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Google apologizes for ‘missing the mark’ after Gemini generated racially diverse Nazis - The Verge [2024-02-21]

Google has apologized for what it describes as “inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions” with its Gemini AI tool, saying its attempts at creating a “wide range” of results missed the mark. The statement follows criticism that it depicted specific white figures (like the US Founding Fathers) or groups like Nazi-era German soldiers as people of color, possibly as an overcorrection to long-standing racial bias problems in AI. “We’re aware that Gemini is offering inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions,” says the Google statement, posted this afternoon on X. “We’re working to improve these kinds of depictions immediately. Gemini’s AI image generation does generate a wide range of people. And that’s generally a good thing because people around the world use it. But it’s missing the mark here.” Google began offering image generation through its Gemini (formerly Bard) AI platform earlier this month, matching the offerings of competitors like OpenAI. Ove
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ChatGPT goes temporarily “insane” with unexpected outputs, spooking users - Ars Technica [2024-02-21]

On Tuesday, ChatGPT users began reporting unexpected outputs from OpenAI's AI assistant, flooding the r/ChatGPT Reddit sub with reports of the AI assistant "having a stroke," "going insane," "rambling," and "losing it." OpenAI has acknowledged the problem and is working on a fix, but the experience serves as a high-profile example of how some people perceive malfunctioning large language models, which are designed to mimic humanlike output. ChatGPT is not alive and does not have a mind to lose, but tugging on human metaphors (called "anthropomorphization") seems to be the easiest way for most people to describe the unexpected outputs they have been seeing from the AI model. They're forced to use those terms because OpenAI doesn't share exactly how ChatGPT works under the hood; the underlying large language models function like a black box. "It gave me the exact same feeling—like watching someone slowly lose their mind e
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Why an Ontario town with fewer than 6,000 people has OPP’s largest jail - Global News [2024-02-07]

Nestled between Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout appears to be a typical northern Ontario town. It’s made up of a few roads and a newly minted roundabout. A hunting shop, a coffee spot and an LCBO fill out its downtown core. The quiet municipality is home to just under 6,000 people and a railway stop served by the VIA Rail train between Toronto and Vancouver. Yet, local officers in Sioux Lookout have the most detention cells of any Ontario Provincial Police detachment and the force makes around 4,000 arrests every year. Much of the work police take on — backed by an army of overworked and underfunded local organizations — stems from Sioux Lookout’s status as Ontario’s hub of the north. A lack of resources means there are many times cells in the OPP’s cells almost double as accommodation for often intoxicated people who have been left without any other option. The town has a key northern hospital, a busy domestic airport, and a large Service Ontario location. While fewer than 6,0
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Fact checking Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s claims about trans athletes - Global News [2024-02-02]

During Wednesday’s videotaped announcement of policies targeting Alberta’s trans community, Premier Danielle Smith said one of those policies would prohibit trans women from competing in womens’ sports. Smith suggested a trans athlete has “advantages” over their cisgender counterparts. “There are obvious biological realities that give transgender female athletes a massive competitive advantage over women and girls,” Smith said Wednesday. The scientific literature disagrees, even with the existence of high-profile cases. Caster Semenya of South Africa was questioned about her athletic performance and her higher testosterone levels. Semenya has an intersex condition where normal male internal structures are not fully developed while an embryo, resulting in external genitalia that appear female or ambiguous at birth. At 18, Semenya set personal, national and championship records in the 800-metre race, including at the 2009 IAAF Athletics World Championships, wins that brought up questions
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Calls for more training after assault charges dropped against Hamilton man Tasered by police during a seizure - CBC News [2024-01-31]

A Hamilton man who was slapped with assault charges after he suffered a seizure and then was Tasered by police in October 2022 is extremely happy the Crown dropped the charges this week. The incident involving Marcus Charles, however, has prompted calls for more training on handling people with medical issues. Charles, 27, was charged with three counts of assault, with police saying he concussed an officer after paramedics called officers to the scene. The Crown determined Charles's actions were a result of "a significant epileptic seizure," with no criminal intent.  "It's probably the best feeling ever… I did a dance, that's all I could say, I did a dance for sure," Charles told CBC Hamilton on Wednesday. Charles said the charges left him unable to sleep properly and feeling depressed, and it took a mental toll. He said he's looking forward to the day when he can go back to what makes him happy — playing basketball. "Just hearing the charge, li
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Does Religion Get You High? - Psychology Today [2024-01-31]

