Sunday, May 14, 2023

And another day of denying medical coverage based on personal beliefs, AI and the potential of misleading voters for 2024 election, a MAGA colony in Russia, the Kenya death cult, summer vacations, and alien weather forecasts comes to a close:

“We are increasingly seeing GOP leaders defend killing a person if it makes their base happy.  The more we see of this, the more it will embolden MAGA violence against us. This is a trademark of FASCISM.” -- Dean Obeidallah

“In light of current Republican policies, tomorrow will be known as ‘Forced-to-be-Mother's Day.’” — Mrs. Betty Bowers

“Deplorable was an understatement.” — Mrs. Betty Bowers

Florida doctors can now deny health care coverage based on personal views. The policy gives insurers and health care providers the ability to deny medical services that are against their moral religious or ethical beliefs. — Think about how this will be abused. Fascism is running rampant in Florida. 

Florida rejects Holocaust education textbooks in clampdown on ‘woke’ instruction. Florida’s state education department rejected two new Holocaust-focused textbooks for classroom use, while forcing at least one other textbook to alter a passage about the Hebrew Bible in order to meet state approval…Under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, the state has made an effort to clamp down on what he calls “woke indoctrination,” mostly regarding race and gender. The textbooks’ rejection is the latest example of how that drive is affecting Jewish topics as well. One of this year’s rejected Holocaust textbooks was called “Modern Genocides,” and the other was an online learning course titled “History of the Holocaust.” Both were intended for high school students.

AI presents political peril for 2024 with threat to mislead voters. Sophisticated generative AI tools can now create cloned human voices and hyper-realistic images, videos and audio in seconds, at minimal cost. When strapped to powerful social media algorithms, this fake and digitally created content can spread far and fast and target highly specific audiences, potentially taking campaign dirty tricks to a new low. The implications for the 2024 campaigns and elections are as large as they are troubling: Generative AI can not only rapidly produce targeted campaign emails, texts or videos, it also could be used to mislead voters, impersonate candidates and undermine elections on a scale and at a speed not yet seen.

Russia Wants to Build a MAGA Colony for US Conservatives, Lawyer Claims. Plans are underway in Russia to build a settlement for conservative American and Canadian immigrants seeking to leave the West “for ideological reasons,” at least according to a Moscow-based immigration lawyer. Timur Beslangurov, a partner in the law firm VISTA Immigration, claimed that construction would begin next year on a village in the Moscow region for about 200 families from North America, financed by the immigrants themselves...No evidence has been provided publicly for the claims, and it’s not 100 percent clear what Beslangurov’s role in the reported project is. -- Hmmm. I’m posting this because we live in a world where this does seem like it could happen. Right now I’m thinking this guy is trying to swindle some people, but really, can’t you see a MAGA colony being set up in Russia? It doesn’t sound too far-fetched.

How a rural Arkansas prosecutor advocated for her pedophile uncle. But time and again, Bradford used her clout and legal skills behind the scenes to assist her pedophile uncle, according to a paper trail of letters and other legal records. Over the years, she helped her uncle Barry Walker try to get a pardon from the governor for his first felony sexual abuse conviction in another Arkansas county, vigorously disputed a girl’s abuse allegations when he faced more possible charges and tried to get his name removed from Arkansas’ sex offender registry, records show. Bradford’s efforts to assist Walker have surfaced in recent months as part of a swirling scandal in the wake of what some legal observers describe as one of the worst pedophilia cases in Arkansas history. Last June 9, just 16 days after she won election as chief prosecutor in a four-county judicial district, investigators from the state and county, responding to new allegations from three girls, seized a cache of more than 400 homemade videos and thousands of photos and downloaded images of child pornography from Walker’s residence and arrested him. The videos dated back a quarter century and captured Walker committing hundreds of acts of rape and other sex crimes on dozens of pre-pubescent girls, ages 2 to 14 — including a 4-year-old girl whose claims Bradford had vigorously disputed to a neighboring prosecutor years earlier. Four months later, Walker, 59, who ran a successful construction business, pleaded guilty to more than 100 felony counts in two counties related to raping or molesting 31 children, some repeatedly. He received 39 life sentences totaling 1,710 years in prison with no chance for parole. Since his conviction in October, investigators have shifted their focus to Walker’s closest relatives and associates, amid allegations that they enabled Walker to keep preying on little girls for years...“You don’t rape this many girls this many times in a small Arkansas town unless someone is running interference for you,” said David Carter, a Texarkana lawyer representing at least 14 of the victims or their parents and guardians...Investigators believe Walker has many more victims beyond the 31 children he admitted to sexually assaulting. He has lived in several other parts of Arkansas and attended military training or resided in at least three other states...At least six of the victims captured on video have yet to be identified, according to Clark County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Turner . He said several of the victims were sedated when Walker assaulted them and  didn’t know they’d been raped until investigators contacted them...“How do you go tell a 28-year-old that she was raped when she was 12?” Turner asked, when discussing the task that faced investigators.  “And, that we know you were raped because we’ve got a video, you just don’t know it because you were unconscious.” -- They all should be behind bars, including the prosecutor, Jana Bradford.

Ohio Catholic priest guilty of sex trafficking boys; allegations spanned 15 years. Rev. Michael Jude Zacharias, 56, was convicted by a jury of one count of sexual trafficking of a minor, two counts of sexual trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, or coercion, and two counts of sexual trafficking of an adult by force, fraud, or coercion. The allegations spanned 15 years, from July 2005 to August 2020.

Arkansas Pride event changes venue after drag show restriction. Pride festivals and parades in mostly conservative states face increasing pressure to censor their events.

Kenya cult death toll hits 200, with more than 600 reported missing. The bodies are believed to be those of followers of a pastor based in coastal Kenya, Paul Mackenzie. He’s alleged to have ordered congregants to starve to death in order to meet Jesus.

Kenya cult: Children targeted to die first, pastor says. A former deputy preacher of the cult told the New York Times that children were killed first, ordered "to fast in the sun so they would die faster." Women and men were next to follow the suicide plan.

This summer’s travel trends: Shorter, cheaper trips and more driving — unless you’re rich. Among households earning over $100,000 annually, 81% are likely to take summer vacations, Bankrate found, up from 75% last year. At the other end of the spectrum, just 54% of households making under $50,000 said the same, down from 56% a year ago.

Snapchat influencer launches an AI-powered 'virtual girlfriend' to help 'cure loneliness'. Caryn Marjorie wanted to talk to as many of her followers as she could — so she made an AI clone of herself…Called CarynAI, the chatbot is described on its website as a "virtual girlfriend." It allows Marjorie's fans to "enjoy private, personalized conversations" with an AI version of the influencer, the chatbot's website states. The bot has gone viral, with Marjorie making headlines, stirring backlash and even receiving some death threats. The bot has also ignited discourse around the ethics of companion chatbots.

Scientist makes alien weather forecast for distant planet. A scientist's "alien weather forecast" for a distant planet has helped a NASA-coordinated team gain a new understanding of it.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.