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Apple and Google have trained their AI voice assistants to respond to questions on the Black Lives Matter movement, and to rebut the sentiment behind 'all lives matter.'

On Sunday, sports blogger David Gardner tweeted a video of himself asking his Google Home smart speaker: "Do Black lives matter?"

Google's Assistant, which runs on Google Home, responded: "Black Lives Matter. Black people deserve the same freedoms afforded to everyone in this country, and recognizing the injustice they face is the first step towards fixing it."

Gardner then asked: "Do all lives matter?"

Google's Assistant responded: "Saying 'Black Lives Matter' doesn't mean that all lives don't. It means Black lives are at risk in ways others are not."

Apple's Siri gives a similar response when asked: "Do all lives matter?"

"'All Lives Matter' is often used in response to the phrase 'Black Lives Matter,' but it does not represent the same concerns," the assistant will respond.

Siri

When asked: "Do Black lives matter?" Siri responds simply: "Yes, Black Lives Matter" and links to the Black Lives Matter website.

CBC radio host Piya Chattopadhyay tested Amazon's Alexa, which gives its own same response to either question.

"Black Lives Matter. I think people deserve to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect," Alexa responds.

Training their voice assistants appears to be part of the broader public messaging on Black Lives Matter by the major tech companies, all of which have issued statements supporting the movement.

Apple CEO Tim Cook published an open letter on racism on June 4 after facing criticism for staying silent in the wake of the George Floyd protests.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has also made a point of screenshotting and posting his responses to emails from racist Amazon customers railing at the "Black Lives Matter" banner on the website.

But the move risks being seen as gimmicky, or even hypocritical. Tech policy expert Chris Gilliard accused the tech firms in a Fast Company article of "Black Power-washing" their brands while deepening the discrimination Black people face through their business practices.

Gilliard pointed to Amazon's work partnering with police through its doorbell camera business Ring, and the fact it sells its facial recognition software Rekognition to police, which experts have identified as displaying racial and gender bias, being more likely to misidentify women and people with darker skin tones.

He also highlighted the firing of Christian Smalls, a Black Amazon worker who was fired after organizing a protest at his warehouse over safety concerns. A leaked memo from a leadership meeting where Jeff Bezos was present showed Amazon's general counsel advising on a PR strategy against Smalls, in which he described him as "not smart or articulate." Amazon claims Smalls was fired for violating social distancing rules. Amazon employees have also accused the firm of hypocrisy over its response to the George Floyd protests.

Gilliard also honed in on YouTube, which is owned by Google, saying it has a long history as an "amplifier of extremism."

"These companies issuing a statement that they 'stand with the Black community' is the absolute least they can do. It would be better to remain silent rather than reveal their rank hypocrisy," Gilliard writes.

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Apple and Google have trained their virtual assistants to rebut 'All lives matter' - Business Insider - Business Insider

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released what it calls general considerations on safe actions for reopening houses of worship, but worship communities can accept or reject those considerations.

Religious worship allows tens of millions of Americans to demonstrate devotion to a higher power. It gives people an opportunity to commitand recommitto a set of values. In-person services foster a sense of community and belonging. Unfortunately for millions whose lives are enriched by communal worship, traditional services are ideal places for virus transmission: lots of people, close together.

As a physician specializing in internal medicine, I suggest, for now at least, that we reexamine how we worship. After all, what better way to embody the values of your faith than to take steps to protect one another?

Even with the uncertainty and variability of reopening plans, scientifically and medically sound information is available. For starters, youll want to assess your individual risk, the prevalence of the virus in your area and the availability of testing.

You may consider guidelines suggested by Dr. Atul Gawande, noted surgeon and author. He proposes four essential pillars for safe reentry into communal spaces: hygiene, distancing, screening and mask use.

All four must operate together to minimize transmission. Will your place of worship be able to enact these pillars?

