Fear artificial stupidity, not artificial intelligence

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Stephen Hawking thinks computers may surpass human intelligence and take over the world. We won't ever be silicon slaves, insists an AI expert

It is not often that you are obliged to proclaim a much-loved genius wrong, but in his alarming prediction on artificial intelligence and the future of humankind, I believe Stephen Hawking has erred. To be precise, and in keeping with physics in an echo of Schrdinger's cat he is simultaneously wrong and right.

Asked how far engineers had come towards creating artificial intelligence, Hawking replied: "Once humans develop artificial intelligence it would take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete, and would be superseded."

In my view, he is wrong because there are strong grounds for believing that computers will never replicate all human cognitive faculties. He is right because even such emasculated machines may still pose a threat to humankind's future as autonomous weapons, for instance.

Such predictions are not new; my former boss at the University of Reading, professor of cybernetics Kevin Warwick, raised this issue in his 1997 book March of the Machines. He observed that robots with the brain power of an insect had already been created. Soon, he predicted, there would be robots with the brain power of a cat, quickly followed by machines as intelligent as humans, which would usurp and subjugate us.

This is based on the ideology that all aspects of human mentality will eventually be realised by a program running on a suitable computer a so-called strong AI. Of course, if this is possible, a runaway effect would eventually be triggered by accelerating technological progress caused by using AI systems to design ever more sophisticated AIs and Moore's law, which states that raw computational power doubles every two years.

I did not agree then, and do not now.

I believe three fundamental problems explain why computational AI has historically failed to replicate human mentality in all its raw and electro-chemical glory, and will continue to fail.

First, computers lack genuine understanding. The Chinese Room Argument is a famous thought experiment by US philosopher John Searle that shows how a computer program can appear to understand Chinese stories (by responding to questions about them appropriately) without genuinely understanding anything of the interaction.

Second, computers lack consciousness. An argument can be made, one I call Dancing with Pixies, that if a robot experiences a conscious sensation as it interacts with the world, then an infinitude of consciousnesses must be everywhere: in the cup of tea I am drinking, in the seat that I am sitting on. If we reject this wider state of affairs known as panpsychism we must reject machine consciousness.

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Fear artificial stupidity, not artificial intelligence

Even computers are fooled by optical illusions!

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Computer scientists developed images that are unrecognisable to humans To machines they appear as different objects, such as a robin or cheetah This is because machines focus on pixels in an image that are different But humans identify objects by drawing relationships between features Images confuse the machine by exploiting the gaps in their knowledge This could potentially be used to hack into computers in the future

By Ellie Zolfagharifard for MailOnline

Published: 10:58 EST, 18 December 2014 | Updated: 11:46 EST, 18 December 2014

Elon Musk recently likened artificial intelligence to 'summoning the demon'.

The SpaceX founder, along with other scientists such Stephen Hawking, are concerned by the rapid pace of progress in machine intelligence.

But computers may not be as clever as we believe. In fact, a study in the US suggests that artificial intelligence could be fooled by simple optical illusions.

Computer scientists from the University of Wyoming and Cornell University in New York were able to hack the way a computer views objects using unique images that appear as static to humans. In these experiments, the machine was almost completely convinced it had labelled these images correctly

The findings have wide implications, because they mean hackers could someday exploit machines that rely on their ability to recognise their surroundings.

Computer scientists from the University of Wyoming and Cornell University developed a range of images that are unrecognisable to humans, but meaningful to computers.

'It is easy to produce images that are completely unrecognisable to humans, but that state-of-the-art [deep neural networks] believe to be recognisable objects,' the team wrote in a paper posted to ArXiv.

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PostEverything: Did historical Jesus really exist? The evidence just doesnt add up.

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Did a man called Jesus of Nazareth walk the earth? Discussions over whether the figure known as the Historical Jesus actually existed primarily reflect disagreements among atheists. Believers, who uphold the implausible and more easily-dismissed Christ of Faith (the divine Jesus who walked on water), ought not to get involved.

