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146 Comments

  1. This is a beyond bizarre article…..

    “Saudi Arabia becomes first country to grant citizenship to a robot”

    http://www.arabnews.com/node/1183166/saudi-arabia

    What I can’t figure out is why any government would grant full citizenship to an AI….? What’s even more perplexing why Saudi Arabia? Islam is based on many things but the one central understanding of Islam is halal vs haram. Even though most westerners relate halal food, its deeper meaning is what is pure. Wouldn’t protecting humanity or putting humans first be closer to god and halal vs AI which is non human and haram? The Saudi regime are the gatekeepers of Islam so why would they put themselves in this position. It’s bizarre.

    The regime is playing a very stupid game and they are going to lose.

      1. Sure to westerners but to the Muslim world….?

        Deep in the Arab world they are not that modern in fact they’re quite backwards. It’s like going from zero to a thousand pushing an agenda. It’s just weird.

          1. Exactly, I can’t imagine the clerics supporting this unless they are being paid to do so.

            There has been some rumbles since the release of this article. Excluding the South Asian population, Saudi has a huge Arab Muslim expat community that has lived in the country for generations and because they are not natural citizens they can never acquire citizenship. So what does it say to them when they have worked to build they country and can’t get citizenship but the government is handing out citizenship to a robot and even more bizarre a female robot that is not in Muslim garb…? I understand Saudi’s PR push to seem progressive but would they want to project progressivism at risk to the control of the government?

            It’s a fine balance they have to work. So they are either incredibly stupid (which they are) or something stranger is going on.

        1. At the conference Sophia fully exposed……. Maybe in Saudi she might have to dress according to code. Who knows…?

          This is so ridiculous. These people are truly nuts.

  2. I just watched this very interesting movie, made in the Ukraine, discussing how it appears that the Chernobyl nuclear plant explosion in 1986 was intentionally set off under the orders of a top Soviet Union official. He had been in charge of a major defense project right next door to the nuclear plant, and he knew that in just a few months his project would be exposed as a complete failure, and a total waste of Soviet Union money, thus potentially putting him in line to receive the death penalty.

    Here’s the trailer for the movie:

    https://youtu.be/q1poYZCO7qk

    In addition, if you’re a member of Amazon Prime, you can watch the movie for free right here:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B016Q1NFAI/ref=atv_mv_hom_1_c_yrvds_2_6?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_i=home&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2461274122&pf_rd_r=N0KCCFTGAE018NNVYPQB&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_t=12801

    1. Had not seen. Have watched a few – lots of courage on the part of the Russian general who lead the management and clean up. Sacrificed his life. What some men tear down, some men build up.

    1. numerous people who have made a lot of money in the first rush and who don’t know much about the financial system say things like this. bubble fever.

    1. One theory is that autism is encouraged and created to access savants and a variety of special talents.

        1. I believe that part of ISIS is testing out super soldiers. One of the reasons they are covered is because physical characteristics of some do not match Middle East.

          1. If I am right, it is one of the reasons that Putin is concerned – and one of the reasons their focus has been on aerial response on the Syrian front.

  6. Catherine…………….I was most interested in your comments about the California fires. I live in southern California, and while there is much news coverage on a daily basis about the fires; not EVER has it been mentioned why anyone thinks they were started,.. by whom, or any such conversation. Northern California is much greener than we are (I live in the desert), rains much, and USED to grow much more than our part of the state. I have watched our date orchards, and citrus trees go to waste out here; as the children do not want to farm when their parents pass away and leave them the land. They sell quickly to developers, or buy into the latest trend…..marijuana farms. The drug cartels have discovered that they can come in, and strong arm the owners of the land growing marijuana to allow them (the cartels) to go into business with them. We are only 2 hours from the Mexican border, and our crime concerning the drug trade has gone through the roof. I purchased a lemon today and it was 79 cents. I would rather have the fruit trees back than the problems we now have.
    Since we have become a Sanctuary State, this situation may be happening everywhere. We used to produce 69 percent of the salad greens in the US. Now most of what we see in the stores comes from elsewhere, and a lot from Mexico. Everyone seems to be wanting to get in the drug trade, and I fear they do not understand what this is producing.
    Thank you for bringing this question out! What is the reason behind these fires? It is not a natural happening, indeed!

    1. Lauran:

      In Money & Markets I described the reasons things like this happen and what patterns to look for. I also posted a recent discussion by Elana Freeland about the fires which I recommend.

  7. Just thinking out loud

    After 8 years of Bush Jr. sleeping with Punxsutawney Phil and not saying a word with the exception of telling the public he is now a painter he does a smackdown on President Trump saying “Nationalism distorted into nativism”

    The next day President Trump orders release of the JFK files.

    Connection?

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