Karl Marx once said religion is the opiate of the masses. His metaphor may have a whiff of literal truth, even if it was intended as a hostile attack on religion from an atheistic perspective. It may be worth considering the possibility that religion does indeed work like a drug for some people, and that religious life does have a drugging effect in American lives. Before tackling the particularities of religious drug life, it is important to recognize the fact that psychoactive drugs have been and continue to be an integral part of many religious communities. Whether we are talking about wine and Christians, cannabis and Rastafarianism, Hinduism and the mysterious soma, coffee and Sufi mysticism, or peyote and the Native American Church, to name only a few examples, the evidence for deeply rooted links between sacred rituals, personal spirituality, drug consumption, and the communal bonds they engender is glaring. The integration of drug use into religious life is only one side of the
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4 million Canadians have a criminal record. Companies not hiring them are missing out, say advocates - CBC News [2024-01-31]

During her time in prison, Emily O'Brien came to the conclusion that it would be difficult to find a job after her release, so she developed an idea for starting her own business.  Now as chief executive of her company, Comeback Snacks, O'Brien makes a point of hiring people with criminal records. That makes her something of an exception in Canadian business. A new report being released Wednesday says many Canadian companies remain unwilling to hire people with criminal records, even when they have the skills or experience needed for the job.  "When I was in prison, I met people in there with so much talent," O'Brien said in an interview with CBC News. "I really think that businesses are missing out."  The report is based on interviews of 400 hiring managers at Canadian companies, conducted on behalf of the John Howard Society of Ontario, a non-profit agency that advocates for humane responses to crime and its causes. More than half of those interviewed
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Officer training, mental health support among proposed recommendations in Yatim inquest - CBC News [2024-01-30]

Jurors at an inquest into the death of a teen shot by a Toronto police officer more than a decade ago were asked Tuesday to consider dozens of recommendations related to officer training and monitoring, peer intervention and mental health supports in an effort to prevent future deaths. As closing submissions began in the inquest into the death of Sammy Yatim, coroner's counsel presented a list of more than 50 recommendations jointly proposed by the parties, which include Yatim's family members, the Toronto Police Services Board, and some police officers involved in the incident. Jurors can review the proposal as they deliberate and compile their list of recommendations. One proposed recommendation calls for making peer intervention training, which already exists within the force, a mandatory component of officers' annual re-qualification process. The training should emphasize that officers who intervene will not face repercussions and those who don't could be accused of
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Aging inmates seek compensation for abuse in Canadian prisons - CBC News [2024-01-30]

They couldn't escape the law; now time has caught up with them as well. A group of federal prison inmates aged 50 and older have been given the green light to proceed with a class-action lawsuit claiming their advanced years have made them targets for assault, intimidation and bullying. Earlier this month, a federal court judge certified the proceeding — which includes allegations older inmates have been denied access to health services they need to cope with age-related indignities ranging from lost dentures to incontinence. Justice Simon Fothergill gave the go-ahead for a class-action lawsuit claiming systemic negligence after hearing from inmates serving time for sexual assault and murder; he also heard evidence from Canada's former correctional investigator. In 2011, Howard Sapers — who served as prison system watchdog from 2004 to 2016 — warned of the problems involving the growing number of people aging behind bars. "The older offender is often a neglected, but signi
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Prisoners in the U.S. are part of a hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands - CTV News [2024-01-29]

A hidden path to America’s dinner tables begins here, at an unlikely source – a former Southern slave plantation that is now the country’s largest maximum-security prison. Unmarked trucks packed with prison-raised cattle roll out of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where men are sentenced to hard labour and forced to work, for pennies an hour or sometimes nothing at all. After rumbling down a country road to an auction house, the cows are bought by a local rancher and then followed by The Associated Press another 600 miles to a Texas slaughterhouse that feeds into the supply chains of giants like McDonald’s, Walmart and Cargill. Intricate, invisible webs, just like this one, link some of the world’s largest food companies and most popular brands to jobs performed by U.S. prisoners nationwide, according to a sweeping two-year AP investigation into prison labour that tied hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of agricultural products to goods sold on the open market. They are among Ame
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Schizophrenia and Its Many Consequences - Psychology Today [2024-01-27]