Numerous secular scholars have presented their own versions of the so-called Historical Jesus and most of them are, as biblical scholar J.D. Crossan puts it, an academic embarrassment. From Crossans view of Jesus as the wise sage, to Robert Eisenmans Jesus the revolutionary, and Bart Ehrmans apocalyptic prophet, about the only thing New Testament scholars seem to agree on is Jesus historical existence. But can even that be questioned?

The first problem we encounter when trying to discover more about the Historical Jesus is the lack of early sources. The earliest sources only reference the clearly fictional Christ of Faith. These early sources, compiled decades after the alleged events, all stem from Christian authors eager to promote Christianity which gives us reason to question them. The authors of the Gospels fail to name themselves, describe their qualifications, or show any criticism with their foundational sources which they also fail to identify. Filled with mythical and non-historical information, and heavily edited over time, the Gospels certainly should not convince critics to trust even the more mundane claims made therein.

The methods traditionally used to tease out rare nuggets of truth from the Gospels are dubious. The criterion of embarrassment says that if a section would be embarrassing for the author, it is more likely authentic. Unfortunately, given the diverse nature of Christianity and Judaism back then (things have not changed all that much), and the anonymity of the authors, it is impossible to determine what truly would be embarrassing or counter-intuitive, let alone if that might not serve some evangelistic purpose.

The criterion of Aramaic context is similarly unhelpful. Jesus and his closest followers were surely not the only Aramaic-speakers in first-century Judea. The criterion of multiple independent attestation can also hardly be used properly here, given that the sources clearly are not independent.

Pauls Epistles, written earlier than the Gospels, give us no reason to dogmatically declare Jesus must have existed. Avoiding Jesus earthly events and teachings, even when the latter could have bolstered his own claims, Paul only describes his Heavenly Jesus. Even when discussing what appear to be the resurrection and the last supper, his only stated sources are his direct revelations from the Lord, and his indirect revelations from the Old Testament. In fact, Paul actually rules out human sources (see Galatians 1:11-12).

Also important are the sources we dont have. There are no existing eyewitness or contemporary accounts of Jesus. All we have are later descriptions of Jesus life events by non-eyewitnesses, most of whom are obviously biased. Little can be gleaned from the few non-Biblical and non-Christian sources, with only Roman scholar Josephus and historian Tacitus having any reasonable claim to be writing about Jesus within 100 years of his life. And even those sparse accounts are shrouded in controversy, with disagreements over what parts have obviously been changed by Christian scribes (the manuscripts were preserved by Christians), the fact that both these authors were born after Jesus died (they would thus have probably received this information from Christians), and the oddity that centuries go by before Christian apologists start referencing them.

Agnosticism over the matter is already seemingly appropriate, and support for this position comes from independent historian Richard Carriers recent defense of another theory namely, that the belief in Jesus started as the belief in a purely celestial being (who was killed by demons in an upper realm), who became historicized over time. To summarize Carriers 800-page tome, this theory and the traditional theory that Jesus was a historical figure who became mythicized over time both align well with the Gospels, which are later mixtures of obvious myth and what at least sounds historical.

The Pauline Epistles, however, overwhelmingly support the celestial Jesus theory, particularly with the passage indicating that demons killed Jesus, and would not have done so if they knew who he was (see: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10). Humans the murderers according to the Gospels of course would still have killed Jesus, knowing full well that his death results in their salvation, and the defeat of the evil spirits.

So what do the mainstream (and non-Christian) scholars say about all this? Surprisingly very little of substance anyway. Only Bart Ehrman andMaurice Casey have thoroughly attempted to prove Jesus historical existence in recent times. Their most decisive point? The Gospels can generally be trusted after we ignore the many, many bits that are untrustworthy because of the hypothetical (i.e. non-existent) sources behind them. Who produced these hypothetical sources? When? What did they say? Were they reliable? Were they intended to be accurate historical portrayals, enlightening allegories, or entertaining fictions?

