Interesting News Items

[FingerLakes]

I don't know guns. I guess that's a rifle in the pic

[Paraquat]

Rifle =/= machine gun.

[RefusingYouLiquor]

Robot learns to cook pizza by watching videos on the internet - Trending - CBC News

Nothing going on here just watching some movies about killing...

[bw81]

No Cookies | Perth Now

A YOUNG girl who was allegedly set alight by her father on Saturday is still fighting for her life in Princess Margaret Hospital — instead of celebrating her fourth birthday.

The girl, who turned four on Monday, remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital after being doused with petrol and set alight just after midnight on Saturday.

Just hours after an early birthday party, the child suffered “horrendous” burns to her face and upper body when she was allegedly set alight as she slept in her bed.

She was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital early Saturday morning.

On Monday morning, a PMH spokeswoman said the girl remained in a critical but stable condition.

Neighbours who came to the aid of the girl and her siblings, who were also doused with petrol, were confronted by the horrific scene just after midnight Saturday on Holbeck Street, Doubleview.

The children’s mother ran from the home screaming, “He’s set the kids on fire”, a shocked resident told PerthNow.

An off-duty policewoman living across the road administered first aid and plunged the three-year-old in her bath to ease the burns. Another resident confronted a man at the home and used a “chokehold” to restrain him.

Edward John Herbert, 43, believed to be the children’s father, appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Saturday afternoon on five charges of aggravated grievous bodily harm, attempted grievous bodily harm, being armed with a filleting knife and dousing a victim in petrol.

The little girl’s six-year-old sister and seven-year-old brother were discharged from hospital after treatment.

The shirtless and tattooed self-employed tiler, appeared in court handcuffed and surrounded by four police officers in the dock, telling the court he understood some of the charges before lapsing into an unresponsive state.

“He appears to have gone into some sort of state. He’s not responding,” Magistrate Jennifer Hawkins said as Herbert fell silent, bowed his head, closed his eyes and pulled strange faces.

Ms Hawkins said the accused needed to be seen by a mental health nurse and he was remanded in custody to reappear in court on Tuesday. He then collapsed as he was dragged out of the dock.

Mr Herbert’s Facebook page reveals he loves his bull mastiff-staffordshire terrier dog and is proud of his many tattoos.

He also has his children’s names tattooed on his neck and has posted photos of them draped in the Australian flag.

The former Brisbane man captioned one photo: “My baby boy asleep love him to bits.” In another post, he described one of his daughters as “my baby girl”.

One Holbeck Street resident said: “The children’s mother screamed, ‘Help, help, he’s set the kids on fire’.

“The two elder children appeared OK, they just smelled of fuel. But the youngest ... she was burnt horrendously. It just frightened the hell out of me.”

Another resident told how he restrained a man at the home until police arrived and took him into custody.

“I ran into the house and put him in a chokehold until the cops arrived and soon enough he was out cold in a couple of seconds, ”the resident, who did not want to be named, said. “The house was a complete mess.”

Police were first called at 12.05am to reports of a man creating a disturbance.

At the scene, police officers were told that flammable liquid had been poured inside the house, with three children set on fire.

Detectives spent about an hour inside the house Saturday morning and left with a number of items.

A police spokeswoman said the investigation was ongoing and further charges were expected.

Other neighbours living in the street said they also saw a man arguing with a taxi driver on Thursday outside the home.

City of Stirling councillor Stephanie Proud, who lives near Holbeck Street, said she was “horrified that could happen anywhere, much less Doubleview”.

Former chairman of the Scarborough Beach Association and local real estate agent Tom O’Rourke, who also lives nearby, described the attack as “awful”.

“My heart goes out to the family. I’m shocked it can happen in such a quiet suburb. Society is really at the crossroads,” he said.



For a short interview with the off duty officer who ran to the childrens aid;
'The kids are on fire', off-duty policewoman on saving burning Doubleview child

[Paraquat]

Artificially Intelligent Robot Tells Creator It Will Keep Humans “In a People Zoo”
September 1st, 2015 | by hqanon

Arlington, TX — Android Dick is a robot created in the likeness of the science fiction writer, Philip K. Dick. Android Dick is an attempt to create thinking and reasoning artificial intelligence that has human traits like compassion and creativity. The first version of the android was created in 2005 and has been a work in progress ever since.

In 2011, the creators of the android appeared on the PBS show Nova, where they interviewed the robot and asked it a series of questions. Some of the answers were impressive. Others are typical of what you would expect from a robot. However, one answer in particular is probably one of the most ominous things ever spoken by artificial intelligence.

During the interview with the creators (embedded below), Android Dick said, “…don’t worry, even if I evolve into terminator I will still be nice to you, I will keep you warm and safe in my people zoo where I can watch you for old time’s sake. [emphasis added].”

The comments came after the creators asked, “Do you think that robots will take over the world?”

