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Fraud and mismanagement at University College Cork Thu Aug 28, 2025 18:30 | Calli Morganite UCC has paid huge sums to a criminal professor
This story is not for republication. I bear responsibility for the things I write. I have read the guidelines and understand that I must not write anything untrue, and I won't.
This is a public interest story about a complete failure of governance and management at UCC.
Deliberate Design Flaw In ChatGPT-5 Sun Aug 17, 2025 08:04 | Mind Agent Socratic Dialog Between ChatGPT-5 and Mind Agent Reveals Fatal and Deliberate 'Design by Construction' Flaw
This design flaw in ChatGPT-5's default epistemic mode subverts what the much touted ChatGPT-5 can do... so long as the flaw is not tickled, any usage should be fine---The epistemological question is: how would anyone in the public, includes you reading this (since no one is all knowing), in an unfamiliar domain know whether or not the flaw has been tickled when seeking information or understanding of a domain without prior knowledge of that domain???!
This analysis is a pretty unique and significant contribution to the space of empirical evaluation of LLMs that exist in AI public world... at least thus far, as far as I am aware! For what it's worth--as if anyone in the ChatGPT universe cares as they pile up on using the "PhD level scholar in your pocket".
According to GPT-5, and according to my tests, this flaw exists in all LLMs... What is revealing is the deduction GPT-5 made: Why ?design choice? starts looking like ?deliberate flaw?.
People are paying $200 a month to not just ChatGPT, but all major LLMs have similar Pro pricing! I bet they, like the normal user of free ChatGPT, stay in LLM's default mode where the flaw manifests itself. As it did in this evaluation.
AI Reach: Gemini Reasoning Question of God Sat Aug 02, 2025 20:00 | Mind Agent Evaluating Semantic Reasoning Capability of AI Chatbot on Ontologically Deep Abstract (bias neutral) Thought
I have been evaluating AI Chatbot agents for their epistemic limits over the past two months, and have tested all major AI Agents, ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Perplexity, and DeepSeek, for their epistemic limits and their negative impact as information gate-keepers.... Today I decided to test for how AI could be the boon for humanity in other positive areas, such as in completely abstract realms, such as metaphysical thought. Meaning, I wanted to test the LLMs for Positives beyond what most researchers benchmark these for, or have expressed in the approx. 2500 Turing tests in Humanity?s Last Exam.. And I chose as my first candidate, Google DeepMind's Gemini as I had not evaluated it before on anything.
Israeli Human Rights Group B'Tselem finally Admits It is Genocide releasing Our Genocide report Fri Aug 01, 2025 23:54 | 1 of indy We have all known it for over 2 years that it is a genocide in Gaza
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has finally admitted what everyone else outside Israel has known for two years is that the Israeli state is carrying out a genocide in Gaza
Western governments like the USA are complicit in it as they have been supplying the huge bombs and missiles used by Israel and dropped on innocent civilians in Gaza. One phone call from the USA regime could have ended it at any point. However many other countries are complicity with their tacit approval and neighboring Arab countries have been pretty spinless too in their support
With the release of this report titled: Our Genocide -there is a good chance this will make it okay for more people within Israel itself to speak out and do something about it despite the fact that many there are actually in support of the Gaza
China?s CITY WIDE CASH SEIZURES Begin ? ATMs Frozen, Digital Yuan FORCED Overnight Wed Jul 30, 2025 21:40 | 1 of indy This story is unverified but it is very instructive of what will happen when cash is removed
THIS STORY IS UNVERIFIED BUT PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO OR READ THE TRANSCRIPT AS IT GIVES AN VERY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT A CASHLESS SOCIETY WILL LOOK LIKE. And it ain't pretty
A single video report has come out of China claiming China's biggest cities are now cashless, not by choice, but by force. The report goes on to claim ATMs have gone dark, vaults are being emptied. And overnight (July 20 into 21), the digital yuan is the only currency allowed. The Saker >>
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony
Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony
Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony
RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony
Waiting for SIPO Anthony Public Inquiry >>
Parse failure for http://humanrights.ie/feed/. Last Retry Tuesday September 23, 2025 07:52
News Round-Up Tue Sep 23, 2025 01:12 | Richard Eldred A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Hamas Executes ?Israeli Collaborators? in Streets of Gaza Mon Sep 22, 2025 19:30 | Will Jones Hamas?has executed three Palestinians accused of "collaborating" with Israel on the streets of Gaza, just hours after the UK, Australia and Canada announced their?recognition of a Palestinian state.
