And so it begins. Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have taught robots for the first time how to deceive humans. Didn’t we learn anything from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey?
Continue reading “Hello, Dave: Scientists Develop Robot With Ability to Deceive Humans”
Category: Society
The Senate trial for United States District Court Judge Thomas Porteous begins Monday morning. I will be therefore out of pocket for the coming week and part of next week. Unfortunately, that means that postings will be extremely limited but I expect the denizens of this blog to post stories as comments in my absence. I will try to post a little each day on the schedule for the trial and maybe even a story to facilitate discussion depending if I have a second in the morning.
Continue reading “THE PORTEOUS IMPEACHMENT CASE STARTS MONDAY”
U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips in California has found the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy to be unconstitutional under the 1st Amendment and due process clause. She has informed the Obama Administration, which is defending the policy, that she intends to issue an injunction.
Continue reading “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy Found Unconstitutional”
Sheriffs in North Carolina are demanding access to state computer records identifying anyone in the state with prescriptions for powerful painkillers and other controlled substances. The obvious intrusion into the privacy of citizens is being justified as potentially allowing police to make more drug arrests.
Continue reading “North Carolina Sheriffs Demand Access To State Records on Citizen Prescriptions”
Former Austin police officer Scott Lando received a generous sentence from visiting state District Judge Fred Moore after his conviction for giving drugs, money, and even possessions of his wife to prostitutes for sex.
Continue reading “Former Austin Police Officer Given Probation for Giving Drugs, Money, and Wife’s Possessions to Prostitutes”
St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church is being sued. The complaint targets the famous bell of the 104-year-old Gothic church which has rung for prayers, marriages, and other occasions for generations. Most residents associated the 5,000-pound bronze bell with their community but a resident has filed a complaint that silenced the bell under a threat of $700 per day if it rings in violation of the city’s noise ordinance.
Continue reading “For Whom the Bell Tolls: City Silences Bell in 104-Year-Old Gothic Church”
This is one of the saddest stories of the year. George Leroy Baker III, 81, left Tempe, Arizona to celebrate his granddaughter’s wedding in Lynchburg, Virginia. Walking across the street to a diner from his hotel, some teens allegedly beat him to death for fun.
Continue reading “Teens Beat To Death 81-Year-Old Man Attending Granddaughter’s Wedding”
If you have not previously encountered Christine O’Donnell (who is running for the Republican nomination in Delaware), she is becoming the new face of the Tea Party and what some hope is the new Republican party. One issue that makes her stand out is her rather expansive definition of what constitutes adultery.
Continue reading “Meet Christine O’Donnell: Tea Party Candidate For Delaware’s Next Senator”
Former NYPD Officer Andrew Kelly has received 90 days after pleading guilty to getting drunk and then running over Vionique Valnord, 33. Kelly killed Valnord with his Jeep and was found smelling of alcohol with slurred speech.
Continue reading “Former Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Killing Woman in DUI and Gets 90 Days”
The Dove World Outreach Center (DWOC), headed by Rev. Terry Jones has already triggered violence internationally with its promise this weekend to burn copies of the Koran (Qu’ran) and prompted our military commander in Iraq to speak out that such a hateful act would put the lives of U.S. soldiers in jeopardy. Jones, however, is unmoved and is willing to sacrifice someone’s son or daughter for his publicity stunt. Now, we are learning how really creepy this group is.
Continue reading “Creepier Than Thou: Questions Raised About Koran Burning Church”
There is an interesting case out of Uniondale, New York where a homeowner was arrested for firing a weapon into the grass to scare off what he described as a mob of gang members. George Grier had a lawful AK-47 and confronted what he described were gang members who were threatening him and his family.
Continue reading “Long Island Man Arrested for Firing Gun Into Ground To Scare Off Alleged Gang Members”
The president of Montana’s Big Sky Tea Party Association has been ousted after joking with a “friend” on Facebook about hanging gays and replicating the beating and murder University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. Tim Ravndal has apologized for the exchange, but the group has removed him.
Continue reading “Tea Party Head Ousted After Joke on Facebook About Hanging Gays”
Police in Pennsylvania tasered a man who was trying to save his own pets from a fire. The police said that they warned Damon Baker three times and then shot him with a taser when he insisted on using a hose on the house before the fire department arrived.
Continue reading “Police Taser Man Trying to Save Pets in Fire”
The Japanese continue their efforts to undermine or eliminate the moratorium on hunting whales, including allegations of bribing officials from other countries. What is fascinating is that the government’s obsession with killing whales has not diminished despite falling appetites in Japan for whale meat. Unwilling to allow its population’s tastes to change with the world around it, the government is now feeding whale meat to school children.
Continue reading “You Can’t Have Recess Until You Finish Your Whale: Japan Feeding Whale Meat To Schoolchildren”
We have followed the dubious work of Michael O’Leary, chief executive officer of Ryanair as he has struggled to make aircraft into human cattle cars and to charge from every possible convenience like use of a toilet. Demonstrating that he has even less regard for safety than he does comfort, O’Leary is calling for the elimination of co-pilots — suggesting that flight attendants could be trained to land planes where a pilot dies or becomes incapacitated.
Continue reading “Ryanair CEO Calls For The Elimination of Co-Pilots To Save Money”