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Utica Fire Dept. refuses to take down religious sign despite national organizations complaints

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Utica (WSYR-TV/WUTR-TV) The Utica Fire Department is in the middle of a small controversy over a sign outside one of their fire houses.

The sign says, Happy birthday Jesus, we love you.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national organization that promotes separation of church and state and educates the public about atheism and agnosticism.

The group has written multiple letters protesting the sign.

Fire Chief Russell Brooks said the department will not take the sign down, according to NewsChannel 9 WSYRs sister station WUTR-TV.

"This display is well within our constitutional rights and we've seen no reason to take it down when it brings such a good feeling to the community and to the firefighters," said Brooks.

He also said, the department is also receiving a lot of support from the community about the sign.

Additional details area available on WUTR-TVs website.

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Utica Fire Dept. refuses to take down religious sign despite national organizations complaints

Students show off projects at Britton science fair

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With the Britton Middle School gymnasium filled to near capacity for its fourth annual science fairwhich displayed projects from about 320 eighth-grade studentsclassmates Eliza Martin and Xuan Nguyen wore white T-shirts with words and drawings that helped detail their experiment titled, Poo-Ti-Fuel.

Over the course of the first semester, the two 13-year-olds tested different organic matter to identify which produced the best biofuel. One of those substances chosen by the duoand colorfully drawn on the front of their shirtswas cow manure.

We put the variables in bottles filled with water and strapped a balloon on the top, explained Nguyen, minutes after she and Martin received first-place blue ribbons awarded to winners in seven different categories Tuesday night. We recorded the data over one week and measured the energy created by the circumference of the balloon.

Their hypothesis was correct: the bananas and cow manure were tied for producing the most biofuel ahead of mixed vegetables.

It was really an honor to win, Martin said. We put a lot of work into our project.

Another first-place finisher, 13-year-old Gabe Milos, was equally as excited with the results from his experiment measuring the difference in distance of a ball struck by a cork-filled baseball bat and a standard one.

Its lighter so you can swing the bat faster, said Milos, a Morgan Hill Pony Baseball League player who was inspired for his project after watching an old Chicago Cubs game in which slugger Sammy Sosa was caught using a corked bat. I wasnt expecting to win. It was cool, though.

Twins Satyen and Shrayen Patel, blue ribbon winners in the Chemistry category, thought it would be cool to examine, Whats in Your Drink?, for their science project. They discovered that there is more sugar content in organic orange and apple juices than in Coca-Cola and Diet Coke. However, the sugar in the juice was good sugar, Satyen Patel explained.

The top four finishers in each category, including Biology, Botany, Behavioral, Engineering/Electricity, Physics and Chemistry, received ribbons and their entry tickets to the Jan. 15 citywide science fair that puts Brittons students up against fellow eighth-graders from Martin Murphy Middle School and Oakwood School.

Whats really nice is they have been working on their projects since September and this has really been a culmination of the entire semester, said Britton science teacher Jim Levin. We really tied together all of the school. This is a multi-disciplinary project. It just happens to be under science.

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Could ibuprofen be an anti-aging medicine?

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

18-Dec-2014

Contact: Kris Rebillot krebillot@buckinstitute.org 415-209-2080 Buck Institute for Age Research @BuckInstitute

Ibuprofen, a common over-the-counter drug used to relieve pain and fever, could hold the keys to a longer healthier life, according to a study by researchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Publishing in PLoS Genetics on December 18th, scientists showed that regular doses of ibuprofen extended the lifespan of yeast, worms and fruit flies.

"There is a lot to be excited about," said Brian Kennedy, PhD, CEO of the Buck Institute, who said treatments, given at doses comparable to those used in humans, extended lifespan an average of 15 percent in the model organisms. "Not only did all the species live longer, but the treated flies and worms appeared more healthy," he said. "The research shows that ibuprofen impacts a process not yet implicated in aging, giving us a new way to study and understand the aging process." But most importantly, Kennedy said the study opens the door for a new exploration of so-called "anti-aging medicines." "Ibuprofen is a relatively safe drug, found in most people's medicine cabinets," he said. "There is every reason to believe there are other existing treatments that can impact healthspan and we need to be studying them."

