETFs could end up bolstering the coins, they arent likely to be a bonanza for the companies offering them, at least in the near term.

Fidelity, for example, in a filing on Friday said its Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund will charge merely 0.39% annually in expense fees. Invesco and crypto firm Galaxy, which seek to launch the Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF, said their fund plans to charge 0.59%, though the fee will be waived for six months on the first $5 billion in assets. Other would-be contenders, including Bitwise Asset Management and BlackRock havent yet said in their filings what their funds will charge, and the proposed fees could change before launch in any case.

A BlackRock spokeswoman and a Bitwise spokeswoman each declined to comment.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to soon give the green light to launch funds that hold spot Bitcoin. Funds that hold Bitcoin futures, like ProShares Bitcoin Strategy, have existed since 2021. The agency for years denied such spot Bitcoin applications, but an appellate court last year said the SECs rejection of one such bid was arbitrary and capricious.

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Though the SEC could come up with another reason for rejecting the funds, agency staff have asked potential sponsors for filing updates and other information that would seem to indicate approvals are imminent.

The SEC declined to comment.

Some analysts estimate that the launch of the funds could bring tens of billions of dollars into Bitcoin, as some financial advisors get an easy way to access the cryptocurrency for the first time. On Tuesday, Bitcoins price broke through $45,000 powered in part by anticipation of the ETFs.

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But even if that ends up being the case, it isnt looking like the funds will be an immediate windfall for their sponsors.

Right now, the largest Bitcoin fund is the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, operated by Grayscale Investments with $26 billion under management. The trust trades like a closed-end fund with price that can deviate from the value of the coins it holds. While the discount had been as steep as 50% in 2022, on Friday it was merely 8%.

The Grayscale funds annual fee right now is 2% of its assets, or about $520 million at current prices.

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Grayscale hasnt said what the fund will charge if it converts. A spokeswoman said only that the company is committed to lowering the fee upon approval.

Out of the starting gate, the Grayscales fund will likely have better liquidity than other contenders, meaning tighter bid/ask spreads for rapid traders who care less about annual expense ratios.

Still, given Fidelity and Invescos disclosures, it is already safe to conclude that the Bitcoin funds wont be a cash cow. At Fidelitys expense ratio, for example, Grayscales $26 billion fund would only yield $101 million in fees, before taking into account the expenses of running the fund.

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Even if the assets under management of the total Bitcoin ETF space were to be double the size of the Grayscale fund, a 0.39% fee would represent only about 1% of the $17.8 billion in revenues that analysts estimate BlackRock earned in 2023. And thats at the starting gate, before fund companies start undercutting one another.

The potential saving grace for fund companies and Bitcoin investors is that some analysts predict the ETF launches could drive prices much higher.

Analysts for Bernstein Research in a note on Tuesday said the coins market cap could more than triple to $3 trillion by mid-2025.

Our only message from the outlook report is BUY THE DIP. And every dip the market offers in 2024, wrote the analysts, led by Gautam Chhugani.

Write to Joe Light at joe.light@barrons.com

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Bitcoin ETFs Are Almost Here. The Fee War Is Already Heating Up. - Barron's

Cubas President Sets 2024 as Year of Territorial Decentralization

In a recent announcement, Cubas President, Miguel Daz-Canel, has set a goal for 2024 to advance in the decentralization of powers at the territorial level. This move seeks to bolster local capacities by using the resources and strengths inherent to each territory, as well as to strengthen work systems and productivity in municipalities. Decentralization is seen as a way to optimize management and sustainable development, allowing greater autonomy and response capacity to the specific needs of each region. With this measure, Daz-Canel is directing municipalities to exploit their endogenous potentialities and develop faculties that allow them to be more self-sufficient and efficient in their management.

(Read Also: Cubas Law No. 143: A Modern Approach to Criminal Justice)

In spite of the efforts of the government and related institutions, Cuba faces challenges in agricultural production and food security. There is an urgent need to organize local food systems to achieve food sovereignty and security. High prices of agricultural products and the impact of hurricanes on crops compound these issues. The program for urban, suburban, and family agriculture in Cuba is a focal point, highlighting its history, current situation, and challenges. The resurgence of potato cultivation in the province of Holgun, using agroecological techniques, is noteworthy.

The provincial governments of Cienfuegos and Las Tunas accounted for their management before the National Assembly of Peoples Power, detailing the operation of the main economic and social development programs in both territories during 2023. Measures to dynamize the national economy, improve healthcare and education sectors from the perspective of workers income, and the implementation of Law 143, Of the Criminal Process, were discussed. The implementation of the Family Code was also evaluated.

(Read Also: Rethinking Agriculture: Challenges, Innovations, and the Future)

The Horticultural Research Institute Liliana Dimitrova in the Mayabeque province is working on a project to reproduce aromatic plant species in Cuba, with the goal of replacing imports. They have successfully adapted 13 varieties of aromatic plants to the Cuban climate and are working on ensuring a high-quality product through good agricultural practices and proper processing. The institute aims to serve as an example for the rest of the country in this regard.

From 2024, Cuba will implement a series of socio-economic measures that will, according to President Miguel Daz-Canel, make a necessary leap in the economy. The National Assembly of Peoples Power of Cuba assessed the implementation of the Family Code positively, though recognizing there are paths to travel in its instrumentation. President Daz-Canel emphasized the importance of municipal assemblies playing a more active role in social prevention and attention strategies in communities. Cuba is currently working on modifications of the legal framework for micro, small, and medium enterprises (Mypimes) on the island, two years after the first norms to regulate their activities were approved.

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Cuba's Decentralization Plans: Aiming for Local Autonomy by 2024 - BNN Breaking