Schizophrenia has been called “the worst disease affecting mankind” (1). It is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder, with multiple clinical features. These include cognitive impairment and deficits, mood symptoms, and psychiatric symptoms (hallucinations and delusions). It is also arguably the diagnosis that carries the greatest degree of stigma. For many years, schizophrenia was untreatable, until the discovery of antipsychotic medications in the 1950s. These first-generation antipsychotic medications offered hope, but many people were left with either a lack of efficacy or intolerable side effects. Today, thanks to the newer second-generation antipsychotic medications, and clozapine for treatment-resistance, the odds for recovery from schizophrenia are possible for many. The absence of insight is one of the most serious symptoms that prevents an individual with schizophrenia from receiving treatment. A lack of insight is called anosognosia. It is common in schizophrenia and other seri
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Homeless data for London, Ont. and the bleak picture it continues to paint - Global News [2024-01-26]

At any given time in London, Ont., there are roughly 1,700 to 2,100 people confirmed to be experiencing homelessness. Of those, about 600 are considered “high acuity,” meaning they require a high level of supports. Meanwhile, the number of encampments in the city nearly tripled between June and November 2023. And while over 400 households have been placed in housing where rent is geared to income, the waitlist is still nearly 7,000. A report heading to city council’s community and protective services committee next week provides a snapshot of data on homelessness in London and also spells out what information is not available. Much of the data comes from the city’s By-Name List, a list of everyone connecting with homelessness services in the community who consents to have a file built with their name, homeless history, health and housing needs. Read more here: Global News January 26, 2024
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Healthy eating 'impossible' for low income households: Report - CTV News [2024-01-25]

It’s never cost more to fill your grocery cart in Huron and Perth counties. “The cost for a family of four would be $267 per week, or $1,155 per month,” said Amy Macdonald, dietician with Huron-Perth Public Health. The report ‘Real Cost of Eating Healthy’ paints an unsustainable picture of the rising cost of living in 2023, especially on low income households. “What we really see is the people who are most impacted, are those living on social assistance. These incomes just aren’t keeping up with the cost of living. It’s impossible to be able to meet those needs on that cost,” said MacDonald. The health unit’s report, which priced 61 food items at eight local grocery stores to find the average retail prices of a typical grocery bill, show that a family of four on Ontario Works needs to spend 41 per cent of income on food to meet Canada’s Food Guide. Read more here: CTV News January 25, 2024
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Doubling social assistance rates would make 'life-changing difference,' recipient says - CBC News [2024-01-25]

Whether she's riding the bus to an appointment, packing her son's school lunch or taking courses so she can get a good job, Tia is constantly running numbers in her head.  "I crunch numbers all day long to figure out what I have, what I'm going to have, what I might need to put aside, or if there's $10 left over, if I'll put it on the hydro bill," the 27-year-old mom told CBC News earlier this week. "I can't just go in tp a grocery store and put things into my cart like the average person. I have to think about the cost, how I can stretch it."  Every month, $1,002.92 gets deposited into her account from Ontario Works (OW. Her rent is $925 a month. Add in an $8 service fee charged by her landlord to pay the rent, $25 for a cell phone, $70 for Rogers and $60 for hydro, and she's already $86 in the hole, without having purchased any food for herself or her son.  "Every month when you get your check,it's already spent. It's gone
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First Nations leaders say mental health crisis worsening at emergency meeting - Global News [2024-01-24]

First Nations leaders held an emergency meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday to discuss a mental health crisis they warn could get even worse without government help. Nishnawbe Aski Nation says there has been an alarming spate of suicides and suicide attempts in the northern Ontario First Nations it represents. That includes the suicides of a 12-year-old from Sachigo Lake First Nation and a 20-year-old in Deer Lake First Nation earlier this month. And in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, nine people have died between December and January. The group is also raising concerns about the recent unexplained deaths of 14-year-old Mackenzie (Nathan) Moonias and 21-year-old Jenna Ostberg in Thunder Bay, and how their deaths are being investigated. “Our communities are under so much pressure with these multiple tragic events,” the group’s Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said in an interview. Read more here: Global News January 24, 2024
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In Canada’s capital, an opioid epidemic and housing crisis collide - Global News [2024-01-20]