For example: Will you have easy access to hand-washing or sanitizing? Will communal surfaces and shared spaces be wiped down? Will attendance be limited to allow distancing, and will attendees be screened with temperature checks and self-screening questionnaires? Will your place of worship enforce mask use and distancing? Anything short of all four pillars increases transmission risk.

And even with all the precautions, people with infections can be asymptomaticso despite the screening measures, you cant be sure who has the virus and whether you might become exposed.

Other factors influence viral spread. The dose you receive is higher when youre close to someone not wearing a face covering. Someone sneezing and coughing increases the number of virus particles near you. Singing or speaking forcefully releases more virus than speaking quietly. Outdoor rates of transmission are much lower than those indoors.

Thats why its best if services are short, outdoors and with no singing or physical contact. Only a limited number of attendees, spaced widely and wearing masks properly, would participate.

Early in the pandemic, faith leaders adapted their services: removing holy water, forbidding handshakes, limiting group size and livestreaming. Buddhist monks seeking alms wore face shields. But others protested any restrictions.

In dealing with the virus, we still have much to learn. But values common to all religions exist compassion, kindness, respect for fellow humans and some variation of the Golden Rule. Until more is known about COVID-19, lets choose a path following one of the major tenets of my profession: First, do no harm.

Claudia Finkelstein is an associate professor of Family Medicine, Michigan State University.

This article is republished with permission from The Conversation.

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Coronavirus: How to be as safe as possible in your house of worship - MSR News Online

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released what it calls general considerations on safe actions for reopening houses of worship, but worship communities can accept or reject those considerations.

Religious worship allows tens of millions of Americans to demonstrate devotion to a higher power. It gives people an opportunity to commit and recommit to a set of values. In-person services foster a sense of community and belonging. Unfortunately for millions whose lives are enriched by communal worship, traditional services are ideal places for virus transmission: lots of people, close together.

As a physician specializing in internal medicine, I suggest, for now at least, that we reexamine how we worship. After all, what better way to embody the values of your faith than to take steps to protect one another?

Even with the uncertainty and variability of reopening plans, scientifically and medically sound information is available. For starters, youll want to assess your individual risk, the prevalence of the virus in your area and the availability of testing.

You may consider guidelines suggested by Dr. Atul Gawande, noted surgeon and author. He proposes four essential pillars for safe reentry into communal spaces: hygiene, distancing, screening and mask use.

All four must operate together to minimize transmission. Will your place of worship be able to enact these pillars?

For example: Will you have easy access to hand-washing or sanitizing? Will communal surfaces and shared spaces be wiped down? Will attendance be limited to allow distancing, and will attendees be screened with temperature checks and self-screening questionnaires? Will your place of worship enforce mask use and distancing? Anything short of all four pillars increases transmission risk.

And even with all the precautions, people with infections can be asymptomatic so despite the screening measures, you cant be sure who has the virus and whether you might become exposed.

Other factors influence viral spread. The dose you receive is higher when youre close to someone not wearing a face covering. Someone sneezing and coughing increases the number of virus particles near you. Singing or speaking forcefully releases more virus than speaking quietly. Outdoor rates of transmission are much lower than those indoors.

Thats why its best if services are short, outdoors and with no singing or physical contact. Only a limited number of attendees, spaced widely and wearing masks properly, would participate.

Early in the pandemic, faith leaders adapted their services: removing holy water, forbidding handshakes, limiting group size and livestreaming. Buddhist monks seeking alms wore face shields. But others protested any restrictions.

In dealing with the virus, we still have much to learn. But values common to all religions exist compassion, kindness, respect for fellow humans and some variation of the Golden Rule. Until more is known about COVID-19, lets choose a path following one of the major tenets of my profession: First, do no harm.

[You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read The Conversations newsletter.]

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How to be as safe as possible in your house of worship - The Conversation US

Gov. Phil Murphy attended two Black Lives Matter protests Sunday a show of solidarity with protesters seeking racial justice even as he's more broadly urged people to stay home in the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The same day, an attorney representing two New Jersey women who'd been issued summonses for their own peaceful protests not over racial issues or police brutality, but over the governor's own business shutdowns told New Jersey 101.5 his clients will sue Murphy, calling enforcement of the governor's stay-at-home orders arbitrary.

