Latest news with #LaurenePowellJobs
Sydney Morning Herald
21-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The man who designed the iPhone sells his secretive company in $10 billion deal
Apple shares dropped as much as 2.3 per cent in New York on Wednesday. They had been down 17 per cent this year through Tuesday's close. As part of the deal, OpenAI is paying $US5 billion in equity for io. The balance of the nearly $US6.5 billion stems from a partnership reached in the fourth quarter of last year that involved OpenAI acquiring a 23 per cent stake in io. Separately, OpenAI's startup fund also invested in Ive's company at that time. Billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs is an io backer as well, through her firm the Emerson Collective. Other investors include Sutter Hill Ventures, Thrive Capital, Maverick Capital and SV Angel. Altman doesn't have equity in io, OpenAI said. The deal is expected to be completed this summer, pending regulatory approvals. The takeover of io will provide OpenAI with about 55 hardware engineers, software developers and manufacturing experts — a team that will build what Ive and Altman expect to be a family of devices. The two executives had already been exploring some early ideas for about two years, they said. The pair expects their first device to be a truly novel type of product. 'People have an appetite for something new, which is a reflection on a sort of an unease with where we currently are,' Ive said, referring to products available today. Ive and Altman's first devices are slated to debut in 2026. When he left Apple six years ago, Ive started the firm LoveFrom, a collective of designers and engineers. The staff includes veterans of Apple's hardware and software departments, as well as friends of Ive and other collaborators. Loading He then co-founded io last year with Apple alumni Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey and Tang Tan. Hankey was Ive's successor at Apple and remained at the company until 2023, while Tan led iPhone and Apple Watch product design until 2024. Cannon worked at Apple before co-creating the once-popular email app Mailbox, which was acquired by Dropbox Inc. At io, the group set out to develop, engineer and manufacturer a collection of products for an era of artificial general intelligence — the point when technology achieves humanlike cognitive abilities. The team will now continue that mission at OpenAI, becoming a threat to the very devices that the designers helped create. That adds to the challenges of Apple, which has fallen behind its Silicon Valley peers in artificial intelligence. The company's AI platform, released last year, lacks the capabilities of rival systems and relies in part on OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot to fill in the gaps. Still, Ive and Altman don't see the iPhone disappearing anytime soon. 'In the same way that the smartphone didn't make the laptop go away, I don't think our first thing is going to make the smartphone go away,' Altman said. 'It is a totally new kind of thing.' 'The phone, as it currently is, is a remarkable general-purpose device,' Ive said, adding that people will connect with AI in 'very new ways.' OpenAI, founded a decade ago as a research organisation, became a driving force in AI with the release of ChatGPT in 2022. The company's valuation has swelled to $US300 billion, and it's looking to expand its reach through acquisitions. OpenAI is working on other transactions, such as a $US3 billion deal for AI coding software company Windsurf. OpenAI also shook up its management ranks this month, with the San Francisco-based company appointing Instacart chief Fidji Simo as the CEO of applications. She reports directly to Altman, allowing him to focus on the broader strategy. Loading Hankey, who will become an OpenAI employee along with Tan and Cannon, said that ChatGPT's debut prompted a realisation that hardware technology would have to change. 'A number of us looked at each other and said, 'This is probably the most incredible technology of our career,'' she said in an interview. While Ive and LoveFrom will remain independent, they will take over design for all of OpenAI, including its software. Altman said his first conversations with Ive weren't about hardware, but rather about how to improve the interface of ChatGPT. 'We are obviously still in the terminal phase of AI interactions,' said Altman, 40. 'We have not yet figured out what the equivalent of the graphical user interface is going to be, but we will.' LoveFrom has a number of former Apple designers who helped create the look of the Mac and iPhone operating systems, including Bas Ording, Mike Matas and Chris Wilson, Ive said. They could help redesign OpenAI's app for a new generation of consumers. LoveFrom will continue its existing relationships with customers like Ferrari and Airbnb but won't take on major new clients. The new hardware team within OpenAI will be overseen by Peter Welinder, who will report to Altman as a product vice president. Ive said ChatGPT was initially put on his radar by one of his twin sons, Charlie, and he immediately knew he had to meet Altman after using it. The new team at OpenAI will work at io's existing workspace in Jackson Square, a neighbourhood in San Francisco, and OpenAI's current offices. 'I have felt that my most important and useful work is ahead,' Ive said, adding that he's been 'training' for this moment. He compares the experience to Apple in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before the iPod and iPhone. 'I'm just really, really grateful we all found each other.' Loading Ive and Altman wouldn't elaborate on what hardware products they are working on, but they will be entering a market in its infancy. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, is perhaps the most notable maker of AI devices. It sells popular Ray-Ban smart glasses that use cameras and microphones to provide context about the surrounding environment. There have been public failures as well, such as the Humane Ai Pin and the Rabbit r1 personal assistant device. 'Those were very poor products,' said Ive, 58. 'There has been an absence of new ways of thinking expressed in products.' Tan, who was central to developing every version of the iPhone within Apple's hardware engineering department, said the new team isn't tied to a 'legacy' and will have an opportunity to 'rethink this space.' Still, actually delivering a product will take a while. 'It will be worth the wait,' Altman said. 'It's a crazy, ambitious thing to make.'