The work was the result of a collaboration between the Buck Institute and Texas A & M's Agrilife program. Michael Polymenis, PhD, an AgriLife Research biochemist started the work in baker's yeast and then moved it into worms and flies. Polymenis, who also is a professor in the biochemistry and biophysics department at Texas A&M University, said the three-year project showed that ibuprofen interferes with the ability of yeast cells to pick up tryptophan, an amino acid found in every cell of every organism. Tryptophan is essential for humans, who get it from protein sources in the diet. "We are not sure why this works, but it's worth exploring further. This study was a proof of principle, to show that common, relatively safe drugs in humans can extend the lifespan of very diverse organisms," he said. "Therefore, it should be possible to find others like ibuprofen with even better ability to extend lifespan, with the aim of adding healthy years of life in people."

"Dr. Polymenis approached me with this idea of seeing how his cell cycle analysis corresponded with our aging studies," said Kennedy. "He had identified some drugs that had some really unique properties, and we wanted to know if they might affect aging, so we did those studies in our lab," he said. "The Buck Institute is interested in finding out why people get sick when they get old. We think that by understanding those processes, we can intervene and find ways to extend human healthspan to keep people healthier longer to slow down aging. That's our ultimate goal."

Ibuprofen is in the class of compounds known as NSAID's - nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used for relieving pain, helping with fever and reducing inflammation. It was created in the early 1960's in England and was first made available by prescription and then, after widespread use, became available over-the-counter throughout the world in the 1980s. The World Health Organization includes ibuprofen on their "List of Essential Medications" needed in a basic health system. Although deemed relatively safe and commonly used, ibuprofen can have adverse side effects, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract and the liver at high doses.

Chong He, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Buck Institute and lead author on the paper, said the extended lifespan in the model organisms would be the equivalent to another dozen or so years of healthy living in humans. "Our preliminary data in the worms showed that ibuprofen also extended their healthspan," she said. "Healthy worms tend to thrash a lot and the treated worms thrashed much longer than would be normally expected. As they aged, they also swallowed food much faster than expected."

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Pebbles new actionable notifications mimic Android Wear

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Pebble, the Kickstarter darlingthat went on to becomean international blockbuster, hasfared well against new smartwatchesfrom big-name competitors. The key toits continued success lies both inits platform agnosticism and prescience. Pebble has responded well to the changingtrends of the buddingwearablemarket. In late September, the Pebble and its pricier companion, the Pebble Steel, saw respective price reductions to $100 and $200. And recently, Pebbles software was updated to allow for continuous fitness monitoring.

Related:Pebble smartwartch starts at $100, update includes activity and sleep tracking

Some speculated those moves were fueled by thedebut of Android Wear devices, which occupy the same price bracket and sport identical functionality. The features of Pebbles newerfirmware, however, are a little more brazenly aimed at would-be Wear owners. Last month, the Pebble received full notification support for Android devices running 4.3 or later, and now, the development team is taking the next logical step forward.

Software version2.3, currently in beta, lets Pebble users interact with Android notifications. Muchlike behavior on Android Wear, alerts from many apps are actionable an SMS message can be replied to, for example, or Square Cash requests accepted, an e-mail archived, or a phone call answered. As Pebble has no touchscreen, users rely on itsphysical buttons to scroll through and select actions.

Related:Your Pebble now has full notification support, thanks to an Android app update

The Pebble team achieved the new interactions by tapping into the notification which underlies Android and Android Wear. That means developers wont have tomake changes to take advantage of the feature. Integrating Pebble with Android Wear is thanks to [Googles] open approach, a note on Pebbles blog reads.

The update, which also includes support for auto app updates and Android 4.0+ devices, will be distributed through Google Play to ownerswho sign up forPebbles beta channel.

