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Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 3rd, 2017, 11:02 pm
by mes5464
China’s A.I. Advances Help Its Tech Industry, and State Security - The New York Times
BEIJING — During President Trump’s visit to Beijing, he appeared on screen for a special address at a tech conference.
First he spoke in English. Then he switched to Mandarin Chinese.
Mr. Trump doesn’t speak Chinese. The video was a publicity stunt, designed to show off the voice capabilities of iFlyTek, a Chinese artificial intelligence company with both innovative technology and troubling ties to Chinese state security. IFlyTek has said its technology can monitor a car full of people or a crowded room, identify a targeted individual’s voice and record everything that person says.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 3rd, 2017, 11:05 pm
by mes5464
Venezuela to create digital currency amid financing crisis
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela is creating a digital currency to combat a financial blockade by the United States, President Nicolas Maduro announced Sunday.
The Petro will be backed by Venezuela's oil and gas reserves and its gold and diamond holdings, the president said in his weekly television program.
"This is going to allow us to move toward new forms of international financing for the country's economic and social development," the president said.
The government also announced the creation of a "blockchain observatory" -- a software platform for buying and selling virtual currency.
Yemen: Video shows dead body resembling former Pres. Ali Abdullah Saleh *GRAPHIC*
Posted: December 4th, 2017, 6:40 am
by Joel
Unverified video footage from Khawlan, just outside Sanaa on Monday, appears to show a dead body resembling former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh
Yemen's ex-president Saleh's killing was 'revenge' - Analysis
Posted: December 4th, 2017, 7:14 am
by Joel
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 4th, 2017, 9:36 am
by mes5464
Trump rips FBI over treatment of Flynn, Clinton | TheHill
President Trump on Monday defended former national security adviser Michael Flynn, saying it's "very unfair" he was charged with a crime and Hillary Clinton was not.
“Well, I feel badly for Gen. Flynn," Trump told reporters. "I feel very badly. He’s led a very strong life.”
Trump claimed that Clinton, his Democratic opponent in the presidential election last year, lied to the FBI with impunity about her private email server.
"I will say this, Hillary Clinton lied many times to the FBI. Nothing happened to her,” he said. “Flynn lied and they destroyed his life. I think it’s a shame.”
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 4th, 2017, 9:50 am
by mes5464
US military agency invests $100m in genetic extinction technologies | Science | The Guardian
Technology could be used to wipe out malaria carrying mosquitos or other pests but UN experts say fears over possible military uses and unintended consequences strengthen case for a ban
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 4th, 2017, 10:29 am
by mes5464
98,750,067,000,000 Reasons to Be Worried About 2018 - Bloomberg Gadfly
The total value of companies listed on the world's stock markets as of Friday's close was $98,750,067,000,000 -- within touching distance of $100 trillion for the first time.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 4th, 2017, 4:34 pm
by mes5464
FBI agent dismissed from Mueller probe changed Comey description of Clinton - CNNPolitics
Washington (CNN)A former top counterintelligence expert at the FBI, now at the center of a political uproar for exchanging private messages that appeared to mock President Donald Trump, changed a key phrase in former FBI Director James Comey's description of how former secretary of state Hillary Clinton handled classified information, according to US officials familiar with the matter. Electronic records show Peter Strzok, who led the investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email server as the No. 2 official in the counterintelligence division, changed Comey's earlier draft language describing Clinton's actions as "grossly negligent" to "extremely careless," the source said.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 5th, 2017, 2:30 am
by mes5464
Sessions argued in Clinton impeachment that presidents can obstruct justice - POLITICO
Trump’s personal lawyer said the ‘president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer … and has every right to express his view of any case.’
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 5th, 2017, 2:34 am
by mes5464
Stickman drawing of school shooting on student's homework leads to Florida man's arrest - NBC News
A Florida man is charged with making a violent written threat after school officials found a rudimentary drawing of a gunman shooting people outside a burning school on a kid's homework, authorities said.
The man, Robert Paul Alexander Edwards, 33, of Mexico Beach, Fla., was arrested Friday on a charge of making a written threat to kill or do bodily injury, a second-degree felony, Gulf County Sheriff Mike Harrison said Monday.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 5th, 2017, 6:43 am
by mes5464
The rise of smart machines puts spotlight on 'robot rights'
You probably wouldn’t have any qualms about switching off Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri — or Amazon’s Alexa or Microsoft’s Cortana. Such entities emulate a human assistant but plainly aren't human at all. We sense that beneath all the sophisticated software, there’s “nobody home.”