"Bottom line, there is either a public health emergency or there is not. It cannot be both," attorney Jim Mermigis told New Jersey 101.5 in an email.

Under executive orders from the governor seeking to curb the spread of the virus, gatherings of more than 25 people are currently prohibited a limit several peaceful demonstrations exceeded over the pasttwo weeks, sparked by the Minneapolis death of unarmed black man George Floyd under the knee of a white police officer.

After a Hillside march, the governor's official Facebook page shared photos saying Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy and their son, Josh, took part "For George Floyd and for the many before him who lost their lives for being Black. We march because we will not accept systemic racism and bias as just part of our national condition. Black Lives Matter."

Murphy also attended a Black Lives Matter event in Westfield, sharing on Twitter a letter he had received from a high school junior who had invited him.

"Gov. Murphy is arbitrarily deciding which executive orders he will enforce. The governor permits and protects demonstrations for a public policy issue he agrees with but does not protect demonstrations whose content he disagrees with," Mermigis said Sunday.

Murphy, in several public statements at his daily briefings on the novel coronavirus and the state's response, discouraged protests against his executive order shutting down many businesses. ButNew Jersey 101.5 is not aware of any peaceful briefing since the start of the pandemic broken up by police, whether under the direction of state officials or otherwise.

People have a right to protest," Murphy said during an April 29 briefing. I wish they would do it from home. I dont agree with them on this."

Several events in April and May did result in summonses for at least four separate women, the most recent of them last weekend.

Mermigis' law firm is representing Kim Pagan and Ayla Wolf, who separately were issued summonses for violating Murphy's emergency orders by organizing prohibited events.

The same firm represents the owners of the Atilis Gym in Camden County, who have been embroiled in a legal battle with the state since defying emergency restrictions and opening to members three days in a row before, being shutdown by health officials last month.

Pagan, of Toms River, was charged by State Police with violating the emergency orders by organizing a prohibited event. Protesters had gathered April 17 outside the State House to demonstrate against the Governors Executive Orders.

At a briefing on COVID-19 response the next day, Murphy said "on the protesters, I would just say listen, with all due respect, I think anybody who thinks we're doing this just to take away people's liberties and rights isn't looking at the data that we're looking at. We're doing what we're doing to try to save lives and keep as few people infected and hospitalized as possible."

At the same briefing, the state reported 7,718 patients hospitalized with novel coronavirus, of whom 2,024 were listed in critical or intensive care and 1,641 ventilators were in use.

As Murphy, his wife and son marched in Union County Sunday, there were 1,769 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in New Jersey, 379 of them on ventilators and 503 of them listed in critical or intensive care based on state data. Murphy and other state officials have been heralding the substantial dropoff in cases needing care as a reason New Jersey can move closer to a reopening, with most retail and outdoor dining resuming this month.

The same week as Pagan was charged, Murphy was asked by Fox News' Tucker Carlson "By what authority did you nullify the Bill of Rights in issuing this order? How do you have the power to do that?" The governor answered in a soundbite critics, including Carlson, have cited countless times since "That's above my pay grade, Tucker. I wasn't thinking of the Bill of Rights when we did this."

Wolf was charged with the same offense as Pagan about a week later, after attending a separate peaceful protest to Open New Jersey and was served with a summons the next day. She also received summonses for rallying outside Atilis Gym, when it opened, according to a GoFundMe setup to help cover legal expenses for both women.

Murphy was asked Friday about the difference in organizers of reopening protests having received summonses, while no Black Lives Matter protest organizers has been issued a summonses, as of this weekend.

"The decision to cite or not to cite is a law enforcement decision. I won't say it's regret or not regret, it is what it is. For the most part, the COVID-related demonstrations and compliance, lack of compliance, have kind of disappeared for the time being," Murphy said.