The Age
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
The man who designed the iPhone sells his secretive company in $10 billion deal
Apple shares dropped as much as 2.3 per cent in New York on Wednesday. They had been down 17 per cent this year through Tuesday's close. As part of the deal, OpenAI is paying $US5 billion in equity for io. The balance of the nearly $US6.5 billion stems from a partnership reached in the fourth quarter of last year that involved OpenAI acquiring a 23 per cent stake in io. Separately, OpenAI's startup fund also invested in Ive's company at that time. Billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs is an io backer as well, through her firm the Emerson Collective. Other investors include Sutter Hill Ventures, Thrive Capital, Maverick Capital and SV Angel. Altman doesn't have equity in io, OpenAI said. The deal is expected to be completed this summer, pending regulatory approvals. The takeover of io will provide OpenAI with about 55 hardware engineers, software developers and manufacturing experts — a team that will build what Ive and Altman expect to be a family of devices. The two executives had already been exploring some early ideas for about two years, they said. The pair expects their first device to be a truly novel type of product. 'People have an appetite for something new, which is a reflection on a sort of an unease with where we currently are,' Ive said, referring to products available today. Ive and Altman's first devices are slated to debut in 2026. When he left Apple six years ago, Ive started the firm LoveFrom, a collective of designers and engineers. The staff includes veterans of Apple's hardware and software departments, as well as friends of Ive and other collaborators. Loading He then co-founded io last year with Apple alumni Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey and Tang Tan. Hankey was Ive's successor at Apple and remained at the company until 2023, while Tan led iPhone and Apple Watch product design until 2024. Cannon worked at Apple before co-creating the once-popular email app Mailbox, which was acquired by Dropbox Inc. At io, the group set out to develop, engineer and manufacturer a collection of products for an era of artificial general intelligence — the point when technology achieves humanlike cognitive abilities. The team will now continue that mission at OpenAI, becoming a threat to the very devices that the designers helped create. That adds to the challenges of Apple, which has fallen behind its Silicon Valley peers in artificial intelligence. The company's AI platform, released last year, lacks the capabilities of rival systems and relies in part on OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot to fill in the gaps. Still, Ive and Altman don't see the iPhone disappearing anytime soon. 'In the same way that the smartphone didn't make the laptop go away, I don't think our first thing is going to make the smartphone go away,' Altman said. 'It is a totally new kind of thing.' 'The phone, as it currently is, is a remarkable general-purpose device,' Ive said, adding that people will connect with AI in 'very new ways.' OpenAI, founded a decade ago as a research organisation, became a driving force in AI with the release of ChatGPT in 2022. The company's valuation has swelled to $US300 billion, and it's looking to expand its reach through acquisitions. OpenAI is working on other transactions, such as a $US3 billion deal for AI coding software company Windsurf. OpenAI also shook up its management ranks this month, with the San Francisco-based company appointing Instacart chief Fidji Simo as the CEO of applications. She reports directly to Altman, allowing him to focus on the broader strategy. Loading Hankey, who will become an OpenAI employee along with Tan and Cannon, said that ChatGPT's debut prompted a realisation that hardware technology would have to change. 'A number of us looked at each other and said, 'This is probably the most incredible technology of our career,'' she said in an interview. While Ive and LoveFrom will remain independent, they will take over design for all of OpenAI, including its software. Altman said his first conversations with Ive weren't about hardware, but rather about how to improve the interface of ChatGPT. 'We are obviously still in the terminal phase of AI interactions,' said Altman, 40. 'We have not yet figured out what the equivalent of the graphical user interface is going to be, but we will.' LoveFrom has a number of former Apple designers who helped create the look of the Mac and iPhone operating systems, including Bas Ording, Mike Matas and Chris Wilson, Ive said. They could help redesign OpenAI's app for a new generation of consumers. LoveFrom will continue its existing relationships with customers like Ferrari and Airbnb but won't take on major new clients. The new hardware team within OpenAI will be overseen by Peter Welinder, who will report to Altman as a product vice president. Ive said ChatGPT was initially put on his radar by one of his twin sons, Charlie, and he immediately knew he had to meet Altman after using it. The new team at OpenAI will work at io's existing workspace in Jackson Square, a neighbourhood in San Francisco, and OpenAI's current offices. 