But artificial intelligence is progressing swiftly. In the not-too-distant future we may begin to feel that our machines have something akin to thoughts and feelings, even though they’re made of metal and plastic rather than flesh and blood. When that happens, how we treat our machines will matter; AI experts, philosophers, and scholars are already imagining a time when robots and intelligent machines may deserve — and be accorded — some sort of rights.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 5th, 2017, 6:44 am
by mes5464
This gives me shivers
Trump White House Weighing Plans for Private Spies to Counter “Deep State” Enemies
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is considering a set of proposals developed by Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a retired CIA officer — with assistance from Oliver North, a key figure in the Iran-Contra scandal — to provide CIA Director Mike Pompeo and the White House with a global, private spy network that would circumvent official U.S. intelligence agencies, according to several current and former U.S. intelligence officials and others familiar with the proposals. The sources say the plans have been pitched to the White House as a means of countering “deep state” enemies in the intelligence community seeking to undermine Trump’s presidency.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 5th, 2017, 4:41 pm
by mes5464
Inside China’s Big Tech Conference, New Ways to Track Citizens - The New York Times
WUZHEN, China — An artificial intelligence company touted a robot that could help doctors with diagnoses. A start-up displayed a drone designed to carry a single passenger 60 miles per hour.
And in a demonstration worthy of both wonder and worry, a Chinese facial recognition company showed how its technology could quickly identify and describe people.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 5th, 2017, 4:41 pm
by mes5464
Genetically mutated rats could be released in Britain to solve rodent problem
Scientists have launched a project to find out if genetically editing animals could provide a more humane method of pest control.
Baker And Gay Couple At Court For Cake Arguments
Posted: December 5th, 2017, 7:26 pm
by Joel
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 5th, 2017, 7:43 pm
by mes5464
SOON: AI to Create Indistinguishable “False Reality” » Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!
- 120517aiimages.jpg (292.04 KiB) Viewed 463 times
Artificial intelligence can soon create a false reality indistinguishable from the real one, suggests new advancements in graphics manipulation which serves as a warning to humanity. Graphics firm Nvidia recently released results of its “image-to-image translation” which can take an outdoors photo taken in the winter and transform it into the same scene, but in the summer – with indistinguishable results.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 7th, 2017, 9:34 am
by mes5464
Student suspended for debating Islamic extremism with Muslim peer in debate club - The College Fix
A Missouri high school that suspended a student for making critical comments about Islamic extremism says he’s not allowed to appeal the finding of wrongdoing. Senior Alex Lonsdale, a member of Liberty High’s nationally ranked debate club, says he was just trying to have a friendly debate. During his free period Oct. 17 at the public school near Kansas City, Lonsdale joined a spontaneous conversation among acquaintances about the nature of Islam.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 7th, 2017, 9:35 am
by mes5464
State Department: Americans face new danger worldwide | Daily Mail Online
The State Department issued a new 'Worldwide Caution' to Americans traveling overseas on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. has officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The update did not include specific warnings about Israel, the West Bank and Gaza; that region's travel advisory dates back to April. But the State Department did advise Americans to avoid Jerusalem's Old City and the West Bank on Tuesday, anticipating strong reactions to Trump's speech once the subject matter became public. The global warning advised American citizens to 'maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness when traveling.'
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 7th, 2017, 9:48 am
by mes5464
Recap: Fury across Middle East as leaders condemn President Donald Trump after he says Jerusalem IS Israel's capital - Mirror Online
Arabs and Muslims from across the Middle East have reacted with fury after Donald Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel despite an international outcry.
The US president's announcement - which includes moving the embassy to the Holy City - was condemned as an incendiary move in a volatile region, with leaders from the region saying it would derail peace efforts.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was among the leaders to immediately denounce the decision as he accused the US of 'withdrawing' from the peace process.
Palestinians protest Trump move on Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hundreds of Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli troops across the West Bank on Thursday while demonstrators in Gaza burned posters of President Donald Trump over his widely denounced decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The leader of the Hamas militant group, which runs Gaza, called for a new armed uprising in a widespread show of anger, as the demonstrators torched American and Israeli flags.
In the West Bank, crowds of protesters set tires on fire and hurled stones at Israeli troops. In Bethlehem, troops fired water cannons and tear gas to disperse a crowd, in clashes that could cloud the upcoming Christmas celebrations in the town of Jesus’ birth. In Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian government, protesters set tires on fire, sending a thick plume of black smoke over the city.
Recap: Fury across Middle East as leaders condemn President Donald Trump after he says Jerusalem IS Israel's capital - Mirror Online
Arabs and Muslims from across the Middle East have reacted with fury after Donald Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel despite an international outcry.
The US president's announcement - which includes moving the embassy to the Holy City - was condemned as an incendiary move in a volatile region, with leaders from the region saying it would derail peace efforts.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was among the leaders to immediately denounce the decision as he accused the US of 'withdrawing' from the peace process.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 7th, 2017, 9:54 am
by mes5464
Census Bureau: 5 Richest Counties Are D.C. Suburbs
(CNSNews.com) - The five richest counties in the United States when measured by median household income are all suburbs of Washington, D.C., according to the American Community Survey data released today by the Census Bureau.