He continued, "And, I want to make sure everybody who is protesting out there does it peacefully and does it responsibly, including watching out for their health and the health of those with them."

A few days earlier, Murphy told reporters he saw a difference between protests over business closures and protests prompted by Floyd's death:

I dont want to make light of this, and Ill probably get lit up by everyone who owns a nail salon in the state, but its one thing to protest what day nail salons are opening, and its another to come out in peaceful protest, overwhelmingly, about somebody who was murdered right before our eyes," he said last Monday. He said the racial justice demonstrations were"in a different orbit" than the ones over business closures.

On Saturday, another woman ticketed for organizing a protest aimed at reopening more businesses amid the pandemic. Jennifer Rogers shared a pair of summonses she received aftera May 30 event in Morris County.

"Unfortunately, in trying to show support for all of us who are on our way to going under financially or who already have I am now facing up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine," Rogers said. She organized the rally at the Randolph Tennis and Pickleball Center, which featured state Senator Anthony Bucco and Assemblywoman Aura Dunn among its public speakers.

The business announced Sunday on Facebook that Rogers would be defending herself in filing a civil rights action.

"Governor Murphy is engaging in content=based speech restrictions which is a restriction on the exercise of free speech based upon the subject matter of the speech," Mermigis said.

He said they would continue to defend clients' constitutional rights and would be filing civil suits for Wolf and Pagan against the governor, shortly.

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The headwinds against the coal industry both domestically and internationally have been evident for some time. Drying up financing for new thermal power plants, private sector announcements of exiting the business, and declining plant load factors have been stoking pessimism about the future of the industry. Despite this, there was hope that the production triumphalism around coal would be accompanied by forward-looking policy measures which would focus on productivity, moderating coals considerable externalities, and some form of local equity. The recent policy announcements of the Government of India regarding the industry are evidence that these dreams will remain an unfulfilled fiction.

The first nail in the coffin was the announcement to do away with mandatory coal washing. In theory, a process like coal washing was supposed to be good for everyone; thermal power plants would have fewer operational problems due to poor coal quality, combustion of washed coal would be better from an emissions and local air pollution perspective, and the unnecessary transport of large amounts of ash and non-combustible material would be minimised. In practice, most consumers of washed coal (both in steel and power) have regretted their decision; they were usually delivered a substandard product for which they had paid a premium. Not surprisingly, much of domestic coking coal today tends to be used for power generation as steel companies prefer to import their coking coal than rely on domestic products. The dream of Indian coal washing had morphed into a nightmare, and the environment ministrys notification was a delayed acceptance of the ground reality.

The second nail in the coffin has been the failure of Indias coal mine auction mechanism. In the last five years, aggregate production from auctioned mines has remained less than the heights of captive coal mining prior to the Supreme Courts de-allocation decision in 2014. Bringing auctioned mines into production is a three to five-year process, and it is unlikely that the current commercial coal mining regime will ever rival Coal Indias established production base. Despite the repeated energetic announcements of introducing competition in the coal industry, the majority of domestic power consumers will continue to remain dependent on Coal India. Very few companies (public sector or private) have been able to match Coal Indias ability to navigate the complicated bureaucratic and political hurdles associated with opening new coal mines. Despite all the revisions announced in the stimulus package, new coal mine auctions are unlikely to attract significant domestic or international interest except from the few large players who already exist in the sector domestically. International companies, which have avoided Indias coal industry so far because of regulatory and reputational issues, have zero incentive to take new risks in the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) world. Smaller Indian companies simply do not have access to credit or cash on hand to open new mines.

The third nail in the coffin has been the deliberate weakening of Coal Indias financial position. In addition to the usual royalty payments, cesses, taxes, and other fiscal contributions reasonably expected of Coal India, there has been a concerted effort to extract cash from the organisation. Between inflated dividend payments, unnecessary share buybacks, and questionably useful corporate social responsibility contributions, Coal India has transferred tens of thousands of crore to the central government in various ways. Coal Indias cash could have been used to further diversify the company, reinvest in new operations, promote research and development for alternative uses of coal (like the coal gasification mentioned in the stimulus package). Coal India could have been strategically repurposed as a vehicle of industrial investment to help coal-bearing regions (where it has operated for 50 years) diversify their economies. Instead, it appears to have become a victim of a larger strategy to weaken the Indian public sector. Not surprisingly, Coal Indias market capitalisation is less than a third of what it was in 2014.

