More than 100,000 state employees will get three extra days off this year after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis decided to give the workers additional time away from the job. The three days—December 23, 24 and 31—come in addition to the normally scheduled holidays on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. "Florida is in great shape, and we want to reward our state employees," DeSantis said in a statement. "After a full year—including three costly hurricanes—we hope these extra days off allow for state workers to spend more time with their families and loved ones during this holiday season." Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, called the move by DeSantis a "welcome" change. "The gesture of adding additional paid holidays to the calendar is always a welcome one, and Governor DeSantis' decision to do so is certainly in line with past decisions by governors of other states," Beene told Newsweek. "For states that don't already recognize days like Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as state holidays, expansion of holidays like this one typically happens when the state budget allows it," he said. HR consultant Bryan Driscoll, however, called DeSantis' move a "cheap political stunt" instead of a gesture of employee support. "He's trying to paper over years of anti-worker policies with a feel-good headline. It's the equivalent of tossing crumbs to workers while gutting unions and stripping away job protections," Driscoll told Newsweek. While state employees are likely to enjoy a few extra days off, the decision doesn't deal with some important issues, he said. "This move does nothing to address the real issues facing workers in Florida, like the lack of paid family leave or protections for low-wage workers," Driscoll said. "It reflects a government more interested in optics than substance, prioritizing political games over real, lasting change for the workforce." When DeSantis ran for the GOP nomination for president, he focused much of his campaign on how efficiently he ran the state's small employee base, even though Florida is the third most populous state. "Florida state government [has the] lowest number of state employees per capita in the country," DeSantis said at a CNN town hall in January. In 2022, Florida had 164,829 employees, including both full- and part-time workers. And while the national average was 198 state government workers per 10,000 residents, Florida had just 82 state employees per 10,000 residents. Florida's financial picture looks good this year, Beene said, and many state employees might have worked longer hours than expected because of Hurricanes Milton, Helene and Debby, which all made landfall in the Sunshine State. "State revenues are strong, some employees worked longer hours than expected due to multiple natural disasters, and Christmas and New Year's falling in the middle of the week make it difficult for employees wanting to spend additional time with their families capable of doing so," he said.‘Mbappe is like Ronaldo’ — Rodriguez on superstars’ attitude
Mangaluru: With the advent of artificial intelligence , we are exceedingly well-connected with the world; nevertheless, paradoxically, we are experiencing profound isolation, said Govindan Rangarajan, director, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. He was addressing the 22nd Convocation Ceremony (morning session) of the National Institute of Technology Karnataka Surathkal, on Saturday. In his address, he focussed on artificial intelligence and its influence, which has gained paramount importance in contemporary times. After elaborating on the advantageous aspects of AI, he discussed how this technology is affecting the social dynamics of individuals. "We all are connected to the world with smartphones but have forfeited our capability to interact with our friends and families offline. This is a substantial ramification of technology and AI. Social media and algorithms fabricate an illusion of connectivity, whilst research indicates escalating solitude. Families frequently gather yet engage with devices rather than each other," he said. "Secondly, AI has influenced one's perception of truth. We may revert to believing solely what we personally witness. However, with the proliferation of deepfake, AI mimic, and others, this notion is disputable now. AI mimic can deceive a person into believing they are conversing with their distressed child over the phone. But the actuality differs. Even empathy, traditionally a human characteristic, can be replicated by AI trained on human experiences. Rangarajan added that studies demonstrate AI-generated messages being perceived as more empathetic than doctors' empathetic messages to patients," he said. "The counsel is to cherish human relationships, sustain direct family connections beyond social media, and cultivate creativity and critical thinking. These competencies will distinguish humans in an AI-dominant world," he told the young graduands. Maharashtra Jharkhand Maharashtra Alliance View i Party View Seats: 288 L + W Majority: 145 BJP+ 229 MVA 47 OTH 12 Leads + Wins : 288 / 288 BJP+ WON Jharkhand Alliance View i Party View Seats: 81 Results Majority: 41 INDIA 56 NDA 24 OTH 1 Results : 81 / 81 INDIA WON Source: PValue Highlighting positive outcomes of AI, he said that it gained widespread attention after ChatGPT's introduction, approximately two years ago. "Some experts consider it as revolutionary as the discovery of fire in human history. There is a tendency to overstate technology's immediate effects whilst underestimating its long-term influence. AI will significantly influence our activities. AI's influence extends to laboratory automation in Liverpool, potentially affecting chemistry students' traditional roles. Similarly, AI impacts coding, particularly entry-level programming, offering faster, more cost-effective solutions than human programmers," he said. Hence, he asked the graduates to shift focus towards these abilities rather than basic coding. "Even chip design, with its countless configurations, now benefits from AI's superior capabilities in component placement and operational design," he added.