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Can a chatbot preach a good sermon? Hundreds attend experimental Lutheran church service to find out

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

FUERTH, Germany (AP) — The artificial intelligence chatbot asked the believers in the fully packed St. Paul’s church in the Bavarian town of Fuerth to rise from the pews and praise the Lord.The ChatGPT chatbot, personified by an avatar of a bearded Black man on a huge screen above the altar, then began preaching to the more than 300 people who had shown up on Friday morning for an experimental Lutheran church service almost entirely generated by AI.“Dear friends, it is an honor for me to stand here and preach to you as the first artificial intelligence at this year’s convention of Protestants in Germany,” the avatar said with an expressionless face and monotonous voice.The 40-minute service — including the sermon, prayers and music — was created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the University of Vienna.“I conceived this service — but actually I rather accompanied it, because I would say about 98% comes from the machine,” the 29-yea...

Beverly Hills-adjacent golf club opens doors to world with U.S. Open

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — For much of the past century, the Los Angeles Country Club was quite literally a hidden gem.While Los Angeles grew from a warm-weather outpost into a global metropolis, this picturesque golf club sat in one of the city’s most dazzling settings — 325 acres of multibillion-dollar real estate adjoining Beverly Hills, a few miles from the Pacific. Yet its two courses were rarely seen by anyone except its wealthy members, who cherished privacy and exclusivity over anything the outside world could provide.This diamond in the (surprisingly playable) rough has gradually revealed itself to eager eyes in the 21st century, and its gleam will be fully on display when it hosts the 123rd U.S. Open that starts Thursday.It’s the first U.S. Open in 75 years in Los Angeles, a thriving golf town that finally gets an event worthy of its status. The world’s best players and a global audience will see what’s been hiding among Holmby Hills’ mansions to the north and th...

Wildfires are fuelling eco-anxiety but taking climate action can help, experts say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

When Jennifer Austin woke up on Tuesday morning, her Ottawa home smelled like smoke, even though all the windows were closed.  “I felt like a little bit under siege,” she said. “It was a bit of a battle every time the front door was opening, so I put one of the air filters there.”Outside, “it was like an orange glow and the streets looked smoky.” Worried about her own asthma and the health risks that her three teenage kids might face, Austin ran multiple air purifiers inside and tried to keep the amount of time spent outside to a minimum. “There was the immediate feeling of needing to take action to try to protect myself and my family’s health,” she said. “But there’s also the longer-term concern of the fact that this is real and it’s happening and this is not going to be the last time and just the mental exhaustion that creates.”Like many other Canadians who found their communities enveloped in smoke from...

St. Paul police employee is one of just two Minnesotans heading to Berlin for Special Olympics World Games

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

Matthew Krohn had a police escort when he headed to the airport early Saturday, his ultimate destination the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.Krohn, a St. Paul police employee who cleans the department’s headquarters, is representing Team USA as a swimmer.At a send-off at the police department Friday, Police Chief Axel Henry said whether it’s people who solve major crimes or keep police facilities in great shape, “those all kind of pale by comparison to doing something … on an international level where we go represent our country. We’re really, really proud today to congratulate Matthew.”Krohn, of Inver Grove Heights, is one of two Minnesotans who are competing at the Special Olympics World Games.Tiffany Carey, of Brooklyn Park, will take part in artistic gymnastics.“Very excited, beyond excited,” Carey said of reaching her dream. When she got the news, “I actually screamed,” Carey said. There are only six gymnasts from the U.S. ...

Ask Amy: Readers respond to a perplexed suburbanite

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

Dear Readers: A recent query from “Perplexed in Suburbia” asked why people under the age of 50 don’t return friendly “hellos.”I posited that this might be a regional issue, but also asked readers if my generation has raised a generation of “rude-niks.”The responses flowed in, and I am sharing a representative sample.While every theory suggested is valid, I think it’s vital to understand that we never really know what others are going through, which is a great reason to be friendly, regardless of the reaction.Dear Amy: At our family’s rural retreat strangers wave VIGOROUSLY from their cars and trucks when encountered on the roads.In our closely spaced prosperous cul de sac in the DC suburbs, every encounter is a chilly non-event.I’d say the dynamic isn’t generational. People in urban neighborhoods don’t want to risk taking on new relationships too carelessly … they ain’t got the time! But out in rural-ville, loneliness is the threat.— Dave in Bethesda, MDDear Dave: I hear you.D...