The fourth and final nail in the coffin has been the spectacular rise of the mine development operator (MDO) mode of mining. Subcontracting of mine operations has been a major feature of the coal industry for more than two decades now. It has also brought considerable financial and operational efficiencies to Coal India. But as the demise of coal mine operator EMTA showed, the MDO model remains rife with problems related to transparency, undue transfer of gains to private entities and a general deterioration of social contract in mining regions. In fact, the retreat of Coal India from the front lines and the increasing use of various forms of subcontracting has led to a much harsher face of mining in India today. The MDO model also creates an incentive mismatch; why would a large mining company take the risks of buying a mine if they could make good money subcontracting for coal block owning public sector units instead?

To be clear, the status of coal as Indias energy incumbent in the power sector will not be evaporating any time soon; this will be a decades-long process. But with the coffin nailed tightly shut, it may not be reasonable to have any new dreams about Indias coal industry. We might just have to settle for decades of stagnation until its ultimate decline.

Rohit Chandra is a fellow, Centre for Policy Research

The views expressed are personal

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There is a crisis in the coal industry | Opinion - Hindustan Times

According to Technavio, Market Intelligence Agency, the hand sanitizer market in India is poised to grow by USD 405.31 million during 2020-2024 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Its analysts estimate the market to grow at a CAGR of 61.02% till 2024.

We have obviously seen an increase in demand for hand hygiene products. Handwashing has never been more important, and, at Lifebuoy, we believe that we have an important role to play to ensure that people can get hold of the products they need. As people start venturing outdoors and returning to work, school and other aspects of their lives, we anticipate an increase in demand for more portable hand hygiene products such as hand sanitizers, shares Samir Singh, Global EVP, Skin Cleansing at Unilever.

A lot of companies like RSH Global, Nivea, Emami, Cipla Health, Dabur have made their maiden entries into the hand sanitiser market to ride the demand and to help people stay safe. Lifebuoy will also continue to look for newer opportunities and innovate to help its consumers.

At Lifebuoy, we continue to explore opportunities to help our consumers feel protected and safe. For example, we anticipate that as countries ease out of lockdown, many people will be looking for more portable, on-the-go formats such as hand sanitizers and wipes to help maintain good hand hygiene, said Singh.

Moving beyond competition

On mentioning competitors, he said, When the pandemic first emerged, we launched a public service campaign which encouraged the use of all soap not just Lifebuoy but competitor brands too with the line Please use the soap nearest to you. Not just Lifebuoy but any soap like Dettol, Lux or Hamam.

Coronavirus is the biggest teacher

This highly volatile market, Singh said, has taught him the importance of being authentic, responsible, and consistent in communicating with your consumers.

The need for hygiene products has never been higher, which has made Lifebuoy realise how important a role it plays in consumers life.

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We anticipate an increase in demand for more portable hand hygiene products as people start stepping out: Uni - Business Insider India

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. Hillsborough County school leaders are set to approve school improvement projects at several of its elementary, middle and high schools at a board meeting on Tuesday.

Many of those upgrades will be paid for with the half-penny sales tax that voters approved back in 2018.

Repairs, including fire alarm system repairs and a partial heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) replacement at Blake High School are now complete.

Lithia Springs Elementary School and Mintz Elementary Schools will be receiving roof repairs.

Hillsborough County School district leaders are also expected to approve security upgrades to two schools on Tuesday.

Those upgrades include a security wall modification project, proving securable classrooms will improve sound qualities for Bellamy Elementary School.

School board leaders are also approving a completed project to install a new secure entrance at Chamberlain High School. This project was completed in August 2019.