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Pioneer Award winners Katherine High, Amit Nathwani, Arthur Nienhuis, and Andrew Davidoff honored

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Dec-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ryan kryan@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News @LiebertOnline

New Rochelle, NY, December 17, 2014--Recognized for her pioneering work to develop gene therapy for hemophilia spanning several decades, taking it from the laboratory into human clinical trials, is Katherine A. High, MD, Spark Therapeutics. Also recognized for their demonstration of successful clinical applications of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-based gene therapy for hemophilia B are Amit C. Nathwani, MD, PhD, UCL Cancer Institute, and Arthur W. Nienhuis, MD and Andrew M. Davidoff, MD, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, is commemorating its 25th anniversary by bestowing this honor on the leading pioneers in the field of cell and gene therapy selected by a blue ribbon panel* and by publishing a Pioneer Perspective by the award recipients. The Perspectives by Dr. High and Drs. Nathwani, Nienhuis, and Davidoff are available free on the Human Gene Therapy website at http://www.liebertpub.com/hgt.

In the Perspective entitled "Gene Therapy for Hemophilia: The Clot Thickens", Dr. High recounts why hemophilia was an attractive early target for gene therapy research and describes the genetic and physiological basis of the disease. She reviews early efforts using gene-based therapy to treat hemophilia B and provides a detailed account of her group's approach using an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector to deliver the Factor IX gene, which encodes the clotting factor missing in patients with hemophilia B. Dr. High recalls the reasons for selecting skeletal muscle as the injection site for drug delivery, and she describes the limitations and unexpected obstacles that arose, such as patients' immune responses to the AAV vector and evidence of vector genetic material in the semen of the male patients, creating the risk of germline transmission.

In "Our Journey to Successful Gene Therapy for Hemophilia B", Drs. Nathwani, Nienhuis, and Davidoff present a detailed overview of their many years of collaborative research that has included a comparison of the safety and efficacy of different gene therapy delivery sites. The researchers also developed a sensitive assay system to enable detection of low levels of Factor IX and demonstrated stable therapeutic expression of the clotting factor. Over the years, they experimented with AAV vector types to achieve higher gene transfer levels and enable a therapeutic effect using lower and potentially safer doses. They describe the current status of their clinical research program and their early efforts in the development of gene therapy for hemophilia A.

"Hemophilia B has served as the model by which in vivo gene therapies have been evaluated," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy, and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia. "Kathy was there from the beginning and has contributed to every major advance in hemophilia B gene therapy. Art, Andy, and Amit came together as a team soon after the turn of the century to eventually launch a clinical trial with a second generation AAV vector that served as a true milestone in the field of gene therapy. These pioneers are well-deserving of this recognition for their tenacity and courage to stay the course."

*The blue ribbon panel of leaders in cell and gene therapy, led by Chair Mary Collins, PhD, MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology, University College London selected the Pioneer Award recipients. The Award Selection Committee selected scientists that had devoted much of their careers to cell and gene therapy research and had made a seminal contribution to the field--defined as a basic science or clinical advance that greatly influenced progress in translational research.

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Pioneer Award winners Katherine High, Amit Nathwani, Arthur Nienhuis, and Andrew Davidoff honored

Behavioral analysis of ISIS brutality presented in Violence and Gender journal

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Dec-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ryan kyan@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News @LiebertOnline

New Rochelle, NY, December 17, 2014-The Sunni Islamist terror organization known as the Islamic State, or ISIS, uses extreme violence and brutality against anyone it perceives as a threat to its goal of expansion and restoration of an Islamic Caliphate. The significant behavioral aspects of this unparalleled violence and its implications for the future are explored in a compelling Review article published in Violence and Gender, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Violence and Gender website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/vio.2014.0037 until January 17, 2015.

In the article "The Violence of the Islamic State of Syria (ISIS): A Behavioral Perspective", coauthors Thomas Neer and Mary Ellen O'Toole, PhD, both retired FBI Agents, describe the growth of ISIS, its membership, and how gratuitous violence has become the organization's "brand." Other topics discussed in their article include violence and psychopathy, personality traits, use of propaganda, ISIS recruitment methods of young men and women, and strategies to counter ISIS.

