Fellowship of the Minds – by Dr. Eowyn

One of the boons of technology is that we no longer must rely on ethologists (scientists who study animal behavior) for knowledge about non-human creatures.

The widespread availability of recording devices — cell phone and surveillance cameras — now makes possible the collection by everyday people of visual evidence of animal behaviors pointing to hitherto unknown and, in some cases, astonishing attributes.   Continue reading “Cat defends baby from babysitter”

Ancient Orgins – by Bryan Hill

The Knights Templars were a secret society whose true purpose remains a mystery or is at least vigorously debated among scholars and historians to this day.  The Templars left behind many clues of their actions which have been passed down through generations, hidden in ancient manuscripts and discovered by archeologists in the modern era.  Their story is one that has captured the fascination and curiosity of people throughout the ages – were they sent to the holy land in Jerusalem to protect Christians on pilgrimages, or were they sent there on secret missions by higher authorities in order to unearth lost artifacts and buried treasure under temples and sacred holy sites?    Continue reading “Mystery of the Knights Templars: Protectors or Treasure Hunters on a Secret Mission?”

Yahoo News

Senators pressed Rex Tillerson Wednesday over his ties to Russia and to Exxon. But their greater concern seemed to be over whether President-elect Donald Trump would actually undermine the former ExxonMobil CEO he nominated to be his secretary of state.

Would Trump’s unpredictability — and tendency to veer wildly between different positions, and to communicate without warning or discipline on Twitter — allow Tillerson to do his job of representing the United States in meetings with foreign leaders? Would Trump even explain his policies to top officials like his secretary of state, or simply broadcast it in hard-to-interpret fragments as he has done so far? Would foreign governments have more information about Trump’s business dealings and vulnerabilities than his own top negotiators?

Continue reading “Rex Tillerson hearing serves as forum for Trump concerns”

RT

A European Parliament committee has voted in favor of a draft report that proposes granting legal status to robots, categorizing them as “electronic persons”.

The draft report, approved by 17 votes to two and two abstentions by the European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs, proposes that “The most sophisticated autonomous robots could be established as having the status of electronic persons with specific rights and obligations, including that of making good any damage they may cause.”   Continue reading “Robot kill switches & legal status: MEPs endorse AI proposal”

Mail.com

CHICAGO (AP) — A 22-year-old central Illinois man who was arrested and detained after posting online pictures of himself burning an American flag has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to have the state’s flag desecration law declared unconstitutional.

Such state laws are already invalid after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled separately, in 1989 and 1990, that flag burning and other forms of damage are constitutionally protected free speech. However, dozens of states still have the laws.   Continue reading “Central Illinois man files lawsuit over flag-burning arrest”

Mail.com

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. military in Afghanistan said on Thursday that its investigation into a November firefight with the Taliban in northern Kunduz province has shown that 33 civilians died in the raid during which U.S. troops fired on Afghan homes.

The probe followed claims that civilian deaths resulted from airstrikes called in to support Afghan and U.S. forces who came under fire in the province’s village of Buz-e Kandahari, which targeted two senior Taliban commanders.   Continue reading “US military: November fight with Taliban killed 33 civilians”

Mail.com

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Law enforcement officers made good on promises to go after people they think aided a fugitive in the weeks before he became the focus of a manhunt in the fatal shooting of an Orlando police sergeant, arresting three people they say helped him after the killing of his pregnant ex-girlfriend.

Markeith Loyd’s niece, Lakensha Smith-Loyd, was arrested on an accessory charge Wednesday. Later the same day, authorities arrested an ex-girlfriend of Loyd’s: Jameis Slaughter, who also faces a charge of accessory, according to online jail records.   Continue reading “3 charged with helping fugitive before officer’s killing”

CBC News – by Rosa Marchitelli, Rachel Ward

Two grieving Alberta families have each been slapped with a $100 carbon tax bill after having a relative cremated, just days after the tax was introduced in that province.

The $100 fee was handwritten on Ed Connon’s bill when he paid to cremate his 93-year-old mother, Margaret Connon, who died Jan. 7. The funeral home staff had no explanation for him.   Continue reading “‘Doesn’t seem right’: Funeral home charges grieving families cremation ‘carbon tax’”

The Guardian – by Medea Benjamin

Most Americans would probably be astounded to realize that the president who has been painted by Washington pundits as a reluctant warrior has actually been a hawk. The Iran nuclear deal, a herculean achievement, and the opening of diplomatic relations with Cuba unfortunately stand alone as President Obama’s successful uses of diplomacy over hostility.

