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Anti-Empire >>
Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.
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 >>
Eurostar Unveils Gender-Neutral Uniform for Staff Wed Oct 01, 2025 19:00 | Will Jones
Eurostar has unveiled its first gender-neutral uniform, introducing a collection featuring skirts, trousers and Dr Martens boots designed to be "interchangeable and made to fit all genders".
The post Eurostar Unveils Gender-Neutral Uniform for Staff appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Fact-Checking Starmer?s Claim That Brexit Created the Small Boats Crisis Wed Oct 01, 2025 17:30 | Will Jones
Keir Starmer has claimed that Brexit created the small boats crisis and the migrant boats should be called 'Farage boats'. This is nonsense, says David Barrett, and even Oxford University's Migration Observatory agrees.
The post Fact-Checking Starmer’s Claim That Brexit Created the Small Boats Crisis appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Why is ?Pandemic Preparedness? a Major Theme of the New US Global Health Strategy? Wed Oct 01, 2025 15:43 | Dr David Bell
Why is 'pandemic preparedness' a major theme of the US Government's new 'America First' Global Health Strategy, asks Dr David Bell. There are some sound public health principles in there, but the 'pandemic' con lives on.
The post Why is ‘Pandemic Preparedness’ a Major Theme of the New US Global Health Strategy? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Ed Miliband Pledges Legislation to Ban Fracking ?Forever? Wed Oct 01, 2025 13:22 | Will Jones
With energy bills heading skywards and renewable energy investment on the ropes, Ed Miliband's conference crowd-pleaser was to pledge a law to ban fracking 'forever' ? and sabotage a future Reform administration.
The post Ed Miliband Pledges Legislation to Ban Fracking ‘Forever’ appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lammy Backtracks on Claim Farage ?Once Flirted With Hitler Youth? Wed Oct 01, 2025 11:21 | Will Jones
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has been forced to row back on his bizarre claim that Nigel Farage "once flirted with the Hitler Youth", which Farage has denied.
The post Lammy Backtracks on Claim Farage “Once Flirted With Hitler Youth” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
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Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en
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Voltaire Network >>
international |
anti-war / imperialism |
other press
Sunday November 18, 2007 17:52
by Aragon
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Comments (14 of 14)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14"Maybe Katz right. Maybe there is no epidemic. Maybe it’s perfectly normal for young men and women to return from combat, sink into inconsolable depression, and kill themselves at greater rates than they were dying on the battlefield. Maybe it’s normal for the Pentagon to abandon them as soon as soon they return from their mission so they can blow their brains out or hang themselves with a garden hose in their basement. Maybe it's normal for politicians to keep funding wholesale slaughter while they brush aside the casualties they have produced by their callousness and lack of courage. Maybe it is normal for the president to persist with the same, bland lies that perpetuate the occupation and continue to kill scores of young soldiers who put themselves in harm’s-way for their country. "
Thanks for posting the above figures and the CBS link Aragon.
If my maths is right 120 suicides a week mean more than 17 people committing suicide EVERY DAY of the week for a whole year.
It's going to take any rational person quite a few hours to understand and appreciate the implication of that.
I an dumbstruck.....we must make sure that the Irish printed and electronic media are made aware of these figures......
Several things are wrong with those facts.
One, US DoD only would be tracking "Active Duty, Reserve" members, not Veterans who have left the forces. Therefore the DoD could indeed be correct in their numbers of suicide among those serving. The VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) would be the group which would have tracked suicides among those who have left the Forces, If they even have all Pertinent Information.
According to US Census Figures:
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/national_securit...airs/
In 2005 there were 24.5 Million Veterans alive. so your suicide rates arent as high as Infoclearing house makes them to be
The suicide rates are more than double the normal rates for Veterans. Several things are interesting about that. Firstly its clear that suicide rates among that group are a massive cause for concern ordinarily and something that many people may not realise. That's not a situation that we should accept as rational or acceptable.
Secondly, when a situation that is already bad becomes dire, then we ought to be aware of it. Do recruiting sargeants tell the new recruits that they have a massively increased likelihood of comitting suicide - that it in fact is far greater than the risk of losing life in combat?
The officiall mortality rate for US military personnel is over 4,000. We now discover that this figure ignores all of the suicides they knew to expect AND a huge number of additional suicides that dwarfs the 4,000 - an additional 11,000 men and women having taken their own lives.
These are repulsive figures.
But we have a precedent for the indifference - over 1.2 million reliably estimated to have died in Iraq since the war began. US soldiers are being treated with the exact same indifference and contempt as their victims in Iraq. It would be interesting to see what would happen if the bereaved on both sides were to unite in challenge to this slaughter.
Other reports on this issue from sourcewatch:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Iraq_Coaliti...cides
"US soldiers are being treated with the exact same indifference and contempt as their victims in Iraq. It would be interesting to see what would happen if the bereaved on both sides were to unite in challenge to this slaughter."
I'm not sure the soldiers are being treated with such contempt. A lot of them don't want to be there and there is a degree of symapthy for them being sent to fight a war that many want no part in.
I wonder if there are any on Lariam...
My Point boyo?
Simply that Your supposition that the Casualty rate for the war in Iraq/Afghanistan is higher is complete Bollocks. Again for the Obtuse, Do you count suicides from the world wars veterans years later as combat casualties? No of course not. Unless the suicides happens in Uniform(meaning for the Obtuse, while on Active Service). You can or cannot accept that, I dont care really. Your not a Yank, and have no tangible way of stopping that problem. Most here consider Yank Soldiers to be war criminals in their postings anyway, the sudden concern is hypocritical.
