Pot Churches; JW's Rushed Out; allah Baby; Bench Press; GM's Lost Plant; Aborting in Missouri; Abortion in Every Campuses; Nanocar Race; Red-eyed Mutants; 3D Fabric; and Brain Drug

Society

Colorado rejects attempt to ban pot churches coloradoan

The International Church of Cannabis is set to open in Denver on April 20th and has been billed as "the first large venue in the world where adults can legally consume cannabis in a social environment.” According to Steve Berke, the 113 year old church's new landlord, “Elevationists believe that one can find the path to spiritual fulfillment through the ritual use of cannabis.” The church doesn't plan on selling marijuana or accessories, but plans to host guest speakers, artists, comedians, musicians, and documentary film screenings. Despite the affiliation with marijuana, Berke insists: “this is not just a bunch of lazy stoners getting together to get high. We really want to impact [the] neighborhood. We want to do great things for the community.”

The Grand Finale; Sally Salad; 30k Robot Hum; Chatty Warehouse Bots; Easter Egg; and UN Abortion Cuts

Space

NASA spacecraft's fiery finale will give us glimpse of Saturn's rings usatoday

Seasoned NASA spaceship Cassini will dive into the gap later this month for an unparalleled research campaign nicknamed the Grand Finale. The name is not hyperbole: Once it has fulfilled its mission, Cassini will plunge into the heart of Saturn, ending 13 years of unprecedented scientific discoveries.

On April 22, the craft, which launched in 1997, will whip by Saturn’s biggest moon Titan, an encounter that will nudge Cassini onto a path so audacious that prominent planetary-science commentator Emily Lakdawalla once said it seemed “totally crazy.” Cassini will hop over Saturn’s rings, which form a gauzy collar of dust and ice around the giant planet, and begin threading the needle between Saturn’s atmosphere and the D ring, which begins only 1,200 miles from the planet itself.

'Beware of Jews' Retraction; Growing China; Stretching Philippines; AI Audit; Finding Recalled Cars; Brain 10x Faster Than Before; Google Filtering Hate; Sunscope; Third Arm Support; Defending Against the Hurtful; and Texan Bathrooms

Antisemitism

Artist behind 'beware of Jews' sign apologises for causing offence theguardian

Franck Allais, a freelance photographer, said the contentious sign was part of an artistic project, which includes depictions of a woman pulling a shopping trolley, a man pushing his wheelchair and a cat.

Allais said he intended the project to be a comment on identity and that the sign in Stamford Hill, one of the largest Hasidic communities in Europe, was not an antisemitic statement. He said he was left shaken by the offence he had caused.

I posted the original story of this 'antisemetic' act yesterday on the previous blog, but appears that I (as well as several others) jumped to conclusions about the intent. I appologize for my part in passing the original story around.

Unifying Away from the Reformation; Disappearing Pastors; Adopting Russia; Superbug Spread; Growing Neurons; The Date Your Heart will Fail; Robot Street; Smiling Venus; Galileo's Time; and 10,000 Quadrillion Asteroid

False Unity

'Unity' call on Reformation anniversary bbc

A statement from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York has said the split caused "lasting damage" to the unity of the Church - something that contradicted the teaching of Jesus and left a "legacy of mistrust and competition".

Jordan's Red Line; Signing Off; Self-Balancing Motorcycle; Holo Cube; Testing Your Future; Law Breaking Pollution; Texas Takes on Bathrooms; The Distressing Cross; When Human Remains Aren't People; Zuckerberg for Office; and Where to Stand to Be Left in the Dark

Israel

Jordanian official: Moving US embassy to Jerusalem would be ‘catastrophic’ jta.org

An embassy move would be a “red line” for Jordan, would “inflame the Islamic and Arab streets” and serve as a “gift to extremists,” [Jordanian minister Momani] said, adding that Jordan would use all possible political and diplomatic means to try and prevent such a decision.

2016 Failed Predictions; The Plausible ICBM; Attack Without Returns; The Peaceful UN Chief; Ok, Maybe Russia Didn't Do It; CA Exodus; Enabling Promiscuity; The 12-Sided Pound; Bank Oversight; White-Collar AI; Self-Assembled Complexity; and Mars Igloos

End of the World

7 Dumb Predictions For 2016 That Didn't Happen forbes

We broke a lot of new ground in 2016, and whether you think that path is leading us off a cliff or onward to newfound glory, hopefully we can at least agree that it's finally over. Before we start looking forward to 2017 and making all sorts of ridiculous predictions that probably won't come true, let's look back at what some of the more outlandish prognosticating charlatans saw in their crystal balls for the year now ending.

Added as a reminder that Jesus said that the Father alone knows the hour it all ends (Mark 13:32) and that until His final judgement, things will continue on continuing on (Gen 8:22).