The post Hamas Executes “Israeli Collaborators” in Streets of Gaza appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Covid Response Was Not a Mistake ? It Was Just Wrong Mon Sep 22, 2025 17:35 | Dr David Bell The Covid response was not an error, and it was not the result of rushing to counter an unknown pathogen. It was a lot of people, mostly professionals, systematically doing what they knew was wrong, says Dr David Bell.
The post The Covid Response Was Not a Mistake ? It Was Just Wrong appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
School Accused of ?Brainwashing? Children After 14 Year-Olds Told to Read Book ?Blaming Them for The... Mon Sep 22, 2025 15:11 | Will Jones A parent has accused a secondary school of "brainwashing" after?he learned that 14 year-old pupils were told to read a book that "blames them for their white skin" ? and his daughter was forced to read it out loud.
The post School Accused of “Brainwashing” Children After 14 Year-Olds Told to Read Book “Blaming Them for Their White Skin” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
No Benefits for Foreigners Under Reform, Says Nigel Farage: Stricter Visa Tests and Deportation for ... Mon Sep 22, 2025 13:00 | Will Jones Nigel Farage?today vowed to block foreign nationals from getting benefits, slashing the welfare bill "by ?234bn", and to deport hundreds of thousands of migrants with 'settled status' by bringing in stricter visa tests.
The post No Benefits for Foreigners Under Reform, Says Nigel Farage: Stricter Visa Tests and Deportation for Those Who Fail Under Crackdown on ‘Settled Status’ Migrants appeared first on The Daily Sceptic. Lockdown Skeptics >>
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What is this ESM bail-out fund?
national |
eu |
opinion/analysis
Tuesday May 22, 2012 13:01 by O.O'C. - People's Movement post at people dot ie 25 Shanowen Crescent, Santry, Dublin 9 087 2308330

An introduction to the ESM
The European Stability Mechanism is a crisis fund that comes at the price of €11 billion for Ireland, that EU countries will be able to gain access to should they ratify the Fiscal Treaty. But will it be a handy insurance policy for Ireland - or an economic straitjacket? The European Stability Mechanism (ESM), also known as “the secret treaty”, is part of an overwhelming bunch of initiatives designed by the EU to stabilise the euro.
Essentially, the ESM is a new bail-out fund designed to supply loans to countries in two situations:
(1) where they find themselves in danger of a default, or
(2) where they are found to be in an economic situation that threatens the stability of the euro zone as a whole.
The ESM will be a permanent replacement for an existing temporary fund, the European Financial Stability Fund. The EFSF, which will expire by June 2013, holds €500 billion. The ESM will initially hold €700 billion.
How did it come about?
The ESM is connected to the Fiscal Stablity Treaty, which is the subject of a referendum in Ireland.
Access to the ESM has been made contingent on the ratification of the Fiscal Stability Treaty, thus increasing the pressure on governments to ratify.
But the ESM is a separate entity based on a two-line amendment of the Lisbon Treaty, which was decided by an EU summit on 16 December 2010, and an intergovernmental treaty specifying working mechanism and procedures.
Where does the money come from?
The ESM will build its capital stock from contributions from the euro countries and from capital already invested in the existing EFSF. Ireland is to contribute €11,145,400,000 to the initial capital.
Like other countries in financial troubles, Ireland will have to supply a portion of this amount in cash, whereas triple-A rated countries like Germany can make do with guarantees.