On a cool Thursday afternoon in Ottawa, veteran police officer Sgt. Avery Flanagan approaches a man hunched over in a downtown parking lot. He has crushed opioids in one hand and a needle in the other. Flanagan tells the man, who appears to be in his 20s, he can’t use drugs on private property. “Have you ever overdosed on fentanyl?” asks the officer. “Twice or three times,” he responds. “You hit the floor, you wake up, you don’t even know that you’ve overdosed.” “Pretty scary feeling?” asks Flanagan. “Yeah, pretty scary,” he answers. Similar encounters unfolded throughout the day as Global News accompanied the officer during a patrol last November of the city’s downtown, an area where the opioid epidemic and housing crisis are colliding and having deadly consequences. Read more here: Global News January 20, 2024
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Number of dementia patients in Ontario has risen 48% since 2010, new data released by OMA shows - CBC News [2024-01-18]

New data shows that the number of people with dementia is rapidly growing in Ontario and doctors are urging the province to invest in home care now to meet their needs. There has been a 48 per cent increase in the number of patients with dementia in Ontario since 2010, according to a new analysis of Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) billing released by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) on Thursday. The OMA represents more than 43,000 doctors. Dr. Andrew Park, president of the OMA, said resources need to be put in place to better support the province's aging population and people with dementia. "With an already strained health care system and fewer than 300 dementia care specialists across Canada, we are not prepared to meet their needs," Park said at a virtual news conference. "This is an issue that needs urgent attention from all levels of government so people can get the care they deserve and our health care system can withstand rising pressures." Park
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Council urged to support permanent funding for public washrooms downtown - CTV News [2024-01-18]

Coun. Skylar Franke said a movement towards ‘needs-based budgeting’ at city hall must include support for basic human needs like public washrooms. “A lot of places require that you purchase something like a coffee or a bagel to use their washrooms and that’s not feasible for everyone,” Franke explained. “I know a lot of families, a lot of moms, that are out there with their kids who need to go and use [a washroom] really quickly.” A business case in the upcoming 2024-2027 municipal budget seeks permanent funding to operate the public washrooms on Dundas Place and in the Victoria Park bandshell for 12 hours each day. The additional $350,000 per year would fund security, cleaning, washroom supplies, and maintenance/repairs. The business case warns that without the financial increase, current base funding will only keep the public washrooms open 5 hours each day and during special events. The alternatives to public washrooms are limited for 28-year-old Corey, who has struggled with homele
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Police budget increases may not reduce crime rates in Canadian cities, research indicates - CBC News [2024-01-18]

Increasing police budgets doesn't necessarily reduce crime rates in Canada, according to a study led by a University of Toronto team. The research found "no consistent associations" between police funding and crime rates across 20 large municipalities, including Hamilton, Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal.  "Our results point to this more complicated relationship [between police and crime rates] and other factors at play," lead author Mélanie Seabrook told CBC Hamilton on Wednesday. The study, published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Canadian Public Policy in December, notes there has been little research examining police funding. The researchers say this is the first study of its kind in Canada. The findings come at a time when police services in many municipalities are working to get increases in their budgets, which have consistently grown over the years. Christopher Schneider is a sociology professor at Manitoba's Brandon University who re
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Listening to music appears to prevent depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice, study finds - PsyPost [2024-01-16]

A recent study in China exposed mice to unpredictable stress during the day and played music to them at night. The results indicated that listening to music completely prevented the development of anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in these mice. Biochemical parameters examined further supported these findings. The paper was published in Translational Psychiatry. Depression and anxiety are two distinct yet often interrelated mental health conditions. Depression typically manifests as persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. It is frequently accompanied by physical symptoms such as changes in sleep and appetite. Anxiety, on the other hand, is characterized by excessive worry, nervousness, and fear, often leading to physical symptoms like an increased heart rate, sweating, and restlessness. While depression mainly affects one’s mood and outlook on life, anxiety is largely a response to stress and perceived threats. Both of these
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How a steady place to live helped this Londoner find sobriety and meaningful work - CBC News [2024-01-16]