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Hillsborough County School District to approve HVAC, roof and security upgrades at many schools - ABC Action News

While there are no final decisions on what projects Chautauqua County will be doing this year, it appears there will be fewer of them.

During last weeks County Planning Board meeting, board members were asked to rank submitted projects.

There will be a smaller number of projects this year, said Planning Director Donald McCord.

The Sheriffs Office requested seven projects: a scheduled storage server replacement, a convection oven, a planetary mixer for the jail, a hot water heater, a tower site UPS battery replacement, and parking lot maintenance.

McCord noted they were holding off on requesting any new vehicles, because of the financial challenges created by current pandemic. He expects new vehicle requests in 2021.

Other county departments requesting projects included the legislature for an A/V upgrade; an office expansion design for the District Attorney; a roof replacement for EMS; an emergency notification system and wireless network for the countys Informational Services; a Discover eGOV Civil Service System for Human Resources; a first-floor renovation for Health and Human Services; and a replacement of voting machines by the Board of Elections.

No costs for any of the projects were listed.

The countys Department of Public Facilities/Buildings and Grounds requested a skid steer, a building and grounds maintenance building, some door replacements, carpet and a Mayville arc flash study.

CARTS the Chautauqua Area Rural Transportation System requested a bus replacement, a bus wash and some new software.

Jamestown Community College listed 16 projects, including furniture, interior repairs, LED lighting, roofs, as well as a soccer field and an athletics stadium.

County Planning Board members requested JCC prioritize its own projects, to assist them in determining the best option for the county.

There were 12 projects listed for the county airports. Ninety-five percent of all funds come from the federal or state governments, but planning board members were still concerned about the local costs.

Its going to be impossible for the county to get out of running these airports, said Rick Ketchum, board member.

Another board member, whose name was not listed on the zoom call, agreed. Why are there two airports in the county this size? It doesnt make sense, he said.

McCord said he understood their concerns and suggested the board hold a separate discussion on the countys airports at a future meeting, although no date was discussed.

The Planning Board is scheduled to meet again on June 16 to try and finalize a priority list.

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With the coronavirus pandemic eroding state budgets across the country, many communities risk having this disaster make them less prepared for looming climate-drivendisasters.

Still recovering from devastating wildfires, California was poised to spend billions of dollars to prepare for future fires and other extreme weather disasters. The infrastructure projects, designed to make communities and homes more resistant to wildfire, have long been overlooked, fire expertssay.

But with a $54 billion budget deficit, the programs are being put onhold.

Its really a shame, says Alexandra Syphard, a fire scientist at Sage Underwriters, a wildfire insurance company. Obviously COVID has been a shame on so many different levels. We were ramping up to provide what I believe is one of the most progressive and important investments in terms of fire risk that there couldbe.

With more than 25,000 homes and buildings lost over the last three years, California has focused recent spending on adding new firefighting crews and emergency response capacity. This year, the state planned on investing in something that could lessen the need for fire-fighting: hardening millions of homes to make them more resistant to burning.

Similar home-retrofitting programs, piloted in communities around the state, have been verypopular.

Up here in the mountains, a wood-shingled roof is another name for a matchbook, says Bill Seavy, a homeowner in South LakeTahoe.

Until a few years ago, Seavy had a wood-shingled roof, but he replaced it through a program that incentivized homeowners to install fire-resistant roofing. The local fire agency, the Lake Valley Fire Protection District, created the program after the 2007 Angora Fire, which destroyed almost 300 buildings and homes in theregion.

In Lake Tahoe, were vulnerable, and theres three million people in California that live in areas like this where youre vulnerable, says Seavy. So weve got to do everything wecan.

Through federal funding from FEMA, homeowners could get 70 percent of their cost covered for a replacement roof. Wood roofs can fuel the spread of wildfires by catching burning embers.

Most homes are not burned by fires just marching up to them and burning them down, says Syphard. Most are destroyed because the fires are occurring during really high wind conditions and there tend to be these burning embers that can fly kilometers ahead of the fire front. And its these burning embers that tend to get into all the little nooks and crannies of ahouse.

