Aleppo Crush; Castro Canadian Friend; Holocaust on Ice; Cashless Modi; Uncomfortable Abortion Reality; Computer Programmer; ALVINN; BosTonomy; Photon Converter; and Trash Man...IN SPAAAAAACE

Syria

Syrian forces make sweeping gains in eastern Aleppo cnn v

Government forces and armed paramilitary groups loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began a renewed push toward eastern Aleppo on November 15, backed by airstrikes following a three-week lull.

Taking the city would mark a turning point in a civil war that has raged in Syria for more than five years.

Also see Syrian rebel forces in Aleppo suffer 'biggest defeat since 2012' 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.

Google, Am I Good?; End-Run BDS with Bonds; Fleeing BDS in LA; California's Sort Of Anti-BDS Law; Out on Bad Behavior; CA Plays Planned Parenthood Protector; Slave Recruit; Sinning Against Nature; 3D and Electrified Graphene; Quantum Computer Coming Soon; Creepy-Smart; Sanbot Service; Pizza Factory; AI Hope; and Sub Quiet

Depravity of Man

Am I a good person? You asked Google – here’s the answer theguardian w!

But before we even get to the question of what would make a good person, there is a basic difficulty with our inquiry: if we ask ourselves, the answer we get will probably be tainted with lies. Even when we know we have done wrong, our minds set at work to scrub the knowledge out. A rather elegant study recently published in PNAS showed that we have difficulties even forming memories of the times we have behaved unethically, and if they ever are formed, they disintegrate faster than other ones. And this is a truth that was known long before lab science, by anyone who studies human nature, from St Augustine to Jane Austen.

While clearly not holding to a biblical view point (and effectivly calling Jesus just another man and totally misunderstanding the point of Job), this is a good reminder that the problem with defining "good" is good by whose standard? God declared it's by His standard that we must be good, and said no one is good (Psalm 53:3, c.f. Romans 3:12). Jesus pointed to the Pharasees and said our righteousness must exceed those who were so about obeying laws that they even made up more laws to obey (Matt 5:20). No one is good, and certainly no one is perfect as God is and demands (Matt 5:48), but that's why Jesus had to live and die. To not only pay our fine in a legal sense through His death for our sin, but to also live righteously so that HIS righteousness could be credited to our account (2 Cor 5:21). There's only been one good man (Jesus - fully God, fully man), which is why there's only one way to be saved from the wrath of God! (John 3:36)

David Descending; An Old Yarn; Quiet Drought; Programming in the Quantum; Sluggish Speed of Light; Robot Wars; AI See You; Pedophilla, the Next Right; Unfaire; Printing Holograms; Japan on the Ready; and Russia's Friend Iran

Temple Mount

King David’s Descendents Making Case to Reclaim Ownership of Temple Mount breakingisraelnews

While their claim is legally sound and verifiable, it faces significant political hurdles. One of the suit’s beneficiaries, who claims descent from the Davidic Dynasty, is ready for the legal battle but cautiously pragmatic.

NK Missile Not Such a Flop; The Quartet; Roman Empire Expands; U.S. Treasury Contemplates Brexit; EU Banks Fear American Ones; 20 Satellites at Once; Rover Drone; Leo, the Bag Handler; Real Time Movements; Particle Zoo; Russian Teleporter; 66 M Dead Trees; Lightning 93; Measuring the Rise and Fall of CA; and Pittsburgh Transgender School Policy

North Korea

North Korea’s Latest Missile Test Shows Signs of Progress, Analysts Say nytimes

Although the missile fell far short of its estimated full range of more than 2,000 miles — far enough to reach American military bases in the Pacific — the test is the first for the Musudan that was not immediately dismissed as a failure by the United States or South Korea.

See also North Korea missiles 'a serious threat' after new tests and North Korea leader says missile gives ability to attack U.S. in Pacific

AI Goes to Washington; Augmented Sand; Eye Ball Computer; Quantum Cloud; Better Bionic Hand; Hidden Hospital Abortions; 13 Day-Old Embryo; CRISPR and the Question of Humanity; Marriage Graduation; Troop Build Up; Russian Homesteading; Missile Defense Snag; ISIS' Chemical Weapons; Blocking U.S. Passage; and $250k Fine Per Unwelcomed Migrant

You know it's an interesting day when the U.S. government announces it's actively promoting AI! There's also a cool bit of augmented technology by UC Davis if you like to play in the sand, a doctor suing her hospital because it won't let her say publicly that they do abortions, and an announcement that an embryo was kept alive in the lab for 13 days.

AI

Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence whitehouse.gov

...the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is excited to announce that we will be co-hosting four public workshops over the coming months on topics in AI to spur public dialogue on artificial intelligence and machine learning and identify challenges and opportunities related to this emerging technology.