These authors bring a unique and important perspective to understanding ISIS - a behavioral perspective. Both Mr. Neer and Dr. O'Toole worked for years as Profilers in the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) where they analyzed violent offenders and their crimes. Mr. Neer's perspectives are also based on operational assignments throughout the world where he conducted behavioral and risk assessments of known and suspected terrorists. Dr. O'Toole lends her expertise in psychopathy and psychopathic behaviors of individuals and groups to ISIS leadership.

"ISIS is a global concern on many levels, and its grandiose display of extreme and ruthless violence is stunning," says Violence and Gender Editor-in-Chief Dr. O'Toole. "In this article, my colleague and I provide a behavioral assessment of this dangerous and evolving group comprised largely of young men in a vulnerable age group - late teens and twenties. I am sure you will find this unique and timely perspective both fascinating and enlightening, and extremely relevant for policy development."

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About the Journal

Violence and Gender is the only peer-reviewed journal focusing on the understanding, prediction, and prevention of acts of violence. Through research papers, roundtable discussions, case studies, and other original content, the Journal critically examines biological, genetic, behavioral, psychological, racial, ethnic, and cultural factors as they relate to the gender of perpetrators of violence. Led by Editor-in-Chief Mary Ellen O'Toole, PhD, Forensic Behavioral Consultant and Senior FBI Profiler/Criminal Investigative Analyst (ret.), Violence and Gender explores the difficult issues that are vital to threat assessment and prevention of the epidemic of violence. Violence and Gender is published quarterly online with Open Access options and in print, and is the official journal of The Avielle Foundation. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Violence and Gender website at http://www.liebertpub.com/vio.

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Millan is proof that Positive Reinforcement Works …

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Millans methods are a result of positive reinforcement. Not the dogs they are not reinforced, they are almost always punished. It is Millan that has been positively reinforced.

Once upon a time Millan met a dogs aggressive behavior with aggression. He managed to stop the behavior and thus was rewarded for his aggression. He was positively reinforced. It provided quick control, required no training an allowed him to deal with one dog and quickly moved to another; an assembly line of fear and punishment. Dealing with dogs like they were parts to be hammered into the desired shape; quiet and lacking any behavior. What he calls calm and submissive

From the first time that he was able to shut down a dog through the use of violence, he has been continually reinforced. For Millan punishing dogs was reinforcing. Dealing pain, fear and shutting down dogs was profitable, it earned him the admiration of his employers and the clients. There was no downside.

As his fame increased so did the value of the reinforcement. A television program, celebrity friends, books, travel, popular admiration, fame and wealth; the world rewarded him for using archaic and violent methods.

Many would be doing the same, even if they knew there was a better way. Changing his ways may lose him that fame. Change or the possibility of change comes with uncertainty, anxiety. In other words, it is punishing.

Cesar Millan has been using violence for long that his behavior is now a well ingrained habit. Very much like a positively trained dog. Or like the dogs he deals with whove been reinforced for unwanted behavior.

So, does positive reinforcement work? It worked on Cesar Millan.

Hes been reinforced for aggressive antisocial behavior and he needs re-training. He better hope that HIS trainer doesnt subscribe to His philosophies or the retraining might kill him.

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York College students say goodbye to students, faculty and campus life

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Heather Dachiu planned to celebrate her graduation from York College in the most York countian way she could think of: by having lunch at Round the Clock Diner.

Dachiu was among nearly 300 students who accepted their diplomas Wednesday as the December 2014 graduating class. Armed with her bachelor of science in early childhood and special education, Dachiu was sad to leave behind the life she'd built on campus.

"I've been replaying my whole college experience all day," she said, waiting to enter the Grumbacher Sports and Fitness Center to say goodbye to classmates, faculty and the York College campus.

Katherine Agostini, who received her bachelor of science in behavioral sciences, had 14 family members waiting to watch her walk across the stage to accept her diploma.

"It sounds silly, but I'm really going to miss the faculty," she said. "Each one made it possible for me to even be here today."