'I have felt that my most important and useful work is ahead,' Ive said, adding that he's been 'training' for this moment. He compares the experience to Apple in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before the iPod and iPhone. 'I'm just really, really grateful we all found each other.' Loading Ive and Altman wouldn't elaborate on what hardware products they are working on, but they will be entering a market in its infancy. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, is perhaps the most notable maker of AI devices. It sells popular Ray-Ban smart glasses that use cameras and microphones to provide context about the surrounding environment. There have been public failures as well, such as the Humane Ai Pin and the Rabbit r1 personal assistant device. 'Those were very poor products,' said Ive, 58. 'There has been an absence of new ways of thinking expressed in products.' Tan, who was central to developing every version of the iPhone within Apple's hardware engineering department, said the new team isn't tied to a 'legacy' and will have an opportunity to 'rethink this space.' Still, actually delivering a product will take a while. 'It will be worth the wait,' Altman said. 'It's a crazy, ambitious thing to make.'
Forbes
18-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Forbes
The Most Underrated Neighborhoods To Visit In San Francisco
The Presidio is a former military post in San Francisco, California, now managed by The National Park Service. (Photo by) My mother moved to San Francisco from Los Angeles not long ago, and it's inspiring everyone I know. Five years after my father passed, my mom accepted an offer to move into the downstairs apartment of her childhood best friend's house in leafy, lovely Presidio Heights. It's a bold new adventure. Mom's making friends, discovering new restaurants, taking yoga classes. She bought herself an Apple watch and a cool denim jacket. She's ride-sharing all over town. And here's the thing: She's 87. What's good for her is great for me. Since she relocated, I've gotten to explore a new city and phenomenal new-to-me neighborhoods. The Presidio, Presidio Heights and adjacent Pacific Heights are among the most walkable, elegant, and quietly dazzling neighborhoods in San Francisco—where wooded trails and laid-back chic meet old-money refinement. It's worth a visit just to stroll the three-block stretch of Broadway between Lyon and Divisadero Streets known as 'Billionaire's Row,' whose residents include Oracle founder Larry Ellison, Sting, and Steve Jobs' widow, Laurene Powell Jobs. Every time I visit, I'm awestruck by the views, the architecture, and the distinct city magic that defines the hills and parks in my mom's new hood. Here's a quick guide to the best places to eat, shop, stay, and wander The Presidio and Pacific Heights—whether you're 37, 87, or somewhere in between. The Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California on a sunny day, with Saint Dominic's Catholic church visible in the foreground (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) My mother's downstairs studio is delightful, but we can't all stay there. And while both Presidio Heights and Pacific Heights are solidly residential, there are a handful of standout hotels that offer something rare, especially for San Francisco: a little calm just beyond the city's clamor. The Lodge at the Presidio is a 42-room retreat nestled inside 1,500-acre Presidio National Park & Tunnel Tops. The lodge occupies a former Army barracks, with fire pits, rocking chairs, and postcard-worthy views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Its 22-room sister property, the Inn at the Presidio, is cozier, with wood-burning fireplaces and a front porch that feels more like a country estate than a San Francisco hotel. For a more polished, hilltop experience, Hotel Drisco in Pacific Heights offers old-world elegance with champagne breakfasts and a house-car to whisk you around. With 49 rooms in Pacific Heights, the Laurel Inn feels like a neighborhood pied-a-terre. For something stylish, low-key, and perfectly situated, I highly recommend The Laurel Inn—a mid-century modern retreat on the edge of Pacific Heights, with big windows, quiet rooms, and just enough retro charm — fresh-baked cookies! — to make you feel like it's your own neighborhood pied-a-terre (although, full disclosure: it's a JDV by Hyatt property). My mother's friend