The ESM can decide to increase the total capital stock (or speed up the contributions of the initial capital) if needed. The Irish Government will then be obliged to “meet all capital calls on a timely basis in accordance with the terms set out in this Treaty.” This increase of capital stock can become relevant if a bail-out of one of the euro zone’s larger economies, such as that of Spain or Italy, becomes necessary some day.
Votes
Ireland is to cover 1.59 per cent of all capital stock in the ESM fund, and votes on the ESM board will be distributed in accordance with this percentage.
A “qualified majority” is needed to make most decisions concerning the programmes and management of the fund. Germany, with 27 per cent of the votes, is the only country that can veto these majority decisions by itself.
The decision to initiate a bail-out programme in any of the member-countries will be taken by the ESM’s Board of Governors. The ESM Treaty does not specify the exact conditions under which its programmes will be initiated, leaving room for political decisions.
6 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
1. Is the ESM the same as the Fiscal Stability Treaty?
2. Will there be a referendum in Ireland on the ESM?
3. How much money will Ireland have to contribute to the fund?
4. Who is in charge of the ESM?
5. What are the conditions of the bail-out programmes?
6. Will Ireland have access to loans if the Fiscal Stability Treaty is not ratified?
1. Is the ESM the same as the Fiscal Stability Treaty?
No, the ESM (European Stability Mechanism) is a separate legal body, with its own separate treaty. All euro countries will become members of the ESM if they ratify the ESM Treaty. To obtain access to the ESM crisis fund a country must also ratify the Fiscal Stability Treaty.
The ESM Treaty is not yet ratified and the rescue fund will only come into existence if at least 90 per cent of the initial paid in capital stock is provided by the member countries.
2. Will there be a referendum in Ireland on the ESM?
No, the Government has no plan to put the ESM Treaty to a referendum. The ESM has, however, been challenged by a member of the Dáil, Thomas Pringle. The outcome of this challenge is not yet known, but one of the demands is that the ESM should be put to a referendum.
3. How much money will Ireland have to contribute to the fund?
Ireland is to provide 1.59 per cent of the initial paid-in capital stock in the ESM fund. The total amount of capital stock will be €700 billion. This includes the €500 billion capital stock of the EFSF that is to be transferred to the ESM.
Ireland will be called upon to supply five payments, each consisting of €237 million, over the first two years after the ESM comes into effect. This amounts to a total of €11,145,000,000. Should the ESM require more money at some point, Ireland is obliged to pay 1.59 per cent of that amount when called upon.
4.Who is in charge of the ESM?
A Board of Governors drawn from each member-country will be in charge of the ESM. Decisions on the basic workings of the ESM, and the decision to make a call for extra capital, will be decided unanimously. Decisions on loans and bail-out programmes will be taken by a qualified majority (80 per cent of the votes).
Votes will be distributed according to the amount of capital stock supplied. Ireland will therefore hold 1.59 per cent of the votes. France will have 20 per cent and Germany 27 per cent.
5. What are the conditions of the bail-out programmes?
In the preamble to the ESM Treaty it is clearly stated that “the granting of any required financial assistance under the mechanism will be made subject to strict conditionality.” The ESM Board of Governors, consisting of representatives from each of the member-countries, will decide in principle whether a loan can be granted.
The exact conditions will then be negotiated in what is called a “memorandum of understanding” drawn up by the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
One condition would be the “macro-economic adjustment programme” mentioned in the treaty. It is up to the ESM to specify the exact adjustments needed in the programme countries’ financial policies. Any part of a country’s financial policies can in theory be included in such a programme.
6. Will Ireland have access to loans if the Fiscal Stability Treaty is not ratified?
Ireland’s existing loan or bail-out options are not directly affected by the Fiscal Treaty or the ESM Treaty. Ireland will not have access to loans from the ESM in the event that the Fiscal Stability Treaty is not ratified [however, the ESM itself - which is the heart of the Fiscal Treaty - is subject to veto by Ireland; O.O'C. ]. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) would still accept an application, and the granting of a loan would not be ruled out in case of a second Irish bail-out.
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