The ceremony was filled with tearful goodbyes and triumphant dances as students recalled the past four or more years they spent at the college.

Student speaker, Anastasia Moore, who received her bachelor of arts in public relations, delivered a humorous speech that told the story of her interactions with her York College family.

She remembered the first time she was introduced to campus life, on a hot August day when her parents packed the car with items she said she would never use.

When they kissed her goodbye, Moore was given advice that only a mother can provide: "Don't come home stupid."

The next four years of her college education would be filled with weekends at Yorktown Pizzeria, a staple of the York College student diet. The establishment closed, leaving empty stomachs and fond memories behind, Moore said.

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Leading Southern Ohio Endocrinologist Dr. Jane Cases Launches A Revolutionary Skin And Hair Loss Product Line

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Marietta, Ohio (PRWEB) December 17, 2014

Leading Southern Ohio endocrinologist Dr. Jane Cases today announced the launch of the Healing Saint product line, which consists of two products that enhance the ability of the skin and scalp to repair and renew itself. The Healing Saint Luminosity Skin Serum reduces the appearance of fine lines, fades age spots, minimizes uneven tone, reduces adult acne and increases luminosity and The Healing Saint Medicated Scalp Serum results in a revitalized scalp with thickened hair roots, reduced hair loss and decreased premature breakage.

The Healing Saint product line contains no Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). Scientific studies of animals and humans support a link between EDCs and harm to human health such as infant brain development, childhood obesity, thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, some cancers and more.

Dr. Cases, who is board certified in endocrinology and diplomate in anti-aging and regenerative medicine, with special interest in cell therapy, has worked for years with people suffering from hair loss or Alopecia and personally experienced a severe road bike accident that left her with scars on her face and arm. Dr. Cases could not find an effective solution for her patients or herself after her accident, and so she spent the next several years developing the Healing Saint product line, ensuring that both products work with the skins natural processes.

Our products aim to replace what have been lost due to aging or other health related issues and replenish the scalp or skin with essential growth factors, proteins and cytokines. And, since they contain no EDCs, which are mostly man made, there is no mimicking, interfering or blocking of the normal functioning of our bodys natural hormones, said Dr. Cases. The early user results for the Healing Saint product line have been extremely positive, and we are looking forward to helping many more individuals eliminate frustration with hair loss and/or skin problems and gain back their self-esteem.

The name Healing Saint comes from inspiration from the healer and saint Agnes who, while maintaining faith during suffering, grew her hair.

For early testimonials on Healing Saint, click here: http://www.healingsaint.com/p/testimonials.html. To learn more about the Healing Saint product line, visit http://www.healingsaint.com.

About Jane Cases, MD. Dr. Cases, board certified in endocrinology and a diplomate in anti-aging and regenerative medicine, serves as a leading medical provider in southern Ohio. Her work focuses on endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism as well as stem cell therapy, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, aesthetics and much more. Her passion for total wellness and weight management led her to start Wellness 360 Comprehensive Lifestyle Center in Marietta, Ohio, where she serves as Chief Medical Officer. The development of The Healing Saint comes from her passion for regenerative medicine to help patients who want to fully address or prevent lifestyle diseases.

A graduate of Montefiore Medical Center in New York, Dr. Cases also serves as a speaker and a member of the advisory board for pharmaceutical companies on diabetes drugs in North America. Additionally, she holds active professional memberships with American Board of Internal Medicine, Endocrine Society, USA, American Thyroid Association, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, European Association for the Study of Diabetes, and American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine.

About the Healing Saint Launched in 2014, the Healing Saint product line aims to replace what have been lost due to aging or other health related issues and replenish the scalp or skin with essential growth factors, proteins and cytokines. The Healing Saint product line contains no Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). Scientific studies of animals and humans support a link between EDCs and harm to human health such as infant brain development, childhood obesity, thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, some cancers, decreased fertility, and low testosterone in men, women and children. For more information, visit http://www.healingsaint.com.