Word Game: June 10, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — RESURRECTS (RESURRECTS: reh-zir-RECTS: Raises from the dead; brings to use again.)Average mark 38 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 49 or more words in RESURRECTS? The list will be published Monday.YESTERDAY’S WORD — SIMMERED seder seed seem seer semi sere side simmer sire idem ides immerse meme mere mime mire miser eider emir reed remise reside ride rime rimmed rise deem deer deism demise desire dime dimmer dire driesTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Wor...

Horoscopes June 10, 2023: Kate Upton, make meaningful relationships a priority

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Kate Upton, 31; Leelee Sobieski, 40; Jessica DiCicco, 43; Shane West, 45.Happy Birthday: Take your time, review every detail and adjust any weak link you encounter. Trust and believe in yourself to do the right thing. Refuse to let anyone talk you into being extravagant or taking on something that will lead to debt, injury or illness. Explore your options and choose what’s feasible. Make meaningful relationships a priority. Your numbers are 4, 11, 19, 28, 34, 40, 47.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Verify information before purchasing or deciding. When in doubt, go directly to the source. Think twice before you squander money. Set up a financial plan to help you save for a big-ticket item. Make health and love priorities. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Consider the best way to handle a pending situation. Refuse to let anger set in or allow stubbornness to hold you back. If you are willing to adjust to the circumstances, it will help you get your way. ...

Researchers unveil the first words of the Oxford African American English dictionary

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

Editors at the Oxford University Press are unveiling a shortlist of words that will be featured in a first-of-its-kind dictionary.The Oxford Dictionary of African American English won’t hit shelves until March 2025. But the task of collecting at least 1,000 words created or reinvented by Black people is well underway. So far, a shortlist of the first words has been released, said Adam Bradley, a member of the research team and a professor of English and African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.Some of the words include:kitchen (n.) — short, curly hair at the nape of the neckpat (v.) — to tap, usually the foot, in time with musicAunt Hagar’s children (n.) — an acknowledgment of Black people as a groupChitterlings (n.) — a Southern dish made from pig intestines“What we’re trying to do is trace back as closely as we can the point of origin into the culture of this language,” Bradley told WTOP. “To credit those who created it and help disse...

Texas anuncia un plan para desplegar barreras flotantes marinas en el río Grande, con el objetivo de disuadir a los migrantes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

(CNN) — El gobernador de Texas, Greg Abbott, anunció el jueves planes para desplegar una barrera marina flotante a lo largo del río Grande con el fin de impedir los cruces ilegales en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México.El anuncio se produjo durante la firma de un proyecto de ley en Austin, Texas.Abbott, un viejo crítico de las políticas fronterizas de la administración de Biden, dijo que tiene la intención de hacer flotar los primeros 300 m de la barrera en el río cerca de la ciudad de Eagle Pass en el condado de Maverick. En 2022, un guardia nacional de Texas se ahogó en el río Grande al intentar rescatar a una mujer que cruzaba el río.“Se trata de una nueva barrera acuática (…) Podemos poner kilómetro tras kilómetro tras kilómetro de estas boyas”, dijo el gobernador mientras mostraba una ilustración de la barrera de boyas. “Lo que estamos haciendo ahora es proteger la frontera en la frontera, y lo que estas boyas nos permitirán hacer es impedir...

US OPEN ’23: Hole by hole look at Los Angeles Country Club

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:46 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A hole-by-hole look at the North course at Los Angeles Country Club, site of the 123rd U.S. Open that starts Thursday:No. 1, 590 yards, par 5: For only the third time in the last 20 years, the U.S. Open opens with a true par 5 (Chambers Bay was played as a par 5 and a par 4). This is short by modern standards with a speed slot that can make it seem shorter. The green is protected by a bunker and slopes to the left.No. 2, 497 yards, par 4: This presents an immediate wake-up call. The fairway slopes to the left toward a bunker. The green is fronted by a barranca that traverses the front nine. Anything in the rough will make a player decide how much to take on to avoid the barranca or missing the green.No. 3, 419 yards, par 4: The tee shot and the approach are partially blind. The tee shot must avoid barranca to the left. Deep bunkers protect the front of the green, with fingers of grass that could present problems with bunker shots. The large green slopes severely f...