and 'roomie,' Barbara, a longtime neighborhood resident, recommends The Laurel to all her visitors, since the hotel is within easy walking distance of the neighborhood's best bakeries, shops and restaurants. Open since 1984, Mandalay is a neighborhood institution in Presidio Heights, with nods from Michelin and the James Beard Foundation. Presidio Heights and Pacific Heights are less touristy than many spots in San Francisco but there are tons of dining options, from atmospheric cafes to white-linen charmers. Our go-to for Burmese—and favorite lunch with mom—is Mandalay, a neighborhood institution since 1984 with a loyal local following and nods from Michelin and the James Beard Foundation. It's friendly, bustling, and deeply satisfying. Order the tea leaf salad and the pumpkin pork stew. A few blocks away, Magic Flute Garden Ristorante feels plucked from another time in the best way. There's a glass conservatory, a patio draped in greenery, and a crowd that's one part ladies-who-lunch, one part neighborhood regulars celebrating birthdays. The pasta is delicious, and if you go twice, the staff will likely remember you. Spruce is a Presidio Heights fine-dining spot that reminds you you're steps from those mansions on 'Billionaire's Row.' But they also have one of the city's most raved-about burgers. Just down the hill, B. Patisserie is a must for kouign-amann, those crackly, caramelized Breton pastries that made pastry chef Belinda Leong a citywide legend. The French bakery Arsicaut always had a line down the street for what many say are San Francisco's finest croissants and pains au chocolate. If you're walking through the Presidio itself, Colibri Mexican Bistro inside the Officers' Club is worth the stop for mole, mezcal, and stunning views of the Main Post lawn. It's a lovely place to land after a long loop through the eucalyptus groves or the new Tunnel Tops park. Start with a walk. Pacific Heights and The Presidio have some one of the most walkable corners of San Francisco, and the best way to see the area is on foot. Begin at the Lyon Street Steps, a cascading, flower-lined staircase that runs from Pacific Heights into the Presidio. The views of rooftops, treetops, and (if the fog cooperates) the Bay are nothing short of cinematic. You'll see locals treating the steep streets and stairways as both gym and photo op. From there, stroll west through the Presidio's winding trails and woodlands, or head north toward Tunnel Tops, the new public park perched above Crissy Field, where landscaped trails lead you to food trucks and skyline views. I love the out-of-time quality in the Presidio itself. For a dose of cultural history, visit the Walt Disney Family Museum, tucked into a quiet stretch of the park, or stop by the historic Officers' Club, one of the oldest buildings in the city and a surprisingly Zen space to explore California's early history. On sunny days, it's nice to pack a blanket and wander into Lovers' Lane, a peaceful, tree-canopied path originally used by soldiers traveling between posts. In Pacific Heights, merely walking the neighborhood is an architectural tour. I never get tired of 'Billionaire's Row,' where the homes look like something out of Edith Wharton (and sometimes, Dwell; you can quickly figure out new tech money from old gold). A few blocks away, Alta Plaza Park is one of the best-kept picnic spot secrets in town, with terraced lawns, tennis courts, and wide-open views over the Marina. Sacramento Street is lined with mostly non-chain stores and boutiques, independent booksellers, and home décor shops. There's always something delicious to sample at The Epicurean Trader. You can browse textiles at March, or just wander and window-shop this sublime corner of San Fransisco, and maybe say yes to a denim jacket of your own.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Liberal billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs hosts activists, media execs for 2024 election failure summit: report
Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire owner of The Atlantic, hosted "activists and left-leaning media members" last week to discuss "how the left's well-funded digital media ecosystem failed in the 2024 election," according to a new report. "After months of licking their wounds and reflecting on how they lost the internet, Democratic strategists and politically-aligned digital creators are privately planning their next steps," Semafor's Max Tani wrote, citing "three people with knowledge of the event." Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple visionary Steve Jobs and one of the wealthiest people on earth, owns the Emerson Collective, which purchased a majority of The Atlantic in 2017. Last year, The New York Times reported that she is one of former Vice President Kamala Harris' "most essential confidantes." Kamala Harris' Billionaire Friend Laurene Powell Jobs Owns Liberal Mag Behind 'Widely Disputed' Trump Report Tara McGowan, whose Courier Newsroom has long been tied to a multibillion-dollar left-wing dark money operation and often runs "news stories" that appear to be little more than Democratic Party talking points, briefed participants. So did executives at Crooked Media, a company founded by former Obama administration staffers, according to Semafor. "The summit was also an opportunity to connect several of the party's prominent financial supporters with some of the liberal media organizations that are positioning themselves as vessels to help liberals regain digital ground they've lost to the right in recent years," Tani wrote. Read On The Fox News App State and Local Political Affairs for Emerson Collective director Ben Wessel, Catalis executive Laura Quinn and Soros Fund Management investor Michael Del Nin were also reportedly in attendance. "Democrats have been on a monthslong party-wide effort to figure out how to regain credibility in digital, or at least develop their own network of friendly pundits and creators outside legacy media who can effectively deliver their message," Tani wrote. "In the months since the election, Democrats have been beating themselves up over how they went from online dominance in the Obama era to playing catch-up; the online right is resurgent, especially in the podcast space, where many Americans now get their information and news," he added. "The initial shock of the presidential loss has been heightened by other frustrations among Democrats at their party's superficially slow and unsatisfying response to Trump and Musk's shock-and awe-changes to the federal government." Liberal, Dark-money-funded Courier Newsroom Targets Battleground States' Voters With Democratic Talking Points Billed As News The Atlantic did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Powell Jobs, who was married to Steve Jobs from 1991 until his death in 2011 and paid roughly $70 million for the most expensive home in San Francisco last year, opened her wallet to unsuccessfully help elect Harris while urging others to do the same. Fortune also put a recent spotlight on the close friendship between Powell Jobs and Harris last year with a piece that called the Atlantic honcho one of the vice president's "biggest bankrollers." Powell Jobs has openly donated to a plethora of high-profile Democrats over the years, including Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Barbara Boxer, Andrew Cuomo, Gavin Newsom, Beto O'Rourke, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tammy Duckworth, Dianne Feinstein, Elizabeth Warren, Kathleen Hochul, Cory Booker, Andrew Gillum, Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi, in addition to Harris, and groups such as Planned Parenthood, according to Open article source: Liberal billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs hosts activists, media execs for 2024 election failure summit: report
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Reverence for the sacred waters of the Ganga and belief in its power to wash away sins bring millions to India's Maha Kumbh festival
Millions of people have been visiting Prayagraj, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, to take part in the Maha Kumbh festival – a six-week-long event that began on Jan. 13, 2025. Called the world's largest religious gathering, the event has already drawn 148 million people. Attendance is expected to exceed 400 million by the time it ends on Feb. 26, and surging crowds have already claimed dozens of lives at the sacred site. Attendees range from Indian business tycoons and members of parliament to social media personages, film stars and celebrities, including the philanthropist billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, who is a member of an ashram in Prayagraj. As a historian of the Ganga and its ecology, I am captivated by the enduring power of unwavering devotion that continues to drive pilgrims to this sacred site, despite the dangers posed by surging crowds and the spread of contagion. At least 30 people have been trampled to death and 60 have been injured in the stampede that followed this year. Ritual bathing at the confluence of large rivers has always had a special significance in Hindu rituals. Of such places, the Sangam, or confluence, at the city of Prayagraj is the most revered because this is where the rivers Ganga and Yamuna meet with the fabled Saraswati, also known as the goddess of learning and the arts – the unseen, mythical river that flows underneath. Hindus believe that bathing at the pilgrimage of Prayag has the power to wash away every sin known to humankind. The Kumbh festival is named after the celestial pitcher or 'kumbha' that held the much coveted 'amrita,' the nectar of immortality. In Hindu