Fraud
The Unbelievable Tale of Jesus’s Wife theatlantic v
The American Association of Museums’ Guide to Provenance Research warns that an investigation of an object’s origins “is not unlike detective work”: “One may spend hours, days, or weeks following a trail that leads nowhere.” When I started to dig, however, I uncovered more than I’d ever expected—a warren of secrets and lies that spanned from the industrial districts of Berlin to the swingers scene of southwest Florida, and from the halls of Harvard and the Vatican to the headquarters of the East German Stasi.
This is a fascinating long-form article by a reporter who set out to find the origins of a (supposed) 1,300 yr-old papyrus about Jesus' wife, and the ensuing series of lies, historical invention, and deceit of the man behind it. It's a long read, but worth it - particularly for those who've heard the Biblically unsupported "Jesus had a wife" argument. Warning: some aspects of the primary figure's personal life uncovered during the investigation are sexually graphic in nature (the article doesn't dwell TOO MUCH on them).
Society
Assisted-dying bill approved by [Canadian] Senate 44-28 and will become law with royal assent cbc.ca
The Senate has voted to pass the Liberal government's assisted-dying bill, after a final bid failed to expand the scope of who qualifies for a doctor-assisted death. Bill C-14 now only needs royal assent before it becomes law.
Don't Let Mississippi Establish Anti-Gay Religion bloomberg w!
The first wave of state legislative reactions to the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision legalizing gay marriage typically involved state versions of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The motive might have been anti-gay, but the form was hard to criticize legally, since other states and federal law already provided the same religious-liberty protection.
Not so for Mississippi’s new law, which gives opponents of gay marriage special protection. Now facing its first challenge in federal court, it should be held unconstitutional because it violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment by singling out one set of religious beliefs for positive treatment.
Apostasy
Two bishops urge clerics to rethink 'interpretations' of the Bible which condemn homosexuality telegraph.co.uk
Two leading bishops from the evangelical wing of the Church of England are urging fellow clerics to be willing to rethink traditional “interpretations” of the Bible which condemn homosexuality as a sin.
Pagenism
Pagan wedding to be held at Cambridgeshire's Moonhenge cambridge-news.co.uk
Bride-to-be Maira Swanson and her groom Denis Whelan will welcome 80 guests to Moonhenge at Woodwalton – for a ceremony that will include drum music, chanting and jumping over a broomstick.
Global Tracking
We now have the tech to fingerprint babies – but should we? newscientist
Taking fingerprints from very young children – even newborns – is part of a drive in developing countries to monitor the health of infants, who often lack other forms of identification. A biometric system, such as a national fingerprint database, could allow clinicians to match a child with their vaccine schedule or help workers keep records of welfare services, says Jain. “Vaccinations are first given at about 1 month, so that’s when we would like to use biometrics for recognition purposes,” he says.
“This is the first time anybody has collected a longitudinal database of fingerprints for such a young population,” says Jain. His team is now talking to the United Nations about trialling the system with the World Food Programme.
Autonomous Vehicles
Meet Olli, The Driverless Vehicle Cruising Around National Harbor dcist
Local Motors, a tech company that 3D prints cars, showed off the machine at the grand opening of its new facility in the development. The vehicle, equipped with 30 sensors, gathers data, becoming smarter as it continues to operate. It can tote around 12 people.
For now, it's sticking around the private roads National Harbor, says Adam Kress, a spokesperson for Local Motors. The developer of the area, Peterson, gave them permission for Olli to operate there, and riders can hop on board throughout the summer.
Also see Meet Olli
AI
Google working on 'common-sense' AI engine at new Zurich base bbc
We are on the brink of a brand new era of computing, Mr Mogenet told journalists. One of the key focuses would be on teaching computers "common sense", he said.
[London] Council first to adopt AI to deliver services localgov.co.uk
Enfield Council has deployed IPsoft’s technology platform, Amelia, which is designed to make it easier for residents to locate information and complete standard applications, as well as simplify some of the council’s internal processes.
CRISPR
First Human Test of CRISPR Proposed technologyreview
The proposed treatment is an immune therapy in which a patient’s own blood cells will be removed and genetically altered using the technology, a type of molecular scissors able to precisely cut DNA.
Israel
'Next war with Hamas will be its last,' senior defense source says jpost
His comments come after senior military officials made changes to the IDF’s objective for a Gaza conflict. Should hostilities erupt again, military planners would seek the destruction of Hamas’s military wing, not establishing deterrence as they did in past wars.
Also see Israel plans to build concrete wall along Gaza above and below ground
Palenstines
Palestinians say they are negotiating sea border with Egypt bigstory.ap.org
The Palestinians said Friday they have started negotiations with Egypt to determine the boundaries of their undersea territory as a first step to determining the sea borders of a Palestinian state.
Syria
Dozens of U.S. diplomats urge military strikes against Syria's Assad in.reuters
The "dissent channel cable" was signed by 51 mid- to high-level State Department officers involved with advising on Syria policy.
The cable calls for "targeted military strikes" against the Syrian government in light of the near-collapse of the ceasefire brokered earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing copies of the cable it had seen.
Creatures
Rush hour on Palmyra Atoll scienmag
In a new study, UC Santa Barbara marine biologists applied existing technology in a novel way to monitor animals coming into and going out of a lagoon via a deep channel dredged during World War II. Their work confirmed that the route was an important "highway" for sharks and highlighted the magnitude of their channel usage. It also highlighted the time of day when shark traffic peaks. It turns out rush hour for sharks is between 7 and 8 p.m.
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