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12/13/14 Santa Lucia, Virgin (d.304) – saved NATO Gen.Dozier 1982 – Video

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12/13/14 Santa Lucia, Virgin (d.304) - saved NATO Gen.Dozier 1982
Swedish Saint Lucia: http://youtu.be/cw5NmXkXjlY Saint Lucia in Sweden: http://youtu.be/Mk0FyZqNp5Q Christmas - Santa Lucia Sweden: http://youtu.be/i2-Q_ObdE-4 Luciamorgon i Kungsholms ...

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12/13/14 Santa Lucia, Virgin (d.304) - saved NATO Gen.Dozier 1982 - Video

NATO Secretary General – NAC with past & current non-NATO ISAF Contributing Nations, 17 DEC 2014 – Video

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NATO Secretary General - NAC with past current non-NATO ISAF Contributing Nations, 17 DEC 2014
Opening remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council with past and current non-NATO ISAF Contributing Nations, 17 December 2014.

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NATO Secretary General - NAC with past & current non-NATO ISAF Contributing Nations, 17 DEC 2014 - Video

Ukraine agrees to host NATO war games

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Military manoeuvres: A Russian soldier directs a tank onto a flat-bed truck near Simferopol. Photo: Reuters

Ukraine's parliament on Tuesday approved a series of joint military exercises with NATO countries that would put US troops in direct proximity to Russian forces in the annexed Crimea peninsula.

"This is a good opportunity to develop our armed forces," acting defence minister Mykhailo Koval told Verkhovna Rada lawmakers ahead of the 235-0 vote.

The decision came as NATO foreign ministers gathered in Brussels for a two-day meeting dominated by concern over the recent buildup of Russian forces near Crimea that US officials estimate had at one point reached about 40,000 troops.

NATO has sought to reinforce its eastern frontier after Russia's takeover of Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula and amid concerns about the Kremlin's emboldened foreign policy.

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Russia on Monday reported pulling back a battalion of about 500 to 700 soldiers from the border region in a move that German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called "a small sign that the situation is becoming less tense".

Ukraine is not a NATO member and its new Western-backed leaders have vowed not to push for closer relations with the Brussels-based military alliance - a bloc that has been viewed with deep mistrust by Moscow since the Cold War.

But the former Soviet nation did form a "distinctive partnership" with the Alliance in 1997 and has been staging joint exercises with its state members ever since.

The exercises approved on Tuesday would see Ukraine conduct two sets of military exercises with the United States this summer - Rapid Trident and Sea Breeze - that have prompted disquiet in Russia in previous years.

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Ukraine agrees to host NATO war games

Danger in the skies as Russia, NATO play cat-and-mouse

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BRUSSELS - Recent close shaves between Russian fighters and civilian aircraft highlight the dangers of the cat-and-mouse game being played out between Moscow and the West in European skies amid the crisis in Ukraine, analysts say.

In the latest incident, Sweden said Friday that a Russian military jet nearly collided with a passenger plane south of Malmoe shortly after take-off from Copenhagen International Airport.

Both countries called in their Russian ambassadors to protest, only to be told that a huge increase in Russian military activity in recent months was "a response to NATO's activities and escalation in the region."

Russia later accused Swedish authorities of being under the influence after smoking too much cannabis.

But such incidents are no joke for European authorities, with memories still fresh from the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine by a missile that the West alleges was fired by pro-Russian separatists.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has begun an investigation into a series of near-misses with Russian military aircraft not using the transponders which identify them and tell other planes of their position.

This practice is particularly dangerous, analysts said.

Transponders turned off

"While Russia claims that its military aircraft remain in international airspace, to do so while turning off transponders and swooping close to other aerial platforms is very dangerous," Brooks Tigner, chief editor and policy analyst at Security Europe, told AFP.

"That is disruptive to accepted international air safety rules and a risky game for Russia to play," Tigner said.

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Danger in the skies as Russia, NATO play cat-and-mouse

Fifth Amendment Right Against Self Incrimination In Civil …

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