Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Abe and Putin catch up. Japan’s prime minister will speak with Russian president Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. They’ll likely discuss economic cooperation and a territorial dispute involving the Kuril Islands. The conversation is part of a shifting relationship between Russia and Japan, which recently created a new ministerial position to manage relations with Moscow.
The US jobs report comes out. Economists expect to hear that US employment increased by 180,000 jobs in August, evidence of a strengthening economy. Last week, Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen suggested a strong jobs report might trigger an interest-rate rise, perking the ears of investors.
India goes on hold. Ten Indian trade unions have announced a nationwide strike to protest government proposals on pension and minimum-wage laws. Factories, government offices, and public banks across the country will be closed, although schools and trains continue to operate.
While you were sleeping
A SpaceX rocket exploded. A Falcon 9 blew up on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in a mishap that might pose a significant setback for the space company. The satellite it was carrying would have been the first to serve Facebook’s controversial internet.org project.
Obama packed his bags for China. Barack Obama set off on what is likely his last trip to Asia as US president, with a stopover in Hawaii. He will attend the G-20 summit and spend private time with president Xi Jinping in China, as well as visiting Laos. Climate change, cyber security and tensions in the South China Sea are all on the week-long trip’s agenda.
Wal-Mart slashed 7,000 jobs. The United States’ largest private employer is cutting thousands of positions in accounting and invoicing over the coming months. Wal-Mart hopes to make stores more efficient through centralization and automation.
Riots hit the streets of São Paulo. Thousands of supporters of former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff took to the streets to protest her impeachment, and were met with tear gas. Protestors say they were defending the integrity of their presidential vote.
Millions of bees died a meaningless death. In an effort to ward off Zika-infected mosquitos, South Carolina’s Dorchester County sprayed insecticide across the region and accidentally massacred millions of bees.
Quartz Markets Haiku
Manufacturing
Has a lot of syllables
Also, it’s slowing
Quartz obsession interlude
Dave Gershgorn on how a Japanese farmer put Google’s artificial intelligence to work. ”The tale of the cucumber farmer is a humanizing story for a large internet company touting its cloud services, but it does show why open source systems are important… Posting code for free online democratizes the field of artificial intelligence, meaning anyone with a computer and some time can learn how give their machine a brain.”
Read more here.
Matters of debate
A guilt-based vacation policy is a terrible idea. No one really has “unlimited” time off.
Artificial intelligence can’t be unbiased. Any AI will carry the flaws of the humans who create it.
When Trump says “great,” he means “white.” His immigration plan is all about protecting white power.
Surprising discoveries
Zoo monkeys are losing an important part of their biology. Their gut bacteria is more similar to that of humans than of wild monkeys.
Goldman Sachs’s “back-to-school” reading list is surprisingly good. Its choice of fiction and nonfiction ranges from Chimamanda Nogzi Adiche’s Half of the Yellow Sun to Peter Thiel’s Zero to One.
Millennials say they want to eat less meat, but can’t be bothered to do it. They’re on track to eat just as much as older generations.
Bob Ross’s famous curly hair was really a perm. The “Joy of Painting” host was forced to keep it as part of his brand.
US housing markets are reaching record levels of inequality. If you bought a house in Silicon Valley 30 years ago, you’d be rich right now. Dayton, Ohio? Not so much.
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