Trump's False Gospel; Sporting Pronoun Pins; The White People Problem; Life Programmer Wanted; Under the Sea; Lasering Plankton from Space; China's EmDrive; Robot Shopper; Amazon's Force; Kim Jung Un's 300+ Political Fears; and Fragments in a Cave

False Religion

Televangelist Paula White Joins Trump Inauguration Day Plans hollywoodreporter

Prosperity gospel preachers Paula White, a friend of Trump's, and Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, whose Detroit church hosted the Republican in September, will be among six faith leaders selected to participate in the Jan. 20 inauguration. It will be the first time preachers who spread the prosperity gospel will be included in the ceremony.

While the faith movement is widely popular, many Christians consider it heretical. Ministers in the tradition often hold up their own wealth as evidence their teachings work. Trump had campaigned in part on his record as a wealthy real estate developer and businessman.

For more on the heretical teachings of people like Paula White, see: The Devilish Puppet Master of the Word-Faith Movement (Justin Peters) gty.org

Vote Attack; Marriage Punishment; Korean Concession; Possible, Impossible Engine; Sinked Japan; and Juno's Pattern

Syria

Russia to launch 'large-scale' airstrikes on Syria as Americans vote theguardian

The strikes, predicted in the 24 hours from Tuesday morning, would be targeted at the outskirts of the city where rebel groups have been seeking to break the Assad regime’s siege of opposition-held eastern districts. They would involve cruise missiles, carrier-based and land-based warplanes, the reports said.

Over the past few days, the Russian navy has assembled a sizable fleet in the eastern Mediterranean, made up of its only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, its biggest battle cruiser, the Peter the Great – both from its Northern Fleet, and the Admiral Grigorovich, a nuclear-powered missile frigate. There are also reported to be up to three submarines from the Northern Fleet with the Kuznetsov battle group, which are all positioned between Cyprus and the Syrian coast.

Watery Volcano; Colored Electrons; Magnetic Circuits; Asteroid Drill; 1950's Bomb; 20,000 Poorer; Police Eaves; Cracked Media; Pollution Day!; Berlin Wall 2; and 300k Alerted

Creation

Giant Volcano Appears to Be Filled With Water gizmodo

Investigating a strange electrical anomaly, geologists have discovered an enormous water reservoir beneath the now-dormant Uturunco volcano in the Bolivian Andes. It’s a remarkable find that speaks to the vast amounts of water stored in Earth’s deep interior, possibly since our planet was formed.

“It’s probably somewhere between Lake Superior and Lake Huron,” Jon Blundy, a geologist at the University of Bristol and co-author on the new discovery published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, told New Scientist. “It’s a staggeringly large amount.”

Nuclear War Rattle; China's Heavy Rocket; Goofy Mars; Light Hack; and Jacket Tent Bag

Russia

Russia holds large-scale nuclear war games washingtontimes

The unannounced war games were called strategic operation of nuclear forces and took place between Oct. 10 and Oct. 12 throughout Russia. The exercises appear to be the latest round of nuclear saber-rattling against the United States by President Vladimir Putin.

One official said the exercises, involving numerous launches of nuclear missiles, were gauged to be at levels that reached or exceeded the kind of Soviet strategic force exercises held during the Cold War.

Isle of Civil Rebellion; Waves of Disruption; Breathtaking Theft; The British are Going; Separation Backpedal; South Africa Breaks Out; Colorado's Higher than Most; Brain Boost; Tiny, Slow Computer; Cute Robot Slaves; Juno Fail; Cubes in the Sky; Accident Fare; Connected Cars; and Weed Killing AI

Society

London couple go to Isle of Man for UK's first civil partnership bbc

The couple, who have two children, added: "We want a less encumbered, light-touch civil union that recognises our relationship on our terms, free from the trappings and social pre-conditions of marriage, while protecting our family financially and in law.

Recognizing Half of U.S.; Fading Sunday; Chicago's Illogical Transgender Rulling; Banned Books; Training Kids for War; Ignoring Missile Treaty; Philippines Ram; Miami Zika Pools; Horse Tech for Humans; and Mars in Ultaviolet

Privacy

Half of US adults are recorded in police facial recognition databases, study says theguardian

A report from Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology georgetown.edu found that more than 117 million adults are captured in a “virtual, perpetual lineup”, which means law enforcement offices across the US can scan their photos and use unregulated software to track law-abiding citizens in government datasets.

Also see the report: The Perpetual Line-up perpetuallineup.org

Unsustainably Expensive; Hamilton's Advice; Absorbing and Boiling; Blue Collar Robot; Toyota Baby; Deep and Powerful Learning; Look Ma: No Mans; Duterte is Sorry; Colombian Pieces; and Russia and US Agree to Hate Each Other

Medical

Minnesota Commissioner Slams Obamacare As "Unfair & Unsustainable" As Rates Soar zerohedge

Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman posted a letter mn.gov to the state's website saying that the state succeeded in preserving the exchanges for one more year by agreeing to massive rate hikes but warned they are on the "verge of collapse." The letter goes on to describe Minnesota's healthcare rate environment as "unsustainable and unfair" and notes that "middle-class Minnesotans" are being "crushed by the heavy burden of these costs."