Do You have a Greater risk of dying in Shinner controlled Pubs would it be equally Toss?
And it is an additional 11,000 out of the 24.5 Million Living Veterans, that includes world war two, korea, vietnam, persian gulf war, grenada, panama, etc. and in point of fact , the Yanks consider anyone who has served 2 or more years honorably in the forces to be a Veteran. That 11,000 works out as a Percentage: 0.04583333333333333% of their Veteran Population as a whole.
"These are repulsive figures." you say, true enough, I give you that. What can you do about it? absolutely nothing, neither can I. This is just more of the same anti-yank tabloid style headlines without reasoned thought behind it that infest Indymedia.
Aragon's figures came straight from a CBS documentary which was researched over 45 US States.
CBS is hardly an anti_yank psychosis infested media organisation.
Instead of attacking the messenger, be it CBS or Aragon in this case, think for a minute.
In 2005 120 young people, from 20-32 years old, all war veterans of, one supposes, recent combat experience, yes 120 committed suicide EVERY WEEK, during the whole year. That is over 17 people every single day.
We are not talking here neither of Korea, nor Vietnam, nor Panama, nor Granada.
To dismiss this epidemic as "hypocritical concern" is codswallop.....it's a reflection of the same attitude shown by the HSE and Drumm re: the recent cancer epidemic.
Don't know what hole you have scrambled out from Liam, but do us all a favour and crawl right back.
You will be in good company with a set of other variants of warmongering snakes.
In fairness to Liams posting about the hypocrisy of anti war people having concern for suicide rates among US troops, I can see his point. On reading the article I admit that I feel no real concern for any dead US troop whether it be at the hands of insurgents in any of the many countries they occupy by force or by their own hands.
Its a tragic loss and waste of human life that we have a system that turns young men and women into killing machines. Its not so surprising that they can end up turning on themselves. If they are dead then they cant be out killing anyone else for US neo cons so is it not a good thing?
After seeing how US troops abuse, bully, and murder people every where they go I have scant sympathy for them why they die. I just feel sorry for their familes. They are still someones child at the end of the day same as their victims. The real loss is to humanity.
S
The poor and disenfranchised in the US are being actively targetted by US recruiting sargeants - the cynicism and contempt is blatant. Their lives are clearly regarded as being more expendible The US government believes it can afford to loose them, their important political constituency will not complain. They have calculated that they are likely to be able to get away with this for longer than they would if they introduced the draft - which would spread the responsibility equally across the whole country. Political suicide to do that though. Young unemployed black people are sought out and there is a disproportionate number of them among the lower ranks. In a culture where people are surrounded by so much screaming, racist xenophobia - it must be very hard not feel you have to go along with it.
Dear Seamus,
Have read your message and I think I understand where you're coming from....some of these issues were discussed and kicked around when Brit soldiers lost their lives in the 6 Counties.
My, and the iawm's, position on this issue is clear: Our opposition is with the imperialist policy of the US elites - their illegal and barbaric invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. And the collaboration of the Irish Gvt by allowing and facilitating the use of Shannon Airport.
We are all aware that the price being paid is primarily on the part of the Iraqi people and, at a second level, by working class US citizens, women and men, who get killed not only in the battlefield but also when they get home and commit suicide. Those young men and women are as much victims of the Bush Admin's policies as the Iraqis.....
It is essential that we show our solidarity and support to the soldiers and their families....that's what we learnt, those of us of a certain age, from the Vietname experience. This is why we argue consistently that our struggle is not anti-American, not against the American people, and most certainly not against the young men and women who are used as cannon fodder.
It is Liam's arguments above that reek of hypocricy.....he does not believe, or pretends he doesn't believe, the figures are right....and even if they were, he cares not an inch. That's an orthodox pro-war stance. And, as such, it must be politically countered.
Anti war not anti American!!
Don't most of you bog micks believe that all Americans, military and civilian are war criminals? This news should be a delight to all of you.
In case you missed this sentence from my message above:
[Pls read c a r e f u l l y and veeeerrrryyyy S L O W L Y letting it sink in]:
It is essential that we show our solidarity and support to the soldiers and their families....that's what we learnt, those of us of a certain age, from the Vietname experience. This is why we argue consistently that our struggle is not anti-American, not against the American people, and most certainly not against the young men and women who are used as cannon fodder.
The IAWM is organising a 'WORLD AGAINST WAR' meeting tomorrow Friday Feb 15th at 7.30 pm in Dublin's Royal Dublin Hotel. Speakers are Mira Dabit, a Palestinian activist, an Egyptian academic and the IAWM's venerable Chairperson Richard Boyd Barrett.
All welcome.
Aaron all those years back to 2006 describes the descent into hell ie human depression or war at its very worst.
What is so disturbing about 2013 is that we know now that in the US that more die each year as a result of suicide as distinct from armed combat. This is shameful.
War is upon us in Northern Africa now with Mali equating to its Afghanistan and the French our main EU partner has intervened....
Scary times ahead surely - Syria and refugees to neighbouring countries, North Korea, Iraq, Iran, we know of those murdered, we know about the drones but how many people within these states opt for suicide, which is never going be recorded. Suicide is Anomie and Durkheim is worth reading.