Displaying items by tag: North America

In what might be the latest sign of things to come, a rabbi in New York has become the first Jewish teacher to deliver a sermon written entirely by artificial intelligence. Before teaching on Genesis 44, Rabbi Joshua Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, told his congregation that his AI-written sermon was, in fact, written by ChatGPT. Following the crowd’s reaction and applause, Franklin said the real issue is how AI will impact what the world considers spiritual. He asked, ‘How does spirituality function in a world that’s driven by data and driven by information?’ AI has jumped from simple task management to being used to design self-flying planes, paint works of art and consider ‘moral dilemmas’ for AI-driven ‘driverless’ cars.

Protests in Memphis on 27 January blocked a major highway and small-scale demonstrations were held elsewhere when over an hour of video footage was released of police violently arresting Tyre Nicholas twenty days earlier. There were no signs of Tyre resisting arrest. He was beaten unnecessarily and died in hospital three days later. Five officers were charged with his murder before the videos were released, to avert anticipated protests against police violence. Protests are spreading. Two thousand miles away in Los Angeles, demonstrators vandalised eight businesses and one person in possession of spray paint and a glass-breaking tool was arrested for felony vandalism. Marchers met in Hollywood, and Black Lives Matter continue to press for an end to traffic stops by police.

At the time of writing, 19th January America is about to hit their debt limit, meaning the government is not allowed to borrow any more money - unless Congress agrees to suspend or change the cap, currently almost $31.4tn (£25.4tn). Since 1960, politicians have moved to raise, extend or revise the definition of the debt limit 78 times - including three just in the last six months. But Republicans recently took control of the House of Representatives and are calling for spending cuts, raising concerns that politicians will delay acting this time - leading America to intentionally default for the first time in its history. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has estimated that special measures can buy time for the US until at least June, at which point the government will no longer be able to pay its bills. A true economic catastrophe - unpaid defence contractor payments, Social Security cheques, received by retirees and salaries of government employees, including the military, will all be affected.

The US government has paved the way for pharmacies to sell mifepristone, the first of a two-drug procedure for medication abortions. Mifepristone is used first to block progesterone and cause the unborn baby to die over several days. It is followed by misoprostol, which causes painful uterine contractions which expel the deceased baby from the mother’s womb. Retailers CVS and Walgreens will seek government certification to dispense the drug to women with a doctor’s prescription. Women could then take it at home, despite documented medical risks. Pro-life leaders say the new regulation will turn neighbourhood retail pharmacies into participants in killing unborn children. Peer-reviewed data from California, Finland and Sweden show that chemical abortions result in higher rates of medical complications than surgical abortions. A pro-life research organisation said emergency room visits associated with chemical abortion increased by over 500% from 2002 to 2015. During those years chemical abortions increased from 4.4% to 34.1% of total abortions.

On 2 January two pastors, Al and Vivian Robinson, made headlines after going out into horrific snowstorms to save people trapped in 12-foot snow drifts that might have frozen them in record breaking -20C wind chill. They had recently sold a rehabilitation centre, and every mattress and bed stored in their church was used by the 154 people they rescued. The previous day they had purchased two weeks’ worth of food for their large family, who were expected for the holidays. That food fed around 130 people in the only building in the area with electricity. People slept and ate in the warm church. The way all these factors came together to meet their community’s needs didn’t surprise Al, who said God equipped them for the moment.

Mauna Loa volcano is the largest active volcano in the world. On 1 December the alert level code was upgraded to red, the highest classification. The lava flow is mostly contained within the summit, but residents have been placed on alert and warned about the risk of falling ash. The US Geological Service said the situation could change rapidly. The eruption of Mauna Loa has two active fissures feeding lava flows downslope, while other lava flows are travelling north. They are reaching a relatively flat area and beginning to slow down; as this happens, the lava will spread out and inflate. Pray for the safety of the many visitors rushing to observe the spectacle. Pray for the residents worried about emergency response and resources that may be available to assist those at risk. Updates here

Ailish Campbell, Canada's ambassador to the EU,said its proposed rules to curb deforestation add ‘burdensome’ requirements and will hurt trade between Canada and the EU. The rules aim to limit the trade of products linked to deforestation worldwide. Climate campaigners have called Canada's resistance to the rules shocking. In a letter to the EU, Ms Campbell says Canada supports the objectives of the proposed deforestation regulation, but is greatly concerned that some elements will cause trade barriers for Canadian exporters. She asks for several revisions to the regulation, including providing a delay and a clearer definition for what falls under forest ‘degradation’ - a practice that climate advocates say is widely seen in Canada. In March, over 90 scientists penned an open letter to prime minister Trudeau outlining concerns about the rate of industrial logging in old-growth forests, which they said had ‘unique and irreplaceable ecological values’.

Golden Hills Elementary School in California is facing backlash from parents after promoting an after-school Satan club aimed at children as young as five. The controversial club is scheduled to hold monthly meetings starting in December. It was created by the Satanic Temple - not to be confused with the Church of Satan - as an antidote to the evangelical Christian groups cropping up in public schools. The organisation’s website states, ‘The Satanic Temple does not advocate for religion in schools. However, once religion invades schools, as the Good News Clubs have, the Satanic Temple will fight to ensure that plurality and true religious liberty are respected.’ In this instance, the after-school club was created in response to the Good News Club, a weekly Christian programme for 5- to 12-year-olds at the school. Many parents believe the Satan club is a Trojan horse to promote devil worship in schools.

Corey Brooks, founder of New Beginnings Church, is a leading voice in the fight against the violence gripping Chicago's poorest neighbourhoods. He camped on a makeshift rooftop for 365 days, raising over $20m for a new community centre. He said, ‘We talk about trying to remove violence, trying to remove poverty; this community centre will help people change their lives. Giving them a place to accept responsibility, start trying to do things for themselves and get on their feet. It's going to be a great place, teaching trades and business, giving counselling, a place for transformation.’ He braved wet, windy, cold nights and big storms; his mother died of cancer and his daughter welcomed a baby. He continued camping through it all.

Hurricane Nicole hit Florida on 10 November with 70 mph winds before being downgraded to a tropical storm. States of emergency remain, and evacuation orders are in place, with heavy rain and storm surges forecast. Nicole, which had also lashed Grand Bahama Island, will soon strike Georgia, South Carolina, and possibly other states. Storms of this size so late in the year are extremely rare: since 1853 Florida has only been hit twice. 45 of the state's 67 counties are under a state of emergency, and four counties are under mandatory evacuation orders. Over 100,000 customers are without power. Orlando airport grounded commercial operations.