Also see ObamaCare rates in MN skyrocket 60% to stave off “collapse” hotair

Drug Addict Slaughter; Cold Shake; Kashmir Concerns; Golf Missile; Ironclad Flaky Relationship; Bank In Deutsche; Science Isn't Subjective Enough; Judge Judged a Hater; EU Fast Track to Save the World; Teaming with Creepy Critters; World Watches Rosetta Die; SpaceX's Entry into the Impossible Dream; Yuan in the Basket; Dark Lights; and NASA's Gecko

Philippines

Rodrigo Duterte Condemned After Comparing Philippine War on Drugs With Holocaust wsj

“Hitler massacred three million Jews,” Mr. Duterte told reporters in Davao upon his return from a visit to Vietnam Friday. “Now, there are three million drug addicts [in the Philippines]…. I’d be happy to slaughter them.” In fact, historians estimate that the Nazis murdered six million Jews across Europe in the Holocaust during World War II.

Also see Duterte, Citing Hitler, Says He Wants to Kill 3 Million Addicts in Philippines nytimes

LAPD Etector; NLP, huh?; Doing the Robot; Need Brains; Bouncing Mars Rover; Old Bones; Whales Go Pro; Quartet Sings Same Tune; Syria Across the Border; and Biggest Eye Going Live

Crime

Experts to create predictive tool to tackle hate crime in Los Angeles phys.org

Over the next three years, the team will be closely scrutinising data taken from Twitter and cross-referencing this with reported hate crimes in Los Angeles to develop markers, or signatures, which could indicate if, and where, a hate crime is likely to take place at a certain point in time, and then enable police officers to intervene.

Falling Station; Impossible Cloud; 7% Short of Change; Rise of Salem; Lights Out; Made for Iran; The 28 Website Country; Netanyahu and Obama Play Nice; Future Take Off; To Cure All Disease; AI's Power; AI Talks Too Much; Soccer on a Wall; and Picking Apart Tardigrades

Space

Out of control? China’s Tiangong 1 space station will fall to Earth — somewhere — in 2017 washingtonpost

Chinese officials appeared to admit during a Sept. 14 news conference in Jiuquan that they had lost control of the station.

Also see China's Tiangong-1 space station 'out of control' and will crash to Earth theguardian

Army of Their Own; EU's 'Splodin; America on the Side; Rated Negatively; Changing Winds; Olive Pit; Crisper Corn; NASA's Asteroid Mission; Simple Security; MacDonald's Impending Retirement; and Large, Plane Tool

EU

Europe forges ahead with plans for 'EU army' telegraph.co.uk

Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, is preparing to forward a timetable setting out steps to create EU military structures “to act autonomously" from NATO.

Nixon Warts; Turkey's Visaless Promise; ICC Heads to Isreal; Printing Better Hands; Instant Avatar; RoboGlove; A Seal's Drone; Speedbot; and Philae's Grave

History

Two Decades after His Death, Richard Nixon Is Still Setting Precedents politico

Forty-two years after the 37th president resigned in disgrace, and 22 years after he died, there really is a “new Nixon” at last—a new Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, that is, with radically reimagined interactive exhibits telling the story of his life and presidency in the first comprehensive overhaul since it opened in 1990.

...library officials say the new exhibits will move beyond the blatant hagiography that characterized the old Nixon library...to tell history whole. That means a forthright look at Watergate, the bombing of Cambodia and other negative aspects of the Nixon legacy, amounting to an important victory for professional historians who have long battled the band of Nixon loyalists who built the library as a private institution.

Eyes Wide Closed; JW No More; Pope and Zuckerberg; Nuclear Air Defense; Illegal but Palestine; Ancient and Sophisticated; Deep Space Diver; 365 Days on the Edge of a Volcano; Car Brains; 4D Printing; Feeling Virtual Reality; and The Drone Water Hunt

Society

Kerry terror solution: Media should cover less wnd v

“It’s easy to terrorize. Government and law enforcement have to be correct 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But if you decide one day you’re going to be a terrorist and you’re willing to kill yourself, you can go out and kill some people. You can make some noise. Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didn’t cover it quite as much. People wouldn’t know what’s going on.”

Judged Not Liberal; Transgender Delayed on Technicality; Religious Freedom and Gasps of Horror; Syria: One Way or Another; Iranian Shield; NK Snub; Poor Folk Down Below; Teaching Kids to Hate Jews; Apologize Just Enough; and Stereo in Space

Sorry there was no blog yesterday - I prepared it, but then after running some unexpected errands I forgot that I never actually posted it :) Today includes yesterday's articles...

Society

Christian judge fights to keep job world.wng.org

The Wyoming Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics wyo.gov has asked the high court to remove Judge Ruth Neely, the Pinedale municipal judge and part-time circuit court magistrate, from office, ban her for life from the Wyoming judiciary, and fine her $40,000. Her offense? In response to a reporter’s question, Neely stated her Christian perspective on marriage precluded her from officiating a same-sex wedding. That statement, the commission said, was enough to show bias and an inability to adjudicate the law impartially.