Some of the most significant corporate commitments have come from JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, AMEX, Bank of America, PayPal, Salesforce and Chase.  These large corporate commitments do not account for the other minority-focused investments, such as JP Morgan's initiative to lend more openly to minority owned businesses and black and brown home purchasers.  The corporate giving trend is fueled by changing expectations of younger employees and progressive consumers that expect corporations to become serious about corporate responsibilities to social issues and causes.  Advocates argue that these corporate commitments will not be enough to achieve racial equity in housing, employment and policing, but acknowledge that if these corporations are serious about their commitments, that it can mark an important start.  "'The world is changing, and the expectations of how companies engage are changing,' said Brandee McHale, Citi’s head of community investing and development."

ABC News reports that "[s]ince late May, Grabois said, financial commitments by companies to racial equity causes have grown 'exponentially larger' than any other cause other than COVID-19. A report by McKinsey & Company, which tracked corporate responses from May to October, found that of the top 1,000 U.S. companies, 18% made internal commitments, like diversifying their hiring, and 22% pledged to promote racial equity through donations or other means."

Whether corporate giving to racial equity causes results in systemic change and reform remains to be seen.  Holding corporations to their commitments will likely be an important undertaking.

photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

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Apple previously confirmed that iOS 18.2 will be released in December, and now a potential release date within the month has surfaced.


We believe that Apple is likely planning to release iOS 18.2 on Monday, December 9, based on a recent notice that British carrier EE provided to its customers. In the notice, EE said it will be discontinuing an iPhone feature known as "Wi-Fi calling on other supported iCloud-connected devices" on December 9. The feature enables users to make Wi-Fi calls on devices like the iPad and Mac, even when their iPhone is not nearby.

The second developer beta of iOS 18.2 last week came bundled with a new EE carrier settings version numbered 60.5.2, up from 59.5.1 on the first iOS 18.2 beta and iOS 18.1. The new carrier settings version removed the "Add Wi-Fi Calling For Other Devices" toggle from the Wi-Fi Calling section in the Settings app on iPhones used by EE customers, in line with the carrier announcing that it will stop offering the feature next month.

Most carrier setting updates are bundled with iOS updates, aside from ones with bug fixes, so EE has likely indirectly revealed that iOS 18.2 will be released on December 9. We are not absolutely certain about this date, but it is a very likely possibility.

iOS 18.2 being released on December 9 would not be very surprising. Apple already said the update was coming next month, many iOS updates are released on Mondays, and the second half of the month is pretty much ruled out due to the holiday season. Nevertheless, you can now mark your calendars a little more precisely.

iOS 18.2 includes additional Apple Intelligence features for iPhone 15 Pro models and all iPhone 16 models, including Genmoji, Image Playground, ChatGPT integration for Siri, and more. On all compatible iPhones, the update also adds a new Defaults section in the Settings app, an item location sharing feature in the Find My app, and more.

(Thanks, Harvey!)

Apple has considered building its own line of smart home accessories, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple could manufacture smart home cameras and other devices that would connect to its HomeKit smart home platform and that would tie in with a planned smart home "command center" that could come out as soon as next year.


As one example, Gurman suggests Apple could create an indoor security camera that could also be used as a baby monitor, which is in line with a report we heard from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo yesterday.

Kuo claimed that Apple is designing a smart home camera that will be manufactured starting in 2026, with Apple planning to sell "tens of millions" of the devices over the long term. Kuo says that the cameras that Apple is working on will have wireless connectivity and deep integration with Apple Intelligence and Siri.

Gurman does not seem as sure that Apple will follow through on plans to create its own smart home products. He says that it's something Apple is "exploring" that could be prioritized should its upcoming smart home hub device turn out to be a success.

Apple would likely emphasize privacy with its smart home cameras, providing an alternative to cameras from companies like Amazon's Ring and Google's Nest. Ring has been derided for its privacy policies over the years, primarily because it had a "Request for Assistance" tool that allowed law enforcement officials to request video footage from Ring customers. Ring has provided police officers with Ring camera footage without notifying users, and reserves the right to do so in emergency situations. Google's Nest brand also says that it will provide police with smart home camera footage in emergency situations without a warrant.

Apple is known for having strong privacy protections, and it is possible that customers would trust a smart home camera from Apple more than a smart home camera from a company like Ring. Apple already designed a ‌HomeKit‌ protocol for cameras called HomeKit Secure Video, which is end-to-end encrypted.

Prior to coming out with any smart home accessories, Apple plans to release an iPad-like smart home display that will serve as a home hub. The smart home device, which is set to come out as soon as March 2025, will run apps and will control ‌HomeKit‌ and Matter-based accessories.

The real threat is collusion. When journalists strike secret alliances with the very people they're supposed to be holding accountable, we are in deep trouble. Lies go unchallenged.  Democracy cannot function. And that's what we're watching right now. Continue reading →

The Small-Animallike Lady is Adored by the Ice Prince is a brand new romance manga from Yen Press. This first volume takes us to a familiar setting where there's a royal arranged marriage involved, and some frozen hearts are melted along the way!

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