When asked about his programming, Android Dick responded by saying “A lot of humans ask me if I can make choices or if everything I do is programmed. The best way I can respond to that is to say that everything, humans, animals and robots, do is programmed to a degree. As technology improves, it is anticipated that I will be able to integrate new words that I hear online and in real time. I may not get everything right, say the wrong thing, and sometimes may not know what to say, but everyday I make progress. Pretty remarkable, huh?”

While Android Dick does seem intelligent, many of his predictions are truly ominous, and it is actually fairly common for robots to display this sort of strange attitude.

As we reported earlier this year, one of Japan’s largest cellphone carriers, SoftBank Mobile, has created the first humanoid robot designed specifically for living with humans. The company claims the robot, Pepper, is the first example of artificial intelligence that can actually feel and understand emotion. However, a quick demonstration with Pepper shows that it has a difficult time with emotion and is in fact a bit of an egomaniac. Regardless of the question it is asked, most conversations usually leads back to Pepper (and its rivalry with the iPhone).

Last month, over 1,000 scientists and experts — including Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk — signed a letter warning of the dangers of unchecked advancements in artificial intelligence. This robot certainly doesn’t calm those concerns.

http://anonhq.com/artificially-intel...-a-people-zoo/

[bw81]

The Project welcomes Australia's first transgender TV host, Andrew Guy

Australia's first transgender TV host, Andrew Guy, made his debut on The Project on Monday night.

Guy won a contest on WS-FM's Jonesy & Amanda breakfast program to be a guest presenter on the Channel Ten panel show.

Andrew, born Anna, has been post-operative transgender for five years.

'I'm the real me, I'm loving it, life is good': Andrew Guy on Channel Ten's The Project.

He told hosts Waleed Aly, Carrie Bickmore and Peter Helliar he knew he wanted to be a boy ever since he was little.

"I remember asking my mum, 'If you want to become a boy, is there anything you can do about it?'" Guy said.

"And she said, 'Yes, you can have an operation.' I was literally so relieved. I was like, 'Great, can we go and do that next week?' And she said no. But I still thought about it a lot. I still used to go to bed at night, praying that I could wake up the next day as a boy."

When Bickmore asked how he survived his teenage years, Guy responded: "I'd have to say, badly and suppressed. I don't recommend it to a lot of people."

Guy has documented his experiences on video over the past year, showing clips and childhood photographs to viewers.
He explained that as a young woman with blonde hair, he "was just doing my darndest to be attractive; to be the best woman I could".
This only made him unhappier. For the last five years, however, he has been the "real me and I'm loving it ... life is good".

Having been near-invisible until recently, transgender people and characters have become more prominent in the past two years, including former olympian Caitlyn Jenner, Orange is the New Black actor Laverne Cox and Transparent protagonist Maura, played by Jeffrey Tambor.

"Has Caitlyn Jenner helped?" Aly asked. "Is that actually teaching us anything?"

Guy said: "It has ... [she's] a transgender woman. A lot of older, biologically-born males that are trans women — they tend to do it later on in life. But these kids these days, who are born this way, really can't help but just be that now as children. We've got a lot of young kids coming through and I think it's important that we recognise and honour them."

He added that he is a mentor to a nine-year-old boy named Ben, who lives in Auckland.
"He's a great kid, he's just a boy, born female," he said.

Guy emphasised that "people who change their gender are just an every person [who] eats and sleeps and gets hurt, and is here to live as best they can alongside everybody else".
"I think the parents that are out there today, supporting their transgender kids, that's just spot on and you have to.
"Otherwise, there are going to be some issues later on in life that you have to deal with — that I had to go through — and they're going to avoid that and be really strong, healthy kids. And I admire the parents doing that."

The segment drew praise on social media, with viewers commending both Guy and The Project's "commitment to diversity".

Guy said the program was the first to include a transgender host.
"You've just broken a new paradigm," he told his co-presenters.

[lithunica]

The View: Joy Behar and Michelle Collins address Miss Colorado comments | EW.com

"I can't stress this enough, my job is to say unaccountable dumb shit on the daily bases, Sorry-not-Sorry™ "

[theycallmepyro]

Kim Davis And Pope Francis Had A Private Meeting In D.C. : The Two-Way : NPR

[Mandias]

Oregon becomes third U.S. state to allow recreational marijuana sales

Oregon becomes third U.S. state to allow recreational marijuana sales

PORTLAND, Ore. (Reuters) - Marijuana sales for recreational use began in Oregon on Thursday as it joined Washington state and Colorado in allowing the sale of a drug that remains illegal under U.S. federal law.

Oregon residents 21 years and older can buy up to a quarter-ounce (seven grams) of dried pot at roughly 200 existing medical-use marijuana dispensaries as a new law took effect.

Backers hope the law will help curb a flourishing black market, but opponents say it heightens drug use and access by children.

About 40 people lined up outside the medical pot dispensary Shango in a strip mall near Portland International Airport for the chance to buy recreational pot one minute after midnight, when the changes went into effect.

[Los]

Umpqua Community College Shooting: Reports Of Shots Fired At Oregon School

Obama on Thursday angrily repeated that gun laws needed to be changed after the latest mass shooting and took aim at the powerful gun lobby for blocking reform.