According to the American Community Survey's new five-year estimates (2012-2016), the five richest counties in the country are: Loudoun County, Va., where the median household income was $125,672; Falls Church City, Va., where it was $115,244; Fairfax County, Va., where it was $114,329; Howard County, Md., where it was $113,800; and Arlington County, Va., where it was $108,706.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 7th, 2017, 9:56 am
by mes5464
Tidalgate: Climate Alarmists Caught Faking Sea Level Rise
Alarmist scientists have been caught red-handed tampering with raw data in order to exaggerate sea level rise.
The raw (unadjusted) data from three Indian Ocean gauges – Aden, Karachi and Mumbai – showed that local sea level trends in the last 140 years had been very gently rising, neutral or negative (ie sea levels had fallen).
But after the evidence had been adjusted by tidal records gatekeepers at the global databank Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) it suddenly showed a sharp and dramatic rise.
The whistle was blown by two Australian scientists Dr. Albert Parker and Dr. Clifford Ollier in a paper for Earth Systems and Environment.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 7th, 2017, 9:57 am
by mes5464
Gun Found In Lunch Bag Of TSA Worker « CBS Boston
MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS) – A Transportation Security Administration worker packed more than just a sandwich in his lunch bag while heading to work at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
The worker mistakenly packed a gun, which was found by officials as the worker passed through a security checkpoint screening before work, confirmed TSA spokesman Mike McCarthy on Tuesday.
“The firearm was detected on Friday at the security checkpoint when a TSA employee underwent screening at the beginning of their shift,” McCarthy said.
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 7th, 2017, 9:59 am
by mes5464
Making monopolies!
California Bill in the Works to Banish Gasoline Cars by 2040 - Bloomberg
A California lawmaker wants to put the state alongside China, France and the U.K. and have its legislature consider a ban on vehicles powered by fossil fuels.
California Assemblymember Phil Ting, a Democrat who is chairman of the chamber’s budget committee, said he plans to introduce a bill that, starting in 2040, would allow the state’s motor vehicles department to register only “clean” vehicles that emit no carbon dioxide, such as battery-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell cars.
“Until you set a deadline, nothing gets done,” Ting, who represents much of San Francisco, said in a phone interview Tuesday. “It’s responsible for us to set a deadline 23 years in advance.”
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 7th, 2017, 10:00 am
by mes5464
America's homeless population rises for first time in years
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The nation’s homeless population increased this year for the first time since 2010, driven by a surge in the number of people living on the streets in Los Angeles and other West Coast cities.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released its annual Point in Time count Wednesday, a report that showed nearly 554,000 homeless people across the country during local tallies conducted in January. That figure is up nearly 1 percent from 2016.
Of that total, 193,000 people had no access to nightly shelter and instead were staying in vehicles, tents, the streets and other places considered uninhabitable. The unsheltered figure is up by more than 9 percent compared to two years ago.
Increases are higher in several West Coast cities, where the explosion in homelessness has prompted at least 10 city and county governments to declare states of emergency since 2015.
City officials, homeless advocates and those living on the streets point to a main culprit: the region’s booming economy .
Re: News You Can Use
Posted: December 7th, 2017, 4:07 pm
by Joel
American Fork LDS bishopric counselor arrested, still jailed on sexual abuse charges
(KUTV) An American Fork church leader arrested earlier this week is now facing second degree felony charges of forcible sexual abuse. He was a counselor in the bishopric -- a group of men who lead a congregation -- in a local unit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“It’s really really concerning that it’s a neighbor,” said a neighbor who didn't want to be identified. She said she knows of 44-year-old Jeffrey Graton, the 2nd counselor in a bishopric in her neighborhood ward. “When it’s a member of the community like that, people don’t suspect, they, ya know, they trust individuals like that.”
Over the weekend, The American Fork Police Department said accusations of sexual abuse against 44-year-old Graton came out. That’s when officers were called to his house.
“They might have believed he was suicidal because he left his residence with a gun, but they were able to make contact with him and he voluntarily gave up the gun.” Sgt. Josh Christensen with American Fork PD said.
Christensen said Graton admitted to inappropriately touching a young girl above and below her clothing multiple times two to three years ago. It’s not clear if he was in the bishopric at that time.
Right now, according to Christensen, it was believed to be an isolated case.
“This was not a random person and a random target, they had a relationship, they knew each other,” he said.
But investigators are not completely ruling out that there could be other victims.
“Obviously there’s concern of was there anybody else. And all I can say right now is we are unaware any other incidents,” he said.
“They trust them that they are going to do good, trust them with their children and it’s just not safe, you can’t really trust anyone these days,” the neighbor said.
Graton is currently being held in the Utah County Jail on a $15,000 bond.