mythology, during what is known as the Age of Truth, the powerful clans of the asuras (demons) and devas (gods) fiercely battled over the source of eternal life. The cosmic ocean then was filled with milk, which they churned to draw out the nectar that would make them immortal. According to mythology, the asuras succeeded in the beginning, but their exertions disturbed Vasuki, the coiled, eternal snake at the Earth's core, releasing a deadly poison that threatened to destroy the heavens. When the turn of the devas came, nectar was finally released from the depths of the netherworld. They drank the elixir and defeated the asuras. During this epic battle, four drops of the nectar fell to the Earth in places that are held scared. Two are cities in present-day northern India, Haridwar and Prayag, and two in central India, Nashik and Ujjain – all located along meeting points of rivers. The festival of the Kumbh also marks the 12-year orbital circuit of the planet Jupiter, or Brihaspati, the harbinger of good fortune and wealth. The present gathering commemorates the Maha Kumbh, or 'Great' Kumbh, which is an exceptionally rare and auspicious event that takes place once every 144 years, following the completion of 12 regular Kumbh cycles. This sacred gathering is celebrated exclusively at Prayag. A gathering of this immense scale presents a monumental challenge for local and national authorities, testing their ability to coordinate the arrival and departure of hundreds of millions of people and housing them in thousands of tents in a city that is assembled just for the few weeks of the gathering. It serves as a showcase of the nation's organizational prowess while striving to preserve the sanctity of this ancient festival. Not only have sandbags been laid for miles along the banks where pilgrims are congregating, local authorities have deployed 2,760 CCTV cameras to keep track of the throngs, prevent stampedes and prevent families from being separated. The 2025 event has been dubbed the first digital Maha Kumbh, where police and volunteers are using artificial intelligence-based software to locate missing people and deliver emergency alerts during unexpected crowd surges. They have also installed underwater drones to monitor bathers and prevent drowning. The state government allocated US$765 million (64 billion rupees) for infrastructure and support of police, medical staff and ambulances. Despite extensive preparations, the early rush for a bathing spot in the Ganga spiraled out of control just before dawn on Jan. 26 and many people were trampled. Such tragedies are not new to the Kumbh gathering. During the 1954 Kumbh, a much more devastating stampede resulted in the deaths of nearly 800 people. A melee at the train station during the 2013 Kumbh killed 36 people. Over the centuries, countless pilgrims have bathed and prayed in the Ganga, driven by the enduring belief that its waters possess the power to cleanse the spirit and cure diseases. However, throngs of people wading into the Ganga often stoked the dread of infection and disease. In the latter half of the 19th century, during the heyday of British colonial rule, administrative officials considered mass ritual bathing at festivals such as Kumbh a great threat to public sanitation and hygiene and a potential source of cholera outbreaks. The colonial empire grew increasingly concerned after the number of pilgrims arriving in Prayag rose exponentially after the advent of the railways in the 1860s. Despite such fears, barring isolated episodes of cholera – the last one being in 1906, attributed to pilgrims drinking water from polluted pools – there has been little evidence of a major epidemic at the Kumbh in recorded history. Faith in the river's purity has also been emboldened by research on high levels of oxygenation of the river water from algae and concentrations of the bacteriophage virus in the Ganga's shallow pools, capable of eliminating harmful bacteria like E. coli. The magnificent celebration of the Kumbh and the enduring reverence for the sacred waters of the Ganga reflect a live connection to both myth and history across the great subcontinent of India. For the millions of pilgrims who bathe in the sacred waters, it is a continuation of the enduring belief in healing and spiritual redemption, both in this life and the next. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Sudipta Sen, University of California, Davis Read more: The Black librarian who rewrote the rules of power, gender and passing as white Shaligrams, the sacred fossils that have been worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists for over 2,000 years, are becoming rarer because of climate change For Native Americans, a river is more than a 'person,' it is also a sacred place Sudipta Sen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