While candidate Obama came to office pledging to end George W Bush’s wars, he leaves office having been at war longer than any president in US history. He is also the only president to serve two complete terms with the nation at war.   Continue reading “America dropped 26,171 bombs in 2016. What a bloody end to Obama’s reign”

Courthouse News – by Matthew Reynolds

LOS ANGELES (CN) — After shooting an unarmed Latino teenager 19 times, killing him, two Los Angeles police officers concocted a phony story that he had pointed a sawed-off shotgun at them, the boy’s parents say in a federal lawsuit.

The way the police tell it, two officers approached a Honda parked in an East L.A. driveway when the driver’s door opened. Sixteen-year-old Jose Mendez emerged and pointed a sawed-off shotgun at one officer. They responded with multiple rounds and the teen was pronounced dead at the scene on Feb. 6, 2016.   Continue reading “Parents Call LAPD ‘Cowardly’ Killers”

Reuters – by Annie Knox and Kim Palmer

Jan 11 (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump aims to open up federal lands to more energy development, tapping into a long-running and contentious debate over how best to manage America’s remaining wilderness.

The U.S. government holds title to about 500 million acres of land across the country, including national parks and forests, wildlife refuges and tribal territories stretching from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico. They overlay billions of barrels of oil and vast quantities of natural gas, coal, and uranium.
Continue reading “Trump calls for more drilling in national parks”

The Hill

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday refused to take a question from a CNN reporter during his press conference, berating the network for “fake news.”

“Your organization is terrible,” Trump told CNN’s Jim Acosta when he tried to ask a question.
Continue reading “Trump berates CNN reporter: ‘You are fake news’”

MuckRock – by Curtis Waltman

One of the tactics used by North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple to try and quell the #NoDAPL protests at Standing Rock was the Emergency Management Assistance Compact or EMAC. EMAC, which was originally intended for inter-state cooperation in the case of natural disasters and terrorism, has been increasingly used to combat protests such as in Baltimore and Cleveland, and in this case allowed almost 40 police departments and sheriff’s offices to flock to Morton County, ND and participate in crowd control.   Continue reading “Police across the country looked at Standing Rock as a sort of law enforcement laboratory”

Tenth Amendment Center – by Mike Maharrey

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Jan. 11, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Indiana House would end government licensing of marriages in the state, effectively nullifying in practice both major sides of the contentious national debate over government-sanctioned marriage.

Rep. Jim Lucas introduced House Bill 1163 (HB1163) on Jan. 9. The legislation would eliminate three marriage requirements currently in place in the state.   Continue reading “Indiana Bill Would Eliminate State Marriage Licenses, Nullify Federal Control in Practice”

Tenth Amendment Center – by Mike Maharrey

SALEM, Ore. (Jan. 11, 2017) – A bill introduced in the Oregon House would allow local school districts to opt out of Common Core standards. Passage of the legislation would take an important step toward nullifying the nationalized education program in the state.

Rep. Carl Wilson (R-Grants Pass) and Rep. Sal Esquivel (R-Medford) introduced House Bill 2368 (HB2368) on Jan. 9. The legislation would prohibit the Oregon Department of Education from requiring school districts to align instruction or assessments with Common Core state standards and from penalizing school districts for failure to align instruction or assessments with these standards. Passage of the bill would give local school districts the option of opting out of Common Core.   Continue reading “Oregon Bill Would Set Foundation to End Common Core”

Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund – by Pete Kennedy, Esq.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has filed a complaint with the Livingston County Circuit Court asking that the court order the destruction of, among other foods, 18 homemade oatmeal cookies and 17 homemade apple muffins.1 MDARD seized the cookies, muffins, and other foods during a September 1, 2016 raid of Dairy Delight Cow Boarding, LLC, a herd share dairy farm owned and operated by Kris Unger in CohoctahTownship.2   Continue reading “Michigan MDARD Seeks Destruction Order for 18 Oatmeal Cookies and 17 Apple Muffins”

Sun Sentinel – by Lisa J. Huriash

Federal marshals have seized the car, furniture and other belongings of a Palm Beach sheriff’s sergeant who was found liable by a jury for shooting an unarmed man, leaving him paralyzed.

The property was seized Saturday at Deputy Adams Lin’s house, according to Barry Golden, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service.
Continue reading “Marshals seize deputy’s car, clothes to help pay $22.4 million awarded in shooting”