For a decade, Korrine MacCormick didn't have a steady place to live.  She couch surfed, spent time in jail, and bounced between homeless shelters and living on the streets of London and Stratford. She was using drugs and getting into trouble, watching some people she loved die from overdoses.  But 2024 is shaping up to be different. Last month she celebrated a year of living in her own apartment. Tomorrow she will celebrate seven months of sobriety.  "My children's father died of a fentanyl overdose on June 12, and on June 17 I walked away from the drug scene," MacCormick said, fresh off a 12-hour shift at an overnight shelter in London, where she now works.  "I decided it was time to get sober for my kids. They deserve a mom, and my grandson deserves a nana, and my mom deserves a daughter." MacCormick credits her success to a worker with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) who never gave up on her, along with getting affordable, safe housing provi
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Peel Region considers fines for those who misuse 911 - CBC News [2024-01-12]

People misusing 911 could soon face fines in Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon, after the Peel Region council voted this week to explore whether fines or other penalties can be issued. Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown introduced the motion, citing Peel police data on emergency calls categorized as non-legitimate, inappropriate, or misuse. Peel police received approximately 1,800 calls every day in 2023, out of which 720, or more than 40 per cent, were deemed non-legitimate, inappropriate or misuse. In the last two months alone, Peel police reportedly received over 100,000 calls, of which it said 50 per cent were misuse.  "It has reached a breaking point," Brown said.  The rise in negligent calls comes as police are dealing with a 27 per cent increase in calls, which police are calling the highest year over year call volume increase to date. Read more here: CBC News January 12, 2024
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He slept on night buses and in a storage locker to avoid homeless shelters - CBC News [2024-01-04]

Three days before Christmas, John Grant Yusak was evicted from the closest thing he'd had to a home in months. It was a storage locker.  At six feet tall, he could barely squeeze into the space. He piled up his bins, laid an air mattress on top and wrapped himself up in a sleeping bag. He called it "reasonably comfortable." "I was at the storage locker for about a month before I got discovered," he said. "Somewhere I slipped up, but I tried very hard to be inconspicuous … it was just get in there, crash, get up." It was the end of a six-month journey that took Yusak from his truck to an airport waiting room to an all-night bus circuit, as he tried every option he could find to avoid ending up at a homeless shelter after a previous bad experience. City staff estimate about 218 people are living unsheltered in Ottawa. That number includes people staying in informal arrangements like cars when staff come across them, but the city doesn't keep a specif
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How does Ontario enforce its accessibility legislation? It doesn't, advocates say - CBC News [2024-01-04]

In her years of advocating for people with disabilities, Alex Wilding says complaints to the province about organizations failing to comply with its accessibility law have gone nowhere.  The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was meant to remove barriers for those with disabilities to ensure their full participation in society. But the Peterborough community advocate says there's no clear guidance on what recourse citizens have when organizations don't comply. "It looks nice on paper. It looks impressive ... They can fine an individual $50,000 a day, and if they're a corporation, $100,000 a day for violation of the act... And then you think, OK, how do I start this mechanism?" she said. "There isn't one," said Wilding, adding phone calls and emails have only led to employees reciting building codes and laws. Wilding, who has disabilities including depression and obsessive compulsive disorder, is one of many advocates who say a l
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Stigma of criminal record 'is massive,' say advocates who want to reform pardon process - CBC News [2024-01-02]

When Steven Deveau describes his frustration with the process to suspend a criminal record, he keeps coming back to two women. The women were hoping to attend a nursing program. But because of their records from past convictions — and small unpaid fines related to those convictions — they were barred from applying. They came to Deveau seeking help with a record suspension. He's a case manager with Pardon Me, a free service based in Dartmouth, N.S., that began offering peer support for people going through the record suspension process last year. But Deveau had to tell them they weren't eligible. "When we have these barriers, then we're really keeping people out of the workforce, and where they got that momentum going with changing their lives, it's very discouraging." In Canada, the record suspension process is lengthy and complicated, and many Canadians continue to encounter barriers to work, school and housing. While changes have been made to streamline the
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