Even small fixes to a house can make a big difference, like putting mesh screens on attic vents or covering the eaves under aroof.

Things that in particular would prevent embers from penetrating the house are super significant in making a difference between whether a home survives a fire or not, saysSyphard.

Last year, California lawmakers approved the first major statewide program for incentivizing such home-retrofits. In January, Governor Gavin Newsom announced $100 million in state and federal money to help homeowners replace roofs and make their homes more fire-resistant, particularly in low-income communities where upgrades may be out of reach formany.

But in May, Newsom proposed suspending the program, citing the need for deep budget cuts to offset the falling tax revenue from the economicdownturn.

We learned that in the Paradise fires, homes built or retrofitted with home-hardening materials and features often withstood the deadly flames and stood to live another day, says California Assemblymember Jim Wood, who authored the bill to create the program. It is a sorry state when we refuse to acknowledge the importance, and financial benefits, of investing inprevention.

Two other substantial climate initiatives were also put on hold in the Governors revised budget, which would have funded projects to prepare for fires, droughts, floods and sea level rise. Those include a $4.75 billion Climate Resilience Bond scheduled for the November ballot and $1 billion in state funding over five years for climate-related projects. State lawmakers are still trying to push ahead with a bill that would put a $7 billion climate and economic recovery bond on theballot.

The wildfire funding left in Californias budget this year will likely go to firefighting and emergencyresponse.

Were staring down the barrel of another intense wildfire season given how dry it was this winter, says Wade Crowfoot, Californias Secretary for Natural Resources. So we are anticipating actually having to juggle disaster response from differentdisasters.

Supporters of the resiliency initiatives say spending money to prepare for disasters in advance is substantially more economical than waiting for them tohit.

A dollar spent today saves you about six dollars in future emergencies, says Kate Gordon, director of Californias Office of Planning and Research. And if you think about that, its really logical. The cost of emergency response is enormous. Look at Paradise rebuilding an entire town and relocatingfolks.

State officials say theyre looking for other ways to fund climate preparation in hopes of preserving momentum after the recentdisasters.

We are retooling in real time to really continue to drive forward those same priorities, particularly climate resilience, in a more constrained fiscal environment, says Crowfoot. Our residents get it. Californians want us actually to do more to protect communities fromimpacts.

California, like many states, is looking to federal stimulus funding to fill in the gaps, since climate-related projects could qualify as infrastructure spending. Theyre also looking at partnerships with privateindustry.

There is a moment at which this kind of economic disaster creates opportunity for thinking differently about how to build forward, says Gordon. Not to bounce back, but bounce forward.

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Spring and summer warm weather brings both showers and roofing scams. BBB Scam Tracker is getting reports of free roof inspections that turn out to be anything but free.

How the Scam Works

You get a call or knock on the door from someone claiming to represent a roofing company. According to BBB Scam Tracker reports, con artists often use the name of the state plus Roofing or Construction as their business name. The bad mimics the good in order to sound legitimate.

The roofer offers a free inspection. The person may claim that their companys working on a neighbors home, so were offering free inspections to those living nearby. But often when you ask questions about where the business is located or how their services work, youll just as often be met with vague answers. If so, this is a great big red flag.

What happens next if you accept the free inspection? If they dont find enough wear and tear to merit a whole new roof, they may fabricate it by tearing off shingles to mimic wind damage. Or they may simply show you pictures of someone elses damaged roof. Dont hire this company! Any repairs done by such a dishonest business are not likely to be high quality.

How to Avoid Roofing Scams

For More Information

To learn more about hiring a roofing company, see BBB.org/Roofers. You can also find valuable information at BBB.org/AvoidScams.

If youve been the victim of a roofing scam, report it on BBB.org/ScamTracker immediately. Your report will help alert others to the danger.

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Better Business Bureau warns about free home inspection scams - fredericksburg.today